Breakdown of Dass der Regen uns die Tanzfläche zerstört hat, ist wirklich schlimm.
sein
to be
haben
to have
uns
us
der Regen
the rain
wirklich
really
dass
that
schlimm
bad / awful (severe)
der
who, which, that (relative pronoun; die, das)
zerstören
to destroy
die Tanzfläche
the dance floor
Questions & Answers about Dass der Regen uns die Tanzfläche zerstört hat, ist wirklich schlimm.
Why does the main clause start with the verb ist right after the comma?
The entire dass-clause (Dass der Regen uns die Tanzfläche zerstört hat) acts as the subject of the sentence, taking up Position 1. Because the conjugated verb in a German main clause must always sit in Position 2, ist has to come immediately after the comma.
Why does the sentence say uns die Tanzfläche instead of just using the possessive unsere Tanzfläche?
Using the dative pronoun uns with the definite article die is a common way to show who is affected by an action (often called the dative of disadvantage). While unsere Tanzfläche (our dance floor) is grammatically correct, uns die Tanzfläche zerstört hat emphasizes that the rain ruined it on us, highlighting the negative personal impact the event had on the speakers.
Could I write this sentence without starting with Dass?
Yes, you can flip it around by using a placeholder subject es in the main clause: Es ist wirklich schlimm, dass der Regen uns die Tanzfläche zerstört hat. Starting with the dass-clause, as we do here, is just a great way to put the main focus directly on the unfortunate event rather than on the reaction.
Why are there two verbs, zerstört and hat, at the end of the first clause?
The verb is in the conversational past tense (Perfekt), which consists of a helping verb (hat) and a past participle (zerstört). Because it sits inside a dass-clause (a subordinate clause), the conjugated helping verb gets kicked all the way to the end, landing right after the participle.
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