Breakdown of Während der Kellner die Suppe serviert, spülen wir die Teller.
wir
we
der Teller
the plate
die Suppe
the soup
der Kellner
the waiter
der
who, which, that (relative pronoun; die, das)
während
while
servieren
to serve
spülen
to wash (dishes)
Questions & Answers about Während der Kellner die Suppe serviert, spülen wir die Teller.
Why does the verb serviert go to the very end of the first part of the sentence?
The word während (while) is a subordinating conjunction here. That means it kicks the conjugated verb (serviert) to the end of its clause. This is the standard rule for all subordinate clauses in German, just like with weil or dass.
Why does the second part say spülen wir instead of wir spülen?
In German, the conjugated verb of a main sentence must be in the second position. Here, the entire während clause acts as the first position block. So, the verb spülen must come immediately after the comma to take the second position, pushing the subject wir after it.
I have seen während used with the genitive case before. Why isn't der Kellner in the genitive here?
Während can be used in two ways: as a preposition meaning during, which takes the genitive case, and as a subordinating conjunction meaning while, which connects two clauses. In this sentence, it is a conjunction introducing a new action, so der Kellner is simply the subject of that action in the nominative case.
Why use spülen for washing the plates instead of waschen?
In German, waschen is typically used for things you wash like clothes, hair, or your body. For washing dishes, pots, or rinsing things out, you usually use spülen or abspülen.
Learn Während der Kellner die Suppe serviert, spülen wir die Teller 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