Breakdown of Wir verbessern den Plan Schritt für Schritt.
wir
we
der Plan
the plan
den
the; (masculine, accusative)
verbessern
to improve
Questions & Answers about Wir verbessern den Plan Schritt für Schritt.
What case is den Plan, and why is it den (not der/dem)?
It’s accusative singular. Verbessern takes a direct object, so masculine der Plan becomes den Plan in the accusative. Dative (dem Plan) would be used only with certain prepositions or dative-governing verbs, not as the direct object of verbessern.
Can I drop the article and say Wir verbessern Plan?
No. Singular countable nouns in German normally need an article. Use den Plan (definite) or einen Plan (indefinite). Omitting the article is only typical in headlines, notes, or with plurals/mass nouns.
What exactly is Schritt für Schritt grammatically?
It’s a fixed adverbial phrase meaning “step by step.” Literally “step for step,” with für (which takes the accusative), but both words are bare singular nouns with no article. It behaves like an adverb of manner.
Is Schritte für Schritte ever correct?
Can I say schrittweise or nach und nach instead of Schritt für Schritt?