Breakdown of Ein Tiger ist so schnell wie ein Löwe.
sein
to be
ein
a, an (eine)
schnell
fast, quickly
so
so, such (intensifier)
der Tiger
the tiger
wie
as (in comparisons)
der Löwe
the lion
Questions & Answers about Ein Tiger ist so schnell wie ein Löwe.
How exactly does the so ... wie structure work in this sentence?
It translates directly to 'as ... as'. To say two things are equal, you put the basic form of the adjective (schnell) right between so and wie.
Why is the second animal ein Löwe (nominative) and not an object like einen Löwen (accusative)?
In German comparisons, the word after wie takes the same grammatical case as the thing it is being compared to. Because the first animal (Ein Tiger) is the subject of the sentence (nominative case), the second animal (ein Löwe) must also be in the nominative case.
Why doesn't the adjective schnell have an ending here?
Because schnell is not placed directly in front of a noun. When an adjective is used after a verb like ist to describe the subject, it stays in its basic dictionary form with no extra endings.
How would the sentence change if the tiger were actually faster than the lion?
You would drop the word so, add the '-er' ending to the adjective, and replace wie with als. The new sentence for an unequal comparison would be: Ein Tiger ist schneller als ein Löwe.
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