Sie schneiden sich die Nägel am Abend.

the; (masculine or neuter, dative)

Breakdown of Sie schneiden sich die Nägel am Abend.

• der Abend: the evening
• sie: they
• an: at

Questions & Answers about Sie schneiden sich die Nägel am Abend.

Why is there sich in Sie schneiden sich die Nägel am Abend?

Because this is a reflexive construction: the subject is cutting its own nails. In German, actions done to one’s own body parts require a reflexive pronoun. Here sich refers back to Sie, indicating “they” (or formal “you”) are cutting their own nails.

Why is it die Nägel and not ihre Nägel?

With many reflexive body‑part verbs in German, you don’t use a possessive adjective (“ihre”); instead you use the definite article plus the body part. So sich die Nägel schneiden literally means “to cut one’s nails,” and die Nägel is the direct object.

What grammatical cases are sich and die Nägel in?

sich is in the dative case, functioning as an indirect (reflexive) object. die Nägel is in the accusative case as the direct object of schneiden.

Why does the verb appear as schneiden and not schneidet?

Because Sie here is either they (3rd person plural) or the formal you (2nd person formal), both of which take the plural form schneiden. If the subject were singular third person (he/she/it), it would be schneidet.