Breakdown of Der Zugvogel legt jeden Herbst eine weite Strecke zurück.
ein
a, an (eine)
weit
far / wide, vast
jeder
everyone / each
der Herbst
the autumn
die Strecke
the route / the distance
der Zugvogel
the migratory bird
zurücklegen
to cover (a distance)
Questions & Answers about Der Zugvogel legt jeden Herbst eine weite Strecke zurück.
Why do we use jeden Herbst without a preposition like "in"?
This is the adverbial accusative of time. For definite time expressions, like "every autumn" or "next month", German often drops the preposition entirely and just uses the accusative case. Since Herbst is masculine (der Herbst), the adjective takes the accusative -en ending, giving us jeden Herbst.
Is eine weite Strecke an adverbial accusative of distance?
In this specific sentence, eine weite Strecke (a long distance) is the direct object of the verb zurücklegen. However, it shares the exact same accusative pattern you've learned for distances, like in Er geht einen Kilometer (He walks a kilometer), where the distance acts as a measurement without a preposition.
How does the verb zurücklegen translate to "covers"?
The separable verb zurücklegen literally means "to put back" or "to set aside", but in the context of travel and transportation, it translates to "to cover" a distance. Because it is a separable verb in a main clause, legt takes the second position and the prefix zurück is sent to the end of the sentence.
What is the literal meaning of Zugvogel?
It is a compound noun made from der Zug and der Vogel (the bird). While you might know Zug as "train", it also means "migration", "move", or "pull" (from the verb ziehen). Therefore, a Zugvogel is literally a "migration bird".
Learn Der Zugvogel legt jeden Herbst eine weite Strecke zurück 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