Word
Die breite Treppe ist steil, aber wir können langsam gehen.
Meaning
The wide stairs are steep, but we can walk slowly.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Breakdown of Die breite Treppe ist steil, aber wir können langsam gehen.
sein
to be
aber
but
wir
we
langsam
slow, slowly
Questions & Answers about Die breite Treppe ist steil, aber wir können langsam gehen.
Why does breit have an -e added to the end?
Because it comes directly before the noun it describes (Treppe), the adjective needs an ending. Since Treppe is a feminine noun in the nominative (subject) case, and follows the definite article die, the adjective takes a simple -e ending.
Why doesn't steil have an ending like breite?
Adjectives only get an ending when they are placed directly in front of a noun. Because steil (steep) comes after the verb ist, it describes the subject from across the sentence. This is called a predicate adjective, and it always stays in its basic dictionary form.
The English translation says 'stairs are', but the German says Treppe ist. Why is the German singular?
In English, we usually treat 'stairs' as a plural noun. In German, die Treppe is a singular feminine noun that refers to the entire staircase, which is why it takes the singular verb ist. If you wanted to talk about multiple staircases, you would use the plural die Treppen.
Why is the verb gehen placed at the very end of the sentence?
This is because of the modal verb können (can). In German, modal verbs take the standard position in the sentence, and they push the main action verb (gehen) all the way to the end in its basic infinitive form.