50/100
Log inSign up

Wenn die Jacke nicht passt, will ich sie zurücklegen und eine andere Farbe nehmen.

Wenn die Jacke nicht passt, will ich sie zurücklegen und eine andere Farbe nehmen.
If the jacket doesn’t fit, I want to put it back and take another color.

Breakdown of Wenn die Jacke nicht passt, will ich sie zurücklegen und eine andere Farbe nehmen.

und
and
ich
I
nicht
not
wollen
to want
nehmen
to take
sie
it
passen
to fit
ander
other
wenn
if/when
die Jacke
jacket
zurücklegen
to put back
die Farbe
color
Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching German grammar and vocabulary.

Start learning German now

Questions & Answers about Wenn die Jacke nicht passt, will ich sie zurücklegen und eine andere Farbe nehmen.

Why is there a comma after passt?

German separates a subordinate clause from the main clause with a comma. Wenn die Jacke nicht passt is a subordinate clause introduced by wenn, so it must be followed by a comma before the main clause begins: …, will ich …

Why does the verb passt come at the end of the wenn-clause?

In a subordinate clause (Nebensatz) introduced by words like wenn, the conjugated verb goes to the end. So it’s wenn … passt, not wenn … passt die Jacke.

What’s the word order in the main clause will ich sie zurücklegen und … nehmen?

In a normal main clause, the conjugated verb is in position 2 (V2 rule). Here, after the comma, the clause starts with will, so will is position 1 and the subject ich follows:

  • will (conjugated verb)
  • ich (subject)
  • then the rest: sie zurücklegen und eine andere Farbe nehmen
Does will here mean want to or will (future)?

It means want to. In German, wollen expresses intention/desire. For a simple future meaning, German often uses present tense (or sometimes werden), but wollen is specifically about wanting.

Why is it will ich sie zurücklegen and not ich will sie zurücklegen?

Both are possible, but not in the same position. Because the main clause starts immediately after the comma, German puts the conjugated verb first (to satisfy V2). If you start the main clause with the subject, you’d say:

  • Wenn die Jacke nicht passt, ich will … (this is not standard) Instead you either do:
  • Wenn …, will ich … (standard) Or you could reorder entirely without fronting the subordinate clause:
  • Ich will sie zurücklegen, wenn die Jacke nicht passt.
What does sie refer to, and why is it sie?

sie refers to die Jacke (the jacket). Jacke is feminine, so the pronoun is sie. It’s also the direct object of zurücklegen, so sie is accusative (and feminine accusative looks the same as nominative: sie).

What exactly does passen mean here?

With clothing, passen usually means to fit (size/shape is right). So Wenn die Jacke nicht passt means the jacket doesn’t fit properly.

Is zurücklegen the normal verb for returning something to a store?

zurücklegen means to put back / set aside / put back (on the shelf). In a shop context, it can mean putting the item back rather than returning it as a refund/return process.
If you mean return to the store (as a return/refund), common verbs are:

  • zurückgeben (give back/return)
  • zurückbringen (bring back/return)

So the sentence suggests: if it doesn’t fit, I’ll put it back and take another color.

Why is zurücklegen not split into lege … zurück?

Because it’s used in the infinitive after the modal verb will. Separable-prefix verbs split only when the verb is conjugated in a main clause (e.g., Ich lege sie zurück).
With a modal: Ich will sie zurücklegen (infinitive stays together).

Why is nehmen at the very end?

Because both actions are governed by will: will … zurücklegen und … nehmen. After a modal verb, the main verbs appear as infinitives at the end of the clause. In a coordinated structure, both infinitives can be placed at the end, with the second one coming last.

Why is it eine andere Farbe and not einen anderen Farbe or something else?

Farbe is feminine (die Farbe). After nehmen, it’s a direct object, so it’s accusative. Feminine accusative uses eine and the adjective ending -e:

  • eine andere Farbe
    Masculine would look different (e.g., einen anderen …), but Farbe is feminine.
Could you also say eine andere Farbe auswählen instead of nehmen?

Yes. nehmen is common and natural in everyday speech (take/choose). Alternatives include:

  • eine andere Farbe wählen (choose)
  • eine andere Farbe aussuchen (pick out)
  • eine andere Farbe auswählen (select)
    All work; they vary mainly by style and nuance.
Can wenn mean both if and when here, and how do I know which one it is?
Yes, wenn can mean if (condition) or when (whenever/at the time). Here it’s a condition: if it doesn’t fit, then I’ll do X. In English you’d likely translate it as if, but the German wenn covers both uses; context does the disambiguation.