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Questions & Answers about Meine Schwester ist mutig.
Why is Schwester capitalized?
All German nouns are capitalized. Schwester is a noun. Meine is capitalized here only because it starts the sentence; otherwise it’s meine. mutig is an adjective, so it stays lower-case.
Why is it Meine and not Mein?
Because Schwester is feminine singular in the nominative case. The possessive mein- takes the ending -e there: meine Schwester. Compare: mein Bruder (masc.), mein Kind (neut.), meine Kinder (plural).
Why doesn’t mutig have an ending like mutige?
After sein (to be), adjectives are predicative and take no endings: ist mutig, ist müde, ist klug. With a noun before it, they do: meine mutige Schwester.
What’s the word order rule here?
German main clauses are verb-second. Meine Schwester | ist | mutig. You can front the adjective for emphasis: Mutig ist meine Schwester.
How do I make a yes/no question?
Invert subject and verb: Ist meine Schwester mutig? For information questions: Wie mutig ist deine Schwester?
How do I negate it?
Use nicht before the predicative adjective: Meine Schwester ist nicht mutig.
How would this look in the plural?
Meine Schwestern sind mutig. Plural noun: Schwestern; verb: sind; mutig still has no ending in the predicate.
What if I talk about a brother or a child?
- Masculine: Mein Bruder ist mutig.
- Neuter: Mein Kind ist mutig.
How do I say “braver” or “bravest”?
Comparative: mutiger (e.g., Meine Schwester ist mutiger als ich.)
Superlative (predicative): am mutigsten (e.g., Sie ist am mutigsten.)
Is there a difference between mutig, tapfer, and brav?
- mutig = brave/courageous in general.
- tapfer = brave in the face of danger or hardship (more heroic).
- brav = well-behaved (false friend; not “brave”).
Which verb form is ist?
It’s 3rd person singular present of sein (to be): ich bin, du bist, er/sie/es ist, wir sind, ihr seid, sie/Sie sind.
How do I pronounce the words?
- Meine: “MY-nuh” ([ˈmaɪ̯nə])
- Schwester: “SHVES-ter” ([ˈʃvɛstɐ]); final -er is a light “uh/er.”
- mutig: “MOO-tikh” ([ˈmuːtɪç]); final -ig usually like the soft -ich sound; some regions say -ik.
Why is there no article like die?
Possessives (like meine) already act as determiners. You don’t stack them with another article: not die meine Schwester, just meine Schwester.
Do cases change meine Schwester?
Yes, but nominative and accusative look the same in the feminine:
- Nominative (subject): Meine Schwester ist mutig.
- Accusative (object): Ich sehe meine Schwester.
- Dative: Ich helfe meiner Schwester.
Can mutig work as an adverb or be intensified?
Yes. Adverb: Sie handelt mutig (“She acts bravely”). Intensifiers: sehr/wirklich mutig (e.g., Meine Schwester ist sehr mutig.)