Das Huhn läuft zwischen den Kühen herum und sucht Körner.

The chicken runs around between the cows and looks for grains.

Breakdown of Das Huhn läuft zwischen den Kühen herum und sucht Körner.

• und: and
• suchen: to look for
• zwischen: between
• die Kuh: the cow
• das Huhn: the chicken
• herumlaufen: to run around
• das Korn: the grain

Questions & Answers about Das Huhn läuft zwischen den Kühen herum und sucht Körner.

Why does the German sentence use läuft when in English we’d say “is running / is walking”?

German normally does not use a special progressive tense (is running) like English. The simple present läuft can cover:

• He runs / walks
• He is running / walking (right now)

So Das Huhn läuft … can be translated as:

• The chicken runs/walks … (habitual)
  or
• The chicken is running/walking … (right now)

Context decides whether you choose a simple present or a progressive form in English. In German, läuft alone is enough.

Why das Huhn and not something like die Huhn or der Huhn?

Every German noun has a grammatical gender which is somewhat arbitrary:

• das Huhn – neuter, singular, means chicken (the animal, gender-neutral)
• die Henne – feminine, means hen (female chicken)
• der Hahn – masculine, means rooster / cock (male chicken)

In this sentence, we’re talking about a chicken in general, not specifically male or female, so das Huhn is correct.

Remember:

• Nominative singular: das Huhn
• Plural: die Hühner

What exactly does laufen mean here – running or walking?

laufen can mean slightly different things depending on context and region:

• In standard German, laufen often means “to run”.
• In some southern regions (e.g. parts of Switzerland, southern Germany), laufen can also mean “to walk”.

In a neutral, standard interpretation:

• Das Huhn läuft … ≈ The chicken is running (around) …

For a more precise verb:

• rennen = to run fast, to sprint
• gehen = to go, to walk

But laufen is very commonly used for animals moving around in a lively way, so “runs around” or “is running around” usually feels natural.

Why is it zwischen den Kühen and not zwischen die Kühe?

zwischen is one of the so‑called two-way (Wechsel-) prepositions. It can take:

• dative = location (where?)
• accusative = direction (to where? into what space?)

Compare:

• Das Huhn läuft zwischen den Kühen herum.
  → It is moving around within the area between the cows (already there) → dative (den Kühen).

• Das Huhn läuft zwischen die Kühe.
  → It runs from outside into the space between the cows (change of location) → accusative (die Kühe).

Here, the chicken is already among the cows, moving around within that space, so dative is used: zwischen den Kühen.

How do I know that den Kühen is dative plural, and what’s going on with the -en ending?

Clues:

1. den can be:

   • masculine accusative singular
   • dative plural (for all genders)

2. The noun Kuh (cow) has:

   • Nominative plural: die Kühe
   • Dative plural: den Kühen (add -n in the dative plural)

So:

• zwischen den Kühen
  
  • zwischen → dative (here)
  • den → dative plural article
  • Kühen → plural with -n added in dative

A general rule: Most plural nouns add -n or -en in the dative plural, unless they already end in -n or -s.

What does herum add to the sentence, and why is it at the end?

herum is an adverb that means roughly “around / about”, giving the movement a wandering / aimless / around-in-an-area sense.

So:

• Das Huhn läuft zwischen den Kühen.
  → The chicken runs/walks between the cows (just moving from A to B between them).

• Das Huhn läuft zwischen den Kühen herum.
  → The chicken is running around among the cows (more back-and-forth, around in that space).

Position: German often puts certain adverbs and particles towards the end of the clause.
The core verb is läuft, and herum is closely attached to it, so it naturally goes to the end:

• läuft … herum = runs around

Could I say Das Huhn läuft herum zwischen den Kühen instead? Is that wrong?

You can say:

• Das Huhn läuft herum zwischen den Kühen.

It’s grammatically correct, but the most neutral, idiomatic version is:

• Das Huhn läuft zwischen den Kühen herum.

Differences:

• läuft zwischen den Kühen herum puts zwischen den Kühen in the middle and herum at the very end, which sounds very natural and slightly more fluent.
• läuft herum zwischen den Kühen is possible, but the herum feels a bit detached from the place phrase and can sound slightly less smooth in everyday speech.

For learners, it’s best to stick with läuft zwischen den Kühen herum.

Why is the word order sucht Körner and not Körner sucht?

In a simple main clause with a single verb, German word order is typically:

Subject – Verb – (other stuff) – Object

So:

• Das Huhn (subject)
• sucht (verb)
• Körner (direct object)

→ Das Huhn sucht Körner.

Starting the clause with the object (Körner sucht das Huhn) is only done for special emphasis or stylistic reasons and would sound marked (unusual) in neutral speech. The normal order is verb before the object.

What is the difference between Korn and Körner here?

Korn has a few meanings:

1. das Korn – a single kernel / grain

   • Plural: die Körner

2. das Korn – collective noun for grain (wheat, barley, etc.) as a crop

3. In some contexts, Korn is also a type of German grain spirit (alcohol), but not relevant here.

In this sentence:

• Körner = individual grains / kernels that the chicken is pecking at and looking for.

If you said:

• Das Huhn sucht Korn.
  It would sound more like “The chicken is looking for grain (as a substance)”, not individual pieces.
• Das Huhn sucht Körner.
  Emphasises the little grains it pecks one by one.

Why is it sucht Körner and not sucht nach Körnern? Isn’t suchen nach a thing?

Both constructions exist, but they’re used a bit differently.

1. suchen + accusative object

   • Das Huhn sucht Körner.
     → The chicken is looking for grains (quite direct, everyday style).

2. suchen nach + dative object

   • Das Huhn sucht nach Körnern.
     → Also “is looking for grains”, slightly more explicit about the search process; sometimes a bit more formal or careful.

In everyday speech, suchen + accusative (as in the sentence) is very common and perfectly correct.
If we changed the sentence:

• … und sucht nach Körnern.
  This would also be fine, just a small stylistic shift.

Why is und sucht Körner tacked on without repeating das Huhn?

In both German and English, when two verbs share the same subject, you don’t have to repeat that subject:

• Das Huhn läuft … und sucht Körner.
  → Literally: The chicken runs … and looks for grains.

We understand that das Huhn is the subject of both läuft and sucht.

If you did repeat the subject:

• Das Huhn läuft zwischen den Kühen herum, und das Huhn sucht Körner.

this would sound unusually heavy and repetitive in normal speech. It’s only done for extra emphasis, or in very careful, childlike, or poetic language.

How would you usually translate the whole sentence into natural English?

Several translations are possible, depending on how vivid or neutral you want it:

• The chicken is running around among the cows and looking for grains.
• The chicken runs around between the cows, looking for grain.
• The chicken is running around between the cows, searching for grains.

All capture the meaning of:

Das Huhn läuft zwischen den Kühen herum und sucht Körner.

Use a progressive form (is running) in English to reflect the ongoing action implied by the German present tense in this context.