Wie nennst du dieses Tier im Garten?

What do you call this animal in the garden?

Breakdown of Wie nennst du dieses Tier im Garten?

• du: you
• der Garten: the garden
• dieses: this
• im: in the; (masculine or neuter, dative)
• wie: how
• das Tier: the animal
• nennen: to state

Questions & Answers about Wie nennst du dieses Tier im Garten?

What exactly does nennst mean here, and how is nennen different from heißen?

nennen literally means “to call (something), to name (something)” – the act of giving or using a label for something.

• Wie nennst du dieses Tier im Garten?
  → What do you call this animal in the garden?

By contrast, heißen is usually “to be called / to be named” (used about someone’s or something’s name itself):

• Wie heißt dieses Tier?
  → What is this animal called?

So:

• nennen: focuses on what you call it (your word for it).
• heißen: focuses on its name (how it is called in general).

Both can work in similar contexts, but nennen is more like “what do you call it?”, and heißen is more like “what is its name?”.

Why is the verb nennst before the subject du in this question? I thought German word order was S–V–O.

In normal statements, German is indeed mostly Subject – Verb – Other:

• Du nennst dieses Tier so.
  You call this animal that.

But in direct questions that start with a question word (like wie, wo, warum), German keeps the finite verb in the second position, and the subject comes after it:

• Wie nennst du dieses Tier im Garten?
  Wie = 1st position
  nennst = 2nd position (finite verb)
  du = 3rd position (subject)

So the rule is:
In W‑questions (questions with wie, was, warum…), the pattern is:

Question word – Conjugated verb – Subject – (rest)

What case is dieses Tier in, and why?

dieses Tier is in the accusative case.

Reason: nennen takes a direct object (the thing you are calling/naming). The direct object in German is normally in the accusative:

• (Wer?) Du
• (Verb) nennst
• (Wen? / Was?) dieses Tier

So:

• dieses Tier = accusative singular neuter
  (from the base form dieses Tier = this animal)

Why is it dieses Tier and not dieser Tier or diese Tier?

Because Tier is:

• grammatical gender: neuter (das Tier)
• number: singular
• case here: accusative

The demonstrative dies- (this) declines like this in the singular:

• der‑words pattern:
  • Masculine: dieser (Nom), diesen (Acc)
  • Feminine: diese (Nom/Acc)
  • Neuter: dieses (Nom/Acc)

Since Tier is neuter, the correct form in both nominative and accusative singular is dieses:

• Nominative:
  Dieses Tier ist laut. – This animal is loud.
• Accusative:
  Ich sehe dieses Tier. – I see this animal.

So dieses Tier is exactly right for a neuter direct object.

Is Tier here “animal” in a general sense, or could it also mean “pet”?

Tier generally just means “animal” in a neutral, broad sense.

Whether it’s a pet, a wild animal, or something else depends on context:

• Haustier = pet (literally “house‑animal”)
• Wildtier = wild animal

In Wie nennst du dieses Tier im Garten?, we only know there’s an animal in the garden. It could be a pet (a cat, a dog, a tortoise) or a wild animal (a hedgehog, a squirrel, etc.). The sentence itself doesn’t specify.

What does im Garten mean exactly, and why is it im and not in den Garten?

im Garten = in dem Garten (contracted form) and means “in the garden” (location).

• in + dem → im
  dem Garten = dative singular masculine (from der Garten)

We use dative after in when we talk about location (where something is):

• Das Tier ist im Garten. – The animal is in the garden. (location → dative)

We use accusative after in when we talk about movement (where to):

• Ich gehe in den Garten. – I’m going into the garden. (movement → accusative)

So im Garten is correct here because it describes where the animal is, not movement.

Does im Garten describe where the animal is, or where I am asking the question?

By default, im Garten most naturally attaches to “this animal”:

• Wie nennst du dieses Tier im Garten?
  → What do you call this animal (that’s) in the garden?

So it typically means:

“this animal, which is in the garden”

However, in spoken language, context and intonation could shift the focus slightly, e.g.:

• Wie nennst du dieses Tier, im Garten? (pause before im Garten)
  could emphasize “when you’re in the garden”, but that interpretation is unusual without extra context.

Normally, learners should read it as:
What do you call this animal that is in the garden?

Could I move im Garten to another position, and would it change the meaning?

