Word
Die Kinder bleiben drinnen, es sei denn, die Sonne scheint.
Meaning
The children are staying indoors, unless the sun is shining.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Lesson
Breakdown of Die Kinder bleiben drinnen, es sei denn, die Sonne scheint.
das Kind
the child
die Sonne
the sun
scheinen
to shine
bleiben
to stay
Questions & Answers about Die Kinder bleiben drinnen, es sei denn, die Sonne scheint.
Why doesn't the verb scheint go to the end of the sentence after es sei denn?
When used without dass, the phrase es sei denn acts like a coordinating conjunction (similar to und or aber). It takes position 0 in the clause, meaning the subject (die Sonne) takes position 1 and the conjugated verb (scheint) stays in standard position 2.
Can I use dass in this sentence, as in es sei denn, dass?
Yes, you can. If you add dass, it acts as a standard subordinating conjunction and kicks the conjugated verb to the very end of the clause. The sentence would then be: Die Kinder bleiben drinnen, es sei denn, dass die Sonne scheint. In modern conversational German, dropping the dass is much more common.
Why does this phrase use the word sei?
The word sei is the Subjunctive I (Konjunktiv I) form of sein (to be). The phrase literally translates to something like 'be it then.' It is a fixed, older expression, so you do not need to worry about conjugating or altering it—just memorize es sei denn as a set block meaning 'unless.'
Why use the word drinnen here instead of in?