Breakdown of Ich kaufe die Medizin in der Apotheke.
in
in
ich
I
kaufen
to buy
die Apotheke
the pharmacy
die Medizin
the medicine
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Questions & Answers about Ich kaufe die Medizin in der Apotheke.
Why are Medizin and Apotheke capitalized?
In German, every noun—common or proper—is capitalized. That’s why Medizin (medicine) and Apotheke (pharmacy) both begin with a capital letter.
Which case is die Medizin in, and how do I recognize it?
die Medizin is in the accusative case because it’s the direct object of the verb kaufen. To identify the direct object, ask “What am I buying?” (Was kaufe ich?) → “I’m buying the medicine” (die Medizin).
Why is the article die unchanged for die Medizin in the accusative?
The feminine singular definite article is die in both nominative and accusative. Since Medizin is feminine, it stays die even after it becomes a direct object.
Why is it in der Apotheke instead of in die Apotheke?
in is a two‑way (Wechsel) preposition.
- With dative it marks a static location (“Wo?” – Where?).
- With accusative it marks movement toward something (“Wohin?” – Where to?).
Here you answer “Where do I buy?” so you need dative. Feminine dative of die Apotheke is der, giving in der Apotheke. If you meant “into the pharmacy,” you’d say in die Apotheke.
Can I say Ich kaufe Medizin in der Apotheke without the article?
Yes. When you talk about medicine in general (uncountable), you can omit the article: Ich kaufe Medizin in der Apotheke = “I buy (some) medicine at the pharmacy.” You use die Medizin only when it’s a specific medicine you’ve already referred to.
Could I start the sentence with In der Apotheke, as in In der Apotheke kaufe ich die Medizin?
Absolutely. German main clauses follow the verb‑second (V2) rule. If you place In der Apotheke first, kaufe stays second and the subject ich comes third:
In der Apotheke kaufe ich die Medizin.
What gender is Apotheke, and how do I know?
Apotheke is feminine. Many German nouns ending in -e are feminine, but the safest way is to learn each noun with its article: die Apotheke in dictionaries.
What’s the difference between kaufen and einkaufen?
- kaufen is a transitive verb meaning “to buy” something directly: Ich kaufe die Medizin.
- einkaufen is intransitive and means “to do the shopping.” You don’t attach a direct object in the same way: Ich kaufe in der Apotheke ein (“I shop/buy things at the pharmacy”), but you wouldn’t say Ich kaufe die Medizin ein. For a specific purchase, stick with kaufen.