Learn Hardcore German: Nach dem Abitur möchte mein Bruder in der Hauptstadt studieren. - After graduating from high school, my brother would like to study in the capital city.

UK: similar to A‑levels
US: between a high school diploma and standardized tests like SAT/ACT, but with a much stronger role for university entrance

Having das Abitur usually means you are qualified to study at a university in German-speaking countries.

What case does nach require, and is that always true?

In its basic prepositional use meaning “after” (in time) or “to” (with many place names), nach always takes the dative case:

nach dem Essen – after the meal
nach der Schule – after school
nach Berlin – to Berlin (no article, so no visible case ending)
nach der Schweiz – to Switzerland (feminine country, dative der)

So in nach dem Abitur, dem is dative because of nach.
The only time you don’t see this pattern is when nach is used as an adverb by itself, like nachher (afterwards), where there’s no noun at all.

Why does möchte come before mein Bruder? I would expect the subject first.

German main clauses follow the verb‑second (V2) rule: the finite verb (here: möchte) usually comes in second position, not necessarily after the subject.

In your sentence:

Nach dem Abitur – first element (a time phrase)
möchte – finite verb, must be second
mein Bruder – subject
in der Hauptstadt – prepositional phrase
studieren – infinitive at the end

You could also say:

Mein Bruder möchte nach dem Abitur in der Hauptstadt studieren.

Here, mein Bruder is first, and möchte is still second. Both word orders are correct; what changes is which part you highlight (time vs. subject).

Why does studieren go at the very end of the sentence?

möchte is a modal verb. In German, when you use a modal verb, the structure is:

[finite modal verb in 2nd position] … [main verb as an infinitive at the end]

So here:

möchte – finite modal verb, in 2nd position
studieren – main verb in the infinitive, at the end

This is the standard word order:

Ich möchte heute Abend fernsehen.
Wir müssen morgen früh aufstehen.
Nach dem Abitur möchte mein Bruder in der Hauptstadt studieren.

The modal and the infinitive form a kind of frame around the rest of the sentence.

What is the nuance of möchte here, and how is it different from will?

möchte is the would‑like‑to form of mögen. It usually expresses:

a wish, desire, or intention, but
in a relatively polite or soft way.

will (from wollen) expresses:

a stronger personal will or determination: “wants to, is set on”
often sounds more insistent or firm.

Compare:

Nach dem Abitur möchte mein Bruder in der Hauptstadt studieren.
– He would like to study in the capital; that’s his plan/desire.
Nach dem Abitur will mein Bruder in der Hauptstadt studieren.
– He wants to or is determined to study in the capital; it can sound stronger.

Both are grammatically correct; the original just sounds a bit softer and more typical when talking about plans and wishes.

Could I also say lernen instead of studieren in this sentence?

No, not naturally. studieren and lernen are not interchangeable.

studieren = to study at a university, to be enrolled in higher education, usually with a specific subject:
- Ich studiere Medizin in Berlin. – I am a medical student in Berlin.
lernen = to learn or to study (for school, an exam, a language, etc.):
- Ich lerne Deutsch. – I’m learning German.
- Er lernt für die Prüfung. – He’s studying for the exam.

In your sentence, the meaning is to go to university after finishing school, so studieren is the correct verb.
Nach dem Abitur möchte mein Bruder in der Hauptstadt lernen would sound very odd to a native speaker.

Why is there no article before mein Bruder?

In German, a noun phrase normally has only one determiner. Possessive words like mein, dein, sein, ihr act like articles and replace them.

So you say:

mein Bruder – my brother
not
der mein Bruder – ✗ (wrong)

Similarly:

meine Schwester (not die meine Schwester)
unser Haus (not das unser Haus)

Because mein already fulfills the role of the article, you must not add der/die/das in front of it.

Why is it in der Hauptstadt (dative) and not in die Hauptstadt (accusative)?

The preposition in can take dative or accusative, depending on the meaning:

Dative = location / where?
- in der Hauptstadt – in the capital (being there)
- in der Schule – in (at) school
Accusative = direction / where to?
- in die Hauptstadt fahren – to drive/go into the capital
- in die Schule gehen – to go to school

In your sentence, the focus is on where he will be studying (his location while studying), not the movement:

… in der Hauptstadt studieren. – to study in the capital.

If you wanted to emphasize moving there, you’d use a different verb and accusative:

Nach dem Abitur zieht mein Bruder in die Hauptstadt. – After graduating, my brother is moving to the capital.

What gender is Hauptstadt, and how can I know?

Hauptstadt is feminine: die Hauptstadt.

Clues:

The base word Stadt is also feminine: die Stadt.
Many compound nouns keep the gender of the last part (the “head” of the compound).
Here: Haupt + Stadt → gender of Stadt → feminine.

So the forms are:

Nominative: die Hauptstadt
Dative: der Hauptstadt → which is what you see in in der Hauptstadt.

You usually have to learn the gender with each noun, but patterns like “compounds take the gender of the last part” can help.

Why is Hauptstadt written with a capital letter?

In German, all nouns are capitalized, regardless of their position in the sentence. That includes:

Simple nouns: Bruder, Stadt, Abitur
Compound nouns: Hauptstadt, Haustür, Verkehrsmittel

Hauptstadt is a noun (a thing: the capital city), so it is written with an initial capital letter. This is a general rule for German spelling, not something special to this sentence.

Can I move Nach dem Abitur to another position in the sentence?

Yes. Nach dem Abitur is an adverbial time phrase, and German word order is quite flexible with such elements.
The main rule you must respect is that the finite verb stays in second position.

Some correct variants:

Nach dem Abitur möchte mein Bruder in der Hauptstadt studieren. (time first)
Mein Bruder möchte nach dem Abitur in der Hauptstadt studieren. (subject first)
In der Hauptstadt möchte mein Bruder nach dem Abitur studieren. (place first)

All three are grammatical. The choice affects emphasis and style, not basic meaning.

Can I leave out dem and just say Nach Abitur?

No, Nach Abitur is not idiomatic standard German.

With Abitur in this temporal sense, German normally uses an article or a possessive:

nach dem Abitur – after the Abitur
nach meinem Abitur – after my Abitur
nach ihrem Abitur – after her Abitur

There are some fixed expressions without articles after nach, like nach Hause, but Abitur is not one of them. So you should say nach dem Abitur, not nach Abitur.