Learn Hardcore German: Auf dem Bauernhof öffnet die Bäuerin morgens den Stall für die Kühe. - On the farm the female farmer opens the stable for the cows in the morning.

Dative = location (where something is)
- auf dem Bauernhof = on the farm (no movement; just a place)
Accusative = direction / movement to a place
- auf den Bauernhof gehen = to go onto the farm

In the sentence, the action takes place on the farm; nobody is moving to the farm, so we use the dative: dem Bauernhof.

Why does the verb come before the subject: „… öffnet die Bäuerin …“ instead of „… die Bäuerin öffnet …“?

German has a strict verb‑second (V2) rule in main clauses: the finite verb (here: öffnet) must be in second position.

The first position can be taken by many things, not only the subject. In this sentence, the time/place phrase is put first:

Auf dem Bauernhof – element in the first position
öffnet – finite verb in second position
die Bäuerin – subject, coming after the verb

You could also say:

Die Bäuerin öffnet morgens auf dem Bauernhof den Stall für die Kühe.

This is equally correct. The difference is mainly one of emphasis and style, not of grammar.

What is the difference between „Bauer“ and „Bäuerin“?

Bauer = male farmer (grammatically: masculine noun)
Bäuerin = female farmer (grammatically: feminine noun)

German often forms female versions of professions by adding ‑in:

der Lehrer → die Lehrerin
der Arzt → die Ärztin
der Bauer → die Bäuerin

Here the vowel also changes: Bauer → Bäuer‑. That’s a regular stem change for this word when making the feminine form.

Why is it „dem Bauernhof“? How do we know the gender and case?

„Bauernhof“ is a compound noun:

Bauer (farmer) + Hof (yard, farm) → Bauernhof (farm)

In German, the last part of the compound decides the gender.
Hof is masculine (der Hof), so Bauernhof is also masculine: der Bauernhof.

In the sentence, „auf dem Bauernhof“ is a dative phrase (location after „auf“), and the dative singular masculine article of der is dem:

Nominative: der Bauernhof
Accusative: den Bauernhof
Dative: dem Bauernhof

What does „Bauern“ in „Bauernhof“ mean? Why not just „Bauerhof“?

The ‑n‑ in the middle is a common linking sound in German compound nouns. It doesn’t change the meaning; it just makes the compound easier to pronounce.

So:

Bauer + Hof → Bauernhof (with a linking ‑n‑, not a plural ending here)

This is similar to other compounds:

Student
- Heim → Studentenheim
Kind
- Garten → Kindergarten

Why is „morgens“ used instead of „am Morgen“ or „jeden Morgen“?

„morgens“ is an adverb meaning something like „in the mornings / in the morning (generally, habitually)“.

You have a few options in German, with slightly different nuances:

morgens – general, habitual:
- Die Bäuerin öffnet morgens den Stall. = She usually does this in the morning.
am Morgen – more like “in the (specific or general) morning”, a bit more neutral/formal:
- Sie öffnet am Morgen den Stall.
jeden Morgen – clearly emphasizes every single morning:
- Sie öffnet jeden Morgen den Stall.

In your sentence, „morgens“ fits well because it describes a regular routine.

Where can „morgens“ go in the sentence? Is the current position the only correct one?

German word order is quite flexible with adverbs. All of the following are grammatical, but they differ in focus and style:

Auf dem Bauernhof öffnet die Bäuerin morgens den Stall für die Kühe.
(Neutral; time placed after subject; quite natural.)
Auf dem Bauernhof öffnet die Bäuerin den Stall morgens für die Kühe.
(Puts a bit more weight on „den Stall“ by keeping object and verb closer.)
Auf dem Bauernhof öffnet die Bäuerin den Stall für die Kühe morgens.
(Possible, but sounds unusual; „morgens“ is normally earlier.)

Typical neutral order inside the sentence is often time – manner – place, but it’s not a rigid rule. The original position of „morgens“ is very natural.

Why is it „den Stall“ and not „der Stall“?

„Stall“ (stall, stable) is masculine: der Stall.

In the sentence, „den Stall“ is the direct object of the verb „öffnen“ – it is what is being opened. Direct objects take the accusative case. For masculine nouns, the article changes like this:

Nominative: der Stall – Der Stall ist groß. (The stable is big.)
Accusative: den Stall – Sie öffnet den Stall. (She opens the stable.)

So we need „den Stall“ here.

What is the difference between „Stall“ and „Scheune“ in German?

Both can be translated as barn in English, but they are not the same:

der Stall
- Building/space where animals are kept or housed (stable, cowshed, pigsty, etc.).
- Focus is on the animals’ living area.
die Scheune
- Barn mainly used to store hay, grain, machines, etc.
- Focus is on storage, not on housing animals.

In many real farms, a large building might contain both storage areas and animal stalls, but in German vocabulary, the words are different. In your sentence, „Stall“ is correct because it is being opened for the cows.

Why is it „für die Kühe“ and not „für den Kühe“ or something else?

Two points:

„für“ always takes the accusative case in German. After für, you must use accusative.
„Kühe“ is plural of „Kuh“.

The definite article in the accusative plural is „die“ (same as nominative plural):

Nominative plural: die Kühe – Die Kühe sind draußen.
Accusative plural: die Kühe – Sie öffnet den Stall für die Kühe.

So „für die Kühe“ is für + accusative plural and is exactly what we need.

Why is the plural of „Kuh“ not „Kuhen“ but „Kühe“?

The noun „die Kuh“ (cow) has an irregular plural:

Singular: die Kuh
Plural: die Kühe

Two changes happen:

The vowel u → ü (an Umlaut change)
The ending ‑e is added

This pattern (Umlaut + ‑e) is quite common:

die Maus → die Mäuse
der Fuß → die Füße
der Baum → die Bäume

So you simply have to learn that „Kuh“ → „Kühe“.

Why are „Bauernhof“, „Bäuerin“, „Stall“, and „Kühe“ capitalized?

In German, all nouns are capitalized, regardless of where they appear in the sentence.

In your sentence, the capitalized words are all nouns:

Bauernhof – farm
Bäuerin – female farmer
Stall – stable
Kühe – cows

This rule includes:

Proper names: Berlin, Anna, Bayern
Common nouns: Haus, Auto, Freude
Also nouns that come from verbs/adjectives: das Essen, das Laufen, das Gute

Could we also say „macht den Stall auf“ instead of „öffnet den Stall“? Is there a difference?

Yes, you could say:

Die Bäuerin macht morgens den Stall für die Kühe auf.

The difference:

öffnen – a bit more neutral/formal; one‑word verb: to open
aufmachen – more colloquial, everyday speech: to open (literally: “make open”)

Both are widely used and perfectly correct.
For written, slightly more neutral German, „öffnen“ is often preferred, but „aufmachen“ is very common in spoken language.

Why is it „auf dem Bauernhof“ and not „in dem Bauernhof“?

Both „auf“ and „in“ can be used with places, but they create different images:

auf dem Bauernhof
- Literally “on the farm”.
- Standard expression for at the farm, on the farm premises, including buildings, yard, fields nearby, etc.
in dem Bauernhof
- Literally “in the farm (building)”.
- Sounds unusual, because „Bauernhof“ is usually understood as the whole farm property, not one specific building you are “in”.

Native speakers almost always say „auf dem Bauernhof“ when they mean at / on the farm.