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Die braune Tonne ist heute voll.

Die braune Tonne ist heute voll.
The brown bin is full today.
FromLesson 98inHardcore German
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Breakdown of Die braune Tonne ist heute voll.

sein
to be
heute
today
die Tonne
the bin
voll
full
braun
brown

Questions & Answers about Die braune Tonne ist heute voll.

Why is it die Tonne and not der or das?
Because Tonne is a feminine noun in German, so its dictionary form is die Tonne. The gender is grammatical (not “logical”), so you generally have to learn it with the noun: die Tonne.
What does Tonne mean here—doesn’t it also mean ton?
Yes, Tonne can mean a (metric) ton in some contexts, but in everyday German die Tonne very commonly means a trash bin / garbage bin (especially a large wheeled bin). With braune Tonne, it’s specifically the brown organic-waste bin in many German waste-sorting systems.
Why is braun changing to braune?

Because adjectives in German usually take endings when they come before a noun. Here it’s:

  • die (definite article)
  • braune (adjective with ending)
  • Tonne (noun)

With a feminine noun in the nominative after die, the adjective ending is -e → die braune Tonne.

How do I know this is nominative case?
It’s nominative because die braune Tonne is the subject of the sentence (the thing that is full). The verb sein (here ist) links the subject to a description; it doesn’t take a direct object like haben does.
Why is the adjective at the end just voll and not volles or something with an ending?

Because voll here is a predicate adjective (it comes after ist and describes the subject). Predicate adjectives in German typically do not take endings:

  • Die Tonne ist voll. but
  • die volle Tonne (adjective before the noun → ending appears)
Why is heute in the middle of the sentence?

German word order is flexible, but a very common neutral order is: Subject – verb – time – other information So Die braune Tonne ist heute voll is a natural, neutral placement for heute.

Could I also say Heute ist die braune Tonne voll?

Yes. Putting heute first emphasizes the time a bit and is completely normal. The key rule is: in a main clause, the finite verb (ist) stays in second position:

  • Heute (1) ist (2) die braune Tonne … voll
Why is Tonne capitalized?

All nouns in German are capitalized, including common nouns:

  • Tonne, Tag, Haus, etc.
How would I turn this into a yes/no question?

Invert the verb and subject:

  • Ist die braune Tonne heute voll?
Where does nicht go if I want to negate it?

Usually nicht comes right before what it negates. If you’re negating voll, place it before voll:

  • Die braune Tonne ist heute nicht voll. If you want to negate heute specifically (meaning: not today), you might say:
  • Die braune Tonne ist nicht heute voll. (less common; needs context)
How would this change in the plural?

Plural forms:

  • Die braunen Tonnen sind heute voll. Changes:
  • ist → sind
  • adjective ending: braune → braunen (nominative plural after die)
  • Tonne → Tonnen
Is voll the most natural word, or would Germans say something else?

Voll is very natural for bins/containers. Depending on context, you might also hear:

  • Die braune Tonne ist schon voll. (already full)
  • Die braune Tonne ist bis oben voll. (full to the top)
  • Die braune Tonne ist übervoll. (overfilled)

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