Learn Hardcore German: Heute kaufe ich nur ein Einzelticket, weil ich selten fahre. - Today I am buying only a single ticket because I rarely travel.

German main clauses follow a verb‑second (V2) rule: the conjugated verb (here kaufe) must be in second position, but position 1 can be almost anything: the subject, a time expression, a place, etc.

Heute kaufe ich nur ein Einzelticket...
→ The time Heute (today) is in the focus position at the start.
Ich kaufe heute nur ein Einzelticket...
→ The subject Ich is in the focus position; heute is just extra information.

In both sentences, the order of the first three “slots” is:

Heute / Ich (slot 1)
kaufe (slot 2 – the finite verb)
Rest of the information

Starting with Heute slightly emphasizes today (“Today, I’m only buying a single ticket…”), while starting with Ich slightly emphasizes the I (“I’m buying only a single ticket today…”). But in everyday conversation, the difference is very subtle.

Why is there a comma before weil, and why does fahre go to the end of the clause?

Weil introduces a subordinate clause (Nebensatz), meaning a clause that cannot stand alone and depends on the main clause for its meaning.

Rules here:

Comma before weil
In German, subordinate clauses are separated from the main clause by a comma. So:
- Heute kaufe ich nur ein Einzelticket, weil ich selten fahre.
Verb-final word order in subordinate clauses
In a weil‑clause, the conjugated verb goes to the end:
- weil ich selten fahre (correct)
- weil ich fahre selten (incorrect in standard German)

Pattern:

Main clause: Heute kaufe ich nur ein Einzelticket
→ Verb is in second position (kaufe).
Subordinate clause: weil ich selten fahre
→ Verb is at the end (fahre).

So the comma signals: “Now comes a subordinate clause”, and that clause must have the verb at the end.

What is the difference between weil and denn in this kind of sentence?

Both weil and denn can translate as because, but they behave differently:

weil
- Introduces a subordinate clause.
- Verb goes to the end in its clause.
- Needs a comma before it.
- Example: Heute kaufe ich nur ein Einzelticket, weil ich selten fahre.
denn
- Is a coordinating conjunction (like und, aber).
- Does not change word order; verb stays in second position.
- Also separated by a comma.
- Example: Heute kaufe ich nur ein Einzelticket, denn ich fahre selten.

Both are correct here:

..., weil ich selten fahre. → Slightly more conversational, very common.
..., denn ich fahre selten. → A bit more formal or written style.

Meaning-wise, they’re very close; the main practical difference is word order.

Why is it ein Einzelticket and not eine Einzelticket?

Because Einzelticket is neuter in German.

The article ein can be:
- masculine nominative / accusative (with no ending) in some contexts
- neuter nominative / accusative
Einzelticket is das Einzelticket in the dictionary → neuter.

So you get:

ein Einzelticket (neuter, accusative object)

If the noun were feminine, you would use eine:

eine Fahrkarte (a ticket, feminine)
Ich kaufe eine Fahrkarte.

But with Einzelticket (neuter):

Ich kaufe ein Einzelticket.

What case is ein Einzelticket in, and why doesn’t the form change?

Ein Einzelticket is in the accusative case, because it is the direct object of the verb kaufen (to buy).

Wer kauft? → ich (subject, nominative)
Was kaufe ich? → ein Einzelticket (direct object, accusative)

For neuter nouns, the indefinite article ein looks the same in nominative and accusative:

Nominative: ein Einzelticket liegt hier.
Accusative: Ich kaufe ein Einzelticket.

For comparison, with a masculine noun like Fahrschein (ticket, masc.):

Nominative: ein Fahrschein liegt hier.
Accusative: Ich kaufe einen Fahrschein.

So with neuter nouns like Einzelticket, you don’t see a form change from nominative to accusative; context tells you the function.

What exactly does Einzelticket mean? Is it just “one ticket”?

Einzelticket is more specific than just “one ticket”.

ein Ticket = one ticket (any type, singular count)
ein Einzelticket = a single‑ride ticket / a single ticket (in the public transport sense)

In many transport systems (bus, tram, U‑Bahn, etc.), you often see:

Einzelticket / Einzelfahrschein = a ticket for one journey
Tagesticket / Tageskarte = day ticket
Monatsticket / Monatskarte = monthly pass

So in this sentence, the idea is not just “I’m buying one ticket”, but specifically a one‑way / single‑ride ticket, as opposed to something like a weekly or monthly pass.

Where should I put nur in this sentence, and how does the meaning change if I move it?

The position of nur (only) is important because it shows what is being limited.

In your sentence:

Heute kaufe ich nur ein Einzelticket, weil ich selten fahre.

Here nur is right before ein Einzelticket, so the meaning is:

“I am buying only a single ticket (and nothing more expensive/long‑term).”

