Breakdown of Wir müssen den Jahresabschluss vorbereiten.
wir
we
müssen
to have to, must
der
who, which, that (relative pronoun; die, das)
vorbereiten
to prepare
der Jahresabschluss
the annual financial statement
Questions & Answers about Wir müssen den Jahresabschluss vorbereiten.
Why is there an -es- in the middle of Jahresabschluss?
This is a linking element (Fugenlaut). The compound noun is made of das Jahr (the year) and der Abschluss (the conclusion or statement). Nouns that add an -es in the genitive case, like the neuter word das Jahr (genitive: des Jahres), very frequently use -es- as a linking element when combined with another noun.
Why does the sentence use the accusative masculine article den for Jahresabschluss, even though das Jahr is neuter?
In German compound nouns, the very last word always determines the gender of the entire word. Because der Abschluss is masculine, the whole compound der Jahresabschluss is masculine. In this sentence, it is the direct object, so it takes the masculine accusative article den.
vorbereiten is a separable verb. Why isn't the prefix vor- split off and put at the end of the sentence?
Because of the modal verb müssen. When a separable verb is paired with a modal verb, the modal verb takes the conjugated second position in the sentence, and it pushes the main verb to the very end in its full, unseparated infinitive form.
I know Abschluss as meaning "graduation" or "degree". How does it translate to "financial statement" here?
The word Abschluss comes from the verb abschließen (to close or conclude). While it often refers to concluding a school program (graduation), in business it refers to closing the accounting books. Therefore, a Jahresabschluss literally means "year's closing", which we call an annual financial statement.
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