Breakdown of Wenn der Chef die Rede hält, ist das Publikum leise.
sein
to be
der Chef
the boss (male)
leise
quiet / quietly
wenn
if / when (conditional, not a question word)
halten
to give (a speech)
die Rede
the speech
das Publikum
the audience
Questions & Answers about Wenn der Chef die Rede hält, ist das Publikum leise.
Why does the second part of the sentence start with the verb ist?
The first part of the sentence (Wenn der Chef die Rede hält) is a subordinate clause that takes up the entire first position of the sentence. Because German requires the main verb to be in position 2, the main clause right after the comma has to start with its verb, ist. A handy trick for this structure is the "verb-comma-verb" rule!
Why use hält (holds) instead of a verb that translates directly to "gives"?
Languages often pair different verbs with certain nouns. In German, you don't "give" a speech, you "hold" it. The fixed expression is eine Rede halten (to give a speech). You will also see this same verb used for giving a presentation (einen Vortrag halten).
Why is wenn used for "when" here instead of wann or als?
Wann is strictly for asking questions (like "When does it start?"). Als is used for a single, one-time event in the past (like "When he gave the speech yesterday..."). Because this sentence describes a present-tense situation or a general condition ("Whenever the boss gives the speech..."), you must use wenn.
Why is it ist das Publikum instead of sind, since an audience has many people?
The word das Publikum (the audience) is a collective noun. Even though it describes a group made up of many people, the grammatical word itself is singular. Therefore, it requires the singular verb ist.
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