Breakdown of Der Kindergarten ist neben der Schule.
sein
to be
die Schule
the school
neben
next to
der Kindergarten
the kindergarten, the nursery school
Questions & Answers about Der Kindergarten ist neben der Schule.
Why does it say der Schule when "school" is a feminine word (die Schule)?
In German, when a preposition describes a fixed location (answering the question "where?"), it triggers the Dative case. In the Dative case, the feminine word for "the" changes from die to der. So, because the kindergarten is located in a fixed spot next to the school, we say neben der Schule.
Will neben always make the following word use the Dative case?
Not always! neben (next to) is a "two-way" preposition. If you are talking about a fixed location (like in this sentence), you use the Dative case. However, if you are talking about movement toward a new destination—for example, if you were walking from the park to a spot next to the school—you would use the Accusative case.
Is Kindergarten originally a German word?
Yes! English borrowed the word directly from German, where it literally translates to "children's garden" (Kinder + Garten). Remember that because it is a noun, Kindergarten must always be capitalized in German. It also takes the gender of its final part, making it masculine (der Kindergarten).
Can I combine neben and der into a shorter word?
No, neben der cannot be shortened. In German, only specific preposition-and-article combinations merge into single words, such as in + dem = im or an + dem = am. You always have to write out neben der as two separate words.
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