SpeeekDownload on the App Store
Back to Lost In The City

German Phrase

Wir sind beim großen Torbogen.

/viːɐ̯ zɪnt baɪ̯m ˈɡʁoːsn̩ ˈtɔʁˌboːɡn̩/
Meaning"We are at the big archway."
💡

Meaning

The sentence states that the speakers are located at a large archway, such as a historic city gate or a decorative entrance. It uses the dative case to indicate a fixed location.

🎯

When to use

Use this phrase when you want to tell someone where you are, especially in a city with notable architecture, or when giving directions to meet at a landmark arch.

✦Grammar Breakdown

WirsindbeimgroßenTorbogen

1

Personalpronomen – Wir

‘Wir’ is the first‑person plural pronoun, used for ‘we’.

2

Verb – sein (sind)

‘sein’ means ‘to be’; in present tense, 1st person plural is ‘sind’.

3

Präposition + Artikel – beim

‘beim’ is the contraction of ‘bei dem’, a dative preposition meaning ‘at’ or ‘by’.

4

Adjektivdeklination – großen

With a definite article in the dative masculine singular, the adjective takes the ending ‘‑en’.

5

Nomen – Torbogen

‘Torbogen’ is a masculine noun meaning ‘archway’ or ‘gate arch’; in dative it stays ‘Torbogen’.

🗨In Conversation

A

Wir sind beim großen Torbogen.

We are at the big archway.

Super, ich komme gleich!

Great, I’ll be there shortly!

B

✕Common Mistakes

  • Wir sind beim große Torbogen.

    The adjective must agree with the dative masculine noun, so the ending is ‑en, not ‑e.

  • Wir sind beim großen Torbögen.

    ‘Torbogen’ is singular here; the plural would be ‘Torbögen’, which changes the meaning.

  • Wir sind bei dem großen Torbogen.

    While grammatically correct, native speakers usually contract it to ‘beim’. Using the full form can sound stilted.

↔Alternatives

  • Wir stehen vor dem großen Torbogen.

    We are standing in front of the big archway.

  • Wir befinden uns beim großen Torbogen.

    We are located at the big archway.

  • Wir sind am großen Torbogen.

    We are at the big archway.

de

Cultural Tip

Many German towns feature historic ‘Torbögen’ that once served as city gates. When describing such landmarks, locals often use ‘beim’ (at the) rather than ‘vor’ (in front of) if they are already inside the archway’s vicinity. The phrase sounds natural in casual conversation, but in formal tours you might hear the more precise ‘Wir befinden uns beim großen Torbogen.’