Ich hole frische Brötchen im Supermarkt.

I get fresh bread rolls at the supermarket.

Breakdown of Ich hole frische Brötchen im Supermarkt.

• in: in
• dem: the; (masculine or neuter, dative)
• ich: I
• frisch: fresh

Questions & Answers about Ich hole frische Brötchen im Supermarkt.

Why is the verb holen used instead of kaufen or bekommen?

Holen literally means “to fetch” or “to pick up.” It emphasizes that you go somewhere and bring something back.
• kaufen = to buy (focus on the purchase)
• bekommen = to receive (focus on being given)
In this sentence, you’re stressing that you’re going to the supermarket and getting fresh rolls yourself.

Why is there no article before frische Brötchen?

In German, there is no indefinite article in the plural. If you’re talking about rolls in general (not “the rolls” or “a pair of rolls”), you simply say frische Brötchen.
If you wanted to specify a quantity you could say:
• ein paar frische Brötchen (a couple of fresh rolls)
• drei frische Brötchen (three fresh rolls)

Why does frische have an -e ending?

Because you’re using strong adjective declension:
• No article (strong declension) + plural noun in the nominative case ⇒ adjective ending -e.
Pattern:
• Single fresh apple: frischer Apfel
• Fresh apples (pl.): frische Äpfel (or frische Brötchen here)

What case is used after im in im Supermarkt, and why?