Breakdown of Was die Band braucht, ist ein guter Masseur nach dem Konzert.
sein
to be
ein
a, an (eine)
gut
good / well
brauchen
to need
was
what
das Konzert
the concert
nach
after (in time)
die Band
the band
der Masseur
the masseur
Questions & Answers about Was die Band braucht, ist ein guter Masseur nach dem Konzert.
Why use "Was die Band braucht, ist..." instead of just "Die Band braucht einen guten Masseur"?
This structure is called a pseudo-cleft sentence. By packing the background information into a "what" clause (Was die Band braucht) at the beginning, you build anticipation and put strong emphasis on the solution: ein guter Masseur. It adds much more dramatic weight than a standard sentence.
Why is it "ein guter Masseur" (nominative) here? Shouldn't it be accusative because the band needs him?
Even though the masseur is the object of the band's needs logically, grammatically this phrase follows the verb ist (is). The verb sein (to be) always links two nominative things. The core of this main sentence is essentially "[The thing] is [a good masseur]", so ein guter Masseur must be in the nominative case.
Why does the verb "ist" come immediately after the comma?
In a German main clause, the conjugated verb must go in the second position. The entire first clause, Was die Band braucht, acts as one big block occupying Position 1. Therefore, the verb ist must step into Position 2 right after the comma.
Is "Band" pronounced like the English word, and why is it feminine here?
Yes, because it's a loanword referring to a musical group, it is pronounced like in English and takes the feminine article die. Don't confuse it with the native German words das Band (the ribbon or tape) or der Band (the book volume), which are pronounced with a German "a" sound.
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