Ich stecke den Schlüsselbund in die Tasche.

I put the key ring in the bag.

Breakdown of Ich stecke den Schlüsselbund in die Tasche.

• in: in
• ich: I
• die Tasche: the bag
• der Schlüsselbund: the key ring
• stecken: to put

Questions & Answers about Ich stecke den Schlüsselbund in die Tasche.

Which case does den Schlüsselbund use and why?

den Schlüsselbund is in the accusative case because it’s the direct object of the verb stecken. The noun Schlüsselbund is masculine (der Schlüsselbund), so its definite article becomes den in the accusative.

Why is it in die Tasche and not in der Tasche?

The preposition in is a two-way (Wechsel-)preposition. When it indicates movement into something, it takes the accusative. Here you are putting the key ring into the pocket, so you use accusative die Tasche. If you were describing something already inside the pocket (location), you would say in der Tasche (dative).

What’s the difference between stecken and legen (both translate as “to put”)?

stecken implies inserting or pushing something into or between other things (e.g. into a pocket, into a hole). legen means to lay something down on a surface (e.g. on a table). Since you are inserting the keys into a pocket, stecken is the better verb.

Could I use einstecken instead of stecken?

Yes. einstecken is a separable-prefix verb (stecke … ein) that also means “to put into” or “to pocket.” You could say Ich stecke den Schlüsselbund in die Tasche ein, and it means essentially the same thing.

Can I drop in die Tasche and just say Ich stecke den Schlüsselbund ein?

You can grammatically, but then the sentence lacks information about where you put it. Without context, the listener won’t know where you’re sticking the key ring.

Why is the verb stecke in second position?

German main clauses follow the V2 rule: the finite verb must be the second element. Here Ich is first (the subject), so stecke comes second, followed by the objects.

Can I emphasize the key ring by fronting it: Den Schlüsselbund stecke ich in die Tasche?

Yes. German allows you to place other elements (like the object) in the first position for emphasis. You still keep the finite verb stecke in the second slot, then the subject ich, and so on.

Why is Tasche singular here? Could I say in die Taschen?

You use singular Tasche because you’re referring to one specific pocket or bag. If you had multiple pockets and wanted to distribute your keys, you could say Ich stecke den Schlüsselbund in die Taschen (“into the pockets”), but that only makes sense if there really are several.