Breakdown of Die Ehefrau und der Ehemann kochen zusammen.
und
and
kochen
to cook
zusammen
together
der Ehemann
the husband
Questions & Answers about Die Ehefrau und der Ehemann kochen zusammen.
Why is the verb kochen in the plural form when both subjects are singular?
Even though Ehefrau (wife) and Ehemann (husband) are singular words, they are joined by und (and) to form a plural subject (they). Because more than one person is doing the action, the verb takes the plural ending -en.
What does the prefix Ehe- mean in these words?
The word Ehe means marriage. German uses a lot of compound words, so Ehefrau literally translates to marriage-woman, and Ehemann translates to marriage-man.
Could I just say: Die Frau und der Mann kochen zusammen?
Yes! In German, Frau (woman) and Mann (man) are very commonly used to mean wife and husband, especially when used with possessive words like my or his (for example, meine Frau). Adding the Ehe- part just makes it completely specific that you are talking about a married couple rather than just any man and woman.
Is there a single German word for a married couple?
Yes, you can use the neuter noun das Ehepaar (the married couple). If you replaced the two subjects with this word, the sentence would use the singular verb form: Das Ehepaar kocht zusammen.