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Den Restmüll bringe ich nur einmal pro Woche raus, weil die Tonne sonst zu schnell voll wird.

Den Restmüll bringe ich nur einmal pro Woche raus, weil die Tonne sonst zu schnell voll wird.
I take out the residual waste only once a week because otherwise the bin gets full too quickly.
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Questions & Answers about Den Restmüll bringe ich nur einmal pro Woche raus, weil die Tonne sonst zu schnell voll wird.

Why does the sentence start with Den Restmüll instead of Ich?

German often puts whatever you want to emphasize or connect to the previous context in position 1 (the “topic” position). Here, Den Restmüll is fronted for emphasis/contrast (e.g., “As for residual waste…”).
Even though something other than the subject is first, the verb still stays in position 2 in a main clause:

  • Den Restmüll (pos. 1) + bringe (pos. 2) + ich (later)
Why is it den Restmüll (accusative)? How do I know the case?

Because bringen is a verb that takes a direct object (what you bring), and direct objects are usually accusative.

  • der Restmüll (nom.) → den Restmüll (acc.)

You could ask: Wen oder was bringe ich raus? → Den Restmüll.

Why is it bringe ich and not ich bringe?

In a German main clause, the conjugated verb must be in position 2.
When you put Den Restmüll first, the subject ich must move behind the verb:

  • Normal: Ich bringe den Restmüll raus.
  • With fronting: Den Restmüll bringe ich raus.
What’s going on with raus at the end—why is it separated from the verb?

Because the verb is rausbringen (to take out / bring out), which is a separable verb. In main clauses, the prefix goes to the end:

  • Ich bringe den Müll raus. In subordinate clauses, it usually stays together:
  • …weil ich den Müll rausbringe.
Is rausbringen the same as herausbringen?

They’re closely related:

  • rausbringen is very common in speech and informal writing (short for herausbringen).
  • herausbringen can sound a bit more formal/explicit.

For taking out trash, rausbringen is the most everyday choice.

What exactly is Restmüll?

Restmüll is “residual waste” / “general trash”: the stuff that doesn’t go into recycling categories like paper, bio-waste, packaging, etc.
In many German-speaking places, trash is sorted, so Restmüll is a specific category, not just “any garbage.”

Does die Tonne just mean “barrel”? Why is it used for trash?

Yes, Tonne literally can mean a large container, but in everyday German it very commonly means a trash bin (especially the outdoor wheelie bin):

  • die Mülltonne = the trash bin
    Often people shorten it to die Tonne when it’s clear from context.
What does nur einmal pro Woche mean, and is pro common?

nur einmal pro Woche = “only once per week.”
pro (“per”) is common and neutral in German, especially with rates/frequencies:

  • zweimal pro Tag = twice per day
    Alternatives:
  • einmal in der Woche (very common)
  • einmal die Woche (more colloquial)
Why is there a comma before weil?

Because weil introduces a subordinate clause, and German normally separates subordinate clauses with a comma:

  • main clause, weil
    • subordinate clause

This comma is standard in both formal and informal writing.

Why does the verb go to the end after weil?

In a weil-clause (subordinate clause), the conjugated verb goes to the end:

  • …weil die Tonne sonst zu schnell voll wird.

So the structure is: subject + other parts + verb-at-the-end.

What does sonst mean here?

Here sonst means otherwise / if not:

  • “I only take it out once a week, because otherwise the bin gets full too quickly.”

It signals a consequence if you don’t follow the stated action/frequency.

Why is it voll wird and not voll ist?

voll werden means to become full (a change of state), so it uses werden:

  • Die Tonne wird voll. = The bin gets/begins to be full.

voll sein would mean it’s already full (a state):

  • Die Tonne ist voll. = The bin is full.

Here the idea is: it would fill up too quickly, so wird fits best.