Breakdown of Er kämmt sich die Haare im Bad.
in
in
dem
the; (masculine or neuter, dative)
er
he
sich
himself
das Haar
the hair
das Bad
the bathroom
kämmen
to comb
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Questions & Answers about Er kämmt sich die Haare im Bad.
What is the function of sich in Er kämmt sich die Haare im Bad?
sich is the accusative reflexive pronoun. In German, many everyday actions involving body parts use reflexive constructions. Here the verb is sich kämmen (“to comb oneself”), so sich shows that the subject performs the action on himself.
Why do we also mention die Haare if we already have sich?
German reflexive verbs often repeat the body part as a direct object for clarity. sich indicates that the action is reflexive, and die Haare specifies exactly what is being combed.
What case are sich and die Haare?
Both are in the accusative case. sich is the reflexive pronoun in accusative, and die Haare is the accusative plural direct object of kämmen.
Why is Bad capitalized, and why do we say im Bad instead of in dem Bad?
All German nouns are capitalized, so Bad (“bathroom”) is always uppercase. im is simply the contraction of in + dem. Since Bad is neuter and in takes the dative for location, in dem Bad becomes im Bad.
Why is Haare plural in German when we say “hair” in English?
In German, the hair on your head is usually viewed as individual strands, so it’s referred to in the plural (die Haare). English treats “hair” more as an uncountable mass noun.
Can I change the word order, for example putting im Bad at the beginning?
Yes. German allows you to front adverbial phrases. You can say Im Bad kämmt er sich die Haare. The finite verb (kämmt) still stays in second position.
How would I express this action in the perfect (past) tense?
Use the auxiliary haben plus the past participle gekämmt:
Er hat sich die Haare im Bad gekämmt.
The reflexive pronoun sich remains in the accusative and stays before the participle.