Breakdown of Er sollte einen Verband holen, weil die Wunde sehr tief ist.
sein
to be
ein
a, an (eine)
er
he
sehr
very
holen
to get / to fetch
tief
deeply
sollen
should / ought to
weil
because (subordinating)
der Verband
the bandage
die Wunde
the wound
Questions & Answers about Er sollte einen Verband holen, weil die Wunde sehr tief ist.
Is sollte the past tense ("was supposed to") or Konjunktiv II ("should") here?
It is Konjunktiv II ("should"), but they actually look exactly the same for the verb sollen! Context tells us the meaning. Because the second half of the sentence says the wound is very deep right now (ist), we know we are talking about a present situation, so er sollte means "he should" (giving advice), not "he was supposed to".
Why is the verb ist at the very end of the sentence instead of right after Wunde?
The word weil (because) is a "verb kicker" (a subordinating conjunction). That means it forces the conjugated verb (ist) to the very end of its clause. If you used denn (which also means because), the word order would stay normal: ..., denn die Wunde ist sehr tief.
Why is it einen Verband and not just ein Verband?
Der Verband (the bandage) is a masculine noun. Because it is the direct object that is being fetched, it must be in the accusative case. The masculine "a" word ein changes to einen in the accusative case.
Why use holen for "get" instead of bekommen?
In English, "get" has many meanings. When you mean "to fetch" or "to go and bring something back", you use holen. Bekommen means "to receive" (like getting a gift or a letter). Since he needs to go fetch a bandage, holen is the exact right choice.
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