Breakdown of Wir stecken fest und sind in diesem Aufzug eingesperrt.
sein
to be
und
and
in
in
wir
we
dieser
this / that (fem.: diese, neut.: dieses)
der Aufzug
the elevator
feststecken
to be stuck
einsperren
to lock in / trap
Questions & Answers about Wir stecken fest und sind in diesem Aufzug eingesperrt.
Why does the sentence use sind ... eingesperrt instead of werden ... eingesperrt?
This is the statal passive (Zustandspassiv). It uses sein plus the past participle to describe a state that is the result of a completed action. If you used werden (the action passive or Vorgangspassiv), it would mean the action of someone locking you in is happening right at this exact moment.
Why is fest separated from stecken, and why doesn't it go to the very end of the sentence?
The verb is the separable feststecken (to be stuck). In a main clause, the separable prefix goes to the end of that specific clause. Because und connects two independent clauses, fest goes to the end of the first clause, right before the und.
Why is the subject wir missing in the second part of the sentence?
When two main clauses are joined by und and share the exact same subject, it is standard to omit the subject in the second clause. You could say und wir sind ... eingesperrt, but dropping the second wir flows much better.
Why do we use the dative case for in diesem Aufzug instead of the accusative?
The word in is a two-way preposition. It takes the accusative when describing a change of location or direction (answering where to?) and the dative when describing a fixed location or state (answering where?). Since being trapped is a fixed state with no movement to a new place, the dative is required here.
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