Breakdown of Auf dem Sofa liegen weiche Kissen für Gäste.
für
for
das Sofa
the sofa
liegen
to lie
weich
soft
Questions & Answers about Auf dem Sofa liegen weiche Kissen für Gäste.
Why is the preposition auf followed by the dative case dem instead of the accusative case?
Auf can take either the accusative or the dative. It takes the dative if it expresses a location (i.e., "where?"—no movement), and the accusative if it expresses a direction (i.e., "where to?"—movement from one place to another). In this sentence, it describes the location of the cushions, so the dative case dem is used.
Why do we say weiche Kissen instead of another form like weiches Kissen or weichen Kissen?
Here, weiche is the plural nominative form of the adjective because the noun Kissen (cushions) is plural and the sentence structure provides a plural subject. For plural direct subjects without a definite article, the adjective usually ends in -e.
Is the sentence order important in German here? Could I say Weiche Kissen für Gäste liegen auf dem Sofa instead?
Yes, German word order is fairly flexible, so you can start with Weiche Kissen für Gäste or Auf dem Sofa. Both convey a similar meaning. However, the original order emphasizes the location (the sofa) first, which sets the context for what’s on it.
Why is für Gäste placed at the end?