Breakdown of Wir parken das Auto außerhalb der Baustelle.
das Auto
the car
wir
we
parken
to park
außerhalb
outside of
die Baustelle
the construction site
Questions & Answers about Wir parken das Auto außerhalb der Baustelle.
Why does the sentence say der Baustelle when the word is feminine (die Baustelle)?
The preposition außerhalb (outside of) requires the genitive case. In the genitive case, the feminine definite article die changes to der. So, die Baustelle becomes der Baustelle.
I know the word draußen means 'outside.' Could I use draußen instead of außerhalb here?
No, you can't. Draußen is an adverb describing a general location (like saying 'We park the car outdoors'). Außerhalb is a preposition, meaning it needs an object to say what you are outside of (outside of the construction site).
Since parking is an action, shouldn't the location take the accusative case here?
That rule only applies to the specific group of 'two-way' prepositions (like in, auf, or hinter). Außerhalb is strictly a genitive preposition. It always takes the genitive case, regardless of whether there is a change of location or not.
Is außerhalb only used for physical locations like a construction site?
No, you can also use außerhalb for time! For example, außerhalb der Öffnungszeiten means 'outside of opening hours.' In both space and time, it describes being outside a specific boundary.
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