Breakdown of Ein Auto zu mieten dauert normalerweise nur wenige Minuten.
das Auto
the car
nur
only
die Minute
the minute
mieten
to rent
dauern
to take
normalerweise
usually
wenig
few
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Questions & Answers about Ein Auto zu mieten dauert normalerweise nur wenige Minuten.
Why is Ein Auto zu mieten used at the beginning of this sentence?
Ein Auto zu mieten is a zu‑infinitive clause functioning as the subject. In German you can replace a noun‐clause subject with an infinitive + zu. Literally it reads “To rent a car takes usually only a few minutes.” If you prefer a dummy subject, you could say:
Es dauert normalerweise nur wenige Minuten, ein Auto zu mieten.
Why do we need zu before mieten? Why not just Ein Auto mieten dauert …?
When an infinitive phrase stands in for a noun (here as subject), German normally requires zu plus the infinitive. This is called a zu‑Infinitiv. Omitting zu (as in Ein Auto mieten) would sound ungrammatical in this function.
Should there be a comma after Ein Auto zu mieten?
No comma is required. According to modern German orthography, an infinitive clause at the beginning of a main clause may stand without a comma unless you need to avoid misunderstanding. So Ein Auto zu mieten dauert … is correct without punctuation.
Why is dauern chosen here, and what case does the time expression take?
dauern (“to last, to take (time)”) is an intransitive verb; it does not take a direct object but is commonly followed by an accusative time expression. Here nur wenige Minuten is in the accusative plural, expressing duration. German uses the accusative to answer “How long?” – e.g. dauert fünf Minuten.
Why is there no article before wenige Minuten, and what does wenige mean here?
wenige means “few, a small number of.” With no article, it’s a strong adjective declension in the accusative plural: wenige Minuten = “a few minutes.” You could also say ein paar Minuten or einige Minuten for a similar meaning.
What is the role of normalerweise, and why is it placed before nur wenige Minuten?
normalerweise is a sentence adverb indicating frequency (“usually”). In German mid‑field word order, it typically precedes specific adverbial phrases like a duration. So it sets the general expectation (normally), then nur wenige Minuten specifies the exact length.
Could we use a different verb or construction, for example nehmen or brauchen?
Yes. Common alternatives are:
- Man braucht normalerweise nur wenige Minuten, um ein Auto zu mieten.
- Es nimmt normalerweise nur wenige Minuten in Anspruch, ein Auto zu mieten.
Both convey the same idea, but dauern- accusative is the most straightforward for expressing “it takes X time.”
How does the version with um ... zu differ: Es dauert nur wenige Minuten, um ein Auto zu mieten?
Here Es dauert nur wenige Minuten is the main clause, and um ein Auto zu mieten is a purposive infinitive clause introduced by um ... zu (it explains the purpose). You must place a comma before um. In the original sentence, there is no separation into main clause + purpose clause; the infinitive clause Ein Auto zu mieten itself is the subject.
Could we replace the infinitive clause with a noun and say Die Anmietung eines Autos dauert normalerweise nur wenige Minuten?
Absolutely. Die Anmietung eines Autos is a nominalized form (“the renting of a car”) and works as a standard subject. The meaning remains the same, though the nominalization sounds slightly more formal.