Breakdown of Wir trinken Sekt und klatschen laut.
und
and
trinken
to drink
wir
we
laut
loud, loudly
klatschen
to clap
der Sekt
the sparkling wine
Questions & Answers about Wir trinken Sekt und klatschen laut.
Why is it laut and not a special adverb form for "loudly"?
In English, we add an ending to make an adjective into an adverb, like turning loud into loudly. In German, the base adjective form is used for both. So laut can mean either loud or loudly depending on the sentence.
Why is the second wir left out before klatschen?
When und connects two verbs that share the same subject, you do not need to repeat the subject. You could say Wir trinken Sekt und wir klatschen laut, but dropping the second wir is much more natural, just like in English.
What kind of drink is Sekt?
Sekt is the German word for sparkling wine. While true champagne from France is called Champagner, Sekt is the very popular sparkling wine Germans use to toast at birthdays, weddings, and New Year's Eve.
If we wanted to say who we are clapping for, would we use a fixed prepositional object here?
In English you clap "for" someone, but German usually doesn't use a preposition here. To say who you are applauding, you just use the dative case: Wir klatschen dem Sänger (We clap for the singer). This is a great reminder that you shouldn't assume a verb needs a preposition just because the English translation does!
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