Breakdown of Der Vater wischt dem Kind die Wange ab.
das Kind
the child
der Vater
the father
abwischen
to wipe off
die Wange
the cheek
Questions & Answers about Der Vater wischt dem Kind die Wange ab.
Why does the German sentence use dem Kind die Wange instead of a possessive like seine Wange?
When an action is performed on someone else's body part or clothing, German naturally uses the dative case for the person (dem Kind) and a definite article for the body part (die Wange). This construction is called the possessive dative. Saying die Wange des Kindes would sound unnaturally formal for an everyday action like wiping a face.
How do we determine the cases for the child and the cheek?
The person receiving the action on their body part acts as the indirect object, so das Kind takes the dative case and becomes dem Kind. The body part itself is the direct object receiving the action of the verb abwischen, so die Wange is in the accusative case.
Why is ab placed at the very end of the sentence?
The verb being used is abwischen, which means to wipe off or wipe away. Because it is a separable verb used in a main clause in the present tense, the prefix ab splits from the conjugated stem wischt and is pushed to the end of the sentence.
Could I just say Der Vater wischt seine Wange ab to mean the same thing?
No, because that would strongly imply the father is wiping his own cheek. The possessive pronoun seine would typically refer back to the subject of the sentence, Der Vater. To clearly show that the cheek belongs to the child, using the possessive dative structure is the most accurate and natural choice.
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