I have my next German course test tomorrow. As I spent time trying to study grammar and the more than 500 new words from the last 2.5 weeks of class, I realized I would only have time for a quick blog post today. Which is my excuse for posting yet another photo and letting it pretty much speak for itself…
Seen in the Street, Tübingen
That’s the top of a building down the street from our apartment. I’d never noticed how interesting the top of it was until I saw it reflected in a rain puddle in the street. So, technically, the building is both on the street, as well as (in the photo) in the street.
As I review German prepositions for the test, it occurs to me that if I tried to explain this photo in German, my teacher would probably first correct my preposition usage. In class, most of the student are always incorrectly saying things are in X, when what you really need to say in German is auf X . For example, at lease once a day it seems like one of the students will want to explain that another student is late getting back from the coffee break because she is “in the bathroom”, which in German is auf der Toilette. However, what my fellow-student will say is that the person is “in der Toilette”, (literally in the toilet). You can see how that would be a problem.
So we need to master the prepositions. In the above photo, is the building auf der Straße, or in the Straße? I would say it is both, if we look at it figuratively as being in the puddle which is on the street. Luckily, I won’t have to explain that logical conundrum on the exam, though.
I know, I know, too much grammar information. Maybe I have been thinking about prepositions a little too much today. Anyway, enjoy the photo … and I promise no grammar explanations tomorrow. 😉
Good luck on the test.
I like the picture, even though it does jar the eye, partly because of its startling clarity considering it’s only a mud puddle.
Just the thought of learning 500 words is overwhelming. I don’t see how you do it!
Beautiful picture. Love the way the gravel and street are not parallel and the house is on the road. I would not say in because what you are seeing is a reflection which is off the surface. But it looks like it is in the road. Ace the test you know you can.
Kathy makes a good point. Can we say it’s under the road?
Thanks, everybody – glad you all liked the photo, whether the building is seen as in, on, under, etc. Stan, I agree, 500 words is a lot of words. We’re back down to only 30 new words (on average) per day, so maybe we’ll only have 300 new words to master for the next test.