Breakdown of Du sollst den Zug nicht verpassen. Deshalb gehen wir jetzt.
du
you (informal singular)
jetzt
now
wir
we
nicht
not
der Zug
the train
gehen
to go
sollen
should / ought to
deshalb
therefore / that is why
verpassen
to miss
Questions & Answers about Du sollst den Zug nicht verpassen. Deshalb gehen wir jetzt.
Why is the verb gehen before the subject wir in the second sentence?
The word deshalb (that's why / therefore) takes up the first position in the sentence. In German main clauses, the conjugated verb must always come in the second position. Since deshalb is in position 1, the verb gehen must be in position 2, pushing the subject wir into position 3.
Could I use darum or deswegen instead of deshalb here?
Yes, absolutely! Deshalb, darum, and deswegen all mean "that's why" or "therefore." They are completely interchangeable and all work exactly the same way, keeping the verb in the second position.
Why is verpassen at the very end of the first sentence?
The first sentence uses the modal verb sollen (conjugated here as sollst). When you use a modal verb, it takes the normal second position, and the main action verb (verpassen) gets kicked all the way to the end of the sentence in its infinitive (dictionary) form.
Why does nicht come right before verpassen?
When negating a specific action in a sentence with a modal verb, nicht is placed right before the infinitive verb at the end of the sentence. Here, it directly negates the action of missing the train, translating to "not miss".
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