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Questions & Answers about Dieser Ort ist schön.
Why is dieser used before Ort? What type of word is dieser?
dieser is a demonstrative determiner (much like “this” in English). It replaces the definite article when you want to point out a specific noun. In German, demonstrative determiners decline according to gender, case and number; here you have the nominative masculine singular form dieser.
Why isn’t it dieses Ort or diese Ort?
German nouns have grammatical gender. Ort is masculine, so in nominative singular you need the masculine demonstrative form dieser.
- dieses would be neuter
- diese would be feminine or plural
What case is Ort in Dieser Ort ist schön, and how do I recognize it?
Ort is in the nominative case because it is the subject of the sentence (the entity “being” described). With linking verbs like sein (“to be”), the noun before the verb is always in nominative.
Why doesn’t schön have an adjective ending like -e or -en here?
Here schön is used predicatively (it follows the linking verb ist). Predicative adjectives remain in their base form and do not take any endings. By contrast, attributive adjectives (those placed directly before a noun) must be inflected. For example:
- attributive: dieser schöne Ort (note the -e on schön)
- predicative: Dieser Ort ist schön (no ending on schön)
How do you make the sentence negative?
You insert nicht before the adjective you want to negate:
Dieser Ort ist nicht schön.
How can I intensify schön to say “very beautiful”?
Common modifiers are sehr, wirklich, total, etc. For example:
- Dieser Ort ist sehr schön.
- Dieser Ort ist wirklich schön.
You can also use a stronger single adjective like wunderschön (“wonderfully beautiful”).
How do you form the question “Is this place nice?” in German?
Use verb-first word order for yes/no questions by inverting the subject and the verb:
Ist dieser Ort schön?
How would you talk about “in this place” or “because of this place”?
You decline dieser Ort into the appropriate case:
- Dative (location): an diesem Ort (“at/in this place”)
- Genitive (reason): wegen dieses Ortes (“because of this place”)
How is schön pronounced, especially the ö?
schön is pronounced [ʃøːn]. The sch is like English “sh,” and ö is a close-mid front rounded vowel—similar to the French eu in peur or the British-accent “u” in “burn,” but with rounded lips.