Breakdown of Die Umleitung führt um die Absperrung herum.
führen
to lead / to conduct (a conversation or interview)
um
around
die Umleitung
the detour
herum
around (adverb)
Questions & Answers about Die Umleitung führt um die Absperrung herum.
Why are there two words, um and herum, to mean 'around'?
This is a circumposition (a two-part preposition). The first part (um) goes before the noun, and the second part (herum) goes after it, framing the noun phrase. Together, um ... herum emphasizes the physical path of going completely around something or bypassing an obstacle.
Why is die Absperrung in the accusative case here?
When using a two-part preposition, the first preposition determines the case. Since um always takes the accusative case, the noun it governs (die Absperrung) must be accusative. Because it is a feminine noun, the accusative word for 'the' (die) looks identical to the nominative.
Could I just say um herum die Absperrung instead?
No, the structure cannot be squeezed together before the noun. The second part (herum) must follow the noun phrase it modifies. It acts like a bracket around the object: um + object + herum.
Is the herum strictly necessary?
You could just use um die Absperrung, which also means 'around the barrier'. However, adding herum is very common in German because it strongly emphasizes the physical movement of bypassing the obstacle.