Breakdown of Meine Kollegin besorgt die Tickets, und ich besorge das Abendessen.
und
and
ich
I
mein
my
das Abendessen
the dinner
das Ticket
the ticket
die Kollegin
the colleague (female)
besorgen
to get
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Questions & Answers about Meine Kollegin besorgt die Tickets, und ich besorge das Abendessen.
What does the verb bolded as besorgen mean here, and how is it different from kaufen, holen, or organisieren?
besorgen means “to get/obtain” in the sense of taking care of procuring something. It’s a neutral, everyday verb for arranging or fetching what’s needed.
- kaufen = to buy (focus on paying for it)
- holen = to fetch/go and get (focus on going somewhere and bringing it back)
- organisieren = to organize/arrange (focus on planning and coordination)
- besorgen sits in the middle: you might buy it, pick it up, or otherwise make sure it’s there.
Why is it Meine Kollegin and not Mein Kollege?
Kollegin is the feminine form of “colleague,” and the possessive must agree in gender and case. Meine is the nominative feminine form of mein. If it were a male colleague as the subject, you’d say Mein Kollege (nominative masculine).
Why is it besorgt in the first clause but besorge in the second?
That’s regular present-tense conjugation of besorgen:
- ich besorge
- du besorgst
- er/sie/es besorgt
- wir besorgen
- ihr besorgt
- sie/Sie besorgen
So with Meine Kollegin (she), you need besorgt; with ich, you need besorge.
Is besorgen a separable verb? Where does the prefix go?
No. besorgen has the inseparable prefix be-. Inseparable prefixes never detach. Perfect tense: hat … besorgt (no extra ge- added: you don’t say “gebesorgt”).
Do I really need the comma before und in this sentence?
With und connecting two main clauses, the comma is optional in modern German. It’s often added if clauses have different subjects (as here) or to improve readability:
- With comma: … Tickets, und ich … (as in the example)
- Without comma: … Tickets und ich … (also correct)
Which cases are used for die Tickets and das Abendessen, and why?
Both are direct objects in the accusative:
- die Tickets = accusative plural (for all genders, the nominative/accusative plural article is die)
- das Abendessen = accusative singular (neuter)
The subject is Meine Kollegin (nominative) in clause 1 and ich (nominative) in clause 2.
Is die in die Tickets feminine?
No. die here is the plural definite article (nominative/accusative) for any gender. Singular is das Ticket (neuter). Plural: die Tickets.
What gender is Abendessen, and why is it capitalized?
Abendessen is neuter: das Abendessen. All nouns are capitalized in German, hence Abendessen and Tickets are capitalized.
Does Ich besorge das Abendessen mean I will cook dinner?
Not necessarily. besorgen means you will “take care of” dinner—buy it, pick it up, arrange it, or otherwise make sure it’s there. If you specifically mean cooking, say Ich koche das Abendessen. Other options:
- Ich hole das Abendessen ab (pick it up)
- Ich bestelle das Abendessen (order it)
- Ich kümmere mich ums Abendessen (I’ll handle dinner, broad)
Can I say Karten instead of Tickets?
Often, yes—especially for events:
- die Karten / Eintrittskarten = tickets (admission) For transport you’ll also hear Fahrkarte/Fahrschein. Ticket is very common in everyday speech for concerts, travel, etc. You can say Karten besorgen or Tickets besorgen.
Is the present tense being used to talk about a future plan?
Yes. German commonly uses the present for scheduled or planned future actions. Ich besorge das Abendessen means “I’ll get dinner.” You can use the future tense too (Ich werde das Abendessen besorgen), but it’s not necessary here.
How do I add a beneficiary like “for us” or “for him”?
Use a dative person with für or a double-object construction:
- Meine Kollegin besorgt uns die Tickets. (dative pronoun before an accusative noun)
- Ich besorge ihm ein Ticket. If both objects are pronouns, the usual order is accusative before dative:
- Ich besorge sie dir. (“them” for “the tickets”)
Where does nicht go if I want to negate?
To negate the action in a simple clause with a direct object, place nicht near the end:
- Ich besorge das Abendessen nicht. (I’m not going to get dinner.) To negate the object itself (“no …”), use kein:
- Ich besorge kein Abendessen. (I won’t get any dinner at all.)
Can I drop the second ich after und?
No, because the subject changes. You must state the new subject:
- Correct: … und ich besorge das Abendessen. If the subject stayed the same, you could omit the repetition:
- Meine Kollegin besorgt die Tickets und das Abendessen.
What happens if I use a subordinating conjunction like weil?
Subordinate clauses send the finite verb to the end:
- Meine Kollegin besorgt die Tickets, weil ich das Abendessen besorge. Or front the subordinate clause:
- Weil ich das Abendessen besorge, besorgt meine Kollegin die Tickets.
Any pronunciation tips for the key words?
- Kollegin: stress on the second syllable: ko-LEH-gin; the g is a hard [g].
- besorgt: be-ZORGT (the final t is crisp).
- Tickets: TIK-ets (Germanized vowels; both syllables audible).
- Abendessen: AH-bend-ESS-en; the d in Abend tends toward a t sound in compounds.
Is there any risk of slang or double meaning with besorgen?
In everyday standard German, besorgen is perfectly fine for “to get.” In some slang contexts it can have vulgar meanings, but context prevents misunderstandings here. If you want to avoid any potential ambiguity, alternatives include kaufen, beschaffen, organisieren, or übernehmen (take on the task).
Are there regional words for Abendessen?
Yes:
- Abendbrot (common in northern/central regions, often a cold meal)
- Vesper or Brotzeit (southern regions) Abendessen is standard and understood everywhere.
What are the plural forms for colleagues?
- Masculine/mixed plural: Kollegen
- Feminine plural: Kolleginnen For inclusive address: Kolleginnen und Kollegen (you’ll also see forms like Kolleg:innen in inclusive writing).
Can I rephrase for emphasis, like fronting objects?
Yes, German allows topicalization while keeping verb-second:
- Das Abendessen besorge ich.
- Die Tickets besorgt meine Kollegin. This emphasizes the fronted element (what each person is responsible for).