Breakdown of Wir sortieren die Lebensmittel aus, bevor sie nicht mehr essbar sind.
sein
to be
wir
we
sie
they
nicht mehr
no longer, not any more
bevor
before
das Lebensmittel
the food item (usually plural: groceries)
aussortieren
to sort out
essbar
edible
Questions & Answers about Wir sortieren die Lebensmittel aus, bevor sie nicht mehr essbar sind.
How does the suffix in essbar change the meaning of the verb?
The suffix -bar is added to the stem of a verb to show that something can have that action done to it (passive possibility). Here, it is attached to the stem of essen (to eat). So, essbar means 'eatable' or 'edible'.
Is the verb in the first half of the sentence sortieren or aussortieren?
The verb is aussortieren (to sort out or discard). It is a separable verb, which is why the prefix aus jumps to the end of the main clause, giving us: Wir sortieren die Lebensmittel aus.
Why is the verb sind at the very end of the sentence?
The second part of the sentence starts with bevor (before). This is a subordinating conjunction, which introduces a dependent clause and forces its conjugated verb (sind) to the very end.
How does the phrase nicht mehr work here?
The phrase nicht mehr translates to 'no longer' or 'not anymore'. In German, this negation is placed directly in front of the adjective it modifies (essbar), creating the meaning 'no longer edible'.
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