Breakdown of Wir laufen durch den Schlamm hindurch und klettern über das Brett hinüber.
und
and
wir
we
über
over, above
laufen
to walk / to run (steady pace, jog)
der
who, which, that (relative pronoun; die, das)
durch
through
klettern
to climb
das Brett
the board
hinüber
over (away)
hindurch
through (adverb)
der Schlamm
the mud
Questions & Answers about Wir laufen durch den Schlamm hindurch und klettern über das Brett hinüber.
Why do we use both durch and hindurch, and both über and hinüber?
It is very common in German to pair a preposition like durch (through) or über (over) with a matching directional adverb at the end of the phrase. Adding hindurch and hinüber emphasizes the physical movement going completely through the mud and safely over the board.
Would the sentence still be correct if I left out hindurch and hinüber?
Yes, absolutely! The sentence is perfectly correct without them and means the same thing. Adding the directional adverbs at the end just puts extra focus on the direction and completion of the movement.
Why does the sentence use hinüber instead of herüber?
The prefix hin- always expresses movement away from the speaker, while her- means movement towards the speaker. By using hinüber and hindurch, the speaker is describing the group moving away from their starting point and progressing onward.
Why are both den Schlamm and das Brett in the accusative case?
The preposition durch is a strict accusative preposition, so the masculine noun der Schlamm becomes den Schlamm. The word über is a two-way preposition. Because the action involves active movement from one side of the board to the other, it also takes the accusative case here.
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