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Questions & Answers about Ich spare Geld, weil die Treuekarte mir sofort einen Rabatt auf meine Lieblingsspeise gibt.
Why is the verb gibt at the end of the clause introduced by weil?
In German, weil is a subordinating conjunction. A subordinate clause must send its finite verb to the very end. That’s why you see …weil die Treuekarte mir sofort einen Rabatt auf meine Lieblingsspeise gibt. In a main clause you’d have verb-second order, but not after weil.
Why is there a comma before weil?
German grammar requires you to separate the main clause from any subordinate clause (like the one introduced by weil) with a comma. So you always write:
Ich spare Geld, weil …
Why do we use mir instead of mich in … die Treuekarte mir … gibt?
The verb geben takes two objects: a dative (the recipient) and an accusative (the thing given). You are the recipient of the discount, so you need the dative pronoun mir, not the accusative mich.
Why is it einen Rabatt and not ein Rabatt?
Rabatt is masculine (der Rabatt). As the direct object of gibt, it must be in the accusative case, which uses einen for masculine nouns.
What case is meine Lieblingsspeise in after auf, and why?
Auf is a two-way (Wechsel) preposition. When it indicates a target or “onto” something (here the object of the discount), it takes the accusative case. Hence auf meine Lieblingsspeise (not meiner).
Why is the word order mir sofort einen Rabatt, and could we change it?
In the “midfield” of a German clause, the typical sequence is: dative object → time adverb → accusative object. That yields mir (dative), sofort (time), einen Rabatt (accusative) before the verb. You could shift sofort around, but mir sofort einen Rabatt sounds most natural.
Why is there no article before Geld in Ich spare Geld?
General expressions like “to save money” drop the article in German. You say Geld sparen, not das Geld sparen, unless you’re talking about a specific sum of money.
What’s the difference between Lieblingsspeise and Lieblingsessen?
Both mean “favorite dish/food.” Lieblingsspeise is a bit more formal or literary, while Lieblingsessen is more colloquial. In everyday conversation they’re largely interchangeable.