Breakdown of Sie müssen das Konto aktivieren, aber es ist kostenlos.
sein
to be
es
it
Sie
you (formal)
aber
but
müssen
to have to, must
das Konto
the account
der
who, which, that (relative pronoun; die, das)
kostenlos
free of charge
aktivieren
to activate
Questions & Answers about Sie müssen das Konto aktivieren, aber es ist kostenlos.
Why is aktivieren at the very end of the first clause?
This is because of the modal verb müssen (must/have to). When you use a modal verb, it takes the second position, and the main action verb (aktivieren) gets pushed to the very end of the clause in its basic, dictionary form.
Does the word aber change the word order in the second part of the sentence?
No, it doesn't! aber (but) is what we call a "position zero" conjunction. It connects the two ideas without counting as the first word of the new clause. That's why the subject es is in position 1 and the verb ist takes its normal spot in position 2.
Why do we use the pronoun es here?
es translates to "it", and here it refers back to das Konto (the account). Because Konto is a neuter noun (it uses das), you must use the neuter pronoun es to refer to it in the second half of the sentence.
How is the word kostenlos built?
The German suffix -los works exactly like the English ending "-less". Since die Kosten means "the costs", putting them together makes kostenlos, meaning "cost-less" or free!
Learn Sie müssen das Konto aktivieren, aber es ist kostenlos 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