Wahrscheinlich erweitern wir das System nächstes Jahr, wenn die Kosten sinken.

We will probably expand the system next year when the costs drop.

Breakdown of Wahrscheinlich erweitern wir das System nächstes Jahr, wenn die Kosten sinken.

• wir: we
• wenn: when
• das Jahr: the year
• nächste: next

Questions & Answers about Wahrscheinlich erweitern wir das System nächstes Jahr, wenn die Kosten sinken.

Why is wahrscheinlich placed at the beginning of the sentence?

Wahrscheinlich is a sentence adverb (Modaladverb) that comments on the whole clause (“probably”). In German main clauses the finite verb must occupy the second position, so starting with wahrscheinlich pushes the subject (wir) after the verb (erweitern).

Why is the present tense used here even though the action takes place next year?

German commonly uses the present tense for future events when there’s a clear time adverbial like nächstes Jahr. There’s no requirement to form a separate future tense—wir erweitern can mean “we will expand” when paired with a future time expression.

What form is nächstes Jahr, and why is there no preposition like im?

Nächstes Jahr is an accusative time expression used adverbially without a preposition. German allows bare accusative of time (e.g. letzten Monat, nächste Woche). You could also say im nächsten Jahr, but nächstes Jahr is shorter and equally correct.

Why is das System in the accusative case with the article das?