Wir schalten vor dem Hügel.

Because the subject is wir = we. In the present tense, schalten is conjugated as:

• ich schalte
• du schaltest
• er/sie/es schaltet
• wir schalten
• ihr schaltet
• sie/Sie schalten

So Wir schalten means we switch / we shift.

Vor can mean several related things, including in front of and before. In this sentence, it places the action relative to the hill.

With a place noun like Hügel, English may translate it as either:

• in front of the hill
• before the hill
• before reaching the hill

The most natural English wording depends on the context you were given.

Because vor is a two-way preposition. That means it can take:

• dative for location or position
• accusative for movement toward a destination

Here, vor dem Hügel describes the location or point where the action happens, so German uses the dative.

A useful comparison:

• vor dem Hügel = before / in front of the hill
• with movement to a destination, German would use accusative, for example vor das Haus

Dem is the dative singular form of the definite article the for masculine and neuter nouns.

Hügel is masculine, so its article changes like this:

• nominative: der Hügel
• accusative: den Hügel
• dative: dem Hügel
• genitive: des Hügels

So after vor in a location sense, der Hügel becomes dem Hügel.

Yes. Wir schalten vor dem Hügel is normal German word order for a statement: subject + verb + other information.

You can also say:

Vor dem Hügel schalten wir.

That is also correct. German keeps the finite verb in second position, so when vor dem Hügel comes first, wir moves after the verb.

Compare:

• Wir schalten vor dem Hügel.
• Vor dem Hügel schalten wir.

The second version puts more emphasis on vor dem Hügel.

The tricky part is ü, since English does not have an exact equivalent.

A good approximation is:

1. Make the sound ee as in see.
2. Keep your tongue in that position.
3. Round your lips as if you were saying oo.

That gives you something close to German ü.

So Hügel is roughly pronounced HYOO-gəl, though the real German vowel is more rounded and more fronted than normal English yoo.