Breakdown of Der Duft des Brotes ist angenehm.
sein
to be
das Brot
the bread
der Duft
the scent
angenehm
pleasant
des
the; (neuter, genitive)
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Questions & Answers about Der Duft des Brotes ist angenehm.
Why is Der used before Duft?
Duft is a masculine noun in German. In the nominative singular (the subject of the sentence), the definite article for masculine nouns is Der.
Why is it des Brotes instead of something like der Brot or just Brot?
The phrase des Brotes is in the genitive case, which expresses possession or “of-ness” (“the scent of the bread”). Since Brot is a neuter noun, its genitive singular article is des, and it takes the noun ending -es, giving des Brotes.
How do I know that Brot takes -es in the genitive, not just des Brots?
Many one-syllable neuter and masculine nouns add -es in the genitive singular (e.g. des Hauses, des Kindes). While colloquial speech sometimes uses des Brots, the standard written form is des Brotes.
Why isn’t the adjective angenehm inflected (e.g. angenehme) here?
After a linking verb like ist, any following adjective is in the predicate position and remains uninflected. Predicate adjectives (describing the subject via sein, werden, bleiben) do not take endings.
Could I say Der Brotduft ist angenehm instead?
Yes. German often forms compound nouns: Brotduft (“bread-scent”). It’s perfectly natural and means the same, though Der Duft des Brotes makes the genitive relationship explicit.
Is Der Duft vom Brot ist angenehm acceptable?
Yes. Vom = von dem (dative). Der Duft vom Brot sounds more conversational. The genitive (des Brotes) is more formal or literary.
What’s the difference between Duft and Geruch?
Duft usually implies a pleasant smell (perfume, flowers, fresh bread), whereas Geruch is neutral and can refer to any odor, pleasant or unpleasant.
Can I invert the sentence to emphasize the adjective, like Angenehm ist der Duft des Brotes?
Absolutely. That inversion is grammatically correct and places emphasis on angenehm, but it sounds more poetic or emphatic than the standard S-V-O word order.
How do I pronounce Duft?
It’s pronounced u as in English “too,” followed by the ft sound (like “deft” without the initial de).