Breakdown of Ich glaube, dass du dich irrst.
ich
I
du
you (informal singular)
glauben
to believe
dass
that
sich irren
to be mistaken
Questions & Answers about Ich glaube, dass du dich irrst.
Why does the verb irrst go at the very end of the sentence?
The word dass (that) is a subordinating conjunction. In German, these types of connecting words force the conjugated verb to the very end of their clause. So instead of the normal order du irrst dich (you are mistaken), the verb moves to the end to form dass du dich irrst.
What is the difference between das and dass?
das with one 's' is a definite article (the) or a pronoun (that/this), like in Das ist gut (That is good). dass with a double 's' is a conjunction used to connect clauses, just like the English 'that' when you say 'I believe that...'.
Why is the word dich in this sentence?
The verb for 'to be mistaken' in German is sich irren, which is a reflexive verb. This means it requires a reflexive pronoun. Since the subject is du (you), the matching pronoun is dich (yourself). Literally, the phrase translates to 'that you mistake yourself'.
Is the comma before dass always required?
Yes! In German, you must always put a comma between the main clause (Ich glaube) and a subordinate clause starting with dass. This is a strict rule in German punctuation, unlike in English where the comma is usually left out before 'that'.
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