Breakdown of Er schneidet den Draht mit der Schere statt einer Zange.
ein
a, an (eine)
er
he
mit
with
schneiden
to cut
die Schere
the scissors
statt
instead of
der Draht
the wire
die Zange
the pliers
Questions & Answers about Er schneidet den Draht mit der Schere statt einer Zange.
Why is it statt einer Zange and not statt eine Zange?
The preposition statt (instead of) requires the Genitive case. Because Zange is a feminine noun (die Zange), its indefinite article changes to einer in the Genitive.
Why does the German sentence use the singular der Schere for 'the scissors'?
In English, 'scissors' is always plural. In German, a single pair of scissors is a singular feminine noun: die Schere. It changes to der Schere here because the preposition mit always forces the Dative case.
Could I use anstatt instead of statt in this sentence?
Yes, absolutely. Statt and anstatt mean the exact same thing and both take the Genitive case. You could say anstatt einer Zange and it would not change the meaning at all.
In English we just say 'instead of pliers'. Why do we need the article einer in German?
Just like with scissors, the German word for pliers is singular: die Zange. So literally, the sentence says 'instead of a plier'. Using an article here is very natural and it clearly shows the Genitive case ending, which can be hard to see on the noun itself.
Learn Er schneidet den Draht mit der Schere statt einer Zange and more in German
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free