Es sind zwanzig Grad.

to be

Breakdown of Es sind zwanzig Grad.

• der Stuhl: the chair
• zwanzig: twenty
• der Grad: the degree as a unit of temperature or angle

Questions & Answers about Es sind zwanzig Grad.

Why is it sind and not ist?

Because zwanzig Grad is treated as a plural idea grammatically, so the verb usually agrees with it: Es sind zwanzig Grad.

For a learner, Es sind zwanzig Grad is the safest standard form to use. You may sometimes hear Es ist zwanzig Grad in casual speech, but sind is the form you should learn first.

What does es mean here?

Here, es does not refer to a specific thing. It is a dummy subject, similar to the it in English sentences like It is cold or It is late.

German often uses es in weather, time, and general condition expressions:

• Es ist kalt.
• Es regnet.
• Es sind zwanzig Grad.

So es is required by the grammar, even though it does not point to anything concrete.

Why is it Grad and not Grade?

In temperature expressions after a number, German normally uses Grad:

• ein Grad
• zwei Grad
• zwanzig Grad

So even though a plural form Grade exists in some contexts, Grad is the normal form when talking about temperature with numbers.

Is Grad automatically understood as Celsius?