Meine Mutter kocht Spinat mit Erbsen, während ich die Avocado schneide.

My mother cooks spinach with peas while I cut the avocado.

Breakdown of Meine Mutter kocht Spinat mit Erbsen, während ich die Avocado schneide.

• ich: I
• mit: with
• kochen: to cook
• mein: my; (masculine or neuter, nominative)

Questions & Answers about Meine Mutter kocht Spinat mit Erbsen, während ich die Avocado schneide.

Why is it meine Mutter and not mein Mutter?

Because Mutter is a feminine noun in German: die Mutter.

The possessive word mein changes its ending to match the noun’s gender, case, and number. Here, Mutter is:

• feminine
• singular
• nominative (the subject of the sentence)

So mein becomes meine:

• mein Vater
• meine Mutter

That is why the sentence says Meine Mutter kocht ...

Why is there no article before Mutter?

Because meine already works like a determiner, similar to my in English.

In German, you normally do not say both a possessive and an article together in this kind of phrase. So:

• meine Mutter = my mother
• not die meine Mutter

The possessive word takes the place of the article.

Why is the verb kocht?