Questions & Answers about Ich kaufe ein paar Äpfel.
Why is paar written with a lowercase letter here? I thought all German nouns were capitalized.
In German, ein paar (lowercase) means "a few". If you capitalize it as ein Paar, it specifically means "a matching pair" (like a pair of shoes or a romantic couple). Since you are just buying a random few apples, it acts as an indefinite quantifier and stays lowercase.
Do I need to change the ending of ein to match the case or gender of Äpfel?
No! When ein paar is used to mean "a few", it acts as a fixed, invariable phrase. You never change the ending of ein or paar in this expression, regardless of the noun's gender or the grammatical case.
If I wanted to drop the noun and just say "I am buying a few", how would I do that?
You can simply leave off the noun and say Ich kaufe ein paar. If you wanted to replace the noun entirely to say "I am buying some", you would use the plural indefinite pronoun welche and say Ich kaufe welche.
Why does Äpfel have an umlaut here?
Äpfel is the plural form of der Apfel (the apple). Because ein paar means "a few", the noun that follows it must always be in its plural form.
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