Learn Hardcore German: Nach dem Spiel merke ich, dass jeder Lauf und jeder Pass Sinn ergibt. - After the match I realize that every run and every pass makes sense.

The preposition nach (meaning “after” in time) requires the dative.
The article dem is the dative singular form for masculine and neuter nouns.
Spiel is a neuter noun (das Spiel), so in dative it becomes dem Spiel.

Mini-table for das Spiel:

Nominative: das Spiel
Accusative: das Spiel
Dative: dem Spiel
Genitive: des Spiels

Can I also say Ich merke nach dem Spiel, dass … instead of Nach dem Spiel merke ich, dass …?

Yes, both are correct. German allows you to move elements to the beginning of the sentence for emphasis, but the finite verb must stay in second position.

Ich merke nach dem Spiel, dass …
– neutral word order; the subject ich is in first position.
Nach dem Spiel merke ich, dass …
– here, Nach dem Spiel is in first position for emphasis (time), so the verb merke still comes second, and ich comes after it.

In both versions, the meaning is essentially the same; the second one highlights the point in time more strongly.

What does merke mean here, and how is it different from other verbs like bemerken or realisieren?

merken here means something like “notice / realize / become aware”.

Rough nuances:

ich merke, dass …
– I notice / I realize that … (quite common, everyday).
ich bemerke, dass …
– I notice that … (a bit more focused on perceiving something, often visually or consciously).
ich realisiere, dass …
– I realize that … (exists in German, but sounds more formal or influenced by English; many native speakers would prefer merken or mir klar werden).

In this sports context, Nach dem Spiel merke ich, dass … sounds very natural and idiomatic.

What is the function of dass, and why is there a comma before it?

dass is a subordinating conjunction meaning “that” (introducing a content clause).

merke ich, dass … = I notice/realize that …

In German:

A comma usually separates main clauses from subordinate clauses, so you must write:
- … merke ich, dass jeder Lauf …
dass forces the conjugated verb of its clause to the end:
- dass jeder Lauf und jeder Pass Sinn ergibt
  (not: dass jeder Lauf und jeder Pass ergibt Sinn)

So the pattern is:

[main clause] , dass [subject … objects … verb]

Why is the verb at the end in dass jeder Lauf und jeder Pass Sinn ergibt?

Because dass introduces a subordinate clause, and in standard German subordinate clauses, the finite verb goes to the final position.

Structure of the subordinate clause:

dass – conjunction
jeder Lauf und jeder Pass – subject
Sinn – object
ergibt – finite verb, sent to the end by dass

So the word order rule is:

main clause: verb is in second position → Nach dem Spiel merke ich …
dass-clause: verb is in final position → dass … Sinn ergibt

What case are jeder Lauf and jeder Pass, and why?

They are nominative singular, masculine.

Reason: They are the subject of the subordinate clause.

Question: Wer oder was ergibt Sinn?
→ jeder Lauf und jeder Pass.

Forms:

Masculine nominative singular of jeder is jeder:
- jeder Lauf
- jeder Pass

So the pattern is jeder + masculine noun (nominative singular).

Why is it jeder Lauf und jeder Pass and not alle Läufe und Pässe?

Both are possible, but they have slightly different nuances:

jeder Lauf und jeder Pass
– literally “every run and every pass”.
– emphasizes each individual action; almost like checking them one by one.
alle Läufe und Pässe
– “all the runs and passes”.
– emphasizes the whole group as a collection.

In the original sentence, the focus is on each single action making sense, so jeder … fits very well stylistically.

What does the expression Sinn ergeben mean, and how is it structured grammatically?

Sinn ergeben means “to make sense” / “to be meaningful”.

Grammatically:

etwas ergibt Sinn
– literally: “something yields/produces sense”

In your sentence:

Subject: jeder Lauf und jeder Pass
Object: Sinn (accusative, but used without an article here)
Verb: ergibt

So the structure is:

[subject] + ergibt + Sinn

Examples:

Das ergibt Sinn. – That makes sense.
Seine Erklärung ergibt keinen Sinn. – His explanation doesn’t make sense.

Why is there no article before Sinn (why not einen Sinn or den Sinn)?

In the fixed expression Sinn ergeben, the noun Sinn is often used without an article when it means “sense” in general.

Compare:

Das ergibt Sinn. – That makes sense. (general)
Das ergibt keinen Sinn. – That doesn’t make any sense.
Das ergibt keinen großen Sinn. – That doesn’t make much sense.
Das ergibt den Sinn, dass … – This yields the meaning that … (more literal, specific sense).

In everyday speech, Sinn ergeben without an article is very common and idiomatic for “to make sense”.

Why is it ergibt (singular) and not ergeben (plural) after jeder Lauf und jeder Pass?

This is a subtle point. There are two possible ways speakers treat such constructions:

Grammatically plural (very clear and always correct):
- Jeder Lauf und jeder Pass ergeben Sinn.
Here, jeder Lauf und jeder Pass is a compound subject, so logically plural → ergeben.
Singular by attraction to the nearest element (also common in usage):
- Jeder Lauf und jeder Pass ergibt Sinn.
Speakers often use a singular verb when each part is individually emphasized with jeder, and the verb “agrees” with the nearer noun (jeder Pass) in actual speech.

Many native speakers would not even notice the singular here; both forms occur. If you want to be on the safe side in formal writing, using ergeben is the more strictly grammatical choice, but ergibt is very frequent and sounds natural.

Could I also say Nach dem Spiel habe ich gemerkt, dass … instead of merke ich?

Yes. That would change the tense/aspect, but it’s still correct.

Nach dem Spiel merke ich, dass …
– present tense; you are describing what you (now) realize after the game. This can be used even if the game just ended a moment ago.
Nach dem Spiel habe ich gemerkt, dass …
– present perfect; emphasizes that at some moment after the game you noticed or realized something in the past.

Both are natural. Choice depends on context:

Giving a general statement / repeated situation → present: Nach dem Spiel merke ich immer, dass …
Talking about one finished event → perfect: Nach dem Spiel habe ich gemerkt, dass …

How would I negate this sentence naturally?

Common options:

Negate the existence of sense with kein:
- Nach dem Spiel merke ich, dass jeder Lauf und jeder Pass keinen Sinn ergibt.
  – I notice that every run and every pass doesn’t make sense.
  (This sounds a bit odd logically: every single action makes no sense.)
More logically:
- Nach dem Spiel merke ich, dass viele Läufe und Pässe keinen Sinn ergeben.
  – many runs and passes don’t make sense.
Negate Sinn ergeben as a whole:
- Nach dem Spiel merke ich, dass nicht jeder Lauf und nicht jeder Pass Sinn ergibt.
  – I realize that not every run and not every pass makes sense.
Using kein directly with the subject:
- Nach dem Spiel merke ich, dass kein Lauf und kein Pass Sinn ergibt.
  – I realize that no run and no pass makes sense.

Which one you choose depends on whether you want to say:

none of them make sense (kein), or
not all of them make sense (nicht jeder), or
many of them don’t make sense (viele … keinen Sinn ergeben).