Breakdown of Sie hilft ihm nicht, denn sie ist krank.
sein
to be
sie
she
nicht
not
helfen
to help
ihm
him / it / to him / to it (dative)
denn
because
krank
sick
Questions & Answers about Sie hilft ihm nicht, denn sie ist krank.
Why is the verb ist the third word after the comma (denn sie ist...)? Shouldn't the verb be in the second position?
The word denn (because) is a "Position 0" conjunction. This means it glues two sentences together but doesn't count as taking up the first spot in the new sentence. Therefore, the subject sie is in Position 1, and the verb ist stays in Position 2, exactly like a normal standalone sentence.
Why does the sentence use ihm instead of ihn for "him"?
The verb helfen (to help) is a special verb that always requires its object to be in the dative case. Even though "him" receives the action, we must use the dative pronoun ihm instead of the accusative pronoun ihn.
Why is the verb hilft spelled with an "i" instead of an "e" like the dictionary form helfen?
helfen is a stem-changing verb. When conjugating it for du (you) or er/sie/es (he/she/it), the "e" changes to an "i". That is why "I help" is ich helfe, but "she helps" is sie hilft.
Why does nicht come after ihm?
When negating the action of the sentence, nicht tends to move toward the end of the clause. It comes after pronouns and objects, which is why it sits right after the dative object ihm and right before the comma.
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