German Phrase
Ist es das kleine Café oder das große?
Meaning
The speaker is asking for clarification which of two cafés is being referred to – the small one or the big one. It is a neutral‑gender question because "Café" is neuter in German.
When to use
Use this sentence when you see two cafés side by side, on a map, or in a conversation and need to know which one the other person means. It works in casual settings (friends choosing a place) as well as in more formal contexts (tour guides, hotel staff).
✦Grammar Breakdown
IstesdaskleineCaféoderdasgroße?
Verb "sein" (to be)
"Ist" is the 3rd person singular present form of "sein" and is used for questions with the subject after the verb.
Pronoun "es"
"es" is a neutral pronoun that stands in for a previously mentioned or visible object.
Definite article with neuter nouns
"Café" is neuter in German, so the correct article is "das" in the nominative case.
Adjective declension after definite article
When an adjective follows a definite article in the nominative neuter singular, it takes the weak ending "-e" (kleine, große).
Coordinating conjunction "oder"
"oder" means "or" and links two noun phrases of the same grammatical case.
🗨In Conversation
Ist es das kleine Café oder das große?
Is it the small café or the big one?
Es ist das große, das direkt an der Ecke liegt.
It’s the big one, the one right on the corner.
✕Common Mistakes
Ist es der kleine Café oder der große?
Café is neuter, so the correct article is "das", not "der".
Ist es das kleiner Café oder das großer?
After a definite article the adjective takes the weak ending "-e", not the strong "-er".
Ist es das kleine Café oder das großes?
The adjective must agree with the noun in case, gender, and number; "große" is correct in nominative neuter singular.
↔Alternatives
Ist das kleine Café oder das große?
Is it the small café or the big one?
Handelt es sich um das kleine oder das große Café?
Are we talking about the small or the big café?
Welches Café meinst du, das kleine oder das große?
Which café do you mean, the small one or the big one?
Cultural Tip
In German, many nouns borrowed from French, like "Café," keep their original gender – neuter. This influences the article and adjective endings. Also, Germans often use the neutral pronoun "es" to refer to objects, even when the object is physically present, which can feel a bit formal to learners.