nacheinander

Nacheinander is a German adverb meaning in succession or one after another. It describes events, actions, or objects that occur or are performed in a fixed sequence, without overlapping in time. The term emphasizes chronological order rather than spatial arrangement.

Etymology and grammar: Nacheinander is formed from nach (after) and einander (one another). Historically, it expresses that things follow each other in a temporal order. In usage, it is typically an adverb and can be paired with verbs to indicate sequencing, as in nacheinander erledigen (to do things in sequence) or nacheinander folgen (to follow one after another).

Usage and nuance: In everyday language, nacheinander is used to describe tasks or events arranged step by step. It is common in instructions, workflows, and descriptions of processes. In programming and computing, it contrasts with parallel execution: nacheinander means sequential execution of tasks, whereas parallel execution runs tasks simultaneously. Examples: Die Schritte müssen nacheinander abgearbeitet werden. Die Aufgaben werden nacheinander erledigt. In mathematics or logic, it can describe a series of events or conditions that occur in a defined order.

Related terms and contrasts: Nebeneinander means side by side, i.e., simultaneous or adjacent rather than sequential. Other synonyms or near-synonyms include schrittweise (step by step) and seriell (serial), though they carry slightly different emphases. Nacheinander remains a common, versatile way to express temporal order in German.