Die Situation in der Stadt ist laut und seltsam.

to be

Breakdown of Die Situation in der Stadt ist laut und seltsam.

• und: and
• in: in
• die Stadt: the city
• laut: loud
• der: the
• seltsam: strange
• die Situation: the situation

Questions & Answers about Die Situation in der Stadt ist laut und seltsam.

Why is it der Stadt and not die Stadt?

In German, after the preposition in meaning in, the noun goes into the dative case. Since die Stadt is feminine, its dative form is der Stadt. That’s why we say in der Stadt rather than in die Stadt.

What part of speech are laut and seltsam, and why don’t they have endings here?

Both laut (loud/noisy) and seltsam (strange) function as predicative adjectives in this sentence. When adjectives come after the verb sein (to be) in German, they don’t require any additional endings, unlike attributive adjectives (e.g., die laute Stadt).

How do I pronounce seltsam correctly?

You can break it down into two syllables: sel (as in the English sell) and tsam (as in tsum with a crisp ts sound). Give a slight emphasis on the “s” at the start of each syllable to make it clear.

Why does the sentence use ist instead of another verb like wird?

The sentence describes the condition of the situation in the city as it currently is. So, ist (is) directly states the present state of being loud and strange, rather than a change or development over time (which would involve wird or wurde).

Is und always used the same way as and in English?

Yes, und generally corresponds directly to and in English. It connects words or phrases and doesn’t change the word order in a simple sentence like this one.