Ich speichere Daten auf dem Computer.

the; (masculine or neuter, dative)

Breakdown of Ich speichere Daten auf dem Computer.

• ich: I
• auf: on
• der Computer: the computer
• speichern: to save
• die Daten: the data

Questions & Answers about Ich speichere Daten auf dem Computer.

What does speichere mean, and how is the verb speichern conjugated here?

speichere is the 1st person singular present tense of the verb speichern (“to save”). Conjugation in the present tense:

• ich speichere
• du speicherst
• er/sie/es speichert
• wir speichern
• ihr speichert
• sie/Sie speichern

Why is Daten capitalized?

In German, all nouns are always capitalized, regardless of their position in the sentence. Daten (“data”) is a noun, so it takes a capital D.

Why is there no article before Daten?

When talking about data in a general or indefinite sense, German often omits the article, just as English does with “I save data.” It’s an indefinite, plural or uncountable reference, so no article is needed.

What case is Daten in, and how can I tell?

Daten is the direct object of the verb speichern, so it’s in the accusative case. You can spot the direct object by asking “What am I saving?” – the answer is Daten.

Why do we say auf dem Computer instead of in dem Computer or another preposition?

• auf is a two-way preposition used for location when something is on a surface or device.
• Saying auf dem Computer means “on the computer” (the storage medium).
• in dem Computer would suggest physically inside the hardware chassis, which isn’t idiomatic for saving files.

Why is it dem and not den or das before Computer?

Computer is a masculine noun in German (der Computer). After the preposition auf denoting location, you use the dative case, so der → dem (singular dative).

What is the gender of Computer and how does it decline?

Computer is masculine. Its singular article and endings:

• Nominative: der Computer
• Genitive: des Computers
• Dative: dem Computer
• Accusative: den Computer

Here we have dative, so dem Computer.

What’s the difference between speichern and abspeichern?

Both mean “to save,” but:

• speichern is the basic, non-separable verb.
• abspeichern is a separable-prefix verb, more colloquial in everyday computer talk.
  In the present tense you’d say:
  Ich speichere die Daten ab.
  The prefix ab- moves to the end in finite clauses.

How do I express that I’m saving data right now (progressive sense)?

German doesn’t have a separate continuous tense. To stress that an action is in progress, insert gerade (just/up to now):
Ich speichere gerade Daten auf dem Computer.

Can I use Dateien instead of Daten, and what’s the difference?

• Daten = data/information in general (bits, records).
• Dateien = files (documents, folder items).
  If you mean “I save files on the computer,” you’d use:
  Ich speichere Dateien auf dem Computer.
  Use Daten when you refer to the underlying data itself.