Breakdown of Wo ist das Stativ, auf dem das Mikrofon steht?
sein
to be
wo
where
stehen
to stand
auf
on / to (down/up to a level)
der
who, which, that (relative pronoun; die, das)
das Mikrofon
the microphone
das Stativ
the stand
Questions & Answers about Wo ist das Stativ, auf dem das Mikrofon steht?
Why do we use auf dem instead of just das?
We need to say 'on which'. The preposition auf takes the dative case here because it describes a fixed location (answering the question 'where?'). Since Stativ is a neuter noun (das Stativ), the relative pronoun takes the dative neuter form, dem.
Can I put the preposition at the end of the sentence like in English?
No, German does not allow prepositions to dangle at the end of a clause. In English you can say 'the stand the microphone stands on', but in German, the preposition (auf) must come right before the relative pronoun (dem) it is linked to.
Why does the verb steht go at the very end?
The phrase auf dem das Mikrofon steht is a relative clause. Relative clauses are dependent clauses, and in German, the conjugated verb is always pushed to the very end of a dependent clause.
Why use steht (stands) here instead of just saying the microphone 'is' (ist) on the stand?
German prefers to be specific about how an object is positioned. Because a microphone on a stand is upright, we use stehen (to stand). If it were resting flat on a table, you would use liegen (to lie).
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