Breakdown of Das Gerede über die hässliche Badehose ist wirklich unhöflich.
sein
to be
wirklich
really
über
about (a topic)
hässlich
ugly
unhöflich
impolite
die Badehose
the swimming trunks
das Gerede
the constant talking
Questions & Answers about Das Gerede über die hässliche Badehose ist wirklich unhöflich.
How does das Gerede express "constant talking" rather than just a normal conversation?
The prefix Ge- combined with the suffix -e forms a neuter noun from a verb stem, which in this case is reden. This specific structure is used to describe continuous, repetitive, and usually annoying actions. Because of this, das Gerede translates to "constant talking", "chatter", or "gossip" rather than just a standard conversation.
Why is die hässliche Badehose in the accusative case here instead of the dative?
When the preposition über is used figuratively to mean "about" (such as talking, thinking, or gossiping about something), it always requires the accusative case. It only acts as a two-way preposition that can take the dative case when it literally refers to a physical location "above" or "over" something.
Why is die Badehose singular when the English translation says "swimming trunks"?
In German, words for legwear like die Hose (pants or trousers) and die Badehose (swimming trunks) are singular because they refer to a single item of clothing. English treats these garments as plural, but German treats them strictly as singular nouns. The plural form would be die Badehosen if you meant multiple pairs.
Why does the adjective hässliche end in just an -e here?
This uses weak adjective declension. Because the noun is feminine singular and is preceded by the definite article die, the article already does the heavy lifting of showing the case and gender. Therefore, the adjective only needs the weak -e ending, which is standard for feminine nouns in the accusative case after a definite article.
Learn Das Gerede über die hässliche Badehose ist wirklich unhöflich 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