Breakdown of Sie ist glücklich, weil sie schnell abnimmt.
sein
to be
sie
she
schnell
fast, quickly
glücklich
happy
weil
because (subordinating)
abnehmen
to lose weight
Questions & Answers about Sie ist glücklich, weil sie schnell abnimmt.
Why doesn't the separable verb abnehmen split into two parts here?
The word weil (because) introduces a subordinate clause, which pushes the conjugated verb to the very end of the sentence. When a separable verb is forced to the end like this, its prefix (ab) and its main verb (nimmt) reunite into a single word: abnimmt. If this were a normal main clause, it would split: Sie nimmt schnell ab.
Why is the verb spelled abnimmt instead of abnehmt?
The root verb is nehmen (to take). It is a strong (irregular) verb, which means it changes its stem vowel from e to i in the du and er/sie/es forms. Since the subject is sie (she), nehmen becomes nimmt. The prefix ab just gets attached to it.
Is the comma before weil absolutely necessary?
Yes. In German, you must always use a comma to separate a main clause (Sie ist glücklich) from a subordinate clause (the part starting with weil).
Does the verb abnehmen always mean to lose weight?
Not always. While it means to lose weight when talking about a person's body, it can also mean to decrease (like a temperature or a number) or to take something off (like a hat or taking a painting off a wall). As a bonus, the exact opposite of losing weight is zunehmen (to gain weight).
Learn Sie ist glücklich, weil sie schnell abnimmt and more in German
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free