Breakdown of Danach werde ich die Hausaufgabe wiederholen, bis ich sicher bin, dass ich alles verstehe.
sein
to be
ich
I
dass
that
werden
will
alles
everything
die Hausaufgabe
the homework
verstehen
to understand
danach
afterwards
wiederholen
to repeat
bis
until
sicher
sure
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Questions & Answers about Danach werde ich die Hausaufgabe wiederholen, bis ich sicher bin, dass ich alles verstehe.
What does Danach mean and why is it placed at the beginning of the sentence?
Danach translates to “after that” in English. It is positioned at the beginning to establish a temporal sequence, connecting this sentence to previous actions or events.
Why is the finite verb werde placed in the second position of the main clause?
In German main clauses the finite verb almost always occupies the second position. Here, Danach is the first element, so werde (part of the future tense construction “werden + infinitive”) naturally comes next.
Why does the infinitive wiederholen appear at the end of the clause?
In constructions with the auxiliary werden (used to form the future tense), the main verb in its infinitive form is placed at the end of the clause. This placement is a standard rule of German word order.
What role does the subordinating conjunction bis play in this sentence?
The word bis means “until” and introduces a subordinate clause that sets a condition or endpoint for the action in the main clause. Being a subordinating conjunction, it also causes the verb in its clause to be placed at the end.
Why is there a mix of tenses—future in the main clause and present in the subordinate clause introduced by dass?
The main clause uses the future tense to state what will happen. In the subordinate clause, the present tense is used because it describes a condition (“that I understand everything”) that is considered timeless or immediately applicable once reached. German often uses the present tense in subordinate clauses even when the main clause is in the future.
How is punctuation used in the sentence, and why is it important?
A comma is placed before the subordinate clause (starting with bis) to clearly separate it from the main clause. This punctuation clarifies the structure of the sentence by marking off the subordinate parts, which is essential for understanding the relationships between the different clauses in German.