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Die Apotheke ist direkt gegenüber der Post.

Die Apotheke ist direkt gegenüber der Post.
The pharmacy is directly opposite the post office.
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Questions & Answers about Die Apotheke ist direkt gegenüber der Post.

Why is it die Apotheke and not der/das Apotheke?

Apotheke is a feminine noun in German, so its nominative singular form takes die: die Apotheke.
(Comparable: die Schule, die Bank, die Post.)

Why does it say gegenüber der Post and not gegenüber die Post?

gegenüber is commonly used with the dative case when it means opposite/across from (a location).
die Post (nominative) → der Post (dative).
So gegenüber der Post = opposite the post office.

Is gegenüber a preposition, and does it always take dative?

In this meaning (location), gegenüber functions like a preposition and usually takes dative:

  • gegenüber dem Bahnhof (the station)
  • gegenüber der Post (the post office)

You may sometimes see gegenüber used in other structures or with different cases in older/literary usage, but for everyday modern German, learning gegenüber + dative is the right default.

Can the word order change? For example, can I also say Die Apotheke ist der Post gegenüber?

Yes. gegenüber is special because it can appear:

  • before its noun phrase: gegenüber der Post
  • after it: der Post gegenüber

Both are correct and common. The meaning stays the same.

What does direkt do here?

direkt is an adverb meaning directly / right. It makes the location more precise:

  • gegenüber der Post = opposite the post office
  • direkt gegenüber der Post = right opposite the post office (not just somewhere nearby)
Why is ist used? Could it be liegt instead?

sein (ist) is a very common, neutral way to state location: X ist (hier/dort).
You can also use liegen (or sich befinden) for places:

  • Die Apotheke ist direkt gegenüber der Post. (simple/neutral)
  • Die Apotheke liegt direkt gegenüber der Post. (also very natural for buildings)
  • Die Apotheke befindet sich direkt gegenüber der Post. (more formal)
What case is Die Apotheke in, and why?

Die Apotheke is the subject of the sentence, so it’s in the nominative case.
German location sentences often look like:
[Subject in nominative] + ist/liegt + [place expression].

Why are Apotheke and Post capitalized?

In German, all nouns are capitalized, not just proper names.
So Apotheke and Post are capitalized because they are nouns.

Does die Post here mean the building (post office) or the mail service?

In a sentence about physical location (opposite), die Post is normally understood as the post office (the building/place).
Context could theoretically allow the “postal service” meaning, but “opposite the postal service” doesn’t fit naturally—so “post office” is the default interpretation.

How would I ask this as a question in German?

Two common options:

  • Ist die Apotheke direkt gegenüber der Post? (Yes/No question)
  • Wo ist die Apotheke? (Where is the pharmacy?)
    → Sie ist direkt gegenüber der Post.
How is gegenüber pronounced?

Common pronunciation (approximate): geh-gen-OO-ber

  • Stress is typically on -ü-: ge-gen-Ü-ber
  • The ü is like the French u in lune (not the English “oo” exactly).