Breakdown of Erst arbeiten wir, dann essen wir.
arbeiten
to work
wir
we
essen
to eat
dann
then
erst
only, not until; first
Questions & Answers about Erst arbeiten wir, dann essen wir.
Why is it arbeiten wir and essen wir instead of wir arbeiten and wir essen?
Because of the verb-second rule! In German main clauses, the conjugated verb must be the second element. Since the sequence adverbs erst (first) and dann (then) take up the first position in each clause, the verbs (arbeiten, essen) must come right after them. The subject (wir) simply gets pushed to the other side of the verb.
The lesson teaches zuerst for "first". Can I use zuerst instead of erst here?
Yes, you can! Zuerst arbeiten wir, dann essen wir means exactly the same thing. Erst is just a shorter, very common alternative when listing a straightforward sequence of events.
I thought erst meant "only" or "not until". Why does it mean "first" here?
Erst is a flexible word. When used with ages or times (like erst achtzehn for "only eighteen"), it means "only" or "not until". But when it is used to describe actions and is paired with sequence words like dann (then) or danach (after that), it means "first".
Do I need a conjunction like und (and) between these two clauses?
You don't have to use one. You can connect two main clauses with just a comma when using a sequence word like dann to show the flow of time. You could say ... und dann essen wir, but leaving out the und sounds punchy and very natural.
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