Ich mache Dennis' Spind auf, bevor er zurückkommt.
I am opening Dennis's locker before he comes back.
Breakdown of Ich mache Dennis' Spind auf, bevor er zurückkommt.
ich
I
er
he
zurückkommen
to come back
bevor
before
Questions & Answers about Ich mache Dennis' Spind auf, bevor er zurückkommt.
Why is there an apostrophe after Dennis instead of an extra 's'?
In German, proper names usually get an -s to show possession (the genitive case). However, if the name already ends in an s-sound like -s, -ß, -x, or -z, you only add an apostrophe. Since Dennis ends in an -s, it becomes Dennis'.
Could I use öffnen instead of aufmachen here?
Yes! Both mean to open and are grammatically correct. aufmachen is a separable verb that is heavily used in everyday spoken German, while öffnen sounds slightly more formal or written. For opening a locker (der Spind), aufmachen is very natural.
Why are the prefix and the verb joined together in zurückkommt at the end of the sentence?
The conjunction bevor introduces a subordinate clause, which forces the conjugated verb to the very end. The verb here is the separable verb zurückkommen. When a separable verb is pushed to the end of a subordinate clause, its prefix and conjugated stem reconnect into a single written word.
What case is Dennis' Spind in this sentence?
It is in the accusative case because it is the direct object being opened. The noun is masculine (der Spind). Because it is preceded directly by a possessive name rather than an article, we do not see the usual -en accusative ending that you would see in den Spind, but the grammatical case remains accusative.