Angenommen, dass der Termin frei ist, ändern wir den Belegungsplan.

Because the sentence begins with a subordinate clause: Angenommen, dass der Termin frei ist. In German, subordinate clauses are separated from the main clause by a comma.

So the structure is:

• subordinate clause: Angenommen, dass der Termin frei ist
• main clause: ändern wir den Belegungsplan

German punctuation marks this boundary clearly.

That happens because dass introduces a subordinate clause. In German subordinate clauses with dass, the conjugated verb usually goes to the end.

So:

• dass der Termin frei ist

not:

• dass der Termin ist frei

This is one of the most important German word-order rules to learn.

In a main clause, German normally puts the conjugated verb in the second position. The whole opening clause counts as position 1:

1. Angenommen, dass der Termin frei ist
2. ändern
3. wir den Belegungsplan

That is why you get:

• Angenommen, dass der Termin frei ist, ändern wir den Belegungsplan.

If the sentence started directly with the subject, then it would be:

• Wir ändern den Belegungsplan.

Here angenommen means something like assuming, supposing, or let’s assume.

It introduces a condition or assumption. In this sentence, it sets up the idea: if we assume the appointment is free/available...

Grammatically, angenommen is originally the past participle of annehmen (to assume, to accept), but here it functions more like a linking word introducing a condition.

It is understandable, but many learners should know that it is not the most natural version.

More idiomatic alternatives are:

• Angenommen, der Termin ist frei, ändern wir den Belegungsplan.
• Wenn der Termin frei ist, ändern wir den Belegungsplan.
• Vorausgesetzt, dass der Termin frei ist, ändern wir den Belegungsplan.

So a native speaker would very often prefer Angenommen, der Termin ist frei... without dass.

Termin is a masculine noun, so in the nominative singular it takes der:

• der Termin

In this clause, der Termin is the subject of ist, so nominative is required.

With Termin, frei usually means available, open, or not occupied/booked.

So der Termin ist frei means the appointment slot or time slot is available.

This is a very common use of frei in scheduling contexts.

Because Belegungsplan is the direct object of ändern.

The verb ändern takes an accusative object:

• etwas ändern = to change something

Since Belegungsplan is masculine, its accusative singular article is den:

• nominative: der Belegungsplan
• accusative: den Belegungsplan

Belegungsplan is a compound noun:

• Belegung = occupancy, allocation, booking, assignment
• Plan = plan, schedule

Together, Belegungsplan means something like:

• occupancy plan
• booking schedule
• allocation schedule

The best English translation depends on context. In an office, hotel, clinic, or scheduling system, it could refer to a timetable showing what is booked or assigned.

Ändern means to change or to alter.

In this sentence:

• ändern wir den Belegungsplan = we change the schedule

It is a regular verb:

• ich ändere
• du änderst
• er/sie/es ändert
• wir ändern

Notice the umlaut ä in the stem.

Yes. If you want a straightforward conditional meaning, wenn is often the simplest choice:

• Wenn der Termin frei ist, ändern wir den Belegungsplan.

This means If the appointment is available, we change/will change the schedule.

Compared with wenn, angenommen sounds more like a hypothetical assumption: assuming that...

Because the second part is a main clause, not a subordinate clause. German does not need a linking word there.

The sentence works like this:

• subordinate clause introduced by dass
• comma
• main clause with verb in second position

So after the subordinate clause ends, German simply continues with the main clause:

• ..., ändern wir den Belegungsplan.

Not exactly.

• Zeit means time in a general sense.
• Termin usually means an appointment, scheduled meeting, or time slot.

In this sentence, Termin suggests a scheduled slot in a calendar or plan, not just time in general.

Yes, depending on context.

• ändern wir den Belegungsplan can mean we are changing the schedule
• or we will change the schedule

German often uses the present tense for future meaning when the context makes it clear.

So this sentence could naturally refer to a future action: If the slot is available, we’ll change the schedule.

It is required by normal German main-clause word order.

Because the opening clause takes the first position, the verb must come next. The subject then comes after the verb:

• Angenommen, dass der Termin frei ist, ändern wir den Belegungsplan.

This is not just stylistic variation; it is the standard verb-second rule in German main clauses.