Breakdown of An der Tankstelle war das Benzin teuer.
sein
to be
teuer
expensive
an
at, on (vertical) / to (addressee) / of (in quantity/stock expressions)
das Benzin
the petrol / the gas
die Tankstelle
the petrol station
Questions & Answers about An der Tankstelle war das Benzin teuer.
Why is the verb war before the subject das Benzin?
In German main clauses, the verb must always be in the second position. Because the sentence starts with the location phrase An der Tankstelle (position one), the verb war takes position two, pushing the subject das Benzin right after it.
Why do we use the preposition an here instead of in or bei for 'at'?
The preposition an is typically used for locations that are a point of service, a boundary, or an edge. For places like die Tankstelle (the petrol station) or die Kasse (the checkout), an is the standard preposition to say you are 'at' them.
Since Tankstelle is a feminine noun, why does it use the article der here?
The word an is a two-way preposition. Because this sentence describes a fixed location (where the petrol was) rather than movement towards a destination, an requires the dative case. In the dative case, the feminine article die changes to der.
Can I just use the word Gas instead of Benzin?
No, that is a common false friend for North American speakers! In German, das Gas only refers to actual gaseous states (like natural gas used for heating). The liquid fuel you put in a car is always das Benzin (petrol/gasoline) or der Diesel.
Why doesn't the adjective teuer have an ending here?
Adjectives in German only take endings when they come directly before a noun. When an adjective is used after a linking verb like sein (here in the past tense as war) to describe the subject, it stays in its basic, uninflected form.
Learn An der Tankstelle war das Benzin teuer 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