Breakdown of In der Umgebung des Parks stehen viele Denkmäler, und der Eintritt ist heute kostenlos.
sein
to be
und
and
in
in
heute
today
stehen
to stand
der Park
the park
viele
many
der
the; (feminine, dative)
die Umgebung
the surroundings
das Denkmal
the monument
der Eintritt
the admission
kostenlos
free
Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching German grammar and vocabulary.
Questions & Answers about In der Umgebung des Parks stehen viele Denkmäler, und der Eintritt ist heute kostenlos.
Why is Umgebung in the dative case and not the accusative after in?
The preposition in can govern either dative or accusative:
- Dative for a static location (“where?”)
- Accusative for movement or direction (“where to?”)
Here we’re talking about a location (“in the surroundings”), so we use dative: in der Umgebung.
Why does Park appear as des Parks? How do we form the genitive for masculine nouns?
Umgebung (“surroundings”) requires its complement in the genitive to show possession: “the surroundings of the park.” In the singular:
- Masculine/neuter nouns add -s or -es.
- The definite article becomes des.
Hence: des Parks (Park + -s).
Why is the verb stehen used for the monuments instead of something like liegen or sitzen?
German often uses distinct verbs to describe the position of objects:
- stehen for upright objects → monuments “stand.”
- liegen for flat/horizontal objects → e.g. a book “lies” on the table.
- sitzen for seated persons/animals → a cat “sits.”
Why is there no article before viele Denkmäler?
viele (“many”) is a quantifier that replaces the article in the plural when you refer to an indefinite number of items. You’d only use die vielen Denkmäler if you meant “the many monuments (we already talked about).”
Why is the phrase In der Umgebung des Parks placed at the very beginning, and how does that affect word order?
German is a V2 language: the finite verb must be in second position. If you start with an adverbial phrase (“In der Umgebung des Parks”), the verb comes next (stehen) and the subject (viele Denkmäler) follows:
- In der Umgebung des Parks
- stehen
- viele Denkmäler
What does Eintritt mean, and why is it used with the definite article der?
Eintritt means “admission” or “entrance fee.” When you talk about the admission fee as a specific, known thing (today’s entry fee), German uses the definite article: der Eintritt.
Why is there a comma before und in the sentence? Is it required?
When und connects two independent main clauses, a comma is optional in German. Writers often include it for clarity, especially with longer clauses.
Why is heute placed between ist and kostenlos?
As a time adverb, heute typically sits in the “middle field” after the finite verb. The order is:
- finite verb (ist)
- time adverb (heute)
- predicate (kostenlos)
Why doesn’t kostenlos take an ending like kostenlose or kostenloser?
After a linking verb (like sein), adjectives are used predicatively and remain uninflected (no endings). So you simply say ist kostenlos.