Das Zimmer ist dunkel, aber das Wohnzimmer ist hell.
The room is dark, but the living room is bright.
Breakdown of Das Zimmer ist dunkel, aber das Wohnzimmer ist hell.
sein
to be
aber
but
das Zimmer
the room
das Wohnzimmer
the living room
Questions & Answers about Das Zimmer ist dunkel, aber das Wohnzimmer ist hell.
Why is the verb ist the third word in the second half of the sentence?
This is because aber (but) is a 'Position 0' word! In German, coordinating conjunctions like und, oder, aber, and denn do not count towards the sentence's word order. They just act as glue to connect two complete sentences. Because aber takes up Position 0, the subject das Wohnzimmer sits in Position 1, allowing the verb ist to take its strict normal place in Position 2.
Is there a trick to knowing to use das in front of Wohnzimmer?
Yes! When you combine words to make a new one (called a compound noun), the very last word in the chain determines the gender. Since Zimmer (room) is a neuter word that uses das, the compound word Wohnzimmer (living room) also uses das.
Do I always need a comma before aber?
Yes, you generally need a comma before aber in German. It is especially important here because it connects two independent clauses (meaning both halves of the sentence have their own subject and verb). The comma helps separate those two complete thoughts.
Why don't the adjectives dunkel and hell have any special endings here?
Because they come after the verb to describe the room, rather than sitting directly in front of a noun (like 'the dark room'). When adjectives are used on their own like this, they stay in their basic dictionary form and do not get any extra endings.