Breakdown of Das Flugzeug ist viel schneller als das Auto.
sein
to be
schnell
fast, quickly
das Auto
the car
viel
much / a lot
als
than
das Flugzeug
the airplane
Questions & Answers about Das Flugzeug ist viel schneller als das Auto.
How do we form the comparative word schneller here?
Just like in English! To say 'faster', we take the basic adjective schnell (fast) and add -er to the end to make schneller. Because it comes right after the verb ist rather than before a noun, it does not need any extra adjective endings.
Could I use sehr instead of viel to say 'very faster'?
No, German works exactly like English here. Just as you wouldn't say 'very faster' in English, you cannot say sehr schneller in German. You must use viel (much) to emphasize a comparative: viel schneller means 'much faster'.
Why do we use als to mean 'than' in this sentence?
Whenever you compare two things that are unequal (one is faster, bigger, or smaller than the other), you must use als for 'than'. You only use wie when two things are exactly equal, such as in the phrase so schnell wie (as fast as).
What is the literal translation of the word Flugzeug?
The word Flugzeug literally means 'flight stuff' or 'flight thing'. It combines der Flug (the flight) and das Zeug (the stuff). German uses -zeug to build many everyday words, like das Spielzeug (the toy) or das Feuerzeug (the lighter).
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