Breakdown of Ich zeige meiner Mutter den Ring.
ich
I
mein
my
die Mutter
the mother
zeigen
to show
der Ring
the ring
Questions & Answers about Ich zeige meiner Mutter den Ring.
Why does meiner Mutter come before den Ring in this sentence?
When a sentence has two noun objects, the dative indirect object (meiner Mutter) usually comes before the accusative direct object (den Ring). This is the standard rule that you will see change when pronouns get involved, as you are learning in this lesson!
Why is it meiner Mutter and not meine Mutter?
Mutter is the indirect object here because she is the person receiving the action of being shown something. Therefore, it must be in the dative case. The feminine possessive meine changes to meiner in the dative.
Why is it den Ring instead of der Ring?
The ring is the direct object, which is the thing actually being shown. That means it takes the accusative case. Since Ring is a masculine noun, the article changes from der to den in the accusative case.
Do I need a word for "to" in the German sentence, like "to my mother"?
No, you do not need an extra preposition. In German, the concept of doing something "to" or "for" someone with verbs like zeigen (to show) or geben (to give) is handled simply by putting the person in the dative case (meiner Mutter).
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