Learn Hardcore German: Manchmal ist die Entscheidung schwer.

If the subject is first:
- Die Entscheidung ist manchmal schwer.
  Subject (Die Entscheidung) = first position, verb (ist) = second.
If an adverbial (like Manchmal) is first:
- Manchmal ist die Entscheidung schwer.
  Adverb (Manchmal) = first, verb (ist) = second, subject (die Entscheidung) = third.

So the rule is: verb = second element in the sentence frame, not “after the subject.”

Could I also say Die Entscheidung ist manchmal schwer? Is there a difference?

Yes, you can say:

Manchmal ist die Entscheidung schwer.
Die Entscheidung ist manchmal schwer.

Both are grammatically correct and mean essentially the same thing.

The difference is in emphasis:

Manchmal ist die Entscheidung schwer.
Puts more focus on sometimes. It answers something like: “When is the decision hard?” – Sometimes.
Die Entscheidung ist manchmal schwer.
Puts more focus on die Entscheidung. It sounds a bit more neutral, like a general statement about this decision.

In everyday speech, both are very natural.

In English we say “It is sometimes hard.” Why doesn’t German use es: Es ist manchmal schwer?

German only uses a dummy es when there is no clear subject or as a placeholder.

In your sentence, there is a clear subject: die Entscheidung. So German simply uses that as the subject:

Manchmal ist die Entscheidung schwer.
Subject = die Entscheidung

You could say:

Es ist manchmal schwer, eine Entscheidung zu treffen.

Here, es is a dummy subject, and the “real” content is in the infinitive clause eine Entscheidung zu treffen. English is forced to use dummy it more often; German only does this in certain constructions.

Why is it die Entscheidung and not eine Entscheidung or just Entscheidung without any article?

All three are possible in German, but they mean slightly different things:

die Entscheidung
- Definite article – refers to a specific decision that is known from the context.
- Example: We have already been talking about this decision.
eine Entscheidung
- Indefinite article – refers to a decision, not a specific one we already know.
- Example: Manchmal ist eine Entscheidung schwer.
  “Sometimes a (any) decision is hard.”
Entscheidung without an article (in the singular)
- Usually not correct for a normal, countable noun like Entscheidung in this kind of sentence.
- You generally need an article with singular, countable nouns in German, unless they’re in certain set phrases or after some prepositions.

So die Entscheidung implies “the particular decision we’re talking about.”

How do I know that Entscheidung is feminine and takes die?

You mostly have to learn the gender with the noun, but there are helpful patterns.

Entscheidung ends in -ung, and almost all nouns ending in -ung are feminine:

die Entscheidung (decision)
die Bedeutung (meaning)
die Zeitung (newspaper)
die Wohnung (apartment)

So you can remember: -ung → usually feminine → die.

In this sentence, die Entscheidung is nominative singular feminine and acts as the subject.

Why is it just schwer and not schwere or schweren? Don’t adjectives usually have endings?

Adjectives in German take endings only when they are in front of a noun (attributive position):

die schwere Entscheidung – the hard decision
(schwere has an ending because it comes before the noun.)

But in your sentence, schwer stands after the verb “sein” and describes the subject:

Die Entscheidung ist schwer.

This is called a predicative adjective, and in this position, German adjectives have no ending:

Die Aufgabe ist leicht.
Das Problem ist groß.
Die Entscheidung ist schwer.

So:
Before a noun → adjective endings.
After “sein/werden/bleiben” as a description → no endings.

What’s the difference between schwer and schwierig in this sentence?

Often, schwer and schwierig can be used interchangeably when talking about difficulty:

Manchmal ist die Entscheidung schwer.
Manchmal ist die Entscheidung schwierig.

Both sound natural.

Nuances:

schwer
- Literally: heavy.
- Figuratively: hard, tough.
- Often has an emotional or “burdensome” feel.
schwierig
- Means difficult, complicated, tricky.
- Focuses more on complexity or problems.

Rough guideline (not strict rules):

Emotional burden / effort: schwer
- Eine schwere Zeit – a hard time (emotionally)
Complexity / complication: schwierig
- Ein schwieriges Problem – a difficult/complex problem

In your sentence, both are fine; schwer is slightly more basic and common.

Could I say hart instead of schwer, like Manchmal ist die Entscheidung hart?

You can say:

Manchmal ist die Entscheidung hart.

It’s grammatically correct, but hart has a slightly different flavor:

hart often means:
- physically hard (harte Oberfläche – hard surface),
- strict (harte Strafe – harsh punishment),
- emotionally painful (Das war hart – that was rough).

If you say Die Entscheidung ist hart, it sounds more like “The decision is harsh/very tough emotionally or morally”, rather than simply “difficult to make”.

For neutral “difficult” in this context, schwer or schwierig are more standard.

What is the plural of die Entscheidung, and how would the sentence look in the plural?

Plural of die Entscheidung is die Entscheidungen.

In the plural, the verb and article must change:

Manchmal sind die Entscheidungen schwer.

Changes:

ist → sind (third person singular → plural)
die Entscheidung → die Entscheidungen (singular → plural)

The adjective schwer stays the same in predicative position (after sein).

Why is Entscheidung capitalized but schwer is not?

In German:

All nouns are capitalized.
- Entscheidung is a noun → Entscheidung
Adjectives, verbs, adverbs, etc. are usually not capitalized unless they start a sentence or are part of a proper name.
- schwer is an adjective → schwer

So the capitalization here follows the core German rule: nouns get capitals, other words don’t (except at the beginning of a sentence).

Where else can I put manchmal in the sentence, and which versions are natural?

The most common, natural options are:

Manchmal ist die Entscheidung schwer.
– manchmal in the first position, verb second.
Die Entscheidung ist manchmal schwer.
– subject first, manchmal in the “middle field” (after the verb).

Both are fully normal.

Less common / marked:

Die Entscheidung ist schwer, manchmal.
– sounds like an afterthought or a stylistic pause; used in speaking for emphasis, but not the default.

Usually don’t say:

✗ Die Entscheidung manchmal ist schwer. (wrong verb position)
✗ Die Entscheidung ist schwer manchmal. (sounds odd and non-native in German)

So, stick to position 1 or middle field for manchmal.

Is Entscheidung always “decision,” or can it also mean “choice”?

Entscheidung usually corresponds to “decision” – the act or result of deciding:

eine Entscheidung treffen – to make a decision
eine schwere Entscheidung – a hard decision

English “choice” often corresponds more directly to:

die Wahl (the choice, the vote)
die Auswahl (the selection)

But there is overlap in meaning. In English you might say:

“It’s a hard choice.”

In German you might still use Entscheidung:

Es ist eine schwere Entscheidung.

So:

default: Entscheidung → decision
for “choice” in the sense of “option” or “voting”: Wahl, Auswahl.

How do I pronounce Entscheidung and schwer correctly?

Approximate pronunciation:

Entscheidung: /ɛntˈʃaɪ̯dʊŋ/
- Syllables: Ent–schei–dung
- Ent- like “ent” in enter (short e).
- -schei- like English “shy”.
- -dung with ng as in “song,” and u like in “book” (not like “dung” in English).
schwer: /ʃveːɐ̯/ (or /ʃveːr/ depending on region)
- sch- = “sh” sound.
- w = English “v.”
- Long eː, like in “they” but without the glide.
- Final -r is often very weak or almost like a slight “uh” in many accents.

Common pitfalls:

Don’t pronounce sch like English “sk” – it’s always like “sh”.
Don’t pronounce w like English “w” – in German it’s v.
So schwer sounds like “sh-vair”, not “sh-where.”