A2-41 · Put an evening in order
Going out
Use zuerst, dann and danach while keeping the conjugated verb in second position.
About 5 minutes to read · 12 quiz questions
01
Begin with zuerst
Zuerst means first. At the start of a statement it fills the first position, so the verb follows: Zuerst kaufen wir die Karten. Die Karte means ticket here.
Zuerst kaufen wir die Karten.
First we buy the tickets.
Zuerst kaufen wir die Karten.
First we buy the tickets.
Zuerst gehen wir ins Kino.
First we go to the cinema.
Wir besuchen das Theater.
We visit the theater.
Das Kino is the cinema, das Theater the theater and das Konzert a concert. Word order stays the same whichever activity comes first.
02
Continue with dann and danach
Dann means then; danach means after that. Both can introduce the next step. When they stand first, the conjugated verb comes immediately after them.
Dann sehen wir den Film.
Then we watch the film.
Danach trinken wir Kaffee.
After that we drink coffee.
Dann beginnt das Konzert.
Then the concert begins.
Danach gehen die Freunde nach Hause.
After that the friends go home.
Dann and danach can often replace each other. The quiz tests their word order rather than pretending only one of them is possible.
03
Sequence a past evening
The same pattern works in the Perfekt: Zuerst haben wir das Museum besucht. The helping verb comes second; the participle stays last. Zum Schluss means finally.
Zuerst haben wir das Museum besucht.
First we visited the museum.
Dann sind wir ins Theater gegangen.
Then we went to the theater.
Danach haben wir gegessen.
After that we ate.
Zum Schluss sind wir nach Hause gefahren.
Finally we went home.
Das Museum becomes die Museen in the plural. Erzählen means tell or recount. Use a few time words to make your evening easy to follow.
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