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German Phrase

Ich kämm mir nach dem Duschen die Haare.

/ɪç ˈkɛm mɪɐ̯ naːx deːm ˈdʊʃən diː ˈhaːʁə/
Meaning"I comb my hair after showering."
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Meaning

Literally: ‘I comb my hair after showering.’ The sentence describes a personal grooming routine that takes place once the shower is finished.

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When to use

Use this phrase when talking about your daily hygiene habits, answering a question about how you style your hair, or describing a routine in a language‑learning diary.

✦Grammar Breakdown

IchkämmmirnachdemDuschendieHaare

1

Reflexive Dative (mir)

With verbs that describe actions you do to yourself (e.g., kämmen), the person receiving the action is in the dative case: ich kämme *mir* die Haare.

2

Nach dem + Noun (temporal phrase)

‘Nach dem’ introduces a time reference and requires the dative case; ‘Duschen’ is a nominalized verb, so it takes the article ‘dem’.

3

Verb Conjugation – kämmen

The correct 1st‑person singular present form is *kämme* (with an umlaut). In informal speech you may hear the shortened *kämm*.

4

Word Order

German allows flexible placement of adverbial phrases; you can say ‘Ich kämme nach dem Duschen mir die Haare’ or move the verb to the second position in a main clause.

🗨In Conversation

A

Wie machst du deine Haare nach dem Duschen?

How do you do your hair after showering?

Ich kämm mir nach dem Duschen die Haare.

I comb my hair after showering.

B

✕Common Mistakes

  • Ich kämme mich nach dem Duschen die Haare.

    ‘Kämmen’ takes a dative reflexive pronoun, not accusative. Use *mir* instead of *mich*.

  • Ich kämm mir nach dem duschen die Haare.

    When a verb is nominalised, it must be capitalised: *Duschen*.

  • Ich kämm*t* mir nach dem Duschen die Haare.

    The verb must agree with the subject *ich*; the correct form is *kämme* (or colloquial *kämm*).

  • Ich kämm mir nach dem Duschen die Haar.

    ‘Haare’ is plural; the article must be *die*.

↔Alternatives

  • Ich bürste mir nach dem Duschen die Haare.

    I brush my hair after showering.

  • Nach dem Duschen kämme ich meine Haare.

    After showering I comb my hair.

  • Ich kämme meine Haare nach dem Duschen.

    I comb my hair after showering.

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Cultural Tip

In German, both *kämmen* (to comb) and *bürsten* (to brush) are used for hair, but *kämmen* is slightly more formal. The reflexive dative (*mir*) is typical for personal care verbs. Remember that nominalised verbs like *Duschen* are capitalised, reflecting German orthography rules.