Yes, you can move im Garten around; the basic meaning stays the same, though emphasis shifts.

Common variants:

1. Wie nennst du dieses Tier im Garten?
   Neutral; “this animal in the garden”.

2. Wie nennst du im Garten dieses Tier?
   Sounding a bit unusual/stylized. Could emphasize “in the garden” more, as if contrasting with other places.

3. Im Garten, wie nennst du dieses Tier?
   Strong emphasis on “in the garden” (e.g. contrasting with “in the house”).

All still understandable. The most natural everyday version is the original:

Wie nennst du dieses Tier im Garten?

Is Wie nennst du dieses Tier im Garten? the same as “What is this animal called in the garden?” or “What do you call this animal in the garden?”

It corresponds more closely to:

• “What do you call this animal in the garden?”

because nennen focuses on what you call it.

If you wanted a more impersonal “What is this animal called?”, you’d typically say:

• Wie heißt dieses Tier im Garten?
  → What is this animal (that’s) in the garden called?

The difference is subtle in many contexts, but:

• Wie nennst du …? = your personal word/term
• Wie heißt …? = its name in general

Can I also say Wie nennt man dieses Tier im Garten?? What’s the difference from Wie nennst du …?

Yes, you can say:

• Wie nennt man dieses Tier im Garten?
  → What do people call this animal in the garden? / What is this animal (in general) called?

Differences:

• Wie nennst du …?

  • addresses one specific person (informal du)
  • focuses on what you personally call it

• Wie nennt man …?

  • uses impersonal man = “one / people / they (in general)”
  • asks about general usage, not just one person’s choice

So Wie nennt man …? is closer to asking about common or correct terminology.

Is the du form here informal? How would I say this politely or formally?

Yes, du is the informal singular “you”, used with:

• friends
• family
• children
• peers (in many, but not all, contexts)

For a formal or polite version, you use Sie and the corresponding verb form:

• Wie nennen Sie dieses Tier im Garten?
  → What do you (formal) call this animal in the garden?

Note the changes:

• du nennst → Sie nennen

How would I typically answer this question in German?

You have a few natural options, depending on what you want to say:

1. Just naming the animal:

   • Das ist ein Igel. – That is a hedgehog.
   • Das ist eine Amsel. – That is a blackbird.

2. Using nennen explicitly:

   • Ich nenne dieses Tier einen Igel. – I call this animal a hedgehog.
   • Ich nenne es einen Igel. – I call it a hedgehog.

3. Using heißen (if you treat it like a known animal type):

   • Dieses Tier heißt Igel. – This animal is called “hedgehog”.

In most everyday situations, “Das ist ein …” is the most natural way to answer.

Why is there no article like ein before Tier? Could I say dieses ein Tier?

You cannot say dieses ein Tier. In German:

• A demonstrative determiner like dieses already acts as the determiner for the noun.
• You normally don’t stack dieses
  • ein.

So:

• dieses Tier = this animal (already complete)
• ein Tier = an animal (different meaning; no “this/that”)

You choose either a demonstrative (dieses) or an indefinite article (ein), not both:

• ✔ dieses Tier – this animal
• ✔ ein Tier – an animal
• ✘ dieses ein Tier – incorrect

Is there anything special about how to pronounce nennst? The -nst ending looks tricky.

nennst is pronounced roughly like:

• [nenst] – one syllable, with n‑e‑nn‑st in quick succession.

Tips:

• The -st ending is very common in du forms:
  • du machst
  • du sagst
  • du nennst
• In normal speech it’s not strongly separated; it flows: nennst ([nenst]).

If you can say the English “dense” and then swap the d for n, you’re close:

• dense → [dens]
• nennst → [nenst]

Could I rephrase this sentence more explicitly, like “What name do you give this animal in the garden?” in German?

Yes, you can make it more explicit, though it sounds a bit formal or heavy in everyday speech:

• Welchen Namen gibst du diesem Tier im Garten?
  → What name do you give this animal in the garden?

Grammar points:

• Welchen Namen = accusative (direct object of gibst)
• diesem Tier = dative (indirect object → “to this animal”)

This emphasizes the act of giving a name more strongly than nennen does.
In most casual conversations, Wie nennst du dieses Tier im Garten? or Wie heißt dieses Tier im Garten? sounds more natural.