Breakdown of Das Baby meiner Schwester schläft endlich, und alle sind gelassen.
sein
to be
und
and
schlafen
to sleep
mein
my
Questions & Answers about Das Baby meiner Schwester schläft endlich, und alle sind gelassen.
Why is it meiner Schwester and not meine Schwester after Das Baby?
Because meiner Schwester is in the genitive case, meaning “of my sister” / “my sister’s”.
- Das Baby meiner Schwester = the baby of my sister / my sister’s baby.
- The base form is meine Schwester (nominative: my sister).
- In the genitive singular (feminine), meine becomes meiner, and Schwester stays the same: meiner Schwester.
So structure-wise, it is:
- Das Baby (subject, nominative)
- meiner Schwester (genitive attribute = whose baby?)
You cannot say Das Baby meine Schwester here; the possessive has to be in the genitive form: meiner.
Exactly what case is meiner Schwester and how does this pattern work with other feminine nouns?