Ein Beitrag im Internet ist interessant.

to be

Breakdown of Ein Beitrag im Internet ist interessant.

• in: in
• dem: the; (masculine or neuter, dative)
• interessant: interesting

Questions & Answers about Ein Beitrag im Internet ist interessant.

Why is the indefinite article ein used with Beitrag instead of the definite article der?

Because you are talking about “a contribution/post” in general, not a specific one. Beitrag is masculine (der Beitrag), so the indefinite article in the nominative case is ein. If you meant a particular post you’d say der Beitrag.

How do I know that Beitrag is masculine?

German nouns have grammatical gender. You can learn this by:
• Checking a dictionary (it will list “der Beitrag”).
• Memorizing nouns with their article (der, die, das).
• Noting patterns (many “-ig” and “-ling” nouns are masculine, though there are exceptions).

What case is Ein Beitrag in, and why?

It’s in the nominative case because it’s the subject of the sentence (it performs the action of “being interesting”). Subjects in German take the nominative.

Why is im Internet used here? What case and preposition rules are at work?

• im is a contraction of in dem.
• The preposition in with a static location (where something is) demands the dative case.
• dem Internet → im Internet means “in the Internet” (i.e. “on the Internet”).