Breakdown of Wenn der Wind stark ist, rascheln die Blätter im Garten.
sein
to be
der Garten
the garden
im
in the; (masculine or neuter)
wenn
when
Questions & Answers about Wenn der Wind stark ist, rascheln die Blätter im Garten.
Why is ist at the end of Wenn der Wind stark ist?
Because wenn introduces a subordinate clause. In German, the conjugated verb usually goes to the end of a subordinate clause.
So:
- der Wind ist stark = the wind is strong
- wenn der Wind stark ist = when the wind is strong
This is one of the most important German word-order patterns to learn:
- main clause: the conjugated verb is usually in position 2
- subordinate clause: the conjugated verb usually goes to the end
Why does the next part begin with rascheln instead of die Blätter?
Because the sentence starts with a subordinate clause, and after that German uses normal main clause word order, where the conjugated verb must come in position 1 or 2 depending on what comes first—but more specifically, the first slot is already taken by the whole Wenn... clause.
So the structure is:
- Wenn der Wind stark ist, = first element
- rascheln = verb in second position
- die Blätter im Garten = the rest
This is called verb-second word order in the main clause.
Compare:
- Die Blätter rascheln im Garten.
- Wenn der Wind stark ist, rascheln die Blätter im Garten.
In both cases, the main clause verb is in the second position.
What case are der Wind and die Blätter, and why?