Breakdown of Ich wusste, dass der Nagel zu lang ist. Hast du ihn gemessen?
ich
I
sein
to be
du
you (informal singular)
er
he
haben
to have
zu
too (e.g., too big)
wissen
to know (a fact)
lang
long
dass
that
der Nagel
the nail
messen
to measure
Questions & Answers about Ich wusste, dass der Nagel zu lang ist. Hast du ihn gemessen?
Since we're learning about da-compounds for things, why do we use ihn for the nail instead of a da-word?
Da-compounds (like darauf or damit) are only used to replace a preposition plus an inanimate object. The verb messen (to measure) doesn't use a preposition; it just takes a direct object. So we just use the regular accusative pronoun for a masculine noun: ihn.
Why is ist at the very end of the first part?
The word dass (that) introduces a subordinate clause. When you use dass, it always kicks the conjugated verb (in this case, ist) to the very end of its clause.
Why use wusste instead of the spoken past tense (Perfekt)?
wusste is the simple past tense (Präteritum) of wissen (to know a fact). While spoken German usually prefers the Perfekt for most verbs (like hast... gemessen in the second sentence), a handful of very common verbs like sein, haben, and wissen are almost always used in the simple past, even in casual conversation.
I knew that the nail was too long. Why does the German say ist (is)?
In English, we usually shift the second verb into the past tense to match the past tense of "knew". In German, if the fact is still true at the moment of speaking (the nail hasn't magically shrunk), it is very natural to keep the present tense ist. Saying war is also grammatically correct, but ist is completely normal here.
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