Ich sehe ein Zeichen an der Wand.

I see a sign on the wall.

Breakdown of Ich sehe ein Zeichen an der Wand.

• ich: I
• sehen: to see
• an: on
• die Wand: the wall
• das Zeichen: the sign

Questions & Answers about Ich sehe ein Zeichen an der Wand.

Why is the article before Zeichen ein and not einen?

Because Zeichen is a neuter noun. The indefinite article for neuter in both nominative and accusative is ein. The form einen would be used only for masculine nouns in the accusative.

Why is an der Wand in the dative case, and could it ever be accusative?

The preposition an is a two-way (Wechsel-) preposition. It takes dative when indicating location (answering wo?, “where?”) and accusative when indicating direction or movement (answering wohin?, “where to?”). Here you’re stating where you see the sign (it’s on the wall), so it’s dative: an der Wand. If you were moving something onto the wall, you’d use accusative: an die Wand.

Why does the verb sehen require ein Zeichen in the accusative?

sehen is a transitive verb, which means it needs a direct object. In German, all direct objects take the accusative case. Hence ein Zeichen is accusative as the object of sehen.

Could you use a definite article instead of ein, for example das Zeichen? What’s the difference?

Yes. If you refer to a specific, known sign, you’d say das Zeichen (the sign). Using ein Zeichen means “a sign” in a general or unspecified sense. So Ich sehe das Zeichen an der Wand points to one particular sign.

Can the word order change? For instance, could you say Ich sehe an der Wand ein Zeichen?

German word order is somewhat flexible, but the neutral pattern is Subject-Verb-Object, then adverbial phrases of place, time, etc. You can say Ich sehe an der Wand ein Zeichen if you want to emphasize the location, but Ich sehe ein Zeichen an der Wand is the most natural order for a simple statement.

What is the gender of Wand, and why is the article der?

Wand is a feminine noun in German. In the dative case, the definite article die (feminine nominative) becomes der. Therefore, an der Wand.

What’s the difference between Zeichen and Schild, since both can translate as “sign”?

Zeichen tends to mean a sign in the sense of a symbol, indication, or mark (e.g., a gesture, traffic symbol, or clue). Schild usually refers to a physical board or plaque (like a shop sign or street sign). So Zeichen is more abstract; Schild is more concrete.

How do you form the plural of Zeichen, and what happens to the article?

The plural of Zeichen is identical to the singular: Zeichen. The definite plural article is die – die Zeichen. There’s no standalone indefinite article in plural; you’d either omit it (Ich sehe Zeichen) or use einige Zeichen (“some signs”).