A2-6 · Where things are in a shared flat
Living together
Locate everyday objects with two-way prepositions and the dative, and read simple house rules.
About 5 minutes to read · 12 quiz questions
01
Find your way around the kitchen
Ada shows her new flatmate where everything is. In and auf are two-way prepositions. When they answer wo, meaning where, use the dative. Der becomes dem, das becomes dem and die becomes der.
Die Tassen sind im Schrank.
The cups are in the cupboard.
Der Schlüssel liegt auf dem Tisch.
The key is lying on the table.
Der Putzplan hängt an der Wand.
The cleaning schedule is hanging on the wall.
Wir essen in der Küche.
We eat in the kitchen.
Im is short for in dem. The dative describes location here: im Schrank, auf dem Tisch, in der Küche. You do not need to describe how the objects got there.
02
More places in the flat
Ask where the furniture and belongings are. Neben means next to, unter means under, vor means in front of and zwischen means between. These sentences all describe locations.
Das Sofa steht neben dem Fenster.
The sofa is next to the window.
Die Tasche liegt unter dem Stuhl.
The bag is under the chair.
Die Schuhe stehen vor der Tür.
The shoes are in front of the door.
Der Tisch steht zwischen den Betten.
The table is between the beds.
With plural nouns, dative die becomes den. Add -n to the noun when needed: die Stühle → den Stühlen. A plural already ending in -n, such as Betten, keeps that form.
03
Agree on shared spaces
The flatmates use short rules to explain how they share the rooms. A location phrase still takes the dative when people are doing something there. Activity alone does not change the case.
In der Küche rauchen wir nicht.
We do not smoke in the kitchen.
Im Flur bleiben die Schuhe im Regal.
In the hallway, the shoes stay on the shelf.
Nach zehn sind wir im Wohnzimmer leise.
After ten, we are quiet in the living room.
Wir tanzen manchmal im Wohnzimmer.
We sometimes dance in the living room.
In der Küche and im Flur tell you where an activity happens. The next chapter will ask where something is being moved to. For now, ask wo and choose the dative.
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