Word
Das Publikum wartet geduldig, während die Bühne vorbereitet wird.
Meaning
The audience waits patiently while the stage is being prepared.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Lesson
Breakdown of Das Publikum wartet geduldig, während die Bühne vorbereitet wird.
werden
to become
vorbereiten
to prepare
während
while
warten
to wait
Questions & Answers about Das Publikum wartet geduldig, während die Bühne vorbereitet wird.
Why is Das Publikum treated like a singular noun (not plural) here?
Although Publikum refers to a group of people, it’s a collective noun in German and takes a singular verb form. Hence das Publikum wartet (not warten).
Why is there a comma before während?
während here is a subordinating conjunction introducing a dependent clause (die Bühne vorbereitet wird). German requires a comma before any subordinate clause.
Why does während send the verb to the end in die Bühne vorbereitet wird?
In German subordinate clauses, the finite verb goes to the very end. So after während, you place die Bühne, then the participle vorbereitet, and finally the auxiliary wird.
How is the passive voice formed in wird vorbereitet?
German passive is built with a form of werden + the past participle of the main verb. Here vorbereiten → past participle vorbereitet, so wird vorbereitet = “is being prepared.”
Why does vorbereitet not start with ge- like other participles?