Breakdown of Die Großmutter liest ein Buch.
ein
a, an (eine)
das Buch
the book
lesen
to read
die Großmutter
the grandmother (neutral register)
Questions & Answers about Die Großmutter liest ein Buch.
Why is the verb spelled liest instead of lest?
The verb lesen (to read) is a strong verb. For the he, she, and it forms, the stem vowel changes from "e" to "ie". So while "I read" is ich lese, "she reads" becomes sie liest.
The English translation says "is reading". Why isn't there a word for "is" in the German sentence?
German doesn't have a continuous tense like English does. You never use a helper verb like "is" to show an ongoing action. The single present-tense word liest translates to both "reads" and "is reading" depending on what makes sense in English.
If the book is the direct object being read, why is it ein Buch and not einen Buch?
The phrase ein Buch is indeed in the accusative case here because it's the direct object. However, Buch is a neuter noun (das Buch), and only masculine nouns change their "a/an" article to einen in the accusative. Neuter nouns use ein, which looks exactly the same as the subject form.
Is Großmutter the most common way to say "grandmother" in German?
Großmutter is the standard, slightly more formal word you will see in writing. In everyday spoken German, people much more commonly use the affectionate term Oma (grandma).
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