Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching German grammar and vocabulary.
Questions & Answers about Die Kopfhörer sind bequem.
Why is the definite article die used before Kopfhörer?
die is the plural definite article in German. Although the singular is der Kopfhörer (“one earpiece”), we almost always refer to the two-earpiece set, so we treat Kopfhörer as a plural noun and use die.
Is Kopfhörer singular or plural here, and how can I tell?
In this sentence, Kopfhörer is plural. You can tell because:
- The article is die (plural) rather than der (masculine singular).
- The verb is sind (plural) rather than ist (singular).
Why is the verb sind used instead of ist?
Because sind is the third-person plural form of sein (“to be”). Since die Kopfhörer is a plural subject, it takes sind, not ist.
Why is bequem not bequemer or bequemes?
Here bequem is a predicative adjective (it comes after the verb sein). Predicative adjectives in German remain in their base form and do not take any endings.
How would I express “the comfortable headphones” with an attributive adjective?
Attributive adjectives (placed before a noun) require endings. You would say die bequemen Kopfhörer. The -en ending comes from:
- plural nominative after the definite article die
- adjectives following a definite article in plural always take -en
What case is die Kopfhörer in, and why?
Die Kopfhörer is in the nominative case because it functions as the subject of the sentence. After sein, both the subject and any predicate noun/adjective stay in the nominative.
Could I drop the article and say Kopfhörer sind bequem?
Yes. In German you can omit the article when speaking in general terms. Kopfhörer sind bequem means “Headphones are comfortable” in a generic sense. Adding die makes it refer to a specific set: “The headphones are comfortable.”
How is Kopfhörer pronounced, especially the ö?
Kopfhörer is pronounced [ˈkɔp͡fˌhøːʁɐ]. Tips:
- Kopf sounds like “koff.”
- ö is like the vowel in English “bird” (without the r-colouring).
- The final -er is a softer /ɐ/ sound, not a hard “air.”
Why are all German nouns capitalized, such as Kopfhörer?
German orthography dictates that every noun is capitalized, no matter where it appears in a sentence. This helps you recognize nouns at a glance.
Why is Kopfhörer written as one word and not hyphenated?
German commonly forms compound nouns by combining words without spaces or hyphens. Kopfhörer joins Kopf (“head”) + Hörer (“receiver”) into a single compound noun.