Learn Hardcore German: Schade, wir verpassen den Zug. - What a pity, we are missing the train.

Schade = “what a pity/too bad.” It’s emotive and sympathetic.
Leider = “unfortunately.” It’s more neutral/factual and often used in more formal or informative statements. Examples:
Schade, wir verpassen den Zug. (Emotional reaction)
Leider verpassen wir den Zug. (Matter-of-fact information)

Why is there a comma after Schade?

Schade is used as an interjection and is separated from the main clause by a comma. You could also write it as its own sentence (Schade! Wir verpassen den Zug.) or use it in a dass-clause (Schade, dass …). Without punctuation after the interjection is considered incorrect in standard writing.

Why is the present tense (wir verpassen) used when the train hasn’t been missed yet?

German commonly uses the present tense for near-future events, especially scheduled ones like trains. It corresponds to English “we’re going to miss” or “we will miss.” You can use the future (wir werden den Zug verpassen) for a prediction or emphasis, but it’s not required.

What case is den Zug, and why is it den and not der or dem?

Den Zug is masculine accusative. The verb verpassen is transitive and takes a direct object in the accusative.

Masculine nominative: der Zug (subject)
Masculine accusative: den Zug (direct object)
Masculine dative: dem Zug (indirect object; e.g., mit dem Zug = by train)

Can I drop the article and say wir verpassen Zug?

No. In German, specific countable nouns normally need an article. You say den Zug (the train). Omitting the article sounds wrong here.

What’s the difference between verpassen and vermissen?

verpassen = to miss in the sense of not catching/attending (a train, bus, meeting, chance).
- Wir verpassen den Zug.
vermissen = to miss someone/something emotionally or notice its absence.
- Ich vermisse dich. / Ich vermisse meinen Zugausweis (I can’t find it). There’s also versäumen (to miss/neglect), which is more formal and common in Austria/Southern Germany for schedules/appointments.

Is verpassen a separable verb?

No. Prefix ver- is inseparable. Stress is on the stem: verPASSen. The past participle is verpasst (no ge-).

Present: wir verpassen
Simple past: wir verpassten (mostly written)
Perfect: wir haben verpasst (common in speech)

How do I say we have already missed the train?

Use the perfect:

Wir haben den Zug verpasst. You could use the simple past in formal/written style:
Wir verpassten den Zug.

Can I say Wir werden den Zug verpassen instead?

Yes. Futur I is correct and can sound more predictive or emphatic. In everyday speech, the present is preferred for near-future schedules unless you want to stress the prediction: Wir werden den Zug verpassen, wenn wir jetzt nicht losgehen.

What’s the word order rule here? Could I say Den Zug verpassen wir?

Main clauses are verb-second (V2). The finite verb (verpassen) must be in second position. You can front the object for emphasis:

Neutral: Wir verpassen den Zug.
Emphatic/topicalized: Den Zug verpassen wir. (…not the bus, for example)

How do I negate this? Is Wir verpassen nicht den Zug correct?

Default negation places nicht near the end:

Wir verpassen den Zug nicht. Wir verpassen nicht den Zug is only used for contrastive focus (…sondern den Bus).

How do I pronounce the sentence?

Schade: [ˈʃaːdə] (long a; final e is a schwa)
wir: [viːɐ̯]
verpassen: [fɛɐ̯ˈpasn̩] or [fɛɐ̯ˈpasən] (stress on -passen; s = [s])
den: [deːn]
Zug: [tsuːk] (final consonant devoiced like k)

Why is Schade capitalized here? Isn’t schade usually lowercase?

Adjectives are normally lowercase: Das ist schade. It’s capitalized here simply because it starts the sentence. As a stand-alone interjection at sentence start, Schade! will also appear with a capital S.

Can I say Schade, dass wir den Zug verpassen?

Yes. With a dass-clause, the conjugated verb goes to the end:

Schade, dass wir den Zug verpassen. For a past situation: Schade, dass wir den Zug verpasst haben.

Could I use Bahn instead of Zug?

Yes, depending on what you mean.

den Zug verpassen = miss the specific train.
die Bahn verpassen is also heard colloquially (Bahn = rail service/company). Other options: die S‑Bahn/U‑Bahn/Straßenbahn with their articles:
Wir verpassen die S‑Bahn.

Is there a reflexive way to say “we missed each other”?

Yes: Wir haben uns verpasst. That means you and another person failed to meet (e.g., just missed each other at the station).

Any colloquial alternatives to verpassen?

den Zug erwischen (catch the train) — negative: nicht erwischen
den Zug schaffen (make the train) — negative: nicht schaffen
den Zug kriegen/packen (colloquial for catch) — negative: nicht kriegen/packen

Why not dem Zug or der Zug here?

Because the train is the direct object, which requires accusative: den Zug. Use:

dem Zug (dative) after certain prepositions: mit dem Zug (by train)
der Zug (nominative) as subject: Der Zug kommt.