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Die Nachbarin betreibt ein kleines Café in der Innenstadt.

Die Nachbarin betreibt ein kleines Café in der Innenstadt.
The female neighbor runs a small café in the city center.
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Questions & Answers about Die Nachbarin betreibt ein kleines Café in der Innenstadt.

What does Nachbarin mean, and why does it end in -in?

Nachbarin means (female) neighbor.
German often forms a specifically female version of a noun by adding -in to the masculine form:

  • der Nachbar = male neighbor
  • die Nachbarin = female neighbor

So die Nachbarin tells you the neighbor is a woman.

Why is it Die Nachbarin and not Der Nachbarin or Die Nachbar?

You use die Nachbarin because:

  • die is the nominative singular article for feminine nouns.
  • Nachbarin is the feminine form of Nachbar.

Der Nachbarin would be dative or genitive feminine (e.g. mit der Nachbarin, wegen der Nachbarin), but here Nachbarin is the subject, so it must be nominative: die Nachbarin.
Die Nachbar is simply wrong; the forms are der Nachbar (masc.) and die Nachbarin (fem.).

What exactly does betreibt mean, and what is its infinitive form?

Betreibt is the 3rd person singular form of the verb betreiben.
Betreiben means to run / operate / manage (a business, a website, a machine, etc.).

So:

  • Die Nachbarin betreibt ein Café. = The neighbor runs/operates a café.

It suggests she is responsible for the business, not just that she owns it or works there.

Is betreiben a separable verb like many other German verbs with prefixes?

No. Betreiben is not separable.

  • Separable verbs might look like anfangen → er fängt an, aufstehen → er steht auf.
  • But betreiben keeps the be- attached: er betreibt, er betrieb, er hat betrieben.

The prefix be- is almost always inseparable in German.

Why do we say ein kleines Café and not ein klein Café?

In German, adjectives before a noun need an ending that shows gender, case, and number.
Because Café is neuter and here it is a singular accusative noun with the indefinite article ein, the correct ending on klein is -es:

  • ein kleines Café (not ein klein Café)

So the form is:

  • article: ein
  • adjective stem: klein-
  • correct ending: -es → kleines
What gender is Café, and how does that affect the rest of the sentence?

Café is neuter in German: das Café (plural: die Cafés).

In the sentence:

  • ein kleines Café is the direct object (accusative).
  • Neuter accusative singular with ein requires the adjective ending -es: ein kleines Café.

That’s why you see kleines, not kleiner or kleine.

Why is Café written with an accent and a capital letter?

Café comes from French, and German usually keeps the accent to distinguish it from Kaffee (the drink). Both spellings Café and Cafe exist, but Café is more standard.

It is capitalized because all nouns are capitalized in German: die Nachbarin, das Café, die Innenstadt.

What case is ein kleines Café in, and how can I tell?

Ein kleines Café is in the accusative case because it is the direct object of the verb betreibt (the thing that is being run/operated).

You can tell because:

  • The subject is die Nachbarin (nominative).
  • The thing she runs is ein kleines Café → direct object → accusative.
  • The adjective ending -es fits accusative singular neuter with ein.
Why is it in der Innenstadt and not in die Innenstadt?

The preposition in can take either dative (location) or accusative (movement toward a place):

  • in der Innenstadt (dative) = in the city center (location, where something is)
  • in die Innenstadt (accusative) = into the city center (movement, where someone is going)

Here, the café is located in the city center, so we use dative: in der Innenstadt.

What does Innenstadt literally mean, and are there similar words?

Innenstadt is a compound:

  • innen = inside / inner
  • Stadt = city

So literally inner city, usually understood as city center / downtown.

Similar or related terms:

  • die Stadtmitte = the middle of the city
  • das Stadtzentrum = the city center (more neutral / formal)
  • die Altstadt = the old town (often historical center, but not always exactly the same as Innenstadt)
Why is it die Innenstadt (feminine)?

The gender comes from Stadt, which is feminine: die Stadt.
When German makes compounds, the last part usually determines the gender.

So:

  • die Stadt → die Innenstadt
  • Other examples: die Stadt → die Großstadt, die Hauptstadt, die Universitätsstadt
Could I change the word order, for example: In der Innenstadt betreibt die Nachbarin ein kleines Café?

Yes, that sentence is correct and natural. German main clauses follow the verb-second rule: the conjugated verb must be in the second position, but almost any element can be in first position.

So these are both fine:

  • Die Nachbarin betreibt ein kleines Café in der Innenstadt. (neutral)
  • In der Innenstadt betreibt die Nachbarin ein kleines Café. (emphasis on location)

What you cannot do is put the verb later, like Die Nachbarin ein kleines Café betreibt in der Innenstadt – that breaks the verb-second rule.

Can I leave out kleines or in der Innenstadt and still have a correct sentence?

Yes:

  • Die Nachbarin betreibt ein Café in der Innenstadt. (no size information)
  • Die Nachbarin betreibt ein kleines Café. (no information about location)
  • Die Nachbarin betreibt ein Café. (very general)

Removing these parts makes the sentence less specific, but it stays grammatically correct.

How do you pronounce Nachbarin, betreibt, Café, and Innenstadt?

Approximate pronunciations (using English-like spelling):

  • Nachbarin ≈ “NAHCH-bah-rin”
    • ch like in the Scottish loch; stress on the first syllable.
  • betreibt ≈ “beh-TRIBE(t)”
    • ei like English eye; final -bt is pronounced, but quickly.
  • Café ≈ “ka-FAY”
    • Stress on fé.
  • Innenstadt ≈ “IN-nen-shtat”
    • Short i in In-, sch like sh, final -adt like -at.

In IPA (if you know it):
[ˈnaχbaʁɪn], [bəˈtʁaɪ̯pt], [kaˈfeː], [ˈʔɪnənˌʃtat].