Die Feuerwehr rettet eine Katze vom Dach.

the cat

Breakdown of Die Feuerwehr rettet eine Katze vom Dach.

• das Dach: the roof
• die Feuerwehr: the fire department
• retten: to rescue

Questions & Answers about Die Feuerwehr rettet eine Katze vom Dach.

Why is it “rettet” and not “retten”?

Because the subject die Feuerwehr is grammatically singular (3rd person singular). The verb retten conjugates: ich rette; du rettest; er/sie/es rettet; wir retten; ihr rettet; sie/Sie retten.

Is “die Feuerwehr” plural? Why does it use “die”?

No, it’s feminine singular. In nominative singular, feminine nouns take die; in plural, all genders also take die—context and the verb form tell you it’s singular here, so you get rettet.

What case is “eine Katze,” and how do I know?

Accusative (it’s the direct object). For feminine nouns the indefinite article is eine in both nominative and accusative, so it looks the same. With masculine you see the change: nominative ein Hund, accusative einen Hund.

What does “vom” mean exactly?

vom = von dem. von takes the dative, and das Dach becomes dative dem Dach, hence vom Dach. You can write von dem Dach, but the contraction is standard. Similar contractions: am (an dem), im (in dem), zum (zu dem), zur (zu der), ins (in das), ans (an das).