- Forum >
- Topic: German >
- "Er fliegt auf einem Schmette…
20 Comments
701
If here Schmetterling means a type of military plane, then one would use "in einem Schmetterling fliegen" not "auf einem Schmetterling", unless of course someone is literally sitting on top of the plane while it operates.
Shouldn't the accusative be used here as 'fliegt' shows movement?
No, because after two-way prepositions such as auf, the accusative is not used simply because there is movement involved; rather, it indicates the destination of a movement that starts somewhere else and ends at the noun following the preposition.
Er fliegt auf auf einen Schmetterling would mean "He is flying onto a butterfly" (i.e. he starts somewhere, flies a bit, and lands on the butterfly).
But Er fliegt auf einem Schmetterling (with the dative case) means "He is flying on a butterfly", i.e. the flying takes place while he is on the butterfly. The butterfly is the location of the flying.
1058
Frenchman: Un papillon ! Spaniard: ¿Una mariposa? Italian: Eh, la farfalla. German: Schmetterling!!!
1328
Der Dichter Wang Tse lag auf einem Felsen und träumte er wäre ein Schmetterling... Plötzlich geschah etwas Unerwartetes... Jetzt wissen wir nicht ob Wang Tse träumte er wäre ein Schmetterling oder ob ein Schmetterling träumte er wäre Wang Tse ... !!!
470
Why is :"it flies on a butterfly not correct".? It is an animal and not a person!? I don't understand that.