Breakdown of Der Kaffee ist viel zu heiß.
sein
to be
der Kaffee
the coffee
heiß
hot
viel zu
far too, much too
Questions & Answers about Der Kaffee ist viel zu heiß.
We are learning about comparatives like mehr (more). Why do we use viel here instead of mehr?
In this sentence, viel means 'much' or 'far' as an intensifier. Just like in English, we say 'much too hot' or 'far too hot' rather than 'more too hot'. We use the base form viel to make the word zu (too) stronger.
Can I use sehr (very) instead of viel to say 'very too hot'?
No, just like in English, you cannot say 'very too hot'. In German, when you want to emphasize that something is 'way too' or 'far too' much, you must always use the set phrase viel zu before the adjective.
How would I change this sentence to say the coffee is 'the hottest' using our new superlative rules?
You would use the superlative form am heißesten. The sentence would become Der Kaffee ist am heißesten (The coffee is the hottest). Here, though, we just use the basic adjective heiß because we are describing it, not comparing it to other drinks.
I remember zu meaning 'to' (like going to a place). Why does it mean 'too' here?
The word zu has multiple meanings depending on its position. When it is placed directly before an adjective like heiß (hot) or groß (big), it almost always means 'too' or 'excessively'. When it is used with a destination, it means 'to'.
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