Meine Mutter holt mich später dort ab, wenn ich fertig bin.

My mother will pick me up there later when I am finished.

Breakdown of Meine Mutter holt mich später dort ab, wenn ich fertig bin.

• sein: to be
• dort: there
• ich: I
• später: later
• mein: my
• mich: me
• abholen: to pick up
• wenn: when
• fertig: done
• die Mutter: the mother

Questions & Answers about Meine Mutter holt mich später dort ab, wenn ich fertig bin.

What does the separable verb abholen mean in this sentence?

The verb abholen means to pick up. In this context, Meine Mutter holt mich später dort ab translates to My mother picks me up later there.

Why is the prefix ab separated from holt and placed at the end of the sentence?

In German, some verbs are separable. When such verbs are conjugated in a main clause, the prefix (here, ab) detaches and moves to the end of the sentence, ensuring that the full meaning (to pick up) is understood.

What is the significance of the adverbs später and dort, and why are they ordered that way?

The adverb später means later (indicating time) and dort means there (indicating place). German typically follows the time-before-place rule in sentence structure, which is why später comes immediately after the object mich, followed by dort.

How does the subordinate clause wenn ich fertig bin function in this sentence?

The clause wenn ich fertig bin is introduced by the subordinating conjunction wenn, meaning when. It provides the temporal condition or time reference for the action in the main clause, indicating that the picking up will occur once the speaker is finished.

Why does the verb in the subordinate clause appear at the end as bin?

In German subordinate clauses, the finite verb is customarily placed at the end. Thus, in wenn ich fertig bin, the conjugated verb bin appears last, following the standard word order in subordinated contexts.