Breakdown of Die Arme verschränkt, sitzt der Spieler am Tisch.
der Tisch
the table
an
at, on (vertical) / to (addressee) / of (in quantity/stock expressions)
sitzen
to sit
der Spieler
the player
Questions & Answers about Die Arme verschränkt, sitzt der Spieler am Tisch.
Is Die Arme in the nominative or accusative case here, and why?
Even though Die Arme looks exactly like the nominative plural, it is actually in the accusative. This is the Absolute Accusative (Absoluter Akkusativ), a structure that pairs an accusative noun with a participle or adjective (like verschränkt) to describe an accompanying circumstance or body posture without needing a verb of its own.
Why does the verb sitzt come immediately after the comma?
In German, the conjugated verb must take the second position in a main clause. The entire absolute accusative phrase, Die Arme verschränkt, acts as a single block occupying position one. Therefore, the verb sitzt must immediately follow it to take position two, pushing the subject der Spieler to position three.
Why use the past participle verschränkt here?
The past participle verschränkt (crossed) is used because the action of crossing the arms is already complete, resulting in an ongoing physical state. Using past participles is the standard way to form absolute accusative phrases that describe fixed body postures.
Why does the sentence use the dative am Tisch instead of the accusative an den Tisch?
This is a quick refresher on two-way prepositions. The verb sitzen describes a static position (answering 'where?'), so the preposition an requires the dative case (an dem, contracted to am). If the player were actively taking a seat (a change of location answering 'where to?'), you would use a motion verb and the accusative: Er setzt sich an den Tisch.