Learn Hardcore German: Nach dem Streit ist alles durcheinander. - After the argument everything is messed up.

Gender: masculine
Basic form (nominative singular): der Streit
Dative singular: dem Streit
Genitive singular: des Streits
Plural: die Streite (correct but not very common; often people use Streitigkeiten or rephrase)

In everyday language, Streit is usually used as a mass noun without plural:

Wir hatten viel Streit. – We had a lot of conflict / arguments.
Es gibt immer wieder Streit. – There is conflict again and again.

What exactly does Streit mean here? Is it always as strong as “fight”?

Streit usually means a verbal argument, quarrel, dispute. It doesn’t automatically imply physical violence.

ein Streit – a dispute, argument
sich streiten – to argue, to quarrel

Depending on context, it can be:

light: ein kleiner Streit – a small argument
serious: ein heftiger Streit – a heated argument

For a physical fight, German speakers more often use:

der Kampf – a fight, struggle
die Schlägerei – a (physical) brawl

So in Nach dem Streit ist alles durcheinander, it’s about a verbal conflict that caused chaos or confusion.

Why is the word order ist alles and not alles ist?

German main clauses must follow the verb-second rule (V2): the finite verb (here ist) must be in second position.

The sentence has:

Nach dem Streit – a prepositional phrase moved to the front (for emphasis/time setting)
ist – the finite verb (must come second)
alles durcheinander – the rest of the sentence

So:

Nach dem Streit ist alles durcheinander. ✅
Nach dem Streit alles ist durcheinander. ❌

You could also say:

Alles ist nach dem Streit durcheinander. ✅

Here, Alles is first, ist is second, and nach dem Streit durcheinander is the rest. Both versions are correct; they just emphasize different parts.

What is Nach dem Streit grammatically? Is it like an adverb?

Nach dem Streit is a prepositional phrase:

nach = preposition
dem Streit = noun phrase in dative case

Function: it works as an adverbial of time (when?).

So the sentence structure is:

[Nach dem Streit] – adverbial of time (prepositional phrase)
ist – verb
alles durcheinander – subject + predicate complement

Yes, in function it’s similar to an adverb: it tells when something is the case.

What part of speech is durcheinander here?

In this sentence, durcheinander functions as an adverb / predicative complement, describing the state of alles:

Literally: Everything is *(in a state of) mess / confusion*.

Typical meanings of durcheinander:

physically mixed up / jumbled:
- Die Papiere liegen durcheinander. – The papers are all mixed up.
mentally confused:
- Ich bin ganz durcheinander. – I’m really confused / shaken.

It is not used as a normal attributive adjective before a noun:

ein durcheinanderer Tisch ❌ (wrong)
Der Tisch ist durcheinander. ✅ (predicative: The table is a mess.)

Is durcheinander one word or two? I’ve sometimes seen durch einander historically.

In modern standard German, it is one word: durcheinander.

Historically, many such words were written separately (e.g. durch einander), but modern orthography treats durcheinander as a single adverb / particle.

So you should always write:

durcheinander ✅
not:
durch einander ❌
durch-einander ❌

Are there related verbs like durcheinanderbringen? How do they relate to durcheinander here?

Yes, durcheinander appears in several common verbs:

durcheinanderbringen – to mess something up, to confuse something
- Der Streit hat alles durcheinandergebracht.
  The argument messed everything up.
durcheinandergeraten – to get into a mess, to become confused / chaotic
- Nach dem Streit ist alles durcheinandergeraten.
  After the argument, everything got into a mess.

In Nach dem Streit ist alles durcheinander, durcheinander is used on its own to describe the resulting state. With durcheinanderbringen / -geraten, you focus more on the process of getting into that state.

Could I also say Nach dem Streit war alles durcheinander? What’s the difference between ist and war here?

Yes, Nach dem Streit war alles durcheinander. is fully correct.

ist (present):
Suggests that the situation is still true now.
After the argument, everything (still) is in a mess.
war (preterite past):
Describes a situation in the past, without saying whether it’s still true now.
After the argument, everything was in a mess (back then).

Use:

ist if you’re talking about a current situation after a recent argument.
war if you’re telling a story about the past.

Should there be a comma after Nach dem Streit?

No comma is needed here:

Nach dem Streit ist alles durcheinander. ✅ (no comma)

Reason: This is a single main clause. Nach dem Streit is just a fronted prepositional phrase, not a separate clause.

You do use a comma when a full subordinate clause comes first:

Nachdem wir gestritten hatten, war alles durcheinander. ✅
(After we had argued, everything was a mess.)

What is the difference between alles and alle in sentences like this?

alles = everything (things, situations, the whole state of affairs)
- Alles ist durcheinander. – Everything is in a mess.
alle = everyone or all (people / countable items)
- Alle sind durcheinander. – Everyone is confused / shaken.
- Alle Bücher sind durcheinander. – All (the) books are mixed up.

In Nach dem Streit ist alles durcheinander, alles refers to the whole situation: relationships, plans, atmosphere, etc. not just people.

How would I negate this sentence, and does the position of nicht change the meaning?

Two useful patterns:

Nach dem Streit ist nicht alles durcheinander.
After the argument, not everything is in a mess.
→ Some things are a mess, but not everything.
Nach dem Streit ist alles nicht durcheinander.
This is very unusual and sounds wrong in normal speech.
To say “Everything is not in a mess,” Germans would usually rephrase:
- Nach dem Streit ist alles noch in Ordnung. – Everything is still fine.
- Nach dem Streit ist gar nichts durcheinander. – Nothing is in a mess.

General rule:

nicht alles = not everything (partial negation)
Full negation is usually expressed with nichts, gar nichts, or a different positive verb rather than alles nicht in this kind of sentence.