Im Krankenhaus behandeln Ärzte kranke Menschen geduldig.

the person

Breakdown of Im Krankenhaus behandeln Ärzte kranke Menschen geduldig.

• krank: sick
• im: in the; (masculine or neuter, dative)
• der Arzt: the doctor

Questions & Answers about Im Krankenhaus behandeln Ärzte kranke Menschen geduldig.

What does im stand for in im Krankenhaus, and why is it used?

im is a contraction of in dem. The preposition in when indicating location (where something happens) takes the dative case in German. Krankenhaus is a neuter noun (das Krankenhaus). Therefore in dem Krankenhaus becomes im Krankenhaus.

Why does the sentence start with Im Krankenhaus but the verb behandeln still appears in the second position?

German main clauses follow the V2 (verb-second) word order rule: no matter what constituent comes first (subject, adverbials, objects, etc.), the finite verb must occupy the second position. Here Im Krankenhaus is the first element, so behandeln comes right after, as the second element.

Why is there no article before Ärzte?

Ärzte is in bare plural form and refers to doctors in general (a generic statement). In German you can use the plural without an article to express a general truth, similar to English “Doctors treat sick people…”. You could also say Die Ärzte for a specific group, but here the bare plural is natural.

Which case are kranke Menschen in, and how do the adjective endings work here?