Breakdown of Zuerst hat sie den Koffer gebracht.
sie
she
haben
to have
der Koffer
the suitcase
bringen
to bring
zuerst
first
Questions & Answers about Zuerst hat sie den Koffer gebracht.
Why is the verb hat before the subject sie?
In German, the conjugated verb must always be in the second position. Because the sequential adverb Zuerst takes up the first position, the subject sie gets pushed to the third position just after the verb.
Can I start the sentence with Sie instead of Zuerst?
Yes! You can say Sie hat zuerst den Koffer gebracht. Starting with Zuerst just puts more emphasis on the order of events, which is very common when telling a story or explaining steps.
Why is it den Koffer and not der Koffer?
Koffer (suitcase) is a masculine noun. Because the suitcase is the thing being brought, it is the direct object of the sentence. Therefore, it takes the accusative case, changing der to den.
Why does the German sentence use hat gebracht (has brought) when the English translation just says brought?
In spoken German, the perfect tense (hat gebracht) is the standard way to talk about past events. Even though we often use the simple past in English, the German perfect tense is the most natural way to say this in everyday conversation.
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