Breakdown of Ein älterer Herr wohnt in dem neuen Seniorenheim.
ein
a, an (eine)
wohnen
to live
in
in
alt
old
neu
new
der
who, which, that (relative pronoun; die, das)
der Herr
the gentleman / Mr.
das Seniorenheim
the retirement home
Questions & Answers about Ein älterer Herr wohnt in dem neuen Seniorenheim.
Why does the sentence use älterer if there is no comparison being made?
This is an example of the absolute comparative (Absoluter Komparativ). Instead of comparing two things (like "older than me"), German uses the comparative form to soften an adjective. Here, ein älterer Herr doesn't mean he is older than someone else; it simply means he is "elderly" or "quite old."
Is an älterer Herr older or younger than an alter Herr?
Surprisingly, an älterer Herr is generally a bit younger than an alter Herr! Because the absolute comparative is used to soften the meaning, älter (elderly/older) is less extreme than alt (old). It is a polite way to say someone is getting on in years without calling them flat-out "old."
Why does the adjective have a double -er at the end (älterer)?
The base comparative adjective is älter. Because it modifies a masculine noun (Herr) in the nominative case, and follows the indefinite article ein (which lacks a gender-revealing ending here), the adjective itself must take the strong masculine nominative ending -er. So, you get älter + -er = älterer.
Why do we use the dative case (in dem neuen) instead of the accusative (in das neue)?
in is a two-way preposition. Because the verb wohnen (to live/reside) describes a static location rather than movement toward a destination, it triggers the dative case. The neuter noun das Seniorenheim changes to dem Seniorenheim, and the adjective gets the standard weak dative ending -en (neuen).
Learn Ein älterer Herr wohnt in dem neuen Seniorenheim 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