Answer Question
Das / Es usage for "it"
I am currently working through level 1 of the Fluenz German program. Recently, I have fallen into a bit of confusion with der/die/das being used as personal pronouns representing "it." For example, "Wie ist dieses Restaurant? Ist das schön?" In this context, das means it(n). But why isn't that sentence written as "Ist es schön?" When should one use das instead of es and vice versa? In another situation, one might say a phrase such as, "Es ist drei Uhr." It is clear that die and der would be offensive when being used as personal pronouns referring to people. But it appears to be acceptable to say, "Wie ist diese Straße? Ist sie schön?" Is using der/die/das as "it" considered slang? Thanks in advance!!