Breakdown of Mit dem Wanderstock fühle ich mich beim Bergsteigen sicherer.
Questions & Answers about Mit dem Wanderstock fühle ich mich beim Bergsteigen sicherer.
The preposition mit (with) in German always takes the dative case.
- der Wanderstock = nominative (subject form)
- den Wanderstock = accusative (direct object)
- dem Wanderstock = dative (after mit, bei, etc.)
Because we have mit in the sentence, we must use the dative:
- mit dem Wanderstock = with the walking stick
Yes, this is a common German word order trick.
- The full basic sentence could be:
Ich fühle mich beim Bergsteigen mit dem Wanderstock sicherer.
German likes to put only one element in the first position, then the verb:
- 1st position: Mit dem Wanderstock (a prepositional phrase)
- 2nd position: fühle (the conjugated verb)
- Then: ich mich beim Bergsteigen sicherer
So the pattern is:
[Mit dem Wanderstock] fühle ich mich beim Bergsteigen sicherer.
The meaning is the same as if you started with Ich, but starting with Mit dem Wanderstock emphasizes the walking stick.
In German, when you talk about how you feel (emotionally or physically), you normally use sich fühlen (to feel in the sense of to feel a certain way).
- Ich fühle mich sicher. = I feel safe.
- Ich fühle mich krank. = I feel sick.
Compare:
- fühlen alone is more like to feel (something with your senses):
- Ich fühle den Wind. = I feel the wind.
So here:
- ich fühle mich sicherer = I feel safer (how I feel)
- fühle ich mich is just word order; ich is subject, mich is the reflexive pronoun.
Both are possible, but they express slightly different things:
- Ich fühle mich sicherer. = I feel safer. (subjective feeling)
- Ich bin sicherer. = I am safer. (more objective state or fact)
In the context of equipment like a walking stick, sich sicherer fühlen is the more natural choice, because it highlights your perception and confidence rather than an objectively measured safety level.
You could say:
- Mit dem Wanderstock fühle ich mich beim Bergsteigen sicher.
That would mean: With the walking stick I feel safe while climbing.
But sicherer = safer (comparative). So the original sentence implies a comparison, usually to without the walking stick:
- Mit dem Wanderstock fühle ich mich sicherer (als ohne).
With the walking stick I feel safer (than without it).
So sicherer indicates that the walking stick increases your feeling of safety.
beim is the contracted form of bei dem:
- bei = at, by, during
- dem = dative masculine/neuter article
- bei dem → beim
So:
- beim Bergsteigen = bei dem Bergsteigen
Roughly: while (I am) doing mountain climbing / while climbing mountains
Here Bergsteigen is a noun made from a verb (see next question). The dative is used after bei, so dem is necessary, and in everyday German bei dem becomes beim almost always.
Here, Bergsteigen functions as a noun, even though it looks like an infinitive.
German often turns infinitive verbs into nouns (this is called Nominalisierung):
- wandern → das Wandern (hiking)
- schwimmen → das Schwimmen (swimming)
- Berg steigen → das Bergsteigen (mountain climbing)
In writing, this is shown by capitalization. Properly, you might see:
- beim Bergsteigen or beim Bergsteigen (capital B)
Because of this, you use it with an article (here hidden inside beim = bei dem) and treat it grammatically like a neuter noun: das Bergsteigen.
Both describe activities in the mountains, but with different nuance:
- Wandern = hiking, usually on marked trails, not necessarily high or difficult
- Bergsteigen = mountaineering / climbing in the mountains, often higher, steeper, potentially using hands or equipment, more demanding
So:
- beim Wandern = when hiking
- beim Bergsteigen = when mountaineering/climbing in the mountains
Yes:
- Mit einem Wanderstock fühle ich mich beim Bergsteigen sicherer.
Difference:
mit dem Wanderstock = with the walking stick
→ Refers to a specific walking stick that is known from context (e.g., this stick, my stick).mit einem Wanderstock = with a walking stick
→ Any walking stick, not a previously mentioned specific one.
Grammatically:
- mit
- dative
- ein in dative masculine → einem
Yes, that word order is correct:
- Ich fühle mich beim Bergsteigen mit dem Wanderstock sicherer.
German word order is quite flexible for these phrases. Common variants:
- Ich fühle mich mit dem Wanderstock beim Bergsteigen sicherer.
- Beim Bergsteigen fühle ich mich mit dem Wanderstock sicherer.
- Mit dem Wanderstock fühle ich mich beim Bergsteigen sicherer.
All are grammatical. The difference is usually just emphasis and flow; the original version puts more emphasis first on the walking stick.
Both are grammatically correct, but differ in style:
beim Bergsteigen
- Very common, natural, spoken style
- Literally: at the mountain-climbing / while mountain-climbing
während des Bergsteigens
- More formal and heavy; you’d more likely find this in written, technical, or very formal language.
In normal everyday German, beim + noun/nominalized verb is far more common than während des + Genitive for this kind of sentence.
They are very similar and often interchangeable, both meaning something like walking stick / hiking pole.
Subtle nuances:
- Wanderstock: very common, neutral, often used for modern hiking poles
- Wanderstab: can sound a bit more old-fashioned or poetic, or like a single sturdy wooden staff
In everyday speech, Wanderstock is more typical, especially if you’re talking about modern hiking gear.