Breakdown of Wir suchen das Datum im Kalender.
wir
we
suchen
to look for
im
in the (used with months) / in the (contraction of in + dem)
das Datum
the date
der Kalender
the calendar
Questions & Answers about Wir suchen das Datum im Kalender.
Why is there no German word for "for" in this sentence?
In English, we say "look for", but the German verb suchen already means "to look for" or "to search". It takes a direct object right away, so you never add a preposition like für after it.
Could das Datum also mean a romantic date?
No, das Datum only refers to a date on the calendar. If you mean a romantic date, you would use das Date or die Verabredung. Also, be careful not to confuse it with the English word "data" — in German, data is die Daten, which happens to be the plural of das Datum.
Why does the sentence use im Kalender instead of in den Kalender?
im is a short way of saying in dem. The preposition in is a "two-way" preposition. Since we are describing a fixed location where an action is happening (Where are we looking? Inside the calendar), it triggers the dative case. Because Kalender is a masculine noun (der Kalender), der changes to dem in the dative case, giving us in dem or im.
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