Breakdown of Du putzt dir die Zähne vor dem Spiegel.
dem
the; (masculine or neuter, dative)
du
you
vor
in front of
der Spiegel
the mirror
putzen
to brush
dir
yourself
der Zahn
the tooth
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Questions & Answers about Du putzt dir die Zähne vor dem Spiegel.
Why is dir used in du putzt dir die Zähne?
Because in German putzen (when talking about personal care) is used reflexively with a dative pronoun. You’re not brushing someone else’s teeth but your own. The dative reflexive pronoun for du is dir, marking you as the indirect object (the one benefiting from the action).
What case is die Zähne, and why?
Die Zähne is in the accusative plural. It is the direct object of the verb putzen, i.e. the thing you are cleaning. In German, direct objects take the accusative case.
Why don’t we say du putzt dich die Zähne instead?
That would use a reflexive accusative pronoun (dich), which German reserves for actions directed at the subject itself. But putzen teeth is not “brushing yourself” as a whole; you’re brushing a body part. Body parts usually take the dative reflexive pronoun (dir) plus an accusative object, not the accusative reflexive pronoun.
What role does vor dem Spiegel play, and why is dem used?
Vor dem Spiegel is a prepositional phrase indicating location (“in front of the mirror”). The preposition vor can govern either dative (for stationary location) or accusative (for motion toward). Here there’s no movement, so we use dative. Spiegel is masculine, so dative singular is dem Spiegel.
Can I move vor dem Spiegel to the beginning of the sentence?
Yes. German is quite flexible with place/time phrases. For emphasis or style you can say:
Vor dem Spiegel putzt du dir die Zähne.
The verb remains in second position, and the reflexive construction stays intact.
Is Zähne putzen considered one verb or two?
It’s two words: the verb putzen plus its object die Zähne, but learners often treat Zähne putzen as a fixed phrase meaning “to brush teeth.” Grammatically though, putzen is the verb and die Zähne is its accusative object.
Why is there no article before Spiegel like “ein Spiegel” or “den Spiegel”?
Because we’re talking about “the mirror” in a typical bathroom context, not “a mirror.” German often uses the definite article (dem) to refer to a specific, known item. If it were any mirror, you could say vor einem Spiegel (in front of a mirror), but that changes the meaning slightly.