Dieser Versuch ist schwer.

This attempt is difficult.

Breakdown of Dieser Versuch ist schwer.

• sein: to be
• dieser: this
• schwer: difficult
• der Versuch: the attempt

Questions & Answers about Dieser Versuch ist schwer.

Why is it dieser and not dieses or diesen?

Dieser is the masculine nominative singular form of the demonstrative determiner dies- (this).

• Versuch is a masculine noun: der Versuch.
• In this sentence, Versuch is the subject of the sentence, so it is in the nominative case.
• For a masculine noun in the nominative singular, dies- becomes dieser.

Other forms of dies- for comparison:

• Masculine:
  
  • Nominative: dieser Versuch – this attempt/experiment (as subject)
  • Accusative: diesen Versuch – this attempt/experiment (as direct object)
• Neuter:
  
  • Nominative/Accusative: dieses Problem – this problem
• Feminine:
  
  • Nominative/Accusative: diese Frage – this question
• Plural (all genders):
  
  • Nominative/Accusative: diese Versuche – these attempts/experiments

So in Dieser Versuch ist schwer, dieser is correct because Versuch is masculine and functions as the subject.

What exactly does Versuch mean? Is it “attempt” or “experiment”?

Versuch can mean both, depending on context:

1. Attempt / try

   • Ich mache einen Versuch. – I’ll make an attempt / I’ll give it a try.
   • Ein letzter Versuch. – One last try.

2. (Scientific) experiment

   • Der Physikversuch ist schwer. – The physics experiment is difficult.
   • Im Labor machen wir einen Versuch. – In the lab we are doing an experiment.

Without extra context, Dieser Versuch ist schwer. could be understood as either:

• This attempt is difficult.
• This experiment is difficult.

Usually, the broader context makes it clear which one is meant.

Could I say Dieser Test ist schwer instead? What’s the difference between Versuch and Test?

You can say Dieser Test ist schwer, but the meaning changes slightly:

• Versuch

  • Attempt / try: focusing on trying to do something
  • Experiment: especially in science, lab work, technical experiments
  • More general and can sound a bit more formal or technical in some contexts.

• Test

  • Usually: school tests, exams, assessments, checks
  • Also technical tests (e.g., Ein Produkttest)
  • Often closer to English test in the sense of exam.

So:

• Dieser Versuch ist schwer.
  Could be:

  • This attempt is difficult.
  • This (lab) experiment is difficult.

• Dieser Test ist schwer.
  Very likely:

  • This (school/official) test is hard.

Both are correct German; choose based on what you actually mean.

What’s the difference between schwer and schwierig?

Both can mean difficult, but there are nuances:

1. schwer

   • Literally: heavy
   • Figuratively: hard, tough, difficult
   • Also used for emotional weight: ein schwerer Fehler (a grave mistake), eine schwere Zeit (a hard time)

2. schwierig

   • Only means difficult, complicated, tricky
   • Often stresses complexity rather than effort/weight.

In many cases you can use either:

• Der Test ist schwer.
• Der Test ist schwierig.

Both usually mean The test is difficult.

Subtle difference:

• schwer tends to highlight how hard it feels, how much effort it takes.
• schwierig tends to highlight complexity or how tricky the problem is.

In Dieser Versuch ist schwer., you could very naturally also say:

• Dieser Versuch ist schwierig.

Can schwer here also mean “physically heavy”?

Not in this exact sentence.

In Dieser Versuch ist schwer., schwer clearly describes the difficulty of the Versuch (attempt/experiment), not its physical weight.

To mean physically heavy, you usually need a noun for a concrete, liftable object:

• Dieser Koffer ist schwer. – This suitcase is heavy.
• Dieser Stein ist schwer. – This stone is heavy.

A Versuch is abstract (an attempt or experiment), so schwer here can only mean difficult.

Why is Versuch capitalized?

In German, all nouns are capitalized, regardless of where they appear in the sentence.

• Versuch is a noun (like English attempt or experiment), so it must be written with a capital V.
• This is true even in the middle of a sentence:
  • Der Versuch ist schwer.
  • Wir machen einen Versuch.

Adjectives like schwer are not capitalized unless they are at the beginning of a sentence or used as nouns (e.g., das Schwere, “the difficult thing”).

Why is it schwer and not schwere or schwerer?

In Dieser Versuch ist schwer., schwer is a predicate adjective used after the verb sein (ist).

In German:

• After sein (to be), werden (to become), bleiben (to remain), adjectives usually appear in their base form, without an ending:
  • Der Versuch ist schwer. – The experiment is difficult.
  • Die Aufgabe ist leicht. – The task is easy.
  • Das Problem ist kompliziert. – The problem is complicated.

