Er ist der Liebling der Kinder.

The two ders are doing different jobs.

• The first der is the nominative masculine singular definite article for Liebling:
  • der Liebling
• The second der is the genitive plural definite article for Kinder:
  • der Kinder = of the children

So:

• Er = subject
• ist = verb
• der Liebling = predicate noun
• der Kinder = genitive phrase showing whose favorite he is

Even though both words are spelled der, they are different case forms.

Because German often uses the genitive to mean of ...

Here, der Kinder tells you whose Liebling he is.

• der Liebling der Kinder = the favorite of the children

This is a very common pattern in German:

• das Auto des Mannes = the man’s car
• die Mutter der Kinder = the children’s mother
• der Liebling der Kinder = the children’s favorite

So der Kinder is not the subject or object of the sentence. It is a genitive phrase modifying Liebling.

Because the sentence is talking about a specific role: the favorite.

• der Liebling = the favorite
• ein Liebling = a favorite / one favorite

With sein plus a noun, German often uses the definite article when identifying someone as a unique or clearly defined person in a group.

So:

• Er ist der Liebling der Kinder. = He is the favorite of the children.
• Er ist ein Liebling der Kinder. would suggest he is one of the children’s favorites, which is less likely in normal usage here.

Liebling is a noun that can mean things like:

• favorite
• darling
• beloved person
• pet person, in the sense of someone especially liked

In this sentence, it most naturally means the favorite or the one the children are especially fond of.

It is a warm, affectionate word. Compared with Favorit, Liebling often sounds more personal and emotional.

No. Liebling is grammatically masculine because the noun itself is masculine:

• der Liebling

That grammatical gender does not change depending on the person being talked about.

So you can say:

• Er ist der Liebling der Kinder.
• Sie ist der Liebling der Kinder.

Even for a woman or girl, it stays der Liebling, because the noun Liebling is always masculine in grammar.

Because Kinder is already the plural form of Kind, and many plural nouns in German do not add a special extra ending in the genitive.

So:

• singular: das Kind
• plural: die Kinder
• genitive plural: der Kinder

The genitive is shown mainly by the article der, not by changing Kinder itself.

Compare:

• die Bücher → der Bücher
• die Kinder → der Kinder

You might hear von phrases in spoken German, but here der Liebling der Kinder is the more natural and standard wording.

• der Liebling der Kinder = idiomatic and elegant
• der Liebling von den Kindern = less natural here

Also, after von, you would usually contract von den to von den only if contraction is not possible; there is no special contraction here, but the phrase still sounds less idiomatic than the genitive.

In a sentence like this, German strongly prefers the genitive.

Because they are nouns, and all nouns are capitalized in German.

So in this sentence:

• Er is capitalized because it begins the sentence
• Liebling is capitalized because it is a noun
• Kinder is capitalized because it is a noun

This is a basic but very important German spelling rule.

Yes, it can be used for things as well, depending on context.

For example:

• mein Lieblingsbuch = my favorite book
• mein Lieblingsessen = my favorite food

But notice that in compounds like Lieblingsbuch, it becomes part of another word.

As a standalone noun, Liebling very often refers to a person or animal that someone is especially fond of. In Er ist der Liebling der Kinder, it clearly refers to a person.

You would say:

• Sie ist der Liebling der Kinder.

This may look surprising, but it is correct. The noun Liebling stays der Liebling because its grammatical gender does not change.

So:

• Er ist der Liebling der Kinder.
• Sie ist der Liebling der Kinder.

The pronoun changes, but the noun phrase does not.

If you mean they are the favorites of the children, you would say:

• Sie sind die Lieblinge der Kinder.

Changes:

• ist → sind
• der Liebling → die Lieblinge

So the singular/plural contrast is:

• Er ist der Liebling der Kinder.
• Sie sind die Lieblinge der Kinder.

It is pronounced approximately like LEE-bling.

A rough guide:

• Lie- sounds like lee
• -bling has a short i, like in sit, followed by ng

IPA: [ˈliːblɪŋ]

A common learner mistake is trying to pronounce ie like English eye. In German, ie is usually a long ee sound.

So:

• Liebling = LEE-bling, not LYE-bling

Yes, there is a nuance.

• Liebling often sounds warmer, more affectionate, and more personal.
• Favorit can sound a bit more neutral, competitive, or formal.

For children especially, Liebling is the natural choice if you mean someone they are especially fond of.

So in this sentence, Liebling fits very well because it suggests affection, not just preference.