Breakdown of Der Weg im Park ist glatt.
sein
to be
der Park
the park
im
in the; (masculine or neuter, dative)
der Weg
the path
glatt
slippery
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Questions & Answers about Der Weg im Park ist glatt.
Why is Der Weg used instead of Den Weg?
Der Weg is the subject of the sentence and therefore takes the nominative case. The verb ist (to be) is a linking verb that connects the subject to its complement. If you used Den Weg, you’d be placing it in the accusative case (as a direct object), which doesn’t make sense here because nothing is acting upon “the path.”
Why is it im Park instead of in dem Park?
German regularly contracts in + dem into im when you’re talking about location. So in dem Park simply becomes im Park. This contraction is very common with dative masculine and neuter articles.
Which case is Park in, and why?
Park is in the dative case. When you describe a static location (“in the park”), the preposition in requires the dative. If you were indicating movement into the park, you’d use the accusative (in den Park).
Why isn’t glatt inflected (no ending like -e, -en)?
Here glatt is a predicative adjective, appearing after the linking verb ist. Predicative adjectives in German remain uninflected. Only attributive adjectives (those that directly modify a noun, like ein glatter Weg) get adjective endings.
How would you say “a smooth path” using an attributive adjective?
You’d say ein glatter Weg. Because Weg is masculine singular in the nominative, glatt takes the strong ending -er.
Can you put im Park at the beginning? For example, “Im Park ist der Weg glatt”?
Yes. German allows you to front adverbials for emphasis or style. The verb must remain in second position, so you get Im Park ist der Weg glatt. The meaning stays the same, but you’re highlighting the location first.
What’s the difference between glatt and rutschig?
Glatt means “smooth” (no bumps or roughness), whereas rutschig means “slippery” (likely to cause slipping). A surface can be smooth but not slippery (e.g., polished wood) or slippery but not completely smooth (e.g., wet cobblestones).
Could you drop the article and say Weg im Park ist glatt?
No. In German, singular countable nouns normally require an article (definite or indefinite). Omitting the article here would sound incomplete or ungrammatical. You need Der Weg or Ein Weg.