Breakdown of Das Fieber bleibt hoch, und ich bleibe im Bett.
und
and
in
in
ich
I
bleiben
to remain
bleiben
to stay
das Bett
the bed
das Fieber
the fever
hoch
high
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Questions & Answers about Das Fieber bleibt hoch, und ich bleibe im Bett.
Why are there two different forms of the verb bleiben in this sentence?
They are simply the 1st‑person and 3rd‑person singular forms of bleiben.
- bleibt matches das Fieber (3rd person singular: er/sie/es bleibt)
- bleibe matches ich (1st person singular: ich bleibe)
What is the difference between saying Das Fieber bleibt hoch and Das Fieber ist hoch?
- Das Fieber ist hoch states a fact: the fever is high right now.
- Das Fieber bleibt hoch emphasizes continuation: the fever was high before and it still is. It carries the nuance “remains high” or “stays high.”
Why is the adjective hoch not declined here?
hoch appears in predicative position (after the linking verb bleibt), so it does not take an adjective ending. Predicative adjectives are always uninflected in German.
Why do we say im Bett instead of in dem Bett or auf dem Bett?
- im is the contracted form of in dem.
- im Bett bleiben is the standard idiom for “stay in bed.”
- auf dem Bett would literally mean “on top of the bed” (the surface), not “in bed.”
Could I say ich liege im Bett instead of ich bleibe im Bett?
Yes, but there’s a nuance:
- ich liege im Bett describes your position (“I’m lying in bed”).
- ich bleibe im Bett emphasizes the action of staying put (“I’m staying in bed,” not getting up).
Why does und come at the very beginning of the second clause without changing word order?
und is a coordinating conjunction joining two main clauses. Unlike subordinating conjunctions, it does not affect the verb‑second rule. After und, the subject ich still occupies position one and the verb bleibe stays in position two.
Why is Fieber a neuter noun (das Fieber)?
German nouns have grammatical genders that often don’t follow a logical rule. Fieber is simply classified as neuter, so it takes the article das. There isn’t a meaning‑based reason—it’s a matter of vocabulary gender assignment.