Breakdown of Mein Vater hat einen Geschäftstermin, und meine Mutter begleitet ihn dorthin.
und
and
haben
to have
die Mutter
the mother
der Vater
the father
der Geschäftstermin
the business appointment
begleiten
to accompany
ihn
him
dorthin
there
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Questions & Answers about Mein Vater hat einen Geschäftstermin, und meine Mutter begleitet ihn dorthin.
What does Geschäftstermin mean, and why is it preceded by the article einen?
Geschäftstermin translates as "business appointment" or "business meeting" in English. The article einen is used because Geschäftstermin is a masculine noun serving as the direct object in the sentence. In German, direct objects of masculine nouns require the accusative form, hence einen instead of ein.
What role does the adverb dorthin play in the sentence?
Dorthin is a directional adverb meaning "to there." It indicates the destination to which the mother is accompanying her husband. Essentially, it points back to the location implied by the discussion of the business appointment.
The sentence contains two masculine nouns—Mein Vater and Geschäftstermin. Which one does the pronoun ihn refer to, and why?
Although both nouns are masculine, ihn refers to Mein Vater. Semantically, the verb begleiten (to accompany) is used to describe the action of accompanying a person. It would be unusual to accompany an event, so context tells us that the mother is accompanying her father.
Why is ihn in the accusative case in this sentence?
The verb begleiten is transitive and requires a direct object in the accusative case. Even though the pronoun ihn could grammatically refer to either masculine noun mentioned earlier, its form is dictated by the verb’s requirement, confirming its accusative case.
Why is there a comma before und in this sentence?
The comma is used to separate two independent clauses: "Mein Vater hat einen Geschäftstermin" and "meine Mutter begleitet ihn dorthin." Using a comma here clarifies that each clause stands alone as a complete thought, even though English typically omits a comma before and in similar contexts.
What is the typical word order in each clause of the sentence, and how does this help in understanding it?
Each clause follows the standard German main clause structure. In the first clause, the order is Subject (Mein Vater) – Verb (hat) – Object (einen Geschäftstermin). In the second clause, the order is Subject (meine Mutter) – Verb (begleitet) – Direct Object (ihn) – Adverb (dorthin). This clear Subject-Verb-Object arrangement, along with the placement of the directional adverb, helps learners understand who is performing each action and where the action is directed.