Der Weg ist gerade.

The path is straight.

Breakdown of Der Weg ist gerade.

• sein: to be
• der Weg: the path
• gerade: especially

Questions & Answers about Der Weg ist gerade.

What does Weg mean in this sentence, and what gender is it?

In Der Weg ist gerade, the noun Weg means a physical path / road / track / route – something you can walk or drive on.

• Gender: masculine
• Definite article (singular): der Weg – the path
• Indefinite article (singular): ein Weg – a path
• Plural: die Wege – the paths / ways

So literally: Der Weg ist gerade = The path is straight.

Why is it Der Weg and not Die Weg or Das Weg?

Because Weg is a masculine noun in German, and masculine nouns in the nominative singular take the article der.

There isn’t a logical rule that tells you Weg must be masculine; you mainly have to learn the gender with the noun:

• der Weg (masculine)
• die Straße (feminine) – the street
• das Auto (neuter) – the car

So the correct subject form is Der Weg, never Die Weg or Das Weg.

How do you pronounce Weg, and is it different from weg meaning “away”?

Yes, they’re pronounced differently and mean different things:

• Weg (noun: path, way)
  
  • Standard German: /veːk/ – long e sound, like in English “they” (but shorter)
• weg (adverb: away, gone)
  
  • Standard German: /vɛk/ – short e, like in English “bet”

Example:

• Der Weg ist gerade. – /deːɐ̯ veːk ɪst gəˈʁaːdə/ – The path is straight.
• Er ist weg. – /eːɐ̯ ɪst vɛk/ – He is gone.

So spelling and vowel length both matter here.

What exactly does gerade mean in this sentence?

In Der Weg ist gerade, gerade means straight, not curved or bent in a geometric/physical sense.

So:

• Der Weg ist gerade.
  The path is straight. (It doesn’t bend or curve.)

It does not mean “right now” in this sentence; it’s describing the shape of the path.

What’s the difference between gerade and geradeaus?

Both relate to “straight,” but they’re used differently:

• gerade

  • Adjective/adverb meaning straight (not bent or curved).
  • Describes the shape of something.
  • Example:
    
    • Der Weg ist gerade. – The path is straight.

• geradeaus

  • Adverb meaning straight ahead / straight on.
  • Used especially in giving directions or describing movement.
  • Examples:
    
    • Gehen Sie immer geradeaus. – Go straight ahead all the time.
    • Fahr einfach geradeaus. – Just drive straight ahead.

For the sentence you gave, gerade is correct because you’re describing the state/shape of the path, not telling someone where to go.

Can gerade also mean “right now” or “just”? How do I know which meaning is intended?

Yes, gerade is very common with the meanings “right now / at the moment” or “just (a moment ago)”. The meaning depends on context and what it’s attached to.

1. Straight (shape)

   • Der Weg ist gerade. – The path is straight.
     → After sein, describing a noun’s shape.

2. Right now / at the moment

   • Ich lerne gerade Deutsch. – I’m learning German right now.
   • Er telefoniert gerade. – He’s on the phone at the moment.

3. Just (a moment ago / just now)

   • Sie ist gerade gegangen. – She just left.
   • Ich habe ihn gerade gesehen. – I just saw him.

In Der Weg ist gerade, because gerade comes after sein and describes Weg, the natural reading is “straight,” not “right now.”

Why doesn’t gerade have an ending here, like gerader or geraden?

Because in Der Weg ist gerade, gerade is a predicate adjective – it comes after the verb sein and describes the subject.

Rule of thumb:

• After verbs like sein, werden, bleiben, adjectives usually stay in their basic form (no endings):

  • Der Weg ist gerade. – The path is straight.
  • Das Wasser ist kalt. – The water is cold.
  • Die Straße bleibt eng. – The street remains narrow.

• Before a noun, adjectives normally take endings (attributive position):

  • ein gerader Weg – a straight path
  • der gerade Weg – the straight path
  • die gerade Straße – the straight street

So:
Der Weg ist gerade. (no ending)
but
ein gerader Weg (ending -er).

What’s the difference between Der Weg ist gerade and Der gerade Weg?

