Breakdown of Ein gutes Bier lässt sich nicht so wässrig brauen.
ein
a, an (eine)
gut
good / well
nicht
not
das Bier
the beer
lassen
to let, to leave (something)
so
so, such (intensifier)
sich
oneself / himself / herself / themselves (reflexive pronoun)
brauen
to brew
wässrig
watery
Questions & Answers about Ein gutes Bier lässt sich nicht so wässrig brauen.
How is the word wässrig formed from the noun Wasser?
wässrig (watery) is derived from the noun Wasser (water) using the suffix -ig. When adding this suffix, it is very common for the noun's main vowel to get an umlaut (a becomes ä). Also, the e from Wasser is dropped to make pronunciation smoother, resulting in wässrig instead of wässerig.
What does the phrase lässt sich ... brauen mean here?
This is a common B1-level structure: sich lassen plus an infinitive verb. It acts as an alternative to the passive voice and expresses that something can or cannot be done. Literally meaning 'lets itself be brewed,' lässt sich nicht brauen translates naturally to 'cannot be brewed.'
Why doesn't wässrig have an adjective ending here, while gutes does?
In this sentence, wässrig acts as an adverb because it describes the verb brauen (how it is brewed). In German, adverbs do not take endings. gutes, however, describes the noun Bier and must take the neuter nominative ending -es because it follows the uninflected article ein.
Why is the verb brauen at the very end of the sentence?
In the sich lassen construction, the verb lassen (lässt) acts like a modal verb. It takes the second position in the sentence, which pushes the main action verb in its infinitive form (brauen) to the very end of the clause.
Learn Ein gutes Bier lässt sich nicht so wässrig brauen 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