Breakdown of Der Koffer steht vor der Tür.
stehen
to stand
die Tür
the door
vor
in front of
der Koffer
the suitcase
Questions & Answers about Der Koffer steht vor der Tür.
Why is steht used here instead of liegt or ist?
German distinguishes three common verbs for static positions:
- stehen – “to stand” (upright)
- liegen – “to lie” (horizontal)
- sitzen – “to sit”
Saying Der Koffer steht indicates the suitcase is upright on its wheels or standing shape. liegt would imply it’s lying on its side, and ist (to be) is grammatically correct but less precise about its posture.
Why is vor followed by der Tür instead of die Tür?
vor is a two‑way preposition. When you answer wo? (“where?”) and describe a static location, you use the dative case. The dative singular of the feminine die Tür is der Tür.
What case is der Koffer in, and why?
Der Koffer is in the nominative case because it’s the subject of the sentence— the element performing the action of the verb steht.
Why is Der capitalized before Koffer but lowercase before Tür in vor der Tür?