Breakdown of Ein Elefant ist größer als ein Bär.
sein
to be
ein
a, an (eine)
groß
big / tall
als
than
der Bär
the bear
der Elefant
the elephant
Questions & Answers about Ein Elefant ist größer als ein Bär.
Why do we use als in this sentence instead of wie?
We use als because this is an unequal comparison: one thing is MORE than the other. You use als (than) after comparative words like größer (bigger). If the animals were the exact same size, you would use so ... wie (as ... as), like in so groß wie ein Bär (as big as a bear).
Why does größer have an umlaut when the basic word groß does not?
Many short, common adjectives with the vowels a, o, or u add an umlaut when they change into their comparative (more) form. So groß (big) becomes größer (bigger). You will see this happen a lot, like with alt (old) becoming älter (older).
Why is it ein Bär and not einen Bären? Does als take a specific case?
The word als does not force a specific case. Instead, the noun after als just copies the case of whatever it is being compared to. Because ein Elefant is the subject of the sentence (nominative case), ein Bär must also be in the nominative case.
Since "than" sounds a bit like the German words dann or denn, can I use them here?
No, that is a common trap for English speakers! In German comparisons, "than" is always als. The word dann means "then" (referring to time or sequence), and denn means "because".
Learn Ein Elefant ist größer als ein Bär and more in German
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free