Breakdown of Ich poste den Artikel im Internet.
ich
I
im
in the; (masculine or neuter, dative)
den
the; (masculine, accusative)
das Internet
the internet
Questions & Answers about Ich poste den Artikel im Internet.
Why is it den Artikel and not der Artikel?
Because Artikel is the direct object of the verb poste, it must be in the accusative case.
- Artikel is masculine: der Artikel (nominative).
- In the accusative singular, masculine der changes to den.
So:
- Nominative (subject): Der Artikel ist interessant. – The article is interesting.
- Accusative (object): Ich poste den Artikel. – I post the article.
In your sentence, Ich is the subject, and den Artikel is what is being posted (the direct object), so den is required.
What exactly does im mean in im Internet?
Im is a contraction of in dem.
- in = in
- dem = dative form of das (neuter definite article)
Internet is neuter: das Internet (nominative), dem Internet (dative).
So:
- in dem Internet → im Internet
German very often contracts:
- in dem → im
- an dem → am
- →