Die Pflanze im Wohnzimmer sieht trocken aus.

The plant in the living room looks dry.

Breakdown of Die Pflanze im Wohnzimmer sieht trocken aus.

• in: in
• dem: the; (masculine or neuter, dative)
• trocken: dry
• das Wohnzimmer: the living room
• aussehen: to look
• die Pflanze: the plant

Questions & Answers about Die Pflanze im Wohnzimmer sieht trocken aus.

Why is the article die used for Pflanze?

Pflanze is a feminine noun in German. When a feminine noun is the subject of a sentence (nominative case), it takes the article die in the singular: die Pflanze.

Why do we say im Wohnzimmer instead of in dem Wohnzimmer, and why is the dative case used?

The preposition in can take either accusative (direction) or dative (location). Here we’re talking about a static location (“in the living room”), so in governs the dative. dem Wohnzimmer (dative masculine/neuter) contracts to im, so im Wohnzimmer = in dem Wohnzimmer.

Why is Wohnzimmer capitalized?

In German, all nouns are always capitalized, regardless of where they appear in a sentence. Wohnzimmer (living room) is a noun, so it must begin with a capital letter.

Why is the verb split into sieht … aus? How do separable verbs work?

aussehen is a separable-prefix verb. In main clauses, the prefix (aus) detaches from the verb stem (sehen) and moves to the end of the sentence. The finite (conjugated) part (sieht) stays in second position:
die Pflanze (1) – sieht (2) – trocken – aus (end).

How is aussehen conjugated here, and why sieht?

We need the third-person singular form of aussehen to match die Pflanze (it). Present-tense conjugation is:
ich sehe aus
du siehst aus
er/sie/es sieht aus
So we use sieht aus for “it looks.”

Why doesn’t trocken get an ending like trockene or trockener?

When an adjective follows a copular verb (like sein, werden, or separable verbs such as aussehen), it’s used predicatively and remains uninflected. Predicative adjectives simply stay in their base form: trocken.

Can I move im Wohnzimmer to the front of the sentence? What happens to word order?

Yes. German main clauses require the finite verb in the second position. If you front Im Wohnzimmer, you get:
Im Wohnzimmer sieht die Pflanze trocken aus.
Here sieht still stays in slot 2, and die Pflanze follows in slot 3.

Could I use a different verb (like wirken or scheinen) instead of aussehen to say “looks dry”? What’s the difference?

Yes. wirken (“to seem”/“to have an effect”) or scheinen (“to appear”/“to seem”) are possible:

• Die Pflanze wirkt trocken. (more formal, less about pure visual impression)
• Die Pflanze scheint trocken zu sein. (uses an infinitive clause, a bit more indirect)
  aussehen specifically emphasizes visual appearance: “The plant looks dry,” literally.