Question 1

Why does this sentence start with the verb isst instead of a word like wenn?

Accepted Answer

In German, you can drop the word wenn (if) to form a conditional clause. When you do this, the conjugated verb moves to the very beginning of the sentence. Isst du kein Protein means the exact same thing as Wenn du kein Protein isst.

Question 2

Why does the second half of the sentence also start with a verb (verlierst)?

Accepted Answer

The entire first clause (Isst du kein Protein) occupies the first position in the overall sentence. Because German strongly requires the conjugated verb to sit in the second position of a main clause, verlierst has to come immediately after the comma.

Question 3

The English translation uses the singular "muscle". Why does German use the plural Muskeln?

Accepted Answer

In English, "muscle" is often used as an uncountable mass noun (like "building muscle"). In German, der Muskel is strictly countable. To talk about your overall muscle mass or losing muscle in general, you have to use the plural Muskeln.

Question 4

Why is it kein Protein instead of nicht Protein?

Accepted Answer

Protein is a noun. In German, you negate nouns that have no article (like uncountable mass nouns) using kein. You generally use nicht to negate verbs, adjectives, or specific nouns with definite articles.

Question 5

How could I express this same idea using the restrictive word insofern from this lesson?

Accepted Answer

You could write Insofern du kein Protein isst, verlierst du Muskeln. While insofern translates to "insofar as" or "to the extent that", it acts a lot like "if" in this context by setting a restriction on when you lose muscle. It sounds a bit more formal than the verb-first structure.

Isst du kein Protein, verlierst du Muskeln.

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