Breakdown of Die Leute auf der Rolltreppe scheinen die Abteilung zu verlassen.
die Leute
the people
auf
on / to (down/up to a level)
zu
to (infinitive marker)
verlassen
to leave
die Abteilung
the department
scheinen
to seem
die Rolltreppe
the escalator
Questions & Answers about Die Leute auf der Rolltreppe scheinen die Abteilung zu verlassen.
How does the scheinen ... zu construction work in this sentence?
It works very much like the English "seem to". The conjugated verb scheinen takes the standard second position, while the action they seem to be doing is pushed to the very end of the sentence as zu + infinitive (zu verlassen).
Is the verb scheinen actually in the second position? It is the sixth word in the sentence!
Yes, it is in the second position! In German grammar, "position" refers to the structural block, not the individual word count. The entire phrase Die Leute auf der Rolltreppe acts as one single subject block in position 1. Therefore, scheinen is exactly where it belongs in position 2.
Why do we use the dative case for auf der Rolltreppe if the people are in motion, leaving the department?
The two-way preposition auf takes the accusative for a destination ("where to?") and the dative for a location ("where at?"). Even though the people are physically moving on the escalator, auf der Rolltreppe describes where they are currently located, not the destination of their movement. Because it answers "where?" (wo?), it requires the dative case.
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