Breakdown of Der Koffer wiegt zweiundzwanzig Kilo.
und
and
der Koffer
the suitcase
zwei
two
zwanzig
twenty
wiegen
to weigh
das Kilo
the kilo
Questions & Answers about Der Koffer wiegt zweiundzwanzig Kilo.
How do you build compound numbers like zweiundzwanzig?
In German, numbers from 21 to 99 are built backwards compared to English. You say the ones digit first (zwei), then und (and), and finally the tens digit (zwanzig). So, zweiundzwanzig literally means two-and-twenty. Notice that it is always written together as one single long word!
Why is the word Kilo singular here if the suitcase weighs twenty-two of them?
What is the base verb for wiegt?
The base verb (infinitive) is wiegen (to weigh). Because the subject of the sentence is Der Koffer (a third-person singular noun, just like he, she, or it), we drop the -en ending from the base verb and add -t to make wiegt.
How should I pronounce the ending of zweiundzwanzig?
In standard German, the -ig at the end of a word is pronounced with a soft ch sound, similar to the h in the English word huge. It is not normally pronounced with a hard g like in the English word pig.
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