Breakdown of Der Fahrplan ist zwar gut, aber wir haben Verspätung.
sein
to be
gut
good / well
haben
to have
aber
but
wir
we
die Verspätung
the delay
zwar
admittedly
der Fahrplan
the timetable
Questions & Answers about Der Fahrplan ist zwar gut, aber wir haben Verspätung.
How does the two-part conjunction zwar ... aber work in this sentence?
It sets up a contrast, translating roughly to "admittedly ... but" or "it is true that ... but". Notice that zwar acts as an adverb sitting inside the first clause (after the verb ist), while aber acts as the coordinating conjunction connecting the two clauses together.
Could I put zwar at the very beginning of the sentence?
Yes! You can say Zwar ist der Fahrplan gut, aber wir haben Verspätung. Since zwar is an adverb, putting it in the first position means the verb (ist) must immediately follow it to maintain the strict "verb second" rule in German main clauses.
Why doesn't the verb come immediately after aber in the second half?
The word aber is a coordinating conjunction that takes "position 0". It doesn't count towards the word order of the new clause. Because of this, the subject wir takes position 1, and the conjugated verb haben safely stays in its normal position 2.
Why do we say wir haben Verspätung instead of using an adjective for "delayed"?
In English we usually say "we are delayed" or "we are late", but German typically uses a noun phrase for this: Verspätung haben (literally "to have a delay"). You will hear this phrase constantly on trains and buses in German-speaking countries!
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