Wir müssen heute in der Schule singen, und ich bin ein wenig nervös.

(We have to sing at school today, and I am a bit nervous.)

Breakdown of Wir müssen heute in der Schule singen, und ich bin ein wenig nervös.

• sein: to be
• und: and
• in: in
• ich: I
• wir: we
• heute: today
• müssen: must
• die Schule: the school
• singen: to sing
• wenig: little
• nervös: nervous

Questions & Answers about Wir müssen heute in der Schule singen, und ich bin ein wenig nervös.

Why is it in der Schule instead of something like an der Schule or zur Schule?

In German, in der Schule emphasizes that you're performing the action inside the school building or within the school environment. An der Schule could mean more “at the school (near or next to it)” rather than inside it, and zur Schule would be more about going (in the direction of) the school. So, to show that the singing happens inside the school, you use in der Schule.

Is it common to say Wir müssen like in English “We have to…” or “We must…”?

Yes, müssen is a common way to express an obligation or necessity, similar to English must or have to. So Wir müssen heute in der Schule singen means “We have to sing at school today.”

What does ein wenig mean?

Ein wenig means “a little” or “a bit.” It’s a slightly formal or gentler way to say ein bisschen. Both are used frequently in day-to-day speech to indicate a small amount or just a little bit of something—in this case, the feeling of being nervous.

Could you say ich bin etwas nervös instead of ich bin ein wenig nervös?

Absolutely. Etwas also means “a bit” or “somewhat,” so ich bin etwas nervös would be very similar in meaning to ich bin ein wenig nervös. The tone might be a tiny bit different, but in casual conversation both are perfectly fine.

Why does the verb singen stay at the end of the first clause?

In German subordinate clauses or clauses with modal verbs, it’s common for the main verb (here, singen) to appear at the end. The structure is Wir müssen ... singen, with müssen acting as a modal verb and singen as the main verb.