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Questions & Answers about Die Kinder stehen in einer Reihe.
Why is it stehen and not sind?
German prefers posture verbs to describe position. stehen says the children are physically standing. Die Kinder sind in einer Reihe only states they are arranged in a row; they might be sitting or kneeling. stehen is more precise here.
How do I say English are standing in German? Is there a special continuous form?
German normally uses the simple present for both simple and continuous: Die Kinder stehen … can mean the children stand/are standing. To stress “right now,” add an adverb like gerade: Die Kinder stehen gerade in einer Reihe.
Why in einer Reihe (dative) and not in eine Reihe (accusative)?
in is a two-way preposition:
- Location (Wo?) → dative: Die Kinder stehen in einer Reihe.
- Direction/motion (Wohin?) → accusative: Die Kinder stellen sich in eine Reihe.
What case is Reihe in, and why is the article einer?
It’s dative feminine singular. Reihe is feminine, and feminine indefinite articles are:
- Nominative/Accusative: eine
- Dative/Genitive: einer Hence in einer Reihe.
What gender is Reihe, and what’s its plural?
Feminine: die Reihe. Plural: die Reihen.
Can I say in Reihe without an article?
In everyday German, use the article: in einer Reihe. Without the article appears mainly in set phrases or commands (for example, in Reih und Glied, in Reihe antreten). For normal statements, stick with in einer Reihe.
What’s the difference between Reihe, Schlange, Linie, and Zeile?
- Reihe: a row/line of things or people; neutral about waiting.
- Schlange: a queue of people waiting one behind another. Verbs: (sich) anstellen, anstehen.
- Linie: a drawn line or a route (bus line), not for people standing.
- Zeile: a line of text.
Could I say Die Kinder stehen in einer Schlange?
Yes, if you specifically mean they’re queuing (waiting). in einer Reihe focuses on the arrangement; in einer Schlange implies a queue.
Why Die Kinder and not Der Kinder?
Nominative plural takes die for all genders: die Kinder. der Kinder is genitive plural (of the children) and doesn’t fit here.
Can I drop the article and say Kinder stehen in einer Reihe?
Yes. Indefinite plural often has no article. Kinder stehen … means children (in general/some children) are standing…, while Die Kinder points to specific children.
What’s the singular of Kinder, and how is the plural formed?
Singular: das Kind. Plural: die Kinder (adds -er, no umlaut). Many neuter nouns form plurals with -er.
How is stehen conjugated here, and what are the common past forms?
Here it’s present, 3rd person plural: sie stehen.
- Present: ich stehe, du stehst, er/sie/es steht, wir stehen, ihr steht, sie/Sie stehen
- Simple past: ich stand, du standst/standest, wir standen
- Perfect: hat gestanden
Can I move in einer Reihe to the front?
Yes. German main clauses are verb-second:
- Die Kinder stehen in einer Reihe.
- In einer Reihe stehen die Kinder. (emphasis on the location/arrangement)
How do I express the action of lining up?
- Die Kinder stellen sich in eine Reihe. (they line up; motion → accusative)
- Also common: Die Kinder stellen sich an. (they queue up)
How do I pronounce the words?
- Die [diː]
- Kinder [ˈkɪndɐ]
- stehen [ˈʃteːən]
- in [ɪn]
- einer [ˈaɪ̯nɐ]
- Reihe [ˈʁaɪ̯ə]
Why are Kinder and Reihe capitalized?
All nouns are capitalized in German. Kinder and Reihe are nouns, so they start with capital letters.
If I add an adjective before Reihe, what ending do I use?
With dative feminine after einer, adjectives take -en: in einer langen Reihe, in einer einzigen Reihe, in einer ordentlichen Reihe.
Could I use other prepositions like an or auf here?
No. in is the idiomatic choice for being arranged within a row. an einer Reihe means at/by a row (near it), and auf einer Reihe would literally mean on top of a row, which doesn’t fit for people standing.