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Das Gymnasium in unserer Stadt hat einen großen Pausenhof.

Das Gymnasium in unserer Stadt hat einen großen Pausenhof.
The high school in our city has a large schoolyard.
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Questions & Answers about Das Gymnasium in unserer Stadt hat einen großen Pausenhof.

What does Gymnasium mean in German? Is it the same as gymnasium in English?

No. Gymnasium in German usually does not mean a sports hall.

  • In Germany (and many other German‑speaking areas), das Gymnasium is an academic secondary school that prepares students for university (roughly grades 5–12/13, ending with the Abitur).
  • A sports hall in a school is usually called die Turnhalle or die Sporthalle.

So the sentence is talking about a school, not a place to exercise.

Why is it das Gymnasium and not die Gymnasium or der Gymnasium?

Because Gymnasium is a neuter noun in German, and the nominative singular definite article for neuter nouns is das.

  • masculine: der Mann
  • feminine: die Frau
  • neuter: das Gymnasium

The gender of many German nouns is largely arbitrary and must be learned with the noun:

  • das Gymnasium (neuter)
  • die Schule (feminine)
  • der Pausenhof (masculine)
What exactly is a Pausenhof?

Pausenhof is a compound noun:

  • die Pause = break (e.g. between lessons)
  • der Hof = courtyard, yard

So der Pausenhof is the schoolyard / playground area where students spend their breaks (recess), often a paved courtyard with some seating, maybe a bit of green.

Very similar words:

  • der Schulhof = schoolyard (more general; not just for breaks)
  • der Pausenhof = focuses on its role during Pausen (breaks)
Why is it hat and not something with ist or gibt es?

hat is from haben (to have). The structure is:

  • Das Gymnasium – subject
  • hat – verb (3rd person singular: es hat)
  • einen großen Pausenhof – direct object (what it has)

You could also say:

  • In unserer Stadt gibt es ein Gymnasium mit einem großen Pausenhof.
    (In our town there is a Gymnasium with a large schoolyard.)

Both are correct, but:

  • hat focuses on what the Gymnasium possesses.
  • es gibt focuses on existence (there is such a thing in the town).
What case is Das Gymnasium in, and why?

Das Gymnasium is in the nominative case, because it’s the subject of the sentence – the thing that “has” something.

Pattern:

  • Wer oder was hat etwas? (Who or what has something?)
    → Das Gymnasium → nominative

Article in nominative singular:

  • masculine: der (der Mann)
  • feminine: die (die Frau)
  • neuter: das (das Gymnasium)
Why is it in unserer Stadt and not in unsere Stadt?

Because in here describes location (where something is), so it takes the dative case. Stadt is feminine (die Stadt), and the feminine dative singular of unser is unserer.

Breakdown:

  • Preposition: in
    • Where? (location) → dative
    • Where to? (movement) → accusative
  • Noun: die Stadt → dative singular: der Stadt
  • Possessive pronoun: unsere Stadt → dative: unserer Stadt

So:

  • in unserer Stadt = in our town (location, dative)
  • in unsere Stadt would mean “into our town” (movement, accusative), e.g.:
    Wir fahren in unsere Stadt. – We are driving into our town.
Why is it einen großen Pausenhof and not ein großer Pausenhof or ein großen Pausenhof?

Because Pausenhof is:

  • masculine: der Pausenhof
  • direct object of hat → accusative case

For a masculine noun in the accusative with the indefinite article, you need:

  • article: einen
  • adjective ending: -en after an ein‑word in this position
  • noun: Pausenhof

So:

  • einen großen Pausenhof = a big schoolyard (masc., accusative)

Compare forms of groß with Pausenhof:

  • Nominative: ein großer Pausenhof (A big schoolyard is nice.)
  • Accusative: einen großen Pausenhof (The school has a big schoolyard.)
How does unserer in in unserer Stadt work? What would other forms look like?

unser- is a possessive determiner (like our). It declines like ein-.