You add endings like -e, -er, -en, etc. when the adjective directly modifies a noun before it (attributive position):

• der schwere Versuch – the difficult experiment
• ein schwerer Versuch – a difficult experiment
• diesen schweren Versuch – this difficult experiment (as object)

So:

• Dieser Versuch ist schwer. – predicate adjective, no ending.
• Dieser schwere Versuch ist kompliziert. – attributive adjective (schwere), with ending.

Could I say Der Versuch ist schwer instead of Dieser Versuch ist schwer?

Yes, and both are correct, but they express slightly different things:

• Der Versuch ist schwer.

  • Der = the
  • Refers to the attempt/experiment that is already known from context.
  • More neutral: simply The experiment is difficult.

• Dieser Versuch ist schwer.

  • Dieser = this
  • Points more strongly to this specific attempt/experiment, often contrasting it with others:
    • Maybe there are several experiments, and you mean this one (not the others) is hard.

So dieser is more “pointing” or “demonstrative”, like when you’re indicating something with your finger.

How would I say “These attempts/experiments are difficult”?

For the plural, you need:

• Noun: die Versuche – the attempts/experiments
• Demonstrative: diese – these (plural, all genders in nominative/accusative)
• Verb: sind – are
• Adjective: schwer (base form, since it’s after sein)

So:

• Diese Versuche sind schwer. – These attempts/experiments are difficult.

How do I say “This attempt is difficult for me”?

You can extend the original sentence with für mich:

• Dieser Versuch ist schwer für mich. – This attempt is difficult for me.

Word by word:

• Dieser Versuch – this attempt/experiment (subject)
• ist – is
• schwer – difficult
• für mich – for me (mich is the accusative form of ich)

The word order here is very natural and standard.

How would dieser change after a preposition like “in” or “bei”? For example: “in this experiment”.

Prepositions in German affect the case, which changes the form of dieser.

For in this experiment, you typically use dative (location), so:

• in diesem Versuch – in this experiment

Key masculine forms of dieser:

• Nominative: dieser Versuch – this experiment (as subject)
• Accusative: diesen Versuch – this experiment (as direct object)
• Dative: diesem Versuch – in/with/from this experiment
• Genitive: dieses Versuchs – of this experiment

Examples:

• In diesem Versuch messen wir die Temperatur. – In this experiment we measure the temperature.
• Bei diesem Versuch braucht man Hilfe. – You need help for this experiment.

How do you pronounce Versuch and dieser?

Approximate pronunciation (standard German):

• Versuch: [fer-ZUːCH]

  • V is pronounced like an English f.
  • Stress on the second syllable: -such.
  • The u is long: like “oo” in food, but a bit shorter.
  • The final ch is a voiceless velar fricative , similar to the ch in Scottish loch or German Bach.

• dieser: [DEE-zer]

  • ie is pronounced like a long English ee (as in see).
  • Stress on the first syllable: die-.
  • The s between vowels is voiced like English z.

Put together:

• Dieser Versuch ist schwer. ≈ DEE-zer fer-ZUːCH ist schvɛːr
  (with schwer having schv- and a long e).

Is the word order fixed, or can I say Schwer ist dieser Versuch?

Both are grammatically correct, but they sound different:

1. Dieser Versuch ist schwer.

   • Neutral, standard word order: Subject – Verb – Complement.
   • Very natural in everyday speech and writing.

2. Schwer ist dieser Versuch.

   • Inverted order, putting emphasis on schwer (difficult).
   • Sounds more dramatic, stylistic, poetic, or like spoken emphasis:
     • Similar to English: Difficult is this experiment.

In ordinary conversation and normal writing, Dieser Versuch ist schwer. is the default form. Use Schwer ist dieser Versuch. only for special emphasis or stylistic effect.

Why is it ist and not ist es, and can I say Es ist schwer, diesen Versuch zu machen?

In Dieser Versuch ist schwer., the subject is already clear: Dieser Versuch.
So you don’t need an extra es (“it”). You just say:

• Dieser Versuch ist schwer. – This experiment is difficult.

Es is often used as a dummy/placeholder subject, especially when:

• The real subject is an infinitive clause or something that comes later in the sentence.

Your alternative sentence is correct and common:

• Es ist schwer, diesen Versuch zu machen.
  – It is difficult to do this experiment.

Here:

• Es is a dummy subject.
• The real content is the clause diesen Versuch zu machen (to do this experiment).

Both structures are idiomatic, but they are slightly different styles:

• Dieser Versuch ist schwer. – Focuses on the experiment being difficult.
• Es ist schwer, diesen Versuch zu machen. – Focuses on the action (doing it) being hard.