Er kämmt sich die Haare im Bad.

in

Breakdown of Er kämmt sich die Haare im Bad.

• dem: the; (masculine or neuter, dative)
• er: he
• sich: himself

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.