Breakdown of Der Zug hat Verspätung. Deswegen verpasse ich den Termin.
ich
I
haben
to have
der Zug
the train
der Termin
the appointment
Questions & Answers about Der Zug hat Verspätung. Deswegen verpasse ich den Termin.
Why is it verpasse ich instead of ich verpasse after deswegen?
Deswegen (because of that / therefore) is an adverb that takes up the first position (Position 1) in the sentence. In German, the main verb must always come second (Position 2). Since deswegen is in the first spot, the verb verpasse has to come next, which pushes the subject ich to the third position.
Could I use deshalb or darum instead of deswegen here?
Yes, absolutely! Deswegen, deshalb, and darum all mean roughly the same thing: "therefore" or "because of that." They are interchangeable in this context, and they all trigger the exact same word order rule where the verb must come right after them.
Why does the German sentence use hat (has) for "is delayed"?
In English, we describe the train's state with "to be" (the train is delayed). In German, the standard way to express this is with the noun die Verspätung (the delay) and the verb haben (to have). Literally translated, German says "The train has a delay."
If I miss my friend, do I also use the verb verpassen?