Learn Hardcore German: Nach dem Wochenende bauen wir alle Zelte gemeinsam ab, und niemand muss allein aufräumen. - After the weekend we take down all the tents together, and nobody has to clean up alone.

Yes, that’s normal in German. German main clauses are verb-second (V2): the conjugated verb must be in the second position, but the first position can be many things (subject, time expression, object, etc.).

Here:

Nach dem Wochenende – time expression (first position)
bauen – conjugated verb (second position)
wir – subject (third element)

So the structure is:

Nach dem Wochenende (1st slot) bauen (2nd slot: verb) wir alle Zelte gemeinsam ab …

You could also say:

Wir bauen nach dem Wochenende alle Zelte gemeinsam ab …

Both are correct. Starting with time/place information is very common in German.

Why is it bauen … ab instead of just bauen? What does the ab do?

abbauen is a separable verb:

ab (prefix) + bauen (base verb) → abbauen

It means to dismantle / take down (e.g. tents, stages, structures).

In a main clause, separable verbs split:

Wir bauen die Zelte ab. – We take down the tents.
- bauen (conjugated) goes in the verb-second position.
- ab (prefix) moves to the end of the clause.

If you just said Wir bauen die Zelte, that would mean We build the tents (put them up), the opposite of what you want here.

Does alle belong to wir (we all) or to Zelte (all the tents) in bauen wir alle Zelte gemeinsam ab?

Here, alle clearly belongs to Zelte:

alle Zelte = all the tents

So the meaning is: We take down all the tents together.

If you want we all, you usually place alle right after wir (and not before the noun):

Wir alle bauen die Zelte gemeinsam ab. – We all take the tents down together.

So:

wir alle = we all
alle Zelte = all (the) tents

What is the difference between gemeinsam and zusammen here? Could I say zusammen instead?

Yes, you could say:

… bauen wir alle Zelte zusammen ab …

Both gemeinsam and zusammen can mean together, but there’s a subtle nuance:

zusammen – more neutral, simply “together, in one group”.
gemeinsam – often emphasizes joint effort / shared responsibility or doing something as a group with a sense of unity.

In this context, gemeinsam fits very well, because the idea is: We share the work; no one has to do it alone.

Why is there a comma before und in this sentence?

In German, you must use a comma when und connects two independent main clauses (each with its own subject and finite verb).

Here we have two full clauses:

Nach dem Wochenende bauen wir alle Zelte gemeinsam ab,
- verb: bauen
- subject: wir
und niemand muss allein aufräumen.
- verb: muss
- subject: niemand

Because both sides could stand as independent sentences, German requires a comma:

…, und …

If und only connected two words or phrases (not two full clauses), there would be no comma:

Wir bauen Zelte und Stühle ab. (no comma: one clause, two objects)

Why is it niemand muss and not niemand müssen?

Niemand (nobody / no one) is grammatically singular in German, so the verb is also singular:

niemand muss (3rd person singular)
niemand ist, niemand hat, etc.

Even though “no one” refers to zero people, German treats niemand like er/sie/es (he/she/it) grammatically.

Compare:

Jemand muss aufräumen. – Somebody has to clean up.
Niemand muss aufräumen. – Nobody has to clean up.

Both take a singular verb (muss), because jemand and niemand are singular pronouns.

What’s going on with aufräumen? Why is it aufzuräumen in some places but here it’s split: muss allein aufräumen?

aufräumen is also a separable verb:

auf (prefix) + räumen (base verb) → aufräumen = to tidy (up), to clean up

In a main clause with a conjugated verb, separable verbs behave like abbauen:

Wir räumen auf. – We clean up.
- räumen in second position, auf at the end.

In the sentence:

niemand muss allein aufräumen.

we have a modal verb (muss) and an infinitive (aufräumen). With modal verbs, the infinitive stays unsplit at the end:

muss aufräumen (not muss räumen auf)

So:

main clause, simple: Wir räumen auf.
with modal: Wir müssen aufräumen.
your sentence: niemand muss allein aufräumen.

Is there a difference between allein and alleine in niemand muss allein aufräumen?

In modern standard German, allein and alleine are practically synonyms when used as an adverb meaning alone / by oneself:

niemand muss allein aufräumen
niemand muss alleine aufräumen

Both are acceptable, and in spoken language alleine is very common.
allein can sometimes sound a little more formal or written, but in everyday speech many people use them interchangeably.

Why is allein near the end: niemand muss allein aufräumen? Could it go somewhere else?

German has relatively flexible word order for adverbs like allein, but there are preferences. Common patterns:

Niemand muss allein aufräumen. – neutral, very natural.
Niemand muss aufräumen allein. – possible but sounds marked / poetic or emphatic.
Niemand muss allein das Zelt aufräumen. – focuses on doing it alone, before specifying what.

Adverbs often go before the main infinitive at the end:

muss allein aufräumen
muss gründlich aufräumen
muss heute aufräumen

So allein before aufräumen is the most natural position here.

Why is the present tense used (bauen, muss) if the action is in the future (after the weekend)?

German often uses the present tense to talk about the future, especially when the time is clear from context or a time expression:

Nach dem Wochenende bauen wir alle Zelte gemeinsam ab.
→ Time expression Nach dem Wochenende makes it clear this is future.

This is very common and usually sounds more natural than Futur I here. You could say:

Nach dem Wochenende werden wir alle Zelte gemeinsam abbauen.

but it sounds a bit heavier and is often only used for emphasis, predictions, or to avoid ambiguity.

Could I say Nach dem Wochenende wir bauen alle Zelte gemeinsam ab?

No. That word order breaks the verb-second rule.

In a main clause:

There is exactly one element in the first position (here: Nach dem Wochenende).
The finite (conjugated) verb must immediately follow in second position.

So:

✅ Nach dem Wochenende bauen wir alle Zelte gemeinsam ab.
❌ Nach dem Wochenende wir bauen … (verb is no longer in second position)

If you start with wir, then bauen comes second:

✅ Wir bauen nach dem Wochenende alle Zelte gemeinsam ab.

Is there any nuance in niemand muss allein aufräumen compared to saying something like Wir räumen alle gemeinsam auf?

Yes, there’s a subtle difference in focus:

Wir räumen alle gemeinsam auf.
– Focus: We all clean up together.
– Positive emphasis on cooperation.
niemand muss allein aufräumen.
– Focus: No one is forced to clean up alone.
– Emphasizes that no one is left with the work by themselves, which sounds reassuring.

Both express a similar situation, but the second version highlights the absence of an unpleasant situation (being stuck cleaning alone), which fits the context of fairness or shared responsibility.