Ich lege die Kissen aufs Sofa.

I put the pillows on the sofa.

Breakdown of Ich lege die Kissen aufs Sofa.

• ich: I
• das Sofa: the sofa
• das Kissen: the pillow
• legen: to put
• aufs: to the; (neuter, accusative)

Questions & Answers about Ich lege die Kissen aufs Sofa.

What does aufs mean, and how is it formed?

aufs is a contraction of auf das.

• auf = on / onto
• das = the (neuter, singular, accusative)
• auf das → aufs

So aufs Sofa literally means onto the sofa.

Why is it aufs Sofa (accusative) and not auf dem Sofa (dative)?

auf is a “two-way preposition” (Wechselpräposition). It can take:

• accusative for a direction / movement to a place
  → Ich lege die Kissen aufs Sofa.
  I am moving the cushions onto the sofa.

• dative for a location / position at a place
  → Die Kissen liegen auf dem Sofa.
  The cushions are on the sofa (no movement).

In your sentence, you are putting the cushions onto the sofa (change of place), so auf + das (accusative) → aufs is correct.

Could you also say auf das Sofa instead of aufs Sofa? Is there a difference?

Yes, you can say:

• Ich lege die Kissen auf das Sofa.
• Ich lege die Kissen aufs Sofa.

They mean the same thing. Aufs is just the more natural, everyday form. Auf das Sofa sounds slightly more formal or emphasized, but grammatically both are fine.

Why is it die Kissen? Isn’t die usually feminine singular?

Die is used for:

• feminine singular in all cases (e.g. die Lampe)
• all plural nouns in nominative and accusative, regardless of gender (e.g. die Kissen, die Tische, die Frauen)

Here, Kissen is plural, so you use die:

• singular: das Kissen (neuter)
• plural: die Kissen

So die Kissen = the cushions (plural), not feminine.

What is the gender and plural of Kissen, and how does that affect the article?

Kissen (a cushion/pillow) is:

• singular: das Kissen (neuter)
• plural: die Kissen

Some key forms:

• nominative:
  
  • das Kissen – die Kissen
• accusative:
  
  • das Kissen – die Kissen
• dative:
  
  • dem Kissen – den Kissen

In the sentence, die Kissen is plural accusative.

What is the difference between legen and liegen (and similar verbs)?

German distinguishes between:

• legen – to lay, to put something down (active placement, accusative object)
  → Ich lege die Kissen aufs Sofa.
  I lay/put the cushions onto the sofa.

• liegen – to lie, to be lying (state, no direct object)
  → Die Kissen liegen auf dem Sofa.
  The cushions are lying on the sofa.

Similar pairs:

• stellen (to put upright) – stehen (to stand)
• setzen (to seat) – sitzen (to sit)

In short: legen = you put something somewhere; liegen = something is lying somewhere.

How is legen conjugated in the present tense?

legen is a regular verb:

• ich lege
• du legst
• er/sie/es legt
• wir legen
• ihr legt
• sie/Sie legen

In your sentence, ich lege = I lay / I put.

Is Ich lege die Kissen aufs Sofa the only natural word order? Can I say Ich lege aufs Sofa die Kissen?

Both are grammatically possible, but they sound different:

• Ich lege die Kissen aufs Sofa.
  Neutral, standard word order (object before place). This is what you normally say.

• Ich lege aufs Sofa die Kissen.
  Unusual; possible in special contexts (e.g. contrast, emphasis), but marked. It might sound poetic or like you’re strongly contrasting with something else (not the blanket, but the cushions).

For everyday speech, stick with Ich lege die Kissen aufs Sofa.

How would I negate this sentence naturally?

Most natural:

• Ich lege die Kissen nicht aufs Sofa.
  I’m not putting the cushions onto the sofa.

You can also focus the negation:

• Ich lege die Kissen aufs Bett, nicht aufs Sofa.
  I’m putting the cushions on the bed, not on the sofa.

Avoid Ich lege nicht die Kissen aufs Sofa, unless you want to contrast Kissen with some other object (e.g. not the cushions, but the blankets).

How do I turn this into a yes/no question and some information questions?

Yes/no question (verb first):

• Legst du die Kissen aufs Sofa?
  Are you putting the cushions onto the sofa?

Information questions:

• Where: Wohin legst du die Kissen? – Ich lege die Kissen aufs Sofa.
  Where are you putting the cushions? – I’m putting the cushions onto the sofa.

• What: Was legst du aufs Sofa? – Ich lege die Kissen aufs Sofa.
  What are you putting onto the sofa? – I’m putting the cushions onto the sofa.

When would I use auf dem Sofa instead of aufs Sofa?

Use auf dem Sofa (dative) to talk about location (no movement), e.g.:

• Die Kissen liegen auf dem Sofa.
  The cushions are lying on the sofa.

Use aufs Sofa (accusative) to talk about movement/direction:

• Ich lege die Kissen aufs Sofa.
  I put the cushions onto the sofa.

Think:

• Where? → auf dem Sofa (dative)
• Where to? → aufs Sofa (accusative)

Is there a difference between Sofa and Couch in German?

In modern German, Sofa and Couch are largely interchangeable:

• das Sofa
• die Couch

Both mean sofa / couch. Some speakers might feel Couch sounds a bit more casual or modern, but in everyday use there’s usually no real difference.

How are ich, Kissen, and aufs pronounced?

Rough guide with English approximations:

• ich: [ɪç]

  • i like in bit
  • ch like the h in huge or like a soft hiss; not like English k.

• Kissen: [ˈkɪsən]

  • Ki like kiss
  • ssen like sen in seven, but with a double-s sound.

• aufs: [aʊfs]

  • au like ow in now
  • f as in fine
  • s is pronounced s, not z.

Spoken together: Ich lege die Kissen aufs Sofa
[ɪç ˈleːɡə diː ˈkɪsən aʊfs ˈzoːfa].