Other possible placements (with different meanings or emphases):

Nur heute kaufe ich ein Einzelticket.
→ “Only today am I buying a single ticket.”
Implies that on other days, you do something different (e.g. you have a pass).
Ich kaufe heute nur ein Einzelticket.
→ Essentially the same meaning as the original; slightly different rhythm.
Ich kaufe heute ein Einzelticket nur, weil ich selten fahre.
→ Grammatically possible, but feels a bit marked/stylized; nur now emphasizes the reason: “I’m buying a single ticket only because I rarely travel.”

Rule of thumb:
Place nur directly in front of the word or phrase you want to emphasize as “only”. In the original, the focus is on the type of ticket.

Why do we use the present tense kaufe here, when in English we might say “I will buy”?

German very often uses the present tense to talk about the near future, especially when the context makes the time clear:

Heute kaufe ich nur ein Einzelticket.
→ “Today I am (going to be) buying only a single ticket.”

This is similar to English present continuous:

“I’m buying a ticket today.”

Using werden + infinitive (future tense) is possible but not necessary:

Heute werde ich nur ein Einzelticket kaufen.

That sounds a bit more like:

“Today I will (definitely / as a decision) buy only a single ticket.”

So:

Present tense (kaufe) = very normal, neutral way to talk about a planned or scheduled future action when there is a time expression like heute.
Future tense (werde kaufen) = can emphasize intention, prediction, or make the statement sound slightly more “formal/explicit” about the future.

Could I also say Heute werde ich nur ein Einzelticket kaufen, weil ich selten fahre? Does that sound natural?

Yes, that sentence is correct and natural:

Heute werde ich nur ein Einzelticket kaufen, weil ich selten fahre.

It still means essentially the same thing. The nuance:

Heute kaufe ich nur ein Einzelticket...
→ Simple statement about what (probably) happens today; everyday style.
Heute werde ich nur ein Einzelticket kaufen...
→ Sounds a bit more like a decision, plan, or emphasis on future intention.

In everyday spoken German, the present tense is more common when you already have a time word like heute. The werden‑future is used, but often when the context is less clear or you want to stress the futurity or certainty.

Why do we use fahre here? Could I say weil ich selten gehe or weil ich selten reise instead?

fahren is the normal verb for travelling by vehicle (car, bus, train, tram, bike, etc.).

fahren = to go / travel by some means of transport
gehen = to go on foot, to walk
reisen = to travel (usually longer trips, journeys, vacations)

So:

weil ich selten fahre.
→ “because I rarely travel (by bus/train/car/etc.)”
This fits very well in a public transport / commuting context.

You could say:

weil ich selten gehe.
→ “because I rarely walk.” (Totally different meaning.)
weil ich selten reise.
→ “because I rarely travel (in general, e.g. go on trips).”
This could be understandable but sounds more like you rarely go on any trips at all, not specifically about everyday transport.

In the typical ticket context, fahren is the most natural verb.

Is weil ich selten fahre the only correct word order, or could I say weil ich fahre selten?

In standard German, you must say:

weil ich selten fahre. (correct)

In a weil‑clause, the conjugated verb goes to the end of the clause. Adverbs like selten usually come before that verb:

weil ich oft fahre.
weil ich nie fahre.
weil ich selten fahre.

The version:

weil ich fahre selten. (incorrect in standard German)

You might hear similar patterns in some dialects or casual speech, but in correct written and standard spoken German, stick to weil + subject + ... + verb at the end.

Can I drop the second ich and say ..., weil selten fahre?

No, you cannot drop the subject ich in German here.

German generally needs an explicit subject pronoun in each clause (unless it’s something like an imperative or a very special construction). So you need:

..., weil ich selten fahre. (correct)

Leaving it out:

..., weil selten fahre. (incorrect)

Even though the subject is the same ich as in the main clause, German does not allow you to omit it in the subordinate clause; each clause must have its own subject.

How do you pronounce Heute kaufe ich nur ein Einzelticket, weil ich selten fahre?

Very roughly (using English-like hints):

Heute ≈ HOY‑tuh
- eu like English “oy” in “boy”.
kaufe ≈ KOW‑fuh
- au like English “ow” in “cow”.
ich ≈ like ikh, with a soft “ch” (like the end of Scottish “loch” but softer).
nur ≈ noor (u like “oo” in “food”, but shorter).
ein ≈ ine (like “eye-n”).
Einzelticket ≈ INE‑tsel‑tik‑et
- z like English “ts” (as in “cats”).
- e at the end like a short “eh”.
weil ≈ vile (English “vile”).
selten ≈ ZEL‑ten (first e like “e” in “get”; second e like “uh”).
fahre ≈ FAH‑ruh (long “a” like “father”; soft ending “-re”).

Natural stress (main content words in bold):
HEUte KAUfe ich NUR ein EINzelticket, WEIL ich SELten FAHre.

German often has primary stress on the first syllable of content words and tends to link words smoothly in a sentence.