Die Straße ist still.

to be

Breakdown of Die Straße ist still.

• die Straße: the street
• still: quiet

Questions & Answers about Die Straße ist still.

What does still mean in this sentence?

Although still looks like the English word “still,” in German it means quiet, silent, or lacking noise. Here it tells us that the street is peaceful and you hear almost no sound.

Why is the article die used with Straße?

German nouns have grammatical gender. Straße is feminine, so its definite article in the nominative case (subject) is die. The structure is:

• Subject (die Straße) → Verb (ist) → Predicate (still)

How do you pronounce Straße and what’s the deal with the letter ß?

Straße is pronounced [ˈʃtʁaːsə]. The character ß (Eszett or “sharp S”) represents /s/ after long vowels or diphthongs. In all caps or in Swiss German you’ll see it replaced by SS, as in STRASSE.

Why doesn’t still take an adjective ending (like stille or stiller)?