Questions & Answers about Das Kind hat Angst.
Why does the German sentence use hat (has) instead of a word for 'is'?
In English, we use an adjective and say someone 'is afraid'. In German, you use a noun and say someone 'has fear' (Angst haben). So the sentence literally translates to 'The child has fear'.
Why is Angst capitalized?
Because it is a noun! In German, all nouns are capitalized. Since German expresses being afraid as 'having fear', Angst is a noun and must start with a capital letter.
Since the verb haben (to have) always takes the accusative case, is Angst in the accusative here?
Yes! Angst is the direct object of the sentence, so it is in the accusative case. However, because it is used as a general concept here without an article like 'a' or 'the' before it, you do not see any ending changes.
Is das the accusative article for Kind here?
No, das Kind is the subject of the sentence (the one doing the action), so it is in the nominative case. The neuter article das happens to look exactly the same in both the nominative and the accusative cases.
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