Der Mann arbeitet in der Werkstatt.

the man

Breakdown of Der Mann arbeitet in der Werkstatt.

• in: in
• arbeiten: to work
• die Werkstatt: the workshop

Questions & Answers about Der Mann arbeitet in der Werkstatt.

Why is Der Mann used instead of Den Mann?

Der Mann is the subject of the sentence, and in German the subject takes the nominative case. Der is the masculine nominative definite article. Den Mann would be masculine accusative, which is used for direct objects, not subjects.

Why is the verb arbeitet placed in second position?

German main clauses follow the “verb-second” rule: the finite verb must appear as the second constituent. Here Der Mann occupies the first position, so arbeitet comes second.

Why is in der Werkstatt used instead of in den Werkstatt or in dem Werkstatt?

Werkstatt is a feminine noun (die Werkstatt). Because the sentence describes location (where he works), in takes the dative case. The feminine dative article is der, so in der Werkstatt is correct. Den would be plural accusative, dem is masculine/neuter dative, neither matches feminine dative.

Could you contract in der to im here?

No. Im is the contraction of in dem (in + masculine/neuter dative). Since Werkstatt is feminine, its dative article is der, and there is no contraction for in der.

Why is there an article before ? In English we say “works in workshop.”