Word
Die Kinder spielen zusammen auf dem Spielplatz.
Meaning
The children play together on the playground.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Lesson
Breakdown of Die Kinder spielen zusammen auf dem Spielplatz.
das Kind
the child
spielen
to play
zusammen
together
auf
on
Questions & Answers about Die Kinder spielen zusammen auf dem Spielplatz.
Why is Die Kinder used here instead of Das Kind or Die Kind?
The sentence talks about more than one child, so it uses the plural form Kinder. In German, the definite article for all plural nouns in the nominative case is die, regardless of the noun’s gender. Thus die Kinder means “the children.”
Why is the verb spielen in the second position, and could another element come first?
German main clauses follow the verb-second (V2) rule: the finite verb must occupy the second slot. Here the subject Die Kinder is first, so spielen is second. You can front other elements (e.g. a time or place expression), but spielen still stays in second position, for example:
Auf dem Spielplatz spielen die Kinder zusammen.
What part of speech is zusammen, and where can it go in the sentence?
zusammen is an adverb of manner meaning “together.” Adverbs of manner typically follow the finite verb in German. In the example it comes right after spielen, but you can also move it to the end without changing the core meaning:
Die Kinder spielen auf dem Spielplatz zusammen.
Why is dem used in auf dem Spielplatz, and how do I know which case to use?