Questions & Answers about Vor Weihnachten kaufe ich Geschenkpapier, um die Bücher für meine Familie einzupacken.
Yes, both word orders are correct:
- Vor Weihnachten kaufe ich Geschenkpapier, …
- Ich kaufe vor Weihnachten Geschenkpapier, …
German main clauses follow the verb‑second (V2) rule: the finite verb (here kaufe) must be in second position, but only one element can stand in first position.
In your sentence, the time expression Vor Weihnachten has been moved to the first position for emphasis (highlighting when you buy the wrapping paper). Once that happens, the subject ich must move behind the verb:
- Neutral: Ich (1st) kaufe (2nd) vor Weihnachten Geschenkpapier …
- With time first: Vor Weihnachten (1st) kaufe (2nd) ich Geschenkpapier …
So starting with Vor Weihnachten is mainly a stylistic/emphasis choice, not a grammatical necessity.
vor and bevor are different kinds of words:
vor is a preposition and must be followed by a noun (or noun phrase) in the dative:
- vor Weihnachten
- vor dem Fest
- vor der Schule
bevor is a subordinating conjunction and must be followed by a full clause with a verb at the end:
- Bevor ich Weihnachten feiere, kaufe ich Geschenkpapier.
- Bevor es Weihnachten ist, kaufe ich Geschenkpapier.
You cannot say *Bevor Weihnachten kaufe ich … because Weihnachten alone is not a full clause; it has no verb.
In your example, you are using a simple prepositional phrase with a noun, so vor Weihnachten is the correct choice.
No article
Weihnachten functions like a proper name for a holiday, similar to Christmas in English. In time expressions, German usually omits the article with names of holidays:- vor Weihnachten – before Christmas
- nach Ostern – after Easter
- an Weihnachten or zu Weihnachten – at Christmas
You could add an article in some constructed phrases (vor dem Weihnachtsfest), but in the simple holiday name, it's normally left out.
Case
The preposition vor can take dative or accusative, depending on whether it’s about location or movement in space. When used in time expressions like this, it takes the dative:- vor Weihnachten = dative
You don’t see any ending showing the dative here because Weihnachten doesn’t change its form in different cases. But grammatically it’s dative.
What it is / capitalization
Geschenkpapier is a compound noun:- das Geschenk – gift, present
- das Papier – paper
→ das Geschenkpapier – wrapping paper
All nouns in German are capitalized, so Geschenkpapier starts with a capital G.
Gender and number
- Gender: neuter – das Geschenkpapier
- Plural: usually no plural in everyday use, because it’s treated as a material / mass noun (like “water” or “sugar”).
Why no article here?
In Vor Weihnachten kaufe ich Geschenkpapier …, you are talking about some amount of wrapping paper, not specific wrapping paper:- English: “I buy (some) wrapping paper before Christmas …”
- German: the zero article is common with materials and indefinite amounts:
- Ich trinke Kaffee. – I drink coffee.
- Ich kaufe Brot. – I buy bread.
- Ich kaufe Geschenkpapier. – I buy (some) wrapping paper.
You would use an article if you meant specific wrapping paper:
- Das Geschenkpapier im Schrank ist bunt. – The wrapping paper in the cupboard is colorful.
The part um die Bücher für meine Familie einzupacken is an infinitive clause of purpose (a clause with zu + infinitive that explains why you do something).
In German, infinitive clauses with “zu” are normally set off by a comma, especially when they are:
- introduced by um, ohne, or anstatt, or
- extended (i.e., have their own objects/adverbs, not just the bare verb).
So you need the comma:
- Vor Weihnachten kaufe ich Geschenkpapier, um die Bücher für meine Familie einzupacken.
Leaving the comma out here would be considered incorrect in standard written German.
Meaning of “um … zu”
um … zu + infinitive expresses purpose: it answers “what for?” or “in order to do what?”.In your sentence:
- um die Bücher für meine Familie einzupacken
→ “in order to wrap the books for my family”
General pattern:
- Ich mache X, um Y zu tun. – I do X (in order) to do Y.
