German Level 1 Study Guide

Rosetta Stone
Study Guide
German Level 1
Study Guide
German Level 1
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SG-DEU-L1.indd 1
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Study Guide
German Level 1
TRS-SG-DEU1-2.1
ISBN 978-1-58022-016-3
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German I SG TOC
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11:36 AM
Page 1
Contents
Introduction ................................................................................i
The Alphabet ……………………………………………………………… ii
Pronunciation ……………………………………………………………… iii
Special Letter Combinations ……………………………………………… iv
Syllables and Stress ………………………………………………………… v
Punctuation ………………………………………………………………… v
Cognates …………………………………………………………………… v
Greetings and Farewells …………………………………………………… v
Titles………………………………………………………………………… vi
Polite Phrases ……………………………………………………………… vi
Days of the Week ………………………………………………………… vii
Months …………………………………………………………………… vii
Unit One
1-01
1-02
1-03
1-04
1-05
1-06
1-07
Nouns and Prepositions …………………………………………… 1
Verbs: The Present Tense…………………………………………… 2
Adjectives…………………………………………………………… 3
The Numbers: One–Ten …………………………………………… 4
Singular and Plural of Nouns; Present Tense …………………… 5
Numbers and Clock Time ………………………………………… 6
Questions and Answers; Personal Pronouns; Present
Tense of sein ……………………………………………………… 7
1-08 Food; Eating and Drinking; Direct Objects …………………… 10
1-09 Clothing; Direct Objects; Negation …………………………… 12
1-10 Interrogative Pronouns: Who, What, Where, Which; Adjectives 14
Unit Two
2-01
2-02
2-03
2-04
2-05
2-06
2-07
2-08
2-09
More Verbs: Present Tense ……………………………………… 15
People and Animals ……………………………………………… 17
Big and Small; Nouns and Adjectives…………………………… 18
Shapes and Colors; Adjectives; Comparison …………………… 19
Left and Right …………………………………………………… 21
Negating Verbs …………………………………………………… 24
Subjects linked by and …………………………………………… 25
More Prepositions ………………………………………………… 26
Head, Face, Hands, and Feet; Genitive Case; Possessive
Pronouns ………………………………………………………… 29
2-10 Verbs: Present, Present Perfect, and Future …………………… 31
German I SG TOC
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11:36 AM
Page 2
Unit Three
3-01
3-02
3-03
3-04
3-05
3-06
3-07
3-08
3-09
3-10
Using Adjectives to Describe People …………………………… 34
Quantities and their Relationship to One Another …………… 35
More Clothing …………………………………………………… 36
Inside and Outside; Prepositions ……………………………… 37
More Colors and Numbers ……………………………………… 38
Animals; Real, Not Real ………………………………………… 39
Adjectives: Characteristics of Humans and Animals…………… 40
Professions, Conditions and Activities; Descriptive Adjectives 41
Body Parts and Pictures ………………………………………… 42
Clock Time, Time of Day ………………………………………… 43
Unit Four
4-01
4-02
4-03
4-04
4-05
4-06
4-07
4-08
4-09
4-10
Questions and Answers; Present Tense ………………………… 44
Open, Closed, Together, Apart, Straight, Bent ………………… 45
Numbers: One–One Hundred…………………………………… 46
People Talking …………………………………………………… 48
Coming and Going ……………………………………………… 50
Various Verbs; The Conjunction während ……………………… 52
Family Relationships ……………………………………………… 54
Everybody, Somebody, Nobody, Anybody ……………………… 56
Vehicles …………………………………………………………… 57
Prepositions and Objects of Prepositions ……………………… 58
Unit Five
5-01
5-02
5-03
5-04
5-05
5-06
5-07
5-08
5-09
5-10
5-11
Addition, Subtraction, Multiplication, and Division …………… 59
Possessive Adjectives …………………………………………… 60
Tenses: Present, Present Perfect and Future …………………… 62
More Numbers …………………………………………………… 64
Direct and Indirect Objects; Objects of Prepositions ………… 65
Hot and Cold ……………………………………………………… 66
Kind of Things …………………………………………………… 67
Furniture, Clothing and Musical Instruments…………………… 68
Few, Many, More, Less ……………………………………………69
More Verbs; Human Gestures and Feelings …………………… 70
Human Conditions and Characteristics ………………………… 71
