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Questions & Answers about Die Soße ist frisch und lecker.
Why is the article die used with Soße?
Because Soße is a feminine noun in German, so it takes the definite article die in the nominative singular. In German, every noun has a gender (masculine, feminine, neuter) that you need to learn along with the word.
How is Soße pronounced, and what does the letter ß represent?
Soße is pronounced [ˈzoːsə], roughly “ZOH-suh.” The letter ß (Eszett or scharfes S) indicates a sharp /s/ sound after a long vowel or diphthong. It’s functionally equivalent to ss in other words.
Why don’t the adjectives frisch and lecker have endings here?
They are used predicatively (after the linking verb ist). Predicative adjectives are not inflected in German, so they remain in their base form.
How would you use frisch and lecker attributively before a noun?
Attributive adjectives (those placed directly before a noun) need endings according to gender, case, and number. For “fresh and tasty sauce” in nominative feminine singular, you’d say frische und leckere Soße (both adjectives take the ending -e).
Why is there no comma before und in frisch und lecker?
In German, you do not place a comma between two adjectives joined by und. Commas are only used when listing three or more items or clauses.
Could I use a different verb instead of ist to describe the sauce?
Yes. If you want to emphasize taste, you can use schmeckt (tastes):
Die Soße schmeckt frisch und lecker.
How would the sentence change if you talked about multiple sauces?
The plural of Soße is Soßen, and the verb changes to sind:
Die Soßen sind frisch und lecker.
Predicative adjectives still remain uninflected.
Why is Soße capitalized?
All German nouns are capitalized, no matter where they appear in a sentence. That’s one of the key spelling rules in German.