Vor dem Tor des Gartens brennt eine alte Laterne.

In front of the garden gate an old lantern is burning.

Breakdown of Vor dem Tor des Gartens brennt eine alte Laterne.

• alt: old
• der Garten: the garden
• vor: in front of
• das Tor: the gate

Questions & Answers about Vor dem Tor des Gartens brennt eine alte Laterne.

Why is dem Tor in the dative case?

In German, the preposition vor (“in front of”) takes the dative case when it indicates a static location. Tor is a neuter noun (das Tor), so its dative singular form is dem Tor.

Why is des Gartens in the genitive case?

Here des Gartens expresses possession (“the gate of the garden”). German uses the genitive to show that relationship. Garten is masculine (der Garten), so its genitive singular is des Gartens.

What’s the difference between dem Tor and des Gartens?

They play two different roles:

• dem Tor is the object of the preposition vor (dative case).
• des Gartens is a genitive attribute showing that the gate belongs to the garden (“gate of the garden”).

Why does the verb brennt come after the prepositional phrase and before eine alte Laterne?