Breakdown of Das Wohnheim auf dem Campus soll unheimlich sein.
sein
to be
auf
on / to (down/up to a level)
sollen
should / ought to
der
who, which, that (relative pronoun; die, das)
Questions & Answers about Das Wohnheim auf dem Campus soll unheimlich sein.
I thought we were learning about sei for reported speech. Why does this sentence use soll ... sein instead?
Using the modal verb sollen is a very common alternative to Konjunktiv I for expressing a rumor or a claim. It translates perfectly to 'is said to be' or 'is supposed to be'. You could use Konjunktiv I and say Das Wohnheim sei unheimlich, but soll ... sein is extremely common in everyday speech for rumors.
Why is sein pushed to the very end of the sentence here?
Because sollen is a modal verb. Even when it is used to express a rumor rather than an obligation, it still follows standard modal verb rules. It takes the conjugated second position in the sentence (soll) and pushes the infinitive verb (sein) to the very end.
Why is it auf dem Campus and not auf den Campus?
The preposition auf is a two-way preposition. Since the dormitory is already located there, we are describing a fixed location rather than movement toward a destination. This requires the dative case answering the question 'where?', so the masculine noun der Campus becomes dem Campus.
Does unheimlich always mean 'eerie' or 'creepy'?