Breakdown of Das Tier gehört einem Baby.
ein
a, an (eine)
gehören
to belong to
das Tier
the animal
das Baby
the baby
Questions & Answers about Das Tier gehört einem Baby.
Why is it einem Baby instead of just ein Baby?
The verb gehören (to belong to) always takes the dative case for the person or thing that owns the item. Because Baby is a neuter noun (das Baby), the word for 'a' changes from ein to einem to show the dative case.
Why isn't there a word for 'to' in this sentence?
The German verb gehören by itself means 'to belong to'. You don't need to add a separate preposition. The 'to' is built right into the verb, and the dative case on einem Baby tells us who is receiving the action.
Is Baby just the English word? What gender is it in German?
Yes! German borrows a lot of words from English. It is a neuter noun (das Baby). Even though it is an English word, it still follows the German rule that all nouns must be capitalized.
Could I change the word order and say Einem Baby gehört das Tier?
Yes, you can! Because the dative article einem clearly shows that the baby is the owner, you can move einem Baby to the front of the sentence for emphasis. The cases tell us who owns what, so the word order can be flexible.
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