Unit Six
6-01 Present and Past of sein and haben ……………………………… 73
6-02 Verbs: Present, Present Perfect and Future ……………………… 74
6-03 More Descriptions of People; Demonstrative Pronouns ……… 76
German I SG TOC
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6-04
6-05
6-06
6-07
6-08
6-09
6-10
6-11
11:36 AM
Page 3
Units of Things …………………………………………………… 77
No More; Both, None, Neither–Nor …………………………… 78
Verbs: Present, Past and Present Perfect; Relative Pronouns … 79
Names …………………………………………………………… 81
Verbs: Present, Present Perfect and Future ……………………… 82
More Units of Things……………………………………………… 84
Alone, Crowd, Friends …………………………………………… 85
Professions, Conditions, and Activities ………………………… 86
Unit Seven
7-01
7-02
7-03
7-04
7-05
7-06
7-07
7-08
7-09
7-10
7-11
More Verbs………………………………………………………… 87
More Verbs; Interrogative Pronouns …………………………… 88
Fast and Slow……………………………………………………… 89
Seasons and Times of Day ……………………………………… 90
All, None, Some, Most, Both, Other …………………………… 91
Demonstrative Pronouns; None and Both ……………………… 92
Shapes and Locations; Prepositions; All, Most ………………… 93
Left and Right, Full and Empty ………………………………… 94
Prepositions: Over and Under, etc.……………………………… 95
More Verbs………………………………………………………… 96
Verbs: Present, Present Perfect, and Future …………………… 97
Unit Eight
8-01 Ordinal Numbers ………………………………………………… 99
8-02 Present …………………………………………………………… 100
8-03 Demonstrative Pronouns; Looks Like, Almost All, One,
Others, Most, All………………………………………………… 101
8-04 Space and Geography, Countries ……………………………… 102
8-05 Streets and Sidewalks …………………………………………… 104
8-06 Pets and Clothes; Possessive Pronouns………………………… 105
8-07 Adjectives; Question Words; Comparative and Superlative … 106
8-08 Near and Far; Comparative Forms of Adjectives ……………… 108
8-09 Locations; Prepositions ………………………………………… 109
8-10 Directions ……………………………………………………… 110
8-11 Activities; More Verbs…………………………………………… 112
Appendix A ............................................................................ 113
Appendix B ............................................................................ 115
Index ..................................................................................... 117
German I SG Introduction
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Page i
Introduction
Learning to read, write and speak a foreign language is a cumulative process. The student
begins at a relatively simple starting point, and, with each progressive step, collects additional
knowledge of that language. These pieces of knowledge are like the bricks used to build a
house; each new brick is placed atop another brick until the desired structure is achieved.
The student, like an apprentice bricklayer, needs an understanding of the tools and materials
that will be used before construction begins, as well as explanations of the blueprints as the task
proceeds. This Student Study Guide is designed to accompany the Rosetta Stone program
and will add those explanations and the “whys” and “hows” a student often needs. To begin this
study a few general notes may be helpful to the learner of German and begin to lay a foundation
for all the knowledge that will come. This Introduction covers the following topics:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
The Alphabet
Pronunciation
Special Letter Combinations
Syllables and Stress
Punctuation
Cognates
Greetings and Farewells
Titles
Polite Phrases
Days of the Week
Months
The main body of this Student Study Guide is a written companion to the Rosetta Stone
German 1 computer program. It contains lesson by lesson notes to assist students and teachers
by giving additional information on German grammar, vocabulary, and usage. It can be used in
conjunction with the German 1 Workbook, which gives students practice writing and reinforces
the material they have learned in the computer program.
