Learn Hardcore German: Die Verantwortlichen im Verein planen schon die nächste Reise, obwohl die Erschöpften noch schlafen und die Fleißigen schon wieder packen. - Those responsible in the club are already planning the next trip, although the exhausted ones are still sleeping and the diligent ones are already packing again.

They are originally adjectives, but here they are used as nouns, a very common thing in German. This is called substantivierte Adjektive (adjectives turned into nouns).

die Verantwortlichen = the people responsible / those in charge
die Erschöpften = the exhausted (people)
die Fleißigen = the diligent / hardworking (people)

When an adjective is used on its own as a noun, German:

Capitalizes it (because all nouns are capitalized).
Keeps adjective endings according to gender, number, and case.

So:

die Verantwortlichen (Nom. Pl.)
die Erschöpften (Nom. Pl.)
die Fleißigen (Nom. Pl.)

All three refer to groups of people and are treated grammatically as plural nouns.

What is the grammatical role and case of die Verantwortlichen im Verein?

die Verantwortlichen im Verein is the subject of the main clause.

die Verantwortlichen → nominative plural (subject)
im Verein → a prepositional phrase describing which Verantwortlichen (those in the club/association)

So:

Case: Nominative plural
Role: Subject of planen
Translation: The people in charge in the club / the club’s leaders

Why does it say Verantwortlichen with -en and not Verantwortliche?

The ending -en comes from adjective declension with a definite article in the plural.

The pattern (for plural with a definite article) is:

Nominative plural: die
- adjective + -en → die Verantwortlichen
Accusative plural: same → die Verantwortlichen
Dative plural: den
- adjective + -en → den Verantwortlichen

So after die in the plural, the adjective-as-noun gets -en, not -e.

Compare:

ein Verantwortlicher (singular, with ein)
die Verantwortlichen (plural, with die)

What exactly does im Verein mean, and why is it im?

im is the contraction of in dem.

in can take dative or accusative.
Here it answers “where?” (where are they responsible? → in the club), so dative is used.
Verein is masculine: der Verein.
Dative singular masculine → dem Verein.
in dem Verein contracts to im Verein.

Literal breakdown:

in (in) + dem Verein (the club/association) → im Verein (in the club).

What is the case and gender of die nächste Reise, and why?

Reise is a feminine noun: die Reise.

In the sentence:

Verb: planen (to plan)
Direct object: die nächste Reise → what are they planning?

So die nächste Reise is:

Case: Accusative (direct object)
Gender: Feminine
Number: Singular

Feminine nominative and accusative singular both use die, so it looks the same, but the function in the sentence (object of planen) tells you it’s accusative.

Why is the verb at the end in obwohl die Erschöpften noch schlafen und die Fleißigen schon wieder packen?

Because obwohl introduces a subordinate clause. In German:

Main clause: verb in 2nd position
Subordinate clause (introduced by obwohl, weil, dass, etc.): conjugated verb goes to the end

Structure here:

Main clause:
- Die Verantwortlichen im Verein planen schon die nächste Reise,
Subordinate clause with obwohl:
- obwohl die Erschöpften noch schlafen und die Fleißigen schon wieder packen.

Inside the subordinate clause, each coordinated clause keeps verb-final:

...obwohl die Erschöpften noch schlafen
und die Fleißigen schon wieder packen

What is the nuance of noch with schlafen and schon wieder with packen?

These little words carry a lot of nuance:

noch schlafen
- noch ≈ still
- die Erschöpften noch schlafen = the exhausted ones are still sleeping
- Implies: they started sleeping earlier and haven’t stopped yet.
schon wieder packen
- schon = already
- wieder = again
- schon wieder together can sound like a slightly surprised or ironic “already again”.
- die Fleißigen schon wieder packen = the diligent ones are already packing again
- Implies: they have packed before and are surprisingly early at it again.

So the contrast is:

The tired ones still (noch) haven’t recovered and are sleeping.
The hardworking ones are already again (schon wieder) active and packing.

Is the schon in planen schon die nächste Reise the same as the schon in schon wieder packen?

It’s the same word schon, but used in slightly different ways:

planen schon die nächste Reise
- schon = already
- Focus: they’re planning the next trip earlier than expected or so soon after the last one.
- Translation: are already planning the next trip.
schon wieder packen
- schon modifies wieder, forming schon wieder = already again.
- It emphasizes that the action is repeating, and sooner than one might expect.

