Learn Hardcore German: Das Kind lacht.

In German, Kind (child) is a neuter noun, so we use the neuter article das. German divides nouns into masculine (der), feminine (die), and neuter (das), and we always match the article to the noun’s grammatical gender.

Why is the verb form lacht instead of lachen?

In German, the verb conjugates according to the subject. Lachen is the infinitive form of the verb (to laugh). For the third-person singular (he/she/it or in this case das Kind), we drop the -en and add a -t: lacht.

How can we tell if this sentence means The child laughs or The child is laughing?

German typically uses the simple present tense to express both a habitual action (The child laughs) and an ongoing action (The child is laughing). Context usually clarifies which meaning applies, since German doesn’t have a separate present progressive form.

What if I wanted to say the children laugh instead?

You would use the plural form. Kinder is the plural of Kind, and the article for plural nouns is always die. So you’d say: Die Kinder lachen. Also note that the verb changes to lachen (they laugh) because the subject is plural.