Breakdown of Ich kaufe das Fleisch für Samstag.
ich
I
kaufen
to buy
das Fleisch
the meat
für
for
der Samstag
Saturday
Questions & Answers about Ich kaufe das Fleisch für Samstag.
Why does the English translation say "I am buying", but the German sentence just uses kaufe without a word for "am"?
German doesn't have a continuous tense (the English "-ing" form). Whether you mean "I buy" in general or "I am buying" right now, you just use the simple present tense: Ich kaufe.
Is für Samstag an example of the accusative case?
Yes! The preposition für always forces the following noun into the accusative case. Because Samstag is used here without an article (just "for Saturday" rather than "for the Saturday"), you can't see a case ending, but it is grammatically accusative.
Could I use bis Samstag here instead of für Samstag?
That would change the meaning completely. für Samstag means the meat is intended to be eaten or used on Saturday. bis Samstag means "until Saturday," which would sound like you are continuously in the act of buying meat from now until Saturday arrives!
Why didn't the word das change if das Fleisch is the direct object?
das Fleisch is indeed the direct object (the thing being bought), so it is in the accusative case. However, because Fleisch is a neuter noun, its accusative article (das) looks exactly the same as its basic nominative form.
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