Breakdown of Da kann man nichts machen.
da kann man nichts machen
there's nothing to be done about it
Questions & Answers about Da kann man nichts machen.
How does the word man work in this sentence?
man is an impersonal pronoun that translates to "one", "you" (in a general sense), or "people". In this sentence, it means "There is nothing one can do" or "There is nothing you can do about it". It is used when you are making a general statement rather than talking about a specific person.
Which verb conjugation do we use with man?
man always takes the third-person singular verb form, exactly like er, sie, or es. That is why we use kann (he/she/it can) instead of können or kannst.
Why does the sentence start with Da, and doesn't that usually mean "there"?
Literally, Da means "there", but in everyday German, it is often used to refer back to a situation or topic you are talking about. In this idiom, Da kann man nichts machen means "There is nothing you can do about that [situation]". Starting the sentence with Da puts the emphasis on the situation itself.
Why is machen at the very end of the sentence?
This is because of the modal verb kann (can). In a standard German sentence with a modal verb, the conjugated modal verb takes the second position, and the main action verb goes to the very end of the sentence in its infinitive (dictionary) form, which here is machen.
What is the difference between nichts and nicht here?
nichts with an "s" at the end means "nothing", whereas nicht just means "not". So nichts machen means "do nothing", which fits the meaning that there is "nothing to be done".
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