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Questions & Answers about Das Zimmer ist nicht groß genug.
Why does the verb ist come right after Das Zimmer instead of later?
German main clauses follow the “V2” rule: the finite verb occupies the second position. Since Das Zimmer is the first element (the subject), ist must follow it immediately.
Why is nicht placed before groß genug and not at the end of the sentence?
In German you place nicht directly in front of the part you want to negate. Here you’re negating the adjective phrase groß genug (“big enough”), so nicht comes right before it. Putting nicht at the end would be unnatural.
Why is genug after groß and not before it?
When genug modifies an adjective or adverb, it follows that word: [adjective/adverb] + genug (e.g. groß genug, schnell genug). Only when genug modifies a noun does it precede: genug Zeit, genug Geld.
Why doesn’t groß take an ending here (like große or großes)?
Adjectives in predicative position (after sein, werden, bleiben, etc.) are not inflected. You only see endings on attributive adjectives (the ones directly before a noun), as in ein großes Zimmer.
Why is Zimmer preceded by das? Could it be die or der?
Zimmer is a neuter noun in German. The definite article for neuter nouns in the nominative singular is das. So you say das Zimmer (“the room”).
What part of speech is genug in groß genug?
Here genug is an adverb modifying the adjective groß. When genug modifies a noun, it behaves more like a determiner (genug Platz), but after an adjective it’s adverbial.
Could you say Das Zimmer ist zu klein instead? Does it mean the same thing?
Yes. zu klein means “too small,” which corresponds exactly to “not big enough.” Both sentences are interchangeable in most contexts.
How do you pronounce the ß in groß?
The letter ß (Eszett) represents a voiceless s sound (/s/) after long vowels. groß is pronounced [ɡʁoːs].