Breakdown of Er reicht seiner Schwester das Brot.
das Brot
the bread
er
he
sein
his
die Schwester
the sister
Questions & Answers about Er reicht seiner Schwester das Brot.
Why is seiner Schwester in the dative case rather than the accusative?
Because German distinguishes between the direct object (accusative) and the indirect object (dative). In Er reicht seiner Schwester das Brot, seiner Schwester answers the question “to whom?” (Wem?), so it must be dative. She is the recipient of the bread, the indirect object, while the bread itself is the direct object.
How do I know that das Brot is accusative?
You ask “what is being handed?” (Wen oder was?). The answer is das Brot, so it’s accusative. In German, direct objects answer “wen?” or “was?” and take accusative.
What questions would I ask to identify the two objects in this sentence?
Wem reicht er das Brot? → seiner Schwester (dative)
Wen oder was reicht er seiner Schwester? → das Brot (accusative)
Why does the dative object come before the accusative object here?
When both objects are nouns, German usually places the dative object before the accusative object:
• Er reicht seiner Schwester das Brot.
If one of them were a pronoun, the pronoun would take priority:
• Er reicht es seiner Schwester. (accusative pronoun before noun)
• Er reicht ihr das Brot. (dative pronoun before noun)
What is the difference between reichen and geben in German?