Breakdown of Ich bin besorgt, weil der Hund nicht nach Hause kommt.
sein
to be
kommen
to come
das Haus
the house
der Hund
the dog
ich
I
nach
to
nicht
not
weil
because
besorgt
worried
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Questions & Answers about Ich bin besorgt, weil der Hund nicht nach Hause kommt.
Why is the verb at the end in the clause with weil?
Because weil is a subordinating conjunction that sends the finite verb to the end of its clause (verb-final). In your sentence, the verb of the weil-clause is kommt, so it appears at the end: ..., weil der Hund nicht nach Hause kommt. This is the standard rule for subordinating conjunctions like weil, dass, obwohl, wenn.
Can I use denn or da instead of weil here?
Yes, but note the differences:
- denn links two main clauses and keeps normal word order: Ich bin besorgt, denn der Hund kommt nicht nach Hause. (comma required)
- da is another subordinating conjunction like weil (verb-final): Ich bin besorgt, da der Hund nicht nach Hause kommt. It often sounds a bit more formal or gives background reasons.
- weil is the most neutral choice for stating a concrete cause in everyday speech and writing.
Is weil + verb-second (e.g., ..., weil der Hund kommt nicht ...) ever acceptable?
That colloquial pattern exists in speech (often called “weil-V2”), but it’s nonstandard in careful writing. Use verb-final after weil in anything formal: ..., weil der Hund nicht nach Hause kommt.
Do I need the comma before the weil-clause?
Yes. You must separate the main clause and the weil-clause with a comma: Ich bin besorgt, weil ... If the weil-clause comes first, you also use a comma: Weil der Hund nicht nach Hause kommt, bin ich besorgt.
Why is it der Hund and not den Hund or dem Hund?
Because der Hund is the subject of the weil-clause, so it’s nominative masculine singular. den Hund (accusative) and dem Hund (dative) would signal object roles that aren’t present here. weil does not affect case; it only subordinates the clause.
Why is it nach Hause and not zu Hause or ins Haus?
- nach Hause = motion toward home (concept of home). Use with movement verbs: Er kommt/geht/fährt nach Hause.
- zu Hause = location at home (no movement): Er ist/bleibt zu Hause.
- ins Haus = into the building (the house as a structure), not necessarily one’s home: Er geht ins Haus. Here you want the directional idea “to home,” hence nach Hause.
What is the -e in Hause?
It’s an old dative ending preserved in set phrases:
- nach Hause, zu Hause, von zu Hause, außer Hause. You may also see nach Haus (without -e) in poetic or less common usage. As a standalone noun meaning “home,” use das Zuhause. For the adverbial phrase, standard is zu Hause; the one-word zuhause is also widely accepted, especially informally.
Why is nicht placed before nach Hause? Could I move it?
Put nicht in front of what you’re negating and before the final verb. Here you negate the verb phrase “come home,” so: ... nicht nach Hause kommt.
- Natural: Der Hund kommt nicht nach Hause.
- Odd/marked in standard German: Der Hund kommt nach Hause nicht. If you were negating something else, nicht would move accordingly.
Why use kommen instead of gehen for going home?
German often uses kommen when movement is toward a reference point (home is usually that point): nach Hause kommen = come (back) home. gehen focuses on setting off/heading there: Ich gehe nach Hause (I’m going home). In your sentence, “isn’t coming home” (i.e., not arriving back) is naturally kommt (nicht) nach Hause.
Is besorgt a participle or an adjective here? Are there other ways to say it?
Here besorgt is an adjective meaning “worried,” used predicatively with sein: Ich bin besorgt. It happens to look like the participle of besorgen (“to procure/arrange”), but that meaning is unrelated here. Common alternatives:
- Ich mache mir Sorgen, weil ...
- Ich bin um den Hund besorgt. / Ich mache mir Sorgen um den Hund. Also note prepositions:
- besorgt um + Akk (concern for someone’s well-being): Ich bin um den Hund besorgt.
- besorgt über + Akk (concern about a fact/development): Ich bin über die Situation besorgt.
Can I put the reason first?
Yes: Weil der Hund nicht nach Hause kommt, bin ich besorgt. When a subordinate clause comes first, the finite verb of the following main clause still occupies position 2, so you get inversion (bin ich).
Could/should I use the perfect tense instead of the present?
If you mean “hasn’t come home yet,” use the perfect and usually add noch:
- Ich bin besorgt, weil der Hund noch nicht nach Hause gekommen ist. Without noch, ist nicht nach Hause gekommen sounds like a completed past event (“didn’t come home [then]”).
Why not use kein instead of nicht?
kein negates indefinite nouns (e.g., kein Hund, keine Zeit). Here you negate an action/direction, so you need nicht: nicht nach Hause kommt.
Should it still be der Hund if the dog is female?
The generic word der Hund is grammatically masculine regardless of the animal’s sex. If you specifically mean a female dog, use die Hündin: ..., weil die Hündin nicht nach Hause kommt.
How do I pronounce the trickier words?
- besorgt: roughly “buh-ZORKT” [bəˈzɔʁkt]
- weil: like English “vile” [vaɪ̯l]
- Hause: “HOW-zuh” [ˈhaʊ̯zə]
- kommt: “komt” with a crisp final t [kɔmt]