Diese Haltestelle ist kleiner als der Bahnhof.

to be

Breakdown of Diese Haltestelle ist kleiner als der Bahnhof.

• klein: small
• diese: this
• der Bahnhof: the train station
• die Haltestelle: the stop
• als: than

Questions & Answers about Diese Haltestelle ist kleiner als der Bahnhof.

What kind of word is diese in this sentence, and why isn’t it die?

Diese is a demonstrative determiner (“this”) modifying Haltestelle. Because Haltestelle is feminine singular and serves as the subject (nominative), the correct form is diese, not die (which is the definite article).

Why doesn’t the adjective kleiner have an ending like it would in attributive position?

Here kleiner is a predicative adjective following the verb ist. Predicative adjectives in German are not inflected, so you use the base/comparative form kleiner without additional case endings.

Why is it kleiner and not mehr klein?

German comparatives are usually formed by adding -er to the adjective (e.g. klein → kleiner). You only use mehr + adjective with certain loanwords or very long adjectives where the -er form would sound awkward.

Why do we use als instead of wie after kleiner?

After a comparative adjective (“smaller”), German requires als to express inequality (kleiner als = “smaller than”). You use wie only for equality comparisons (so klein wie = “as small as”).

Why is it der Bahnhof and not den Bahnhof or dem Bahnhof?

In this comparison, als is a conjunction, not a preposition, so der Bahnhof remains in the case it would have in a full clause. Implicitly, you’re saying “(Diese Haltestelle ist kleiner) als der Bahnhof ist.” Here der Bahnhof is the subject of the implied verb ist, hence nominative.

Can I say Diese Haltestelle ist kleiner als Bahnhof (without the article)?

You can, but it changes the meaning to “smaller than a/any train station.” Omitting the article makes it indefinite rather than referring to a specific station.

Could I add the verb again and say ... als der Bahnhof ist?

Yes: Diese Haltestelle ist kleiner, als der Bahnhof ist. However, German speakers commonly omit the repeated verb in such comparisons for brevity.

How does German word order work here? Why is ist in second position?

German main clauses follow a verb‑second (V2) rule. After the subject Diese Haltestelle, the finite verb ist must appear in the second position, followed by the rest of the clause.

Why is Haltestelle feminine and Bahnhof masculine? Is there a pattern?

Some noun endings give clues: words ending in -stelle (e.g. “Raststätte,” “Messestelle”) are almost always feminine, so die Haltestelle. Bahnhof (ending in -hof) doesn’t follow a simple pattern, so its gender (masculine) must be memorized.

Where does the stress fall in Haltestelle, and how is it pronounced?

Haltestelle has four syllables: hal-te-STE-lle, with the stress on the third syllable (STEL). The initial h is pronounced (like in “hat”), and the double l sounds the same as a single l.