Learn German: Dieses Zeugnis ist sehr gut. - This report card is very good.

Dieses is the neuter form of the word for 'this'. Because Zeugnis is a neuter noun (das Zeugnis) and is the subject of the sentence (in the nominative case), the demonstrative pronoun takes the neuter ending -es.

Is there a trick to remembering the gender and plural of words like Zeugnis?

Yes! Nouns that end in the suffix -nis are usually neuter (das), though a few are feminine (die). When you make them plural, you double the s and add an e. So, the plural of das Zeugnis is die Zeugnisse.

Does Zeugnis always mean 'report card'?

It is the standard word for a school report card, but it more broadly means a certificate, reference, or testimony. For example, when you leave a job in Germany, you usually get an Arbeitszeugnis, which is a certificate of employment detailing your past performance.

If a report card is sehr gut, what grades does the student actually have?

In the German school system, grades are typically given on a scale from 1 to 6. A 1 is the highest grade and is officially called sehr gut (very good). So this report card is likely full of 1s!