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Breakdown of Nach der Arbeit hole ich den Staubsauger aus dem Schrank.
ich
I
die Arbeit
the work
nach
after
aus
from
der Schrank
the cupboard
holen
to fetch
der Staubsauger
the vacuum cleaner
Questions & Answers about Nach der Arbeit hole ich den Staubsauger aus dem Schrank.
Why is nach der Arbeit in the dative case?
Because the preposition nach always governs the dative case in German. That’s why die Arbeit becomes der Arbeit here (feminine singular dative).
Why is nach der Arbeit placed at the beginning of the sentence?
German often puts time expressions at the front for emphasis or style. When a phrase like nach der Arbeit occupies the first position, the finite verb hole must come second (verb-second rule), pushing the subject ich to third position.
Why is den Staubsauger in the accusative case?
Staubsauger is the direct object of the verb holen (to fetch). Direct objects in German take the accusative case, so the masculine definite article der changes to den.
Why does aus dem Schrank use the dative case?
The preposition aus always requires the dative case. Therefore der Schrank (masculine) becomes dem Schrank (masculine singular dative).
What does the verb holen mean here, and how do you conjugate it for ich?
holen means to fetch, to get, or to go and pick up. In the present tense for the first person singular, you drop -en and add -e, yielding ich hole.
Is aus dem Schrank holen a separable verb?
No. holen is not a separable-prefix verb with aus in this context. aus dem Schrank is simply a prepositional phrase indicating where you fetch something from.
Why is Staubsauger written as one word, and how do you know its gender?
German forms compound nouns by concatenation: Staub (dust) + Sauger (sucker) = Staubsauger (vacuum cleaner). A compound noun inherits the gender of its final component, here Sauger, which is masculine, so it’s der Staubsauger.
Could you omit the article and say ich hole Staubsauger aus dem Schrank?
No. German generally requires an article (definite or indefinite) with singular, countable nouns. Omitting den sounds ungrammatical in this context.
Do you need a comma after Nach der Arbeit?
No. Short introductory adverbial phrases usually don’t take a comma in German. The sentence flows correctly without one.
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“How do German cases work?”
German has four grammatical cases: nominative (subject), accusative (direct object), dative (indirect object), and genitive (possession). The case determines the form of articles and adjectives. For example, "the dog" is "der Hund" as a subject but "den Hund" as a direct object.
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