Learn Hardcore German: Schade, der Saal ist heute schon voll; wir sitzen in der letzten Reihe. - What a pity, the hall is already full today; we sit in the last row.

Schade is an interjection expressing mild regret or disappointment, similar to English Too bad or What a pity. It does not apologize; it simply comments on an unfortunate situation. For an apology, you’d use Es tut mir leid or Entschuldigung. You can also use it inside a sentence: Das ist schade.

Why is there a comma after Schade?

Interjections like Schade, Tja, Ach, Oh are set off from the following clause with a comma in German. You could also write Schade! as a separate exclamation and start a new sentence afterward.

What’s the purpose of the semicolon, and could I use something else?

The semicolon links two closely related main clauses without a conjunction. It’s correct but a bit formal/rare in everyday German. Alternatives:

Period: Schade, der Saal ist heute schon voll. Wir sitzen in der letzten Reihe.
Dash: Schade, der Saal ist heute schon voll — wir sitzen in der letzten Reihe.
Comma only if you add a conjunction: ..., und wir sitzen ... or ..., also sitzen wir .... A bare comma between two main clauses is not allowed.

Why der Saal and not die Halle or der Raum?

der Saal: a large room/auditorium for events (concert hall, cinema auditorium). Typically has rows of seats.
die Halle: a large hall like a gym, exhibition hall, or industrial space; not necessarily seated.
der Raum: any room in general; too generic here. So Saal is the natural choice for a seated venue.

What are the genders and plurals of Saal and Reihe?

der Saal (plural: die Säle; note the umlaut).
die Reihe (plural: die Reihen).

What’s the nuance of heute schon versus schon heute?

Both can mean already today, but the emphasis shifts:

heute schon highlights today as the time frame: it’s already full today (as opposed to another day).
schon heute stresses the “earlier than expected” aspect: it’s full as early as today (so soon!). In casual speech they often overlap; your sentence’s heute schon sounds very natural.

What does schon mean here, and how is that different from the modal particle schon?

Here schon = already (temporal). Don’t confuse it with modal-particle schon, which expresses assurance/softening (e.g., Das wird schon klappen = It’ll work out). In your sentence, it’s purely temporal.

Why voll and not ausverkauft or ausgebucht?

voll: physically full, no more room/seats right now.
ausverkauft: sold out (tickets no longer available).
ausgebucht: fully booked (all reservations taken). If the emphasis is on seats being occupied, voll fits best; if tickets are gone in advance, ausverkauft is better.

Why wir sitzen and not wir setzen?

sitzen = to be sitting (state).
(sich) setzen = to sit down (action of moving into a sitting position). Your sentence describes the current location/state: wir sitzen. If you described the action, you’d say: Wir setzen uns in die letzte Reihe.

Why is it in der letzten Reihe and not in die letzte Reihe?

in can take dative (location) or accusative (movement). Here it’s location (where we are): dative → in der letzten Reihe. For movement (where to): accusative → Wir setzen uns in die letzte Reihe.

Why does letzten end in -en in in der letzten Reihe?

Because it’s an adjective before a noun in the dative singular with a definite article. In dative singular (and in all plurals), adjectives take -en when an article is present:

dative fem. with article: in der letzten Reihe.
(You’d also get -en with other articles: in einer letzten Reihe.)

What exactly does Reihe mean here, and how is it different from Zeile or Schlange?

die Reihe: a row (of seats, houses, trees); also a series (TV series = Serie, but Reihe in some contexts).
die Zeile: a line of text.
die Schlange (colloquial for queue): a line of people waiting. So letzte Reihe = the back row of seats.

Why is wir lowercase after the semicolon, and why is Schade capitalized?

After a semicolon, you continue the same sentence, so no capitalization unless the next word is a noun or proper name; wir stays lowercase. Schade is capitalized here because it starts the sentence; otherwise it’s usually lowercase in running text: Das ist schade. Nouns like Saal and Reihe are always capitalized in German.

Any pronunciation tips for tricky parts?

Schade: [ˈʃaːdə] — “SHAH-duh.”
Saal: [zaːl] — initial s is voiced like English “z”; long “a.”
schon: [ʃoːn] — long “o.” Don’t confuse with schön [ʃøːn] (different vowel).
voll: [fɔl] — short “o” as in “off.”
Reihe: [ˈʁaɪ̯ə] — roughly “RYE-uh.”

Are there more natural ways to say “in the last row” or “at the very back”?

Yes, depending on nuance:

Wir sitzen ganz hinten. (We’re way in the back.)
Wir sitzen in der hintersten Reihe. (In the very back row.)
Wir sitzen in der letzten Reihe, ganz außen. (Back row, far on the side.)

Could the adverb placement change, or could I drop heute?

Yes:

Heute ist der Saal schon voll; ... (fronting “today” for emphasis).
Der Saal ist schon heute voll; ... (emphasizing the “so early” aspect).
Der Saal ist schon voll; ... (dropping heute makes it about now in general, not specifically today.)