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Questions & Answers about Ich habe eine Frage.
What is the grammatical structure of the sentence Ich habe eine Frage.?
The sentence follows a basic Subject-Verb-Object (SVO) order. Here, Ich (I) is the subject, habe (have) is the verb in the first person singular present tense, and eine Frage (a question) is the direct object.
Why is the indefinite article eine used with Frage instead of ein?
In German, the form of the indefinite article depends on the gender of the noun. Frage is a feminine noun, and for feminine nouns in both the nominative and accusative cases, the correct form of the indefinite article is eine rather than ein.
What case is Frage in within the sentence, and why?
Frage is in the accusative case because it functions as the direct object of the verb haben. In German, direct objects typically take the accusative case.
How is the verb haben conjugated in this sentence, and why is habe the appropriate form?
The verb haben is conjugated as habe in the first person singular present tense. Since the subject is Ich (I), the correct conjugation is habe to match the subject.
How does the word order in Ich habe eine Frage. compare to the typical English sentence structure?
The word order in this German sentence mimics the typical English Subject-Verb-Object structure. Just as in English (“I have a question.”), Ich is the subject, habe is the verb, and eine Frage is the object, making it straightforward for English speakers.
Why does the sentence end with a period instead of a question mark even though it implies a question might follow?
Although Ich habe eine Frage. signals that the speaker is about to ask something, it is actually a declarative statement rather than a direct question. Therefore, it is correctly punctuated with a period rather than a question mark.