Learn Hardcore German: Danach mache ich die Flasche wieder zu und stelle sie auf den Tisch. - Afterwards I close the bottle again and put it on the table.

zumachen is a separable verb formed from the prefix zu (literally closed) and machen (to make/do), so it means to close. In main clauses, the prefix detaches and moves to the very end of the clause, which is why you see mache … zu rather than zumache ….

Why does the sentence start with Danach, and what effect does that have on word order?

Danach means afterwards or after that. Putting it at the beginning fills the Vorderfeld (front field), so German keeps the finite verb in the second position. The order becomes:

Danach (front field)
mache (finite verb)
ich (subject)
… and so on. This fronting highlights the sequence of actions.

Where does the adverb wieder go, and what does it modify here?

wieder means again and indicates that you are closing the bottle a second time. In a German main clause, adverbs of repetition or frequency typically appear after the direct object but before any final elements (like separable prefixes). Hence:
… die Flasche wieder zu

Why is auf den Tisch in the accusative case, and not auf dem Tisch?

auf is a Wechselpräposition (two-way preposition).

If there is movement toward something (answering wohin?), you use the accusative.
If there is no movement (answering wo?), you use the dative.
Since you are placing the bottle onto the table, you need the accusative: auf den Tisch.

Why do we switch to sie instead of repeating die Flasche in the second part?

Once a noun like die Flasche has been introduced, German prefers a pronoun to avoid repetition. Flasche is feminine, so its accusative pronoun is sie. You get und stelle sie auf den Tisch rather than repeating the full noun.

Why is the subject ich omitted in the second clause after und?

When two clauses are joined by a coordinating conjunction like und and share the same subject, German typically omits the repeated subject in the second clause for brevity. The understood subject remains ich.

What’s the difference between stellen and legen, and why is stellen used here?

• stellen means placing something upright (vertical orientation)
• legen means laying something down (horizontal orientation)
A bottle naturally stands upright, so you use stellen, not legen.

Could you use schließen instead of zumachen, and what’s the nuance between them?

Both verbs mean to close, but:
• zumachen is more colloquial and often used for bottles, bags, lids, etc.
• schließen is more formal and applies to doors, windows, documents, and more abstract closures.
In everyday speech about bottles, die Flasche zumachen sounds more natural than die Flasche schließen.