Der Pausenhof der Grundschule ist groß, und die Kinder rennen laut durcheinander.

The schoolyard of the primary school is big, and the children run about loudly.

Breakdown of Der Pausenhof der Grundschule ist groß, und die Kinder rennen laut durcheinander.

• sein: to be
• das Kind: the child
• und: and
• groß: big
• laut: loud
• rennen: to run
• der: the; (feminine, genitive)
• die Grundschule: the primary school
• der Pausenhof: the schoolyard
• durcheinander: in confusion

Questions & Answers about Der Pausenhof der Grundschule ist groß, und die Kinder rennen laut durcheinander.

Why do we have der Pausenhof der Grundschule with der twice, and what does each der mean?

Both der are definite articles, but they mark different things and different cases:

• Der Pausenhof

  • Pausenhof = “schoolyard / playground” (literally “break-yard”).
  • der here is nominative singular masculine → it shows that Pausenhof is the subject of the sentence.
  • Pattern: der (nom. masc.), die (nom. fem.), das (nom. neut.).

• der Grundschule

  • Grundschule = “elementary school / primary school”.
  • Here der is genitive singular feminine, meaning “of the elementary school”.
  • Pattern for a feminine noun (die Grundschule):
    
    • Nom.: die Grundschule
    • Gen.: der Grundschule → “of the elementary school”.

So Der Pausenhof der Grundschule literally means:
“The schoolyard of the elementary school…”

How can I tell that der Grundschule is genitive and not dative? They both use der for feminine nouns.

You’re right: for feminine nouns, dative and genitive both use der:

• Feminine (die Grundschule):
  
  • Dative singular: der Grundschule
  • Genitive singular: der Grundschule

So how do you know which it is? You look at:

1. The structure:

   • After a noun, another noun with article + no preposition is very often genitive:
     
     • Der Pausenhof der Grundschule → “The schoolyard of the elementary school.”
   • Dative usually needs a preposition or a verb that “takes” dative:
     
     • auf der Grundschule (on/at the elementary school)
     • mit der Grundschule (with the elementary school).

2. Meaning:

   • Here we want to express possession / belonging (“the elementary school’s schoolyard”) → that’s genitive.

So in this sentence der Grundschule is genitive, even though the article form looks like feminine dative.

What exactly does Pausenhof mean? How is it different from Schulhof or Spielplatz?

• Pausenhof

  • Compound: Pause (break) + Hof (yard, courtyard).
  • Typically: the outdoor yard where pupils spend their break at school.
  • Strong association with school context.

• Schulhof

  • Compound: Schule (school) + Hof (yard).
  • Roughly the same thing as Pausenhof; often interchangeable.
  • “School courtyard / schoolyard” as a place in front of / around the school.

• Spielplatz

  • Spiel (play) + Platz (place, square).
  • A public playground, not necessarily at a school. You find it in parks, housing areas, etc.

In many contexts, Pausenhof ≈ Schulhof = “schoolyard”, but Spielplatz is a general playground not specific to a school.

Why is Pausenhof written as one word and capitalized?

Two separate issues:

1. One word (compound noun)

   • German loves compound nouns: you glue words together to make a new noun.
   • Pause + Hof → Pausenhof (the yard used during breaks).
   • In standard spelling, it’s written as one word, not “Pausen Hof”.

2. Capitalization

   • All nouns in German are capitalized.
   • So Pausenhof, Grundschule, Kinder are all capitalized simply because they are nouns.

So the combination of “one word” and “capital letter” tells you: this is one compound noun.

How do I know the gender of Pausenhof, and why is it der Pausenhof?

• The gender of a German compound noun is determined by the last component.
• Pausenhof ends in Hof. The noun Hof by itself is masculine:
  
  • der Hof (the yard, courtyard, farmyard).

Because Hof is masculine, the whole compound Pausenhof is also masculine:

• Nominative singular: der Pausenhof
• Accusative singular: den Pausenhof
• Dative singular: dem Pausenhof
• Genitive singular: des Pausenhofs

In the sentence it’s the subject, so we use der (nominative masculine): Der Pausenhof … ist groß.

Is groß an adjective or an adverb here, and why doesn’t it have an ending?

Here groß is an adjective used as a predicate adjective:

• Structure: subject + sein (to be) + adjective
  
  • Der Pausenhof … ist groß. → “The schoolyard is big.”

Predicate adjectives in German:

• Stand after verbs like sein, werden, bleiben.
• Do not get endings:
  
  • Der Pausenhof ist groß.
  • Die Grundschule ist groß.
  • Die Kinder sind groß.

Adjectives only get endings when they directly stand before a noun:

• der große Pausenhof (the big schoolyard)
• die große Grundschule (the big elementary school)

So groß has no ending because it comes after ist, not before Pausenhof.

Why is there a comma before und in … ist groß, und die Kinder rennen …? In English this comma would often be left out.

