Breakdown of Die Reparatur ist teuer, aber wir haben sie bezahlen müssen.
sein
to be
sie
she
haben
to have
aber
but
wir
we
teuer
expensive
bezahlen
to pay
müssen
to have to, must
die Reparatur
the repair
Questions & Answers about Die Reparatur ist teuer, aber wir haben sie bezahlen müssen.
Why does this sentence use bezahlen müssen instead of bezahlen gemusst?
This is the double infinitive rule. When a modal verb like müssen is used with another main verb like bezahlen in the Perfekt tense, the modal verb does not use its normal past participle (gemusst). Instead, it stays in its infinitive form and goes right at the end, creating a double infinitive: bezahlen müssen.
Why is the helper verb haben in the second position instead of at the end of the sentence?
The word aber is a coordinating conjunction, which means it takes position 0 and connects two main clauses. The second clause follows normal main clause word order: the subject wir is in position 1, the conjugated auxiliary verb haben is in position 2, and the double infinitive gets pushed to the very end.
What does the pronoun sie mean here, and why isn't it es?
Here, sie translates to it. It refers back to die Reparatur (the repair). Because Reparatur is a feminine noun, you must use the feminine pronoun sie to stand in for it, even though in English we simply say it.
Why is the pronoun sie in the accusative case?
The verb bezahlen (to pay for) requires a direct object in the accusative case. Since we are paying for the repair, the pronoun sie receives the action and acts as that direct object.
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