Wir halten immer einen kleinen Vorrat an Wasser und Reis im Schrank.

and

Breakdown of Wir halten immer einen kleinen Vorrat an Wasser und Reis im Schrank.

• das Wasser: the water
• wir: we
• klein: small
• immer: always
• im: in the; (masculine or neuter)
• der Schrank: the cupboard
• der Reis: the rice
• halten: to keep
• der Vorrat: the stock
• an: of

Questions & Answers about Wir halten immer einen kleinen Vorrat an Wasser und Reis im Schrank.

Why is it halten here—does it mean “hold” or “have”?

With a direct object, halten can mean “to keep/maintain.” The collocation einen Vorrat halten means “to keep a supply.” It suggests an intentional practice. You could also say Wir haben immer einen kleinen Vorrat … (more neutral “we have”), or use verbs like aufbewahren (keep, store safely) or lagern (store). All are fine; halten is idiomatic with Vorrat.

What case is einen kleinen Vorrat and why?

Accusative. halten is transitive, so its direct object (Vorrat) is in the accusative: masculine accusative singular → einen. The adjective also shows accusative masculine: kleinen.

Why does the adjective end in -en: kleinEN?

Because there’s a determiner (einen) that already marks case/gender/number (accusative masculine). In that situation, the adjective takes the weak ending -en. Mini pattern with masculine “Vorrat”:

• Nominative: ein kleinER Vorrat
• Accusative: einen kleinEN Vorrat
• Dative: einem kleinEN Vorrat
• Genitive: eines kleinEN Vorrats

Why is it Vorrat an and not Vorrat von/aus/für?

The idiomatic construction is Vorrat an + dative (“supply of”). Other options are unusual or mean something else:

• von is possible only in special counting phrases (e.g., “a supply of three kilos of rice” = ein Vorrat von drei Kilo Reis), but for substance type, use an.
• aus means “made of/from,” not intended here.
• für means “for (the purpose of),” not “consisting of.”

What case do Wasser and Reis take after an here?

Dative. The fixed phrase is Vorrat an + dative. Because Wasser and Reis are mass nouns without articles, you don’t see the dative marking. With a plural you would: ein Vorrat an Bohnen (note the dative plural -n).

Why are there no articles before Wasser and Reis?

They are mass/uncountable nouns in this context, so German, like English, typically omits the article when speaking in general about substances: an Wasser und Reis = “of water and rice.”

Is Reis ever plural? What about confusion with “Reise”?

Reis (rice) is normally a mass noun with no plural. Reise (with -e) is a different word meaning “trip/journey,” plural Reisen. Don’t add an -e to Reis; Reise would change the meaning.

Where does immer usually go? Could I move it?

Sentence adverbs like immer typically sit in the “middle field,” often right after the finite verb. Your version (Wir halten immer …) is natural. Other acceptable variants, each with a slightly different emphasis:

• Wir halten einen kleinen Vorrat … immer im Schrank. (focuses on “always in the cupboard”)
• Immer halten wir einen kleinen Vorrat … im Schrank. (fronted for emphasis) All keep verb-second word order.

Why im Schrank and not in den Schrank?

in is a two-way preposition:

• Dative for location (where?): im Schrank (= in dem Schrank) “in the cupboard.”
• Accusative for motion (into where?): in den Schrank “into the cupboard.” Compare: Wir stellen die Flaschen in den Schrank (motion), but Die Flaschen stehen im Schrank (location).

What exactly is im?

A contraction of in dem (in + the, dative masculine/neuter). So im Schrank = in dem Schrank.

Could I just say Wir haben immer einen kleinen Vorrat …?

Yes. haben is perfectly fine and common. halten subtly highlights the deliberate, maintained nature of the supply; haben simply states possession.

How would I negate this sentence?

Two common ways:

• Negate the noun phrase: Wir halten keinen (kleinen) Vorrat an Wasser und Reis im Schrank.
• Use the adverb “never”: Wir halten nie einen Vorrat an Wasser und Reis im Schrank. The first says “we don’t keep any supply”; the second stresses “we never do this.”

Can Vorrat be plural?

Yes: Vorräte. Use it when talking about multiple distinct stocks or a larger, categorized set: Wir halten kleine Vorräte an Konserven, Nudeln und Reis. In your sentence, singular fits because it’s “a small supply (of two items).”

Do I need to repeat an before both nouns (… an Wasser und an Reis)?

No. One an is enough: an Wasser und Reis. Repeating it is possible for emphasis or clarity in longer lists, but it’s not required here.

Could halten an be misunderstood as a verb (“to stop”) here?

No, because the structure is different. (an)halten as “to stop” is separable and would look like Wir halten an. In your sentence, halten takes a direct object (einen kleinen Vorrat) and an belongs with Vorrat (Vorrat an …), so there’s no ambiguity.