Breakdown of Im Kurs erklärt die Lehrerin die Präposition mit.
mit
with
im
in the; (masculine or neuter, dative)
erklären
to explain
der Kurs
the course
Questions & Answers about Im Kurs erklärt die Lehrerin die Präposition mit.
What does im mean, and why is it not written as in dem?
Im is a very common contraction of in dem.
So:
- in dem Kurs = im Kurs
German often contracts:
- in dem → im
- an dem → am
- zu dem → zum
- zu der → zur
In this sentence, im Kurs means in the course / in class.
Why is it im Kurs and not something like in den Kurs?
Because this sentence describes a location, not movement.
German uses in with:
- dative for a static location: im Kurs
- accusative for movement into something: in den Kurs
So:
- Im Kurs erklärt die Lehrerin ... = she is already in the class/course, and that is where the action happens.
- Sie geht in den Kurs. = she goes into the class/course.
Here, no movement is involved, so dative is used.
Why does erklärt come before die Lehrerin? In English the subject usually comes first.