Bei der Schätzfrage liegen wir daneben.

Bei der Schätzfrage sets the context: it means something like when it comes to the estimation question or on the estimation question.

In German, bei is often used not just for physical location, but also for situations, events, or cases. Here it means in the case of / with regard to the estimation question.

So:

• Bei der Schätzfrage = as for the estimation question
• then the rest tells you what is true in that context

You could also say:

• Wir liegen bei der Schätzfrage daneben.

That has basically the same meaning, but the original sentence puts the context first.

Because bei takes the dative case, and die Schätzfrage is a feminine noun.

So the article changes like this:

• nominative: die Schätzfrage
• dative: der Schätzfrage

That is why you get:

• bei der Schätzfrage

Schätzfrage is a compound noun:

• schätzen = to estimate / guess
• Frage = question

So Schätzfrage is literally an estimation question or guessing question.

German forms these kinds of compound nouns very often. The last part tells you the basic category:

• Frage is the main noun
• Schätz- describes what kind of question it is

On its own, liegen usually does mean to lie or to be located.

But in the expression danebenliegen, it has an idiomatic meaning: to be off, to be mistaken, or to be wrong.

Examples:

• Du liegst daneben. = You’re wrong.
• Mit meiner Antwort lag ich völlig daneben. = My answer was completely off.

So this is not the basic physical meaning of liegen, but a fixed expression you need to learn as a unit.

Literally, daneben means next to it or beside it.

But in expressions like danebenliegen, it becomes idiomatic and means something like:

• off
• wide of the mark
• wrong

The image is that your answer does not land on the target — it lands next to it.

So:

• danebenliegen = to be off / to be wrong

The full verb is often treated as danebenliegen, but in a normal main clause, German splits many such verbs apart:

• infinitive: danebenliegen
• main clause: wir liegen daneben

That is because the conjugated verb goes into the usual verb position, and the particle/adverb-like part appears later.

Compare:

• Wir liegen daneben.
• dass wir danebenliegen
• Ich glaube, dass ihr völlig danebenliegt.

In subordinate clauses, you will often see it written together as danebenliegen.

Because Bei der Schätzfrage comes first, and German main clauses normally put the conjugated verb in second position.

So the structure is:

1. Bei der Schätzfrage = first position
2. liegen = second position
3. wir = subject comes after the verb
4. daneben = rest of the clause

This is a standard German word order pattern.

Compare:

• Wir liegen daneben.
• Bei der Schätzfrage liegen wir daneben.

Both are correct. The second one emphasizes the context first.

Yes. Wir is the subject, and it is in the nominative case.

Even though it comes after the verb, it is still the subject. German does not require the subject to come before the verb in every main clause.

So in:

• Bei der Schätzfrage liegen wir daneben.

the subject is still wir.

It can be used much more generally. It is not limited to quiz questions.

You can use it for:

• opinions
• guesses
• assumptions
• calculations
• judgments

Examples:

• Du liegst falsch. = You’re wrong.
• Du liegst daneben. = You’re off / you’re wrong.
• Mit der Zahl liegst du daneben. = Your number is off.
• Mit deiner Vermutung lagst du ziemlich daneben. = Your guess was pretty far off.

So in this sentence, it fits naturally with Schätzfrage, because a guess or estimate can easily be off.

Yes, often you can.

• Wir liegen falsch.
• Wir liegen daneben.

Both can mean we are wrong.

But there is a slight nuance:

• falsch liegen is more straightforward: to be wrong
• danebenliegen often suggests being off the mark, especially with guesses, estimates, or judgments

So with Schätzfrage, danebenliegen sounds especially natural.

Yes, it is in the present tense:

• liegen = present tense of liegen

German often uses the present tense in places where English might also use the present, especially for a current situation or judgment:

• Bei der Schätzfrage liegen wir daneben. = We’re off on the estimation question.

If you wanted the past, you could say:

• Bei der Schätzfrage lagen wir daneben. = We were off on the estimation question.