In German, a comma is required between two independent main clauses:

• Clause 1: Der Pausenhof der Grundschule ist groß
• Clause 2: die Kinder rennen laut durcheinander

They are both full sentences with their own subject and verb, joined by und → you must put a comma:

• Der Pausenhof der Grundschule ist groß, und die Kinder rennen laut durcheinander.

In English, the equivalent comma is often optional or omitted (“The playground is big and the children run around loudly.”). In German, the rule is stricter here: two main clauses → comma.

What does rennen mean here, and how is it different from laufen?

• rennen

  • Basic meaning: to run (fast, in a hurry), often with a feeling of speed or rush.
  • Example: Die Kinder rennen. – “The children are running (dashing).”

• laufen

  • Can mean to walk or to run, depending on context and region.
  • More general motion on foot.
  • In some areas, laufen is more like “to walk”; in others more like “to run”.

In this sentence, rennen suggests the kids are really running around energetically, not just walking casually. If you used laufen, it might sound a bit less wild/fast, depending on context.

What exactly does durcheinander mean, and what nuance does rennen laut durcheinander have?

durcheinander literally means something like:

• “through each other”, “mixed up”, “in confusion / in disorder”.

Common meanings and uses:

• Es ist alles durcheinander. – Everything is mixed up / in a mess.
• Sie reden durcheinander. – They are talking over each other.

In die Kinder rennen laut durcheinander, it means:

• The children are running around in a chaotic, unorganized way, crossing paths, not in lines or in an orderly fashion.
• It conveys movement in all directions, a bit of playful chaos.

So the phrase suggests a lively scene: kids running loudly and chaotically all over the place.

What is laut here? Does it mean “loud” or “according to”?

laut has different uses, but in this sentence:

• die Kinder rennen laut durcheinander → laut is an adverb meaning “loudly”, i.e. making a lot of noise.

Compare:

• ein lautes Kind – a loud child (adjective before a noun)
• Das Kind ist laut. – The child is loud.
• Das Kind schreit laut. – The child screams loudly. (adverb)

There is also another laut which is a preposition meaning “according to”:

• Laut dem Lehrer… – According to the teacher…
• Laut Bericht… – According to the report…

But that is a different usage. Here it is clearly the “loud / noisy” meaning.

Can I change the word order of laut and durcheinander? For example, say Die Kinder rennen durcheinander laut or Die Kinder rennen laut?

You have some flexibility, but not every option sounds equally natural.

1. Die Kinder rennen laut durcheinander.

   • Very natural.
   • Emphasizes: they’re running loudly, and they’re doing it chaotically / all over the place.

2. Die Kinder rennen durcheinander.

   • Also natural.
   • Focus on the chaotic movement; doesn’t explicitly mention the noise.

3. Die Kinder rennen laut.

   • Grammatically fine.
   • Focus on the noise level, not necessarily the chaotic pattern of movement.

4. Die Kinder rennen durcheinander laut.

   • Understandable, but sounds unusual/awkward.
   • Adverbs like laut usually come before the “durcheinander” here.

So the most idiomatic versions are:

• Die Kinder rennen laut durcheinander.
• Die Kinder rennen durcheinander.

Is durcheinander rennen a separable verb? How would I use it in the past tense?

durcheinander rennen is not a classic separable-prefix verb like aufstehen → ich stehe auf. Instead:

• durcheinander is considered an adverb / particle that often appears with verbs of motion.
• But in practice, it behaves somewhat like a “verb combination”: durcheinander + rennen.

In the present tense:

• Die Kinder rennen durcheinander.
  (adverb at the end of the clause)

In the perfect tense (spoken past):

• The auxiliary is sein (because of motion) + past participle of rennen (gerannt).

• The adverb durcheinander stays separate:

  • Die Kinder sind durcheinander gerannt.

So form the verb as rennen → gerannt, keep durcheinander as a separate word.

Why are Pausenhof, Grundschule, and Kinder capitalized, but laut and durcheinander are not?

In German:

• All nouns are capitalized.

  • Pausenhof – noun (schoolyard)
  • Grundschule – noun (elementary school)
  • Kinder – noun (children)

• Adjectives, adverbs, verbs are not capitalized in normal usage:

  • laut – adverb (“loudly”)
  • durcheinander – adverb / particle
  • rennen – verb

So capitalization is a reliable hint for part of speech: if it’s a common noun, it’s capitalized.

Could I replace rennen laut durcheinander with something like laufen laut herum or hin und her rennen? What would be the difference?

Yes, there are several natural alternatives, each with a slightly different nuance:

• Die Kinder laufen laut herum.

  • herum = around, about.
  • They are moving around loudly, but not necessarily chaotic or crisscrossing. Could be a bit more neutral.

• Die Kinder rennen hin und her.

  • hin und her = back and forth.
  • Suggests running in one direction and back again, maybe less chaotic than durcheinander, more like repeated paths.

• Die Kinder laufen wild durcheinander.

  • Adds wild to emphasize the chaos and energy.

Compared to these, rennen laut durcheinander strongly suggests fast, noisy, chaotic movement in all directions, which fits a very lively playground scene.