Breakdown of Wir nehmen den Bus, weil das Benzin zu teuer ist.
sein
to be
wir
we
teuer
expensive
der Bus
the bus
Questions & Answers about Wir nehmen den Bus, weil das Benzin zu teuer ist.
Why does the verb ist come at the very end of the sentence?
This is because of the word weil (because). Weil is a subordinating conjunction, which means it introduces a dependent clause and "kicks" the conjugated verb (ist) all the way to the end of that clause.
Is the comma before weil always required?
Yes! In English, we often don't use a comma before "because", but German punctuation rules are stricter. You must always put a comma to separate the main clause from a dependent clause starting with a word like weil.
Why does the sentence use den Bus instead of der Bus?
Bus is a masculine noun (der Bus). Because it is the direct object of the verb nehmen (it is the thing being taken), it must take the accusative case. For masculine nouns, der changes to den in the accusative.
Can I use zu to mean "too" in the sense of "also"?
No, when zu is placed before an adjective like teuer, it means "too" in the sense of "excessively" (too expensive). If you want to say "too" meaning "also" (e.g., "We are taking the bus, too"), you would use the word auch.