Sein Blick ist freundlich.

to be

Breakdown of Sein Blick ist freundlich.

• freundlich: friendly
• sein: his
• der Blick: the look

Questions & Answers about Sein Blick ist freundlich.

What does Sein mean here? Is it the verb sein (“to be”)?

Here, Sein is a possessive determiner meaning his (or its; see below). The verb “to be” in this sentence is ist. So the structure is “His/Its look is friendly.”

Why is it sein Blick and not seinen Blick?

Because Blick is the subject in the nominative case. Possessive determiners like sein decline like “ein-words,” and in nominative masculine there’s no ending: sein Blick. Compare:

• Nominative (subject): sein Blick ist freundlich.
• Accusative (object): Ich bemerke seinen Blick.
• Dative: Ich folge seinem Blick.
• Genitive: wegen seines Blickes/Blicks (rare in everyday speech).

Why doesn’t freundlich have an ending?

It’s a predicative adjective (after ist), and predicative adjectives don’t take endings in German. If you put it before the noun (attributive), it does: sein freundlicher Blick.

Can I just say Er ist freundlich?