Ich behalte das Brot für später.

the bread

Breakdown of Ich behalte das Brot für später.

• ich: I
• später: later
• für: for

Questions & Answers about Ich behalte das Brot für später.

Why is behalte used instead of nehme or mitnehme?

behalten means “to keep” or “to retain” something you already possess. nehmen simply means “to take” (possibly to start using), and mitnehmen means “to take with you” somewhere else. In this sentence, the speaker isn’t picking up the bread or carrying it away; they’re reserving it for later use.

What is the grammatical case of das Brot, and how do we know?

behalten is a transitive verb that takes a direct object in the accusative case. das Brot is that direct object. For neuter nouns like Brot, the nominative and accusative forms look the same (das Brot → das Brot), but functionally it’s accusative because of the verb’s requirement.

Why is there a definite article das before Brot? Could you say just Brot?

The definite article das indicates that you’re referring to a specific batch or loaf of bread (e.g. the one you just bought). Saying just Brot would be more generic (“I keep bread”), which doesn’t convey that you’re reserving that particular bread for later.

What is für später, and why does für govern the accusative?

für später literally means “for later” and expresses the purpose/time of use. für is one of the German prepositions that always takes the accusative case. Here, is an adverb (an uninflected form), so it remains unchanged; the accusative rule applies when a noun follows.