Breakdown of Ich betrachte den bunten Regenbogen im Park.
in
in
dem
the; (masculine or neuter, dative)
ich
I
der Park
the park
den
the; (masculine, accusative)
bunt
colorful
der Regenbogen
the rainbow
betrachten
to look at
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Questions & Answers about Ich betrachte den bunten Regenbogen im Park.
What does betrachte mean in this sentence?
betrachte is the first‐person-singular present form of the verb betrachten. It means “to look at,” “to observe,” or “to regard” something deliberately—stronger and more focused than the simple “see.”
Why is den bunten Regenbogen in the accusative case?
Because den bunten Regenbogen is the direct object of the verb betrachten. In German, transitive verbs (those taking a direct object) require the accusative case for that object. Here, Regenbogen is what you are observing, so it’s accusative.
Why does the adjective bunten end with “-en”?
After a definite article (here den), adjectives take the weak declension. In the masculine accusative, that means the adjective ending is -en. Hence den (acc. masc.) + bunten Regenbogen.
What does im stand for in im Park?
im is the contraction of in + dem. Whenever you have the preposition in indicating location and the article is masculine or neuter dative, you merge them into im.
Why is Park in the dative case?
The preposition in governs the dative when it denotes a static location (where something is happening). Since you’re in the Park (rather than moving into it), you use the dative case: dem Park, contracted to im Park.
Could you say Ich sehe den bunten Regenbogen im Park instead? What’s the difference?
Yes, ich sehe is grammatically fine.
• sehen = to see (basic, visual perception)
• betrachten = to observe, to view carefully or attentively
If you just “catch sight” of a rainbow, you’d use sehen; if you’re studying or admiring it, betrachten is more precise.
Can I move im Park to the front of the sentence?
Yes. In German you can front a prepositional phrase for emphasis, but the finite verb stays in second position. For example:
Im Park betrachte ich den bunten Regenbogen.
Here betrachte remains the second element, and ich follows it.
What is the gender of Regenbogen, and how do I remember it?
The word Regenbogen is masculine: der Regenbogen. A handy tip is that many compound words ending in -bogen (like Halbbogen, Luftbogen) are masculine too. Also, you’ll often find rainbows referred to as der Regenbogen in children’s books—repetition helps cement the gender.