Breakdown of Das Monster soll im dunklen See leben.
dunkel
dark
sollen
should / ought to
im
in the (used with months) / in the (contraction of in + dem)
leben
to live/reside (in a place)
der See
the lake
das Monster
the monster
Questions & Answers about Das Monster soll im dunklen See leben.
Why does soll mean 'is said to' here instead of 'should'?
In German, the modal verb sollen is often used to express a rumor, hearsay, or a claim made by someone else. When used this way, it translates to 'is said to' or 'is supposed to' rather than expressing an obligation like 'should'.
Wait, isn't See feminine? Why are we using the masculine dative im (in dem)?
The word See changes its meaning based on its gender. Der See (masculine) means the lake, which is what we have here. Die See (feminine) means the sea or the ocean.
Why is the adjective ending -en in dunklen? Shouldn't it be -em for the dative case?
The word im is a contraction of in dem. Because the article dem already clearly shows the masculine dative case, the adjective just takes the weak ending -en. You would only use the strong ending -em if there were no article before the adjective.
Why do we use the dative case for the lake instead of the accusative?
The preposition in is a two-way preposition. We use the dative case because the monster is already in the lake and staying there, answering the question where? (wo?). If the monster were moving from outside into the lake, we would use the accusative case.
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