Breakdown of Die Statue, die sehr alt ist, befindet sich gegenüber der Kirche.
sein
to be
sehr
very
alt
old
der
who, which, that (relative pronoun; die, das)
gegenüber
opposite, across from
die Statue
the statue
sich befinden
to be located
die Kirche
the church
Questions & Answers about Die Statue, die sehr alt ist, befindet sich gegenüber der Kirche.
Why does it say der Kirche when the word for church is feminine (die Kirche)?
Because the preposition gegenüber (opposite) always requires the dative case. In the dative case, the feminine article die changes to der.
Could I put gegenüber after the church instead of before it?
Yes, you can! gegenüber is a special preposition that can be placed either before or after the noun it refers to. So, der Kirche gegenüber is also completely correct and very common.
Why is it befindet sich instead of just ist?
sich befinden is a reflexive verb that means 'to be located' or 'to be situated'. You could use ist here, but befindet sich is the standard way to describe where buildings, monuments, or places are physically located.
What is the second die doing in the middle of the sentence?
It is a relative pronoun meaning 'which' or 'that'. It refers back to die Statue. Because Statue is a feminine noun, we use die to introduce the clause that describes it. Notice how it pushes the verb ist to the very end of the comma-separated phrase!
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