Breakdown of Alles, was wir im Ozean gefunden haben, ist ein Wunder.
sein
to be
ein
a, an (eine)
haben
to have
wir
we
finden
to find
was
what
alles
everything
im
in the (used with months) / in the (contraction of in + dem)
das Wunder
the wonder
der Ozean
the ocean
Questions & Answers about Alles, was wir im Ozean gefunden haben, ist ein Wunder.
Why is the relative pronoun was used here instead of das?
When a relative clause refers back to an indefinite pronoun like alles (everything), etwas (something), or nichts (nothing), German uses was. While in English we say "everything that", German requires was (what) after these specific words instead of a normal relative pronoun.
Why does the verb ist come right after the comma?
The main sentence is Alles ist ein Wunder (Everything is a miracle). The relative clause was wir im Ozean gefunden haben is inserted right after the word it describes (Alles). Once the relative clause finishes at the comma, the main sentence simply resumes with its verb, ist.
Why does the relative clause end with gefunden haben?
This is the Perfekt (spoken past) tense of finden. In any relative clause, the conjugated verb is pushed to the very end. Therefore, the helping verb haben moves to the end, coming right after the past participle gefunden.
Why is it im Ozean and not in den Ozean?
The word im is short for in dem, which is the dative case. The preposition in takes the dative when it describes a fixed location (where something happens) rather than a movement towards a destination. Since the finding happened while already located in the ocean, it requires the dative case.
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