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Die große Tasche liegt noch im Kofferraum.

Die große Tasche liegt noch im Kofferraum.
The big bag is still in the trunk.
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Questions & Answers about Die große Tasche liegt noch im Kofferraum.

Why is it die große Tasche and not der/das?

Because Tasche is a feminine noun in German: die Tasche.
So in the nominative singular (the subject of the sentence), you use die.

How do I know that die große Tasche is the subject?

The verb is liegt (3rd person singular), and the noun phrase die große Tasche is in the nominative (it uses die here, not a dative/accusative form). Semantically, it is also the thing that is located somewhere, which matches liegen.

Why does the adjective end in -e: große?

Because the adjective is after a definite article (die) and the noun is feminine nominative singular.
Pattern: die + adjective + noun → adjective typically ends in -e here.
So: die groß-e Tasche.

What does liegt mean here, and why not just use ist?

liegen literally means to lie (to be in a lying position), but very often it simply means to be located somewhere (especially for objects).
German often uses position verbs like liegen / stehen / sitzen where English would just say is.
You can say Die große Tasche ist noch im Kofferraum, but liegt sounds more natural if the bag is simply lying there.

Why is it im Kofferraum and not in dem Kofferraum?

im is a common contraction of in dem.
So im Kofferraum = in dem Kofferraum (in the trunk/boot).

Why is it im Kofferraum (dative) and not in den Kofferraum (accusative)?

Because in changes case depending on meaning:

  • Location (no movement) → dative: im Kofferraum (already in there)
  • Direction/movement into → accusative: in den Kofferraum (putting it in)

This sentence describes where the bag is, not moving it.

What gender is Kofferraum, and how can I tell from the sentence?

Kofferraum is masculine: der Kofferraum.
You can see it because im = in dem, and dem is the dative masculine/neuter form of der/das. Here it’s masculine.

What exactly does noch mean here, and where does it usually go in the sentence?

Here noch means still: the bag is still in the trunk (it hasn’t been taken out yet).
Placement: noch commonly goes before the part it modifies; here it naturally sits before the location phrase:
liegt noch im Kofferraum.

Could I change the word order, like putting noch at the beginning?

Yes, German word order is flexible as long as the verb stays in position 2 in a main clause:

  • Die große Tasche liegt noch im Kofferraum. (neutral)
  • Noch liegt die große Tasche im Kofferraum. (emphasis on still)
  • Im Kofferraum liegt die große Tasche noch. (emphasis on location)
Why is liegt in the present tense if it might be referring to a situation that started earlier?

German uses the present tense very widely for ongoing states:
Sie liegt noch im Kofferraum = it is currently there (and has been there up to now). English also uses present tense with still in the same way.

How would the sentence change with a instead of the (indefinite article)?

You would say:

  • Eine große Tasche liegt noch im Kofferraum.

Adjective ending changes because eine does not mark gender/case as clearly as die, so the adjective carries more information: ein-e groß-e Tasche.

Any pronunciation/spelling pitfalls in this sentence?

A few common ones:

  • große contains ß, which is pronounced like ss (a sharp s). It’s roughly groh-suh.
  • liegt has a long ie sound (like ee): roughly leekt.
  • Kofferraum is a compound; stress is typically on the first part: KÓfferraum.