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Ich trinke kalte Milch.

Ich trinke kalte Milch.
I drink cold milk.
FromLesson 5inHardcore German
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Breakdown of Ich trinke kalte Milch.

trinken
to drink
ich
I
kalt
cold
die Milch
the milk
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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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Questions & Answers about Ich trinke kalte Milch.

What is the overall structure of the sentence "Ich trinke kalte Milch"?
The sentence follows a subject–verb–object (SVO) order, which is typical in German main clauses. "Ich" is the subject, "trinke" is the verb (conjugated for the first-person singular), and "kalte Milch" is the object.
Why does the adjective "kalte" end with -e?
In German, adjectives placed before a noun take endings based on the gender, number, case, and the presence or absence of an article. Since "Milch" is a feminine noun and is in the accusative case (as it’s the direct object) and no article is present, the adjective receives the strong ending -e.
What grammatical case is "kalte Milch" in, and how can you tell?
"Kalte Milch" is in the accusative case because it is the direct object of the verb "trinke." In German, direct objects are marked with the accusative, and even though feminine nouns often do not change form between the nominative and accusative, the adjective ending helps indicate its case.
Why is there no article before "Milch" in this sentence?
German often omits the article when talking about uncountable or mass nouns in a general sense—similar to how English speakers say "I drink milk" rather than "I drink the milk." In this context, "milch" refers to milk in general, so no article is needed.
How is the verb "trinke" conjugated, and what does that tell us about the subject?
"Trinke" is the first-person singular form of the verb "trinken" (to drink) in the present tense. Its conjugation confirms that the subject is "Ich" (I), ensuring subject–verb agreement in the sentence.