In der Küche ist der Abfluss verstopft, und das Wasser läuft kaum noch ab.

In the kitchen the drain is clogged, and the water hardly drains anymore.

Breakdown of In der Küche ist der Abfluss verstopft, und das Wasser läuft kaum noch ab.

• sein: to be
• und: and
• in: in
• das Wasser: the water
• die Küche: the kitchen
• der: the; (feminine, dative)
• kaum: hardly
• der Abfluss: the drain
• verstopft: clogged
• ablaufen: to drain
• noch: anymore

Questions & Answers about In der Küche ist der Abfluss verstopft, und das Wasser läuft kaum noch ab.

Why is it In der Küche (dative) and not In die Küche (accusative)?

Because in can take either dative or accusative depending on meaning:

• Dative = location (where?): In der Küche = in the kitchen (already there).
• Accusative = direction/motion toward (where to?): In die Küche = into the kitchen.

Here the sentence describes where the problem is located, so it uses dative.

Why does the sentence start with In der Küche—does that change the word order?

Yes. German is verb-second (V2) in main clauses. When you put something other than the subject first (like a time/place phrase), the finite verb still stays in position 2, and the subject comes after it:

• In der Küche (position 1)
• ist (position 2)
• der Abfluss (later)

So this is normal German inversion, not a question structure.

What exactly is der Abfluss—is it the pipe, the drain, or the plughole?

Der Abfluss usually means the drain / drainpipe / outlet where water drains away, depending on context. In a kitchen, it typically refers to the sink drain (the drain opening and/or the draining system), not the faucet.

Why is it der Abfluss (masculine)? Do I just have to memorize that?

Mostly, yes—grammatical gender has to be learned with the noun. The clue here is the article:

• der Abfluss = masculine

A helpful habit is to learn nouns with their article: der Abfluss, die Küche, das Wasser.

Why does German say ist … verstopft instead of something like hat … verstopft?

Because verstopft here is functioning like an adjective/state, meaning “(is) clogged/blocked.” German often uses sein + adjective/past participle to describe a resulting state:

• Der Abfluss ist verstopft. = The drain is clogged. (state)

Using hat verstopft would suggest an action like “(someone) has clogged (something)” and would typically need an object, e.g. Jemand hat den Abfluss verstopft.

Is verstopft a past tense here?

No. It looks like a past participle, but in this sentence it’s used as a predicate adjective describing a current condition:

• ist verstopft = “is clogged” (present-time state)

The tense of the clause is still present because the finite verb is ist (present tense of sein).

Why is there a comma before und?

Because und is connecting two independent main clauses, each with its own verb: 1) In der Küche ist der Abfluss verstopft
2) das Wasser läuft kaum noch ab

In German, a comma is often used (and is correct here) when und links full clauses, especially when they’re longer or clearly separate statements.

What does kaum noch mean, and where does it go in the sentence?

kaum noch means hardly anymore / barely now.
As an adverbial phrase, it typically goes in the “middle field,” often after the verb and before separable prefixes or certain complements:

• das Wasser läuft kaum noch ab = the water hardly drains anymore

You could also say läuft kaum ab (hardly drains), but noch adds the idea of a change from before (it used to drain better).

Why is ab at the end of läuft kaum noch ab?

Because ablaufen is a separable-prefix verb: ab- + laufen.
In a main clause, the prefix splits off and goes to the end:

• infinitive: ablaufen
• present: es läuft … ab

So läuft … ab is one verb, just split.

Could you also say Das Wasser läuft kaum noch ab, weil der Abfluss verstopft ist? Would that be more “natural”?

Yes, that’s a very natural alternative, but it changes the structure:

• With weil, you create a subordinate clause, and the verb goes to the end: … weil der Abfluss verstopft ist.
• Your original sentence uses two equal main clauses linked by und, which feels like a straightforward report of two facts.

Both are idiomatic; the choice depends on whether you want coordination (und) or explicit cause (weil).