Questions & Answers about Gibt es hier Wasser?
Why does the sentence start with gibt instead of es?
Because this is a yes/no question. To turn the statement Es gibt hier Wasser (There is water here) into a question, you swap the verb and the subject. The verb gibt moves to the very beginning of the sentence.
I thought gibt means "gives". Why is it translated as "is there"?
You are right that gibt comes from the verb geben (to give). However, the set phrase es gibt literally translates to "it gives", but is used in German to mean "there is" or "there are". When you flip it into a question, Gibt es...? means "Is there...?" or "Are there...?".
The lesson says es gibt requires the accusative case. Why doesn't the word Wasser change here?
Wasser is a neuter noun (das Wasser). In German, neuter words look exactly the same in the accusative case as they do in the basic nominative case. You only see a visible accusative spelling change with masculine words. For example, if you asked for a masculine apple, it would be: Gibt es hier einen Apfel?.
Why isn't there an article like "ein" or "das" before Wasser?
Just like in English, we drop the article when talking about an unspecified amount of something you cannot easily count, like a liquid. Asking Gibt es hier Wasser? works exactly like asking "Is there water here?" in English.
Learn Gibt es hier Wasser and more in German
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free