Der Sohn sitzt auf dem Sofa.

the; (masculine or neuter, dative)

Breakdown of Der Sohn sitzt auf dem Sofa.

• auf: on
• sitzen: to sit
• das Sofa: the sofa

Questions & Answers about Der Sohn sitzt auf dem Sofa.

Why do we say der Sohn rather than den Sohn here?

In German, der Sohn is in the nominative case because he is the subject of the sentence (the one performing the action of sitting). Den Sohn would be used if he were the direct object of a verb in the accusative case.

Why does the phrase use auf dem Sofa instead of auf das Sofa?

The preposition auf can be followed by either the accusative case (for movement or direction) or the dative case (for location or position). Since the sentence indicates location (the son is sitting on the sofa), it needs the dative case, which is auf dem Sofa. Because Sofa is a neuter noun (das Sofa), its dative form is dem Sofa.

What's the difference between sitzen and setzen?

Sitzen is used for the state of sitting, meaning someone is already seated. Setzen implies the action of moving to a sitting position (e.g., er setzt sich hin – he sits down). In the sentence Der Sohn sitzt auf dem Sofa, it describes the ongoing state of being seated.

Could Der Sohn be replaced by a pronoun, and if so, which form?

Yes, you could replace Der Sohn with the masculine third-person singular pronoun er, because Sohn is masculine and nominative in this sentence. The sentence would then be Er sitzt auf dem Sofa.