Breakdown of Ich genieße die Reise durch den Kanal.
ich
I
die Reise
the trip / the journey
durch
through
der Kanal
the canal
genießen
to enjoy
Questions & Answers about Ich genieße die Reise durch den Kanal.
Since this lesson is about entlang (along) going after the noun, why does durch (through) go before it?
Most German prepositions, including durch, go right before the noun they relate to, just like in English. The preposition entlang is a special exception! When used with the accusative case to show a path, entlang gets placed after the noun (like den Kanal entlang).
Why is it den Kanal instead of der Kanal?
The preposition durch is a strict accusative-only preposition. It always forces the noun that follows it into the accusative case. Because Kanal is a masculine noun (der Kanal), its article changes to den in the accusative.
Is die Reise (the journey) also in the accusative case?
Yes! The verb genießen (to enjoy) requires a direct object, which is the thing being enjoyed. Direct objects always take the accusative case. Since Reise is feminine, its article remains die, as feminine articles look exactly the same in both the nominative and accusative cases.
Why is there no word for "am" in the German sentence to match "I am enjoying"?
German does not have a separate continuous tense (the -ing form) like English does. The single present tense verb genieße covers both "I enjoy" and "I am enjoying". You never need a helping verb like "am" for this in German.
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