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Questions & Answers about Er schoss auf das Auto.
Why do we use auf to translate 'at' in this sentence?
The verb schießen (to shoot) requires the preposition auf when specifying a target. While English uses 'at', German frequently uses auf for actions where you aim or direct something at a target, similar to how zeigen auf is used for 'pointing at'.
auf is a two-way preposition. Why does it take the accusative (das Auto) here instead of the dative?
Two-way prepositions take the accusative when they describe a directed action towards a destination. Here, the action of aiming and firing is directed towards the car. If you used the dative (auf dem Auto), it would mean he was standing on the roof of the car while shooting!
What is the infinitive of schoss and what are its past forms?
The infinitive is schießen. It is an irregular strong verb with a stem vowel change. The simple past is schoss, and the past participle used for the spoken past is geschossen, as in er hat auf das Auto geschossen.