Breakdown of Ich gehe zum Arzt, weil ich Fieber habe.
dem
the; (masculine or neuter, dative)
ich
I
gehen
to go
zu
to
haben
to have
weil
because
der Arzt
the doctor
das Fieber
the fever
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Questions & Answers about Ich gehe zum Arzt, weil ich Fieber habe.
What does zum stand for, and why is it used here?
zum is a contraction of zu + dem. zu is a preposition meaning “to,” and dem is the masculine dative definite article. Since zu always takes the dative case and Arzt is masculine, zu dem Arzt contracts to zum Arzt.
Why is Arzt in the dative case?
The preposition zu requires the dative. Therefore, the noun following it must be in the dative case: dem Arzt (masculine dative), which becomes zum Arzt when contracted.
Why is there no article before Fieber?
When talking about illnesses with haben, German typically treats them as mass nouns and drops the article. So you say Fieber haben (“to have a fever”) instead of ein Fieber haben.
Why is the verb habe at the end of the clause introduced by weil?
weil is a subordinating conjunction. In German subordinate clauses, the finite verb moves to the final position. Hence: weil ich Fieber habe, with habe at the end.
Do I always need a comma before weil?
Yes. German requires a comma to separate the main clause from a subordinate clause introduced by weil, regardless of whether the subordinate clause comes first or second.
Why is ich gehe in the present tense if it refers to a future or planned action?
In German, the present tense often expresses near‑future or planned actions. Ich gehe zum Arzt can mean “I’m going to the doctor (soon).” Using the future tense (Ich werde zum Arzt gehen) is possible but not necessary here.