Breakdown of Es wäre besser, wenn du wartest, bis das Brot abkühlt.
sein
to be
du
you (informal singular)
es
it
das Brot
the bread
warten
to wait
besser
better
bis
until / to (as far as)
wenn
if / when (conditional, not a question word)
abkühlen
to cool down
Questions & Answers about Es wäre besser, wenn du wartest, bis das Brot abkühlt.
Why is the verb at the very end in both wenn du wartest and bis das Brot abkühlt?
Both wenn (if) and bis (until) are subordinating conjunctions. This means they kick the conjugated verb to the very end of their respective clauses. Because we have two of these clauses in a row, it happens twice!
Why is abkühlt written as one word? Isn't abkühlen a separable verb?
Yes, abkühlen (to cool down) is a separable verb. In a normal main clause, the prefix splits off and goes to the end, like in: Das Brot kühlt ab. But because bis sends the conjugated verb to the very end of the sentence, the verb and its prefix meet at the end and are forced back together into a single word: abkühlt.
Why are there commas before wenn and bis?
In German, you must always separate clauses with commas. Here we have a main clause (Es wäre besser) followed by two subordinate clauses (wenn du wartest and bis das Brot abkühlt). The commas act as boundaries between these three distinct parts of the sentence.
What exactly is wäre in the first part of the sentence?
wäre means would be. It is the hypothetical form of sein (to be), which is called the Subjunctive II. You use it here because you are talking about an ideal or imagined situation (It would be better) rather than stating a hard fact.
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