Questions & Answers about Der Roman, den ich gerade lese, ist sehr spannend.
Why do we use den here instead of der?
The relative pronoun refers back to Der Roman, which is a masculine noun. Even though Der Roman is the subject of the main sentence, inside the relative clause (den ich gerade lese) it is the direct object because it is the thing you are reading. Therefore, it takes the accusative case: den.
Why is the verb lese at the end of the phrase den ich gerade lese?
The phrase den ich gerade lese is a relative clause. In German, relative clauses always push their conjugated verb (the verb matching the subject, which is lese for ich) to the very end of that specific clause.
Why does the verb ist come immediately after the second comma?
The core sentence is Der Roman ist sehr spannend. It was interrupted right after the subject to add more information. Once the relative clause finishes at the comma, the main sentence simply picks up exactly where it left off, which is with the verb ist.
Why is the word gerade used here?
German does not have an '-ing' verb form like English to show that an action is happening continuously. By adding the adverb gerade (currently or just now), it makes it clear that you are in the middle of reading the novel, translating perfectly to 'am reading right now'.