Ich esse eine Orange.

I eat an orange.

Breakdown of Ich esse eine Orange.

• essen: to eat
• ich: I
• die Orange: the orange

Questions & Answers about Ich esse eine Orange.

Why is the verb esse used after ich?

esse is the first-person singular present-tense form of the verb essen (to eat). German verbs change their endings according to person and number. For example:

• ich esse
• du isst
• er/sie/es isst
• wir essen
• ihr esst
• sie/Sie essen

Why does the verb esse come right after ich instead of at the end of the sentence?

German main clauses follow the V2 rule (verb-second rule): the finite (conjugated) verb must occupy the second position. Here, ich is first, so esse appears immediately after, and the object eine Orange follows.

Why is eine used before Orange, and why not einen or ein?

Orange is a feminine noun (die Orange). In the accusative case (direct object), the feminine indefinite article remains eine.

• If it were masculine (der Apfel), you’d say einen Apfel.
• Neuter would be ein (e.g. ich esse ein Brötchen).

How do I know that eine Orange is in the accusative case?