Breakdown of Das Kind vertraut einem Hund.
ein
a, an (eine)
das Kind
the child
der Hund
the dog
vertrauen
to trust
Questions & Answers about Das Kind vertraut einem Hund.
Why is it einem Hund and not einen Hund?
The verb vertrauen (to trust) is a dative verb. This means it always requires its object to be in the dative case, even though it feels like a direct object in English. Since Hund is masculine (der Hund), the article ein changes to einem in the dative case.
How do I know which verbs take the dative case like vertrauen does?
You simply have to memorize them as you learn them! There is no strict rule. Some other common verbs you will learn at this level that require the dative case are helfen (to help), danken (to thank), and antworten (to answer).
What if the child trusted a cat instead of a dog?
Katze (cat) is a feminine noun (die Katze). In the dative case, the feminine indefinite article eine changes to einer. The sentence would become: Das Kind vertraut einer Katze.
Is Das Kind in the nominative or accusative case here?
It is in the nominative case because the child is the subject doing the action. For neuter nouns like das Kind, the definite article das looks exactly the same in both the nominative and accusative cases, which is why it can sometimes look a little tricky!