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Die letzte Meldung war falsch, also prüfen wir die Uhrzeit noch einmal.

Die letzte Meldung war falsch, also prüfen wir die Uhrzeit noch einmal.
The last notification was wrong, so we will check the time again.

Breakdown of Die letzte Meldung war falsch, also prüfen wir die Uhrzeit noch einmal.

sein
to be
wir
we
noch einmal
again
also
so
die Uhrzeit
the time
falsch
wrong
prüfen
to check
letzt
last
die Meldung
the notification
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Questions & Answers about Die letzte Meldung war falsch, also prüfen wir die Uhrzeit noch einmal.

What case is die letzte Meldung, and why do we use die and letzte with -e?

Die letzte Meldung is in the nominative case, because it is the subject of the sentence (the thing that was false).

  • Meldung is a feminine noun (die Meldung).
  • In the nominative singular:
    • The article for feminine is die.
    • The adjective ending after a definite article is -e → letzte.

So:

  • die (definite article, feminine nominative singular)
  • letzte (adjective, nominative singular after definite article)
  • Meldung (feminine noun)

If it were accusative feminine singular, it would look the same: die letzte Meldung — nominative and accusative forms are identical for feminine singular. Context tells you it’s nominative (subject), not object.

Why is it letzte and not letzt or letzten?

The adjective letzt- must take an ending that matches gender, case and number.

  • Gender: feminine (Meldung)
  • Case: nominative (subject)
  • Number: singular
  • Article: definite (die)

In this pattern (definite article + feminine + nominative singular), the adjective ending is -e:

  • die letzte Meldung
  • die neue Uhrzeit
  • die falsche Angabe

Forms like letzt (no ending) or letzten (e.g. masculine accusative or plural in some contexts) don’t fit the grammar here.
Examples for comparison:

  • Masculine nominative: der letzte Bericht
  • Masculine accusative: den letzten Bericht
  • Plural nominative: die letzten Meldungen
What does Meldung mean exactly, and how is it different from Nachricht?

Both Meldung and Nachricht can translate as “message” or “report”, but there is a nuance:

  • Meldung

    • Often more formal / technical / official.
    • Used for reports, notifications, status updates, error messages.
    • Common in news, IT error messages, official notices.
    • Example: eine Fehlermeldung = an error message.

  • Nachricht

    • More general message (what you send to a friend) or news.
    • Example: eine Nachricht auf WhatsApp = a message on WhatsApp.

In this sentence, die letzte Meldung can easily be understood as the last report/status message/notification, rather than a casual chat message.

Why is it war and not something like ist gewesen?

Both war (simple past) and ist gewesen (present perfect) are past tense forms of sein (to be), but their usage differs:

  • war (simple past / Präteritum)

    • Very common in written German and in standard narration.
    • Often used with sein, haben, werden, modal verbs even in speech.
    • Short and natural here: Die letzte Meldung war falsch.

  • ist gewesen (present perfect / Perfekt)

    • More common in spoken German for many verbs.
    • With sein, war is usually preferred in neutral written style or narration.
    • Die letzte Meldung ist falsch gewesen sounds more marked and heavier, and would rarely be used in this simple context.

So war is the most natural choice for a neutral statement about a past fact.

Why is it falsch and not falsche or falschen?

Here falsch is a predicate adjective after a form of sein:

  • Die letzte Meldung war falsch.
    Literally: The last notification was false.

In German, predicate adjectives (after sein, werden, bleiben, etc.) do not take endings. They stay in their basic form, regardless of gender or case:

  • Die Meldung ist falsch.
  • Der Bericht ist falsch.
  • Die Daten sind falsch.

You would only use endings (like falsche, falschen) when the adjective is directly in front of a noun:

  • die falsche Meldung
  • den falschen Bericht
  • meine falsche Uhrzeit
Does also here mean the same as English “also”?

No. This is a classic false friend.

In this sentence also means “so / therefore / as a result”, not “also / too”.

  • Die letzte Meldung war falsch, also prüfen wir die Uhrzeit noch einmal.
    → The last report was wrong, so we’re checking the time again.

If you want to say “also / too” in German, you use auch:

  • Wir prüfen auch die Uhrzeit. = We’re also checking the time.

So:

  • German also ≈ so, therefore
  • German auch ≈ also, too
Why is the word order also prüfen wir and not also wir prüfen?

German is a verb-second (V2) language in main clauses: the conjugated verb must be in the second position.

