Breakdown of Nach dem Sport schmerzt mein rechtes Handgelenk ein wenig.
dem
the; (masculine or neuter, dative)
nach
after
mein
my
der Sport
the sport
schmerzen
to hurt
recht
right
das Handgelenk
the wrist
ein wenig
a little
Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching German grammar and vocabulary.
Questions & Answers about Nach dem Sport schmerzt mein rechtes Handgelenk ein wenig.
Why does nach require the dative case, making dem Sport dative?
nach is one of the German prepositions that always takes the dative. When you see nach, you know its object must be in the dative case. Since Sport is a masculine noun, its dative singular form is dem Sport (“after the exercise”).
Why is schmerzt in the second position, and why does the subject come after Nach dem Sport?
German main clauses follow the “verb-second” (V2) rule: the finite verb must occupy the second slot. If you begin with a time expression like Nach dem Sport (first slot), the verb schmerzt goes in the second, and the subject mein rechtes Handgelenk follows.
Why is mein rechtes Handgelenk in the nominative case?
In the sentence schmerzt is an intransitive verb whose subject is the thing that hurts. Here mein rechtes Handgelenk is that subject, so it stands in the nominative. There’s no dative person (“mir”) because the joint itself “feels” the pain.
Why is it mein instead of meine, and why is the adjective rechtes ending in -es?
Handgelenk is a neuter noun (das Handgelenk). The possessive pronoun for neuter nominative is mein (no -e ending). Because mein doesn’t carry a full case ending in the neuter nominative, the following adjective must take the strong ending -es: mein rechtes Handgelenk.
What’s the difference between saying schmerzt and using tut weh, as in Mein Handgelenk tut mir weh?
- schmerzen (intransitive): the body part is the grammatical subject (“mein Handgelenk schmerzt”).
- weh tun (compound verb): the person experiences pain, so you need a dative object (“tut mir weh”).
Nuance: schmerzen feels a bit more formal/medical, weh tun is everyday speech.
What does ein wenig mean, and can I use other words like ein bisschen or etwas?
ein wenig means “a little” or “somewhat.” You can swap in:
• ein bisschen (more colloquial)
• etwas (more neutral)
All three express a small degree, though ein wenig often sounds slightly more formal than ein bisschen.
Why is Handgelenk one word and capitalized?
German forms compound nouns by joining words without spaces. Hand + Gelenk → Handgelenk. Also, all German nouns are capitalized, so you always write it with a capital H.
Could I also say nach dem Training or nach dem Joggen, and what about dropping the article to say nach Sport?
- nach dem Training or nach dem Joggen work perfectly because Training and the nominalized verb Joggen are neuter nouns and require dem.
- You cannot normally drop the article with nach; phrases like nach Sport sound unidiomatic in German. Always use nach dem … for activities.
What’s the difference between using nach dem Sport and nachdem ich Sport gemacht habe?
• nach dem Sport is a simple prepositional phrase (PP) + main clause.
• nachdem ich Sport gemacht habe is a subordinate clause introduced by the conjunction nachdem; it requires a verb-final structure:
“Nachdem ich Sport gemacht habe, schmerzt mein Handgelenk ein wenig.”
Both mean “after exercising,” but the subordinate-clause version is longer and more formal.