Lesson 6-4 - Lektion 6-4
Dual case prepositions
Lesson 6: In the hotel. Activity 4
From this activity you will know how to:
- ask if a flat is free
- ask where something is located in the flat
- ask to place certain furniture
- say that you rent a flat
Learn the words and expressions for the dialogue
flat, apartment
Do you have a flat?
here
Here is a form.
big, large; great
Is the flat big?
there
I was not there.
to sleep
Did you sleep well?
bed
We need a bed for the child.
bathroom, bath
I’d like a room with a bathroom.
where (to)
Where are you going to now?
to lay
Lay the shirts on the bed!
to stand; to be; to wait;
Where is (lit.: stands) the taxi?
cupboard, closet
What is lying in the cupboard?
to hang
The suit is hanging in the cupboard.
armchair
Please take a seat in the armchair.
to put; to place
Where will we place the cupboard?
wall
Put this to the wall!
to rent, to hire
Did you rent a room?
Pay attention to the form and the usage of the words
The prepositions an and auf are translated as: ‘at, on’ and ‘on’ accordingly. The preposition auf shows that an object is located on a horizontal surface:
auf dem Schrank – on the cupboard,
auf dem Bett – on the bed etc.The preposition an shows that an object is located on a vertical surface or next to it:
an der Wand – on the wall, at the wall etc.
The verb hängen may require an object in the accusative case without a preposition; in this case it has the forms of weak verbs and it is used when we would like to express the idea that we hang something somewhere (movement).
If the verb hängen is intransitive, that is does not require an object, it has the forms of strong verbs (hängen, hing, gehangen) and it is used to show that something is already hanging somewhere (a state) in the dative case:Ich hänge den Anzug in den Schrank. – I hang the suit in the cupboard.
Der Anzug hängt im Schrank. – The suit is hanging in the cupboard.
Remember the following way of word-formation (1)
zwei + das Zimmer + die Wohnung = die Zweizimmerwohnung
drei + das Zimmer + die Wohnung = die Dreizimmerwohnung
wohn(en) + das Zimmer = das Wohnzimmer living room
schlaf(en)+ das Zimmer = das Schlafzimmer bedroom
der Schrank + die Wand = die Schrankwand wall unit
Practise in reading the words
Ist die Wohnung noch frei?
Grammar points
You already know that prepositions require nouns in certain cases (see lesson 4, activity 1 and 2). In German, there is a group of prepositions which require nouns either in the dative case (wo?), or in the accusative case (wohin?):
Wo ist das Zimmer?—Das Zimmer ist im (in + dem) ersten Stock.
Wohin gehen Sie?—Ich gehe ins (in + das) Zimmer.Remember the dual case prepositions and their main meanings:
in in
Ich gehe in mein Zimmer. – I go in my room.
an on; at, to
Stellen Sie den Sessel an die Wand! – Put the armchair to the wall!
auf on
Die Formulare liegen auf dem Schrank. – The forms are lying on the cupboard.
vor before; in front of
Das Taxi steht vor dem Hotel. – The taxi is (standing) in front of the hotel.
hinter behind
Das Bad liegt hinter diesem Zimmer.
The bathroom is behind the room.neben beside, next to
Nehmen Sie neben mir Platz! – Have a seat next to me!
über over, above
Mein Zimmer liegt über dem Friseursalon.
My room is located above the hairdressing salon.unter under, below
Ihr Zimmer liegt unter meiner Wohnung.
Your room is located below my flat.zwischen between
Der Sessel steht zwischen den Betten. – The armchair is (standing) between the beds.
Dual case prepositions
an on; at, to
auf on
hinter behind
neben beside, next to
unter under, below
zwischen between
1. You ordered a new peice of furniture. Your interlocutor wants to know if it is nice or not. Answer. Ask the interlocutor the same question.
B. Ist der Schrank schön?
Continue:
das Bett, das Schlafzimmer, die Schrankwand, der Sessel, das Wohnzimmer, das Kinderbett.
2. You are asked where you want to place your new furniture. Answer the question. Ask the interlocutor the same thing.
B. Ich stelle den Schrank in mein Zimmer.
Continue:
der Sessel (das Wohnzimmer), das Bett (das Schlafzimmer), der Schrank (das Kinderzimmer), die Schrankwand (das Wohnzimmer).
3. Answer the question about where your new furniture is located now. Ask the interlocutor the same thing.
B. Der Schrank steht jetzt in meinem Zimmer.
Continue:
der Schrank (das Bad), das Bett (das Schlafzimmer), der Sessel (das Wohnzimmer), die Schrankwand (das Wohnzimmer).
4. The interlocutor thinks that you have just placed a piece of furniture in your room. Say that (s)he is wrong. What question would you ask if you were the interlocutor?
B. Nein, er hat schon immer in meinem Zimmer gestanden.
Continue:
der Schrank (die Wand), der Sessel (das Bett), das Bett (der Schrank), der Sessel (das Wohnzimmer).
5. Fill in the gaps with the appropriate words from the dialogue.
1. Können Sie einen Sessel in das Wohnzimmer ? 2. Wohin kann ich meine Hemden ? 3. Das Bad ist dem Schlafzimmer. 4. Ist die Wohnung noch ? 5. Ich die Wohnung.
6. Reconstruct the dialogue by filling in the gaps with the appropriate words.
.
.
Dort können Sie auch Ihre Anzüge hängen.
7. Try to reproduce the dialogue “Ist die Wohnung noch frei?” by memory.
Check yourself!
What expressions will you use if you want to:
ask if a flat is free
ask where something is located in the flat
ask to place certain furniture
say that you rent a flat
