Questions & Answers about Sie geht ans Fenster.
What does ans mean here, and what words is it made of?
ans is a short form of the preposition an (to/at) and the neuter accusative article das. In everyday German, an das is almost always squeezed together into ans.
Why do we use the accusative ans here instead of the dative am?
We use the accusative because she is moving towards a destination, answering the question Wohin? (Where to?). Since an is a two-way preposition, it takes the accusative case for movement towards a goal. If she were already standing next to the window, there would be no change of location, so we would use the dative case: Sie steht am Fenster (She is standing at the window).
Why use an for "to" instead of zu?
The preposition an is used when you are moving to the edge or vertical surface of something. Since she is walking right up to the window to look out or stand next to it, an is the perfect fit. If you used zu, it would just mean she is heading in the general direction of the window.
Does geht mean "walks" or "goes"?
It can mean both! The verb gehen translates to "to go", but it strongly implies going on foot. Since she is just moving across a room to a window, "walks" is the most natural English translation here.
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