Word
Der Kaffee ist zu bitter.
Meaning
The coffee is too bitter.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Lesson
Breakdown of Der Kaffee ist zu bitter.
sein
to be
der Kaffee
the coffee
zu
too (e.g., too big)
bitter
bitter
Questions & Answers about Der Kaffee ist zu bitter.
Why isn't there an adjective ending on bitter?
In German, adjectives only get endings when they come directly before a noun (like der bittere Kaffee). When an adjective comes after a verb like sein (to be) to describe the subject, it stays in its base form without any extra letters.
Can I use auch instead of zu to say the coffee is 'too' bitter?
No, because they mean different things in German! Use zu when you mean 'too' in the sense of 'excessively' (like here: zu bitter). Use auch when you mean 'also' or 'as well' (for example, Der Kaffee ist auch bitter means 'The coffee is also bitter').
What is the difference between zu bitter and sehr bitter?
sehr bitter means 'very bitter' (it has a strong taste, but you might still enjoy it). zu bitter means 'too bitter' (it has crossed a limit and is now unpleasant). Just like in English, using zu implies that the amount is a problem.
Is Kaffee the drink or the place you go to drink it?
Kaffee (spelled with a double f and double e) is the masculine noun for the drink itself. The place where you go to drink it is a neuter noun spelled differently: das Café.