Die Beratung im Krankenhaus war sehr ausführlich.

The consultation at the hospital was very detailed.

Breakdown of Die Beratung im Krankenhaus war sehr ausführlich.

• sein: to be
• sehr: very
• im: in the; (masculine or neuter, dative)
• das Krankenhaus: the hospital
• die Beratung: the consultation
• ausführlich: in detail

Questions & Answers about Die Beratung im Krankenhaus war sehr ausführlich.

What exactly does Beratung mean here? Is it more like “advice” or more like “consultation”?

Beratung can cover both ideas, but in this sentence it’s best understood as “consultation” (for example, a consultation with a doctor or a counselor in the hospital).

• As an abstract idea, Beratung = advice / counseling (the process of giving advice).
• As a specific event, eine Beratung = a consultation / a counseling session.

So Die Beratung im Krankenhaus means the (specific) consultation at the hospital, not just “advice in general.”

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

Because Beratung is a feminine noun in German.

• Nominative singular:
  • die Beratung – the consultation
• Accusative singular:
  • die Beratung
• Dative singular:
  • der Beratung
• Genitive singular:
  • der Beratung

A very useful rule: Nearly all nouns ending in -ung are feminine in German:

• die Beratung (consultation)
• die Zeitung (newspaper)
• die Meinung (opinion)
• die Rechnung (bill)

So you must say die Beratung, not das Beratung or der Beratung in the nominative.

Why is it im Krankenhaus and not in das Krankenhaus?

im is the contraction of in dem:

• in
  • dem → im

Here’s what’s going on:

1. Krankenhaus is neuter:
   • das Krankenhaus – the hospital
2. After most prepositions, the noun goes into a particular case.
   With in, you get:
   • dative when it’s location (where something is)
   • accusative when it’s direction (where something is going)

In your sentence, it’s location (the consultation took place in the hospital), so you use dative:

• in dem Krankenhaus (in the hospital, location, dative)
  → contracted to im Krankenhaus

You would use in das Krankenhaus (accusative) for motion towards:

• Ich gehe in das Krankenhaus. → “I’m going to the hospital.”
  (very often contracted to ins Krankenhaus, from in das)

What case is Krankenhaus in, and why?

Krankenhaus is in the dative singular.

• Base form: das Krankenhaus (neuter, nominative/accusative)
• Dative singular of neuter das is dem:
  • dem Krankenhaus

Because in is used here to express location (“in the hospital”), German grammar requires the dative case after in:

• in dem Krankenhaus → dative singular neuter
• contracted: im Krankenhaus

Why is the verb war and not ist? Could I say Die Beratung im Krankenhaus ist sehr ausführlich instead?

war is the simple past form of sein (“to be”):

• ist = is (present)
• war = was (simple past)

Your sentence describes something that happened in the past:

• Die Beratung im Krankenhaus war sehr ausführlich.
  → “The consultation at the hospital was very thorough.”

If you say:

• Die Beratung im Krankenhaus ist sehr ausführlich.
  you are talking about a general, current fact:
  • e.g. “The consultation (there) is very thorough” (e.g. at that hospital in general, or right now as a policy).

You could also use the present perfect:

• Die Beratung im Krankenhaus ist sehr ausführlich gewesen.
  Grammatically fine, but in everyday German, war is usually more natural here.

What is the function of sehr in war sehr ausführlich? Could I leave it out?

sehr is an adverb of degree meaning “very”. It intensifies the adjective ausführlich:

• war ausführlich – was thorough
• war sehr ausführlich – was very thorough

You can definitely leave it out:

• Die Beratung im Krankenhaus war ausführlich.

That just sounds a bit less strong. sehr adds emphasis, but it doesn’t change the basic grammar.

Why is it ausführlich and not ausführliche? I thought adjectives need endings.

Adjectives take endings only in certain positions. There are two important uses:

1. Attributive adjective (directly before a noun → needs an ending):

   • eine ausführliche Beratung – a thorough consultation
   • die sehr ausführliche Beratung – the very thorough consultation

2. Predicate adjective (after verbs like sein, werden, bleiben → no ending):

   • Die Beratung war ausführlich. – The consultation was thorough.
   • Die Beratung war sehr ausführlich.

In your sentence, ausführlich is used as a predicate adjective after war, so it stays in its basic form, without an ending.

What exactly does ausführlich mean? Is it the same as “detailed”?

ausführlich usually means:

• thorough
• comprehensive
• detailed

In the context of Beratung, it suggests that:

• the person took enough time,
• gave a lot of information,
• explained things in detail,
• didn’t rush or skip important points.

Similar adjectives:

• gründlich – thorough (with a focus on depth and care)
• detailliert – detailed (focus on many individual details)

So:

• Die Beratung war sehr ausführlich.
  ≈ “The consultation was very thorough / very detailed / very comprehensive.”

Can Beratung be plural? How would I say “The consultations at the hospital were very thorough”?

Yes, Beratung can be plural:

• Singular: die Beratung
• Plural: die Beratungen

Your sentence in the plural would be:

• Die Beratungen im Krankenhaus waren sehr ausführlich.
  → “The consultations at the hospital were very thorough.”

Note the changes:

• Beratungen (plural)
• waren (plural past of sein)

Is the word order fixed? Could I say Die Beratung war im Krankenhaus sehr ausführlich?

The original order is:

• Die Beratung (subject)
• im Krankenhaus (adverbial phrase: where)
• war (verb)
• sehr ausführlich (predicate)

German allows some flexibility, especially with adverbials. You could say:

• Die Beratung war im Krankenhaus sehr ausführlich.

This is grammatically correct. The difference is mainly one of emphasis and rhythm:

• Die Beratung im Krankenhaus war sehr ausführlich.
  → Slightly stronger focus on “the consultation in the hospital” as one unit.
• Die Beratung war im Krankenhaus sehr ausführlich.
  → Slightly more focus on “in the hospital it was very thorough” (e.g. compared to somewhere else).

Both are fine in normal conversation.

What’s the difference between Beratung and Beratungsgespräch?

They’re closely related, but not identical:

• die Beratung
  is broader: “advice / counseling / consultation” as a process or service or a specific consultation.

• das Beratungsgespräch
  literally “consultation talk,” i.e. a specific conversation or appointment in which the consultation happens.

Examples:

• Ich hatte gestern eine Beratung im Krankenhaus.
  I had a consultation at the hospital yesterday.
• Ich hatte gestern ein Beratungsgespräch im Krankenhaus.
  I had a (consultation) appointment / conversation at the hospital yesterday.

In many contexts (like a medical or counseling setting), they can be used almost interchangeably, but Beratungsgespräch makes it more explicit that you’re talking about an actual meeting/conversation, not just the general service of giving advice.

Why is it im Krankenhaus and not im Spital in this sentence?

Both are valid German words, but they’re regional:

• das Krankenhaus – standard in Germany
• das Spital – more common in Austria and parts of Switzerland

So:

• In most of Germany: im Krankenhaus
• In Austria/Switzerland: im Spital

Your sentence is standard for Germany. In Austrian usage, you might often see:

• Die Beratung im Spital war sehr ausführlich.