Breakdown of Jetzt steht dieser Fernseher im Wohnzimmer.
jetzt
now
das Wohnzimmer
the living room
dieser
this / that (fem.: diese, neut.: dieses)
stehen
to stand
im
in the (used with months) / in the (contraction of in + dem)
der Fernseher
the TV / the television
Questions & Answers about Jetzt steht dieser Fernseher im Wohnzimmer.
Why does the German sentence use steht when the English translation says "is"?
In German, it is very common to use specific location verbs like stehen (to stand) or liegen (to lie) to describe exactly how an object is positioned, rather than just using ist (is). Since a TV rests upright on its base, it "stands" (steht).
How do I know whether to use steht or stellt here?
Stehen is used to describe a fixed location (where something is right now), while stellen describes an action (to place or put something upright). Because the TV is already resting in the living room, we use the location verb steht.
Why is it im Wohnzimmer and not ins Wohnzimmer?
The preposition in is a two-way preposition. It takes the dative case when describing a fixed location (answering "where?"), and the accusative case for movement to a new place. Because steht means the TV is already located there, we use the dative in dem, which combines into im.
Why is the subject dieser Fernseher placed after the verb steht?
German uses a strict verb-second rule. Because the sentence starts with the time word Jetzt (Now) in the first position, the verb steht must be in the second position. This pushes the subject dieser Fernseher to the third position, right after the verb.
Learn Jetzt steht dieser Fernseher im Wohnzimmer and more in German
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free