Breakdown of Ich speichere das PDF auf dem Computer.
ich
I
auf
on
der Computer
the computer
speichern
to save
das PDF
the PDF
Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching German grammar and vocabulary.
Questions & Answers about Ich speichere das PDF auf dem Computer.
Why is the preposition auf used with dem Computer here instead of another preposition like in?
German prepositions often determine the case based on whether you indicate location (Wo?) or direction (Wohin?).
- auf
- dative (dem Computer) → static location: “on the computer.”
- auf
- accusative → direction: “onto the computer.”
We’re talking about where the PDF is stored, not moving it into the computer, so we use dative with auf.
- accusative → direction: “onto the computer.”
Why is it dem Computer and not den Computer?
The masculine article der changes to dem in the dative case. Since auf here takes the dative (static location), der Computer → dem Computer.
Why do we say das PDF? Is PDF really neuter in German?
Yes. PDF stands for Portable Document Format; in German, that acronym is treated as a neuter noun, so you use das PDF.
Can I say abspeichern instead of speichern, and what’s the difference?
- speichern is the basic verb “to save.”
- abspeichern is a separable‐prefix form meaning roughly the same (“to save off”) but often emphasizes completion or result.
Conjugation in a sentence:
Ich speichere das PDF auf dem Computer ab.
Why does the verb speichere come second in the sentence?
German main clauses follow the V2 (“verb-second”) rule: the finite verb must appear as the second element. Here the first element is the subject Ich, so the verb speichere is in second position.
Could I leave out the articles and say Ich speichere PDF auf Computer?
No. In German, most countable nouns and acronyms in such contexts require a definite article. You need das PDF and dem Computer to be grammatically correct.