Breakdown of Das Krankenhaus ist neben dem Schwimmbad.
sein
to be
neben
next to
das Krankenhaus
the hospital
das Schwimmbad
the swimming pool
Questions & Answers about Das Krankenhaus ist neben dem Schwimmbad.
Why is it dem Schwimmbad and not das Schwimmbad?
The word neben (next to) is a two-way preposition. It takes the dative case when it describes a fixed location answering the question "where?" (wo?). Since the hospital is just sitting there and not moving to a new location, we change the neuter das Schwimmbad to the dative form dem Schwimmbad.
How do we know the gender of compound words like Krankenhaus and Schwimmbad?
The gender of a German compound noun always matches its very last part. Krankenhaus ends with das Haus (the house) and Schwimmbad ends with das Bad (the bath or pool). Because both end in a neuter noun, both compound words use das.
Would we ever say neben das Schwimmbad?
Yes, if there was movement toward a destination. Two-way prepositions take the accusative case when answering "where to?" (wohin?). If someone were building or moving a hospital to be next to the pool, you would use the accusative das Schwimmbad. But here, it describes a static location, so we use the dative.
Can I combine neben dem into a short word like we do with im or am?
No, neben dem does not merge into a smaller word in standard German. While prepositions like in and an combine with dem to make im and am, neben always stays separate from the word dem.
Learn Das Krankenhaus ist neben dem Schwimmbad and more in German
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free