In jedem Zimmer steht ein Stuhl.

In every room there is a chair.

Breakdown of In jedem Zimmer steht ein Stuhl.

• in: in
• der Stuhl: the chair
• stehen: to stand
• das Zimmer: the room
• ein: a; (masculine, nominative or accusative)
• jedem: every; (masculine, dative)

Questions & Answers about In jedem Zimmer steht ein Stuhl.

Why is it jedem Zimmer and not jeder Zimmer or jedes Zimmer?

Because in here takes the dative case (it describes a location, not movement), and Zimmer is neuter singular.

The determiner jeder (= every) is declined:

• Neuter singular:
  • Nominative: jedes Zimmer
  • Accusative: jedes Zimmer
  • Dative: jedem Zimmer

So in the dative, neuter → jedem.
That’s why it must be in jedem Zimmer.

Why does in take the dative here and not the accusative?

The preposition in can take dative or accusative, depending on the meaning:

• Dative: location (where something is) → static position
  
  • In jedem Zimmer steht ein Stuhl. = A chair is standing in every room. (Where?)
• Accusative: direction (where something is going) → movement into
  
  • In jedes Zimmer bringt er einen Stuhl. = He brings a chair into every room. (Where to?)

In your sentence, the chair is simply located in the room, not moving into it, so dative (jedem) is required.

Why is the word order In jedem Zimmer steht ein Stuhl and not Ein Stuhl steht in jedem Zimmer?

German has the verb-second rule in main clauses: the finite verb must be in second position, but the first position can be almost anything.

Here:

• In jedem Zimmer = element in first position (a prepositional phrase)
• steht = finite verb in second position
• ein Stuhl = subject in the "rest" of the sentence

You could absolutely say:

• Ein Stuhl steht in jedem Zimmer.

Both are grammatically correct.
The difference is mainly emphasis / focus:

• In jedem Zimmer steht ein Stuhl. – Emphasis on every room.
• Ein Stuhl steht in jedem Zimmer. – Emphasis on a chair (there is such a chair, and it is in every room).

Why is it steht and not ist?

German often uses specific “position verbs” instead of just sein (ist) to describe where things are:

• stehen – to stand (upright position, on its legs/feet)
• liegen – to lie (lying flat)
• sitzen – to sit (usually for living beings, sometimes for objects)

A chair naturally stands on its legs, so German prefers:

• In jedem Zimmer steht ein Stuhl.

You could say In jedem Zimmer ist ein Stuhl, and people will understand you, but it sounds less idiomatic. Native speakers nearly always choose steht for furniture like a chair.

Why is it ein Stuhl and not einen Stuhl?

Because ein Stuhl is the subject of the sentence and must be in the nominative case.

• Verb: steht
• Ask: Who or what stands? → ein Stuhl → subject → nominative

The forms of ein (masculine singular):

• Nominative: ein Stuhl
• Accusative: einen Stuhl

You would use einen Stuhl only if it were a direct object, for example:

• Er bringt einen Stuhl in jedes Zimmer. = He brings a chair into every room.

Why can’t I say im jedem Zimmer?

im is a contraction of in dem:

• in dem Zimmer → im Zimmer

This only works with the definite article (dem, dative masculine/neuter).

But in your sentence you don’t have dem, you have jedem, which is a different determiner (meaning every). You can’t contract in + jedem in the same way.

So:

• ✅ in dem Zimmer → im Zimmer
• ❌ in jedem Zimmer → im jedem Zimmer (incorrect)
• ✅ in jedem Zimmer (correct, no contraction)

Can I say Es steht ein Stuhl in jedem Zimmer instead?

Yes, that is grammatically correct:

• Es steht ein Stuhl in jedem Zimmer.

Here:

• es is a placeholder subject (often used in existential sentences)
• ein Stuhl is the real subject (in sense/meaning)
• in jedem Zimmer is the location phrase

All these variants are possible and correct, with slightly different rhythm/emphasis:

• In jedem Zimmer steht ein Stuhl.
• Ein Stuhl steht in jedem Zimmer.
• Es steht ein Stuhl in jedem Zimmer.

The original version is very natural and emphasizes “in every room”.

Can I use es gibt instead of steht? How would that change the sentence?

Yes. With es gibt, you would say:

• In jedem Zimmer gibt es einen Stuhl.

Points to notice:

1. es gibt takes the accusative
   → einen Stuhl (not ein Stuhl).

2. The meaning shifts slightly:

   • steht focuses on how the chair is located (standing there).
   • es gibt focuses on existence/availability (“there is / there exists a chair”).

So:

• In jedem Zimmer steht ein Stuhl. – A chair stands in every room (more visual, about placement).
• In jedem Zimmer gibt es einen Stuhl. – There is a chair in every room (more about the fact that each room has one).

Does In jedem Zimmer steht ein Stuhl mean exactly one chair per room, or at least one?

In everyday use, it usually suggests exactly one chair in each room, especially if the number matters (for example, when describing equipment).

However, context can weaken that:

• If the focus is just that the rooms are not empty, many people might use the sentence even when there are two or three chairs in some rooms.

If you want to be clearly non-specific (at least one), you could say, for example:

• In jedem Zimmer steht mindestens ein Stuhl. = At least one chair stands in every room.

How would I say “There are chairs in every room” (plural)?

You can make both noun and verb plural:

• In jedem Zimmer stehen Stühle.

Notes:

• stehen agrees with the plural subject Stühle.
• In German, bare plural (Stühle) is normal here; you don’t need an article, just like English “chairs”.

If you want to stress “at least one”, but probably more:

• In jedem Zimmer stehen mehrere Stühle. = There are several chairs in every room.

Why doesn’t Zimmer change its form in the dative (jedem Zimmer)?

Many neuter nouns in German have the same form in nominative, accusative, and dative singular. Zimmer is one of them:

• Nominative: das Zimmer
• Accusative: das Zimmer
• Dative: dem Zimmer

The article or determiner shows the case, not the noun ending. That’s why you see:

• das Zimmer / ein Zimmer (nom/acc)
• dem Zimmer / jedem Zimmer (dative)

The noun itself just stays Zimmer in all these forms.