Den Fleck auf dem Hemd wasche ich sofort mit Wasser aus.

the; (masculine or neuter, dative)

Breakdown of Den Fleck auf dem Hemd wasche ich sofort mit Wasser aus.

• das Wasser: the water
• ich: I
• mit: with

Questions & Answers about Den Fleck auf dem Hemd wasche ich sofort mit Wasser aus.

Why does the sentence begin with Den Fleck instead of Ich?

German often puts the most important or most topical information first. Here, Den Fleck is moved to the front for emphasis, as if the speaker is saying That stain, I’ll wash it out immediately with water.

This does not change the basic meaning. A more neutral version would be:

Ich wasche den Fleck auf dem Hemd sofort mit Wasser aus.

Both are correct, but the original gives extra attention to the stain.

Why is it den Fleck and not der Fleck?

Because Fleck is the direct object of the verb auswaschen.

• der Fleck = nominative singular
• den Fleck = accusative singular

Since the sentence is about washing out the stain, the stain is what receives the action, so German uses the accusative.

Also, Fleck is a masculine noun:

• nominative: der Fleck
• accusative: den Fleck

Why is ich after wasche?