Breakdown of Das Erdgeschoss ist heller als der Keller.
sein
to be
hell
bright
als
than
der Keller
the cellar, the basement
das Erdgeschoss
the ground floor
Questions & Answers about Das Erdgeschoss ist heller als der Keller.
Why do we use als here instead of wie for 'than'?
In German, you use als for unequal comparisons, meaning when something is 'more' or 'less' than something else (like heller als, meaning brighter than). You use wie for equal comparisons, when two things are the same (like so hell wie, meaning as bright as).
Why is der Keller in the nominative case?
The word als doesn't force its own case. Instead, the noun after als takes the same case as the thing it is being compared to. Because the ground floor (das Erdgeschoss) is the subject of the sentence and in the nominative case, the cellar (der Keller) must also be in the nominative case.
What are the parts that make up the word Erdgeschoss?
It is a compound noun made of die Erde (the earth or ground) and das Geschoss (the storey or floor of a building). Like all German compound nouns, it takes its gender from the final word, which is why it is das Erdgeschoss.
Why doesn't the comparative adjective heller have a declension ending here?
When an adjective is separated from the noun it describes by a verb like sein (to be), it does not take a declension ending. It only gets those extra endings when it sits directly in front of a noun, for example in the phrase ein hellerer Keller (a brighter cellar).
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