Learn Hardcore German: Das Ergebnis stimmt.

Das Ergebnis stimmt. – The result (this one we’re talking about) is correct.
Ein Ergebnis stimmt. – A result is correct. (grammatically possible, but odd without more context; which result?)

In normal conversation about, for example, a test, a calculation, or a poll, you usually refer to a particular known result, so you use the definite article das.

What does stimmt mean literally, and what verb form is it?

The verb is stimmen. In this sentence:

stimmt is 3rd person singular, present tense of stimmen.
Literally, stimmen can mean to be correct, to be right, to be true, or to agree / to match.

So Das Ergebnis stimmt. literally means something like:

The result is right / correct.
The result matches (what it should be).

Why do Germans say Das Ergebnis stimmt. and not Das Ergebnis ist richtig.? Are they different?

Both are possible, but there is a nuance:

Das Ergebnis stimmt.
- Very natural and common, especially when something matches expectations, fits a standard, or agrees with other data.
- Often used in contexts like calculations, measurements, comparisons:
  - Deine Rechnung stimmt. – Your calculation is correct.
Das Ergebnis ist richtig.
- Also correct, focusing more strongly on the correctness in a yes/no sense.
- You might hear this in tests, exams, quizzes.

Often they are interchangeable, but stimmen has a slight flavor of matching / corresponding, while ist richtig just says it is right.

Is stimmen a regular verb? How is it conjugated?

Yes, stimmen is a regular (weak) verb. Present tense conjugation:

ich stimme – I agree / am correct
du stimmst – you agree / are correct (singular, informal)
er / sie / es stimmt – he / she / it agrees / is correct
wir stimmen – we agree
ihr stimmt – you (plural, informal) agree
sie / Sie stimmen – they / you (formal) agree

So in Das Ergebnis stimmt., Ergebnis is 3rd person singular → stimmt.

Why is the verb in the second position? Could you change the word order?

In a normal German main clause, the finite verb (here: stimmt) must be in second position.

Das Ergebnis is one element (subject phrase).
stimmt is the verb and must come second.

So:

Das Ergebnis stimmt. ✅

If you put something else first, the verb still stays in second position:

Heute stimmt das Ergebnis. – Today the result is correct.
- Element 1: Heute
- Element 2: stimmt
- Rest: das Ergebnis

You cannot move stimmt out of the second position in a statement without changing it into a question or making it ungrammatical.

How would you turn Das Ergebnis stimmt. into a yes/no question?

For a yes/no question in German, you put the verb in first position:

Stimmt das Ergebnis? – Is the result correct? / Does the result check out?

Structure:

Verb: Stimmt
Subject: das Ergebnis

Can I just say Das stimmt.? Is that the same as Das Ergebnis stimmt.?

Often yes, in context.

Das stimmt. = That’s right / That’s true / That’s correct.

You use Das stimmt. as a general confirmation of something just said or shown. If it’s clear from context that you’re talking about the result, Das stimmt. can effectively mean Das Ergebnis stimmt.

Example:

A: Hier ist dein Testergebnis. – Here is your test result.
B: (checks, agrees) Das stimmt. – That’s right.

But Das Ergebnis stimmt. is more explicit that you’re talking about the result itself.

Can stimmen take an object, like “to agree with something”? Why is there nothing after stimmt here?

In Das Ergebnis stimmt., stimmen is intransitive: it has no direct object and simply means to be correct / to be right.

If you want to say something agrees with or matches something else, you can extend it:

Das Ergebnis stimmt mit den Daten überein.
– The result agrees with the data.

Here:

mit den Daten – prepositional phrase
überein – separable prefix (base verb übereinstimmen)

But a simple Das Ergebnis stimmt. is complete and natural without any extra phrase.

What is the plural of das Ergebnis, and how does the sentence change in the plural?

Plural of das Ergebnis is die Ergebnisse.

Singular: Das Ergebnis stimmt. – The result is correct.
Plural: Die Ergebnisse stimmen. – The results are correct.

Note the changes:

Article: das → die
Noun: Ergebnis → Ergebnisse
Verb: stimmt (3rd singular) → stimmen (3rd plural)

Is Ergebnis the same as Resultat in German?

They are close in meaning, but Ergebnis is more common and neutral.

das Ergebnis – standard, widely used
- e.g. test results, election results, math results
das Resultat – understood, slightly more formal or influenced by French/Latin; often used but less frequent in everyday speech

In this sentence, Das Ergebnis stimmt. feels more natural than Das Resultat stimmt., though the second is not wrong.

In what kinds of situations would a German speaker say Das Ergebnis stimmt.?

Typical contexts:

Math / calculations
- After checking a calculation: Ja, das Ergebnis stimmt.
Tests and exams
- When comparing your answer key to a student’s answer.
Measurements / statistics / data
- Comparing new data with expected values: Die Messungen sind korrekt, das Ergebnis stimmt.
Polls, votes, evaluations
- When verifying reported numbers or outcomes.

Anywhere you need to confirm that a specific result is correct or matches what it should be, Das Ergebnis stimmt. is idiomatic.