Questions & Answers about Wenn es regnet, ändert sich unser Plan.
Why do we need es in Wenn es regnet?
German always requires an explicit subject in every clause. Weather verbs like regnen have no “real” subject, so you fill that slot with the dummy pronoun es (“it”). In English you say “when it rains,” but you can’t drop es in German – Wenn regnet would be ungrammatical.
Why is the verb regnet placed at the end of the clause Wenn es regnet?
Because Wenn es regnet is a subordinate clause introduced by the conjunction wenn. German subordinate clauses follow verb‑final word order, so the finite verb regnet moves to the very end.
Could I use falls instead of wenn here?
Yes. Both translate to “if/in case.” The nuance is:
- wenn → general or repeated conditions (“whenever/when”)
- falls → more hypothetical or formal (“in case”)
You could say Falls es regnet, ändert sich unser Plan with almost the same meaning, though it feels slightly more cautious.
Why is there a comma after Wenn es regnet?
German orthography requires a comma to separate a subordinate clause from the main clause. Since Wenn es regnet is subordinate, you must place a comma before starting the main clause.