Breakdown of Was ich skurril finde, ist dieser Sonderwunsch, teures Mineralwasser zu trinken.
ich
I
sein
to be
trinken
to drink
teuer
expensive
was
what
dieser
this / that (fem.: diese, neut.: dieses)
zu
to (infinitive marker)
finden
to think, to consider (be of the opinion)
skurril
bizarre
der Sonderwunsch
the special request
das Mineralwasser
the mineral water
Questions & Answers about Was ich skurril finde, ist dieser Sonderwunsch, teures Mineralwasser zu trinken.
Why does ist come immediately after the comma?
This is the core of the pseudo-cleft sentence (Pseudospaltsatz). The entire first clause, Was ich skurril finde, acts as a single block taking up position 1 in the main sentence. Because German strictly puts the main verb in position 2, ist must come immediately after the comma.
Why does teuer get an -es ending here?
Mineralwasser is a neuter noun. Because there is no article before it, the adjective has to do the heavy lifting to show the gender and case. It takes the strong declension ending -es for the accusative neuter case (since it is the direct object of trinken).
Is the comma before teures Mineralwasser zu trinken strictly necessary?
Yes. While German has relaxed some rules for commas with zu + infinitive, you still must use a comma when the infinitive phrase explains or modifies a specific noun in the main clause. Here, it tells us exactly what dieser Sonderwunsch is.
What kind of bizarre is skurril? Can I just use komisch?
Komisch or seltsam are fine, but skurril is a great higher-level word. It specifically means quirky, eccentric, or absurd in an amusing or odd way, rather than creepy or frightening.
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