a unit used to state a temperature
Natural examples
Heute sind es draußen zwanzig Grad.
It is twenty degrees outside today.
In der Nacht fällt die Temperatur auf fünf Grad.
At night, the temperature drops to five degrees.
Das Wasser hat ungefähr dreißig Grad.
The water is about thirty degrees.
Usage note
For temperatures, Grad is normally used after numbers without a plural ending. People often simply say 20 Grad; if the scale matters, they say 20 Grad Celsius.
Useful combinations
Common mistake
zwanzig Grade
zwanzig Grad
For specific temperatures, the unchanged form Grad is normally used after a number.
das Grad
der Grad
The noun Grad is masculine and takes the article der.
Mini-lesson: Degrees for temperatures
Learn the word with its article: der Grad. For specific temperatures, the form after a number is usually Grad: fünf Grad, zwanzig Grad, minus zwei Grad. Celsius specifies the temperature scale more precisely.
Check your learning
Choose one answer.Which form is correct for a temperature?