Breakdown of Der Kellner zeigt dem Kunden die Speisekarte, während wir das Geschirr spülen.
wir
we
die Speisekarte
the menu
zeigen
to show
der Kellner
the waiter
das Geschirr
the dishes
der
who, which, that (relative pronoun; die, das)
der Kunde
the customer
während
while
spülen
to wash (dishes)
Questions & Answers about Der Kellner zeigt dem Kunden die Speisekarte, während wir das Geschirr spülen.
Why does the verb spülen go at the very end of the sentence?
Because während (while) is a subordinating conjunction. It introduces a dependent clause, and in German dependent clauses, the conjugated verb always gets pushed to the very end.
I remember learning that während means 'during' and takes the genitive case. Why isn't it acting like a preposition here?
The word während does double duty! It can be a preposition meaning 'during' (like während des Essens), which takes the genitive case. But here, it acts as a subordinating conjunction meaning 'while'. You can tell it is a conjunction because it introduces a full clause with its own subject (wir) and verb (spülen) rather than just attaching a noun.
Why is the word order dem Kunden die Speisekarte instead of the other way around?
In German, when a verb like zeigen (to show) takes two noun objects, the dative object (the receiver: dem Kunden) almost always comes before the accusative object (the thing being shown: die Speisekarte).
Why is there an -n on the end of Kunden if there is only one customer?
The word der Kunde belongs to a special group of masculine nouns known as 'weak nouns' (or n-declension). These nouns add an -n or -en in every case except the nominative singular (when they are the subject). Since the customer is the indirect object here (dative case), Kunde becomes Kunden.
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