For Stadt (feminine):

  • Nominative: unsere Stadt (Unsere Stadt ist klein.)
  • Accusative: unsere Stadt (Wir lieben unsere Stadt.)
  • Dative: unserer Stadt (In unserer Stadt gibt es viele Geschäfte.)
  • Genitive: unserer Stadt (Die Geschichte unserer Stadt ist interessant.)

In the sentence, in (location) requires dative, so you get in unserer Stadt.

How do adjective endings work in einen großen Pausenhof? What would they be in other cases?

Pattern here:

  • article: einen (accusative masculine)
  • adjective after ein‑word: takes -en
  • noun: Pausenhof

So:

  • einen großen Pausenhof

With Pausenhof, singular, with ein and the adjective groß, you get:

  • Nominative: ein großer Pausenhof
  • Accusative: einen großen Pausenhof
  • Dative: einem großen Pausenhof
  • Genitive: eines großen Pausenhofs

You see -en almost everywhere except nominative singular when an ein‑word is present and shows the case.

Can the word order change, for example: In unserer Stadt hat das Gymnasium einen großen Pausenhof?

Yes. German word order is fairly flexible as long as:

  • The conjugated verb stays in second position in a main clause.

Some possible variants:

  • Das Gymnasium in unserer Stadt hat einen großen Pausenhof.
  • In unserer Stadt hat das Gymnasium einen großen Pausenhof.
  • Einen großen Pausenhof hat das Gymnasium in unserer Stadt. (more emphatic on big schoolyard)

All are grammatically correct; they differ in emphasis:

  • Starting with In unserer Stadt highlights the place.
  • Starting with Einen großen Pausenhof emphasizes the size/feature.
Could I say Die Schule in unserer Stadt hat einen großen Pausenhof instead?

Yes, that’s grammatically correct, but the meaning changes slightly.

  • das Gymnasium = a specific type of secondary school (academic track)
  • die Schule = generic “school” (could be primary, middle school, etc.)

So:

  • Das Gymnasium in unserer Stadt hat einen großen Pausenhof.
    → The local Gymnasium (academic secondary school) has a big schoolyard.

  • Die Schule in unserer Stadt hat einen großen Pausenhof.
    → The school in our town has a big schoolyard. (Less specific what kind of school.)

How do you pronounce the tricky words like Gymnasium, Stadt, and Pausenhof?

Approximate pronunciation (standard German):

  • Gymnasium → [gʏmˈnaːzi̯ʊm]

    • Gy- like German gü- (short ü sound), not like English guy
    • stress on -na-: güm-NAH-zee-oom

  • Stadt → [ʃtat]

    • initial st- → sht- in standard German: schtat
    • final -dt sounds like a hard t

  • Pausenhof → [ˈpaʊ̯zn̩ˌhoːf]

    • au like ow in now
    • hof with long o: hohf
    • stress mainly on Pau-: POW-zen-hohf
What are the plural forms of Gymnasium and Pausenhof?

  • das Gymnasium → die Gymnasien

    • Das Gymnasium in unserer Stadt …
    • Die Gymnasien in unserer Stadt haben große Pausenhöfe.

  • der Pausenhof → die Pausenhöfe

    • singular: einen großen Pausenhof
    • plural: große Pausenhöfe

Example plural sentence:

  • Die Gymnasien in unserer Stadt haben große Pausenhöfe.
    → The Gymnasien in our town have large schoolyards.
Why are Gymnasium, Stadt, and Pausenhof capitalized?

In German, all nouns are capitalized, regardless of their position in the sentence:

  • Das Gymnasium in unserer Stadt hat einen großen Pausenhof.

So you capitalize:

  • common nouns: Stadt, Pausenhof, Auto, Haus
  • proper names: Berlin, Anna, Europa

Verbs, adjectives, and most other words are not capitalized unless they start the sentence or are part of a name.