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Der Himmel ist blau.

Der Himmel ist blau.
The sky is blue.
FromLesson 28inHardcore German

Breakdown of Der Himmel ist blau.

sein
to be
der Himmel
the sky
blau
blue

Questions & Answers about Der Himmel ist blau.

Why is der used as the article for Himmel?
German nouns have grammatical gender (masculine, feminine or neuter). Himmel (sky) is masculine, so in the nominative singular its definite article is der.
How do I know the gender of a German noun like Himmel?

Unfortunately there’s no perfect rule for gender. You can

  • Consult a good dictionary (it will list m/f/n),
  • Learn common endings (e.g. ​-ung​ words are usually feminine),
  • Memorize with the noun (e.g. learn “der Himmel” as a single phrase).
What case is der Himmel in, and why?
This is the nominative case. In German, the subject of a sentence is in nominative, and Himmel is the subject of the verb ist (is).
Why doesn’t blau have an ending, and when do adjectives take endings in German?

In this sentence blau is a predicate adjective (it follows a copular verb like sein). Predicate adjectives are not inflected, so you simply use the base form blau.
By contrast, attributive adjectives (those placed directly before a noun) do take endings. For example: “der ​blaue​ Himmel.”

Why is Himmel capitalized in the middle of the sentence?
German orthography requires that all nouns be capitalized, no matter where they appear in a sentence.
Why is the verb ist in second position here?

German main clauses follow the verb-second (V2) rule: the finite verb must come in the second position, even if you begin with something other than the subject. Here the order is: 1) Der Himmel (subject)
2) ist (verb)
3) blau (predicate adjective)

Can I say Himmel ist blau without an article?
Not in standard German for a singular, countable noun. You need a definite or indefinite article. Omitting the article is only found in headlines, poetry or very colloquial style.
How would I say the blue sky using an attributive adjective?

Place the adjective before the noun and give it the correct ending for masculine nominative singular:  der + blaue + Himmel → der blaue Himmel

How do I pronounce Der Himmel ist blau?

A typical Standard German pronunciation in IPA is:
Der [deːɐ̯]
Himmel [ˈhɪməl]
ist [ɪst]
blau [blaʊ̯]

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“How do German cases work?”
German has four grammatical cases: nominative (subject), accusative (direct object), dative (indirect object), and genitive (possession). The case determines the form of articles and adjectives. For example, "the dog" is "der Hund" as a subject but "den Hund" as a direct object.

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