Breakdown of Die Familie besitzt ein altes Haus am See.
das Haus
the house
alt
old
die Familie
the family
an
at, on (vertical) / to (addressee) / of (in quantity/stock expressions)
der See
the lake
besitzen
to own
Questions & Answers about Die Familie besitzt ein altes Haus am See.
How does the inseparable prefix be- change the meaning of sitzen in this sentence?
The prefix be- often turns an intransitive verb (one that cannot take a direct object) into a transitive one. sitzen simply means 'to sit'. Adding be- makes it besitzen, which historically meant 'to sit on' or 'occupy' something, and today translates to 'to own' or 'possess'. Notice how it now takes a direct accusative object: ein altes Haus.
Wait, isn't See feminine? Why does it say am See (an + dem)?
This is a classic tricky noun! der See (masculine) means 'the lake', while die See (feminine) means 'the sea' or 'the ocean'. Because the family's house is by the lake, it uses the masculine form. Since the preposition an answers 'where?' (location) in this sentence, it requires the dative case, contracting an dem into am.
Could I just use haben instead of besitzen?
Grammatically, yes (Die Familie hat ein altes Haus), but besitzen sounds more formal and emphasizes legal ownership or possessing something of value, like real estate. haben is just the general word for 'to have'.
Why does the adjective have an -es ending (altes Haus)?
Haus is a neuter noun acting as the direct object (accusative case). Because the indefinite article ein has no special ending in the neuter accusative, the adjective has to step up and show the noun's gender. It takes the strong neuter ending -es, giving us ein altes Haus.
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