Breakdown of Die Familie grillt im Garten, es sei denn, sie geht in den Biergarten.
sie
she
in
in
die Familie
the family
der Garten
the garden
gehen
to go
im
in the (used with months) / in the (contraction of in + dem)
der
who, which, that (relative pronoun; die, das)
es sei denn
unless
grillen
to barbecue
der Biergarten
the beer garden
Questions & Answers about Die Familie grillt im Garten, es sei denn, sie geht in den Biergarten.
Why doesn't the verb go to the end of the clause after es sei denn?
When you use es sei denn on its own, it acts as a coordinating conjunction. This means the following clause keeps standard main-clause word order (subject + verb: sie geht). If you use the variation es sei denn, dass, the word dass makes it a subordinate clause and kicks the verb to the end: ... es sei denn, dass sie in den Biergarten geht.
Why does the English translation say "they go" but the German uses the singular sie geht?
In German, pronouns must strictly match the grammatical gender and number of the noun they replace. Die Familie is a singular feminine noun, so it must be replaced by the singular feminine pronoun sie, paired with the singular verb geht. Unlike in English, you cannot use a plural pronoun just because a collective noun refers to a group of multiple people.
What is the literal meaning of es sei denn, and why is the verb sei used?
It literally means "it be then". The word sei is the Konjunktiv I (Subjunctive I) form of sein. While you mostly learn to use Konjunktiv I for indirect speech, it survives in this fixed phrase to express a hypothetical exception or condition.
Why is it in den Biergarten (accusative) but earlier in the sentence it is im Garten (dative)?
The preposition in is a two-way preposition. In the first half, the family is barbecuing statically in a location, which requires the dative case (in dem merges into im). In the second half, they are moving towards a destination, which requires the accusative case (in den).
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