Learn Hardcore German: Da der Wäscheständer voll ist, hängt meine Mutter die Socken mit einer Wäscheklammer an den Balkonstuhl. - Since the drying rack is full, my mother hangs the socks on the balcony chair with a clothespin.

Word

Da der Wäscheständer voll ist, hängt meine Mutter die Socken mit einer Wäscheklammer an den Balkonstuhl.

Meaning

Since the drying rack is full, my mother hangs the socks on the balcony chair with a clothespin.

Part of speech

sentence

Pronunciation

Course

Lesson

Breakdown of Da der Wäscheständer voll ist, hängt meine Mutter die Socken mit einer Wäscheklammer an den Balkonstuhl.

Why does the sentence begin with da? Does it mean there here?

No. In this sentence, da does not mean there. It means since or because.

So:

Da der Wäscheständer voll ist, ... = Since/Because the drying rack is full, ...

This da is a conjunction that introduces a reason.

A learner might compare it with weil:

Both can mean because, but da often sounds a bit more formal or is used when the reason is already known or taken as background information.

Why is ist at the end of Da der Wäscheständer voll ist?

Because da introduces a subordinate clause, and in German subordinate clauses, the conjugated verb usually goes to the end.

So the clause is structured like this:

This is a very common German pattern:

So Da der Wäscheständer voll ist follows the normal subordinate-clause word order.

Why does the main clause say hängt meine Mutter instead of meine Mutter hängt?