i
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Page ii
The Alphabet
This table gives the letters of the German alphabet, each one’s German name, and then
notes on how to pronounce the letter.
ii
Letter
German Name
Pronunciation
a
A
ah
b
B
bay
c
C
tsay
d
D
day
e
E
ay
f
g
F
G
eff
gay
h
H
hah
i
I
ee
j
k
l
m
n
o
Y
K
L
M
N
O
yot
kah
ell
emm
enn
oh
p
q(u)
r
s
P
Q(U)
R
S
pay
coo
err
ess
t
u
T
U
tay
oo
father (long)
between hot and hut (short)
ball (B sound)
at the end of a word or syllable: ape (P sound)
before a, o, and u: cat (K sound)
before ä, e, and i: tsar (TS sound)
dog (D sound)
at the end of a word or syllable or before s: ate (T sound)
late (long)
set (short)
finger
gold (hard G sound)
at the end of a word or syllable: K or German ch
hand
after vowels: silent
ski (long)
sit (short)
yes
king (K sound)
million: a brighter sound than mill
mine
nest
boat (long)
between office and come (short)
pine
KV sound
R sound with a trill or a roll in the throat
before a vowel: cause (Z sound)
case (S sound)
tea (T sound)
toot (long)
bush (short)
German I SG Introduction
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Page iii
Letter
German Name
Pronunciation
v
w
x
y
z
V
W
X
Y
Z
fow
vay
iks
ypsilon
tset
folk (F sound)
vine (V sound)
express
ü; closest English sound is book
tsar (TS sound)
ß
ß
es-tset
ä
ö
ü
Ä
Ö
Ü
ah umlaut
oh umlaut
oo umlaut
toss: ß stands for ss, but correct spelling calls for ss in
some words and ß in others; when in doubt, use ss
between cat and set
round lips to say O, but say ay with the tongue
round lips to say u (lute) but say ee (see) with the tongue
If you are using a typewriter that does not have an umlaut (¨), you can use an e after the
vowel instead: ae, oe, and ue stand for ä, ö, and ü. For ß, use ss.
Pronunciation
Formal spoken German has a much closer connection to written German than is the case
with English. In other words, if you hear a word pronounced you have a much greater
probability of figuring out how to spell it, and if you see a word written, it is almost certain
that you can pronounce it correctly.
Single German vowel sounds are quicker and shorter than those in English; they are
not diphthongs, which are drawn out changes in vowel sounds common in English. For
instance, most English vowels have a long sound and then a short sound at the end as
the voice drops in pitch and volume. Try saying “oh” several times. Notice that you put a
short oo sound (as in “shoe”) or w sound at the end.
In German and most other European languages, vowel sounds are pure; that is, they
consist of only one sound. For German, try saying the letter o several times; stop before
you say the oo.
German vowels, like English vowels, can be long or short. Long vowels generally precede
a single consonant, as in das; short vowels generally precede two or more consonants, as
in Hund. Vowels are also long when followed by h, as in gehen (the h is silent), or when
doubled, as in Boot.
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Page iv
Special Letter Combinations
When vowels appear together, they always represent a given sound. The following combinations are diphthongs: au, äu, eu, ai, and ei. That is, they glide from one vowel sound to
another. Note that äu and eu are pronounced the same (oy). So are ai and ei (eye).
au
out
äu
oil
eu
oil
ai
high
ei
high
A sixth common vowel combination is ie. It is not a diphthong, and is always pronounced
ee (flee).
Certain consonant combinations in German also represent special sounds.
ch
ck
dt
ng
ph
ps
sch
sp
st
th
tion
tsch
tz
iv
The sounds these letters represent do not exist in English, so one must practice
them diligently. There are two sounds, each determined by the vowel before
them. If ch follows a “front” vowel (ä, äu, e, ei, eu, i, or ie), pronounce it like
an over-emphasized h, as in hue. This is called an ich-laut. After a “back”
vowel, pronounce ch where you say k, but do not stop the flow of air. We call
this an ach-laut.
back (same as in English)
mat (like a single t)
singer (not like finger)
philosopher (as in English)
ps (pronounce both letters)
ship
at the beginning of a word: shp
at the beginning of a word: sht
Thomas (like a single t)
tsee-ohn
tsh (as in catch and teach)
sits
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Page v
Syllables and Stress
Native German words are generally stressed on the first syllable unless they have an unstressed prefix (like ver- or be-). Words that have been borrowed from a foreign language,
however, sometimes reflect the patterns of their language of origin – and sometimes not.
