Der Plan ist machbar.

The plan is feasible.

Breakdown of Der Plan ist machbar.

• sein: to be
• der Plan: the plan
• machbar: manageable

Questions & Answers about Der Plan ist machbar.

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

In German, every noun has a grammatical gender that you simply have to learn with the noun.

Plan is masculine in German, so it takes the masculine definite article der in the nominative singular:

• der Plan – the plan (masculine, singular)
• die Pläne – the plans (plural)

There is no logical reason why it’s der instead of die or das; it’s just part of the word’s dictionary entry:

• der Plan, die Pläne

Why isn’t machbar inflected here (no -e, -en, etc.)?

Machbar is a predicate adjective here, used after the verb sein (ist).

German adjectives are:

• inflected (get endings) when they come directly before a noun:
  
  • ein machbarer Plan – a feasible plan
  • der machbare Plan – the feasible plan
• uninflected (no endings) when used after sein, werden, bleiben, etc.:
  
  • Der Plan ist machbar. – The plan is feasible.
  • Der Plan bleibt machbar. – The plan remains feasible.

So after ist, the correct form is the bare adjective machbar with no ending.

What exactly does machbar mean, and how is it different from möglich?

Both machbar and möglich can be translated as possible, but they have slightly different nuances:

• machbar – literally doable, feasible, practicable
  It focuses on whether something can realistically be carried out in practice.

  • Der Plan ist machbar. – The plan is feasible / can be carried out.

• möglich – possible in a broader, more general sense
  It can be about theoretical possibility as well as practical.

  • Der Plan ist möglich. – The plan is possible. (Not necessarily saying it’s realistic or practical.)

In many contexts they overlap, but:

• machbar = emphasizes practical feasibility.
• möglich = emphasizes (often more theoretical) possibility.

What is the structure of Der Plan ist machbar grammatically?

The sentence has a very simple structure:

• Der Plan – subject (nominative, masculine singular)
• ist – verb (sein, 3rd person singular, present tense)
• machbar – predicate adjective

This is a basic “subject + sein + adjective” structure, equivalent to English “The plan is feasible.”

Where does the word machbar come from? What does the ending -bar mean?

Machbar is formed from:

• the verb machen – to do, to make
• the suffix -bar – roughly -able in English

So machbar literally means do-able / make-able.

This verb + -bar pattern is very productive in German, similar to English verb + -able:

• essen → essbar – to eat → edible
• sehen → sichtbar – to see → visible
• trinken → trinkbar – to drink → drinkable
• verstehen → verständlich (different suffix) but conceptually similar: understandable

So when you see -bar, you can often think “-able” in English.

Could I also say Der Plan kann gemacht werden? Is it the same meaning?

Der Plan kann gemacht werden is grammatically correct, but the nuance is slightly different:

• Der Plan ist machbar.

  • Short, idiomatic, and sounds very natural.
  • Focus: the plan is feasible / doable in general.

• Der Plan kann gemacht werden.

  • More literal: The plan can be made.
  • Grammatically: kann (can) + passive infinitive gemacht werden.
  • It sounds more awkward or specific and less idiomatic in many contexts.

In everyday German, to express feasibility, Der Plan ist machbar is much more natural than Der Plan kann gemacht werden.

Could I say Der Plan ist gemacht? How is that different from Der Plan ist machbar?

They mean very different things:

• Der Plan ist machbar.

  • The plan is doable/feasible.
  • You are judging whether it can be carried out.

• Der Plan ist gemacht.

  • The plan is made / has been made / is finished.
  • This describes a completed result, similar to a passive perfect idea.
  • It implies that the process of planning is already done.

So:

• machbar = about feasibility (can we carry it out?)
• gemacht = about completion (is it already done?)

Can I change the word order to Machbar ist der Plan?

Yes, you can, and it is grammatically correct:

• Machbar ist der Plan.

However, this word order is marked and used for emphasis or a more stylistic / literary effect. It puts the focus on machbar:

• Neutral statement (normal word order):
  
  • Der Plan ist machbar.
• Emphatic / stylistic:
  
  • Machbar ist der Plan, aber teuer. – Feasible the plan is, but expensive.

In everyday speech, the normal order Der Plan ist machbar is far more common.

Why is Plan capitalized?

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

• Der Plan ist machbar.
• Dieser Plan ist gut.
• Ich habe keinen Plan.

So Plan is capitalized simply because it is a noun, not because it’s at the beginning of the sentence or important.

How do you pronounce Der Plan ist machbar?

Approximate pronunciation (in IPA):

• Der – /deːɐ̯/
  
  • Like English day but with a slightly reduced r at the end.
• Plan – /plaːn/
  
  • p as in English, l as in English, long a like in father, clear n.
• ist – /ɪst/
  
  • Like English ist in list without the l.
• machbar – /ˈmaxˌbaːɐ̯/
  
  • mach: m
    • a as in father
      • German ch like the Scottish loch or Bach.
  • bar: like bar in English, but with a long aː and a German r at the end.

Stress:

• Der PLAN ist MACHbar.
  Both Plan and mach (in machbar) carry clear stress; machbar is stressed on the first syllable: MACH-bar.

Could I use ein instead of der, as in Ein Plan ist machbar?

You can say Ein Plan ist machbar, but it changes the meaning:

• Der Plan ist machbar.

  • The plan (a specific, known plan) is feasible.

• Ein Plan ist machbar.

  • A plan is feasible.
  • This is very generic or abstract; it sounds like you are saying “It’s possible to come up with some plan,” not talking about a specific plan you already have.

In most concrete situations where you’re evaluating an existing plan, Der Plan ist machbar is the natural choice.