Breakdown of Beim Spaziergang hält die Frau die Leine immer kurz.
die Frau
the woman
immer
always
der Spaziergang
the walk
kurz
short
Questions & Answers about Beim Spaziergang hält die Frau die Leine immer kurz.
What does beim mean here, and what case does it require?
Beim is the contraction of bei dem. With activities, bei often means “during/while,” so beim Spaziergang = “during the walk.” The preposition bei always takes the dative, so it’s dative singular: dem Spaziergang.
Why is hält (the verb) in second position after that opening phrase?
German main clauses follow the “verb-second” (V2) rule. The fronted time phrase Beim Spaziergang occupies the first slot; the finite verb hält must then come second. The subject die Frau follows the verb.
Which noun is the subject and which is the object, even though both show up as die?
- Subject: die Frau (nominative; the doer)
- Direct object: die Leine (accusative; the thing being kept short) Feminine nouns use die in both nominative and accusative singular, so you rely on word order and the verb’s logic: the woman holds; the leash is held.
Why is it kurz and not kurze?