Learn Hardcore German: Manchmal habe ich das Gefühl, dass der Tag zu schnell vorbei ist. - Sometimes I have the feeling that the day is over too quickly.

Manchmal habe ich ... highlights the time/frequency ("Sometimes...").
Ich habe manchmal ... starts with ich and feels a bit more neutral or focused on I.

In everyday speech, both variants are very common and natural.

What does the structure ich habe das Gefühl, dass ... literally mean, and how is it used in German?

Literally, ich habe das Gefühl, dass ... means:

“I have the feeling that ...”

It’s a very common way to express a subjective impression, intuition, or hunch, similar to English “I feel like ... / I get the impression that ...”.

Examples:

Ich habe das Gefühl, dass er müde ist. – I feel like he’s tired.
Ich habe das Gefühl, dass etwas nicht stimmt. – I have the feeling that something is wrong.

You usually follow it with a dass‑clause describing what your feeling is about.

Why is there a comma before dass?

In German, subordinate clauses (Nebensätze) are normally separated from the main clause by a comma.

Ich habe das Gefühl, ← end of the main clause
dass der Tag zu schnell vorbei ist. ← subordinate clause introduced by dass

So the comma is required by German punctuation rules to mark the start of the dass‑clause.

What is the function of dass, and why does the verb move to the end in dass der Tag zu schnell vorbei ist?

Dass is a subordinating conjunction (in German: unterordnende Konjunktion). It introduces a subordinate clause that depends on the main clause.

Rule: In a subordinate clause introduced by a subordinating conjunction like dass, the finite verb goes to the end.

So:

Main clause word order (verb 2nd):
Der Tag ist zu schnell vorbei. ✅
Subordinate clause after dass (verb final):
..., dass der Tag zu schnell vorbei ist. ✅

Dass itself doesn’t have a direct English word in informal speech; it often corresponds to English “that”, which is sometimes omitted in English:

I have the feeling that the day is over too quickly.

Why is it der Tag and not den Tag?

In the dass‑clause, der Tag is the subject of the verb ist.

Subject → nominative case
Masculine noun Tag in nominative singular → der Tag

Den Tag would be accusative case (direct object), but here Tag is not an object; it is the thing that “is over too quickly”. So nominative der Tag is correct:

..., dass der Tag zu schnell vorbei ist. ✅
..., dass den Tag zu schnell vorbei ist. ❌

Why is it zu schnell and not sehr schnell here? What’s the difference?

Zu and sehr both relate to degree, but they’re not the same:

zu schnell = too fast / too quickly (more than desirable; negative or problematic)
sehr schnell = very fast / very quickly (just strong intensity, not necessarily negative)

In this sentence, the idea is:

The day passes faster than I would like → “too quickly” → zu schnell.

If you said:

..., dass der Tag sehr schnell vorbei ist.

it would mean “the day is over very quickly”, but it doesn’t clearly express the “too” / “more than I want” feeling.

What does vorbei mean in this sentence, and how does vorbei sein work?

Vorbei is an adverb meaning roughly “over / past”.

The expression vorbei sein means “to be over / to be finished”.

So:

Der Tag ist vorbei. – The day is over.
Der Urlaub ist vorbei. – The vacation is over.

In the sentence:

..., dass der Tag zu schnell vorbei ist.

you literally have: “that the day is too quickly over.”

Why is it vorbei ist and not ist vorbei at the end?

Because we are in a subordinate clause introduced by dass. In such clauses, the finite verb (here: ist) moves to the final position.

Normal main clause:

Der Tag ist vorbei. (verb in 2nd position) ✅

Subordinate clause after dass:

..., dass der Tag vorbei ist. (verb at the end) ✅

So vorbei ist is just vorbei + ist in the required verb-final order.
..., dass der Tag ist vorbei. ❌ is ungrammatical.

Could I use the verb fühlen instead and say Manchmal fühle ich, dass der Tag zu schnell vorbei ist?

You can say Manchmal fühle ich, dass der Tag zu schnell vorbei ist, but it sounds less idiomatic than Ich habe das Gefühl, dass ....

In German:

fühlen is often used for physical sensations or direct emotions:
- Ich fühle Schmerz. – I feel pain.
- Ich fühle mich müde. – I feel tired.
For more abstract, mental impressions, German very often uses:
- Ich habe das Gefühl, dass ...
- Ich habe den Eindruck, dass ...

So the original sentence with Ich habe das Gefühl, dass ... is the most natural choice.

Can I say Manchmal habe ich das Gefühl, der Tag ist zu schnell vorbei without dass?

Yes, you will hear this in spoken German, and it’s mostly fine in informal contexts:

Manchmal habe ich das Gefühl, der Tag ist zu schnell vorbei.

Here, instead of a dass‑clause, you have a “comma + main clause” structure.

However:

In formal writing, the version with dass is preferred:
- Manchmal habe ich das Gefühl, dass der Tag zu schnell vorbei ist. ✅ (most standard)
The version without dass can sound a bit more conversational.

So it’s understandable and used, but for textbooks and formal German, with dass is the best model.

Could I say Manchmal habe ich das Gefühl, dass der Tag zu schnell vorbeigeht? What’s the difference between vorbei ist and vorbeigeht?

Yes, you can say:

Manchmal habe ich das Gefühl, dass der Tag zu schnell vorbeigeht. ✅

Difference:

vorbei ist (from vorbei sein) = “is over”, focuses on the state of being finished:
- ... that the day is over too quickly.
vorbeigeht (from vorbeigehen) = “passes by”, focuses on the process of passing:
- ... that the day passes by too quickly.

Both are natural here; vorbeigeht emphasizes the feeling that time goes by too fast; vorbei ist emphasizes how quickly it ends.

Where else can I put manchmal in this sentence? Are there word order alternatives?

Yes, several positions are possible and natural, with slight differences in rhythm/emphasis:

Manchmal habe ich das Gefühl, dass der Tag zu schnell vorbei ist.
– Neutral, very natural (focus on sometimes).
Ich habe manchmal das Gefühl, dass der Tag zu schnell vorbei ist.
– Also common; the adverb sits inside the clause.
Ich habe das Gefühl, dass der Tag manchmal zu schnell vorbei ist.
– Here manchmal modifies the dass‑clause more directly: sometimes the day is too short, sometimes not.

All are correct; choice depends on what you want to emphasize.

What tense is ist here, and could I also use war?

Ist is present tense (3rd person singular of sein).

The present tense is used because the speaker is talking about a general, recurring feeling:

Manchmal habe ich das Gefühl, dass der Tag zu schnell vorbei ist.
→ From time to time, I feel this; it’s not tied to one specific past day.

You could say war in a different context:

Gestern hatte ich das Gefühl, dass der Tag zu schnell vorbei war.
– Yesterday I had the feeling that the day was over too quickly.

Here, everything is in the past (hatte – war) and refers to a specific past situation. In the original sentence, ist (present) is correct and natural.