Das Kind tut so, als ob es schläft.

It is a fixed expression meaning pretends or acts as if.

So:

Das Kind tut so, als ob es schläft.
= The child is pretending to be asleep.
or more literally: The child acts as if it is sleeping.

Yes, tun usually means to do, but here it is part of the expression so tun, als ob ...

This expression works like English to act as if ...

So the sentence is not really about doing something in a literal sense. It is about behavior or appearance: the child is behaving in a way that makes it seem sleepy or asleep.

Usually yes. The standard expression is so tun, als ob ...

Learners should treat so tun, als ob as one unit:

• so tun = to act as if / to pretend
• als ob ... = as if ...

If you leave out so, the sentence may sound less standard or incomplete to many speakers. So Das Kind tut so, als ob es schläft is the safe form to learn.

Because als ob introduces a subordinate clause, and in German subordinate clauses are normally separated from the main clause by a comma.

Main clause: Das Kind tut so

Subordinate clause: als ob es schläft

That is why the comma is required.

Because als ob introduces a subordinate clause, and in German subordinate clauses the conjugated verb usually goes to the end.

Compare:

Main clause word order: Es schläft. = It is sleeping.

Subordinate clause word order: ..., als ob es schläft.

So the position of schläft is normal German subordinate-clause word order.

Because Kind is a neuter noun in German: das Kind.

German pronouns usually match the grammatical gender of the noun, so:

• das Kind → es

This is grammatical, not personal. It does not mean German speakers think of a child as an object. It is simply how German grammar works.

Good question. After als ob, German often uses Konjunktiv II in more formal or traditional grammar, especially when something is unreal or only apparent.

So you may also see:

• Das Kind tut so, als ob es schliefe.
• Das Kind tut so, als würde es schlafen.

However, in everyday modern German, many speakers also use the indicative:

• ..., als ob es schläft.

So the sentence you have is natural and common, especially in spoken German. The Konjunktiv II versions are also correct, but they sound more formal or literary.

Yes. In natural English, The child is pretending to sleep or The child is pretending to be asleep is often the best translation.

But grammatically, the German structure is closer to: The child acts as if it is sleeping.

So:

• natural English meaning: The child is pretending to sleep
• closer structural match: The child acts as if it is sleeping

Because German uses a different structure.

English often says:

• The child pretends to sleep.

German usually says:

• Das Kind tut so, als ob es schläft.

So after so tun, German normally uses an als ob clause, not a simple infinitive. You should not try to copy the English structure directly.

In some regions and in colloquial speech, yes, you may hear als wenn.

For example: Das Kind tut so, als wenn es schläft.

But for standard German, als ob is the best choice to learn and use first.

A very literal breakdown is:

• Das Kind = the child
• tut so = does so / acts this way
• als ob = as if
• es = it
• schläft = sleeps / is sleeping

So the literal structure is something like:

The child acts so, as if it is sleeping.

That is not the most natural English sentence, but it helps show how the German grammar is built.