Be careful with foreign words – they often retain some of their original pronunciation.
Punctuation
Most punctuation in German works the same as in English. Commas are required in a few
more situations in German than in English, for instance, to set off clauses within a sentence.
German quotations look different from English ones. A German quote looks like this:
Christiane sagt: „Guten Morgen.“
Note that the quote begins with a colon rather than a comma, that the beginning quotation
mark is at the bottom of the line of type and faces away from the text being quoted, and
that the ending quotation mark is at the top of the line of type and also faces away from
the text.
You may also see other styles of quotation marks used for German, but these are the ones
used most commonly in Germany.
Cognates
Cognates are words in different languages that go back to a common root. Because
German and English are related, there are literally thousands of cognates. Some are
identical in spelling and meaning: Hand, Finger, Arm, Ring. Many more are identical in
meaning and close enough in spelling to be recognized, especially in context.
Montag
Buch
grün
Haus
Monday
book
green
house
German and English have also appropriated thousands of loan words from other languages,
especially French, Latin, and Greek. German has a host of borrowed verbs that end in
-ieren: studieren, marschieren, etc.
Greetings and Farewells
There are several ways to greet someone in German. By and large, German-speaking
people are very formal and polite. While Germans have grown less formal in the last fifty
years, it is better to err on the side of formality. Use a formal greeting the first time you
meet or are introduced to someone.
v
German I SG Introduction
4/5/06
Formal
Guten Morgen!
Guten Tag!
Guten Abend!
Gute Nacht!
11:33 AM
Page vi
Informal
Morgen!
Tag!
Abend!
Wie geht es Ihnen?
Wie geht’s?
Es geht mir gut, danke.
Gut, danke.
Es freut mich, Sie kennen zu lernen. Freut mich.
Auf Wiedersehen!
Wiedersehen!
Tschüs!
Auf Wiederhören!
English Equivalent
Good morning.
Good afternoon.
Good evening.
Good night. (Usually used only in
speaking to people sleeping under
the same roof.)
How are you?
Fine, thanks.
Nice to meet you.
Goodbye.
So long.
Goodbye. (This is “goodbye”
on the telephone.)
There are also considerable regional variations – as in every aspect of German language
and culture. A Bavarian may greet you with grüß Gott; a Swabian may take leave with ade.
Titles
Germans have traditionally used titles more extensively than Americans. The most
common are:
Herr Schneider
Mr. Schneider
Frau Gerlich
Ms. Gerlich
However, if you are speaking to someone you do not know well but who has a professional
title, say Herr Professor, Frau Doktor, etc.
Note: Fräulein used to be used for unmarried women and young girls, but this has been
dropped. Use Frau as a title for all women and girls. The only current use of Fräulein is
to address a waitress.
Polite Phrases
bitte
bitte schön
danke
danke schön
Entschuldigung
vi
please; you’re welcome
please (emphatic); you’re very welcome
thank you
thank you very much
excuse me
German I SG Introduction
4/5/06
Days of the Week
Montag
Dienstag
Mittwoch
Donnerstag
Freitag
Samstag (Sonnabend)
Sonntag
11:33 AM
Page vii
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
Months
Januar
Februar
März
April
Mai
Juni
Juli
August
September
Oktober
November
Dezember
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
vii
German I SG Text
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Page 1
Substantive und Präpositionen
Nouns and Prepositions
1-01
New Vocabulary
auf
das Auto, -s/-s
der Ball, -(e)s/"-e
das Boot, -(e)s/-e
der Elefant, -en/-en
ein…
das Flugzeug, -(e)s/-e
die Frau, -/-en
der Hund, -es/-e
in
der Junge, -n/-n
die Katze, -/-n
das Mädchen, -s/der Mann, -(e)s/"-er
das Pferd, -(e)s/-e
der Tisch, -es/-e
und
unter
Grammar: Nouns
A noun is the name of a person, place, thing, or idea. German nouns are always capitalized
no matter where they occur in the sentence.
