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In der Bibliothek kann man Bücher kostenlos ausleihen.

In der Bibliothek kann man Bücher kostenlos ausleihen.
In the library you can borrow books for free.
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Questions & Answers about In der Bibliothek kann man Bücher kostenlos ausleihen.

Why is it In der Bibliothek and not In die Bibliothek?

German uses different cases with location prepositions:

  • in + dative = being in/inside a place (location, “where?”)
  • in + accusative = going into a place (direction, “where to?”)

In this sentence, the meaning is “in the library (as a place)”, not “into the library”, so you need the dative:

  • Feminine noun: die Bibliothek (nominative)
  • Dative feminine singular: der Bibliothek

So: In der Bibliothek = in the library (location).

Why does the sentence start with In der Bibliothek and not with Man?

German main clauses follow the verb-second (V2) rule: the finite verb (here: kann) must be in second position, but the first position can be almost any element.

Both are correct:

  • In der Bibliothek kann man Bücher kostenlos ausleihen.
  • Man kann in der Bibliothek Bücher kostenlos ausleihen.

When you put In der Bibliothek first, you emphasize the place. The verb (kann) then moves to the second position, and the subject (man) comes after it. This inversion is standard German syntax.

What does man mean here, and how is it different from du or Sie?

man is an impersonal pronoun meaning roughly “one / people / you (in general)”:

  • In der Bibliothek kann man Bücher kostenlos ausleihen.
    → In the library, you can borrow books for free / one can borrow books for free.

It doesn’t refer to a specific person; it means “people in general”.

Difference from others:

  • du = you (informal, one specific person)
  • Sie = you (formal, one or more people)
  • wir = we
  • man = people in general / anyone

You could rephrase:

  • In der Bibliothek kannst du Bücher kostenlos ausleihen. (talking to one specific person, informally)
  • In der Bibliothek kann man Bücher kostenlos ausleihen. (making a general statement)
Why is Bücher written without any article? Shouldn’t it be die Bücher or Bücher with something?

In German, indefinite plural nouns can appear without an article when talking in general:

  • Ich kaufe Bücher. = I buy books (books in general, not specific ones).
  • Man kann Bücher ausleihen. = You can borrow books (not particular, known books).

So Bücher here is indefinite plural, accusative (direct object), and it’s perfectly normal to have no article.

If you said die Bücher, it would mean specific books that both speaker and listener already know about.

What is kann here, and how is it conjugated?

kann is the 3rd person singular form of the modal verb können (to be able to / can).

Conjugation of können in the present tense:

  • ich kann
  • du kannst
  • er/sie/es kann
  • wir können
  • ihr könnt
  • sie/Sie können

With man, you use 3rd person singular → man kann.

Meaning here: “is able to / has the possibility to”.
So kann … ausleihen = can borrow.

Why is ausleihen at the end of the sentence?

In German, with a modal verb (like können), the sentence typically has:

  • Finite verb (modal) in second position
  • Main verb (infinitive) at the end

Pattern:
[something] + modal verb (V2) + … + main verb (infinitive at the end)

So:

  • In der Bibliothek (position 1)
  • kann (finite verb, position 2)
  • man Bücher kostenlos (middle part)
  • ausleihen (main verb at the end)

That’s why ausleihen is placed at the very end.

Is ausleihen a separable verb? How does that work?

Yes, ausleihen is a separable verb made of:

  • aus- (prefix)
  • leihen (to lend)

In forms without a modal verb, you separate it:

  • Ich leihe ein Buch aus. = I borrow a book.
    (finite verb leihe in second position; prefix aus at the end)

With a modal verb plus infinitive, you keep it together at the end:

  • Ich kann ein Buch ausleihen. (not aus leihen)
  • In der Bibliothek kann man Bücher ausleihen.
What is the difference between kostenlos, umsonst, and gratis?

All three can mean “free (of charge)”, but usage differs slightly:

  • kostenlos – neutral, very common, formal and informal.

    • Bücher kann man kostenlos ausleihen.

  • gratis – also “free of charge”, often seen in ads/marketing; slightly more informal or commercial style, but normal.

    • Man bekommt ein Buch gratis.

  • umsonst – can mean “for free”, but also “in vain / for nothing (without result)”.

    • Ich habe das Ticket umsonst bekommen. (for free)
    • Ich bin umsonst hingegangen. (I went there for nothing / it was pointless)

In your sentence, kostenlos is the safest, clearest choice.

Why is it In der Bibliothek even though Bibliothek is feminine and usually takes die?

The gender of Bibliothek is feminine:

  • Nominative: die Bibliothek
  • Accusative: die Bibliothek
  • Dative: der Bibliothek
  • Genitive: der Bibliothek

After in (with location), you use the dative case, so:

  • in + der Bibliothek → in der Bibliothek

The article changes because of the case, not because the word is no longer feminine. It’s still feminine, just in dative.

What case is Bücher in here, and how can I tell?

Bücher is the direct object of ausleihen (to borrow), so it is in the accusative case, plural.

For many neuter and masculine nouns, you see case changes, but Bücher (plural of das Buch) looks the same in nominative and accusative plural:

  • Nominative plural: die Bücher
  • Accusative plural: die Bücher

With no article, the form is just Bücher in both cases. You know it’s accusative here because ausleihen takes a direct object: borrow what? → Bücher.

Can I move kostenlos or Bücher to other places in the sentence?

Yes, German word order is flexible, especially for middle elements. All of these are grammatically correct, though the emphasis changes slightly:

  • In der Bibliothek kann man Bücher kostenlos ausleihen.
  • In der Bibliothek kann man kostenlos Bücher ausleihen.
  • Man kann in der Bibliothek Bücher kostenlos ausleihen.
  • Man kann in der Bibliothek kostenlos Bücher ausleihen.

Usually, you keep kann (finite verb) in second position and ausleihen at the end; the parts in the middle (subject, object, adverbs) can move for emphasis or style.

Could I also say In einer Bibliothek kann man Bücher kostenlos ausleihen? What’s the difference?

Yes, that’s correct too.

  • In der Bibliothek = in the library (a specific one that speaker and listener know about)
  • In einer Bibliothek = in a library (any library, in general)

So:

  • In der Bibliothek kann man Bücher kostenlos ausleihen.
    → At this particular library, you can borrow books for free.

  • In einer Bibliothek kann man Bücher kostenlos ausleihen.
    → In a library (in general, as an institution), you can borrow books for free.

What’s the difference between Bibliothek and Bücherei?

Both can mean “library”, but there are some nuances:

  • die Bibliothek

    • More neutral and standard, used for public libraries, university libraries, etc.
    • Slightly more formal/technical.

  • die Bücherei

    • Often used for smaller public libraries, like a town library or a church library.
    • Feels more colloquial/regional in some areas.

In many contexts, people will understand both, but Bibliothek is the safer, more universally standard word.