Word
Es wird immer schwieriger, eine Wohnung zu finden.
Meaning
It is getting more and more difficult to find an apartment.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Breakdown of Es wird immer schwieriger, eine Wohnung zu finden.
finden
to find
immer
always
die Wohnung
the apartment
werden
to become / to get (change of state)
Questions & Answers about Es wird immer schwieriger, eine Wohnung zu finden.
Why is immer used here when it usually means 'always'?
In German, combining immer with a comparative adjective like schwieriger is the standard way to express 'more and more' or 'increasingly'. While English repeats the comparative word ('more and more difficult'), German just uses immer plus the comparative once. Saying 'schwieriger und schwieriger' would sound unnatural.
Why is the verb wird in the simple present tense when the English translation says 'is getting'?
German does not have a present continuous tense like the English '-ing' form. To express that a change of state is actively happening right now, you simply use the standard present tense of the verb werden (to become or get). Therefore, es wird translates perfectly to 'it is getting'.
Is the comma before eine Wohnung zu finden strictly necessary?
Yes, in this specific case it is required. While German spelling reforms made commas optional for some basic zu (to) plus infinitive clauses, you must use a comma when the infinitive clause is referred to by a placeholder word like es in the main clause.
What exactly does the word es refer to at the start of the sentence?
It acts as a placeholder, often called a dummy subject. The logical subject of the sentence is the actual action of finding an apartment (eine Wohnung zu finden). Because that long descriptive phrase is pushed to the very end of the sentence, es temporarily fills the mandatory subject position in the first clause.