Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching German grammar and vocabulary.
Questions & Answers about Die Luft ist kühl.
Why is die Luft using die and not another article?
Because Luft is a feminine noun in German. In the nominative singular (when it’s the subject of the sentence), all feminine nouns take die. German has three genders (masculine, feminine, neuter) and each has its own article in each case.
What case is die Luft in, and how can I tell?
Die Luft is in the nominative case because it’s the subject of the sentence (the thing doing or being something). You can tell it’s nominative by:
- The verb ist (to be) requires a nominative subject.
- The article die is the nominative singular feminine form.
Why doesn’t kühl have an ending like -e or -er?
Here kühl is a predicate adjective linked by the verb ist. Predicate adjectives in German do not take endings; they remain in their base form. If you instead placed kühl directly in front of a noun (attributive position), you would add an ending (e.g., die kühle Luft).
How do I pronounce the ü in kühl?
The ü is an umlauted “u.” To pronounce it:
- Round your lips as if saying oo (as in “boot”).
- While your lips stay rounded, say ee (as in “see”).
Your tongue position is like ee, but your lips remain rounded.
What’s the difference between kühl and kalt?
- kühl describes something mildly or pleasantly cool (e.g., a cool breeze).
- kalt implies a stronger coldness, often uncomfortably or intensely cold (e.g., icy water).
Think of kühl as “refreshingly cool” and kalt as “quite cold.”
Could Luft ever be plural, and if so, what article would it take?
Luft is usually uncountable (mass noun) and rarely used in the plural. If someone does use a plural form poetically or technically (Lüfte), it would take the plural article die (nominative plural): die Lüfte.
Why is ist used here, and what role does it play?
Ist is the third‐person singular form of sein (to be). It acts as the linking verb connecting the subject (Die Luft) with its description (kühl). In English we have “is,” and in German we have “ist.”
Can I turn this into a question? How would I ask “Is the air cool?” in German?
Yes. You invert verb and subject:
Ist die Luft kühl?
Here ist comes first (verb‐first order in yes/no questions), followed by the subject die Luft, then the adjective kühl.