Breakdown of Wir sollten deinen Rat beachten, bevor wir Geld ausgeben.
wir
we
sollen
should
bevor
before
das Geld
the money
dein
your
der Rat
the advice
beachten
to heed
ausgeben
to spend
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Questions & Answers about Wir sollten deinen Rat beachten, bevor wir Geld ausgeben.
Why is deinen Rat in the accusative case rather than nominative?
The verb beachten requires a direct object (it’s transitive), so Rat (a masculine noun) must be in the accusative. The masculine nominative dein Rat becomes deinen Rat in the accusative.
Why do we use sollten instead of the present indicative sollen?
sollten is the subjunctive (Konjunktiv II) or “softened” past tense form of sollen, used for polite suggestions or recommendations. Saying Wir sollten … sounds more like “we ought to …” or “we should …” rather than a strict command.
Why does beachten appear as a bare infinitive (without zu)?
After a modal verb like sollten, the main verb stays in the infinitive without zu. This is the standard rule for modal + infinitive constructions.
Why is the finite verb at the end in bevor wir Geld ausgeben?
bevor is a subordinating conjunction. In German subordinate clauses introduced by words like bevor, weil, dass, etc., the finite verb moves to the final position.
Why isn’t ausgeben split into aus and geben in this sentence?
In subordinate clauses (and in infinitive constructions), separable-prefix verbs remain attached. That’s why you see ausgeben as one word, not wir geben Geld aus.
Could we replace sollten with another modal verb like müssen or könnten, and how would that change the meaning?
Yes, but the nuance shifts:
- Wir müssen deinen Rat beachten = “we must follow your advice” (strong obligation).
- Wir könnten deinen Rat beachten = “we could follow your advice” (possibility).
- Wir dürfen deinen Rat beachten = “we are allowed to follow your advice.”
Each modal changes the speaker’s attitude or the strength of the statement.
Why is there no preposition before Geld (e.g., für Geld)?
Geld ausgeben is a fixed verb–object combination in German: the verb ausgeben takes a direct object (accusative) without needing für. You simply say Geld ausgeben to mean “to spend money.”
What’s the difference between bevor and vor, and why can’t we say vor wir Geld ausgeben?
bevor is a subordinating conjunction meaning “before” used to link two clauses. vor is a preposition meaning “in front of” or “before” when paired with a noun (e.g., vor dem Kino). You need bevor to introduce a clause with a subject and verb; vor alone cannot do that.