Der Mann ist hier.

the man

Breakdown of Der Mann ist hier.

• sein: to be
• hier: here

Questions & Answers about Der Mann ist hier.

Why do we say Der Mann instead of Die Mann or Das Mann?

Mann is a masculine noun in German, so it always takes the masculine article der. Unlike English, German nouns have grammatical genders (masculine, feminine, and neuter), and each gender has its own definite article: der for masculine, die for feminine, das for neuter.

Why is Mann capitalized even though it is not at the beginning of the sentence?

In German, all nouns are capitalized, regardless of their position in the sentence. This convention helps distinguish noun forms from other words like adjectives or verbs.

What does ist mean, and why is it used here?

Ist is the third-person singular form of the verb sein (to be). It corresponds to is in English. Since the subject is Der Mann, a singular third-person noun, we use ist here.

What is the basic sentence structure for Der Mann ist hier?

A standard German sentence typically follows the pattern: Subject – Verb – Other elements. Here, Der Mann is the subject, ist is the verb, and hier is the adverb of place, indicating location.

How should I pronounce Der Mann?

1. Der: Pronounce the e like the e in let, but slightly shorter.
2. Mann: The a is a short vowel, pronounced like the u in cup but slightly more open. The final nn is more emphasized compared to English.