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Questions & Answers about Der Stuhl ist stabil.
Why is the article Der used with Stuhl rather than Die or Das?
In German every noun has a grammatical gender. Stuhl (chair) is a masculine noun, so it takes the masculine definite article der in the nominative case.
What case is Der Stuhl in, and how do I know?
It’s in the nominative case because it’s the subject of the sentence (the thing doing or being). In German the subject of a sentence usually appears in the nominative.
Why is the adjective stabil not changed to something like stabile or stabiler?
Because stabil here is a predicative adjective (it follows the linking verb ist). Predicative adjectives in German do not get endings. Only attributive adjectives (those directly in front of a noun) are declined.
What exactly is ist doing in this sentence?
Ist is the 3rd-person singular present–tense form of the verb sein (to be). It links the subject Der Stuhl to the adjective stabil, expressing a state of being (“The chair is stable.”).
How would the sentence change if I wanted to say “The chairs are stable”?
Pluralize both the noun and the verb:
Die Stühle sind stabil.
- Die for plural definite article in nominative
- Stühle is the plural of Stuhl
- sind is the 3rd-person plural of sein
Can I use other words instead of stabil to convey a similar meaning?
Yes, common synonyms include:
- robust (robust)
- fest (firm/solid)
- standfest (steady)
Each has a slightly different nuance, but all can describe a chair that won’t wobble or break easily.
How do you pronounce Stuhl and stabil?
- Stuhl: [ʃtuːl] (like “shtool”)
- stabil: [ʃtaˈbiːl] (like “shta-BEEL”)
The ʃ sound is like English “sh,” and -ie- in stabil is a long ee sound.
If I wanted to use stabil attributively (in front of a noun), how would it change?
You must decline it according to gender, case, and article. For example, with a strong article in nominative masculine:
Der stabile Stuhl.
Here stabile gets an -e ending because attributive adjectives take endings.
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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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