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Questions & Answers about Der Hund ist jung.
Why is the definite article der used here?
Because Hund is a masculine noun in German. In the nominative singular, masculine nouns take the definite article der (not die or das).
What case is der Hund in, and what is its grammatical function?
Der Hund is in the nominative case and functions as the subject of the sentence.
Why doesn’t jung have any ending in Der Hund ist jung?
Here jung is a predicative adjective—it comes after the linking verb sein. Predicative adjectives in German are not inflected, so they remain in their base form.
How would jung change if it were placed before the noun (attributively)?
Used attributively (directly before the noun), jung must take an ending:
der junge Hund
Here -e is the weak ending for a masculine noun in the nominative after a definite article.
Why is ist placed second in the sentence?
German main clauses follow the verb-second (V2) rule: the finite verb must occupy the second position, regardless of what element comes first.
How do I form a yes/no question from Der Hund ist jung?
Move the verb to the first position:
Ist der Hund jung?
In yes/no questions, the finite verb comes first, then the subject.
Can I use an indefinite article instead of der?
Yes. You can say Ein Hund ist jung. The meaning remains “A dog is young,” and the predicative adjective jung is still uninflected.
How do I refer back to der Hund in the next sentence?
Use the masculine pronoun er:
Er ist jung.
How do I say “The dog is very young” in German?
Add an adverb of degree:
Der Hund ist sehr jung.
What are the comparative and superlative forms of jung?
Comparative: jünger (e.g., Der Hund ist jünger als die Katze.)
Superlative (predicative): am jüngsten (e.g., Der Hund ist am jüngsten.)