Breakdown of Ein kleines Handy passt in die Tasche.
ein
a, an (eine)
klein
small
in
in
das Handy
the cellphone
die Tasche
the bag
passen
to fit
Questions & Answers about Ein kleines Handy passt in die Tasche.
Why does the adjective kleines end in -es?
Because Handy is a neuter noun (das Handy) in the nominative case. The indefinite article ein doesn't have a special ending to show this, so the adjective has to do the heavy lifting. It takes the strong neuter ending -es to show the gender.
Is Handy an English loanword?
It looks English, but it is actually a German invention! In German, das Handy is the everyday word for a cellphone or mobile phone. Words like this that look English but are created or used differently in another language are called pseudo-anglicisms.
Why is it in die Tasche instead of in der Tasche?
The preposition in is a two-way preposition. Because the cellphone is going into a destination (fitting into the bag), we use the accusative case die Tasche. If we were just saying the phone is already resting inside the bag, we would use the dative case in der Tasche.
Can passen be used for things other than physical size?
Yes! While here it describes a physical fit, you will often hear phrases like Das passt mir gut (That suits me well / That works for me) when making plans with someone.
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