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Breakdown of Das Wasser im Garten ist warm.
sein
to be
in
in
dem
the; (masculine or neuter, dative)
das Wasser
the water
der Garten
the garden
warm
warm
Questions & Answers about Das Wasser im Garten ist warm.
Why is das Wasser used here instead of another article?
In German, Wasser is a neuter noun, so it takes the neuter article das. Although there are some nouns whose article might seem unpredictable, Wasser is almost always used with das.
What does im mean, and why do we use im Garten instead of in der Garten?
im is a contraction of in dem, which is used here because Garten is masculine, so the dative article is dem. Since the phrase features the preposition in followed by the dative case, we end up with in dem Garten → im Garten.
Does Garten change form when it’s in the dative case?
Not in this singular form. The base form Garten remains the same, but the article shifts to dem in the dative (though it’s contracted to im in everyday usage).
Why do we use ist instead of something like sind?
In German, verb forms match the number and person of the subject. Das Wasser is singular (third person singular), so we use ist, which is the third-person singular form of sein (to be).
Why is there no extra ending on warm?
Adjectives in predicate position (after a form of sein) don’t get an ending in German. The adjective warm here simply describes the subject das Wasser, so it remains in its basic form.
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“How do German cases work?”
German has four grammatical cases: nominative (subject), accusative (direct object), dative (indirect object), and genitive (possession). The case determines the form of articles and adjectives. For example, "the dog" is "der Hund" as a subject but "den Hund" as a direct object.
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