Wir bekommen die Kaution morgen zurück.

We are getting the deposit back tomorrow.

Breakdown of Wir bekommen die Kaution morgen zurück.

• wir: we
• morgen: tomorrow
• die Kaution: the deposit
• zurückbekommen: to get back

Questions & Answers about Wir bekommen die Kaution morgen zurück.

What does bekommen mean here? Is it related to English “become”?

In this sentence, bekommen means “to get / to receive”:

• Wir bekommen die Kaution morgen zurück.
  → We’re getting the deposit back tomorrow.

It is not related to English “become”. That’s a classic false friend.

• bekommen = to get, receive
• werden = to become

Example:

• Ich bekomme ein Geschenk. – I’m getting a present.
• Ich werde müde. – I’m becoming tired.

Why is the present tense (bekommen) used to talk about the future?

German often uses the present tense + a future time word to describe the future, just like English does:

• English: We’re getting the deposit back tomorrow. (present form, future meaning)
• German: Wir bekommen die Kaution morgen zurück.

The future tense werden + infinitive is possible but not necessary:

• Wir werden die Kaution morgen zurückbekommen.
  → a bit more formal or emphatic, but same meaning in most contexts.

In everyday speech, the present tense with “morgen” is completely normal.

Why is it die Kaution and not der Kaution or den Kaution?

Kaution is a feminine noun in German: die Kaution.

In this sentence, die Kaution is the direct object (accusative case). For feminine nouns, the article is die in both nominative and accusative:

• Nominative (subject):
  Die Kaution ist hoch. – The deposit is high.
• Accusative (direct object):
  Wir bekommen die Kaution zurück. – We get the deposit back.

So die here shows: “feminine noun in accusative case.”

What is the grammatical role of wir and die Kaution?

• wir = subject (the ones doing the “getting”)
• bekommen = verb
• die Kaution = direct object (the thing being received)
• morgen = time adverb
• zurück = particle (part of the meaning “back”)

So structurally:

Wir (subject) bekommen (verb) die Kaution (object) morgen zurück (adverb + particle).

Why is the word order morgen zurück and not zurück morgen?

Here, zurück behaves like the separable part of the verb zurückbekommen (“to get back”).

You can think of the verb as:

• zurückbekommen → split in a main clause: bekommen … zurück

Then you add morgen (time):

• Wir bekommen (verb) die Kaution (object) morgen (time) zurück (separable particle).

Putting zurück directly after the verb:

• ❌ Wir bekommen zurück die Kaution morgen. (wrong / unidiomatic)

The particle (zurück) likes to be at the end, after other pieces like objects and adverbs, so morgen zurück is natural.

Can I say Wir bekommen morgen die Kaution zurück? Is that different?

Yes, that’s also correct:

• Wir bekommen morgen die Kaution zurück.
• Wir bekommen die Kaution morgen zurück.

Both mean the same. The difference is slight emphasis:

• morgen die Kaution zurück → lightly emphasizes when (morgen) before what (die Kaution).
• die Kaution morgen zurück → first highlights what (die Kaution), then when (morgen).

In everyday speech, both orders are completely natural. German word order for adverbials is flexible, as long as the verb stays in the correct position.

Could we write this as one verb zurückbekommen instead of splitting it?

Yes. In a main clause, separable verbs split:

• Wir bekommen die Kaution morgen zurück.
  (finite verb bekommen in 2nd position, particle zurück at the end)

In forms where the verb doesn’t have to be in second position, it stays together:

• Wir werden die Kaution morgen zurückbekommen. (future)
• Wir haben die Kaution gestern zurückbekommen. (perfect)
• … weil wir die Kaution morgen zurückbekommen. (subordinate clause)

So:

• main clause, present: bekommen … zurück
• infinitive/participle/subordinate: zurückbekommen

What’s the difference between wir bekommen die Kaution zurück and wir kriegen die Kaution zurück?

Both mean “we get the deposit back”.

• bekommen – neutral, standard, good in spoken and written German.
• kriegen – more colloquial, used a lot in everyday speech, less in formal writing.

Examples:

• Wir bekommen die Kaution morgen zurück. – standard.
• Wir kriegen die Kaution morgen zurück. – sounds more informal / conversational.

What exactly does Kaution mean in German? Is it always a rent deposit?

Kaution generally means a deposit / security paid as a guarantee.

Common contexts:

• Rental apartments: Mietkaution (security deposit when you rent a flat)
• Car rentals, equipment, etc.: deposit that you get back if nothing is damaged

So die Kaution here is usually understood as the deposit (for rent, a rental car, etc.), but the word can be used in other deposit situations too.

Why is it zurück and not wieder? Don’t both mean “again” or “back”?

Both relate to repetition/return, but they’re used differently:

• zurück = back (to a previous place/owner)

  • Wir bekommen die Kaution zurück. – We get the deposit back.
  • Ich gehe zurück. – I go back.

• wieder = again (repetition)

  • Wir bekommen wieder eine Kaution. – We are getting a deposit again (another time).
  • Ich lese das Buch wieder. – I’m reading the book again.

In getting something back from someone, you need zurück (often in a verb like zurückbekommen, zurückgeben, zurückzahlen).

How would I say this in the future tense with werden?

Future tense:

• Wir werden die Kaution morgen zurückbekommen.

Structure:

• werden (conjugated) = future auxiliary
• zurückbekommen (infinitive) = main verb, goes to the end

Meaning is basically the same as the present-tense sentence; the future form can sound a bit more formal or more explicitly future-focused.

How would I put this sentence into the past: “We got the deposit back yesterday”?

Use the present perfect, which is the usual spoken past:

• Wir haben die Kaution gestern zurückbekommen.

Breakdown:

• haben (conjugated) = auxiliary
• zurückbekommen = past participle of zurückbekommen
• gestern = yesterday

You typically don’t say:

• ❌ Wir bekamen die Kaution gestern zurück.
  That simple past (bekamen) is grammatical but sounds rather formal/literary in many regions for this kind of verb.

Why is the verb in second position? Could I start the sentence with morgen?

German main clauses follow the “verb-second” (V2) rule: the finite verb is the second element in the clause.

Current sentence:

1. Wir → element 1
2. bekommen → verb (element 2)
3. die Kaution morgen zurück → rest

You can start with morgen to emphasize the time:

• Morgen bekommen wir die Kaution zurück.

Now:

1. Morgen → element 1
2. bekommen → verb (still element 2)
3. wir die Kaution zurück → rest

The verb must stay in the second position; that’s why you can’t do:

• ❌ Morgen wir bekommen die Kaution zurück. (wrong word order)