Bergsteigen braucht viel Ausdauer, deshalb trainiere ich dreimal pro Woche.

Mountaineering needs a lot of stamina, therefore I train three times a week.

Breakdown of Bergsteigen braucht viel Ausdauer, deshalb trainiere ich dreimal pro Woche.

• ich: I
• brauchen: to need
• viel: much
• deshalb: therefore

Questions & Answers about Bergsteigen braucht viel Ausdauer, deshalb trainiere ich dreimal pro Woche.

Why is Bergsteigen capitalized? Is it a verb or a noun here?

Bergsteigen is originally a verb (bergsteigen = to climb mountains), but here it is used as a noun-like word (a nominalized infinitive).

In German, when an infinitive verb is used as a general activity or concept, it is written:

• with a capital letter

• without an article (often)

  Examples:

• Schwimmen macht Spaß. – Swimming is fun.
• Lesen bildet. – Reading educates.
• Bergsteigen braucht viel Ausdauer. – Mountain climbing requires a lot of stamina.

So in this sentence Bergsteigen functions grammatically as a singular neuter noun (subject of the sentence), which is why the verb is braucht (3rd person singular).

Why is the verb braucht (3rd person singular) and not brauchen?

The verb has to agree with the grammatical subject.

• Subject: Bergsteigen (a singular activity / concept)
• Verb: brauchen (to need / require)
• 3rd person singular form: braucht

So:

• Bergsteigen braucht viel Ausdauer. – Mountain climbing requires a lot of stamina.

If the subject were plural, you would see brauchen:

• Berge brauchen Schnee. – Mountains need snow.
  But here Bergsteigen is one activity, so braucht is correct.