Breakdown of Die Publikation, welche in der Buchhandlung liegt, ist ein Bestseller.
sein
to be
ein
a, an (eine)
in
in
liegen
to lie
welcher
which (welcher, welche, welches, welchen, welchem...)
die Buchhandlung
the bookstore
die Publikation
the publication
der Bestseller
the bestseller
Questions & Answers about Die Publikation, welche in der Buchhandlung liegt, ist ein Bestseller.
Why use welche here instead of die?
In written German, welcher, welche, and welches are sometimes used instead of der, die, and das as relative pronouns. They mean exactly the same thing. Writers often use them to avoid repeating short words, or simply to sound more formal. Here, die Publikation, die... would be perfectly fine, but welche elevates the style slightly.
How do I know to use welche rather than welcher or welches?
A relative pronoun must match the gender and number of the noun it refers back to. Since it replaces die Publikation (a feminine singular noun), it must be feminine singular: welche. It takes the nominative case here because it is the subject of the relative clause, meaning it is the thing doing the action of lying (liegt).
Why does the sentence use the dative in der Buchhandlung instead of the accusative in die Buchhandlung?
The preposition in is a two-way preposition. Because the publication is already resting inside the bookstore (a state of being or fixed location answering the question 'where?'), we use the dative case. If someone were actively moving the book into the store (answering 'to where?'), we would use the accusative.
Why does the main verb ist come immediately after the comma?
In German, the conjugated verb of a main clause must take the second position. The entire subject block, including its embedded relative clause (Die Publikation, welche in der Buchhandlung liegt), occupies the first position. Therefore, the verb ist must follow immediately to take position two.
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