Breakdown of Der Schrank fällt gegen die Wand, und sie ist leider steinhart.
sein
to be
sie
she
und
and
leider
unfortunately
gegen
against
die Wand
the wall
der Schrank
the cupboard / the closet
fallen
to fall
steinhart
rock-hard
Questions & Answers about Der Schrank fällt gegen die Wand, und sie ist leider steinhart.
How does the word steinhart work to intensify the adjective here?
Steinhart is a compound made of the noun Stein (stone or rock) and the adjective hart (hard). Instead of just using an adverb like sehr (very), German frequently attaches a noun to an adjective to create a stronger, more vivid image.
Why does the sentence say 'sie ist leider steinhart'? Who is 'sie'?
The pronoun sie does not mean 'she' here; it refers back to die Wand (the wall). Because Wand is a feminine noun in German, it must be replaced by the feminine pronoun sie, even though in English we translate it as 'it'.
Why is it 'gegen die Wand' (accusative) instead of using the dative case?
The preposition gegen always requires the accusative case, with no exceptions. Since Wand is feminine, the article remains die. It is a good reminder that gegen does not follow the two-way preposition rules (like in or an), where you have to figure out if there is a change of location.
Would the compound steinhart ever get an adjective ending?
Yes, it acts just like a regular adjective. In this sentence, it has no ending because it is used as a predicate adjective (it comes after the verb ist to describe the wall). If you placed it directly before a noun, it would take a standard adjective ending, such as in the phrase eine steinharte Wand (a rock-hard wall).
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