They’re both grammatically correct but used differently:

• Der Weg ist gerade.

  • Full sentence (subject + verb + predicate adjective).
  • Means: The path is straight.
  • You’re stating a fact about this path.

• Der gerade Weg

  • Noun phrase (article + adjective + noun).
  • Means: the straight path (as opposed to a curved one).
  • Used when referring to or picking out that particular path:
    
    • Nimm den geraden Weg. – Take the straight path.
    • Ich meine den geraden Weg, nicht den kurvigen. – I mean the straight path, not the curvy one.

So one is a complete statement (ist gerade), the other is a noun phrase (der gerade Weg) that you use inside larger sentences.

Is Der Weg ist gerade something people actually say? In what situations?

Yes, but it’s a bit specific. You’d use it when you literally want to say the shape of a path is straight, for example:

• Looking at a map or at a road:
  
  • Zum Glück ist der Weg bis zum Dorf gerade. – Luckily the path to the village is straight.

However, in giving directions, German speakers usually talk about how you should move, so they say:

• Gehen Sie einfach immer geradeaus. – Just keep going straight ahead.
• Der Weg führt lange Zeit geradeaus. – The path goes straight ahead for a long time.

So Der Weg ist gerade is fine, just a bit more descriptive than instructional.

Can I say Der Weg ist direkt instead of Der Weg ist gerade?

Not with the same meaning.

• gerade = straight (not curved)
  
  • Talks about the shape of the path.
• direkt = direct (without detours / very close / directly)
  
  • Talks about the route or connection, not the geometric shape.

Examples:

• Der Weg ist gerade. – The path is straight. (no curves)
• Der Weg ist sehr direkt. – The route is very direct. (no big detours, maybe still with some bends)

So if you want to say the path is straight, use gerade, not direkt.

Which case is Der Weg in, and when would I see den Weg or dem Weg instead?

In Der Weg ist gerade, Der Weg is in the nominative case as the subject of the sentence.

Masculine noun Weg:

• Nominative (subject):

  • Der Weg ist gerade. – The path is straight.

• Accusative (direct object):

  • Ich nehme den Weg. – I take the path.
  • Wir gehen den Weg entlang. – We walk along the path.

• Dative (indirect object / after some prepositions):

  • Auf dem Weg habe ich ihn getroffen. – On the way I met him.
  • Folge immer dem Weg. – Always follow the path.

So:

• der Weg – subject (nominative)
• den Weg – direct object (accusative)
• dem Weg – indirect object / after certain prepositions (dative)

Is Weg the same as English “way” in sentences like “That’s the way to do it”?

Sometimes yes, but not always 1:1.

For physical paths/routes, it matches well:

• Der Weg ist gerade. – The path/way is straight.
• Kennst du den Weg zum Bahnhof? – Do you know the way to the station?

For “way” = method/manner, German also uses Weg, but very often prefers other words or constructions:

• Das ist der beste Weg, Deutsch zu lernen. – That is the best way to learn German.
  (Here Weg = method.)

But in many casual contexts, Germans would more naturally say:

• So macht man das. – That’s how you do it. (literally: That’s how one does it.)
• Auf diese Weise lernst du am schnellsten. – In this way / like this you learn fastest.

So yes, Weg can match English way, but you often have alternatives like Art, Weise, or simply so.

Are there any common expressions with Weg I should know?

Yes, Weg appears in a lot of useful phrases. A few common ones:

• auf dem Weg (zu …) – on the way (to …)

  • Ich bin auf dem Weg nach Hause. – I’m on my way home.

• den Weg finden – to find the way

  • Findest du den Weg alleine? – Can you find the way by yourself?

• den Weg verlieren / sich verirren / sich verlaufen – to lose your way / get lost

  • Wir haben den Weg verloren. – We lost the way.

• im Weg stehen – to be in the way

  • Dein Koffer steht im Weg. – Your suitcase is in the way.

• Der Weg ist das Ziel. – The journey is the destination. (well-known saying)

All of these build on the basic meaning you saw in Der Weg ist gerade: Weg as a “path/way,” either literally or metaphorically.