Die Lautsprecher sind laut, aber die Stimme des Sängers bleibt klar.

The loudspeakers are loud, but the singer’s voice remains clear.

Breakdown of Die Lautsprecher sind laut, aber die Stimme des Sängers bleibt klar.

• sein: to be
• aber: but
• laut: loud
• bleiben: to remain

Questions & Answers about Die Lautsprecher sind laut, aber die Stimme des Sängers bleibt klar.

Why does Lautsprecher look the same in its singular and plural forms?

In German, some nouns don’t change shape between singular and plural. Lautsprecher is one of them. You distinguish singular from plural by the article: der Lautsprecher (singular) vs. die Lautsprecher (plural).

Why is laut not preceded by an article or an ending in Die Lautsprecher sind laut?

Here laut is a predicative adjective following the linking verb sind. Predicative adjectives in German stay in their base form and don’t take endings or articles: you simply say sein + adjective (e.g. die Lautsprecher sind laut).

Why is there a comma before aber, and is it mandatory?

When you join two independent clauses with the coordinating conjunction aber, you may place a comma before it. Modern German rules make this comma optional before conjunctions like aber, but it’s often used to clarify the sentence.

Why is the singer’s voice expressed with des Sängers?

Des Sängers is the genitive singular of der Sänger (“the singer”) and shows possession: “the voice of the singer.” In the genitive, masculine and neuter nouns typically add -s or -es, and the article changes to des.