Breakdown of Doch, du schummelst, weil du die Karten nicht mischst!
du
you (informal singular)
nicht
not
doch
yes (contradicting a negative question)
weil
because (subordinating)
der
who, which, that (relative pronoun; die, das)
mischen
to shuffle / to mix
die Karte
the card
schummeln
to cheat
Questions & Answers about Doch, du schummelst, weil du die Karten nicht mischst!
Why does the sentence start with Doch instead of Ja?
Doch is used to contradict a negative statement or question. Here, the other person probably just said something like Ich schummle nicht! (I am not cheating!). You use Doch to mean that on the contrary, they actually are cheating.
Why is the verb mischst at the very end of the sentence?
This is because of the word weil (because). Weil is a subordinating conjunction, which is a grammar term meaning it kicks the conjugated verb in its part of the sentence all the way to the end. That is why we say weil du die Karten nicht mischst instead of keeping the verb in its normal second position.
The word mischst looks complicated with so many consonants. What is the basic form of this verb?
The infinitive is mischen, which means to mix or to shuffle. When you conjugate it for du (you), you drop the -en and add the standard -st ending, making it mischst. The sch is pronounced like the English sh, so you just say mish-st.
Why is nicht placed right before mischst?
To negate an entire action, nicht usually wants to go to the very end of the sentence. However, because weil already forced the verb mischst into that final spot, nicht has to settle for the position directly in front of the verb.
Learn Doch, du schummelst, weil du die Karten nicht mischst and more in German
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free