In many languages, nouns have gender. English has three genders: masculine, feminine,
and neuter. Most nouns in English are considered neuter. We use masculine or feminine
only when we know the gender. We use he for masculine, she for feminine, and it for
neuter. Our choice is almost always based on biology.
German assigns a gender to every noun, but not necessarily based on biology.
Mann (man) is masculine, but so is Tisch (table). Frau (woman) is feminine, but so is Tür
(door). Auto is neuter, but so is Mädchen (girl). Actually, all nouns with the suffix -chen are
neuter, no matter what they mean, because -chen makes the noun it’s added to diminutive.
Most words for males are masculine and most words for females are feminine. However,
it is easier if you regard German gender as grammatical rather than biological and simply
learn the gender as part of the noun.
Grammar: Indefinite Articles
English has two forms of the indefinite article: a and an. An is used before words that begin
with a vowel.
In German, use ein for masculine and neuter nouns and eine for feminine nouns.
Masculine
Feminine
Neuter
ein Mann
eine Frau
ein Auto
a man
a woman
a car
ein Tisch
eine Tür
ein Mädchen
a table
a door
a girl
Grammar: Prepositions
A preposition expresses time, manner, or place. It comes before the noun it modifies,
which is why it is called a “pre-position.” Prepositions always introduce a phrase, called
a prepositional phrase. Many German prepositions are cognates to English prepositions;
they go back to a common root and sound or look alike.
eine Frau in einem Auto
ein Junge unter einem Flugzeug
a woman in a car
a boy under an airplane
1
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Page 2
Verben: Präsens
Verbs: The Present Tense
1-02
New Vocabulary
dem
fällt (fallen)
der Fisch,-(e)s/-e
fliegt (fliegen)
geht (gehen)
gehen
hinterher
läuft (laufen)
laufen
liest (lesen)
rennt (rennen)
schwimmt
(schwimmen)
springt (springen)
springen
der Stier, -(e)s/-e
tanzt (tanzen)
tanzen
der Vogel, -s/"-
Grammar: Definite Articles
Definite articles are used to introduce a noun. English has one definite article, “the.”
German has three forms of the definite article. They express the gender of the noun.
Masculine
der
der Mann
der Tisch
Feminine
die
die Frau
die Tür
Neuter
das
das Auto
das Mädchen
Note: die is also used for all plural nouns.
Grammar: The Present Tense
The present tense in German fills the role of several tenses in English, since German has
no present progressive nor present emphatic tenses.
Das Mädchen geht.
2
The girl goes.
The girl does go.
The girl is going.
Simple present
Present emphatic
Present progressive
German I SG Text
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Page 3
Adjektive
Adjectives
1-03
New Vocabulary
alt…
blau…
gelb…
hat (haben)
das Haar, -(e)s/-e
das Haus, -es/"-er
ist (sein)
jung…
kurz…
lang…
neu…
rosa
rot…
schwarz…
weiß…
Grammar: Adjectives
Adjectives describe people or things. Attributive adjectives give nouns certain attributes.
These can be colors, sizes, amounts, physical or mental conditions, or any word that tells
us more about a noun.
Adjectives that appear after a form of the verb “to be” are called predicate adjectives.
