Questions & Answers about Er trinkt den Wein mit dem Franzosen.
Why does the word for Frenchman have an -n at the end (Franzosen)?
Franzose is a weak masculine noun (part of the N-declension group). These nouns get an extra -n or -en at the end whenever they are not the subject of the sentence. Because it follows mit, it is in the dative case, so der Franzose becomes dem Franzosen.
Does dem Franzosen mean the noun is plural?
No, he is just drinking with one Frenchman! The -n ending on Franzosen comes from the N-declension rule for this specific type of noun, not because it is plural. If it were plural, the article would change to the plural dative form: mit den Franzosen (with the Frenchmen).
Why is the article dem used before Franzosen?
The preposition mit (with) always requires the dative case. Since Franzose is a masculine noun, the dative article is dem.
Why is it den Wein and not der Wein?
Wein is the direct object of the sentence because it is the thing being drunk. This puts it in the accusative case. For masculine nouns like Wein, the article der changes to den in the accusative.