Die Kinder stehen in einer Reihe.

the child

Breakdown of Die Kinder stehen in einer Reihe.

• in: in
• stehen: to stand
• die Reihe: the row

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.