Der Vogel isst das Korn.

The bird eats the grain.

Breakdown of Der Vogel isst das Korn.

• essen: to eat
• der Vogel: the bird
• das Korn: the grain

Questions & Answers about Der Vogel isst das Korn.

Why is it Der Vogel and not Das Vogel or Die Vogel?

In German, every noun has a grammatical gender: masculine, feminine, or neuter, and the article changes accordingly.

• Vogel (bird) is grammatically masculine, so it takes the masculine definite article der in the nominative case.
• der = masculine
• die = feminine (and also plural)
• das = neuter

So:

• der Vogel = the bird (masculine, singular)
• die Blume = the flower (feminine, singular)
• das Haus = the house (neuter, singular)

There is no logical reason why Vogel is masculine; you just have to memorize the gender with each noun: der Vogel, die Blume, das Korn, etc.

What is the difference between isst and ist?

They are different verbs that just look very similar in the present tense:

• ist = 3rd person singular of sein (to be)
  
  • Er ist müde. = He is tired.
• isst = 3rd person singular of essen (to eat)
  
  • Er isst. = He eats / He is eating.

In Der Vogel isst das Korn, the verb is isst (with double s), so the sentence means The bird eats / is eating the grain, not The bird is the grain.

Tip:

• ist has one s.
• isst has ss, from essen.

Why is it das Korn here, and what case is that?

In Der Vogel isst das Korn, das Korn is the direct object (the thing being eaten), so it is in the accusative case.

• Der Vogel = subject → nominative
• isst = verb
• das Korn = direct object → accusative

For neuter nouns like Korn, the definite article das looks the same in nominative and accusative:

• Nominative: das Korn (The grain falls.) → Das Korn fällt.
• Accusative: das Korn (He eats the grain.) → Er isst das Korn.

That’s why you don’t see any change in the article here; you have to understand the function in the sentence (who does what to whom) to know the case.

How can I tell which noun is the subject and which is the object?

In this simple sentence, word order follows the standard pattern:

Subject – Verb – Object

• Der Vogel (subject, nominative)
• isst (verb)
• das Korn (object, accusative)

So you read it as: The bird (who?) eats (does what?) the grain (what is eaten?).

In more complex sentences, German can move elements around more than English, but the articles and cases still tell you what is subject and object.

For example:

• Das Korn isst der Vogel.

This is unusual as a neutral sentence, but if you did see it, the grammar still tells you:

• das Korn → nominative neuter, could be subject
• der Vogel → nominative masculine, could also be subject

With two nominatives, that example is confusing and not idiomatic. In real life, Germans would keep the clear S–V–O order here. But with other case markers (like den for accusative masculine), you can move things and still know who does what:

• Der Hund beißt den Mann. = The dog bites the man.
• Den Mann beißt der Hund. = Still: The dog bites the man. (word order changed, roles don’t)

Why are Vogel and Korn capitalized?

In German, all nouns are capitalized, no matter where they appear in the sentence. That’s a standard spelling rule.

So:

• Der Vogel isst das Korn.
• Ich sehe einen Vogel.
• Korn is also capitalized: Das Korn ist trocken.

Adjectives, verbs, and most other words are not capitalized (unless at the beginning of a sentence or part of a proper name):

• isst (verb) → lowercase
• der, das (articles) → lowercase

Capitalization is therefore a good clue that Vogel and Korn are nouns.

What exactly does Korn mean? Is it “corn” like in American English?

Korn in German usually means grain in a general sense, not just “corn/maize”.

Common meanings:

• The seeds of cereal plants in general: wheat, barley, oats, etc.
• A single grain (a grain of sand = ein Korn Sand)
• In everyday speech in some contexts, Korn can refer to cereal grains used as animal feed.

If you specifically mean the vegetable “corn on the cob” / “sweet corn”, German more often uses:

• Mais = maize / corn (the plant and the kernels)

So:

• Der Vogel isst das Korn. → The bird eats the grain / seeds.
• Der Vogel isst den Mais. → The bird eats the corn (maize).

Shouldn’t it be frisst instead of isst, since it’s an animal?

