Breakdown of Das Programm ist streng, denn wir verbieten das Arbeiten.
sein
to be
arbeiten
to work
wir
we
denn
because
streng
strict
der
who, which, that (relative pronoun; die, das)
das Programm
the program
verbieten
to forbid
Questions & Answers about Das Programm ist streng, denn wir verbieten das Arbeiten.
Why is Arbeiten capitalized and why does it use the article das?
Arbeiten is a nominalized verb (a verb turned into a noun). In German, you can turn any infinitive into a noun to mean the act of doing that action. When you do this, it is always treated as a noun, so it must be capitalized, and it always takes the neuter article das.
What is the difference between using das Arbeiten here instead of the regular noun die Arbeit?
Die Arbeit generally means "the work" or "the job" as a concept. Using the nominalized verb das Arbeiten specifically emphasizes the physical act or continuous process of working. In English, we usually express this with the "-ing" form (gerund), like "working" rather than "work".
Why doesn't the verb verbieten go to the end of the sentence after denn?
The word denn (because) is a coordinating conjunction, which means it occupies "position zero" in the clause and does not change the word order. The subject (wir) takes position 1, and the conjugated verb (verbieten) stays in its normal position 2. If the sentence had used weil, the verb would have been kicked to the end: ..., weil wir das Arbeiten verbieten.
What case is das Arbeiten in, and why?
It is in the accusative case. The verb verbieten (to forbid) requires a direct object in the accusative case to show what is being forbidden. Because neuter nouns have the same article in both nominative and accusative, it stays das.
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