Breakdown of Manchmal werde ich nervös, doch meine Familie hilft mir, ruhig zu bleiben.
ich
I
manchmal
sometimes
bleiben
to remain
nervös
nervous
werden
to become
mir
me
ruhig
calm
helfen
to help
doch
but
die Familie
the family
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Questions & Answers about Manchmal werde ich nervös, doch meine Familie hilft mir, ruhig zu bleiben.
What does manchmal mean, and what is its role in the sentence?
Manchmal means sometimes. It is an adverb indicating that the action—becoming nervous—occurs occasionally.
Why is werde used in werde ich nervös instead of a form of sein like bin?
The phrase werde ich nervös translates to I get nervous. Here, the auxiliary verb werden implies a change of state (becoming nervous), whereas using bin would simply state a current condition (I am nervous) without emphasizing the process.
How does the verb helfen function in meine Familie hilft mir, ruhig zu bleiben?
In German, helfen always takes a dative object. In this sentence, mir is the dative form of ich (I). The construction follows the pattern helfen + dative + zu-infinitive, meaning my family helps me to stay calm.
Why is the infinitive clause written as ruhig zu bleiben?
After verbs like helfen, German requires that the following action be expressed as an infinitive with zu. Thus, ruhig zu bleiben correctly means to remain calm or to stay calm.
What is the function of doch in this sentence?
Doch is a coordinating conjunction similar to but in English. It introduces a contrast between the two independent clauses: although the speaker sometimes becomes nervous, their family helps them remain calm.
How is punctuation used in this sentence, and why are commas placed where they are?
A comma is placed after nervös to separate the first independent clause from the contrasting clause introduced by doch. Additionally, a comma comes before the infinitive clause ruhig zu bleiben, which is standard in German when an infinitive with zu follows a main clause that explains who or what is assisted by an action.
Why does the sentence begin with manchmal, and how does that affect word order?
Starting with the adverb manchmal emphasizes the frequency of the speaker’s nervousness. In German main clauses, if an element other than the subject (like an adverb) comes first, the finite verb must immediately follow in the second position—thus resulting in werde ich nervös.