Breakdown of Mein Kollege schläft, während ich in der Küche arbeite.
ich
I
arbeiten
to work
in
in
schlafen
to sleep
Questions & Answers about Mein Kollege schläft, während ich in der Küche arbeite.
Why is the verb arbeite at the very end of the sentence?
The word während is a subordinating conjunction. This means it introduces a dependent clause and forces the conjugated verb to move to the very end of that clause.
Do I always need a comma before während?
Yes. In German, dependent clauses introduced by subordinating conjunctions like während must be separated from the main clause by a comma.
Does während mean 'while' as in time, or 'while' as in contrast here?
It perfectly captures both! The sentence shows two actions happening at the exact same time. But because one person is working and the other is sleeping, it also creates a strong contrast, similar to saying 'whereas' in English.
Why is it in der Küche instead of in die Küche?
The preposition in is a two-way preposition. Because the action is happening in a fixed location, answering 'where?', it takes the dative case. The feminine noun die Küche changes to der Küche in the dative. If you were moving into the kitchen, it would take the accusative case instead.