Learn Hardcore German: Nach der Schule spielen die Kinder laut auf dem Schulhof. - After school the children play loudly in the schoolyard.

Why does the verb spielen come before die Kinder? In English we say “The children play…”, but in German it looks like “After school play the children…”.

German main clauses follow the verb‑second rule (V2): the conjugated verb must be in second position, but the subject does not have to be first.

Element 1: Nach der Schule (a prepositional phrase = “after school”)
Element 2: spielen (the finite verb)
Then comes the rest of the sentence: die Kinder laut auf dem Schulhof

So the basic information is the same as:

Die Kinder spielen nach der Schule laut auf dem Schulhof.

Both are correct. Putting Nach der Schule first emphasizes the time.

Why is it Nach der Schule and not Nach die Schule or just Nach Schule?

A few things are happening here:

The preposition nach takes the dative case when it means “after (in time)”.
- Feminine singular dative of die Schule is der Schule.
- So you must say nach der Schule, not nach die Schule.
You need the article here because we are talking about a specific, known time period (“after the school day / after school is over”), not school in general as a concept.
Just nach Schule on its own would sound ungrammatical in this context. If you dropped the article, you’d have to change the structure (e.g. nach Schulschluss = “after the end of school”).

Can I also say Die Kinder spielen nach der Schule laut auf dem Schulhof? Does that change the meaning?

Yes, you can say that, and it is totally correct. The meaning is essentially the same.

The difference is emphasis and information structure:

Nach der Schule spielen die Kinder laut auf dem Schulhof.
→ Emphasizes when it happens. “After school, the children play loudly in the schoolyard.”
Die Kinder spielen nach der Schule laut auf dem Schulhof.
→ Starts with the children as the topic. “The children play loudly in the schoolyard after school.”

In both sentences, the verb is still in second position:

First version: Nach der Schule (1st element) → spielen (2nd element)
Second version: Die Kinder (1st element) → spielen (2nd element)

Why is it laut and not something like lautlich, and where can I place laut in the sentence?

In German, laut is an adjective (laut = “loud”) and also used adverbially (“loudly”), without adding a special ending like -lich.

So:

Die Kinder sind laut. → “The children are loud.” (adjective)
Die Kinder spielen laut. → “The children play loudly.” (adverbial use of the adjective)

About position: adverb-like words usually go after the verb and subject, often before or after other adverbial phrases. Alternatives include:

Nach der Schule spielen die Kinder laut auf dem Schulhof. (original)
Nach der Schule spielen die Kinder auf dem Schulhof laut. (also correct, slightly different rhythm)
Die Kinder spielen nach der Schule laut auf dem Schulhof.

All of these are grammatically fine; laut just modifies spielen in each case.

Why is it auf dem Schulhof and not in dem Schulhof? And why dem?

Why auf and not in?
- auf dem Schulhof = on / in the (open) schoolyard
  In German, for open surfaces or yards, auf is the standard preposition:
- auf dem Markt (at the market)
- auf dem Spielplatz (at the playground)
  By contrast, in is more like “inside a closed space / building”.
Why dem?
- The noun der Schulhof is masculine.
- After auf with a location (no movement), German uses the dative case.
- Masculine dative singular of der is dem.
  So: auf
  - der Schulhof → auf dem Schulhof (dative masculine singular).
When would you use in?
You might say in der Schule (“in the school building”), but auf dem Schulhof for the yard outside.

What exactly does Schulhof mean, and why is it written as one word?

Schulhof is a compound noun formed from:

die Schule (school)
der Hof (yard, courtyard)

German very often combines nouns into one word:

Schule
- Hof → der Schulhof (the schoolyard)
Buch
- Laden → der Buchladen (bookstore)

Because Hof is masculine, the whole word Schulhof is also masculine (der Schulhof). That’s why we later get auf dem Schulhof (dative masculine).

Writing it as Schul Hof or Schul Hof is incorrect in modern German; it must be one word.

Why is it die Kinder and not something like die Kindern? How does the plural work here?

The singular and plural are:

Singular: das Kind (the child)
Plural: die Kinder (the children)

So:

Nominative singular: das Kind
Nominative plural: die Kinder

There is no -n added to the noun in the nominative plural for this word. Kindern is the dative plural form:

Ich schenke *den Kindern ein Buch.* → “I give the children a book.”

In our sentence, die Kinder is the subject, so it is nominative plural: die Kinder spielen.

What cases are used in this sentence, and which parts of the sentence are in which case?

The sentence:

Nach der Schule spielen die Kinder laut auf dem Schulhof.

Breakdown by case:

Nach der Schule
- Preposition nach → always takes dative (when it means “after” in time).
- Schule is feminine → dative singular: der Schule.
die Kinder
- This is the subject, so it’s nominative plural: die Kinder.
auf dem Schulhof
- Preposition auf, here expressing location (where?), not movement.
- With location, auf takes dative.
- Schulhof is masculine → dative singular: dem Schulhof.

So we have:

Nominative: die Kinder
Dative: der Schule, dem Schulhof

Could I just say Danach spielen die Kinder laut auf dem Schulhof instead of Nach der Schule…? Is there a difference?

Yes, you can say:

Danach spielen die Kinder laut auf dem Schulhof. → “Afterwards, the children play loudly in the schoolyard.”

Differences:

Nach der Schule is more specific: it ties the time directly to “school” (after school is finished).
Danach is more general: “after that (event) / afterwards”. It usually refers back to something previously mentioned in the context.

If the previous sentence already mentioned school, danach can replace nach der Schule without confusion. If there is no clear reference, nach der Schule is clearer on its own.

Why do we need the article die in die Kinder? Could we say just Kinder spielen laut auf dem Schulhof?

You can say:

Kinder spielen laut auf dem Schulhof.

But the meaning changes slightly:

Die Kinder spielen laut auf dem Schulhof.
→ Refers to specific children that are known from context (e.g. “the children we’re talking about / the children at this school”).
Kinder spielen laut auf dem Schulhof.
→ Sounds more general, like a statement about children as a group:
“Children play loudly in the schoolyard.” (in general / typically)

German often uses the article where English might drop it, especially when talking about a specific group that is assumed to be known to speaker and listener.

Could I move auf dem Schulhof to another position in the sentence?

Yes. German word order is quite flexible as long as:

The conjugated verb stays in second position in main clauses.
The rest stays inside the “middle field” after the verb.

All of these are grammatical, with slightly different emphasis:

Nach der Schule spielen die Kinder laut auf dem Schulhof.
Nach der Schule spielen die Kinder auf dem Schulhof laut.
Nach der Schule auf dem Schulhof spielen die Kinder laut. (a bit heavier, but possible for emphasis)
Die Kinder spielen nach der Schule laut auf dem Schulhof.
Auf dem Schulhof spielen die Kinder nach der Schule laut.

Each version is correct; the first one is the most neutral-sounding in many contexts.