Breakdown of Der Mantel hängt am Haken im Flur.
in
in
an
on
der Flur
the hallway
hängen
to hang
der Haken
the hook
der Mantel
the coat
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Questions & Answers about Der Mantel hängt am Haken im Flur.
Why is Der Mantel capitalized and preceded by Der?
In German, all nouns are capitalized. Mantel is a masculine noun and, in this sentence, functions as the subject. A masculine noun in the nominative case takes the definite article der, hence Der Mantel.
Why is the verb written as hängt with an umlaut and ending in -t?
The base form is hängen (“to hang”). In the present tense third-person singular, German weak (regular) verbs normally add -t (er macht, er spielt). However, hängen also undergoes a stem-vowel change a → ä in the du/er-sie-es forms. So hängen becomes er hängt.
What’s the difference between hängen and aufhängen?
hängen (intransitive) describes something that is already hanging: Der Mantel hängt (“The coat is hanging”).
aufhängen (transitive) means “to hang something up”: Ich hänge den Mantel auf (“I hang the coat up”).
Why is it am Haken instead of an den Haken?
The preposition an can take either accusative or dative. With a static location (“on the hook”), you use the dative case: dem Haken. An + dem contracts to am. If you express motion toward the hook (“onto the hook”), you would use the accusative: an den Haken.
Why is it im Flur instead of in den Flur?
Similarly, in with static location requires dative: dem Flur, which contracts to im. If you describe movement into the hallway (“into the hallway”), you’d use the accusative: in den Flur.
Why do we use an with Haken but in with Flur?
German spatial prepositions depend on the relationship to the object. You hang something an (on) a hook because you attach it to the hook’s surface. You stand in (inside) a hallway because you are enclosed in that space.
Can I swap the order of am Haken and im Flur, for example: Der Mantel hängt im Flur am Haken?
Yes. German allows flexible ordering of prepositional phrases. Saying Der Mantel hängt am Haken im Flur lists the more specific location (the hook) before the larger one (the hallway). Swapping them (im Flur am Haken) is grammatically correct but slightly less common; it can shift emphasis.