Breakdown of Die Unterlagen sind der Chefin vorzulegen; danach ist der Raum aufzuräumen.
sein
to be
danach
afterwards
der Raum
the room
aufräumen
to tidy up
die Chefin
the boss (female)
vorlegen
to present
die Unterlagen
the documents
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Questions & Answers about Die Unterlagen sind der Chefin vorzulegen; danach ist der Raum aufzuräumen.
What does the construction sind ... vorzulegen / ist ... aufzuräumen express?
It’s the structure sein + zu + infinitive, which expresses an obligation or necessity in a formal, impersonal way: “are to be presented,” “is to be tidied.” It’s common in written instructions, rules, and notices.
How does this differ from using müssen?
Sein + zu sounds more formal and impersonal (rule-like). Müssen is more neutral and common in everyday speech. Functionally here, they mean the same thing.
Can I rephrase the sentence in more conversational German?
Yes:
- Passive with a modal: Die Unterlagen müssen der Chefin vorgelegt werden; danach muss der Raum aufgeräumt werden.
- Active with a generic subject: Man muss die Unterlagen der Chefin vorlegen; danach muss man den Raum aufräumen.
Why is it sind in the first clause but ist in the second?
Subject–verb agreement: Die Unterlagen is plural (so sind), while der Raum is singular (so ist).
Why der Chefin and not die Chefin? And what does Chefin mean?
Der Chefin is dative singular feminine. The verb vorlegen takes the recipient in the dative: jemandem (DAT) etwas (ACC) vorlegen. Here, the documents become the grammatical subject, but the recipient stays dative. Also, Chefin means “female boss” (male: Chef). Feminine definite article forms: Nom. die, Acc. die, Dat. der, Gen. der.
Why is there no preposition (like “zu” or “für”) before der Chefin?
Because vorlegen governs a bare dative for the person receiving something: jemandem etwas vorlegen. So der Chefin already means “to the boss”; no preposition is used.
Why do the verb forms sit at the end, and why do they include zu?
In sein + zu + infinitive, the non-finite verb cluster goes to the end of the clause. The zu marks the infinitive in this construction, e.g. vorzulegen, aufzuräumen.
Are vorlegen and aufräumen separable, and how does zu fit in?
Yes, both are separable verbs. In normal finite main clauses they split: Er legt der Chefin die Unterlagen vor. / Er räumt den Raum auf. In the zu-infinitive, zu is inserted between the prefix and the verb: vor-zu-legen, auf-zu-räumen.
What is danach, and how is it different from nachdem?
Danach is an adverb meaning “afterwards/after that.” Placed first, it triggers verb-second order: Danach ist …. Nachdem is a subordinating conjunction (“after …”), which sends the verb to the end in the subordinate clause: Nachdem die Unterlagen der Chefin vorgelegt worden waren, wurde der Raum aufgeräumt.
Why a semicolon here? Could I use a comma or a period instead?
The semicolon cleanly separates two closely related main clauses and highlights sequence. A comma or a period would also be acceptable: … vorzulegen, danach … or … vorzulegen. Danach … The meaning doesn’t change.
Why der Raum (nominative) and not den Raum?
Because der Raum is the subject of the second clause in the sein + zu construction. In an active paraphrase you would see the accusative: Man muss den Raum aufräumen.
What exactly are Unterlagen, and why is the plural used?
Unterlagen are documents/papers submitted for review (forms, certificates, receipts, etc.). The plural is standard in this meaning; the singular Unterlage exists but is rarer in the “document” sense and also means things like a mat or pad in other contexts.