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Questions & Answers about Der Apfel ist süß.
Why is Apfel capitalized?
In German, every noun is always capitalized, no matter where it appears in the sentence.
Why is the article der used instead of die or das?
Apfel is a masculine noun in German, so it takes the masculine definite article der in the nominative case.
Why is it der Apfel (definite) rather than ein Apfel (indefinite)?
Using der makes it clear you’re referring to a specific apple (or apples in general as a category). If you wanted to say “An apple is sweet” in a general sense, you would say Ein Apfel ist süß—that shifts the meaning to any random apple.
Why is the verb ist used here instead of hat?
In German, you use sein (“to be”) to describe inherent qualities or states (being sweet). Haben (“to have”) would imply possession of sweetness, which isn’t how German expresses that an object tastes or is.
Why doesn’t süß have an ending like süßer, süße, or süßen?
When an adjective follows a form of sein (in predicate position), it remains uninflected. Only adjectives before nouns (attributive position) take endings to match gender, case, and number.
What is the word order in Der Apfel ist süß?
This is a simple declarative sentence in the order Subject–Verb–Predicate Adjective. In main clauses, the finite verb (ist) always occupies the second position.
How do I pronounce süß and what is the letter ß?
“Süß” is pronounced [zyːs], with a long ü sound. The letter ß (Eszett) represents a sharp “s” after long vowels or diphthongs. In Switzerland and Liechtenstein it’s often replaced by ss.
Could I use a different verb, like schmeckt, instead of ist?
Yes. Der Apfel schmeckt süß (“The apple tastes sweet”) is also correct. Here schmecken functions like “to taste” in English and requires a slightly different sentence nuance.
How would I say “The apples are sweet” in German?
You’d use the plural article and verb: Die Äpfel sind süß. The noun Äpfel is the plural of Apfel, die is the plural definite article, and sind is the plural of sein.