Learn Hardcore German: Mein Kollege überprüft noch einmal die Tickets, die wir morgen brauchen. - My colleague checks once more the tickets that we need tomorrow.

German possessive pronouns agree with the gender, number, and case of the noun they modify. Kollege is masculine (der Kollege) and here it’s the subject of the sentence, so it’s in the nominative case. The correct form for “my” in masculine nominative is mein, not meinen (which would be masculine accusative).

Why is the verb überprüft not split into über and prüft here, since I’ve learned about separable verbs in German?

German has two types of prefixed verbs: separable and inseparable. Separable prefixes detach in main clauses (e.g. anrufen → “er ruft an”), but inseparable prefixes (like über-) never detach. überprüfen is an inseparable-prefix verb, so you always say überprüft, überprüfte, hat überprüft, etc., without splitting.

What does noch einmal mean, and can I use the shorter form nochmal instead?

noch einmal literally means “once more” or “again,” indicating a repeated action. nochmal is simply a colloquial contraction of noch einmal; both are correct and have the same meaning. In formal writing you may prefer noch einmal, while in everyday speech or informal texts you’ll often see nochmal.

Why is the article die used in die Tickets, and how do I know what case it is?

die is the definite article for all plurals in both nominative and accusative. Ticket is a neuter noun (das Ticket), but its plural is Tickets, and the plural article is always die. Here die Tickets is the direct object of überprüft, so it’s accusative plural—but the article form doesn’t change for accusative vs. nominative in the plural.

Why is there a comma before die wir morgen brauchen, and what role does die play in that clause?

The comma introduces a relative clause. In German you always set off relative clauses with commas. The word die at the beginning of die wir morgen brauchen is a relative pronoun referring back to die Tickets. It stands in accusative plural (Tickets is the object of brauchen in that clause).

Why is brauchen at the very end of the clause die wir morgen brauchen?

German subordinate clauses—including relative clauses—follow the verb‑final rule: the finite verb moves to the last position. Since die wir morgen brauchen is a subordinate (relative) clause, brauchen appears at the end.

Why is it morgen and not morgens when talking about “tomorrow”?

In German morgen (no s) is the adverb for “tomorrow.” morgens (with s) means “in the mornings” (habitual time). Because you’re referring to the specific day after today, you use morgen.

What’s the difference between prüfen and überprüfen, and why is überprüfen used here?

prüfen means “to check,” “to examine,” or “to test.” überprüfen adds the nuance of “double‑check,” “verify,” or “re‑examine” more thoroughly. In this sentence, the colleague is giving the tickets a final check, so überprüfen is more precise than just prüfen.

Can I move noch einmal after die Tickets, and would that change the meaning or emphasis?

Yes. German word order allows some flexibility, especially with adverbial phrases. You could say:
Mein Kollege überprüft die Tickets noch einmal, die wir morgen brauchen.
This shifts noch einmal after the object, placing slightly more focus on die Tickets themselves. The overall meaning (“He checks the tickets one more time”) remains the same; only the subtle emphasis changes.