Breakdown of Ist es wahr, dass der Unfall sehr schlimm war?
sein
to be
es
it
sehr
very
der Unfall
the accident
dass
that
wahr
true
schlimm
bad / awful (severe)
Questions & Answers about Ist es wahr, dass der Unfall sehr schlimm war?
Why does the verb war go at the very end of the sentence?
The word dass (that) is a subordinating conjunction. This means it introduces a dependent part of the sentence and forces the conjugated verb to the very end. So instead of saying dass der Unfall war sehr schlimm, the verb war gets pushed to the end.
Do I always need a comma before dass?
Yes! In German, you must always use a comma to separate the main clause (Ist es wahr) from a subordinate clause introduced by dass.
Why use schlimm instead of schlecht for "bad" here?
While schlecht means "bad" in the sense of poor quality (like a bad movie or bad food), schlimm is used for things that are severe, serious, or terrible. For an accident, illness, or mistake, schlimm is the natural choice.
Why does the first part start with Ist instead of Es ist?
Because it is a yes/no question. In German questions that do not use a question word like who or where, the verb moves to the first position. So the statement Es ist wahr (It is true) becomes the question Ist es wahr? (Is it true?).
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