Breakdown of Ich esse viel Obst, denn es ist gesund.
ich
I
sein
to be
es
it
viel
much / a lot
essen
to eat
das Obst
the fruit
denn
because
gesund
healthy
Questions & Answers about Ich esse viel Obst, denn es ist gesund.
Why does the verb ist come right after es? Doesn't the word for 'because' usually push the verb to the end?
The word denn (because) is a special connecting word that takes 'Position 0'. This means it does not count towards the word order of the second half of the sentence. After denn, you just start a normal sentence: the subject es is in Position 1, and the verb ist takes its normal place in Position 2.
Why is there a comma before denn?
In German, you must use a comma when joining two complete sentences with connecting words like denn (because) or aber (but). Since both halves of this sentence have their own subject and verb (Ich esse and es ist), the comma is required.
Why do we use es (it) in the second half of the sentence?
The pronoun es refers back to the fruit, das Obst. Because Obst is a neuter noun in German, we must use the neuter pronoun es to mean 'it'. If we were talking about an apple (der Apfel, masculine), we would use er instead.
Could I say viele Obst instead of viel Obst?
No, you must use viel. In German, viel (much or a lot of) is used with things you cannot count individually, like Obst (fruit) or Wasser (water). You only use viele (many) with things you can count, like Äpfel (apples).
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