Breakdown of Ich mache Ordnung im Zimmer.
ich
I
machen
to make, to do
das Zimmer
the room
die Ordnung
the order, the tidiness
Questions & Answers about Ich mache Ordnung im Zimmer.
Why does it say mache Ordnung instead of a specific verb for 'tidying'?
In German, you often use the verb machen (to make or do) combined with a noun to express an everyday activity. Ordnung means order or tidiness, so Ordnung machen literally means to make order. This is a very common way to say to tidy up in German.
How do you say 'I am tidying' instead of 'I tidy'?
German does not have an '-ing' form (continuous tense) like English does. Whether you mean 'I tidy' as a regular habit or 'I am tidying' right now, you just use the simple present tense: Ich mache.
Why is it im Zimmer and not just in das Zimmer?
The word im is a short, combined way of saying in dem. Because you are doing an action inside a fixed location (answering the question 'where?'), the word in triggers the dative case. Zimmer is a neuter noun (das Zimmer), and its 'where' form becomes dem Zimmer. So, in dem shrinks down to im.
Is there another verb I can use to say 'to tidy up' in German?
Yes! You will also frequently hear the separable verb aufräumen. You could say Ich räume das Zimmer auf to mean the exact same thing as this sentence.
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