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- Is it wrong to say "ich bin i…
Is it wrong to say "ich bin im see"instead of "ich bin am see"?
What is the difference between them?
6 Comments
If you are im See - you are actually in the water, swimming or something.
Being am See - is walking on the shore, laying on its beach or even drinking coffee in a restaurant located am See which has a garden or terrace directly on the bank of the lake...
MichaPau pretty much explained it, but here is my take:
Ich bin am See = I am at the lake [No mentioning of being in it, on it, under it. You are just in the vicinity of the lake.]
Ich bin im See = I am in the lake [You are still at the lake, but you are now probably submerged in the water.]
Ich bin auf dem See = I am on the lake [You are still at the lake, but you are no longer submerged in the water. You are now probably on a little fishing boat, drifting on the water]
So here's the rule of thumb for "Lokale Präpositionen":
an: oceans, lakes, coasts (or something similar) auf = land, islands (or something similar) in = forests, mountain ranges, mountains (or something similar)
Examples using the rules of thumb:
Ich bin am Atlantik - Ich gehe an den Atlantik Ich bin am Meer - Ich gehe ans Meer Ich bin an der Küste - Ich gehe an die Küste (I'm at the beach etc.)
Ich bin auf dem Land - Ich gehe aufs Land Ich bin auf der Insel - Ich gehe auf die Insel (I'm on the island etc.)
Ich bin im Schwarzwald - Ich gehe in den Schwarzwald Ich bin im Gebirge - Ich bin ins Gebirge Ich bin in den Bergen - Ich gehe in die Berge (I'm in the forest etc.)
Hopefully this helped a bit. Remember the rules of thumb and you're golden!
True. auf dem Festland again, though.
And
- Ich gehe an Land. = I go from the sea onto (dry) land.
- Ich gehe aufs Land. = I go from the city into the countryside.
I think an Land gehen always refers to coming from some kind of ship. After finishing my swim I don't go "an Land" .
