Ich wasche mir die Hände am Waschbecken.

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Breakdown of Ich wasche mir die Hände am Waschbecken.

• waschen: to wash
• die Hand: the hand
• mir: myself

Questions & Answers about Ich wasche mir die Hände am Waschbecken.

Why is it mir and not mich in Ich wasche mir die Hände?

Because German often uses the pattern:

subject + verb + dative person + body part

So literally, Ich wasche mir die Hände means something like I wash myself the hands, but in natural English we say I wash my hands.

• mir = dative, meaning for myself / on myself
• die Hände = the thing being washed

German treats the body part as the direct object and the person as an indirect object.

Compare:

• Ich wasche mir die Hände. = I wash my hands.
• Ich wasche mich. = I wash myself. / I am washing myself.

So mich would change the meaning.

Why does German say die Hände instead of meine Hände?

With body parts, German very often uses the definite article instead of a possessive adjective when it is already clear whose body part it is.

So:

• Ich wasche mir die Hände.

is more natural than:

• Ich wasche meine Hände.

Both are possible, but die Hände is the normal German way here because mir already shows that the hands belong to me.

English usually says my hands, but German often prefers:

• Er putzt sich die Zähne. = He brushes his teeth.
• Sie wäscht sich das Gesicht. = She washes her face.

What case is die Hände here?