Breakdown of Der Friseur schneidet ihre Haare vorsichtig.
der Friseur
the hairdresser
ihr
her
das Haar
the hair
schneiden
to cut
vorsichtig
carefully
Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching German grammar and vocabulary.
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?
Yes. German allows some flexibility. The neutral order is S–V–O–A: Der Friseur schneidet ihre Haare vorsichtig. You can front the adverb for emphasis: Vorsichtig schneidet der Friseur ihre Haare. The meaning stays the same, only the emphasis shifts.
Why isn’t there a comma before vorsichtig?
Commas separate clauses or list items. Here vorsichtig is just an adverb within a single main clause, not a clause boundary or list, so no comma is needed.
Could we use a different adverb to express the same meaning?
Absolutely. You could say sorgfältig (carefully) or behutsam (gently):
Der Friseur schneidet ihre Haare sorgfältig.
Der Friseur schneidet ihre Haare behutsam.
What is the difference between schneiden and schneiden lassen?
schneiden means “to cut” (the hairdresser performs the action).
schneiden lassen means “to have something cut,” implying the subject (e.g. the customer) arranges for the cut:
Sie lässt sich die Haare schneiden. (She has her hair cut.)
How do you form the formal version of this sentence addressing “you”?
Use the formal “Sie” and capitalize the possessive Ihre:
Der Friseur schneidet Ihre Haare vorsichtig.
Here Ihre (with a capital I) means “your” in the formal address.