German Phrase
Sie gehen ins Kinderzimmer.
Meaning
The sentence means ‘They go into the children’s room’ or ‘You (formal) go into the children’s room’, depending on whether ‘Sie’ is interpreted as ‘they’ or as the polite form of ‘you’. It describes a movement from elsewhere into the room where children sleep or play.
When to use
Use this phrase when you are describing someone entering a child's bedroom, giving directions in a house, or narrating a story about a family. It works in both spoken and written German, especially in neutral or slightly formal contexts.
✦Grammar Breakdown
SiegeheninsKinderzimmer.
Sie (subject pronoun)
Capitalized 'Sie' can mean formal 'you' (plural) or third‑person plural 'they' depending on context.
gehen (present tense)
'gehen' is the infinitive; in the present tense it conjugates to 'gehen' for both 'sie' (they) and formal 'Sie' (you).
ins = in das
'ins' is the contraction of the preposition 'in' + the neuter definite article 'das', used before neuter nouns in the accusative.
Kinderzimmer (compound noun)
A compound of 'Kinder' (children) + 'Zimmer' (room). The whole noun is neuter, so it takes 'das' in the singular.
Verb‑preposition case
With 'in' indicating motion, the noun takes the accusative case (das Kinderzimmer → das Kinderzimmer).
🗨In Conversation
Entschuldigung, wo ist das Kinderzimmer?
Excuse me, where is the children’s room?
Sie gehen ins Kinderzimmer, wenn Sie die Tür rechts öffnen.
You go into the children’s room if you open the door on the right.
✕Common Mistakes
Sie gehen in das Kinderzimmer.
While grammatically correct, native speakers almost always contract it to ‘ins’. Using the full form sounds overly formal or stilted.
Sie gehen zu dem Kinderzimmer.
‘zu’ expresses direction toward a point, not entry into a room. Use ‘in’ (accusative) for entering.
Sie gehen ins Kinderzimmern.
‘Kinderzimmer’ is singular neuter; the plural is ‘Kinderzimmer’ (no -n). Adding -n is a common error for learners.
↔Alternatives
Sie betreten das Kinderzimmer.
They/You enter the children’s room.
Sie gehen ins Kinderzimmer hinein.
They/You go into the children’s room (emphasizing the inside).
Sie gehen zum Kinderzimmer.
They/You go to the children’s room (less precise about entering).
Cultural Tip
In German households, a ‘Kinderzimmer’ is usually a separate, private space for each child. When speaking to strangers or in professional settings, use the formal ‘Sie’. In a family setting, you would more likely hear the informal ‘ihr geht ins Kinderzimmer’ (you all go into the children’s room). Also, note that German speakers often prefer the contracted form ‘ins’ over the full ‘in das’ in everyday speech.