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Der Biomüll kommt in die braune Tonne, und der Restmüll in die schwarze.

Der Biomüll kommt in die braune Tonne, und der Restmüll in die schwarze.
Organic waste goes into the brown bin, and residual waste into the black one.
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Questions & Answers about Der Biomüll kommt in die braune Tonne, und der Restmüll in die schwarze.

Why is it in die braune Tonne and not in der braunen Tonne?

Because in can take either accusative or dative depending on meaning:

  • in + accusative = movement/direction into something → Der Biomüll kommt in die braune Tonne.
  • in + dative = location in/inside something → Der Biomüll ist in der braunen Tonne. (It’s already in there.)
What case is die braune Tonne in, and why?

It’s accusative (feminine singular), triggered by in with a “direction into” meaning.
So you get:

  • die (accusative = same form as nominative for feminine singular)
  • adjective ending -e after die → braune
Why do the adjectives look like braune and schwarze (and not something else)?

After a definite article (der/die/das), German typically uses the weak adjective ending.
Here it’s feminine singular accusative with die, so the adjective takes -e:

  • die braune Tonne
  • die schwarze (Tonne)
Why is there no verb in the second part: … und der Restmüll in die schwarze?

German often omits repeated words when the meaning is clear (ellipsis).
The full version would be:

  • Der Biomüll kommt in die braune Tonne, und der Restmüll kommt in die schwarze Tonne.

In everyday instructions/signs, the second kommt (and even Tonne) is frequently left out.

Why does die schwarze not include the noun Tonne?

Because the noun is understood from context and can be omitted—especially after it was just mentioned.
So in die schwarze means in die schwarze Tonne.

This is like English “the brown bin and the black (one).”

Is der Restmüll in die schwarze still a complete clause?

It’s an elliptical clause: grammatically “incomplete” on the surface, but understood as complete because the missing elements are recoverable:

  • understood verb: kommt
  • understood noun: Tonne

So it functions as a normal second clause in meaning.

Why is there a comma before und?

In German, you usually don’t put a comma before und when it connects just words or phrases.
But you do commonly use a comma when und connects two (main) clauses—especially when each side could stand as its own statement, as here:

  • Der Biomüll kommt …, und der Restmüll (kommt) …
Why is it Der Biomüll kommt… (with kommt singular)?

Because Biomüll is a singular mass noun in German (like “trash” in English). The subject is singular, so the verb is singular:

  • der Biomüll kommt
  • der Restmüll kommt
Why are Biomüll and Restmüll preceded by der?

Both nouns are masculine in German:

  • der Biomüll
  • der Restmüll

Many “-müll” compounds are masculine because the head noun Müll is masculine: der Müll.

What does Tonne mean here—does it literally mean “ton”?

No. die Tonne here means a trash bin / garbage bin (often specifically a wheeled outdoor bin).
German recycling instructions commonly say braune Tonne, schwarze Tonne, etc., referring to color-coded bins.

Could I also say Der Biomüll gehört in die braune Tonne?

Yes—very common. gehören in + accusative means “to belong in” (i.e., the correct place for disposal):

  • Der Biomüll gehört in die braune Tonne. It’s slightly more “rule/assignment” sounding than kommt, which is more “goes (into).
Does the word order have to be exactly like this?

Not exactly, but this is a very natural “instruction/listing” pattern. A fully spelled-out alternative is:

  • Der Biomüll kommt in die braune Tonne, und der Restmüll kommt in die schwarze.

You could also make it tighter as two separate sentences:

  • Der Biomüll kommt in die braune Tonne. Der Restmüll in die schwarze.
Any pronunciation pitfalls in this sentence?

Common ones:

  • Müll has ü (like the vowel in “French tu”): Müll, Biomüll, Restmüll
  • schwarz ends with a strong ts sound: schwarz ≈ “shvarts”
  • Tonne has a short o and two syllables: TON-ne