Breakdown of Der Mörder rannte in den Wald, aber der Inspektor brachte die Waffe in das Labor.
in
in
aber
but
bringen
to bring
rennen
to run
der Wald
the forest
das Labor
the laboratory
die Waffe
the weapon
der Inspektor
the inspector
der Mörder
the murderer
Questions & Answers about Der Mörder rannte in den Wald, aber der Inspektor brachte die Waffe in das Labor.
What makes rannte a mixed verb?
Mixed verbs combine features of both regular (weak) and irregular (strong) verbs. The verb rennen changes its stem vowel from e to a (like an irregular verb), but it also takes the regular past tense ending -te to become rannte.
Why does bringen change so drastically to brachte?
bringen is a mixed verb that has a special consonant change alongside its vowel change. The ng changes to ch, making the new stem brach-. You then add the regular past ending -te to get brachte. It is very similar to English, where the verb bring transforms into brought!
Why do we use the accusative case for in den Wald and in das Labor?
The preposition in is a two-way preposition. Because the murderer and the inspector are actively moving towards a destination (into the forest, into the laboratory), we use the accusative case to show motion. If they were already stationary inside those places, we would use the dative case (im Wald, im Labor).
Why doesn't the word aber change the word order in the second half of the sentence?
aber is a coordinating conjunction. Words in the ADUSO group (aber, denn, und, sondern, oder) occupy Position 0 in a clause. This means they don't count towards the word order limits, so the subject (der Inspektor) stays in Position 1 and the conjugated verb (brachte) stays right where it normally belongs in Position 2.
Could I say ins Labor instead of in das Labor?
Yes, and you usually should! In spoken and most written German, the preposition in and the neuter accusative article das are almost always contracted to ins. The sentence here leaves them separate so you can clearly see the grammar at work, but ins Labor is much more natural.
Learn Der Mörder rannte in den Wald, aber der Inspektor brachte die Waffe in das Labor 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