Breakdown of Du musst ein Glas aus dem Schrank holen.
ein
a, an (eine)
du
you (informal singular)
aus
from / out of (made of)
müssen
to have to, must
das Glas
the glass
der Schrank
the cupboard / the closet
holen
to get / to fetch
Questions & Answers about Du musst ein Glas aus dem Schrank holen.
Why is it dem Schrank and not der Schrank?
The preposition aus is a strict dative preposition, meaning it always forces the noun that follows it into the dative case. Because Schrank (cupboard) is a masculine noun, the word for 'the' changes from der to dem in the dative.
Does aus also change ein Glas into the dative case?
No, prepositions only affect the noun phrase connected to them, which here is just dem Schrank. The phrase ein Glas is the direct object (the thing you are getting), so it is in the accusative case. Since Glas is a neuter noun, its accusative form is simply ein Glas.
Why is the verb holen at the very end of the sentence?
This happens because of the modal verb musst (must). In German sentences, a conjugated modal verb in the second position pushes the main action verb (here, holen) all the way to the end of the sentence in its unconjugated dictionary form.
Could I use nehmen (to take) instead of holen here?
You could, but holen tells a slightly different story. holen specifically means to go and fetch something that is not right in front of you. Since you have to walk over and get the glass out of a cupboard, fetching it (holen) is a very natural choice.
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