Breakdown of Ich lese den Bericht aufmerksam.
ich
I
lesen
to read
der Bericht
the report
aufmerksam
attentively
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Questions & Answers about Ich lese den Bericht aufmerksam.
Why is it den and not der in den Bericht?
Because lesen takes a direct object in the accusative case. Bericht is masculine, and the masculine definite article changes from der (nominative) to den (accusative). So it must be den Bericht after lesen.
What case is den Bericht, and what would the nominative look like?
Den Bericht is accusative (direct object). The nominative (as a subject) would be der Bericht. For example: Der Bericht ist lang (The report is long).
How would I say “a report” instead of “the report”?
Use the accusative form of the indefinite article: Ich lese einen Bericht aufmerksam. (Masculine accusative adds -en: ein → einen.)
Why doesn’t aufmerksam have an ending here?
Because it’s used adverbially (describing how you read). Adjectives used as adverbs in German don’t take endings: Ich lese aufmerksam. If it modifies a noun, it takes an ending: ein aufmerksamer Leser (an attentive reader). Predicate use also has no ending: Ich bin aufmerksam.
Can I say Ich lese aufmerksam den Bericht instead?
Yes, that’s possible. The given sentence (Ich lese den Bericht aufmerksam) is the most neutral. Placing aufmerksam before the object slightly highlights the manner; placing it after the object often feels more natural when the object is “heavier.”
Can I front the object for emphasis?
Yes. Den Bericht lese ich aufmerksam. German lets you put something other than the subject in first position for emphasis; the conjugated verb still stays in second position.
Does Ich lese mean both “I read” and “I am reading”?
Yes. German present tense covers both simple and progressive meanings. To stress the “right now” idea, add gerade: Ich lese gerade den Bericht aufmerksam.
How is lesen conjugated in the present?
- ich lese
- du liest
- er/sie/es liest
- wir lesen
- ihr lest
- sie/Sie lesen Note the stem vowel change e → ie in the 2nd and 3rd person singular.
How do I put this in the past or future?
- Conversational past (Perfekt): Ich habe den Bericht aufmerksam gelesen.
- Simple past (Präteritum, mostly written): Ich las den Bericht aufmerksam.
- Future: Ich werde den Bericht aufmerksam lesen. (Often the present with a time word is preferred.)
How do I form a question or negate the sentence?
- Yes/no question: Liest du den Bericht aufmerksam? / Lesen Sie den Bericht aufmerksam?
- Wh-questions: Was liest du aufmerksam? – Den Bericht. / Wie liest du den Bericht? – aufmerksam.
- Negation:
- Not attentively: Ich lese den Bericht nicht aufmerksam.
- Not reading the report at all: Ich lese den Bericht nicht.
What’s the gender and plural of Bericht?
Masculine: der Bericht. Plural: die Berichte. Accusative plural doesn’t add a special ending to the noun: Ich lese die Berichte aufmerksam.
What happens if the object is a pronoun?
Pronouns usually come earlier in the middle field: Ich lese ihn aufmerksam. With emphasis you can still move things around, but this is the neutral order.
Is there a verb that means “to read all the way through”?
Yes, the separable verb durchlesen: Ich lese den Bericht aufmerksam durch. (In main clauses, the prefix durch- goes to the end.) That implies reading it from beginning to end.
How do I say “to read aloud,” and can it fit here?
Use vorlesen (separable): Ich lese den Bericht aufmerksam vor. You can also add an indirect object: Ich lese dir den Bericht aufmerksam vor.
Are there synonyms or near-synonyms for aufmerksam here?
- sorgfältig: carefully, with care
- gründlich: thoroughly, in depth
- genau: precisely, exactly All work, with slightly different nuances: Ich lese den Bericht sorgfältig/gründlich/genau. Aufmerksam emphasizes attentive focus.
Can I drop the subject Ich like in Spanish?
No. German is not a “null-subject” language. You normally need the subject pronoun: Ich lese … Leaving it out turns it into an imperative: Lies den Bericht aufmerksam! (Read the report attentively!)