German makes a distinction that English doesn’t:

• essen = to eat (used mainly for humans)
• fressen = to eat (for animals), often with the nuance “to devour / to gobble”

So, more naturally you would say:

• Der Vogel frisst das Korn. = The bird eats the grain.

However:

• Learners are usually taught essen first, and many introductory sentences use essen even with animals for simplicity.
• In normal conversation, using essen with animals may sound a bit childish or playful, but it’s understood.

If you want to sound more idiomatic:

• Human: Das Kind isst das Brot.
• Animal: Der Hund frisst das Futter. / Der Vogel frisst das Korn.

How are Der Vogel, isst, and das Korn pronounced?

Approximate pronunciations (using English-like hints):

• Der → like “dare” in English, but shorter: [deːɐ̯]
• Vogel → [ˈfoːɡl̩]
  • V is pronounced like English f.
  • o is a long o, like in “foal”.
  • The -gel ending is roughly like gl with a little “uh” at most; the final e is very weak or almost not pronounced.
• isst → [ɪst]
  • Like English “ist” in “fist” without f.
• das → [das]
  • Short a, like in British “bus” but a bit brighter.
• Korn → [kɔʁn]
  • K like English k.
  • o as in “off”.
  • r is a guttural German r, produced in the throat.
  • Final n as in English.

Together:
Der Vogel isst das Korn. → roughly: “Dare FOH-g’l ist dass Korn.”

Is Der Vogel isst das Korn like “The bird eats” or “The bird is eating”?

It can mean both. German has only one present tense (Präsens), which covers:

• The bird eats the grain. (simple present, general fact)
• The bird is eating the grain. (present continuous, right now)

So:

• Der Vogel isst das Korn.
  • Depending on context, it could be a habit, a general truth, or something happening at this moment.

To emphasize “right now”, Germans often add a time expression:

• Der Vogel isst gerade das Korn. = The bird is eating the grain right now.

How would the sentence change in the plural: “The birds eat the grain”?

You need to change:

1. The noun Vogel to its plural Vögel.
2. The verb form from isst (he/she/it eats) to essen (they eat).
3. The article for the plural subject from der to die.

The object das Korn stays the same, because it is neuter and singular.

• Der Vogel isst das Korn. = The bird eats the grain.
• Die Vögel essen das Korn. = The birds eat the grain.

Changes:

• Vogel → Vögel (with umlaut ö)
• Der → Die (plural article)
• isst → essen (3rd person plural)

Why is the verb in the second position, and can I change the word order?

In main clauses, German follows the V2 rule: the finite verb (here isst) must be in second position in the sentence, but “second position” means second element, not necessarily the second word.

Basic form:

• Der Vogel (1st element) isst (2nd element) das Korn (rest).

You can move another element to the front, but the verb still stays second:

• Heute (1st element) isst (2nd element) der Vogel das Korn.
  = Today the bird eats the grain.

But you cannot do:

• ✗ Heute der Vogel isst das Korn. (verb not in 2nd position → wrong in a main clause)

So yes, some word order can change, but the finite verb remains the second element.

What are the definite articles for Vogel and Korn in other cases?

Useful to see the patterns:

Vogel (masculine, singular):

• Nominative: der Vogel (subject)
  
  • Der Vogel isst das Korn.
• Accusative: den Vogel (direct object)
  
  • Die Katze sieht den Vogel. = The cat sees the bird.
• Dative: dem Vogel (indirect object)
  
  • Ich gebe dem Vogel Wasser. = I give the bird water.
• Genitive: des Vogels (possessive)
  
  • Die Federn des Vogels sind bunt. = The bird’s feathers are colorful.

Korn (neuter, singular):

• Nominative: das Korn
• Accusative: das Korn
• Dative: dem Korn
• Genitive: des Korns

Example:

• Ich vertraue dem Korn nicht. (dative) = I don’t trust the grain.
• Die Farbe des Korns ist hell. (genitive) = The color of the grain is light.

Seeing this helps explain why der Vogel (subject) and das Korn (object) look the way they do in the original sentence.