Der Film ist ernst.

The movie is serious.

Breakdown of Der Film ist ernst.

• sein: to be
• der Film: the film
• ernst: seriously

Questions & Answers about Der Film ist ernst.

Why does Film use der and not die or das?

In German, every noun has a grammatical gender: masculine, feminine, or neuter.

• Film is grammatically masculine, so it takes the article der in the nominative singular.
• You just have to learn the gender with the word: der Film (the film/movie), die Stadt (the city), das Buch (the book).

In the plural, the article would change: die Filme (the films/movies).

Why is Film capitalized?

All nouns in German are capitalized, regardless of their position in the sentence.

• Der Film ist ernst. – Film is a noun → capitalized.
• Der alte Film ist ernst. – Film is still a noun → capitalized.

Adjectives and verbs are not capitalized (unless they start the sentence or are turned into nouns), so ernst stays lowercase here.

Why doesn’t ernst have an ending, like ernster or ernste?

In Der Film ist ernst, ernst is used as a predicate adjective (an adjective after a form of sein – to be).

• Predicate adjectives in German do not take any endings:
  • Der Film ist ernst.
  • Die Filme sind ernst.
  • Der Schauspieler ist berühmt.
  • Die Schauspieler sind berühmt.

Adjective endings appear when the adjective stands directly before a noun (attributive position):

• ein ernster Film – a serious film
• der ernste Film – the serious film
• ernste Filme – serious films

So:

• After sein, no ending: ist ernst.
• Before a noun, ending: ein ernster Film.

Why is the word order Der Film ist ernst and not Der Film ernst ist?

German main clauses usually follow the verb-second (V2) rule:

1. Some element in position 1 (here: Der Film)
2. The finite verb (here: ist) in position 2
3. Everything else after that (here: ernst)

So:

• Der Film – first position
• ist – second position (required for main clauses)
• ernst – rest of the sentence

Der Film ernst ist breaks the V2 rule, so it is ungrammatical in normal declarative sentences.

Could I also say Es ist ein ernster Film? What’s the difference?

Yes, you can say Es ist ein ernster Film, but it’s structured differently and has a slightly different feel:

• Der Film ist ernst.

  • Focus: the state/quality of this particular film → The film is serious in tone.
  • ernst is a predicate adjective (after ist, no ending).

• Es ist ein ernster Film.

  • Structure: Es ist + [article] + [adjective] + [noun].
  • Focus: classifying or describing what kind of film it is → It’s a serious film (as opposed to a comedy, action film, etc.).
  • ernster is an attributive adjective modifying Film, so it takes the ending -er after ein.

Both are correct; context decides which sounds more natural. Very often you might hear:

• Es ist ein ernster Film, kein lustiger. – It’s a serious film, not a funny one.

Why is it ist and not ist ein or something longer?

The verb sein (to be) links the subject to a complement:

1. If the complement is a noun, you often get a form of ein/der etc.:

   • Der Film ist eine Komödie. – The film is a comedy.
   • Der Film ist ein Drama.

2. If the complement is an adjective, you do not use ein/der:

   • Der Film ist ernst. – The film is serious.
   • Der Film ist langweilig. – The film is boring.

Here, ernst is not a noun; it’s an adjective. So you just say ist ernst, without ein.

How would this sentence change in the plural?

Plural changes both the article and the verb:

• Singular: Der Film ist ernst. – The film is serious.
• Plural: Die Filme sind ernst. – The films are serious.

Notice:

• der Film → die Filme
• ist → sind
• ernst stays the same (predicate adjective, no ending in either singular or plural).

What’s the difference between ernst and ernsthaft?

Both relate to seriousness, but they’re used somewhat differently:

• ernst

  • Describes the mood, tone, or character of something:
    
    • Der Film ist ernst. – The film has a serious tone.
    • Er meint es ernst. – He is serious about it.
  • Common for things that are not funny/light-hearted.

• ernsthaft

  • Often means genuine, in earnest, not superficial:
    
    • eine ernsthafte Diskussion – a serious, in-depth discussion
    • eine ernsthafte Beziehung – a serious relationship
  • With films, ein ernsthafter Film sounds more like a film that deals seriously (in a meaningful way) with something rather than simply not funny.

For a film that simply isn’t humorous or light, ernst is the most straightforward choice: Der Film ist ernst.

How do you pronounce Film and ernst correctly?

Rough guidance for English speakers:

• Film

  • The F is like English f.
  • The i is a short vowel, like in sit, not like in time.
  • The lm is similar to English film, but the word is usually just one quick syllable: [fɪlm].

• ernst

  • The e is more like the e in bed, not like ear.
  • rns clusters together: you sort of glide from r to n.
  • st at the end stays [st], not [ʃt] (the [ʃt] sound for st is at the beginning of words like stehen).
  • Roughly: [ɛʁnst] – one syllable, a bit like “air-nst” but shorter and tighter.

Listening to native speakers say ernst and repeating is the most helpful.

Could I say Ernst ist der Film? Does that mean the same thing?

Ernst ist der Film is grammatically possible but unusual and very marked in everyday speech.

• Normal, neutral sentence: Der Film ist ernst.
• Ernst ist der Film sounds poetic, literary, or like you’re using ernst as a theme or contrast:
  • For example, in a stylized text:
    
    • Lustig ist das Leben, ernst ist der Film.
      – Life is funny, the film is serious.

So yes, it can mean the same core thing, but the word order strongly emphasizes ernst and feels stylized, not like normal conversation.