Breakdown of Der Screenshot zeigt, dass der Cursor im falschen Feld steht.
in
in
dem
the; (masculine or neuter, dative)
stehen
to stand
zeigen
to show
Questions & Answers about Der Screenshot zeigt, dass der Cursor im falschen Feld steht.
Why is it der Screenshot and not das Screenshot?
Because Screenshot is a masculine noun in standard German: der Screenshot.
In this sentence, der Screenshot is also the subject of the main clause:
- Der Screenshot zeigt, ...
- The screenshot shows ...
So der here is both:
- the normal nominative singular article for a masculine noun, and
- the marker that this noun is the subject.
Why is there a comma before dass?
In German, a clause introduced by dass must be separated from the main clause by a comma.
So the sentence is divided like this:
- Der Screenshot zeigt,
- dass der Cursor im falschen Feld steht.
This is standard German punctuation. English often does not require a comma before that, but German does before dass.
What does dass mean here, and how is it used?
dass means that and introduces a subordinate clause.
So:
- Der Screenshot zeigt, dass ...
- The screenshot shows that ...
A very important grammar point is that a dass-clause sends the finite verb to the end:
- ..., dass der Cursor im falschen Feld steht.
That is one of the most common subordinate-clause patterns in German.