Breakdown of Das Hotel liegt weit vom Zentrum entfernt.
das Zentrum
the center
das Hotel
the hotel
weit
far
vom
from the; (masculine, dative)
Questions & Answers about Das Hotel liegt weit vom Zentrum entfernt.
Why does German use liegt here? A hotel doesn’t literally lie down.
In German, liegen is very commonly used for the location of something that is situated somewhere, especially buildings, towns, regions, and places.
So Das Hotel liegt ... means The hotel is located ... or The hotel lies ... in a geographical sense.
This is very natural in German:
- Das Hotel liegt am See. = The hotel is located by the lake.
- Berlin liegt im Osten Deutschlands. = Berlin is in the east of Germany.
English usually says is or is located, while German often prefers liegt for places.
Could I also say Das Hotel ist weit vom Zentrum entfernt?
Yes. That is also completely correct and very common.
There is a small difference in feel:
- Das Hotel liegt weit vom Zentrum entfernt. sounds slightly more geographical or descriptive.
- Das Hotel ist weit vom Zentrum entfernt. simply states the condition or fact.
In everyday German, both are natural.
What does weit ... entfernt mean exactly? Why are both words used?