Der Hund läuft aus dem Haus heraus.

the house

Breakdown of Der Hund läuft aus dem Haus heraus.

• der Hund: the dog
• laufen: to run
• aus ... heraus: out of

Questions & Answers about Der Hund läuft aus dem Haus heraus.

Do I really need both aus and heraus here? Isn’t that redundant?

You can say either:

• Der Hund läuft aus dem Haus.
• Der Hund läuft aus dem Haus heraus.

Both are correct. Aus already means “out of,” so the version without heraus is fully sufficient. Adding heraus emphasizes the outward direction and often makes the motion feel more dynamic or vivid. Many native speakers use the combination; it’s not considered wrong or clumsy in everyday German.

What’s the difference between heraus and hinaus?

• heraus = “out (toward the speaker).”
• hinaus = “out (away from the speaker).”

In careful standard German, her- points movement toward the speaker, hin- away. In casual speech, many people don’t strictly maintain this distinction, but it’s good to know the rule.

Can I just use the short form raus instead of heraus?

Yes. raus is the colloquial contraction of heraus (and is also often used where standard German would prefer hinaus). So:

• Der Hund läuft aus dem Haus raus. (colloquial) Use heraus/hinaus in formal writing or when you want to sound more careful/standard.