Breakdown of Der Ladendieb scheint auf der Rolltreppe nach der Tasche zu greifen.
die Tasche
the bag
nach
to / towards
auf
on / to (down/up to a level)
zu
to (infinitive marker)
scheinen
to seem
der Ladendieb
the shoplifter
die Rolltreppe
the escalator
greifen
to grab
Questions & Answers about Der Ladendieb scheint auf der Rolltreppe nach der Tasche zu greifen.
How does the scheinen ... zu construction work in this sentence?
Just like the English 'seems to', German uses the conjugated verb scheint in the second position and pushes zu along with the infinitive verb (greifen) to the very end of the sentence.
Why does the sentence use nach for 'for' instead of für?
The verb greifen (to reach or grab) is a fixed verb-preposition combination that pairs with nach when reaching for an object. It is best to memorize it as the chunk nach etwas greifen.
Why is it der Tasche when Tasche is a feminine noun?
The preposition nach always requires the dative case. It forces the following noun into the dative, and the dative form of the feminine article die changes to der.
Why does Rolltreppe also take the dative case (auf der)?
auf is a two-way preposition. Because the shoplifter is already on the escalator while reaching, it indicates a static location (answering 'where?' rather than 'to where?'). For locations, two-way prepositions take the dative case.
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