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It's only "on the" in some special cases, namely dates. On monday = am Monday, on the first of july = am ersten Juli, on the third day = am dritten Tag. In all other cases, on the = auf dem; am = at.
how would you say "the woman drinks on the table" then?
die Frau trinkt auf dem Tisch? (just guessing here, I have no idea)
If the woman drank too much, probably she would drink on the table. :P It is "Die Frau trinkt auf dem Tisch", correct.
because part of the reason is on the table sounds like she is on the table
yes! am = an dem = at the. "Auf dem" cannot be shortened and it means "on the"
And how could one know if smth can or can't be shortened? Some rule or just remebering?
That's why I was confused. Isn't Tisch dative here? So wouldn't it be dem Tisch and so the sentence would be 'Die Frau trinkt an dem Tisch' ?
It is possible, but the meaning is different. It would mean the woman is drinking over by the table, rather than at the table.
The previous exercise accepted "on the table" for "Der Mann isst am Tisch." Why is it different here?
