Learn German: Sind diese Schuhe neu?

Sind diese Schuhe neu?

Are these shoes new?

Breakdown of Sind diese Schuhe neu?

this / that (fem.: diese, neut.: dieses)

der Schuh

the shoe

Questions & Answers about Sind diese Schuhe neu?

Why do we use diese here instead of dieser or dieses?

The word Schuhe (shoes) is plural. When "these" describes a plural noun acting as the subject of the sentence, the ending is always -e, making it diese. You don't need to worry about whether a single shoe is masculine, feminine, or neuter here, because the plural form is the same for all genders.

Could I use die instead of diese in this sentence?

Yes! In German, you can often use the simple article die as a demonstrative pronoun to mean "these" or "those." Saying "Sind die Schuhe neu?" is extremely common, especially in casual speech. Using diese just puts a slightly stronger emphasis on these exact shoes.

Why doesn't the word neu get a plural ending to match Schuhe?

Adjectives in German only get special endings when they are placed directly before the noun they describe (for example: diese neuen Schuhe). When the adjective comes after a verb like sind (are) to just describe the subject, it stays in its basic, unchanged dictionary form.

Why does the sentence start with the verb Sind?