Word
Auf dem Kalender steht ein Zitat: „Geduld ist das Herz des Erfolgs“.
Meaning
The calendar shows a quote: “Patience is the heart of success.”
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Lesson
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Questions & Answers about Auf dem Kalender steht ein Zitat: „Geduld ist das Herz des Erfolgs“.
Why is it Auf dem Kalender and not Im Kalender?
Because auf vs. in changes the meaning: auf refers to a surface (“on the calendar”), whereas in means “inside.” The calendar is a flat surface, so you say something is printed on it. Also, since auf here indicates a static location, it requires the dative case—hence dem Kalender (the dative of der Kalender).
Why is the verb steht used here? Couldn’t we say liegt or hängt?
In German, printed text or inscriptions are usually described with stehen (“to stand”). You say „Der Text steht auf dem Schild“ even if the sign is hanging. Liegen implies lying loose or flat without permanence, and hängen applies to objects physically hung. For text on a surface, stehen is idiomatic.
Why is there no article before Geduld in the quote?
Geduld is an abstract, uncountable noun used in a general sense (“Patience is…”), so no article is needed. Just like in English we say “Patience is the key,” German drops the article for abstract concepts used generically.
What case is des Erfolgs? What does the “-s” on Erfolg indicate?