Breakdown of Kaufst du exotische Tiere wie den Papagei, brauchst du ein großes Habitat.
ein
a, an (eine)
du
you (informal singular)
groß
big / tall
kaufen
to buy
Questions & Answers about Kaufst du exotische Tiere wie den Papagei, brauchst du ein großes Habitat.
Why is it den Papagei instead of der Papagei?
The phrase after wie (meaning "such as" or "like") has to match the case of the noun it refers back to. Here, the parrot is an example of exotische Tiere, which is the direct object of the verb kaufen and therefore in the accusative case. Because they must agree, the parrot must also take the accusative case (den Papagei).
Why does this sentence start with the verb Kaufst if it isn't a question?
This is a shorthand way to form an "if/then" conditional clause without using the word wenn (if). By dropping wenn and moving the conjugated verb to the very first position, Kaufst du... translates perfectly to "If you buy...".
Why does the second half of the sentence start with brauchst instead of du brauchst?
The entire "if" clause (Kaufst du exotische Tiere wie den Papagei) occupies the first position of the overall sentence. Since the conjugated verb in a German main clause must always take the second position, brauchst has to come right after the comma, pushing the subject (du) to the other side of the verb.
Why doesn't Papagei have an -n or -en ending in the accusative, like den Affen or den Löwen?