Breakdown of Das Handy empfängt eine Nachricht.
die Nachricht
the message
das Handy
the mobile phone
eine
a; (feminine, nominative or accusative)
empfangen
to receive; welcome
Questions & Answers about Das Handy empfängt eine Nachricht.
Why is it das Handy?
Because Handy is a neuter noun in German. German nouns have grammatical gender, so you have to learn the noun together with its article:
- das Handy = the mobile phone / cell phone
In this sentence, das Handy is the subject, so it is in the nominative case.
Is Handy actually a German word for a phone?
Yes. In everyday German, das Handy means mobile phone or cell phone.
This is a good example of a false friend: in English, handy is usually an adjective meaning useful or convenient, but in German Handy is a noun.
Why is the verb empfängt and not empfangen?
Because empfangen is the infinitive form, and here the verb has to be conjugated to match the subject.
The subject is das Handy, which is third person singular (it), so the verb becomes:
- ich empfange
- du empfängst
- er/sie/es empfängt
So Das Handy empfängt ... means The phone receives ...