Learn Hardcore German: Die Terrasse hinter dem Haus ist groß und ruhig. - The terrace behind the house is large and quiet.

Because hinter is a two-way preposition. With location (no movement), it takes the dative: dem. Haus is neuter (das Haus), and its dative singular is dem: hinter dem Haus. If there were movement to a position behind the house, you'd use the accusative: hinter das Haus (e.g., Er geht hinter das Haus).

Why do "groß" and "ruhig" have no adjective endings here?

They’re predicate adjectives after the verb ist. Predicate adjectives in German are not declined: Die Terrasse ist groß und ruhig. If the adjectives came before the noun, they would take endings: die große, ruhige Terrasse.

What gender is "Terrasse," and how does that affect the article?

Terrasse is feminine. In the nominative singular you use die Terrasse. Other common forms:

Accusative: die Terrasse
Dative: der Terrasse (e.g., auf der Terrasse)
Genitive: der Terrasse

Can I move "hinter dem Haus" to a different position in the sentence?

Yes. Common options and their nuance:

Die Terrasse hinter dem Haus ist groß und ruhig. Neutral; places the location right after the noun it modifies.
Hinter dem Haus ist die Terrasse groß und ruhig. Emphasizes the location.
Die Terrasse ist hinter dem Haus groß und ruhig. Sounds like it’s specifically “behind the house” that it is big/quiet (contrastive), so use with care.

Could I say "Die Terrasse ist groß und ruhig hinter dem Haus"?

That sounds clunky. Put the location closer to the noun or front it: Die Terrasse hinter dem Haus ist … or Hinter dem Haus ist die Terrasse ….

Is "ist" the best verb here? What about "liegt," "steht," or "befindet sich"?

All are possible, with nuances:

ist: neutral “is.”
befindet sich: “is located” (more formal).
liegt: often used for places or flat areas: Die Terrasse liegt hinter dem Haus.
steht: for upright objects; less natural for a terrace.

Why "hinter" and not "nach"?

hinter means “behind” in space. nach means “after” (time) or “to” (direction to some places), not “behind.” So hinter dem Haus = “behind the house,” not nach dem Haus.

What's the difference between "ruhig," "leise," and "still"?

ruhig: calm, peaceful (overall atmosphere or behavior).
leise: quiet in terms of volume.
still: silent or motionless. A terrace is typically ruhig; a voice is leise; a room can be still when there’s no sound at all.

How do you pronounce tricky parts like "Terrasse," "groß," "ruhig," and "Haus"?

Terrasse: [tɛ-RAH-se], stress on the middle syllable; final -e is a schwa.
groß: long “o” [groːs]; final ß is an unvoiced “s.”
Haus: [haʊs], like English “house” with a German diphthong.
ruhig: either [ˈʁuːɪç] (ending like German “ich”) or [ˈʁuːɪk]; both are accepted.

Why is "groß" spelled with "ß" and not "ss"?

After a long vowel or diphthong, standard German uses ß: groß, heißen, Fuß. In Swiss Standard German, it’s spelled gross. Comparatives keep the pattern: größer, superlative am größten.

What’s the plural of "Terrasse," and how would the sentence change in the plural?

Plural: die Terrassen. The sentence becomes: Die Terrassen hinter dem Haus sind groß und ruhig. Note the verb sind.

What about the plural of "Haus" in this construction?

Plural: die Häuser. In the dative plural you add -n to most nouns and use den: hinter den Häusern. Example: Die Terrasse hinter den Häusern ist groß und ruhig.

Can I say "hinten dem Haus"?

No. hinten is an adverb (“at the back”) and cannot take an object. Use the preposition hinter with an object: hinter dem Haus. If you want “back there,” say da hinten.

Do I need any commas around "groß und ruhig"?

No. In the predicate, adjectives linked by und take no comma: … ist groß und ruhig. With three or more, you use commas between the first items: … ist groß, ruhig und sonnig.

How would I negate the sentence?

Use nicht to negate predicate adjectives: Die Terrasse hinter dem Haus ist nicht groß, aber ruhig. To negate the existence of a terrace, use kein with an indefinite noun: Es gibt keine Terrasse hinter dem Haus.

How do I compare sizes or quietness?

groß → größer → am größten: Die Terrasse ist größer als der Balkon.
ruhig → ruhiger → am ruhigsten: Hinter dem Haus ist es am ruhigsten.

Is capitalization correct here?

Yes. Nouns are capitalized: Die Terrasse, dem Haus. Adjectives like groß and ruhig are not capitalized unless they begin a sentence or are used as nouns.

Could I rephrase the idea with "es gibt"?

Yes, to talk about existence rather than identity: Es gibt hinter dem Haus eine große, ruhige Terrasse.

What’s the difference between "hinter" and "dahinter"?

hinter is a preposition and takes an object: hinter dem Haus. dahinter is an adverb meaning “behind it/that”: Das Haus hat einen Garten; die Terrasse ist dahinter.