Ich esse frische Wurst.

to eat

Breakdown of Ich esse frische Wurst.

• ich: I
• frisch: fresh
• die Wurst: the sausage

Questions & Answers about Ich esse frische Wurst.

What is the basic structure of the sentence "Ich esse frische Wurst"?

The sentence follows a simple Subject-Verb-Object (SVO) order: Ich (I) is the subject, esse (eat) is the verb, and frische Wurst (fresh sausage) is the object. This is typical both in German and in English.

What does the verb "esse" indicate about the timing or nature of the action?

"Esse" is the first-person singular present tense form of the verb essen (to eat). It shows that the action is happening currently or as a habitual act.

Which grammatical case is used for "frische Wurst" and how do we know?

"Frische Wurst" is in the accusative case because it is the direct object of the verb esse. In German, the direct object of an action typically takes the accusative case.

Why is there no article before "frische Wurst"?

In this sentence, Wurst is treated in a general or uncountable sense (much like saying "I eat sausage" in English), so no article is needed. The omission of an article often signals a general statement about the noun.

How is the adjective "frische" correctly declined without an article?

Without an article to provide gender and case clues, adjectives in German use the strong declension. Here, because Wurst is a feminine noun in the accusative case, the adjective frisch takes the ending -e, forming frische.

What is the gender of the noun "Wurst," and how might the sentence change if a definite article were included?

Wurst is a feminine noun. If you include the definite article, the sentence becomes "Ich esse die frische Wurst." In that case, "die" marks the feminine accusative, and the adjective adopts a weak ending because the article already reflects the necessary gender and case information.

How does this example illustrate important aspects of German grammar for learners?

This sentence is a good model for beginners because it illustrates: • Basic SVO word order. • The use of the present tense. • How adjectives are declined without an article (strong inflection). • The identification of the accusative case with direct objects. Together, these points provide a clear foundation for understanding more complex German sentence structures.