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Questions & Answers about Der Arzt reagiert sofort.
Why is it der Arzt and not den Arzt?
Because der Arzt is the subject and takes the nominative case. Arzt is masculine, so the nominative article is der.
- Accusative (direct object) would be den Arzt.
- Dative (indirect object) would be dem Arzt.
- Genitive would be des Arztes.
What gender is Arzt, and what are the feminine and plural forms?
- Gender: masculine.
- Feminine: die Ärztin (plural: die Ärztinnen).
- Plural (mixed or all-male): die Ärzte. Note the umlaut in the feminine and plural: Ä instead of A.
What tense is reagiert, and how do I form other tenses?
Reagiert is present tense, 3rd person singular (he/she/it). In German, the present can mean both English simple present and present progressive.
- Present: ich reagiere, du reagierst, er/sie/es reagiert, wir reagieren, ihr reagiert, sie/Sie reagieren.
- Simple past (Präteritum): er reagierte.
- Present perfect (Perfekt): er hat reagiert. With verbs ending in -ieren, the participle has no ge-: reagiert, not gereagiert.
Why is the verb in second position, and can I move sofort to the front?
German main clauses follow the V2 rule: the conjugated verb comes in second position. Here, position 1 is Der Arzt, position 2 is reagiert. You can front sofort for emphasis:
- Sofort reagiert der Arzt. When you front an element, the subject moves after the verb (inversion).
Where does sofort usually go? What if there are other adverbs?
Sofort is a time adverb. With only one adverb, it often sits toward the end of the clause:
- Der Arzt reagiert sofort. With multiple adverbials, a common order is time > manner > place:
- Der Arzt reagiert sofort ruhig in der Klinik. You can also front the time adverb:
- Sofort reagiert der Arzt ruhig in der Klinik.
Does reagieren need a preposition? What’s the difference between reagieren and antworten?
- Reagieren can stand alone (as in the sentence), but if you say what someone reacts to, use auf + accusative:
- Der Arzt reagiert sofort auf den Alarm.
- Antworten is “to answer (a question).” Use it when replying verbally:
- Der Arzt antwortet sofort (auf die Frage).
- You answer someone with dative: Er antwortet dem Patienten sofort.
How do I say “He reacts to it immediately”?
- Er reagiert sofort darauf. You can also front the pronominal adverb for emphasis:
- Darauf reagiert er sofort.
How do I negate this—especially the “immediately” part?
- To say he doesn’t react immediately (but maybe later): Der Arzt reagiert nicht sofort.
- To say he doesn’t react at all: Der Arzt reagiert nicht. / Der Arzt reagiert überhaupt nicht. Place nicht before the element you want to negate.
How do I pronounce the tricky parts like Arzt, reagiert, and sofort?
- Arzt: like “AHR-tst.” The letter z is pronounced like “ts,” so the ending is a tight -tst cluster.
- reagiert: four syllables re-a-giert: “ray-ah-GEERT.” The g is hard (like in “go”); ie is a long “ee.”
- sofort: “zo-FORT” (stress the second syllable). Initial s before a vowel is voiced like English “z.” Approximate IPA: [deːɐ̯ aːɐ̯t͡st ʁe.aˈɡiːɐ̯t zoˈfɔʁt].
Is Doktor the same as Arzt?
Not exactly.
- Arzt/Ärztin is the profession (medical doctor/physician).
- Doktor is an academic title (any PhD). Many physicians have it, and people may address them as Herr/Frau Doktor, but the profession is Arzt/Ärztin.
Why is Arzt capitalized but sofort isn’t?
All nouns are capitalized in German, so Arzt is capitalized. Verbs (reagiert) and adverbs (sofort) are not capitalized (unless starting a sentence).
How would the sentence change for a female doctor or for plural?
- Female singular: Die Ärztin reagiert sofort.
- Plural: Die Ärzte reagieren sofort. / Die Ärztinnen reagieren sofort. Note the plural verb ending -en: reagieren.
What’s the nuance difference between sofort, gleich, umgehend, and direkt?
- sofort: immediately, right away (neutral and common).
- gleich: can mean “in a moment/soon” in everyday speech; not always as immediate as sofort.
- umgehend / unverzüglich: formal for “without delay.”
- direkt: primarily “direct(ly).” In some regions it’s used colloquially like “right away,” but sofort is the clearer choice for “immediately.”