Breakdown of So ein Sportwagen ist oft lauter als eine Limousine.
sein
to be
ein
a, an (eine)
oft
often
laut
loud, loudly
so
so, such (intensifier)
als
than
der Sportwagen
the sports car
die Limousine
the sedan
Questions & Answers about So ein Sportwagen ist oft lauter als eine Limousine.
Why use so ein here instead of ein solcher?
So ein means "such a" or "a ... like that". It is widely used in everyday spoken German as a more natural, colloquial alternative to ein solcher, which can sound a bit formal. Because Sportwagen is a masculine noun in the nominative case (the subject), the article is simply ein.
How would this sentence start if we were talking about multiple sports cars?
Since you cannot make ein (a/an) plural, the colloquial phrase drops it and just becomes so. You would say So Sportwagen sind... (Cars like that are...). Alternatively, you could use the standard plural Solche Sportwagen sind... (Such sports cars are...).
Does Limousine mean a long luxury stretch limo?
Usually not! In German, Limousine is the standard word for a typical sedan or saloon car (a regular four-door car with a fixed roof). If you want to talk about a long luxury vehicle, you would specify by saying Stretch-Limousine.
Why do we use als after lauter?
When comparing two unequal things, like a sports car being louder than a sedan, German uses the comparative adjective form (lauter) followed by als (than). You only use wie (as) for equal comparisons, such as in the phrase so laut wie (as loud as).
Learn So ein Sportwagen ist oft lauter als eine Limousine 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