Breakdown of Im Nachhinein ärgert er sich über den Streit.
über
about (a topic)
sich ärgern
to be annoyed / to be angry
der Streit
the argument, fight
im Nachhinein
in hindsight
Questions & Answers about Im Nachhinein ärgert er sich über den Streit.
What exactly is the origin of the phrase Im Nachhinein?
It translates to "in hindsight" or "in retrospect." It is built from the neuter noun das Nachhinein, but in modern German, you will almost exclusively see it used in this fixed dative phrase (in + dem = im).
Why is the word order ärgert er sich instead of ärgert sich er?
When the first position is taken by an adverbial phrase like Im Nachhinein, the verb comes second and the subject moves to the third position. Because the subject er is a personal pronoun, it must come immediately after the verb, pushing the reflexive pronoun sich behind it. If the subject were a full noun, the order would often flip: ärgert sich der Mann.
Why does über take the accusative case (den Streit) here? Isn't it a two-way preposition?
über is a two-way preposition when talking about physical locations, but here it is part of a fixed verb phrase: sich ärgern über (to be annoyed about). When used in abstract verb-preposition combinations, über practically always requires the accusative case.
Does ärgern always need to be reflexive?
No. When used with a reflexive pronoun (sich ärgern), it means you yourself feel annoyed or upset. If you drop the reflexive pronoun, it becomes a regular transitive verb meaning to annoy someone else. For example: Er ärgert den Hund (He is annoying the dog).
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