this post was submitted on 20 Oct 2023
12 points (100.0% liked)

The German Language

319 readers
44 users here now

Welcome to the place to learn the German Language! Come here to discuss topics or quirks related to the German language, ask any questions about learning German, provide tips to current learners, and share your journey through the German-learning process!

RULES

founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS
 

Both der/das/die and den mean 'the' but when are they supposed to be used. Are they interchangeable?

I recently came across a statement on duolingo : Mia, der Stuhl ist da druben, Warum brauchst du den Stuhl.

Since it is translated as 'the' in both cases why is Mia, den Stuhl ist da druben, Warum brauchst du der Stuhl wrong

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[โ€“] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Yes, it's basically dead for casual talking, we just use it when we want to sound formal.

In your example, we'd say "Stuhlbein" or "Das Bein von dem Stuhl". I don't know if the latter is correct grammar, but we use it all the time.

There's a little saying about Genitiv being replaced by Dativ: "Genitiv ins Wasser, weils Dativ ist"

[โ€“] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

Interesting. Thank you!