Word
Der Tisch ist achtundneunzig Zentimeter lang.
Meaning
The table is ninety-eight centimeters long.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Breakdown of Der Tisch ist achtundneunzig Zentimeter lang.
sein
to be
und
and
der Tisch
the table
acht
eight
Questions & Answers about Der Tisch ist achtundneunzig Zentimeter lang.
How exactly is the number achtundneunzig put together?
In German, compound numbers from 21 to 99 are read backwards compared to English. You say the ones digit first, then and (und), then the tens. So achtundneunzig is literally eight-and-ninety (acht + und + neunzig). Notice that it is all written together as one single word!
Why isn't there an "s" at the end of Zentimeter for the plural?
Many German nouns that end in -er, -el, or -en do not change their spelling at all when they become plural. Ein Zentimeter is one centimeter, and achtundneunzig Zentimeter is 98 centimeters.
Does the word lang always go at the very end when describing measurements?
Yes, just like in English! When describing how long, tall, wide, or old something is, the descriptive word comes after the measurement. You literally say 98 centimeters long (achtundneunzig Zentimeter lang).
Why is it Der Tisch instead of Das Tisch or Die Tisch?
In German, every noun has a fixed grammatical gender. The word for table (Tisch) happens to be a masculine noun. Because it is the subject of this sentence, it uses the masculine word for the, which is der.