Word
Wenn die Rakete fliegt, ist sie am lautesten.
Meaning
When the rocket flies, it is the loudest.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Lesson
Breakdown of Wenn die Rakete fliegt, ist sie am lautesten.
sein
to be
sie
she
fliegen
to fly
laut
loud, loudly
Questions & Answers about Wenn die Rakete fliegt, ist sie am lautesten.
Why is it am lautesten instead of just am lautsten?
When forming the superlative with am, adjectives that end in a -t, -d, -s, -z, or -ß add an extra -e- before the -sten ending to make them easier to pronounce. Because laut ends in a -t, it becomes am lautesten.
Why does the verb fliegt go at the very end of the first clause?
The word wenn is a subordinating conjunction. This means it introduces a dependent clause and forces the conjugated verb (fliegt) all the way to the end of that clause.
Why is it ist sie right after the comma instead of sie ist?
German has a strict rule that the verb must be the second idea in a main sentence. The entire first half of the sentence (Wenn die Rakete fliegt) counts as the first idea, or Position 1. To keep the verb in Position 2, ist has to come right after the comma, swapping places with the subject sie.
Why does the sentence use sie to mean 'it'?