Breakdown of Ich sortiere die Fotos im Ordner.
ich
I
im
in the; (masculine or neuter)
der Ordner
the folder
das Foto
the photo
sortieren
to sort
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Questions & Answers about Ich sortiere die Fotos im Ordner.
What tense and person is the verb form sortiere?
It’s present tense (Präsens), first-person singular of sortieren. So ich sortiere = I sort / I am sorting. Other forms: du sortierst, er/sie/es sortiert, wir sortieren, ihr sortiert, sie/Sie sortieren.
Is sortieren regular or irregular? How do I form the past?
It’s a regular (weak) verb.
- Simple past: ich sortierte
- Present perfect: ich habe sortiert
- Past participle: sortiert (with auxiliary haben)
Why is it die Fotos and not den Fotos?
Because die Fotos is the direct object in the accusative plural. In the plural, nominative and accusative both use die. Den Fotos would be dative plural (e.g., mit den Fotos). Note: many plural nouns add -n in the dative, but plurals ending in -s (like Fotos) do not.
What exactly is im here?
Im is the contraction of in dem (in + the). It takes the dative case, so im Ordner = in dem Ordner. This signals location (where), not direction.
Should it be in den Ordner instead of im Ordner?
Use:
- im Ordner (in dem Ordner, dative) for location: sorting within the folder.
- in den Ordner (accusative) for movement into: filing the photos into the folder, best phrased as Ich sortiere die Fotos in den Ordner (ein). Note: ins Ordner is wrong because ins = in das, and Ordner is masculine (der Ordner), so it must be in den Ordner.
Does im Ordner describe where I’m sorting, or which photos I’m sorting?
It can do either, depending on context/prosody:
- Adverbial (place): You are doing the sorting inside the folder.
- Attributive (which photos): You are sorting the photos that are in the folder. To force the “which photos” reading, say Ich sortiere die Fotos, die im Ordner sind. To express movement into, say Ich sortiere die Fotos in den Ordner (ein).
Can I drop the article and say Ich sortiere Fotos im Ordner?
Yes. Ich sortiere Fotos im Ordner is fine and means you’re sorting some photos (non-specific). Ich sortiere die Fotos im Ordner implies specific, known photos.
What are the genders and basic forms of the nouns?
- das Foto (plural die Fotos)
- der Ordner (accusative singular den Ordner, dative singular dem Ordner, plural die Ordner)
Why is it spelled Foto and not Photo? How do I form the plural?
Modern standard German prefers Foto (spelling reform). Photo/Photos is old-fashioned. The plural is Fotos—no apostrophe.
Can I move im Ordner to another position?
Yes. Common variants (with slightly different emphasis) include:
- Ich sortiere im Ordner die Fotos.
- Im Ordner sortiere ich die Fotos. Remember the finite verb stays in position 2 in main clauses: Im Ordner sortiere ich …
Are there more precise verbs depending on what I mean?
Yes:
- einsortieren (separable): filing/sorting into something. Ich sortiere die Fotos in den Ordner ein.
- abheften: punch and file into a ring binder. Ich hefte die Fotos in den Ordner ab.
- ablegen: file (office context).
- ordnen: arrange/organize (not necessarily by categories). Use sortieren for arranging by criteria; use einsortieren/abheften for physically putting them into a folder/binder.
Does Ordner mean a physical binder or a computer folder?
Both. Ordner is used for ring binders and for computer folders. In more technical contexts, Verzeichnis (directory) is also common. For a simple paper folder, Mappe is used.
How would I say this in a progressive sense like English “I’m sorting …”? Does German have a progressive?
German uses the simple present: Ich sortiere … for both “I sort” and “I am sorting.” Colloquial alternatives exist, e.g., Ich bin am Sortieren, or standard Ich bin dabei, die Fotos im Ordner zu sortieren, but they’re not required.
Any quick pronunciation tips?
- ich: soft “ch” as in German ich (not like English “k”).
- sortiere: stress on the second syllable: sor-TEE-re.
- ie in sortiere = long “ee.”
- Ordner: roughly “ORD-ner”; the German “r” can be guttural; the cluster “-rdn-” is compact—don’t insert a vowel.