"Does the child see the friend?"

Translation: Sieht das Kind den Freund?

[4of92000]

I wish there was a drill in syntax.

[ado01]

What's the difference between "Sieht den Freund das Kind?" (my answer) and "Sieht das Kind den Freund?" (correct answer)?

[Erikman]

They both mean the same thing. Since the word 'den' appears before a masculine none (Freund), is is automatically known to be the direct object. It is a matter of which one you want to emphasize. With either one your asking if the child sees the friend, but 'Sieht den Freund das Kind?' might be used to mean that you know the child is seeing something, and you want to know if it is the friend that he/she sees. In English it might be also said like, 'Is it the friend that the child sees?" Both are correct, but which one to use would depend on the context.

[ado01]

Thank you!

[hutchi0321]

The subject must touch the verb

[blargblargblarg]

Why isn't "das Kind sieht den Freund" work?

[Sabine15]

Because that doesn't phrase the sentence as a question, which is required. You are saying "The child sees the friend"...

[FightForeverMTL]

That's what they corrected it as for me...

[NierTevra]

...theres no word for 'does'?

[Sabine15]

In this sense, there is no need for it...

[HFino]

Why can't it be: "Das Kind sieht die Freund?"

[CharnelMouse]

"die" is for the feminine, so you'd need "Freundin".

[RARosenberger]

I wonder if "Das Kind sieht den Freund, oder? would work. (I didn't try it, if the sentence comes up again I may)

[Erikman]

That would mean, 'the child sees the friend, right?', which would be used to confirm that the child sees the friend instead of asking whether or not the child sees the friend.

[anhellopolice]

Why I can not write Hat das Kind den Freund gesehen?

[RARosenberger]

I think because the tense would be wrong - more like "has the child seen the friend?"

[Sabine15]

That would be past tense, and we want present tense..

[photonerdgirl]

hat das Kind sehen, das Freund?