Breakdown of Der Fußgänger läuft an dem Bagger vorbei.
an
at, on (vertical) / to (addressee) / of (in quantity/stock expressions)
laufen
to walk / to run (steady pace, jog)
der Bagger
the excavator
der Fußgänger
the pedestrian
vorbei
past
Questions & Answers about Der Fußgänger läuft an dem Bagger vorbei.
Why is Bagger in the dative case (dem Bagger) if there is movement involved?
Good catch! While an on its own is a two-way preposition that takes the accusative case for movement toward a goal, the combined phrase an ... vorbei (past / by) is a strict exception. The combination an ... vorbei always requires the dative case, regardless of movement. That is why the masculine noun Bagger uses dem.
Why is vorbei pushed all the way to the end of the sentence?
Because an ... vorbei is a multi-part preposition (circumposition). The first part (an) sits right before the noun it modifies, but the second part (vorbei) acts a lot like a separable prefix on a verb. It gets kicked to the very end of the clause.
Can I combine an and dem to say am Bagger vorbei?
Absolutely! Contracting an dem into am is very common and sounds completely natural. Leaving them separate as an dem Bagger just adds a slight emphasis, similar to saying "past that specific excavator" in English.
Doesn't laufen mean "to run"? Why is it translated as "is walking" here?
While laufen does mean "to run," German speakers use it constantly in everyday life to simply mean "to walk" or "to go somewhere by foot" (as opposed to driving). Since the subject is a pedestrian (Fußgänger), "walking" is the most logical translation for läuft in this context.
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