Breakdown of Mein Onkel hat eine Überraschung für uns vorbereitet, aber ich weiß nicht, was es ist.
sein
to be
ich
I
nicht
not
aber
but
es
it
für
for
mein
my
uns
us
der Onkel
the uncle
vorbereiten
to prepare
die Überraschung
the surprise
wissen
to know
was
what
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Questions & Answers about Mein Onkel hat eine Überraschung für uns vorbereitet, aber ich weiß nicht, was es ist.
What tense is used in the main clause, and why is it preferred over the simple past in spoken German?
The sentence employs the perfect tense. In spoken German, the perfect tense is more common than the simple past for describing past events. The phrase "hat ... vorbereitet" combines the auxiliary verb "hat" (has) with the past participle "vorbereitet" (prepared), emphasizing the result of the action rather than when it occurred.
What is the role of the subordinate clause "was es ist", and why does its word order differ from that of a direct question?
The clause "was es ist" serves as an embedded (indirect) question functioning as the object of "weiß" (know). In this subordinate clause, the interrogative "was" introduces the clause, and because it's not a standalone question, the finite verb "ist" is moved to the end. In a direct question, you would say "Was ist es?" with the verb in second position. The subordinate structure here signals that the question is part of a larger statement.
Why is "für uns" used in the sentence, and what case does "uns" represent?
The prepositional phrase "für uns" indicates the beneficiary of the action, meaning "for us." In German, the preposition "für" always requires the accusative case. Here, "uns" is the accusative form of "wir" (we), which shows that the surprise was prepared with "us" as its intended recipients.
What function does the coordinating conjunction "aber" serve in this sentence?
"Aber" is used to connect two independent clauses with contrasting information. It functions much like "but" in English, linking the positive statement that the uncle prepared a surprise with the speaker’s admission of uncertainty about what the surprise is. Being a coordinating conjunction, it does not change the standard word order of the clause that follows.
Why is the interrogative "was" placed at the beginning of the subordinate clause, and how does this affect the clause’s structure compared to a main clause question?
The word "was" means "what" and is used here to introduce an indirect question that complements the main clause "ich weiß nicht" (I don't know). In subordinate clauses introduced by an interrogative like "was", the finite verb ("ist") is sent to the end of the clause. This differs from a main clause direct question, such as "Was ist es?", where the verb immediately follows the question word. The placement of "was" followed by the subject and "ist" at the end clearly marks the clause as an embedded question.