Log inSign up

Wir lesen den Aushang im Flur.

Wir lesen den Aushang im Flur.
We read the notice in the hallway.
Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching German grammar and vocabulary.

Start learning German now

Questions & Answers about Wir lesen den Aushang im Flur.

Why is it den Aushang and not der Aushang?

Because den is the accusative form of the masculine article der.

  • The noun Aushang is masculine: der Aushang (nominative).
  • In this sentence, Aushang is the direct object of the verb lesen (something is being read), so we need the accusative case.
  • Masculine singular definite articles:
    • Nominative: der Aushang
    • Accusative: den Aushang

So: Wir (subject, nominative) lesen (verb) den Aushang (direct object, accusative).

What case is den Aushang, and how do we know?

Den Aushang is in the accusative case.

How to tell:

  1. Function in the sentence

    • It answers the question “What are we reading?” → den Aushang.
    • The “thing directly affected by the action” is usually the direct object, which in German takes the accusative.

  2. Article form

    • Masculine definite article:
      • Nominative: der
      • Accusative: den
    • Since we see den, we know it’s accusative.

So den Aushang = accusative masculine singular.

What does Aushang mean exactly, and how is it different from words like Anzeige or Plakat?

Aushang roughly means a notice / announcement that is physically posted on a board or wall, often in a building.

Typical usage:

  • Der Aushang im Flur – the notice on the wall in the hallway
  • Often informational: opening times, rules, announcements.

Differences:

  • Anzeige:
    • Often means advertisement (newspaper ad, online ad).
    • Can also mean a formal report/complaint to the police (eine Anzeige erstatten = to press charges).
  • Plakat:
    • A poster, usually larger and often used for advertising or events, seen on streets, in public spaces.

So:

  • Aushang: informative notice on a board/wall (schools, offices, stairwells).
  • Anzeige: ad or police report.
  • Plakat: big poster, often outdoors.
Why is it im Flur and not in dem Flur?

Im is simply a contraction (shortened form) of in dem.

  • in (preposition) + dem (dative masculine/neuter article) → im
  • So im Flur = in dem Flur.

German very often contracts:

  • an dem → am
  • in das → ins
  • bei dem → beim
  • zu dem → zum
  • zu der → zur

In everyday German, im Flur is much more common than in dem Flur, and they mean the same thing here.

What case is im Flur, and why is it dative?

Im Flur is dative.

Breakdown:

  • im = in dem
  • Flur is masculine: der Flur (nominative).
  • The form dem Flur is dative masculine singular.

Why dative?

  • The preposition in can take accusative or dative, depending on the meaning:
    • Accusative = movement into something (direction)
      • Wir gehen in den Flur. – We are going into the hallway.
    • Dative = location (no movement)
      • Wir stehen im Flur. – We are standing in the hallway.
      • Wir lesen den Aushang im Flur. – We are reading the notice in the hallway.

In this sentence, im Flur describes where the action happens (location), not a movement into it, so dative is used.

Could I also say Wir lesen im Flur den Aushang? Does the word order change the meaning?

Yes, you can say Wir lesen im Flur den Aushang. It is grammatically correct.

Word order:

  • Wir lesen den Aushang im Flur.
  • Wir lesen im Flur den Aushang.

Both mean essentially the same: “We read the notice in the hallway.”

Nuance:

  • Wir lesen den Aushang im Flur.
    • Slightly more neutral; emphasizes what we read (den Aushang).
  • Wir lesen im Flur den Aushang.
    • Slightly more focus on where we read (in the hallway), because im Flur is earlier.

But in everyday conversation, the difference is minimal. Both are fine.

Why is the verb lesen in the form lesen and not something else?

Lesen is conjugated according to the subject wir.

Present tense of lesen:

  • ich lese – I read
  • du liest – you (singular, informal) read
  • er/sie/es liest – he/she/it reads
  • wir lesen – we read
  • ihr lest – you (plural, informal) read
  • sie lesen – they read
  • Sie lesen – you (formal) read

Since the subject is wir (we), the correct verb form is lesen:

  • Wir lesen den Aushang im Flur. – We read the notice in the hallway.
Can I leave out wir, like in Spanish or Italian, and just say Lesen den Aushang im Flur?

No, not in normal German. You generally cannot drop the subject pronoun.

  • In German, the verb form alone is not enough to clearly indicate the subject in all cases.
  • So you normally must say wir:
    • ✅ Wir lesen den Aushang im Flur.
    • ❌ Lesen den Aushang im Flur. (sounds wrong / incomplete)

The only time you “drop” the subject is in imperatives (commands):

  • Lies den Aushang im Flur! – Read the notice in the hallway! (to one person)
  • Lest den Aushang im Flur! – Read the notice in the hallway! (to several people)
Why are Aushang and Flur capitalized?

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

  • Aushang is a noun → capitalized.
  • Flur is a noun → capitalized.

This is a fixed rule in German spelling:

  • Wir lesen den Aushang im Flur.
  • Das ist ein wichtiges Dokument.
  • Ich habe eine Frage.

Adjectives, verbs, and most other word types are not capitalized (except at the beginning of a sentence or in titles).

How do you pronounce Wir lesen den Aushang im Flur?

Approximate pronunciation (using English-like hints):

  • Wir – like “veer” (with a clear “v” sound, not “w”)
  • lesen – LEH-zen
    • e in le is like the e in “bed”
    • sen has a schwa-like e: “zən”
  • den – like “dane” but shorter; e like in “bed”
  • Aushang – OWS-hang
    • Au like “ow” in “cow”
    • s here is like “s” (unvoiced), not “z”
    • hang with a German h (strongly breathed), a like in “father”, final ng as in English “sing”
  • im – like English “im” in “impossible”
  • Flur – roughly “floo-r”
    • u is a long oo sound (like in “food”)
    • final r is often soft, especially in many accents

Spoken smoothly:
Wir lesen den Aushang im Flur.
→ veer LEH-zən den OWS-hang im floo-r

What is the plural of Aushang, and how would the sentence change in the plural?

The plural of Aushang is die Aushänge.

Forms:

  • Singular:
    • Nominative: der Aushang
    • Accusative: den Aushang
  • Plural:
    • Nominative/Accusative: die Aushänge

If there are several notices, you’d say:

  • Wir lesen die Aushänge im Flur.
    – We are reading the notices in the hallway.

Here die Aushänge is accusative plural, but the article die looks the same as nominative plural.

How would I say this sentence in the past (perfect tense) in German?

In the conversational past (Perfekt), you’d say:

  • Wir haben den Aushang im Flur gelesen.
    – We have read / we read the notice in the hallway.

Structure:

  • wir – subject
  • haben – auxiliary verb (conjugated)
  • den Aushang im Flur – objects/adverbial phrase in the middle
  • gelesen – past participle of lesen, at the end

Word order rule in the Perfekt:

  • Auxiliary (haben/sein) in the second position
  • Past participle at the very end of the clause.
What is the difference between im Flur and auf dem Flur?

Both can be heard, but there are regional and stylistic preferences.

  • im Flur (in dem Flur)
    • Literally: in the hallway
    • Standard, very common, neutral.
  • auf dem Flur
    • Literally: on the hallway
    • Also used, especially in some regions and contexts (e.g. schools, offices).
    • Often feels a bit more colloquial or context-specific.

Example:

  • Ich habe sie im Flur gesehen. – I saw her in the hallway.
  • Die Schüler warten auf dem Flur. – The students are waiting in the corridor/hallway.

For learners, im Flur is the safest general choice.