Answers
May 11, 2016 - 09:28 AM
'Der Kaffee ist gut' is generally enough but to be more specific as in talking about the cup in front of you 'Dieser Kaffee ist gut".
May 11, 2016 - 10:46 PM
But how do you make the distinction between this and that?
For example, if I was to read "Wo ist diese Bushaltestelle?" I could interpret it as "where is this bus station" or "where is that bus station". In the workout, diese in "Wo ist diese Bushaltestelle" is interpreted as "that", but what makes it "that" and not "this"?
Another, perhaps better example, is "Ist dieser Kaffee groß oder klein" - "Is this coffee big or small?" or is it "Is that coffee big or small?
For example, if I was to read "Wo ist diese Bushaltestelle?" I could interpret it as "where is this bus station" or "where is that bus station". In the workout, diese in "Wo ist diese Bushaltestelle" is interpreted as "that", but what makes it "that" and not "this"?
Another, perhaps better example, is "Ist dieser Kaffee groß oder klein" - "Is this coffee big or small?" or is it "Is that coffee big or small?
May 14, 2016 - 05:03 PM
Dieser Kaffee refers to the coffee you are pointing at
Jun 04, 2016 - 08:16 PM
I think Dies is "this", and the different forms all refer to this. Dieser, Dieses, Diese all forms of "this"
Jun 06, 2016 - 08:54 PM
It can be translated as either one. As woodjc said, it's the one you're pointing at or obviously referring to. There are a few places where English makes distinctions that German doesn't, or has more than one word where German only has one, and that's one of them (notice that last phrase could have been written "this is one of them" just as easily, and made just as much sense) :)