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Questions & Answers about Der Weg ist sicher.
Why is the article der used with Weg?
Weg is a masculine noun in German, so in the singular nominative case (the subject of the sentence) it takes the definite article der.
What case is Weg in, and how do you recognize it?
Weg is in the nominative case because it’s the subject of the sentence. In German, the nominative masculine singular definite article is der.
Why does the adjective sicher have no ending here?
When an adjective follows a form of sein (to be) and describes the subject, it’s used predicatively and remains uninflected. That’s why you simply say ist sicher, not ist sicherer or any other ending.
How would you use sicher attributively, for example to say “a safe path”?
Attributive adjectives (those placed before a noun) must be inflected. For “a safe path” you say ein sicherer Weg. Here sicher takes the weak ending -er because ein is an indefinite article in the nominative masculine singular.
What is the literal English translation of Der Weg ist sicher, and are there any nuances?
Literally it means The path/way is safe. You could also translate it as The route is secure. In context it might imply no danger or that the way forward is free of obstacles.
Can sicher mean something other than “safe”?
Yes. Sicher can also mean certain or sure (e.g., Ich bin mir sicher = “I am sure”). The context—physical safety vs. certainty—determines the nuance.
How do you pronounce Weg and sicher, and where does the stress fall?
Weg is pronounced [veːk], with a long “e” sound, one syllable. sicher is [ˈzɪçɐ], two syllables, stressed on the first: SI-cher.
What is the standard word order in this simple German sentence?
German uses subject–verb–predicate order for basic statements, just like English. Here it’s Der Weg (subject) ist (verb) sicher (predicate adjective).