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Questions & Answers about Der Mann und die Frau kommen.
Why is it der for "the man" and die for "the woman"? Are these just random words I need to memorize?
In German, nouns have grammatical gender, which can be masculine (der), feminine (die), or neuter (das). You’ll need to learn the gender with each noun because it affects the articles and sometimes adjective endings. There isn’t always a logical reason—it’s often about memorizing.
Why is the verb kommen instead of kommt?
Kommen is used here because “the man and the woman” together form a plural subject. In German, when the subject is plural (they/they all/these people), the verb usually ends in -en. If it was only one person (e.g., Der Mann kommt), you would use the third-person singular form kommt.
Does kommen also mean "are coming" in a continuous sense, like in English?
Yes. German doesn’t use a continuous form the same way English does. Der Mann und die Frau kommen can mean both “The man and the woman come” and “The man and the woman are coming.” Context usually makes the meaning clear.
Is it normal to use und between nouns before the verb in German?
Absolutely. Und just means “and,” and it’s common to join subjects this way. The standard word order is still subject(s) first, followed by the verb. In Der Mann und die Frau kommen, your combined subject (“Der Mann und die Frau”) appears, then the verb kommen.
Why don't I see any pronouns, like "they," in this sentence?
In German, if you already mention the nouns (like der Mann und die Frau), you typically don’t repeat them with an additional pronoun. You could substitute them with sie (they), but you don’t need to when they’re explicitly stated.
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“How do German cases work?”
German has four grammatical cases: nominative (subject), accusative (direct object), dative (indirect object), and genitive (possession). The case determines the form of articles and adjectives. For example, "the dog" is "der Hund" as a subject but "den Hund" as a direct object.
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