Für die Postkarte kaufe ich eine schöne Briefmarke.

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Breakdown of Für die Postkarte kaufe ich eine schöne Briefmarke.

• kaufen: to buy
• für: for
• die Postkarte: the postcard

Questions & Answers about Für die Postkarte kaufe ich eine schöne Briefmarke.

Why are German nouns like Postkarte and Briefmarke capitalized?

In German all nouns—regardless of their position in the sentence—are always written with an initial capital letter. This rule applies to Postkarte, Briefmarke, and any other noun.

What case is die Postkarte in, and why?

Postkarte appears after the preposition für, which always takes the accusative case. Therefore, die Postkarte is accusative singular feminine. You can tell because the definite article for feminine singular remains die in both nominative and accusative.

Why does the verb come before the subject, giving kaufe ich?

German main clauses follow verb-second (V2) word order. When a phrase like Für die Postkarte occupies the first position, the conjugated verb kaufe must be in the second position, so the subject ich moves to third position: Für die Postkarte kaufe ich....

What type of object is eine schöne Briefmarke, and how do we know its case?