Breakdown of Der Geburtsort steht im Ausweis.
stehen
to stand
der Ausweis
the ID card
der Geburtsort
the place of birth
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Questions & Answers about Der Geburtsort steht im Ausweis.
Why does the sentence use steht instead of ist?
In English, we usually say that information "is" in a document or on a sign. In German, when words or information are written or printed somewhere, you use the verb stehen (to stand). So, this literally translates to "The place of birth stands in the ID card."
Why is it im Ausweis and not just in Ausweis?
The word im is a contraction of in dem ("in the"). Because the sentence describes a fixed location (where something is), the preposition in triggers the dative case. The word Ausweis is masculine (der Ausweis), which becomes dem Ausweis in the dative case, and in dem shortens to im.
How do you determine the gender of a long compound word like Geburtsort?
Geburtsort is made of two words: die Geburt (birth) and der Ort (place), glued together with a connecting "s". In German, a compound noun always takes the gender of its very last part. Since it is der Ort, the combined word is masculine: der Geburtsort.
What kind of document does Ausweis usually refer to?