Der Fisch ist rot.
ein roter Fisch
der rote Fisch
The fish is red.
a red fish
the red fish
Predicate adjective
Attributive adjective
Attributive adjective
Das Auto ist blau.
ein blaues Auto
das blaue Auto
The car is blue.
a blue car
the blue car
Predicate adjective
Attributive adjective
Attributive adjective
Die Frau ist alt.
eine alte Frau
die alte Frau
The woman is old.
an old woman
the old woman
Predicate adjective
Attributive adjective
Attributive adjective
German adjectives that appear before a noun take different endings based on the gender,
number, and case of the noun they modify. (You will learn about number and case in the
following lessons.)
Predicate adjectives, however, do not take different endings.
3
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Page 4
Die Zahlen: eins–zehn
The Numbers: One–Ten
1-04
New Vocabulary
null
eins
zwei
drei
vier
fünf
sechs
sieben
acht
neun
zehn
Usage: eins, ein, and eine
In German, the number one is eins. This is very similar to the indefinite articles ein and
eine. Use eins when counting; use ein or eine before a noun to mean either “a(n)” or “one.”
4
Definite article
Indefinite article
der Hund
the dog
ein Hund
a dog
one dog
die Blume
the flower
eine Blume
a flower
one flower
das Kind
the child
ein Kind
a child
one child
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Page 5
Substantive im Singular und Plural; Verben im Präsens
Singular and Plural of Nouns; Present Tense
1-05
New Vocabulary
das Auge, -s/-n
das Baby, -s/-s
die Blume, -/-n
das Ei, -(e)s/-er
das Fahrrad, -(e)s/"-er
die Frau, -/-en
der Hund, -(e)s/-e
das Kind, -(e)s/-er
mehrer…
singt (singen)
singen
sind (sein)
sitzt (sitzen)
sitzen
der Vogel, -s/"-
Grammar: Singular and Plural
Singular means one. Plural means more than one. Whether a word is singular or plural is
called number.
Most English nouns form their plural with -s or -es.
kite
car
box
kites
cars
boxes
There are also irregular plurals in English.
goose
sheep
ox
geese
sheep
oxen
German has five ways to form plural nouns. Notice the similarities to the English irregular
plurals given above.
Singular
Plural
1. add -e
das Pferd
die Pferde
2. add -er
das Kind
die Kinder
3. no ending
der Teller
die Teller
4. add -en
or -n
die Frau
die Blume
die Frauen
die Blumen
5. add -s
das Auto
die Autos
Remember that the definite article for all plural nouns, regardless of gender, is die.
Some nouns in the first three groups also add an umlaut (¨) when forming the plural.
der Mann
die Männer
For each new noun, you will need to learn its gender and its plural form.
5
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Page 6
Zahlen und Uhrzeiten
Numbers and Clock Time
1-06
New Vocabulary
dreißig
es
fährt (fahren)
das Fenster, -s/der Finger, -s/-
fünfzehn
hier
das Motorrad, -(e)s/"-er
orange
reitet (reiten)
reiten
der Teller, -s/die Uhr, -/-en
die Zahl, -/-en
zwanzig
Vocabulary: reiten and fahren
Use reiten (to ride) only for horses. Fahren means to ride or drive any mechanical device;
it also means to go by any means other than on foot.
Ein Mädchen reitet auf einem Pferd.
A girl is riding a horse.
(literally, “on a horse”)
Ein Mann fährt auf einem Motorrad.
A man is riding a motorcycle.
(literally, “on a motorcycle”)
Eine Frau fährt nach Berlin.
or
A woman is going to Berlin. (not on foot)
A woman is driving to Berlin.
Usage: Time
To tell time, German uses es ist (it is) + the number that indicates the hour + Uhr (clock).
Es ist zwei Uhr.
Es ist acht Uhr.
It is two o’clock.
It is eight o’clock.
Note: To say, “It is one o’clock,” say “Es ist ein Uhr.” Here ein has no ending.
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Fragen und Antworten; Personalpronomen; Präsens von „sein“
Questions and Answers; Personal Pronouns; Present Tense of sein
1-07
New Vocabulary
dies…
er
grün…
isst (essen)
ja
nein
nicht
sie
Vocabulary: ist and isst
Sein (to be) and essen (to eat) do not sound alike. However, in the present tense, the third
person singular of sein is ist (is), while the third person singular of essen is isst (eats).
