Breakdown of Der Kunde fragt, ob das Bier sehr hopfig schmeckt.
sehr
very
fragen
to ask
das Bier
the beer
schmecken
to taste
ob
whether / if
der
who, which, that (relative pronoun; die, das)
der Kunde
the customer
hopfig
hoppy
Questions & Answers about Der Kunde fragt, ob das Bier sehr hopfig schmeckt.
How is the adjective hopfig formed here?
It is built from the noun der Hopfen (hops). By dropping the -en ending and adding the suffix -ig, it turns into the adjective hopfig (hoppy). This is a very common way to derive adjectives from nouns in German, similar to adding '-y' in English.
Why use ob for 'if' instead of wenn?
In German, ob is used for indirect yes/no questions, meaning 'whether'. The customer is asking whether the beer tastes hoppy. You would use wenn for conditions (If it rains...) or time (Whenever I drink beer...).
Why is the verb schmeckt at the very end of the sentence?
The word ob is a subordinating conjunction. This means it introduces a dependent clause, which forces the conjugated verb (schmeckt) to move to the very end of that clause.
Why is it der Kunde here, when I sometimes see Kunden for a singular customer?
Kunde is a 'weak noun' (part of the N-declension group). This means it takes an extra -n ending in almost all grammatical cases, such as when it is a direct object (den Kunden). However, because the customer is the subject of this sentence (nominative case), it stays in its dictionary form: der Kunde.
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