Questions & Answers about Ich habe Angst, aber ich gehe.
Why does the German sentence use habe (have) instead of a word for 'am'?
In English, we use the verb 'to be' plus an adjective: 'I am afraid.' In German, you use the verb haben (to have) plus the noun Angst (fear). You are literally saying 'I have fear.' Because Angst is a noun, it is always capitalized.
Does the word aber change the word order in the second half of the sentence?
No, it doesn't! The word aber (but) links two sentences together but sits in 'position zero.' This means it doesn't count towards the word order. The subject (ich) takes position 1, and the verb (gehe) stays safely in its normal spot at position 2.
Do I always need a comma before aber?
Yes! In German punctuation rules, you generally must place a comma before aber when it connects two complete sentences.
Why does ich gehe translate to 'I am going' instead of 'I go'?
It can mean both! German does not have a separate continuous tense like English does (the '-ing' form). Depending on the context, ich gehe translates perfectly to either 'I go' or 'I am going.'
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