Sie sind ein Paar, aber sie heiraten heute nicht.
They are a couple, but they are not marrying today.
Breakdown of Sie sind ein Paar, aber sie heiraten heute nicht.
sein
to be
ein
a, an (eine)
aber
but
sie
they
heute
today
nicht
not
das Paar
the couple
heiraten
to marry
Questions & Answers about Sie sind ein Paar, aber sie heiraten heute nicht.
The word "Sie" can mean "she", "they", or formal "you". How do we know it means "they" here?
You can tell by the verb forms! Both sind (are) and heiraten (marry) are plural. If it meant "she", the verbs would be singular: ist and heiratet. If it were the formal "you", the second sie would also be capitalized.
Why is Paar capitalized? I thought ein paar meant "a few".
In German, capitalization changes the meaning of this word. When capitalized, das Paar is a noun meaning a romantic "couple" or a "pair" of things. When lowercase, ein paar means "a few".
Why doesn't the word aber change the word order in the second half of the sentence?
The word aber (but) is a coordinating conjunction, which means it sits in "position zero". It connects two main clauses without affecting their word order. So, in the second clause, the subject sie is in position 1 and the verb heiraten stays safely in position 2.
Why does nicht go at the very end of the sentence?
When you negate a whole sentence or action in German, nicht usually goes at the end. If you put it before heute (as in nicht heute), it would specifically emphasize "not today, but maybe tomorrow". Having it at the end neutrally says the wedding isn't happening today.
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