Ist and isst sound identical, but the context will let you know which one is meant.
Usage: Forming a Question
In German, a “yes or no” question usually begins with the verb. A short answer would be
simply ja or nein. A longer answer would be ja or nein followed by a sentence.
Ist das Auto weiß?
Is the car white?
Ja.
Ja, das Auto ist weiß.
Yes.
Yes, the car is white.
Nein.
Nein, das Auto ist nicht weiß.
Nein, es ist rot.
No.
No, the car is not white.
No, it is red.
Usage: Forming a Negative
To form a negative, place nicht in front of an adjective.
Sie ist blau.
Sie ist nicht blau.
It is blue.
It is not blue.
Er ist neu.
Er ist nicht neu.
It is new.
It is not new.
Grammar: sein
sein (to be) – present tense
ich bin
wir sind
du bist
ihr seid
er/sie/es ist
sie sind
Sie sind
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Grammar: Personal Pronouns
A pronoun is a word that takes the place of a noun. The following table lists the German
personal pronouns. First person refers to the person(s) speaking, second person to the
person(s) spoken to, and third person to the person(s) spoken of.
The German system is similar to the English one, except that German has three separate
pronouns for the second person while English has only you. The formal form is used with
people you do not know well, while the informal is used with family and close friends.
Person
Singular
Plural
Singular
Plural
1st
2nd informal:
formal:
3rd
ich
du
Sie
er/sie/es
wir
ihr
Sie
sie
I
you
you
he/she/it
we
you
you
they
Remember that er is used for all masculine nouns, even inanimate ones; sie is used for all
feminine nouns, even inanimate ones.
Der Mann ist alt.
Er ist alt.
Der Tisch ist alt.
Er ist alt.
The man is old.
He is old.
The table is old.
It is old.
Die Frau ist alt.
Sie ist alt.
Die Tür ist alt.
Sie ist alt.
The woman is old.
She is old.
The door is old.
It is old.
In German, pronouns take the same gender as the nouns they replace. Remember that this
gender is grammatical, not biological.
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Der Mann hat langes Haar.
Er hat langes Haar.
The man has long hair.
He has long hair.
Der Tisch ist weiß.
Er ist weiß.
The table is white.
It is white. (literally, “He is white.”)
Die Frau springt.
Sie springt.
The woman jumps.
She jumps.
Die Tür ist neu.
Sie ist neu.
The door is new.
It is new. (literally, “She is new.”)
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1-07
Das Kind sitzt.
Es sitzt.
The child sits.
He sits. or She sits. (literally, “It sits.”)
Das Auto ist alt.
Es ist alt.
The car is old.
It is old.
Note that er, sie, and es (he, she, and it) resemble der, die, and das.
Masculine
Feminine
Neuter
Plural
Personal
pronoun
Definite article
er
sie
es
sie
der
die
das
die
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Nahrungsmittel; essen und trinken; Akkusativobjekte
Food; Eating and Drinking; Direct Objects
New Vocabulary
der Apfel, -s/"die Banane, -/-n
die Birne, -/-n
das Brot, -(e)s/-e
die Erdbeere, -/-n
das Fleisch, -es
frisst (fressen)
die Frucht, -/"-e
der Hut, -(e)s/"-e
kein…
die Karotte, -/-n
der Käse, -s/die Kiste, -/-n
der Korb, -(e)s/"-e
die Milch, -/(no plural)
mit
das Nahrungsmittel, -s/ohne
der Orangensaft, -(e)s/"-e
trinkt (trinken)
trinken
die Tomate, -/-n
die Tüte, -/-n
das Wasser, -s/- or "die Weintraube, -/-n
Vocabulary: Compound Words
German uses many compound words.
