Breakdown of Ich speichere den Kontakt in der App.
in
in
ich
I
den
the; (masculine, accusative)
der
the; (feminine, dative)
speichern
to save
der Kontakt
the contact
die App
the app
Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching German grammar and vocabulary.
Questions & Answers about Ich speichere den Kontakt in der App.
Why is it den Kontakt and not der Kontakt?
Because Kontakt is masculine and here it’s the direct object (accusative case). Masculine nouns take den in the accusative.
- Nominative (subject): der Kontakt
- Accusative (direct object): den Kontakt With the indefinite article: ein Kontakt (nom) → einen Kontakt (acc).
Why is it in der App and not in die App?
German in is a two-way preposition:
- Dative = location/state (where?): in der App → The contact ends up stored within the app (state).
- Accusative = movement/direction (into where?): in die App → Rare with speichern; used with verbs that imply movement/transfer like importieren or einfügen.
Can I say auf der App instead of in der App?
Generally no. For software you are typically in an app, but auf a device or surface.
- Correct: in der App, auf dem Handy, auf der Website. Saying auf der App sounds odd in standard German.
What gender is App, and why is it der here?
App is feminine: die App. In the dative singular, feminine die becomes der. So in der App = dative feminine. It is not masculine; dem App would be wrong.
Can I drop the article and say just Ich speichere Kontakt?
No. Singular countable nouns in German almost always need an article. If it’s not a specific contact, use the indefinite: Ich speichere einen Kontakt in der App.
How is speichern conjugated?
It’s a regular verb.
- ich speichere
- du speicherst
- er/sie/es speichert
- wir speichern
- ihr speichert
- sie/Sie speichern Past participle: gespeichert.
How do I say it in the past?
Use the present perfect (most common in speech): Ich habe den Kontakt in der App gespeichert.
Simple past exists but is less common in conversation: Ich speicherte den Kontakt in der App.
Is speichern separable? What about abspeichern or einspeichern?
speichern is not separable. abspeichern and einspeichern are separable and common in tech talk.
- Present: Ich speichere den Kontakt in der App ab/ein. (prefix at the end)
- Perfect: Ich habe den Kontakt in der App abgespeichert/eingespeichert. Nuance: They can sound a bit more colloquial/practical; plain speichern is perfectly standard.
What’s the difference between speichern and sichern?
- speichern = to save/store data (neutral default for saving).
- sichern = to back up/secure (often implies protection or a backup copy).
Phone UIs might use Kontakt sichern for creating a backup or storing to a SIM/cloud, but Kontakt speichern is the normal “save contact.”
Can I move in der App to the front? What about word order?
Yes. German main clauses are verb-second.
- Neutral: Ich speichere den Kontakt in der App.
- Fronted place: In der App speichere ich den Kontakt. You can also say: Ich speichere in der App den Kontakt (less neutral; adds emphasis). Typically, the direct object precedes place phrases.
How do I replace den Kontakt or in der App with pronouns?
- den Kontakt (masc. acc.) → ihn: Ich speichere ihn in der App.
- in der App → darin (da- compound is natural): Ich speichere ihn darin.
You could say in ihr (dative feminine) for App, but darin sounds smoother.
How do I say it for multiple contacts?
Plural of Kontakt is Kontakte.
- Specific: Ich speichere die Kontakte in der App.
- Non-specific: Ich speichere einige Kontakte in der App.
Why are Kontakt and App capitalized?
All nouns are capitalized in German. Both Kontakt and App are nouns, so they’re capitalized.
When would in die App be correct?
When you emphasize motion into the app or insertion:
- Ich importiere den Kontakt in die App.
- Ich füge den Kontakt in die App ein. With simple saving, German usually prefers the dative: in der App speichern.
Is Ich speichere mir den Kontakt (ab/ein) okay?
Yes, colloquially. The dative mir is a “dative of benefit” (for myself): Ich speichere mir den Kontakt ab. It’s informal and common in speech. Without mir is perfectly fine and more neutral.
Can I say im App?
No. im = in dem (masculine/neuter). App is feminine, so you must say in der App. For app names, you can also say, for example, in WhatsApp (no article) or in der Signal-App.