Word
Schließlich trinkt er einen Kaffee.
Meaning
Finally he drinks a coffee.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Breakdown of Schließlich trinkt er einen Kaffee.
ein
a, an (eine)
er
he
trinken
to drink
der Kaffee
the coffee
Questions & Answers about Schließlich trinkt er einen Kaffee.
Why does the sentence say trinkt er instead of er trinkt?
Because the sentence starts with the adverb schließlich. In German main clauses, the verb must always be in the second position. Since schließlich takes position one, the verb trinkt comes second, and the subject er is pushed to position three.
Could I use zuletzt instead of schließlich?
Yes! When talking about a sequence of events, zuletzt (lastly) and schließlich (finally) are very similar and can usually be swapped. Schließlich is just a bit more common for wrapping up a story or a list of actions.
Why is it einen Kaffee and not just ein Kaffee?
Kaffee is a masculine noun (der Kaffee). Since it is the thing being drunk, it acts as the direct object of the sentence. This means it takes the accusative case, which changes the masculine word for "a" from ein to einen.
If I want to say "eventually he drinks a coffee," can I use the German word eventuell instead?
No, that is a very common false friend! The German word eventuell actually means "possibly" or "perhaps." If you want to say "eventually" or "in the end," schließlich is the exact word you need.