Die Patientin wartet im Wartebereich.

The female patient waits in the waiting area.

Breakdown of Die Patientin wartet im Wartebereich.

• im: in the; (masculine or neuter)
• warten: to wait
• der Wartebereich: the waiting area
• die Patientin: the patient (female)

Questions & Answers about Die Patientin wartet im Wartebereich.

What does im stand for, and why is it used here?

im = in + dem. It contracts the preposition in with the dative article dem.

• With in, use the dative for location (where?): im Wartebereich = in the waiting area.
• Use the accusative for movement (into where?): in den Wartebereich = into the waiting area. Examples:
• Location: Die Patientin wartet im Wartebereich.
• Direction: Die Patientin geht in den Wartebereich.

Why is it Die Patientin and not Der Patient?

Because Patientin is the explicitly female form (the suffix -in marks feminine nouns). The article die is the nominative singular for feminine nouns.

• Male: Der Patient wartet …
• Female: Die Patientin wartet …
• Plural:
  • All-female: Die Patientinnen warten …
  • Mixed or all-male: Die Patienten warten … Note: In some contexts you’ll see gender-inclusive forms like Patientinnen und Patienten or Patient:innen.

What does the verb form wartet tell me?

• It’s present tense, 3rd person singular of warten (to wait).
• German uses the simple present for ongoing actions, so it covers English “is waiting.”
• Verb-second word order: the finite verb (wartet) is in the second position. You can front another element and keep the verb second:
  • Im Wartebereich wartet die Patientin. Mini conjugation (present):
• ich warte
• du wartest
• er/sie/es wartet
• wir warten
• ihr wartet
• sie/Sie warten

Is Wartebereich the same as Wartezimmer?

Not exactly:

• Wartebereich = waiting area (often an open area in clinics, hospitals, offices).
• Wartezimmer = waiting room (a dedicated room, very common in doctor’s practices).
• Warteraum exists but is less common than Wartezimmer in medical contexts.

Why is Wartebereich written as one word, and what are its parts?

German compounds are written together. Wartebereich = Warte- (from warten, “to wait,” with a linking -e) + Bereich (“area”).

• The gender of a compound follows the last part: der Bereich → der Wartebereich.
• Plural: die Wartebereiche
• Genitive singular: des Wartebereichs

How do I say “She is waiting for the doctor”?

Use warten auf + Akkusativ:

• Sie wartet auf den Arzt. (male)
• Sie wartet auf die Ärztin. (female) Don’t use erwarten here; erwarten = “to expect,” not “to wait for.”

What case is Wartebereich here, and how can I tell?

Dative singular: (in) dem Wartebereich → contracted to im Wartebereich. With in + location, you get the dative. The noun itself doesn’t show a visible ending, but the article (dem inside im) signals the case.

Why are some words capitalized?

All nouns are capitalized in German: Patientin, Wartebereich. Die is capitalized here because it starts the sentence; otherwise the article would be die in lowercase.

Can I omit the article, or use eine instead?

• Die Patientin = the specific patient (known/identifiable).
• Eine Patientin = a patient (non-specific). You generally don’t drop the article in standard sentences like this; articles are normally required.

What other common contractions like im should I know?

• ins = in + das
• am = an + dem
• beim = bei + dem
• zum = zu + dem
• zur = zu + der
• vom = von + dem

Any pronunciation tips for this sentence?

• Die = “dee” (long i: ie = /iː/).
• Patientin: the ti is pronounced like “ts” → pa-tsi-EN-tin (stress on “-ent-”).
• Wartebereich: stress the first part: WAR-te-bereich; ei = “eye”; final ch is the soft “ich” sound (/ç/), not like English “ch.”

How would the sentence look in the plural?

• All female: Die Patientinnen warten im Wartebereich.
• Mixed/all male: Die Patienten warten im Wartebereich. Note the verb changes to warten (plural).

How do I form a question from this sentence?

• Yes/No question (invert verb and subject): Wartet die Patientin im Wartebereich?
• Wh-question (front the question word): Wo wartet die Patientin? — Im Wartebereich.