Wir sortieren die Kleidung aus, bevor wir sie spenden.
We sort out the clothes before we donate them.
Breakdown of Wir sortieren die Kleidung aus, bevor wir sie spenden.
sie
she
wir
we
bevor
before
die Kleidung
the clothing
aussortieren
to sort out
spenden
to donate
Questions & Answers about Wir sortieren die Kleidung aus, bevor wir sie spenden.
Why do we use 'sie' to mean 'them' when referring to the clothes?
In German, die Kleidung is a singular feminine noun, much like the English word 'clothing'. Because it is singular and feminine, we must refer back to it using the singular feminine pronoun sie, even though English uses the plural 'them'.
Why does the first part of the sentence end with 'aus'?
This is because of the separable verb aussortieren (to sort out). In a regular main clause, the prefix aus- detaches from the conjugated verb (sortieren) and moves to the very end of that clause, right before the comma.
Why does the verb 'spenden' appear at the very end of the sentence?
The word bevor (before) is a subordinating conjunction. It introduces a dependent clause, which means the conjugated verb (spenden) must be pushed to the very end of that clause.
How would we use this lesson's '-bar' suffix to describe clothes that are 'donatable'?
You can attach the suffix to the stem of the verb spenden (to donate) to create the adjective spendbar. If you wanted to say 'The clothing is donatable', it would be Die Kleidung ist spendbar.
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