Die Wasserkiste im Flur ist schwer, deshalb tragen wir sie zu zweit.

to be

Breakdown of Die Wasserkiste im Flur ist schwer, deshalb tragen wir sie zu zweit.

• wir: we
• tragen: to carry
• schwer: heavy

Questions & Answers about Die Wasserkiste im Flur ist schwer, deshalb tragen wir sie zu zweit.

What exactly does Wasserkiste mean? Is it just “box of water”?

Wasserkiste is a compound noun: Wasser (water) + Kiste (crate/box).

In real usage, a Wasserkiste is:

• a crate full of bottles of water (usually glass or plastic bottles)
• the kind of crate you buy or return at a supermarket or drinks store

So it’s better translated as “crate of water bottles” or “water crate”, not literally “box of water”.

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

The gender of a German compound noun is determined by the last part of the compound.

• Kiste on its own is feminine: die Kiste
• Therefore, Wasserkiste is also feminine: die Wasserkiste

So you must say:

• die Wasserkiste (nominative singular)
• If you refer back to it with a pronoun, you also use the feminine pronoun sie (as in the sentence).

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Why is it im Flur instead of in dem Flur?