Nach dem Auszug wollen wir noch einmal durch alle Zimmer gehen, bevor wir die Wohnung übergeben.

Questions & Answers about Nach dem Auszug wollen wir noch einmal durch alle Zimmer gehen, bevor wir die Wohnung übergeben.

Why is it Nach dem Auszug and not Nach der Auszug or Nach den Auszug?

Because nach takes the dative case when it means after in a time expression.

  • der Auszug = the move-out / moving out
  • Dative singular of der Auszug is dem Auszug

So:

  • nach dem Auszug = after the move-out

This is a very common pattern:

  • nach dem Essen = after the meal
  • nach der Arbeit = after work

What exactly does Auszug mean here?

Here, der Auszug means moving out or the move-out.

It comes from the verb ausziehen, which can mean to move out when talking about a home.

So in this sentence, Nach dem Auszug means something like:

  • after moving out
  • after the move-out
  • once we have moved out

In landlord/tenant contexts, Auszug is a very common word.


Why is the word order wollen wir instead of wir wollen?

Because Nach dem Auszug is placed at the beginning of the sentence, and in a German main clause the conjugated verb must still stay in second position.

So the structure is:

  • Nach dem Auszug = first element
  • wollen = second position, the conjugated verb
  • wir = comes after the verb

That is why you get:

  • Nach dem Auszug wollen wir ...

If the sentence started with wir, then it would be:

  • Wir wollen nach dem Auszug ...

Both are correct, but the emphasis is slightly different.


What does noch einmal mean here?

Noch einmal means one more time or once again.

In this sentence, it suggests that they want to go through the rooms again, probably for a final check.

So:

  • noch einmal durch alle Zimmer gehen = go through all the rooms one more time

This often has the sense of doing something an additional time, not necessarily repeating the exact same action in the exact same way.


Why is it durch alle Zimmer and not durch allen Zimmern?

Because durch always takes the accusative case.

The noun phrase is:

  • alle Zimmer = all the rooms

Since das Zimmer is neuter and the plural with alle in the accusative is also alle Zimmer, the form stays:

  • durch alle Zimmer

Compare:

  • durch den Park = through the park
  • durch die Stadt = through the city
  • durch alle Zimmer = through all the rooms

So the important rule is:

  • durch + accusative

What does durch alle Zimmer gehen mean literally, and is it natural German?

Literally, it means to go through all the rooms.

Yes, it is very natural German. In context, it usually means:

  • to walk through all the rooms
  • to check all the rooms
  • to do a final walkthrough

So even though the verb is gehen (to go / walk), the phrase can imply more than just movement. In a moving-out context, it often suggests a practical inspection.


Why is there a comma before bevor?

Because bevor introduces a subordinate clause, and in German subordinate clauses are separated from the main clause by a comma.

Main clause:

  • Nach dem Auszug wollen wir noch einmal durch alle Zimmer gehen

Subordinate clause:

  • bevor wir die Wohnung übergeben

So the comma is required.

This is very common with conjunctions like:

  • bevor = before
  • weil = because
  • dass = that
  • wenn = when/if

Why does übergeben come at the end in bevor wir die Wohnung übergeben?

Because bevor creates a subordinate clause, and in German subordinate clauses the conjugated verb usually goes to the end.

So:

  • wir übergeben die Wohnung = normal main clause order
  • bevor wir die Wohnung übergeben = subordinate clause, verb at the end

This is one of the most important German word-order rules.


What does die Wohnung übergeben mean here?

Here, die Wohnung übergeben means to hand over the apartment.

In a rental context, this usually means officially returning the apartment to the landlord or property manager, often with keys, a final inspection, and documentation.

So übergeben here is not just a general give. It has the sense of:

  • hand over
  • formally turn over
  • deliver back

This is very typical real-estate or tenancy vocabulary.


Why is it die Wohnung in that last clause?

Because die Wohnung is the direct object of übergeben, so it is in the accusative case.

The noun is:

  • die Wohnung = the apartment

For feminine singular nouns, the nominative and accusative forms are the same:

  • nominative: die Wohnung
  • accusative: die Wohnung

So you do not see a change in the article here, even though the case is accusative.


Is bevor best translated as before in the time sense?

Yes. Bevor means before in the sense of before something happens.

So:

  • bevor wir die Wohnung übergeben = before we hand over the apartment

It connects two actions in time:

  1. first, we go through all the rooms again
  2. then, we hand over the apartment

A useful contrast:

  • vor dem Auszug = before the move-out event itself, using a preposition + noun
  • bevor wir ausziehen = before we move out, using a conjunction + clause

What is the overall structure of the sentence?

The sentence has:

  1. a prepositional time phrase
    • Nach dem Auszug
  2. a main clause
    • wollen wir noch einmal durch alle Zimmer gehen
  3. a subordinate clause
    • bevor wir die Wohnung übergeben

So the structure is:

  • After the move-out, we want to go through all the rooms once more, before we hand over the apartment.

This is a very typical German sentence structure: a time phrase first, then the main clause, then a subordinate clause with the verb at the end.


Could I also say Wir wollen nach dem Auszug noch einmal durch alle Zimmer gehen?

Yes, absolutely.

That version is also correct:

  • Wir wollen nach dem Auszug noch einmal durch alle Zimmer gehen, bevor wir die Wohnung übergeben.

The difference is mostly one of emphasis and information flow.

  • Nach dem Auszug wollen wir ... puts the time expression first, so it is more prominent.
  • Wir wollen nach dem Auszug ... starts more neutrally with the subject.

German often moves time expressions to the front when they set the scene for the whole sentence.

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German has four grammatical cases: nominative (subject), accusative (direct object), dative (indirect object), and genitive (possession). The case determines the form of articles and adjectives. For example, "the dog" is "der Hund" as a subject but "den Hund" as a direct object.

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