Breakdown of Bevor die Blumen blühen, denken wir daran, das Unkraut zu ziehen.
die Blume
the flower
wir
we
daran
about it / of it
denken an
to think about
zu
to (infinitive marker)
ziehen
to draw / to pull
bevor
before
das Unkraut
the weed
blühen
to bloom
Questions & Answers about Bevor die Blumen blühen, denken wir daran, das Unkraut zu ziehen.
Why do we use daran here instead of just linking directly to the action?
The verb denken requires the preposition an when you are thinking about a topic or task. Because the task here is a full action (das Unkraut zu ziehen), we need a grammatical placeholder in the main clause. We combine da + r + an to make daran. This anticipatory adverb essentially says 'we think about IT', pointing forward to the infinitive clause that tells us exactly what that task is.
Why is the verb denken immediately after the comma?
This is because of the strict 'verb second' rule in German main clauses. The entire introductory subordinate clause (Bevor die Blumen blühen) occupies the first position. To keep the conjugated verb in position two, denken must come right after the comma, which pushes the subject wir into the third position.
Why is zu placed right before ziehen at the end?
This forms an infinitive clause with zu (similar to 'to pull' in English). When an action acts as the object of your main sentence, the verb goes to the very end in its infinitive or dictionary form, with zu directly in front of it. It completes the thought introduced by daran.
Could I use the word vor instead of bevor here?
No, because they have different grammatical jobs. Bevor is a conjunction, meaning it introduces a full clause with a subject and a conjugated verb at the end (die Blumen blühen). Vor is a preposition, which can only be placed in front of a noun phrase, like in vor dem Sommer (before the summer).
In English, we usually say 'we remember to pull the weeds'. Can denken an translate to 'remember'?
Yes! In the context of tasks and errands, using denken an (to think of) is the most natural way in German to say you are remembering to do something. If you were talking about remembering a past memory, you would use a completely different verb: sich erinnern an.
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