Learn Hardcore German: Auf dem Bauernhof ist der Geruch der Tiere stark, aber wir gewöhnen uns daran. - On the farm the smell of the animals is strong, but we get used to it.

In main clauses, German puts the conjugated verb in the second position.
The “first position” can be taken by something other than the subject, for emphasis or structure.

Word order here:

Auf dem Bauernhof – first position (a prepositional phrase)
ist – second position (the conjugated verb)
der Geruch der Tiere stark – the rest of the sentence

If you start with the subject instead, you can also say:

Der Geruch der Tiere ist auf dem Bauernhof stark, …

Both are correct; the verb stays in position 2 either way.

Why are there two der in der Geruch der Tiere? Aren’t they the same word?

They look the same, but they’re different cases and functions:

der Geruch
– der = nominative singular masculine article for Geruch (the subject)
– means “the smell”
der Tiere
– der = genitive plural article for Tiere
– means “of the animals”

So der Geruch der Tiere literally means “the smell of the animals”:

der (NOM, masc. sg.) Geruch
der (GEN, plural) Tiere

Could I say der Geruch von den Tieren instead of der Geruch der Tiere?

You can say der Geruch von den Tieren, but:

der Geruch der Tiere = more standard, slightly more formal/neutral
der Geruch von den Tieren = more colloquial, sounds a bit “spoken language”

In many cases, Genitive (like der Tiere) is preferred in writing, especially with abstract relations like “the smell of X”, “the color of Y”, etc.

Both are understandable and grammatically possible, but der Geruch der Tiere is the more “textbook” choice here.

Why is it stark and not starke or starker in der Geruch der Tiere ist stark?

German adjectives take endings only when they stand in front of a noun:

ein starker Geruch (a strong smell) → adjective before noun ⇒ needs ending
der starke Geruch (the strong smell)

But here, stark comes after the verb ist:

Der Geruch der Tiere ist stark.

This is a predicative adjective (used with sein, werden, bleiben, etc.).
Predicative adjectives do not take endings, so it stays stark.

Why do we say wir gewöhnen uns daran and not just wir gewöhnen daran?

The verb is sich an etwas gewöhnen (to get used to something). It is:

reflexive → needs a reflexive pronoun (here: uns)
with the preposition an
- accusative (here replaced by daran)

So you must have both parts:

wir – subject
gewöhnen – verb
uns – reflexive pronoun referring back to wir
daran – “to it” (what we’re getting used to)

Without uns, the sentence is ungrammatical:

❌ wir gewöhnen daran
✅ wir gewöhnen uns daran

What exactly does daran refer to, and why not an es?

Daran is a da‑compound: da + an = “to it / to that.”

It refers back to the whole idea “the strong smell of the animals”.

German prefers da- words instead of an es / an das when referring to things:

Ich denke daran. – I’m thinking about it.
(not ❌ Ich denke an es.)

So here:

wir gewöhnen uns daran
= we are getting used to it (to that smell)

An es is not idiomatic; native speakers almost never say that.

Why is it gewöhnen uns daran and not gewöhnen daran uns? What’s the rule for pronoun order?

In simple main clauses, the typical order for pronouns in the middle field is:

reflexive pronouns / personal pronouns
other prepositional phrases / adverbs / objects

So:

wir gewöhnen uns daran
(uns comes before daran)

Putting uns after daran:

❌ wir gewöhnen daran uns

sounds clearly wrong to native speakers. Pronouns (especially short ones like mich, dich, uns, euch, sich) tend to stand early in the sentence, before heavier phrases like daran.

What’s the difference between wir gewöhnen uns daran and wir sind daran gewöhnt?

Both relate to “being used to something,” but they focus on different aspects:

wir gewöhnen uns daran
– process, change over time
– “we are getting used to it” / “we’re in the process of becoming used to it”
wir sind daran gewöhnt
– state, result
– “we are used to it” (already used to it)

In the original sentence, the idea is:
The smell is strong, but over time we get used to it → so wir gewöhnen uns daran fits better.

Could I rephrase the first part as Auf dem Bauernhof riecht es stark nach den Tieren? Would that mean the same?

Yes, that’s a natural alternative with a slightly different structure:

Auf dem Bauernhof riecht es stark nach den Tieren.
Literally: On the farm, it smells strongly of the animals.

Differences:

Original: Der Geruch der Tiere ist stark
– focuses on “the smell (of the animals) is strong”
Alternative: es riecht stark nach den Tieren
– uses impersonal es riecht (“it smells”)
– focuses more on the experience of smelling

Both convey a similar idea. The original uses a noun phrase (der Geruch); the alternative uses a verb (riechen).