- um die Bücher für meine Familie einzupacken
When to use “um … zu”
Use um … zu when:the subject of the main clause and of the purpose clause is the same:
- Ich kaufe Geschenkpapier, um die Bücher einzupacken.
(I am buying; I am wrapping.)
- Ich kaufe Geschenkpapier, um die Bücher einzupacken.
you want to describe the goal/purpose of the action.
Why not “für” instead?
für needs a noun, not a verb:- correct with noun: Ich kaufe Geschenkpapier für die Bücher. – I buy wrapping paper for the books.
- wrong: *für die Bücher einzupacken (you can’t hang a verb directly on für)
To connect an action (a verb) as a purpose, you use um … zu, not für.
einpacken is a separable prefix verb:
- base form: einpacken – to wrap, to pack up
- in a simple main clause: the prefix ein goes to the end:
- Ich packe die Bücher ein.
When you form an infinitive with zu, the zu goes between the prefix and the verb stem, but the whole thing is written as one word:
- ein + zu + packen → einzupacken
So:
- correct: einzupacken
- incorrect: *zu einpacken (this would separate what must remain one word in writing)
Same pattern with other separable verbs:
- aufmachen → aufzumachen
- anrufen → anzurufen
- mitbringen → mitzubringen
In a normal main clause with a finite verb, einpacken splits into stem + prefix, and the prefix goes to the end of the clause:
- Ich packe die Bücher für meine Familie ein.
- packe – second position (finite verb)
- ein – at the very end (separable prefix)
So you have:
- Main clause: Ich packe die Bücher ein.
- Infinitive with zu: … um die Bücher einzupacken.
The meaning is the same; only the grammatical form and word order change.
die Bücher is the direct object of the verb einpacken (“to wrap, pack up”). Direct objects in German are typically in the accusative case.
You can see this more clearly if you change the gender/number:
- Ich packe das Buch ein. – I wrap the book. (neuter accusative singular: das)
- Ich packe den Ball ein. – I wrap the ball. (masculine accusative singular: den)
- Ich packe die Bücher ein. – I wrap the books. (plural accusative: die)
So in um die Bücher … einzupacken, die Bücher is accusative because it is what is being wrapped.
The preposition für always takes the accusative case.
- feminine noun die Familie (singular):
- nominative: die Familie
- accusative: die Familie
- dative: der Familie
With a possessive determiner mein-, the feminine forms are:
- nominative: meine Familie
- accusative: meine Familie
- dative: meiner Familie
Since für requires accusative, you must use meine Familie, not meiner Familie:
- für meine Familie – correct (accusative)
- *für meiner Familie – wrong (dative after für)
In this sentence, für meine Familie naturally means “for my family as recipients” – i.e. you are wrapping the books as gifts for your family.
The structure is:
- die Bücher – the things being wrapped
- für meine Familie – indicating for whom they are intended
So the most natural interpretation is:
- “I buy wrapping paper before Christmas in order to wrap the books for my family (as their presents).”
If you wanted to emphasize ownership (the books belong to your family), you’d use a possessive instead:
- … um die Bücher meiner Familie einzupacken. – in order to wrap my family’s books.
(Here meiner Familie is genitive, showing possession.)
In German infinitive clauses, the zu‑infinitive (here einzupacken) goes at the very end of the clause, and its objects and adverbials come before it.
Correct pattern:
- um [Object] [Adverbials] [zu‑infinitive]
So:
- um die Bücher für meine Familie einzupacken – correct
(Object: die Bücher; prepositional phrase: für meine Familie; infinitive: einzupacken)
Putting the infinitive earlier, as in *um einzupacken die Bücher für meine Familie, breaks the normal German clause-final verb rule and sounds clearly wrong to native speakers.
In subordinate and infinitive clauses, German strongly prefers:
- all complements first → verb(s) last.