detention
das Nachsitzen
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detention
A school punishment in which a student must stay at school for a set amount of time after classes.
Wegen seines wiederholten Zuspätkommens bekam er eine Stunde Nachsitzen.
He got an hour of detention for repeatedly being late.
| gender | neuter das |
|---|---|
| genitive | des Nachsitzens |
| singular | plural | |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | das Nachsitzen | – |
| accusative | das Nachsitzen | – |
| dative | dem Nachsitzen | – |
| genitive | des Nachsitzens | – |
The article changes with the case; it is shown in colour.
'Nachsitzen' (detention) consists of 'nach' (after) and 'sitzen' (to sit) and originally refers to staying behind after classes. The noun is related to the separable verb 'nachsitzen' (to serve detention), so 'nach' often appears separately when the verb is used.
Weil er seine Hausaufgaben vergessen hatte, saß er eine Stunde nach.
Because he had forgotten his homework, he served an hour of detention.
Beim Nachsitzen mussten die Schüler im Klassenzimmer bleiben.
During detention, the students had to stay in the classroom.
The duration of 'Nachsitzen' (detention) is often specified with a time expression, such as 'eine Stunde' (one hour) or 'zwei Stunden' (two hours). The noun has no plural form.
Der Lehrer kündigte eine Stunde Nachsitzen an.
The teacher announced an hour of detention.
'Nachsitzen' (detention) is mainly used in school contexts. Typical expressions include 'zum Nachsitzen müssen' (to have to go to detention), 'Nachsitzen bekommen' (to get detention), and 'jemandem Nachsitzen aufbrummen' (to slap someone with detention).
Nach mehreren Verstößen musste Lina zum Nachsitzen.
After breaking the rules several times, Lina had to go to detention.
Der Lehrer hat ihm wegen seines Verhaltens Nachsitzen aufgebrummt.
The teacher slapped him with detention for his behavior.
