Breakdown of Wir sind nach der Prüfung glücklich.
sein
to be
wir
we
glücklich
happy
nach
after (in time)
die Prüfung
the exam
Questions & Answers about Wir sind nach der Prüfung glücklich.
Why does it say der Prüfung if the word for exam is feminine (die Prüfung)?
The preposition nach always requires the dative case. In the dative case, the feminine article die changes to der.
Is there an easy way to remember that Prüfung is feminine so I can use the correct dative article?
Yes! Nouns ending in -ung are almost always feminine. Knowing this tells you that words like die Prüfung or die Zeitung will always change their article to der after dative prepositions like nach, vor, and bei.
Doesn't nach usually mean 'to', like in nach Deutschland?
It does when you are talking about traveling to geographical places like cities or countries. However, when it is used as a temporal preposition with time or events (like an exam), nach means 'after'.
Why does glücklich come at the very end of the sentence?
German sentences follow a specific order and usually place time expressions (like nach der Prüfung) early on, right after the verb, pushing descriptive adjectives (like glücklich) to the end of the sentence.
Learn Wir sind nach der Prüfung glücklich and more in German
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free