In both cases, schon gives a sense of earliness or sooner than expected, but:

Alone: schon = already.
With wieder: schon wieder = already (at it) again, often with a hint of surprise or irony.

Can I say “obwohl die Erschöpften schlafen noch” instead of “noch schlafen”?

No, that word order is wrong in standard German.

Basic rule inside a clause:

The finite verb (conjugated verb) is in the second position (main clause) or final position (subordinate clause).
Most adverbs like noch, schon, wieder normally come before the verb in simple verb forms.

So:

Correct: ...obwohl die Erschöpften noch schlafen.
Incorrect: ...obwohl die Erschöpften schlafen noch.

Similarly:

Die Kinder schlafen noch. (The children are still sleeping.)
not
Die Kinder schlafen noch sind... etc.

Are die Erschöpften and die Fleißigen also in the nominative? How do I know?

Yes, both are nominative plural, each as the subject of its own verb:

die Erschöpften → subject of schlafen
die Fleißigen → subject of packen

Inside the subordinate clause:

die Erschöpften noch schlafen
- Who is sleeping? → die Erschöpften → nominative
die Fleißigen schon wieder packen
- Who is packing? → die Fleißigen → nominative

You know they are nominative because:

They perform the action of the verb.
The verb takes plural forms (schlafen, packen), agreeing with these plural subjects.

Could I replace obwohl with aber or während here?

Not directly, because they work differently in terms of grammar and nuance.

obwohl = although / even though
- Introduces a subordinate clause (verb at the end).
- Expresses a contrast against expectation.
- Current sentence:
  - Main: They are already planning the next trip,
  - Contrast: even though some are still sleeping and others are already packing again.
aber = but
- A coordinating conjunction, not a subordinating one.
- Would create two main clauses, e.g.:
  - Die Verantwortlichen im Verein planen schon die nächste Reise, aber die Erschöpften schlafen noch und die Fleißigen packen schon wieder.
- This is grammatically fine, but the nuance shifts from “despite this” to a somewhat looser “but at the same time”.
während = while / whereas
- Also a subordinating conjunction (verb at end).
- Often stresses simultaneity or contrast, less clearly “against expectations” than obwohl.
- ...während die Erschöpften noch schlafen und die Fleißigen schon wieder packen.
- This would focus more on things happening at the same time, not necessarily on “this is surprising in spite of that”.

So:

obwohl → best for “even though”, despite that fact.
aber → more neutral “but” between two main clauses.
während → emphasizes “while / whereas” (time or contrast).

Can Verantwortlichen, Erschöpften, and Fleißigen also be used in the singular?

Yes, you can use them in the singular as well. They then refer to one person with that quality:

der Verantwortliche = the (male) person responsible / person in charge
die Verantwortliche = the (female) person responsible
der Erschöpfte / die Erschöpfte = the exhausted (man/woman)
der Fleißige / die Fleißige = the diligent / hardworking (man/woman)

And they decline like adjectives used as nouns:

Nominative: der Verantwortliche, die Erschöpfte
Accusative: den Verantwortlichen, die Erschöpfte
Dative: dem Verantwortlichen, der Erschöpften, etc.

In the sentence you gave, the plural is used because we’re talking about groups of people.

Why is the present tense used here for everything? In English I might say “are planning,” “are still sleeping,” “are already packing.”

German Präsens (present tense) is used very broadly and often covers what English expresses with present continuous (are doing).

Here:

planen → are planning
schlafen → are sleeping
packen → are packing

German does not need a separate continuous form; simple present tense is enough when the context makes it clear that the action is ongoing right now.

So the sentence describes simultaneous ongoing actions in the present, just like English “are planning / are still sleeping / are already packing again.”

Is the word order planen schon die nächste Reise fixed, or could I say planen die nächste Reise schon?

Both are grammatically possible, but the focus shifts slightly.

planen schon die nächste Reise
- Slight emphasis on “already” coming early in the sentence.
- Flow is very natural.
planen die nächste Reise schon
- Also correct. The schon here tends to emphasize the whole action of planning as already happening.
- Still natural, just a bit different rhythm.

German word order with adverbs is flexible. Typical neutral orders:

Sie planen schon die nächste Reise.
Sie planen die nächste Reise schon.

In your sentence, the version with planen schon die nächste Reise is very idiomatic and nicely balances the rhythm of the clause before the obwohl part.