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Questions & Answers about Er räumt morgen das Haus auf.
What does aufräumen mean and why is auf separated from räumt in Er räumt morgen das Haus auf.
aufräumen is a separable verb meaning to tidy up, to clean up, or to put things in order. In German main clauses, the prefix auf- detaches from the verb stem (räumen) and moves to the end of the sentence. That’s why you see räumt near the front and auf at the end.
Why is das Haus in the accusative case here?
Separable verbs like aufräumen are transitive—they take a direct object. Direct objects in German take the accusative case. das Haus (neuter singular) stays das Haus in the accusative.
What is the word order rule for time expressions like morgen, and could I move morgen to a different position?
German often follows the Time-Manner-Place (TMP) sequence. Time expressions such as morgen generally come right after the finite verb (in V2 position). Here you have Er (subject) + räumt (verb) + morgen (time). You can move morgen to the very front for emphasis:
Morgen räumt er das Haus auf.
The verb still stays in second position.
What tense is räumt, and how would I form past or future tenses of aufräumen?
räumt is the present indicative (3rd person singular).
- Past (perfect): Er hat das Haus aufgeräumt. (“He tidied up the house.”)
- Future: Er wird das Haus morgen aufräumen. (“He will tidy up the house tomorrow.”)
How do I pronounce räumt, especially the äu part?
In German äu is pronounced like the English oy in boy. So räumt sounds roughly like [r-oy-mt], with a rolled or guttural German r at the start.
Are there synonyms for aufräumen, and do they change the nuance?
Yes.
- aufräumen: focus on clearing clutter and putting things in order.
- saubermachen / säubern: emphasize removing dirt and making things clean.
- reinigen: more formal, often used for cleaning surfaces or technical contexts.
So Er räumt das Haus auf = he’s organizing/tidying; Er macht das Haus sauber = he’s cleaning it (dusting, mopping, etc.).
Why isn’t there a preposition indicating the location, like in or im?
Here das Haus is the direct object being tidied, not a location. If you want to specify where the tidying happens (inside the house), you’d say:
Er räumt morgen im Haus auf.
Now im Haus (“in the house”) is a prepositional phrase indicating place, not the object of the action.
Can I drop the subject Er and say Räumt morgen das Haus auf?
No. In German statements you normally need an explicit subject. Räumt morgen das Haus auf without a subject looks like a question (“Is he tidying up the house tomorrow?”) or is simply ungrammatical as a declarative sentence. You only omit the subject in commands (imperatives), e.g. Räum das Haus auf! (singular informal) or Räumt das Haus auf! (plural).