Learn Hardcore German: Ich greife nach meinem Handy, doch es liegt irgendwo unter der Decke. - I reach for my phone, but it is lying somewhere under the blanket.

Ich greife nach meinem Handy, doch es liegt irgendwo unter der Decke.

I reach for my phone, but it is lying somewhere under the blanket.

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Questions & Answers about Ich greife nach meinem Handy, doch es liegt irgendwo unter der Decke.

Why is it greife nach and not just a direct object (like “I grab my phone”)?

In German, when you mean “to reach for” something, you use greifen nach + dative. So: Ich greife nach meinem Handy = “I reach for my phone.”
Using greifen with a direct object (e.g., Ich greife das Handy) exists but means “I seize/grab the phone” and sounds more forceful/literary. Everyday German prefers nach for the idea of reaching toward something you don’t yet have in your hand.

Could I say Ich greife zu meinem Handy instead? What’s the difference from nach?

Yes.

nach etwas greifen = physically reach toward it (you may or may not get hold of it).
zu etwas greifen = “go for” or “resort to” something; with objects like a phone it often implies you habitually pick it up/use it. So Ich greife zum Handy can sound like “I (tend to) reach for/use my phone.”
Both are fine here, but nach paints the picture of groping around to find it.

Why is it meinem Handy and not mein Handy?

Because nach governs the dative case. Handy is neuter, and the dative singular ending for the possessive mein- is -em for masculine and neuter: meinem.
So: nach meinem Handy (dative).
Similarly, der Decke is dative feminine after unter (see below on two-way prepositions).

What does doch mean here, and how is it different from aber?

Here doch is a coordinating conjunction meaning “but/however,” very close to aber. It sounds a bit more formal or emphatic than aber in this use.

Ich greife nach meinem Handy, aber es liegt … = neutral “but.”
Ich greife nach meinem Handy, doch es liegt … = “yet/however,” slightly more pointed or written style.
Don’t confuse this with the modal particle doch (e.g., Es liegt doch irgendwo…), which adds a “come on/actually/after all” nuance.

Is the comma before doch required?

Yes. It connects two main clauses, so the comma is mandatory: …, doch …. (With und/oder the comma is often optional; with aber/doch/sondern/denn it’s required.)

Why is it es in the second clause? Why not sie?

Because es refers back to das Handy, which is neuter in German. Pronouns agree with grammatical gender, not real-world gender. sie would refer to a feminine noun (e.g., die Decke), but the subject here is the phone.

Could I drop the es and just say … doch liegt irgendwo …?

No. German main clauses need an explicit subject; you can’t drop es here. Keep es: … doch es liegt …

Why use liegt instead of ist?

German often uses specific location verbs:

liegen = be lying (flat/resting horizontally)
stehen = be standing (upright)
sitzen = be sitting
A phone under a blanket is naturally described with liegen. Es ist unter der Decke is possible but less descriptive; Es liegt unter der Decke sounds more idiomatic.

What’s the difference between liegen and legen?

liegen (intransitive) = to lie, be in a lying position. No movement: Das Handy liegt…
legen (transitive) = to lay/put something down: Ich lege das Handy unter die Decke.
Think of the English pair “lie” vs. “lay.”

Why is it unter der Decke and not unter die Decke?

unter is a two-way preposition:

With dative = location (no movement): unter der Decke = “under the blanket” (where it is).
With accusative = direction/motion: unter die Decke = “to under the blanket” (where it’s being put).
Your sentence describes location, so dative (der Decke) is correct.

Is Decke “blanket” or “ceiling”? Could this be misunderstood?

Decke means both. In everyday contexts like a phone in bed, unter der Decke will be understood as “under the blanket.” If you need to be explicit, say unter der Bettdecke for “under the bedcover,” or unter der Zimmerdecke for “under the ceiling.”

What does irgendwo add? Could I say Es liegt unter der Decke without it?

irgendwo means “somewhere/at some place” and emphasizes that the exact spot is unknown.

Es liegt unter der Decke = simply states the location.
Es liegt irgendwo unter der Decke = “somewhere under the blanket” (you don’t know exactly where).

Where should I put irgendwo in the sentence?

The most natural spot is before the prepositional phrase: Es liegt irgendwo unter der Decke.
You can also say Es liegt unter der Decke, irgendwo, but that sounds a bit afterthought-y. Es liegt unter der Decke irgendwo is possible but less common.

What’s the difference between irgendwo, irgendwohin, and nirgendwo?

irgendwo = “somewhere” (location): Es liegt irgendwo…
irgendwohin = “to somewhere” (direction): Ich schiebe es irgendwohin.
nirgendwo = “nowhere”: Es liegt nirgendwo.
German distinguishes static location (wo?) from direction (wohin?).

Is the word order after doch correct? Why isn’t it … doch liegt es …?

Yes, it’s correct. In a main clause, the finite verb must be in the second position (V2). The conjunction doch doesn’t count as the first position. In doch es liegt …, es is position 1 and liegt is position 2.
You could front another element for emphasis: Doch irgendwo unter der Decke liegt es. That’s grammatical but marked.

Is Handy a false friend?

Yes. In German, das Handy means “mobile/cell phone.” It’s not the English adjective “handy.” In English you’d just say “phone,” “cell phone,” or “mobile.”

Could I replace doch with jedoch or allerdings?

jedoch can replace doch in writing: …, jedoch liegt es … (a bit formal).
allerdings is usually sentential and prefers a different position: Ich greife nach meinem Handy. Allerdings liegt es … Using …, allerdings es liegt … isn’t idiomatic.

How would the past tense look?

Strong verbs change stems:

greifen → preterite griff, participle gegriffen
liegen → preterite lag, participle gelegen
Past version: Ich griff nach meinem Handy, doch es lag irgendwo unter der Decke.

Could I use a “da-” compound like darunter instead of repeating unter der Decke?

You could, if the “Decke” has been mentioned and you want to refer back to it:

After introducing die Decke: Es liegt darunter. = “It’s under it.”
In your single sentence, unter der Decke is clearer because it names the thing explicitly.

Are there synonyms for the “groping around” idea?

Yes, depending on nuance:

Ich taste nach meinem Handy. (feel around for)
Ich fummle/wühle unter der Decke nach meinem Handy. (colloquial: fumble/rummage)
Ich suche mein Handy unter der Decke. (search for)
Each choice shifts the tone slightly.