Breakdown of Der Hund ist besonders freundlich.
sein
to be
der Hund
the dog
freundlich
friendly
besonders
particularly
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Questions & Answers about Der Hund ist besonders freundlich.
What is the function of Der Hund in this sentence, and why is der used?
Der Hund is the subject of the sentence. Der is the masculine singular nominative definite article, because Hund is a masculine noun and the subject of the clause.
Why is ist placed in the second position in this sentence?
German main clauses follow the V2 (verb-second) rule: the finite verb (ist) must occupy the second slot. Here, the subject Der Hund comes first, then ist, and then the rest of the predicate.
Why doesn’t the adjective freundlich have an ending like -e or -er?
When an adjective appears predicatively (after a linking verb such as ist), it remains uninflected. Only attributive adjectives (those directly preceding and modifying a noun) take case endings.
What part of speech is besonders, and why is it used here?
Besonders is an adverb modifying the adjective freundlich. It indicates degree or emphasis, so besonders freundlich means “especially friendly” or “particularly friendly.”
What is the difference between besonders freundlich and sehr freundlich?
Sehr freundlich literally means “very friendly,” stating a high degree of friendliness. Besonders freundlich translates to “particularly friendly,” suggesting it stands out even among friendly dogs.
How would you change the sentence to talk about multiple dogs?
You’d pluralize both the article and noun and adjust the verb:
Die Hunde sind besonders freundlich.
Can you invert the sentence for emphasis? How?
Yes. You can front Besonders freundlich and keep the verb in second position, moving the subject to third:
Besonders freundlich ist der Hund.
This shifts the focus onto how friendly he is.