Die Temperatur des Kaffees ist nun am höchsten.

to be

Breakdown of Die Temperatur des Kaffees ist nun am höchsten.

• dem: the; (masculine or neuter, dative)
• der Kaffee: the coffee
• nun: now
• an: at
• hoch: high
• die Temperatur: the temperature

Questions & Answers about Die Temperatur des Kaffees ist nun am höchsten.

Why is des Kaffees in the genitive case? Can't I just say von dem Kaffee?

des Kaffees shows possession (“the temperature of the coffee”) using the genitive case. German prefers genitive for “of something.” Here, Kaffee is masculine, so the singular genitive article is des and the noun takes -s: des Kaffees. Colloquially you can say vom Kaffee (short for von dem Kaffee), but des Kaffees is more formal and typical in written German.

Why does Kaffee end with -es in des Kaffees?

In German, most masculine and neuter nouns add -s or -es in the singular genitive. Short, one-syllable nouns usually take -es (e.g. des Hundes), while two-syllable nouns like Kaffee take just -s. Thus, the genitive singular of der Kaffee is des Kaffees.

What does nun mean? Is it the same as jetzt?

Both nun and jetzt translate as “now,” but there’s a nuance:

• jetzt is more conversational and immediate.
• nun is slightly more formal or narrative, often found in written texts or storytelling.

In this sentence, nun simply indicates the current state (“now the temperature is at its highest”).

Why is it am höchsten and not just höchster or der höchste?

German distinguishes between:

1. Attributive superlative (before a noun):
   – die höchste Temperatur (“the highest temperature”)
2. Predicative superlative (after a verb):
   – ist am höchsten (“is at its highest”)

Here you want to say “is at the highest point,” so you use the predicative form am höchsten, not the attributive höchster.

What exactly is am in am höchsten?

am is a contraction of an dem. For predicative superlatives, German uses:   an + dem + Adjektiv-sten
so an dem höchsten shortens to am höchsten.

Could I move nun elsewhere in the sentence? For example, Nun ist die Temperatur des Kaffees am höchsten?

Yes. German follows the Verb‑Second (V2) rule. You can place nun in the first position as a sentence adverb, which pushes the verb ist into second place:   Nun ist die Temperatur des Kaffees am höchsten.
This is grammatically correct and changes the emphasis slightly (focusing on “now”).

Why is Temperatur capitalized? English doesn’t do that.

In German, all nouns are capitalized regardless of their position in the sentence. That’s why Temperatur, Kaffee and similar words always start with a capital letter.

How would I say “The temperature of the coffee is now higher” (comparing two times) instead of “highest”?

Use the comparative form höher instead of the superlative:   Die Temperatur des Kaffees ist nun höher.
This means “The temperature of the coffee is now higher,” implying a comparison with an earlier state.