Learn Hardcore German: Gibt es etwas Anderes, das wir besorgen sollen? - Is there something else that we should get?

Both are possible. In everyday German you’ll most often see etwas anderes (lowercase), because anderes functions like a pronoun (“something else”). The capitalized etwas Anderes treats it as a noun (“something different”) and is also correct, just a bit more formal/marked. Either way, the meaning is the same in this sentence.

Why is it das wir … and not dass wir …?

das (one s) is a relative pronoun meaning “that/which” and refers back to etwas Anderes. dass (two s) is a conjunction introducing a content clause (“that …”). Here we are adding a relative clause identifying the “something else,” so we need das. Quick test: if you can replace it with welches, it’s the relative das.

Could I use was instead of das in the relative clause?

Yes. After words like etwas, alles, nichts, German commonly uses was: “etwas Anderes, was wir besorgen sollen.” Both das and was are acceptable here. was sounds a bit more colloquial; das feels more formal/written. Meaning and grammar are unchanged.

What case is das in the relative clause?

Accusative. Inside the clause, the structure is “wir (subject) sollen (modal) [etwas] besorgen (verb).” The das stands for the object of besorgen, so it’s accusative. It also matches the gender/number of the antecedent (neuter singular: etwas Anderes).

Why is the verb order “… besorgen sollen” at the end?

Because it’s a subordinate (relative) clause. In German relative clauses, the conjugated verb goes to the end. With a modal verb, both verbs cluster at the end in the order “main verb + modal”: “… besorgen sollen.”

What is the function of es in Gibt es …?

It’s a dummy subject. Es gibt is the standard way to say “there is/are” in German, and es doesn’t refer to anything specific. Note that es gibt stays the same even if the thing mentioned is plural (es gibt Bücher).

Why does the main clause start with Gibt? Isn’t that unusual word order?

It’s a yes/no question, so German uses verb-first (V1) word order: Gibt es …? In casual speech you can contract it to Gibt’s …?

Is there a difference between etwas Anderes and noch etwas here?

etwas Anderes = “something different/else (other than what we have in mind).”
noch etwas = “anything else/additionally.” In shopping/planning, noch etwas is extremely common: “Gibt es noch etwas, das wir besorgen sollen?” Both work; noch highlights “in addition.”

Does besorgen mean “buy”? How is it different from kaufen or holen?

besorgen = “to get/procure/take care of (obtaining)”; may involve buying, picking up, arranging, etc.
kaufen = specifically “to buy.”
holen = “to fetch/pick up” (bring from somewhere). In this context (a list or errands), besorgen is perfect because it’s broad and task-oriented: “to get what’s needed.”

What nuance does sollen have here?

sollen expresses an obligation or expectation from an external source: “that we’re supposed to get.” It’s not personal advice like “we should” (that would often be sollten), but rather “someone/the plan says we should.”

Why does Anderes end with -es?

After etwas, adjectives/pronominals take neuter singular strong endings. So you get:

Nominative/Accusative: etwas anderes / etwas Interessantes
Dative: mit etwas anderem / mit etwas Interessantem Here it’s accusative neuter singular, hence -es.

Do I need the comma before das?

Yes. German requires a comma before relative clauses: “…, das wir besorgen sollen.”

Is there a shorter way to say this without a relative clause?

Yes: “Gibt es noch etwas zu besorgen?” or “Müssen wir noch etwas besorgen?” Both are very natural alternatives in planning/shopping contexts.

Can I use was instead of etwas?

In informal speech, yes: “Gibt’s noch was, das/was wir besorgen sollen?” In writing or neutral style, prefer etwas.