Es ist unhöflich, im Kurs ständig laut zu reden.

It is impolite to talk loudly all the time in class.

Breakdown of Es ist unhöflich, im Kurs ständig laut zu reden.

• sein: to be
• zu: to
• es: it
• laut: loud

Questions & Answers about Es ist unhöflich, im Kurs ständig laut zu reden.

What does the structure Es ist unhöflich, … zu reden mean, and how does it work grammatically?

The pattern is:

• Es ist + adjective + zu + infinitive

Literally: It is + adjective + to + verb

So:

• Es ist unhöflich, im Kurs ständig laut zu reden.
  → It is impolite to talk loudly all the time in class.

Key points:

• es here is a dummy or placeholder “it” (like in English It is important to...).
• The real action is in the zu + infinitive part: zu reden (to talk).
• unhöflich is the adjective that comments on that action: impolite.

What is the es doing in Es ist unhöflich? Does it refer to anything?

No, es here does not refer to any specific thing. It is:

• a dummy subject / formal subject, like in English:
  • It is rude to interrupt.
  • It is difficult to understand.

In German, you must put something in the subject position, so German uses es:

• Es ist unhöflich, im Kurs ständig laut zu reden.
  (It is impolite to talk loudly in class all the time.)