Breakdown of Die Bäuerin verkauft frisches Gemüse im Dorf.
in
in
dem
the; (masculine or neuter, dative)
frisch
fresh
verkaufen
to sell
Questions & Answers about Die Bäuerin verkauft frisches Gemüse im Dorf.
Why is it die Bäuerin and not der Bauer?
German marks grammatical gender and also distinguishes male and female job titles.
- der Bauer = male farmer
- die Bäuerin = female farmer
The ending -in is the regular way to form a feminine version of a masculine noun:
- der Lehrer → die Lehrerin (teacher)
- der Arzt → die Ärztin (doctor)
Here the subject is a woman, so German uses die Bäuerin.
Why does Bäuerin have an umlaut (äu) instead of au like in Bauer?
The feminine form Bäuerin is historically derived from Bauer, and the vowel changes when the -in ending is added.
- Bauer (no umlaut) → Bäuerin (with umlaut äu)
This vowel change (umlaut) happens in quite a few masculine–feminine pairs:
- der Arzt → die Ärztin
- der Gast → die Gästin (rare, but same pattern)
In pronunciation, äu is spoken like the oy in English boy.
Why is the article die used with Bäuerin?