Breakdown of Der Zug hat schon wieder Verspätung.
haben
to have
der Zug
the train
die Verspätung
the delay
schon wieder
yet again
Questions & Answers about Der Zug hat schon wieder Verspätung.
Why does the sentence use hat (has) instead of ist (is), when in English we say “The train is late again”?
In German, there are two common ways to say a train is late:
- Der Zug hat Verspätung. – literally “The train has delay.”
- Der Zug ist zu spät. – literally “The train is too late.”
Both are correct and mean almost the same in everyday use.
Hat Verspätung sounds a bit more neutral and is the standard, slightly more formal/official phrasing (you’ll see it on train announcements and signs).
Ist zu spät feels more like normal spoken language and focuses on the state of being late.
So the German sentence is structured differently from English, but the meaning is the same as “The train is late again.”
What exactly does schon wieder mean, and how is it different from just wieder or just schon?