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Ich zeige dir das Foto.

Ich zeige dir das Foto.
I show you the photo.
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Questions & Answers about Ich zeige dir das Foto.

What cases are used here, and how do I know which noun is which?
  • Subject (nominative): Ich = I (doer of the action)
  • Indirect object (dative): dir = to you (recipient)
  • Direct object (accusative): das Foto = the photo (thing being shown)
  • Verbs like zeigen typically take someone (dative) + something (accusative): jemandem etwas zeigen.
Why is it dir and not dich?
  • dir is the dative form of du (to you).
  • dich is the accusative form (you as a direct object).
  • With zeigen, the recipient is dative: Ich zeige dir etwas.
Why is it das Foto? What’s the gender and case?
  • Foto is neuter in German: das Foto.
  • Here it's the direct object (accusative sing.), which for neuter looks the same as nominative: das.
  • Quick pattern for neuter singular: Nom/Acc das, Dat dem, Gen des.
Can I say Ich zeige das Foto dir?
  • It’s possible but sounds marked/unusual.
  • Default order with a pronoun and a noun is: pronoun first. So: Ich zeige dir das Foto.
  • If both objects are pronouns, the usual order is accusative before dative: Ich zeige es dir, not Ich zeige dir es.
How do I say this in past or future?
  • Present (also used for near future): Ich zeige dir das Foto.
  • Perfect (spoken past): Ich habe dir das Foto gezeigt.
  • Simple past (written/narrative): Ich zeigte dir das Foto.
  • Explicit future: Ich werde dir das Foto zeigen.
What are the formal and plural versions of you?
  • Informal singular: dir (dative).
  • Informal plural: euch (dative): Ich zeige euch das Foto.
  • Formal singular/plural: Ihnen (dative, always capitalized): Ich zeige Ihnen das Foto.
How do I make a yes/no question or an information question?
  • Yes/no: Zeige ich dir das Foto?
  • Info question (What are you showing me?): Was zeige ich dir? – Das Foto.
  • Info question (To whom?): Wem zeige ich das Foto? – Dir.
How do I give a command like “Show me the photo!”?
  • Informal singular: Zeig mir das Foto! (colloquial often drops the final -e of the verb)
  • Informal plural: Zeigt mir das Foto!
  • Formal: Zeigen Sie mir das Foto!
Is the word order always the same? Can I front something for emphasis?
  • German allows fronting for emphasis/topic:
    • Das Foto zeige ich dir. (emphasis on “the photo”)
    • Dir zeige ich das Foto. (emphasis on the recipient)
  • In main clauses, the finite verb stays in second position.
What happens in subordinate clauses?
  • The verb goes to the end:
    • …, weil ich dir das Foto zeige.
    • Perfect: …, weil ich dir das Foto gezeigt habe.
    • With a modal: …, weil ich dir das Foto zeigen will.
Is it okay to say Ich zeig dir das Foto without the final -e?
  • Yes, in everyday speech it’s common to drop the final -e of the 1st person singular: zeig.
  • In careful or written German, use zeige.
How do I pronounce this sentence?
  • Ich [ɪç] (the “ch” is the soft ich-sound)
  • zeige [ˈtsaɪ̯ɡə] (“z” = [ts], “ei” = [aɪ])
  • dir [diːɐ̯] (regional variants exist)
  • das [das]
  • Foto [ˈfoːto]
  • Whole: [ɪç ˈtsaɪ̯ɡə diːɐ̯ das ˈfoːto]
Can the sentence mean “I’m showing you in the photo”?
  • No. Ich zeige dir das Foto = I’m showing the photo to you.
  • “I’m showing you in the photo” would be Ich zeige dich auf dem Foto.
Could I use für dich instead of dir?
  • Not for the recipient. für dich means “for your benefit,” not “to you.”
  • Correct: Ich zeige dir das Foto.
  • You could combine them if you really mean both: Ich zeige dir das Foto (für dich).
Are there useful synonyms or related verbs?
  • zeigen = to show (neutral, general).
  • vorzeigen = to present/show for inspection (e.g., ID): den Ausweis vorzeigen.
  • vorführen = to demonstrate/display (often with a performance vibe).
  • herzeigen (Austrian/southern) = to show (colloquial).
What’s the plural of Foto and how would that look?
  • Plural: die Fotos.
  • Example: Ich zeige dir die Fotos. (accusative plural uses die)
Can I add a softening particle like “just” as in “I’ll just show you the photo”?
  • Yes: Ich zeige dir mal das Foto. (mal softens/“just”)
  • Other particles adjust tone: doch, eben, etc. E.g., Ich zeige dir doch das Foto.
What are the full dative pronouns I should know?
  • mir (to me), dir (to you sg. inf.), ihm (to him/it masc.), ihr (to her/it fem.), ihm (to it neut.), uns (to us), euch (to you pl. inf.), ihnen (to them), Ihnen (to you formal).
Why is the verb in second position?
  • In main clauses, German is a V2 language: exactly one constituent precedes the finite verb.
  • Here, Ich is in the first slot, so zeige is second: Ich zeige …
Is “Photo” with “Ph” acceptable?
  • The standard modern spelling is Foto.
  • Photo is archaic/dated; you’ll still see it occasionally, but use Foto in current German.