Breakdown of Er fährt Rad, weil es die Umwelt schützt.
er
he
es
it
Rad fahren
to ride a bike, to cycle
weil
because (subordinating)
die Umwelt
the environment
schützen
to protect
Questions & Answers about Er fährt Rad, weil es die Umwelt schützt.
Why is schützt at the very end of the sentence?
Because of the word weil (because). weil is a type of connecting word (a subordinating conjunction) that always kicks the conjugated verb to the very end of its clause. Since schützt (protects) is the conjugated verb here, it must go last.
Is the comma before weil required?
Yes, the comma is absolutely required! In German, you always have to use a comma to separate a main clause (like Er fährt Rad) from a dependent clause (a part of the sentence introduced by words like weil).
Why is Rad capitalized here?
Rad is technically a noun (short for Fahrrad, meaning bicycle), so it must be capitalized. Even though Rad fahren (to ride a bike) works together to describe a single activity, German still treats the noun part as a normal capitalized noun.
What exactly does es refer to in the second half of the sentence?
The es (it) refers to the entire activity mentioned in the first half: riding a bike (Rad fahren). Just like in English, you can use es to point back to an action or idea, not just a physical object.
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