Breakdown of Der Bericht steht Ihnen zur Verfügung.
Ihnen
you / to you (formal, dative)
zur
to the (zu + der)
stehen
to stand
der Bericht
the report
der
who, which, that (relative pronoun; die, das)
die Verfügung
the disposal
zur Verfügung stehen
to be available
Questions & Answers about Der Bericht steht Ihnen zur Verfügung.
Why does this sentence use steht (stands) instead of ist (is)?
This is a classic Noun-Verb Support Construction (Nomen-Verb-Verbindung). Instead of using a simple adjective like verfügbar (available), German often pairs a specific noun (die Verfügung) with a fixed verb (stehen) to express the idea in a more formal or professional way. Zur Verfügung stehen literally means 'to stand at disposal', but it is the standard way to say 'to be available'.
Why is the pronoun Ihnen in the dative case here?
In the phrase jemandem zur Verfügung stehen (to be available to someone), the person who benefits from the availability is always in the dative case. Here, Ihnen is the formal 'you'. It structurally translates to 'The report stands to you at disposal'.
Why is it zur Verfügung and not just zu?
Zur is a mandatory contraction of the preposition zu and the dative feminine article der. The noun die Verfügung is feminine, and the preposition zu always forces the following noun into the dative case. Therefore, zu plus der becomes zur.
Could I just say 'Der Bericht ist für Sie verfügbar' instead?
Yes, absolutely! Der Bericht ist für Sie verfügbar means exactly the same thing and is perfectly correct grammar. However, steht Ihnen zur Verfügung is a set phrase that sounds much more polite, professional, and natural in business or formal contexts. Using these fixed noun-verb pairings is a key part of reaching the next level in German!
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