Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching German grammar and vocabulary.
Questions & Answers about Das Kraut duftet gut.
Why is Kraut neuter and not masculine or feminine?
Kraut is grammatically a neuter noun in German, so it takes the article das. Unlike in English, every German noun has a gender you must learn. Here you simply need to memorize das Kraut (“the herb/greens”). The plural form is die Kräuter.
What case is das Kraut in, and how can I tell?
It’s in the nominative case because it’s the subject of the verb duftet. In German, the subject of a clause always takes the nominative. You can also recognize it by the article das, which is the nominative singular neuter form.
Why is this noun singular (das Kraut) rather than plural (die Kräuter duften gut)?
Here Kraut is used as a mass noun or a single herb, so it stays singular. If you wanted to refer to multiple herbs or different kinds, you would say:
- Die Kräuter duften gut. (“The herbs smell good.”)
Why do we use duftet instead of riecht?
Both verbs relate to smelling, but they carry different nuances:
- duften means “to give off a pleasant smell” (always positive, intransitive).
- riechen is more neutral and can be positive, negative or simply describe the act of smelling.
So Das Kraut duftet gut highlights a nice fragrance. Das Kraut riecht gut is also possible, but less specific about pleasantness.