Der neue Fernseher steht im Wohnzimmer.

The new TV set is in the living room.

Breakdown of Der neue Fernseher steht im Wohnzimmer.

• in: in
• neu: new
• stehen: to stand
• das Wohnzimmer: the living room
• der Fernseher: the TV set

Questions & Answers about Der neue Fernseher steht im Wohnzimmer.

Why is der used before neue Fernseher?

In German, every noun has a grammatical gender (masculine, feminine, or neuter). Fernseher (television) is masculine, so its definite article in the nominative singular is der. You can confirm this in any German dictionary or by memorizing common noun genders.

Why is the adjective neu inflected as neue here?

Adjective endings in German depend on the article, gender, case, and number of the noun. Here you have:

• Definite article der (strong ending pattern)
• Masculine noun Fernseher
• Nominative case
• Singular

With a definite article in the nominative masculine singular, the adjective takes the -e ending. Hence neu → neue.

Why is stehen used instead of sein to say “is” in this sentence?

German speakers often use verbs of position (stehen, liegen, sitzen) to describe where something is physically placed.

• stehen literally means “to stand,” and it’s used for upright objects or things in a standing position (like a TV on a stand).
  If you said Der Fernseher ist im Wohnzimmer, it wouldn’t be wrong, but steht gives a clearer picture that the TV is standing somewhere in the room.

What case is im Wohnzimmer, and why?

Im is the contraction of in dem, which is dative masculine/neuter singular. When you describe the location where something “stands,” German uses the dative case for the prepositional phrase of place.

• in
  • dative → im
• Wohnzimmer is neuter, so dem Wohnzimmer becomes im Wohnzimmer.

Is im always a contraction of in dem, and when do I use it?

Yes, im = in dem. Use im whenever you have:

• The preposition in indicating location or time,
• A masculine or neuter singular noun in the dative case.

Examples:

• im Park (in the park)
• im Januar (in January)

Why is the word order Der neue Fernseher steht im Wohnzimmer and not Im Wohnzimmer steht der neue Fernseher?

German main clauses follow the V2 (verb-second) rule: the finite verb (steht) must be the second element. Both orders below are correct, but they place emphasis differently:

1. Der neue Fernseher steht im Wohnzimmer.
   – Topic: we start by talking about the new TV.
2. Im Wohnzimmer steht der neue Fernseher.
   – Topic: we start by talking about the living room.

In both, steht remains in second position; the subject and prepositional phrase can swap places for emphasis.