Learn Hardcore German: Die Kinder laufen durch das Tor auf die Wiese und staunen über den Regenbogen. - The children run through the gate onto the meadow and marvel at the rainbow.

Tor is a neuter noun in German, so its definite article is das. Every German noun has a gender (masculine, feminine, or neuter), and Tor happens to be neuter.

Why does durch take the accusative case in durch das Tor?

durch is one of the Wechselpräpositionen (two-way prepositions). When it expresses movement into or through something, it requires the accusative case. Since the children are running through the gate, you use durch das Tor (accusative).

Why is auf die Wiese in the accusative, not the dative case?

auf is also a Wechselpräposition. It takes accusative when indicating motion onto a surface. The children are moving onto the meadow, so you use accusative (auf die Wiese). If they were simply located on the meadow (no movement), you would use dative (auf der Wiese).

Why does staunen use über with the accusative in über den Regenbogen?

The verb staunen (to marvel or be amazed) is typically used with über + accusative to specify what someone is amazed at. Therefore, you need über den Regenbogen, with den Regenbogen in accusative.

Can durch das Tor be contracted, and when?

Yes. In informal speech and writing, durch das is often contracted to durchs. So durch das Tor → durchs Tor. This contracted form is very common and perfectly acceptable.

What is the function of und here, and why is there no comma before it?

und is a coordinating conjunction linking two verb phrases (laufen … and staunen …) within the same main clause. German does not use a comma before a simple und that connects elements of one clause.

How flexible is the order of durch das Tor and auf die Wiese? Could I switch them?

German word order for adverbial phrases is somewhat flexible, but you generally present the path first (durch das Tor) and then the goal or destination (auf die Wiese) because it mirrors the sequence of actions. Swapping them to Die Kinder laufen auf die Wiese durch das Tor sounds awkward and suggests they reached the meadow before going through the gate.

How do I know die Wiese is feminine? Any tips for remembering genders?

Noun endings can give hints: many German nouns ending in -e are feminine (die Wiese, die Lampe, die Blume), though there are exceptions. The most reliable method is to learn each noun together with its article (e.g., die Wiese) rather than memorizing the noun alone.

How is Regenbogen pronounced, and why is it masculine?

Regenbogen is a compound of Regen (rain) + Bogen (arch). It’s pronounced RE-gen-bo-gen, with the primary stress on the first syllable. In German compounds, the gender is determined by the final element (Bogen), which is masculine (der Bogen), so der Regenbogen.