Breakdown of Die Schwester tanzt im Park.
in
in
dem
the; (masculine or neuter, dative)
tanzen
to dance
der Park
the park
die Schwester
the sister
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Questions & Answers about Die Schwester tanzt im Park.
What is the subject of the sentence, and why does it use the article die?
The subject is Die Schwester, which translates to the sister. The article die is used because Schwester is a feminine noun in German.
What does the contraction im in im Park stand for, and why is it used here?
Im is a contraction of in dem. In this sentence, it denotes location, meaning in the park, and it is used because Park is accompanied by a definite article in the dative case (since the preposition in indicating a location requires the dative when no movement is involved).
How is the verb tanzt conjugated, and what does this tell us about the sentence’s tense and subject?
Tanzt is the third person singular present tense form of the verb tanzen. This indicates that the action—dancing—is being performed by a singular subject (Die Schwester) in the present.
How does the word order in this sentence compare to typical English sentence structure?
The word order is similar to English in that the subject comes first (Die Schwester), followed by the verb (tanzt), and then the adverbial phrase indicating location (im Park). In German main clauses, the finite verb always occupies the second position, which aligns with the structure seen here.
Why is Park in the dative case in this sentence?
The noun Park is in the dative case because the preposition in expresses a static location rather than movement. In German, when in tells us where an action takes place (without implying motion towards it), it governs the dative case.