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Wir versuchen es zuerst mit heißem Wasser, aber der Abfluss bleibt verstopft.

Wir versuchen es zuerst mit heißem Wasser, aber der Abfluss bleibt verstopft.
We try it with hot water first, but the drain stays clogged.

Breakdown of Wir versuchen es zuerst mit heißem Wasser, aber der Abfluss bleibt verstopft.

das Wasser
the water
mit
with
wir
we
aber
but
es
it
zuerst
first
bleiben
to stay
versuchen
to try
heiß
hot
der Abfluss
the drain
verstopft
clogged
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Questions & Answers about Wir versuchen es zuerst mit heißem Wasser, aber der Abfluss bleibt verstopft.

Why does it say Wir versuchen es instead of just Wir versuchen?

versuchen usually needs an object: you “try something.” In Wir versuchen es…, es is a pronoun meaning it = “we try it/this (method).”
Very often German uses es as a “placeholder” for an idea that will be specified by a phrase like mit heißem Wasser (i.e., “We’ll try it with hot water”).

What’s the role of zuerst and where can it go in the sentence?

zuerst means first / first of all and is an adverb.
In German, adverbs like this are flexible. You could also say:

  • Zuerst versuchen wir es mit heißem Wasser… (more emphasis on “first”)
  • Wir versuchen es zuerst… (neutral, as in your sentence)
Why is it mit heißem Wasser (and not mit heißes Wasser)? What case is that?

mit is a preposition that takes the dative case.
So Wasser becomes dative: mit Wasser (same form as nominative here), and the adjective heiß- takes a dative ending: heißem.

Why is the adjective ending -em in heißem?

Because it’s dative neuter with no article.
Wasser is neuter (das Wasser). In dative, neuter takes -em on the adjective when there’s no determiner:

  • mit heißem Wasser
    Compare:
  • mit dem heißen Wasser (with dem, the adjective changes to -en)
Why is there a comma before aber?

Because aber is connecting two main clauses: 1) Wir versuchen es zuerst mit heißem Wasser
2) der Abfluss bleibt verstopft
In German, when two independent clauses are joined (even with aber), a comma is standard.

Why does the second clause start with der Abfluss? Could it start differently?

Yes. German main clauses have the finite verb in position 2, and you can put different things in position 1 for emphasis.
Here, putting der Abfluss first keeps it straightforward: “but the drain stays clogged.”
You could also say:

  • …aber verstopft bleibt der Abfluss. (more emphasis/stylistic)
  • …aber er bleibt verstopft. (using er = “it,” referring to der Abfluss)
Why is it bleibt verstopft and not ist verstopft?

Both are possible but the nuance differs:

  • ist verstopft = “is clogged” (simple state)
  • bleibt verstopft = “stays/remains clogged” (it was clogged before, and even after trying hot water, it’s still clogged)
    So bleibt highlights that the attempt didn’t change the situation.
Is verstopft a verb form or an adjective here?

In bleibt verstopft, verstopft functions as a predicate adjective (describing the subject der Abfluss).
Historically it’s the past participle of verstopfen (“to clog/block”), but here it behaves like an adjective: “clogged.”

What exactly does Abfluss mean? Is it the pipe or the drain opening?

der Abfluss commonly means the drain (the drain opening and/or the drain system). In everyday contexts (sink, shower), it usually refers to the drain as a whole, not a specific technical part.

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

Yes, you generally memorize the article with the noun: der Abfluss.
Many nouns ending in -fluss are masculine (e.g., der Fluss = river), but grammatical gender is not fully predictable, so learning der + noun together is best.

What does es refer to in this sentence—Wasser or the whole method?

It refers to the attempt/measure (“this approach”), not to Wasser.
You can think of it as: “We try it (the thing we’re trying) first with hot water…”

How would you say this more naturally in spoken German?

A very common, natural variant is:

  • Wir versuchen’s zuerst mit heißem Wasser, aber der Abfluss bleibt verstopft.
    Here versuchen’s is just the spoken contraction of versuchen es.