Word
Welchen Napf muss ich kaufen?
Meaning
Which bowl do I have to buy?
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Breakdown of Welchen Napf muss ich kaufen?
ich
I
kaufen
to buy
müssen
to have to, must
welcher
which (welcher, welche, welches, welchen, welchem...)
Questions & Answers about Welchen Napf muss ich kaufen?
Why does the question word end in -en (Welchen)?
The word welch- (which) takes endings just like the definite articles (der, die, das). Here, the bowl is the direct object of the verb kaufen (to buy), so it is in the accusative case. Because Napf is a masculine noun (der Napf), the accusative ending is -en, giving us welchen.
Would I use Napf for a soup bowl?
No, Napf specifically means an animal's food or water bowl (like a dog bowl). If you are buying a bowl for a person to eat soup or cereal from, you would use the word die Schüssel.
Why is the main verb kaufen pushed all the way to the end?
This is a rule for modal verbs. The conjugated modal verb muss (have to) sits in the standard verb position right after the question phrase. It then kicks the main action verb (kaufen) to the very end of the sentence in its basic dictionary form (the infinitive).
Why is the verb form muss and not müsse?