Sie ruht sich aus, weil sie sich den Fuß verletzt hat.

Sie ruht sich aus, weil sie sich den Fuß verletzt hat.
She is resting because she has injured her foot.
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Questions & Answers about Sie ruht sich aus, weil sie sich den Fuß verletzt hat.

What is the infinitive form of ruht sich aus, and how is it conjugated here?

The infinitive is sich ausruhen (to rest). It’s a reflexive verb with the separable prefix aus‑. In 3rd person singular present:

  1. Take the stem ausruh‑
  2. Add ‑t → ruht
  3. Insert the reflexive pronoun sich right after the verb
  4. Move the prefix aus to the end
    Result: sie ruht sich aus.
Why is the prefix aus separated and placed at the end of the clause?
Because ausruhen is a separable‑prefix verb. In main‑clause word order, the finite verb (here ruht) stays in second position, and the prefix (aus) detaches and goes to the very end of its clause.
Why does the sentence contain sich twice, and are they the same?

Both are reflexive pronouns but in different cases:

  • In sie ruht sich aus, sich is accusative because ausruhen takes an accusative reflexive (she rests herself).
  • In weil sie sich den Fuß verletzt hat, sich is dative (indirect object) and den Fuß is accusative (direct object). She injures the foot (acc.) of herself (dat.).
Why is den Fuß in the accusative case, and how do you spot it?
The verb verletzen (to injure) is transitive and requires a direct object. Der Fuß (the foot) is masculine; its accusative singular form is den Fuß. You recognize the accusative by the article changing from der → den.
Why does hat come at the end after verletzt, and how is the perfect tense formed here?
Weil is a subordinating conjunction, which pushes the finite verb (here the auxiliary hat) to the end of its clause. In the perfect tense subordinate clause, you place the past participle (verletzt) before the auxiliary (hat): …verletzt hat. The perfect tense (haben + past participle) shows that the injury happened before now.
Why do we have to repeat the subject sie after weil? Can’t German drop it like English sometimes does?
German generally requires an explicit subject in every clause. The weil‑clause is a separate clause and must have its own subject pronoun (sie), even if it refers to the same person.
How do you pronounce ruht, and what’s the role of the h in that word?
The h after u indicates that the vowel is long. You don’t pronounce h as a consonant. You say ruht [ʁuːt], holding the u sound a bit longer.
Why is Fuß spelled with ß instead of ss?
German spelling rules use ß after long vowels and diphthongs. Since the u in Fuß is long, it’s spelled ß. A short vowel would require ss instead (e.g., muss).
Why is the main clause in the present tense while the subordinate clause is in the perfect tense? Could you use the simple past instead?
The present tense in sie ruht sich aus describes her current state (she is resting now). The perfect tense in weil sie sich den Fuß verletzt hat refers to an action completed before now (she has injured her foot). You could use simple past (preterite) in writing—… weil sie sich den Fuß verletzte—but in spoken and informal German the perfect is more common for past events.