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Questions & Answers about Der Himmel ist grau.
What is the function of Der in this sentence?
Der is the masculine definite article in the nominative singular, equivalent to the in English. It marks Himmel as the subject of the sentence.
How can I tell that Himmel is masculine?
German noun gender often has to be memorized or looked up in a dictionary. A helpful hint is that many nouns ending in -el (like Himmel, Apfel, Spiegel) are masculine, but there are exceptions.
Why is ist used here, and what does it mean?
Ist is the third‑person singular form of the irregular verb sein (to be) in the present tense. It translates as is and links the subject (Himmel) with the adjective (grau).
Why isn’t grau inflected (e.g., grauer, graues)?
When an adjective follows a linking verb like sein, it is used predicatively and remains in its base form. Predicative adjectives never take endings, so grau stays uninflected.
How would I say “the gray sky” if I wanted to use the adjective attributively?
Place the adjective before the noun and give it the appropriate ending: der graue Himmel. Here graue takes the weak ending -e for masculine nominative singular after the definite article der.
How do I turn Der Himmel ist grau into a yes/no question?
Move the verb to the first position: Ist der Himmel grau? In German yes/no questions, the conjugated verb comes before the subject.
How do I negate this sentence?
Insert nicht before the adjective: Der Himmel ist nicht grau. This means “The sky is not gray.”
How is Himmel pronounced?
Himmel is pronounced [ˈhɪməl] in IPA. The i sounds like the “i” in hit, and the final -el sounds like uhl.