Breakdown of Diese Hose passt gut.
gut
good / well
dieser
this / that (fem.: diese, neut.: dieses)
die Hose
the pants / the trousers
passen
to fit
Questions & Answers about Diese Hose passt gut.
Why is the word for "these" translated as Diese here, rather than Dieser or Dieses?
The ending of a demonstrative pronoun changes based on the noun's gender. Since Hose (pants) is a feminine noun (die Hose), we use the feminine ending -e, making it Diese.
In English, "pants" is a plural word. Why does the German sentence look like it is singular?
In English, we always say "pants" (plural), but in German, Hose is a singular noun (literally like saying "a pant"). Because it is singular, we use the singular demonstrative Diese, even though it translates naturally to "these pants" in English.
Why does the verb end in a "t" (passt) instead of "en" (passen)?
Because Hose is a singular noun in German, the verb must match it. We conjugate the verb passen (to fit) for the 3rd person singular (he/she/it). This means dropping the -en and adding a -t, giving us passt.
Can I just use Die instead of Diese to mean "these pants"?
Yes! In spoken German, people often use the definite article Die as a demonstrative pronoun. Saying Die Hose passt gut can mean either "The pants fit well" or "These pants fit well," depending on how strongly you emphasize the word Die. However, Diese is more specific and strongly points out these exact pants.
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