Breakdown of Ein kleines Dorf liegt neben einem dichten Wald.
klein
small
liegen
to lie
neben
next to
das Dorf
the village
dicht
dense
der Wald
the forest
Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching German grammar and vocabulary.
Questions & Answers about Ein kleines Dorf liegt neben einem dichten Wald.
Why does kleines end with -es in ein kleines Dorf?
Because Dorf is a neuter noun in the nominative case. After an indefinite article (ein) that doesn’t indicate gender for the neuter nominative, the adjective takes the strong declension ending -es for neuter nominative singular.
Why does neben take the dative case here?
The preposition neben can govern either accusative or dative depending on movement:
- Use accusative when expressing motion toward something.
- Use dative when expressing a static location.
Here the village is simply located next to the forest (no movement), so neben requires the dative.
Why is it einem dichten Wald and not einen dichten Wald or ein dichter Wald?
Wald is masculine, and because neben here takes the dative, you need the masculine dative indefinite article einem (not einen, which is accusative). After einem, the adjective dicht takes the weak ending -en, giving dichten.
What case is ein kleines Dorf in this sentence?
Ein kleines Dorf is the subject of the sentence, so it’s in the nominative case. Ein is the nominative indefinite article for neuter, and kleines is the adjective form for neuter nominative singular.
What does liegt mean here, and how is it different from legt?
Liegt is the third‑person singular of liegen, meaning to lie or to be situated (intransitive).
Legt comes from legen, a transitive verb meaning to lay something down.
Since the village isn’t being “laid” but is simply “lying”/“being located,” we use liegt.
Could I say Ein kleines Dorf liegt neben dem Wald instead?
Yes. dem is the masculine dative definite article, so neben dem Wald means “next to the forest” in a definite sense. Using einem dichten Wald is indefinite and adds the adjective dicht. Both versions are correct; they just differ in specificity.
Why are Dorf and Wald capitalised?
In German, all nouns are capitalised, regardless of their position or function in a sentence.
How do you pronounce dichten and Wald?
- dichten: [ˈdɪçtən] – the ch is the voiceless palatal fricative /ç/ (somewhat like the “h” in English human), followed by /tən/.
- Wald: /valt/ – the w is pronounced like an English v, and the a is a short “ah.”