Breakdown of Frau Schmidt liest ein neues Buch.
neu
new
das Buch
the book
lesen
to read
Frau Schmidt
Mrs. Schmidt
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Questions & Answers about Frau Schmidt liest ein neues Buch.
Why is Frau capitalized in Frau Schmidt?
In German, all nouns are capitalized. Frau (“Mrs.” or “woman”) is a noun, and Schmidt is a proper noun (a surname), so both words must begin with a capital letter.
How do I know to use ein instead of eine or einen before neues Buch?
Buch is a neuter noun (das Buch). In the accusative case (as the direct object of lesen), the neuter indefinite article stays ein. Feminine nouns would take eine, masculine nouns einen, and plural nouns keine (or no article at all).
Why is the adjective neu written as neues here?
When you put an adjective directly before a noun and there’s an indefinite article, German uses a mixed declension. For a neuter noun in the accusative, the adjective ending is –es, so neu becomes neues.
Which case is ein neues Buch and why?
It’s the accusative case because ein neues Buch is the direct object of the verb lesen (“to read”). The subject (Frau Schmidt) is in the nominative, the object in the accusative.
Why does the verb appear as liest instead of lesen?
Lesen is an irregular (strong) verb that changes its stem vowel in the 2nd and 3rd person singular. The 3rd person singular form is liest (ich lese, du liest, er/sie/es liest).
Why is liest the second element in the sentence?
German main clauses follow the Verb‑Second (V2) rule: the finite verb must occupy the second position. Here Frau Schmidt is the first element, so liest comes immediately after.
How would you turn this sentence into a yes/no question?
Move the verb to first position:
Liest Frau Schmidt ein neues Buch?
How do I replace Frau Schmidt with a pronoun?
Use sie for third‑person feminine nominative. The sentence becomes:
Sie liest ein neues Buch.
How would I say “Frau Schmidt read a new book” in the simple past?
Use the preterite of lesen:
Frau Schmidt las ein neues Buch.
How do I express the same idea in the present perfect?
In German the present perfect (Perfekt) of lesen is formed with haben + past participle gelesen:
Frau Schmidt hat ein neues Buch gelesen.