Breakdown of Der Stuhl steht zwischen der Tür und dem Fenster.
und
and
der Stuhl
the chair
stehen
to stand
das Fenster
the window
die Tür
the door
zwischen
between
Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching German grammar and vocabulary.
Questions & Answers about Der Stuhl steht zwischen der Tür und dem Fenster.
Why is zwischen followed by the dative case here?
zwischen is a Wechselpräposition (two‑way preposition). When indicating a static location (no movement), it requires the dative case. Since the chair isn’t being moved but simply stands there, we use dative.
Why is it zwischen der Tür and zwischen dem Fenster and not den Tür or den Fenster?
In the dative singular, feminine nouns take der, neuter nouns take dem.
- Tür is feminine (die Tür) → dative der Tür
- Fenster is neuter (das Fenster) → dative dem Fenster
How do I know when to use dative versus accusative with zwischen?
If there’s no movement (something is located between two points), use dative:
Der Stuhl steht zwischen der Tür und dem Fenster.
If there is movement toward that position, use accusative:
Ich stelle den Stuhl zwischen die Tür und das Fenster.
Why is the verb stehen used instead of legen, stellen or setzen?
German distinguishes position vs. action:
- stehen = to stand (static, upright)
- liegen = to lie (static, flat)
- stellen = to place upright
- legen = to lay down
- setzen = to seat
Here the chair is already upright and standing in place, so we use stehen.
Could I say zwischen Tür und Fenster and drop the articles?
Yes, colloquially or in certain fixed expressions you can omit them: zwischen Tür und Fenster. But in precise descriptions or formal writing, including the articles (zwischen der Tür und dem Fenster) is more natural.
Why isn’t zwischen capitalized like Stuhl, Tür, and Fenster?
In German, only nouns are capitalized. zwischen is a preposition, not a noun, so it stays lowercase.
Why does the order go Der Stuhl steht zwischen… and not Zwischen der Tür und dem Fenster steht der Stuhl?
German main clauses follow the verb‑second (V2) rule. If you start with the subject (Der Stuhl), the verb (steht) is second. If you front a different element, like the prepositional phrase, the verb still stays in second position:
Zwischen der Tür und dem Fenster steht der Stuhl.
What are the genders of Stuhl, Tür, and Fenster, and how can I remember them?
- Stuhl is masculine → der Stuhl
- Tür is feminine → die Tür
- Fenster is neuter → das Fenster
German gender often has no logic, so best practice is to learn each noun with its article. Mnemonics or grouping by endings (e.g., many -ung nouns are feminine) can help.