Breakdown of Dem Verbot entgegen parkt das Auto auf der Fahrbahn.
das Auto
the car
parken
to park
auf
on / to (down/up to a level)
entgegen
contrary to
das Verbot
the prohibition
die Fahrbahn
the roadway
Questions & Answers about Dem Verbot entgegen parkt das Auto auf der Fahrbahn.
Why does entgegen come after dem Verbot instead of before it?
The word entgegen (contrary to) can act as a postposition, meaning it often comes directly after the noun it modifies. While you can sometimes put it before the noun (entgegen dem Verbot), placing it after is very common and sounds highly natural in standard German.
What case does entgegen trigger here, and how can we tell?
It triggers the dative case, which we can see from the article dem in dem Verbot (the prohibition). Verbot is a neuter noun, and its dative article is dem. The advanced prepositions entgegen and entsprechend always require the dative case.
Why is the verb parkt placed before the subject das Auto?
This is due to the standard verb-second (V2) rule in German main clauses. The entire prepositional phrase Dem Verbot entgegen occupies the first position in the sentence. Therefore, the conjugated verb parkt must take the second position, pushing the subject das Auto right after it.
Why does this sentence use auf der Fahrbahn (dative) rather than auf die Fahrbahn (accusative)?
The preposition auf is a two-way preposition. Because the car is already parked and stationary, it answers the question of 'where?' (wo?), which requires the dative case (der Fahrbahn). If the car were actively moving onto the roadway (answering 'where to?' or wohin?), you would use the accusative case.
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