Breakdown of Wir warten darauf, die neuen Samen im Garten zu säen.
wir
we
neu
new
der Garten
the garden
im
in the (used with months) / in the (contraction of in + dem)
warten auf
to wait for
darauf
on it
zu
to (infinitive marker)
der Samen
the seed
säen
to sow
Questions & Answers about Wir warten darauf, die neuen Samen im Garten zu säen.
Why do we need darauf in this sentence? Can't we just say Wir warten, die neuen Samen...?
In German, the verb warten requires the preposition auf (to wait for). When you are waiting for an action to happen (expressed by the zu clause), you can't just drop the preposition. Instead, you combine da + r + auf to create a placeholder (darauf) in the main clause pointing forward to the action.
How do I know whether to use darauf, daran, or dazu as the placeholder before the comma?
It always depends on the preposition that the main verb naturally takes. Since the standard verb phrase is warten auf (to wait for something), the placeholder must be darauf. If the main verb were denken an (to think about), the placeholder would be daran.
Why is the adjective ending -en in die neuen Samen?
Samen (seeds) is in the plural form here, and it is the direct object of the verb säen (to sow). After the plural definite article die, plural adjectives always take the -en ending.
Why does the sentence use im Garten instead of in den Garten?
The action of sowing the seeds is happening entirely within the garden, which describes a fixed location. Therefore, the two-way preposition in takes the dative case. The words in + dem contract to form im.
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