Der Hund ist fett.

The dog is fat.

Breakdown of Der Hund ist fett.

• sein: to be
• der Hund: the dog
• fett: bold

Questions & Answers about Der Hund ist fett.

Why is it der Hund and not die Hund or das Hund?

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

• Hund is masculine, so in the nominative case (here, as the subject), it takes the article der.
• Feminine nouns would use die, and neuter nouns would use das in the nominative.

You simply have to learn the gender together with each noun:

• der Hund (masc.) – the dog
• die Katze (fem.) – the cat
• das Pferd (neut.) – the horse

Why is Hund capitalized?

In German, all nouns are capitalized, no matter where they appear in the sentence.

So you write:

• Der Hund ist fett.
• Ich sehe den Hund.

Even in the middle of a sentence, Hund stays capitalized because it is a noun. Adjectives like fett and verbs like ist are not capitalized (unless they begin a sentence or are part of a title).

Why doesn’t fett have an ending, like fetter or fette?

Because in this sentence fett is used after the verb sein (to be), as a predicate adjective:

• Der Hund ist fett. – The dog is fat.

When an adjective comes after sein, it usually stays in its basic form (no gender or case endings):

• Die Katze ist klein. – The cat is small.
• Das Haus ist groß. – The house is big.

Adjective endings (like -e, -er, -en) appear mainly when the adjective is in front of the noun:

• Der fette Hund – the fat dog
• Ein fetter Hund – a fat dog
• Die fette Katze – the fat cat

What’s the difference between fett and dick?

Both can be translated as fat, but they are used slightly differently:

• fett

  • Literally: fatty/greasy (high in fat).
  • For food: fettes Essen = fatty food.
  • For living beings: ein fetter Hund = a very fat dog; can sound strong, blunt or insulting, especially for people.

• dick

  • More like thick / chubby / fat in shape.
  • For people or animals, dick is often less harsh than fett, though context and tone matter.
  • Example: Der Hund ist dick. – The dog is fat/chubby.

For a person, fett usually sounds quite rude, while dick or kräftig, mollig can be softer. For a dog, fett is more acceptable, but still a bit blunt.

Is fett always about body fat, or can it mean something else?

fett has a few common uses:

1. Body fat / very overweight

   • Der Hund ist fett. – The dog is fat (overweight).

2. Greasy / fatty (food)

   • Das Fleisch ist sehr fett. – The meat is very fatty.

3. Slang (mostly younger speakers)

   • Das ist fett! – That’s awesome / great! (informal, slang).

In your sentence, fett clearly refers to the dog’s body weight.

How is ist formed, and what verb is it from?

ist is the 3rd person singular (he/she/it) form of the verb sein (to be). The present tense of sein:

• ich bin – I am
• du bist – you are (informal singular)
• er / sie / es ist – he / she / it is
• wir sind – we are
• ihr seid – you are (informal plural)
• sie sind – they are
• Sie sind – you are (formal singular + plural)

So:

• Der Hund ist fett. – The dog is fat.
  Here der Hund = er (he/it) → er ist.

Can I change the word order and say Fett ist der Hund?

Yes, you can, but it changes the emphasis:

• Der Hund ist fett.

  • Neutral: just stating that the dog is fat.

• Fett ist der Hund.

  • Sounds like: “Fat is what the dog is”, emphasizing fett.
  • It might sound stylistic, poetic, or used in contrast (e.g., Fett ist der Hund, nicht alt. – The dog is fat, not old.)

The usual, neutral order in everyday speech is Subject – Verb – Rest:
Der Hund ist fett.

How would I say “The dogs are fat” in German?

You need to change article, noun, and verb to plural:

• Der Hund ist fett. – The dog is fat.
• Die Hunde sind fett. – The dogs are fat.

Changes:

• der → die (plural article)
• Hund → Hunde (plural noun)
• ist → sind (3rd person plural of sein)

The adjective fett stays the same because it is after sein.

How would I say “A dog is fat” instead of “The dog is fat”?

Use the indefinite article for masculine nominative singular:

• Ein Hund ist fett. – A dog is fat.

So you have:

• Der Hund ist fett. – The dog is fat.
• Ein Hund ist fett. – A dog is fat.

der → definite (the), specific dog
ein → indefinite (a), some dog in general

How do I say “The dog is not fat” in German?

You add nicht (not) in front of the adjective:

• Der Hund ist nicht fett. – The dog is not fat.

Typical pattern with sein:

• Subj. + sein + nicht + adjective
  
  • Der Hund ist nicht alt. – The dog is not old.
  • Die Katze ist nicht klein. – The cat is not small.

Why is Hund pronounced with a t-like sound at the end, not a clear d?

In standard German pronunciation, a written b, d, g at the end of a word is usually pronounced as [p], [t], [k]:

• Hund is pronounced approximately like [hunt].
• Rad (bike) → [ʁaːt].
• Tag (day) → [taːk].

When a d comes before a vowel in the next syllable, it sounds like a normal d:

• Hunde (dogs) → [ˈhʊndə] (clear d in the middle).

So:

• Hund → [hunt]
• Hunde → [hunde]

Is there any grammar “case” involved in Der Hund ist fett?

Yes. Der Hund is in the nominative case, because it is the subject of the sentence—the thing that “is” something.

Key points:

• Subject → nominative case.
• Masculine nominative singular article: der.

If you change the role of Hund in the sentence, the article changes:

• Ich sehe den Hund. – I see the dog. (den = masculine accusative)
• Ich gebe dem Hund Futter. – I give the dog food. (dem = masculine dative)

In Der Hund ist fett, we stay with the simple nominative form: der Hund.