Word
Es ist ein Kind.
Meaning
It is a child.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Questions & Answers about Es ist ein Kind.
The lesson is about 'der', 'die', and 'das'. Which one goes with Kind?
Kind is a neuter noun, so its definite article is das (das Kind = the child). Because it is neuter, it uses the indefinite article ein (a) in the nominative case.
Why is a child considered an 'it' (es) or neuter (das)? Isn't a child a person?
Grammatical gender in German does not always match biological gender. While it might feel strange to use a neuter word for a person, das Kind is simply how the language works. Always memorize the grammatical gender (der, die, or das) along with the new noun!
Does the verb ist change the case of ein Kind?
No, it keeps it in the nominative case. The verb sein (to be) acts like an equals sign, so the words on both sides of it stay in the nominative. You just use the basic dictionary form for ein Kind.
Why is Kind capitalized in the middle of the sentence?
In German, all nouns (words for people, places, things, or ideas) are always capitalized, no matter where they appear in a sentence.