Mein Vater liest die Zeitung im Zug, während meine Mutter eine Geschichte erzählt.

My father reads the newspaper on the train, while my mother tells a story.

Breakdown of Mein Vater liest die Zeitung im Zug, während meine Mutter eine Geschichte erzählt.

• lesen: to read
• meine: my
• mein: my
• der Zug: the train
• im: in the; (masculine or neuter)
• die Mutter: the mother
• der Vater: the father
• die Zeitung: the newspaper
• während: while
• die Geschichte: the story
• erzählen: to tell

Questions & Answers about Mein Vater liest die Zeitung im Zug, während meine Mutter eine Geschichte erzählt.

What does the im Zug phrase mean, and why is it contracted?

Im Zug is short for in dem Zug. It translates to on the train in English and indicates where the action is taking place.

What is the function of the conjunction während in this sentence?

Während means while. It introduces a subordinate clause that describes an action happening simultaneously with the main clause, linking the two parts of the sentence.

Why is the verb erzählt placed at the end of the clause with während?

In German subordinate clauses—those introduced by conjunctions like während—the conjugated verb must be positioned at the end. That’s why erzählt comes last in its clause.

How does the word order differ between the main clause and the subordinate clause in this sentence?

The main clause (Mein Vater liest die Zeitung im Zug) follows the regular subject-verb-object order. In the subordinate clause (während meine Mutter eine Geschichte erzählt), the finite verb is moved to the end as required by German grammar rules for subordinate clauses.

How are the possessive adjectives mein and meine used with Vater and Mutter?

Possessive adjectives in German must match the gender and case of the noun they modify. Since Vater is masculine in the nominative case, it takes mein; Mutter is feminine in the nominative case, so it takes meine.

What grammatical cases do die Zeitung and im Zug represent in this sentence?

Die Zeitung is the direct object of the verb liest and is in the accusative case. The prepositional phrase im Zug uses the dative case because im is a contraction of in dem.

Why is there a comma before während, and what role does it play?

The comma separates the main clause from the subordinate clause. In German punctuation, a comma is required before subordinate clauses introduced by conjunctions like während to clearly delineate the structure of the sentence.