Word
Der Hund läuft schnell zum Strand.
Meaning
The dog runs quickly to the beach.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Lesson
Breakdown of Der Hund läuft schnell zum Strand.
dem
the; (masculine or neuter, dative)
der Hund
the dog
zu
to
schnell
quickly
Questions & Answers about Der Hund läuft schnell zum Strand.
What does läuft mean and why does it end in -t?
läuft is the 3rd person singular present tense form of the verb laufen (to run, and in some regions also to walk). German verbs in the present tense add -t for er/sie/es (he/she/it):
- ich laufe
- du läufst
- er/sie/es läuft
Could I use rennt or geht instead of läuft, and would the meaning change?
Yes, you can replace läuft with other verbs of motion, but the nuance shifts:
- rennen (er rennt) means “to sprint” or “dash” – more forceful than laufen.
- gehen (er geht) means “to walk” – slower than laufen (in the sense “run”).
laufen is neutral and can mean “run” (standard) or “walk” (colloquially, especially in southern Germany).
Why is schnell not declined like an adjective (e.g. schnelle)?
Here schnell is an adverb modifying the verb läuft (“runs quickly”). Adverbs in German never take adjective endings. Only when they directly modify a noun (as adjectives) would you see endings, for example ein schneller Hund.
What is , and how is it formed?