Es ist schön ODER Sie ist schön? (das Mädchen) Hallo allerseits! I've been studying German for a week now and there's something I want to ask you. In my book, there's this dialogue: A: DER TEE ist ka

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Vítor

Es ist schön ODER Sie ist schön? (das Mädchen) Hallo allerseits! I've been studying German for a week now and there's something I want to ask you. In my book, there's this dialogue: A: DER TEE ist kalt. B: Wie ist der Tee? A: ER ist kalt aber die Tasse... B: Ja, DIE TASSE? A: SIE ist zu klein. I understand from this conversation that you use ER/SIE/ES according to the gender of the thing you're talking about, right? Der Tee => ER , Die Tasse => SIE, Das Restauarant => ES. If you, German native speaker, see a girl that you find beautiful, what would you say? (1) Sie ist sehr schön? (since it's a girl = the real gender) (2) Es ist sehr schön? (since "the girl" translates as DAS Mädchen in German). Would that choice depend on the context? If yes, how? Vielen Dank im Voraus für Ihre Hilfe!

Aug 22, 2016 12:15 PM

Answers · 11

If you just point to a girl you haven't talked about earlier, "sie ist sehr schön" is fine. But it depends on the context insofar as pronouns like "sie" or "es" usually don't just appear from nowhere. In most cases there's some precedent they refer to, so you already have some (grammatical!) gender established. If the precedent is "das Mädchen", I find it pretty normal to use "es" (just like I'd do with "das Kind"): "Siehst du das Mädchen da drüben? Es ist sehr schön."

August 22, 2016

The correct answer is "Sie ist schön". I think it's like in English "She is beautiful". I don't know why German grammar has so many irregularities with articles like your example with "Das Mädchen" but talking about a girl it's "Sie ist...". You just need to learn when to use "Der, Die, das" and it's correct usage of "Er, Sie, Es". I think you get used to it if you read a lot of German texts, watch TV shows and stuff like that.

August 22, 2016

I think I can answer even though I am not German? :) The first (1) answer is right, because when you talk about people, you use words she/he (she = sie, he = er). The second (2) answer would be translated as: "It is so pretty", and you wouldn't say that in English either, would you? Hope I was able to help you. :)

August 22, 2016

Wow! All that in a week? You are quite the fast learner! Duolingo has done me no justice in grammar and I can hardly retain the vocabulary. Taking a step up with websites like this and some online classes at my school. Hope you are having fun because I am. German is amazing and gorgeous!

November 30, 2016

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