Breakdown of Ich bin allergisch, deshalb frage ich den Kellner nach den Zutaten.
sein
to be
ich
I
fragen
to ask
den
the; (masculine, accusative)
Questions & Answers about Ich bin allergisch, deshalb frage ich den Kellner nach den Zutaten.
Why is there a comma after allergisch?
Because you have two main clauses:
1) Ich bin allergisch
2) deshalb frage ich den Kellner nach den Zutaten
German often uses a comma to separate main clauses, especially when the second one starts with a linking word like deshalb.
What does deshalb do to the word order in the second part?
Deshalb is an adverb that takes the first position in the clause. In German main clauses, the finite verb must be in position 2, so you get inversion:
- deshalb frage ich ... (verb frage is 2nd)
not - deshalb ich frage ...
Could I also say Ich bin allergisch, deswegen ... or darum ...?
Yes. deshalb, deswegen, and darum are very similar (“therefore/that’s why”) and all trigger the same word order:
- ..., deswegen frage ich ...
- ..., darum frage ich ...
Why is it den Kellner and not der Kellner?
Because fragen here takes a direct object (the person you ask) in the accusative case.
- Nominative: der Kellner (subject form)
- Accusative: den Kellner (object form)