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Bist du schon im Garten?

Bist du schon im Garten?
Are you already in the garden?
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Questions & Answers about Bist du schon im Garten?

Why does the sentence start with Bist instead of Du? In English we say “Are you…”, but is that the same rule?

Yes. German yes/no questions also start with the verb, just like English:

  • Statement: Du bist schon im Garten. – You are already in the garden.
  • Question: Bist du schon im Garten? – Are you already in the garden?

Rule:

  • In a statement, the verb is in second position: Du (1st), bist (2nd).
  • In a yes/no question, the verb comes first, then the subject: Bist (1st), du (2nd).

So Bist du…? directly corresponds to Are you…? in English.

Why is it bist and not bistest or something similar? How is sein conjugated?

Bist is the 2nd person singular form of the verb sein (to be).

Present tense forms of sein:

  • ich bin – I am
  • du bist – you are (informal, singular)
  • er/sie/es ist – he/she/it is
  • wir sind – we are
  • ihr seid – you are (informal, plural)
  • sie sind – they are
  • Sie sind – you are (formal, singular & plural)

So for du (informal “you” to one person), you must use bist.

What exactly does du mean here? Is it formal or informal?

Du is the informal singular “you”:

  • Use du with friends, family, children, and people you’re on a first‑name basis with.
  • It addresses one person only.

Formal or plural alternatives to this sentence:

  • Sind Sie schon im Garten? – Are you already in the garden? (formal, 1 person or a group)
  • Seid ihr schon im Garten? – Are you (you guys) already in the garden? (informal, more than one person)
What does schon mean here, and why is it used?

In this sentence, schon means “already”:

  • Bist du schon im Garten? – Are you already in the garden?

It often implies that the speaker expected this to happen soon or is checking if it has happened by now.

Nuance:

  • Without schon: Bist du im Garten? – neutral: Are you in the garden?
  • With schon: Bist du schon im Garten? – suggests: Have you made it to the garden yet? / Are you there already?

So schon adds a sense of timing and expectation.

Where can schon go in the sentence? Could I say Bist du im Garten schon?

Native speakers would normally say:

  • Bist du schon im Garten?

Placing schon right after the subject (du) is the most natural here.

Bist du im Garten schon? is possible but sounds marked or less natural in everyday speech; it can put extra emphasis on schon, and you’d usually hear that only in special contexts (e.g., contrasting different times or places).

General pattern in simple sentences:

  • Verb (for questions) or subject (for statements)
  • Subject (for questions) or verb (for statements)
  • Then time-related adverbs like schon, jetzt, heute
  • Then place: im Garten

So:

  • Bist du schon im Garten? (question)
  • Du bist schon im Garten. (statement)
What is im? Why not just in?

Im is a contraction of in dem:

  • in = in
  • dem = the (dative, masculine or neuter)
  • in dem Garten → im Garten

So im Garten literally means “in the garden”, with Garten in the dative case.

You could, in theory, say in dem Garten, but im Garten is far more common in everyday speech and writing.

Why is Garten in the dative case here? Why not accusative?

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

  • Dative for location (where something/someone is)
  • Accusative for movement into something (where someone is going to)

In this sentence we’re asking where the person is, not where they are going:

  • Bist du schon im Garten? – Are you already in the garden? (location → dative: in dem Garten = im Garten)

Compare with movement:

  • Gehst du schon in den Garten? – Are you already going into the garden? (movement → accusative: in den Garten)
What gender is Garten, and how do I know?

Garten is masculine in German:

  • der Garten – the garden
  • Dative singular: dem Garten → contracted to im Garten (in dem Garten)

You usually need to learn the gender with the noun:

  • der Garten (m.) – the garden
  • Plural: die Gärten – the gardens
    • Dative plural: in den Gärten – in the gardens
Why is Garten capitalized?

All nouns in German are capitalized:

  • der Garten, die Stadt, das Haus, die Zeit

So Garten is capitalized simply because it’s a noun. This is a fixed rule in German spelling.

How would the sentence change in the past tense, like “Have you already been in the garden?” or “Were you already in the garden?”

Two common options:

  1. Simple past (Präteritum):

    • Warst du schon im Garten?
      = Were you already in the garden?

  2. Present perfect (Perfekt):

    • Bist du schon im Garten gewesen?
      = Have you already been in the garden?

In everyday spoken German, Warst du schon im Garten? is usually preferred and understood as both “were you already…” and (contextually) “have you already been…?”

Is there a connection between schon and noch? I often see them together.

Yes, they are often contrasted:

  • schon = already

    • Bist du schon im Garten? – Are you already in the garden?

  • noch = still / yet

    • Bist du noch im Garten? – Are you still in the garden?

Together they can form pairs:

  • Bist du schon im Garten oder bist du noch im Haus?
    – Are you already in the garden, or are you still in the house?

They help express whether something has already happened (schon) or is still going on / not yet changed (noch).