Learn Hardcore German: Mit etwas Kleingeld kaufte ich durstigen Kindern Wasser, bevor die Sommerferien begannen. - With some small change I bought water for thirsty children before the summer holidays began.

Because the preposition mit always requires the dative in German. It indicates the means or instrument you’re using—in this case, “with some coins.”

What exactly does etwas mean here, and could I use ein bisschen instead?

etwas means “some” or “a bit of” and works with uncountable nouns like Kleingeld (“change”). You could say mit ein bisschen Kleingeld, but mit etwas Kleingeld is more idiomatic for “with some spare change.”

Why is there no article before Kleingeld?

Because Kleingeld is treated as an uncountable noun in this context, similar to “change” in English. When speaking of an indefinite amount of an uncountable item, German often omits the article.

Why is durstigen Kindern in the dative plural? Is that the indirect object?

Yes. The children are the recipients of the water, making them the indirect object of kaufen. Indirect objects in German take the dative case, and because Kinder is plural and no article precedes it, the adjective durstig and the noun both get the -en ending: durstigen Kindern.

How do I know to decline durstig with -en instead of -e or -er?

In the dative plural, German adjectives always take -en regardless of whether there’s an article. Meanwhile, plural nouns in the dative typically add -n, so Kinder → Kindern.

Why is the main verb kaufte in second position instead of at the end?

German main clauses follow the verb‐second (V2) rule: the conjugated verb must occupy the second position. Here, Mit etwas Kleingeld counts as the first element, so kaufte comes next.

Why does the clause bevor die Sommerferien begannen appear at the end, and why is begannen at the very end?

Because bevor is a subordinating conjunction, it sends its finite verb to the end of its clause. In German, you can place subordinate clauses at the end of the sentence, and the verb then goes to the last position.

Why is Sommerferien always in the plural form?

German uses Ferien (“vacation, holidays”) exclusively in the plural. You don’t say die Ferien in singular; even one vacation period is die Ferien—here specified as die Sommerferien.

Why is the simple past kaufte used instead of the perfect hat gekauft?

In written or narrative German, the Präteritum (simple past) is preferred for verbs like kaufen. In everyday speech you might hear habe ... gekauft, but in storytelling and formal writing you’ll often see kaufte.