Breakdown of Bei Regen schließt der Zoo früh.
der Regen
the rain
früh
early
bei
at, near, with
schließen
to close
der Zoo
the zoo
Questions & Answers about Bei Regen schließt der Zoo früh.
Why use Bei Regen here instead of Wenn es regnet?
Both are correct! Bei Regen translates more closely to "in case of rain" or "during rain". German frequently uses the preposition bei plus a noun to describe weather conditions or ongoing events because it is concise and sounds very natural compared to building a full wenn (when/if) clause.
Why is there no article after bei here? Shouldn't it be beim Regen?
When referring to weather conditions in a general sense, German drops the article. You will commonly hear fixed phrases like bei Regen (in the rain), bei Schnee (in the snow), or bei Sonnenschein (in the sunshine) without adding "dem".
Why does the verb schließt come before the subject der Zoo?
This is due to the strict "verb second" rule in German main clauses. Because the prepositional phrase Bei Regen takes up the entire first position, the conjugated verb schließt must come exactly second. This pushes the subject der Zoo into the third position.
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