Breakdown of Neunzehn Kinder spielen draußen.
das Kind
the child
spielen
to play
draußen
outside
neunzehn
nineteen
Questions & Answers about Neunzehn Kinder spielen draußen.
How exactly is the number neunzehn put together?
It is just like English! You take the word for nine (neun) and add the word for ten (zehn) to get neunzehn (nineteen). Most German numbers from 13 to 19 follow this simple pattern of putting the single digit first, followed by -zehn.
Why does the translation say 'are playing' when the German sentence only uses the word spielen?
German does not have a continuous 'is doing' or 'are doing' tense like English does. The single present tense verb spielen covers both 'play' and 'are playing'. You just rely on the context to know which one makes the most sense in English!
How can I tell that Kinder is plural here?
The singular form of the word is Kind (child). German has a few different ways to make words plural, and adding -er to the end of the word is a very common one. So, Kind becomes Kinder (children).
What is that strange 'ß' letter in the word draußen?
That letter is called an Eszett or a sharp 's'. It is pronounced exactly like a strong, hissy English 's'. If you cannot easily type it on your keyboard, it is perfectly acceptable to write it as a double 's' (draussen).