Breakdown of Dann schneiden wir die Tomate und den Käse.
und
and
wir
we
die Tomate
the tomato
der Käse
the cheese
dann
then
schneiden
to cut
Questions & Answers about Dann schneiden wir die Tomate und den Käse.
Why is it Dann schneiden wir and not Dann wir schneiden?
In German, the conjugated verb always takes the second position in a main clause. Because the sequential adverb Dann takes the first position, the verb schneiden must come next. This pushes the subject wir to the third position.
Could I use Danach here instead of Dann?
Yes! Both Dann (then) and Danach (after that) are sequential adverbs and can often be used interchangeably to describe the next step in a process. If you used Danach, the word order would stay exactly the same: Danach schneiden wir...
Why does it say den Käse instead of der Käse?
The cheese is being cut, making it the direct object of the sentence. Direct objects take the accusative case. Since Käse is a masculine noun, its article changes from der to den in the accusative.
Why doesn't the article for Tomate change like the one for Käse does?
Tomate is a feminine noun (die Tomate). In the accusative case, feminine and neuter articles do not change their spelling. Only masculine articles change (from der to den).
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