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Meaning
The dog is sleeping peacefully on the old sofa.
Word for word: The dog sleeps quietly on the old sofa.
States that a dog is lying asleep, calmly, on an old couch; used to describe a scene or current situation.
A simple main clause in the present tense with verb-second word order: subject 'der Hund' (nominative), finite verb 'schläft', adverb 'ruhig', then a prepositional phrase 'auf dem alten Sofa' with dative case after the two-way preposition 'auf' expressing location. The adjective 'alten' takes a mixed ending after the definite article.
Rules at work(6)
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Der Hund schläft ruhig auf dem alten Sofa.
In this declarative main clause the finite verb 'schläft' stands in second position after the subject phrase.
In a German main clause the finite verb is always the second element. The first element can be the subject, but it can just as easily be a time expression, an object or a whole subordinate clause; whatever it is, it counts as one element and the verb follows it. This is why putting something other than the subject first pushes the subject after the verb.
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auf dem alten Sofa
'auf' takes dative here because the sentence describes where the dog is sleeping, not movement towards something.
An, auf, hinter, in, neben, über, unter, vor and zwischen take the accusative when the phrase answers where to, and the dative when it answers where. The distinction is movement across a boundary against position, not motion against stillness.
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dem alten Sofa
The noun phrase is dative singular neuter, required by locative 'auf'.
The dative marks the indirect object, usually the person something is given, said or shown to. A number of common verbs take a dative object where English would use a direct one, and several prepositions always take it.
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schläft
The present tense is used to describe what the dog is doing now; German uses present where English often uses progressive.
The present describes what is happening now, what happens habitually, and very often what is going to happen, since German uses the present with a time expression where English would use a future.
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Der Hund
'Der Hund' is the subject of the sentence and therefore nominative.
The nominative marks the subject of the clause: whoever or whatever is doing the verb. It is also the case used after the verbs sein, werden and bleiben, so both sides of Das ist mein Bruder stand in the nominative.
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dem alten Sofa
After the definite article 'dem' the adjective takes the mixed ending '-en' in dative singular.
After ein, kein and a possessive, the adjective takes strong endings exactly where the article shows nothing, which is the masculine nominative and the neuter nominative and accusative, and weak endings everywhere else.
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Words(7)
- der
the
determinerA1definite
Appears twice: dative feminine 'der Wirtschaft' and nominative plural 'die Beschlüsse'.
- der Hund
dog
nounA1pl. Hundegen. Hundesstrong declension
- schlafen
to sleep
verbA1schlafen, schlief, hat geschlafenmit habenstrong
- ruhig
quietly, calmly, peacefully
adverbA2modal
As a modal particle it can mean 'feel free to', but here it is the plain adjective/adverb 'quietly'.
- auf
on, onto
prepositionA1governs accusative or dative
Location takes the dative, movement towards the accusative.
- alt
old
adjectiveA1älter, am ältesten / das älteste
- das Sofa
sofa, couch
nounA2pl. Sofasgen. Sofasstrong declension