Lesson Transcript

Do you remember how the character said,
"No, it's soft and bounces well."
Nein, er ist weich und springt gut.
Nein, er ist weich und springt gut.
This sentence follows the pattern here:.
[Noun] or [Pronoun] + sein + Adjective
"[Noun] or [Pronoun] + to be + Adjective"
This is one of the most basic and useful structures in German. It allows you to describe how something is right now—its qualities, condition, or character.
Here's how the line from the dialogue uses the pattern:
Nein, er ist weich und springt gut.
"No, it's soft and bounces well."
er – the pronoun meaning "he" or "it" for masculine nouns like der Ball
ist – present tense of sein, meaning "is"
weich – meaning "soft"
Together: er ist weich – "it is soft"
The sentence continues:
und springt gut – "and bounces well"
So altogether it is
Nein, er ist weich und springt gut.
"No, it's soft and bounces well."
Now, let's look at another line from the dialogue:
Ein bisschen, aber die Qualität ist sehr gut.
"A bit, but the quality is very good."
Let's break down the part that uses the same grammar pattern:
die Qualität ist sehr gut
"the quality is very good"
die Qualität – a feminine noun meaning "the quality"
ist – "is"
sehr gut – "very good" an adjective phrase
This follows the same structure:
[Noun] + ist + [Adjective or Adjective Phrase]
This shows how you can describe a specific quality of an item using the same pattern. Whether you're talking about a ball or about the quality of a product, this structure stays the same.
Now you can describe the features of almost anything in German!
In German, an adjective usually comes after the verb sein in simple sentences.
It does not change form when used like this. This is an easy and useful way to talk about good and bad qualities in German!
Now let's look at some speaking examples.
Das Kissen ist weich und sehr bequem.
"The pillow is soft and very comfortable."
Can you see how the pattern applies here?
Let's break it down:
Das Kissen – "the pillow," a neuter noun, subject of the sentence
ist – present tense of sein, meaning "is"
weich – "soft"
und sehr bequem – "and very comfortable"
This sentence follows the pattern:
[Noun] + ist + Adjective and in this case, also an + Adjective 2
It's a simple and natural way to describe how something feels.
Here's another example
Der Stuhl ist leicht und sehr stabil.
"The chair is light and very sturdy."
Der Stuhl ist leicht und sehr stabil.
"The chair is light and very sturdy."
Let's try one more,
Ist der Koffer teuer?
"Is the suitcase expensive?"
Ist der Koffer teuer?
"Is the suitcase expensive?"
Another one.
Diese Schuhe sind teuer, aber gut.
"These shoes are expensive but good."
Diese Schuhe sind teuer, aber gut.
"These shoes are expensive but good."
One last example.
Der Tisch ist fest und sieht gut aus.
"The table is sturdy and looks good."
Der Tisch ist fest und sieht gut aus.
"The table is sturdy and looks good."

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