……
Breakdown of Die Frau stützt sich auf den Stuhl.
die Frau
the woman
der Stuhl
the chair
den
the; (masculine, accusative)
sich
herself
stützen auf
to lean on
Questions & Answers about Die Frau stützt sich auf den Stuhl.
Why is sich used in Die Frau stützt sich auf den Stuhl?
Because in German stützen (“to lean on” or “to prop oneself on”) is used reflexively in the pattern sich auf etwas stützen. The reflexive pronoun sich (accusative form for die Frau) shows that the action is directed back at the subject itself.
Why is it auf den Stuhl (accusative) and not auf dem Stuhl (dative)?
auf is a two-way (Wechsel-)preposition:
- Use dative (dem) when indicating location (wo?).
- Use accusative (den) when indicating direction or a change of position (wohin?).
Here the woman is actively pressing her weight onto the chair (a kind of movement/target), so you need the accusative den Stuhl.
Is auf here a separable prefix of stützen, i.e. should it be stützt sich auf den Stuhl auf?
No. In sich auf etwas stützen, auf is a preposition, not a verbal prefix. You treat stützen as the verb and auf den Stuhl as a prepositional object, so you never split the verb and move auf to the end.
What exactly does stützen mean in this context?
It means “to support one’s weight by leaning on something,” or more simply “to lean on” or “to prop oneself on.” Compared to lehnen, stützen often implies a firmer or more deliberate support.
Could I use sich anlehnen instead of sich auf etwas stützen?
Yes, but there’s a nuance:
- sich anlehnen an (with an+Acc) means to rest or incline oneself against something, often more passively.
- sich auf etwas stützen suggests actively pushing your weight onto it for support.
How would I say “her chair” if I want to make clear it’s the woman’s own chair?
Use the possessive pronoun ihr and decline it for masculine accusative: ihren.
Die Frau stützt sich auf ihren Stuhl.
Why does the reflexive pronoun sich come immediately after the verb stützt?
In a German main clause, if you have a single short pronoun (personal or reflexive), it normally follows right after the finite verb (V2 position), before other objects or phrases.
Can I change the word order, for example fronting the prepositional phrase?
Yes. You can start with Auf den Stuhl and then follow the V2 rule:
Auf den Stuhl stützt sich die Frau.
This is correct but more marked or emphatic; the neutral order is Die Frau stützt sich auf den Stuhl.
More from this lesson
AI Language TutorTry it ↗
“How do German cases work?”
German has four grammatical cases: nominative (subject), accusative (direct object), dative (indirect object), and genitive (possession). The case determines the form of articles and adjectives. For example, "the dog" is "der Hund" as a subject but "den Hund" as a direct object.
Sign up free — start using our AI language tutor
Start learning GermanMaster German — from Die Frau stützt sich auf den Stuhl to fluency
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods.
- ✓ Infinitely deep — unlimited vocabulary and grammar
- ✓ Fast-paced — build complex sentences from the start
- ✓ Unforgettable — efficient spaced repetition system
- ✓ AI tutor to answer your grammar questions