Breakdown of Das Studio, in dem wir aufnehmen, ist sehr teuer.
sein
to be
sehr
very
in
in
wir
we
teuer
expensive
der
who, which, that (relative pronoun; die, das)
dem
whom / which (dative relative pronoun; forms: dem, der, denen)
das Studio
the studio
aufnehmen
to record
Questions & Answers about Das Studio, in dem wir aufnehmen, ist sehr teuer.
Why do we use in dem instead of in das here?
The preposition in is a two-way preposition. Because we are talking about a fixed location where the recording happens, it takes the dative case. Since Studio is neuter (das Studio), the dative relative pronoun becomes dem.
In English we can say "The studio we are recording in". Can I put in at the end of the German clause too?
No, German does not allow prepositions to dangle at the end of a clause. The preposition must always sit immediately before the relative pronoun. Notice also that German forces you to include the relative pronoun, whereas English often drops words like "which" or "that".
The verb aufnehmen is separable. Why isn't it separated here?
A relative clause is a type of subordinate clause, which forces the conjugated verb to the very end. When a separable verb is pushed to the end of a clause like this, its prefix and main verb snap back together into a single word.
Why does the verb ist come immediately after the second comma?
The core main sentence is simply Das Studio ist sehr teuer. The relative clause (in dem wir aufnehmen) is just extra information inserted into the middle. When the relative clause ends, the main clause picks up exactly where it paused, which is right before the verb ist.
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