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Tomomi
Professional TeacherAbout German,
Why "dem Hund" is the first subject in this sentence?
"Dem Hund gefält die Wurst."
Dem Hund is dativ...
l'm confused...
Feb 2, 2023 5:32 PM
Answers · 8
2
Hello,
In German you can exchange the Dativ and Nominative (Subject)
Originally or normally you would say
“Die Wurst gefällt dem Hund.”
But then you can say also:
“Dem Hund gefällt die Wurst.”
Or as a question:
“Gefällt die Wurst dem Hund?”
and
“Gefällt dem Hund die Wurst!”
The subject is always in the nominative.
Not the place in the sentence shows the subject but if it’s in the nominative.
February 2, 2023
1
"Dem Hund" is not a subject but an object. "Die Wurst" is subject. Die Wurst gefällt dem Hund is rather a general statement whereas in "Dem Hund gefällt die Wurst" you emphasize the object "Hund":
Die Wurst gefällt dem Hund = Der Hund mag die Wurst im Allgemeinen.
Dem Hund gefällt die Wurst. = Der Hund mag die Wurst in dieser Situation.
February 3, 2023
1
German word-order is flexible and I guess in this kind of example it reflects emphasis.
A different word order could be:
Die Wurst gefällt dem Hund.
I'm not a native speaker or expert though.
February 2, 2023
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Tomomi
Language Skills
English, German, Italian, Japanese
Learning Language
English, German, Italian
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