In also prüfen wir:

  1. also = first position
  2. prüfen (conjugated verb) = second position
  3. wir (subject) = third position, after the verb

So the pattern is correct: also (1) – prüfen (2) – wir (3).

If you said also wir prüfen, the verb would be in the third position, which is wrong for a main clause. Wir prüfen also is possible, but then also is in the middle of the clause and sounds a bit different stylistically:

  • Also prüfen wir die Uhrzeit noch einmal. (So we are going to check…)
  • Wir prüfen also die Uhrzeit noch einmal. (We are, therefore, checking…)
What exactly does prüfen mean here, and is it different from überprüfen or kontrollieren?

prüfen means to check / to examine / to test. Here it’s “check the time”.

Rough nuances:

  • prüfen

    • General: to check something for correctness / quality.
    • Can be quick or detailed, depending on context.

  • überprüfen

    • Very similar, often slightly more thorough / systematic.
    • You could say prüfen or überprüfen in this sentence with almost no change in meaning.

  • kontrollieren

    • To control / check / inspect.
    • Often used for checking compliance (tickets, passports, homework).

Here, all three are possible:

  • …also prüfen wir die Uhrzeit noch einmal.
  • …also überprüfen wir die Uhrzeit noch einmal.
  • …also kontrollieren wir die Uhrzeit noch einmal.

The original with prüfen is the most neutral and common.

Why is it die Uhrzeit and not just die Zeit or die Uhr?

These three words are related but not identical:

  • die Uhrzeit

    • The clock time, i.e. 3:45, 14:30, etc.
    • Focus on the specific time of day.

  • die Zeit

    • Very general: time (as a concept or period).
    • E.g. Hast du Zeit? = Do you have time?

  • die Uhr

    • The clock/watch (the device).
    • E.g. Meine Uhr geht nach. = My watch is slow.

In this sentence, they are checking the time value itself, so die Uhrzeit is the most precise: they’re checking what time it is, not the physical clock or “time” in general.

What does noch einmal mean exactly, and how is it different from wieder?

noch einmal literally means “once more” or “one more time”.

  • noch = still / yet / additionally
  • einmal = once

So here:
…prüfen wir die Uhrzeit noch einmal.
→ …we’re checking the time again / one more time.

Difference to wieder:

  • wieder = again, neutral repetition.
  • noch einmal = one more time / once again, often slightly more intentional or limited (“just this one more time”).

In many contexts, both work:

  • Wir prüfen die Uhrzeit wieder.
  • Wir prüfen die Uhrzeit noch einmal.

The second is a bit more idiomatic here and sounds like a deliberate re-check.

Can noch einmal go anywhere else in the sentence, or must it be at the end?

noch einmal is a separable adverbial phrase, and German word order is flexible. Possible options:

  • …also prüfen wir die Uhrzeit noch einmal. (original)
  • …also prüfen wir noch einmal die Uhrzeit.
  • …also prüfen wir die Uhrzeit ein weiteres Mal. (more formal / written)

All are grammatically correct. The standard, most natural positions are:

  • Before what you’re doing: noch einmal prüfen
  • Or at the very end: prüfen … noch einmal

The original end placement (…die Uhrzeit noch einmal) is very typical and sounds natural.

Why is prüfen wir in the present tense if it refers to a future action?

German often uses the present tense (Präsens) to talk about the near future, especially when the future is clear from context:

  • Morgen fahren wir nach Berlin. = We’re going to Berlin tomorrow.
  • Nächste Woche schreibe ich die Prüfung. = I’m taking the exam next week.

Here:

  • Die letzte Meldung war falsch, also prüfen wir die Uhrzeit noch einmal.

The checking hasn’t happened yet; it’s more like a decision / plan. English would often use “are going to check” or “will check”, but German is happy with simple present:

  • …also prüfen wir die Uhrzeit noch einmal.
    = “so we’re going to check the time again.”
Why is there a comma before also?

In German, commas are required between main clauses that are joined by many conjunctions, including also (when it means “so/therefore”).

We have two main clauses:

  1. Die letzte Meldung war falsch,
  2. also prüfen wir die Uhrzeit noch einmal.

Each has its own subject and finite verb:

  • Clause 1: Meldung – war
  • Clause 2: wir – prüfen

They are connected by the coordinating conjunction also, so you put a comma between them:

  • Die letzte Meldung war falsch, also prüfen wir die Uhrzeit noch einmal.

Leaving the comma out would be considered incorrect in standard written German.