Ein Regenschirm ist heute notwendig, weil es wieder regnet.

An umbrella is necessary today because it is raining again.

Breakdown of Ein Regenschirm ist heute notwendig, weil es wieder regnet.

• sein: to be
• heute: today
• weil: because
• es: it
• der Regenschirm: the umbrella
• notwendig: necessary
• wieder: again
• regnen: to rain

Questions & Answers about Ein Regenschirm ist heute notwendig, weil es wieder regnet.

Why do we say Ein Regenschirm instead of Einen Regenschirm?

Ein is in the nominative case because it is the subject of the sentence (the thing that is necessary). If we were using it as a direct object (e.g., Ich habe einen Regenschirm — “I have an umbrella”), we would use the accusative case einen.

What is the role of heute in this sentence?

Heute simply indicates the time (adverb of time). It doesn’t affect the verb placement because in German, you can place time adverbs early or later in a sentence. Commonly, Germans put time elements towards the beginning of a sentence.

Why does the verb go to the end in weil es wieder regnet?

In German, weil is a subordinating conjunction, meaning that it sends the conjugated verb to the end of the clause. So, after weil, we place the subject (es) first and then the rest of the information, finally the verb (regnet).

What does wieder signify in this sentence?

Wieder means “again,” emphasizing that it’s raining once more. It helps convey that this has happened before (it’s not the first time it’s raining).

Could we use denn instead of weil here?

You can use denn (“because” as well) in an explanatory sense, but it doesn’t change the word order. For instance:
Ein Regenschirm ist heute notwendig, denn es regnet wieder.
Here, denn does not send the verb to the end (as it’s a coordinating conjunction), whereas weil is subordinating and does send the verb to the end. Both convey the same cause-and-effect meaning but follow different grammar rules.