Breakdown of Der Friseur schneidet ihre Haare vorsichtig.
der Friseur
the hairdresser
ihr
her
das Haar
the hair
schneiden
to cut
Questions & Answers about Der Friseur schneidet ihre Haare vorsichtig.
What gender and article does Friseur have here, and how would you say “the hairdresser” if the hairdresser were female?
Friseur is masculine, so it takes the definite article der. If the hairdresser is female, you say die Friseurin.
Why is ihre used before Haare, and how do we know it’s accusative plural?
ihre is the possessive pronoun for “her.” Because Haare is the direct object (accusative) and is plural, the possessive ihr- gets the ending -e. Hence ihre Haare.
Why isn’t Haare singular (Haar) here?
In German, when talking about a person’s hairstyle or haircut, you almost always use the plural Haare (“hair”). The singular Haar refers to a single strand.
Why is vorsichtig not changing its ending?
Because vorsichtig in this sentence functions as an adverb modifying the verb schneidet. Adverbs in German are indeclinable—they never take adjective endings.
Could you change the word order and still be correct?