Breakdown of Wir müssen um die Grube herum laufen.
wir
we
müssen
to have to, must
laufen
to walk / to run (steady pace, jog)
um
around
die Grube
the pit
herum
around (adverb)
Questions & Answers about Wir müssen um die Grube herum laufen.
Why are there two words, um and herum, translating to "around"?
This is a circumposition (a two-part preposition). You use the combination um ... herum to heavily emphasize moving completely around the outside of an obstacle, rather than just heading in its general direction.
Why is herum placed after die Grube instead of next to um?
That is exactly how circumpositions work! They wrap around the noun phrase like a sandwich. The first part (um) goes before the object, and the second part (herum) goes immediately after it.
Why is it die Grube? Does um ... herum require a specific case?
Yes, the first part of this pair, um, always forces the accusative case. Because Grube (pit or hole) is a feminine noun, its accusative article is die.
Could I leave out herum and just say Wir müssen um die Grube laufen?
Yes, that is grammatically correct and means almost exactly the same thing. Adding herum simply adds extra emphasis on the physical detour of navigating around the obstacle.
The translation says "walk", but does not laufen usually mean "run"?
It can mean both! While rennen specifically means "to sprint" or "to run fast", laufen is very often used in everyday German to just mean "to walk" or "to go on foot", especially when you are talking about covering a specific physical route.
Learn Wir müssen um die Grube herum laufen and more in German
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free