Word
Seine Ehefrau hat heute Geburtstag.
Meaning
His wife's birthday is today.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Lesson
Breakdown of Seine Ehefrau hat heute Geburtstag.
heute
today
sein
his
Geburtstag haben
to have a birthday (on a date)
die Ehefrau
the wife
Questions & Answers about Seine Ehefrau hat heute Geburtstag.
Why does the sentence use hat (has) instead of a form of to be?
In German, you do not say that a birthday is today. Instead, you say that a person has a birthday. Literally, the sentence translates to: His wife has today birthday.
Why is it Seine and not just Sein?
Seine translates to his, but it needs an -e at the end here because the noun it describes, Ehefrau (wife), is feminine. If the noun were masculine or neuter, you would just use Sein.
Why is heute (today) placed before Geburtstag (birthday)?
In German sentences, expressions of time like heute usually come right after the conjugated verb and before the direct object. This follows the general rule that time information comes early in the sentence.
What is the difference between Frau and Ehefrau?
Both can be translated as wife, but Ehefrau is more specific. Ehe means marriage, making an Ehefrau strictly a married wife. In everyday speech, Germans often just say Frau, which can mean either woman or wife depending on the context.