Der See ist heute ganz still.

The lake is very quiet today.

Breakdown of Der See ist heute ganz still.

• sein: to be
• heute: today
• der See: the lake
• still: quietly
• ganz: very

Questions & Answers about Der See ist heute ganz still.

Why is it Der See and not Die See here?

German actually has two different nouns that look the same in the singular:

• der See (masculine) = lake
  
  • plural: die Seen
• die See (feminine) = sea (a bit literary/poetic, often in fixed phrases like auf hoher See)
  
  • plural: not commonly used in everyday speech; people usually say das Meer, die Meere

In Der See ist heute ganz still, the meaning is “The lake is very calm today”, so the correct word is der See (masculine).
That’s why it’s der, not die.

What exactly does ganz mean here? Is it “very”, “quite”, or “completely”?

In this sentence, ganz is an adverb modifying still. Its meaning is between “very” and “completely”, and the nuance depends on context and tone:

• Der See ist heute ganz still.
  → “The lake is very still today.” / “The lake is completely calm today.”

Compared with sehr:

• ganz still often sounds a bit more emotional or descriptive, like you’re noticing how strikingly still it is.
• sehr still is a more neutral “very still”.

So:

• ganz still → very, quite, completely still (often with a bit of feeling)
• sehr still → very still (more matter-of-fact)

Both are correct; ganz here is not “whole” but the intensifying adverb.

Does ganz change its form here? Why is it not ganze or ganzes?

In this sentence, ganz is an adverb (intensifier), so it does not change:

• Der See ist heute ganz still.
  (ganz
  • adjective)

When ganz is used as an adjective/determiner before a noun, it does change:

• ein ganzes Jahr – a whole year
• die ganze Stadt – the whole city
• der ganze Tag – the whole day

So:

• As an adverb: ganz (invariable) → ganz still, ganz leise, ganz ruhig
• As an adjective/determiner: ganz / ganze / ganzen / ganzes, etc., depending on case, gender, and number.

What is the nuance of still here? Does it mean “silent”, “quiet”, or “calm”?

still in German can mean:

1. quiet / silent (about sound)

   • Sei still! – Be quiet!
   • Es ist ganz still im Haus. – It’s completely quiet in the house.

2. calm / still (about water, air, motion)

   • Der See ist heute ganz still. – The lake is completely calm today.
   • Das Wasser ist still. – The water is still.

In this sentence, because it’s about a lake, the natural interpretation is “calm, with no waves or movement”, but there is also an implied quietness (no noise of waves, boats, etc.). English often captures this with “still” or “calm”.

Could I also say „Der See ist heute sehr still“? Is that different?

Yes, Der See ist heute sehr still is perfectly correct.

The difference is subtle:

• ganz still

  • can feel a bit more picturesque or emotional
  • suggests it’s strikingly or completely still

• sehr still

  • is a straightforward “very still”
  • sounds more neutral or factual

Both are natural. A storyteller or someone describing a peaceful landscape might slightly prefer ganz still for style.

Why is it Der See and not something like Den See or Dem See?

This is about case. In the sentence:

• Der See = subject of the sentence
• ist = verb (3rd person singular, sein)
• heute ganz still = predicate/adverbials

The subject of a sentence takes the nominative case, and the nominative masculine singular article is der:

• Nominative: der See (subject)
• Accusative: den See (direct object)
• Dative: dem See (indirect object)

Examples:

• Der See ist heute ganz still. (subject → nominative)
• Ich sehe den See. – I see the lake. (object → accusative)
• Ich schwimme in dem See. – I swim in the lake. (dative after in here, because of location)

Can the word order change, like „Heute ist der See ganz still“? Does that change the meaning?

Yes, you can say:

• Der See ist heute ganz still.
• Heute ist der See ganz still.

Both are grammatically correct and mean the same basic thing.

The difference is emphasis:

• Der See ist heute ganz still.
  
  • Neutral emphasis on der See (the lake).
• Heute ist der See ganz still.
  
  • Emphasizes heute → “Today, the lake is very still” (maybe as a contrast to other days).

German allows some flexibility in word order as long as the finite verb stays in second position in main clauses. In both versions, ist is the second element.

Why is See capitalized?

In German, all nouns are capitalized, regardless of their position in the sentence:

• Der See ist heute ganz still.
• Heute ist der See ganz still.

So See is written with a capital S because it’s a noun. This rule applies to every noun in German, not only proper names.

How do you pronounce See and still correctly?

See:

• Pronunciation: roughly like English “zay” but with a long, pure [eː] sound.
• IPA: [zeː]
• Initial S before a vowel is voiced: sounds like z in zoo.

still:

• Pronunciation: something like “shtill” in English.
• IPA: [ʃtɪl]
• At the beginning of a word, st is usually pronounced [ʃt] (like sht), not [st].

So the whole sentence roughly sounds like:
[deːɐ̯ zeː ɪst ˈhɔʏtə gants ʃtɪl]

Is heute always in this position, or can it move around?

heute (today) is an adverb of time and is quite flexible in German word order, as long as the finite verb stays in second position. For example:

• Der See ist heute ganz still.
• Heute ist der See ganz still.
• Der See ist ganz still heute. (possible, but sounds a bit more colloquial or emphatic at the end)

The most common/smooth versions are:

1. Der See ist heute ganz still.
2. Heute ist der See ganz still.

What is the role of ist here, and why not another verb?

ist is the 3rd person singular form of sein (to be):

• ich bin
• du bist
• er/sie/es ist
• wir sind
• ihr seid
• sie/Sie sind

In this sentence, ist is a copula verb linking the subject (Der See) to a state or condition (ganz still). It works like English “is”:

• Der See ist heute ganz still. – The lake is very still today.

You could use other verbs to describe the lake in different ways, but ist is the standard way to state a current condition:

• Der See wirkt heute ganz still. – The lake seems very still today.
• Der See bleibt heute ganz still. – The lake remains very still today. (less usual, but possible in context)

Here, ist is simply “is”.