Breakdown of Wir planen die Route, denn die Fracht ist sehr zerbrechlich.
sein
to be
sehr
very
wir
we
planen
to plan
denn
because
der
who, which, that (relative pronoun; die, das)
die Route
the route (planned path)
die Fracht
the cargo
zerbrechlich
fragile
Questions & Answers about Wir planen die Route, denn die Fracht ist sehr zerbrechlich.
Why doesn't the word denn push the verb ist to the end of the sentence?
The word denn means 'because', but unlike weil, it is a coordinating conjunction. This means it just links two normal main clauses. It sits in 'position zero' between the clauses, so the subject (die Fracht) takes position 1 and the conjugated verb (ist) stays in standard position 2. If you used weil instead, the verb would jump to the end: ...weil die Fracht sehr zerbrechlich ist.
How does the adjective zerbrechlich get its meaning?
It comes from the verb brechen (to break). The inseparable prefix zer- always indicates destruction or smashing something into pieces. The ending -lich works like the English suffix '-able' here. Put together, zerbrechlich literally means 'shatterable' or fragile.
How would this sentence look if we needed to 'replan' the route?
You are currently learning about variable prefixes like um-, which is perfect here! The verb umplanen means to reschedule or replan. It is a separable verb, so if we swapped it in, the prefix would jump to the end of the first clause: Wir planen die Route um, denn die Fracht ist sehr zerbrechlich.
Does the word Route sound just like the English word 'route'?
Not quite! It is a loanword from French, which explains why it uses 'ou' to make an 'oo' sound. However, it has a standard German pronunciation for the ending, so you always pronounce the final 'e'. It sounds roughly like 'ROO-tuh'.
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