Breakdown of Das Meer ist hier wärmer als in Deutschland.
sein
to be
hier
here
in
in
Deutschland
Germany
warm
warm
als
than
das Meer
the sea
Questions & Answers about Das Meer ist hier wärmer als in Deutschland.
Why does wärmer have an umlaut when the basic word is warm?
Many short, common German adjectives that contain an a, o, or u take an umlaut when they change into the comparative (the "-er" form). This is why warm becomes wärmer (warmer). You will also see this rule in words like alt becoming älter and groß becoming größer.
Why do we use als here? I thought it meant "when" or "as".
You are right that als can mean "when", but in comparisons it means "than". Whenever you use a comparative adjective to say two things are unequal, you connect them with als. If two things were exactly the same, you would use so ... wie (as ... as) instead.
Could I change the word order and say "Das Meer hier ist wärmer"?
Yes, you could! Saying Das Meer hier groups "the sea here" into one big subject. In our sentence, however, hier acts as an adverb describing where the sea is warmer. In German, it is very common for adverbs to sit right after the conjugated verb (ist).
I sometimes see die See used for the sea. Why does this sentence use das Meer?
Both das Meer and die See mean "the sea" or "the ocean", and you can usually use either one. Das Meer is often easier for learners because it avoids a common mix-up with der See, which is a masculine word that actually means "the lake"!
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