Breakdown of Der Hund ist mit dem Wolf verwandt.
sein
to be
der Hund
the dog
mit
with
der Wolf
the wolf
verwandt
related
Questions & Answers about Der Hund ist mit dem Wolf verwandt.
In English, we say "related to". Why does this sentence use mit?
Many German adjectives have fixed prepositions that don't match their English equivalents. The adjective verwandt (related) always pairs with the preposition mit (with). When learning these adjectives, it is best to memorize them as a set: verwandt sein mit (to be related to).
Why is it dem Wolf and not den Wolf?
The preposition mit always forces the noun that follows it into the dative case. Because Wolf is a masculine noun (der Wolf), the article changes to dem in the dative.
Is the adjective verwandt connected to the German word for "relatives"?
Yes, exactly! A relative is ein Verwandter or eine Verwandte, and relatives in general are die Verwandten. They all share the same root. If you are related to someone, you are verwandt.
Why does verwandt go at the very end of the sentence?
In German sentence structure, a prepositional object (mit dem Wolf) usually comes before the predicative adjective (verwandt) that it belongs to. This pushes the adjective to the end of the clause, creating a frame with the verb ist.
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