Breakdown of Die Nachbarin hat einen Hund.
der Hund
the dog
haben
to have
die Nachbarin
the neighbor (female)
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Questions & Answers about Die Nachbarin hat einen Hund.
Why is it Nachbarin instead of just Nachbar?
In German, adding -in to the end of a word for a person or profession makes it specifically female. Because the neighbor here is a woman, der Nachbar (the male neighbor) becomes die Nachbarin (the female neighbor).
Why does it say einen Hund instead of ein Hund?
The dog is the direct object of the sentence, meaning it is the thing that the neighbor has. In German grammar, the direct object takes the accusative case. Since Hund is a masculine noun (der Hund), the word for a changes from ein to einen.
Why is the verb hat and not haben?
hat is the correct form of the irregular verb haben (to have) for he, she, or it (er/sie/es). Since die Nachbarin acts as a she (sie) in this sentence, we use hat.
Are words like Nachbarin and Hund always capitalized?
Yes! In German, every single noun (a word for a person, place, thing, or idea) must start with a capital letter, no matter where it appears in the sentence.