Breakdown of Lass uns gehen, sonst verpassen wir den Zug wegen des neuen Staus.
neu
new
wir
we
gehen
to go
der Zug
the train
sonst
otherwise
uns
us
verpassen
to miss
wegen
because of
der Stau
the traffic jam
lassen
to let
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Questions & Answers about Lass uns gehen, sonst verpassen wir den Zug wegen des neuen Staus.
Why does German say Lass uns gehen to express let’s go in English, instead of Lasst uns gehen or Gehen wir?
Lass uns gehen literally means “let us go”: lass is the imperative of lassen (“to let”), uns is “us,” and gehen is “go.” This is the fixed, everyday way to suggest “let’s go.”
- Lasst uns gehen looks like a regular ihr-imperative, but modern German reserves lass uns as the standard “let’s” construction—you almost never use lasst uns here.
- Gehen wir is another grammatical option (inversion of wir
- verb), but it sounds more formal or theatrical. In casual speech, Germans stick with Lass uns gehen.
What part of speech is sonst, and why is there a comma before it?
sonst is a conjunctive adverb meaning “otherwise.” It links two independent clauses (Lass uns gehen and sonst verpassen wir den Zug) and therefore requires a comma. Note that only und, oder, aber and denn can join main clauses without a comma—sonst always needs one.
Why is the word order sonst verpassen wir den Zug and not sonst wir verpassen den Zug?
German main-clause word order is verb-second (V2). When sonst occupies the first slot (for emphasis), the conjugated verb verpassen must follow immediately in second position, and then the subject wir comes third. You cannot split that rule, so sonst verpassen wir den Zug is correct.
Why is den Zug in the accusative case?
Zug is the direct object of verpassen (“to miss the train”), and German marks direct objects with the accusative case. The masculine article der changes to den in the accusative singular, giving den Zug.
Why is wegen followed by des neuen Staus, and what case is that?
wegen is one of the German genitive prepositions, so it always requires the genitive case. Stau (der Stau) is masculine; its genitive singular form takes the article des and usually adds -s to the noun (Staus). Hence wegen des Staus means “because of the traffic jam.”
Why does neuen end with -en, and why is there an -s on Staus in des neuen Staus?
In the genitive singular with a definite article (des), adjectives take the weak ending -en, so neu → neuen. The noun Stau adds -s in genitive: Stau → Staus. Combined you get des neuen Staus.
Can I say wegen dem neuen Stau instead of wegen des neuen Staus?
Informally, many speakers use the dative after wegen (wegen dem …), but that’s non-standard. In formal and written German, wegen always governs the genitive, so you should use wegen des neuen Staus.
Is there a more formal or alternative verb to verpassen for “to miss” in this context?
Yes. versäumen can also mean “to miss” (e.g. versäumen wir den Zug), but it sounds bookish or formal. In everyday conversation, verpassen is the natural choice when you don’t catch a train, bus, etc.