Breakdown of Das Zimmer ist sehr ordentlich. Du legst immer alles in die Schublade.
sein
to be
du
you (informal singular)
sehr
very
in
in
das Zimmer
the room
immer
always
alles
everything
legen
to lay / to put (flat)
die Schublade
the drawer
ordentlich
tidy / neat
Questions & Answers about Das Zimmer ist sehr ordentlich. Du legst immer alles in die Schublade.
Why is "put" translated as legst here instead of stellst or setzt?
In German, how you "put" something depends on its shape and orientation. Legen is used when you lay something down flat horizontally. Since things placed into a drawer usually lie flat, you use legen. If you were standing books upright on a shelf, you would use stellen.
Why is it in die Schublade and not in der Schublade?
In is a two-way preposition. Because you are actively moving something into a new position (direction), you use the accusative case. Die Schublade is feminine, so the accusative is die. If the items were already resting inside the drawer, you would use the dative case to show static location: Sie liegen in der Schublade.
Could I say Du legst alles immer in die Schublade?
It is much more natural to say immer alles. In German, adverbs of time like immer (always) typically come before the direct object like alles (everything).
Does ordentlich have anything to do with the English word "order"?
Yes! It comes from the noun die Ordnung (order). Calling a room ordentlich means it is orderly, neat, or tidy.
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