Orangensaft
orange juice
Orange + Saft
orange + juice
Nahrungsmittel
food
Nahrung + s + mittel
nourishment + means of
Usage: essen and fressen
German uses two different verbs for eating. Essen is used for people, while fressen
is used for animals. The conjugations are identical.
essen and fressen (to eat) – present tense
ich (fr)esse
wir (fr)essen
du (fr)isst
ihr (fr)esst
er/sie/es (fr)isst
sie (fr)essen
Sie (fr)essen
If fressen is used for people, it indicates unusual speed or quantity or bad manners.
It could also be a joke among friends.
Die Frau isst.
The woman is eating.
Der Hund frisst.
The dog is eating.
Der Junge frisst.
The boy is gobbling his food.
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1-08
Usage: nicht and kein
There are two different ways to form a negative in German. Place nicht before an adjective
or adverb or after a verb.
Das Pferd springt nicht.
Das Haus ist nicht alt.
Der Mann ist nicht hier.
The horse is not jumping.
The house is not old.
The man is not here.
To negate a noun with an indefinite article, place a form of kein in front of the noun. Use
kein for masculine and neuter, keine for feminine and plural.
Das
Das
Das
Das
Das
ist ein Tisch.
ist kein Tisch.
ist kein Auto.
ist keine Katze.
sind keine Hunde.
That is a table.
That is not a table. (literally, “That is no table.”)
That is not a car. (literally, “That is no car.”)
That is not a cat. (literally, “That is no cat.”)
Those are not dogs. (literally, “Those are no dogs.”)
To negate a noun with a definite article, use nicht.
Das ist der Tisch.
Das ist nicht der Tisch.
That is the table.
That is not the table.
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Kleidung; Akkusativobjekte; Verneinung
Clothing; Direct Objects; Negation
1-09
New Vocabulary
ander…
beide…
die Badekleidung, -/(no plural)
die Bluse, -/-n
braun…
die Brille, -/-n
einig…
grau…
das Hemd, -(e)s/-en
die Hose, -/-n
die Jeans, -/das Kleid, -es/-er
lila
der Mantel, -s/"das Oberteil, -(e)s/-e
der Regenmantel, -s/"der Rock, -(e)s/"-e
rotweiß…
der Schuh, -(e)s/-e
der Strumpf, -(e)s/"-e
trägt (tragen)
tragen
Vocabulary: lila, rosa
Unlike most other adjectives, lila never changes its ending. Rosa is another such foreign
word ending in -a that doesn’t take an ending. German words do not generally end in -a,
and the normal adjective endings would be awkward.
Vocabulary: Hose, Jeans, Brille
Hose is singular – one pair of pants – unlike the English word “pants,” which is plural.
The English word harks back to the days when pants consisted of two separate legs.
Jeans can be either singular or plural.
Similarly, Brille is singular – one pair of glasses. The English word “glasses” emphasizes
the two lenses.
Wo ist meine Brille?
Where are my glasses?
Grammar: Direct Objects
A direct object is a person or thing that receives the action of a verb. The direct object tells
what or who is being acted upon.
Der Junge trägt einen Hut.
The boy is wearing a hat.
The direct object of the sentence is “hat.” It answers the question, “What is the boy wearing?”
The special form einen is an example of accusative case. It expresses Hut as a direct
object. English, too, has an “objective case” form which appears only in pronouns, such as
“I see him (not he).” However, this case form is much more pronounced in German than in
English, particularly when the noun object is masculine. Note the explanation which follows.
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1-09
Grammar: Case
The way a noun is used in a sentence is called case. The subject of the sentence is in the
nominative case, while the direct object is in the accusative case. German sentences
often indicate case with word order. Standard word order for a German sentence, like an
English sentence, is the subject followed by the verb followed by the direct object.
Der Mann trägt eine Brille.
subject verb direct object
The man is wearing glasses.
subject verb
direct object
In German, there is also a different way to indicate case. The articles der, die, das, ein,
and kein take different endings for different cases. You may have noticed that adjective
endings also vary. This will be treated in detail later.
Masculine nominative
der
Der Mantel ist schwarz.
ein/kein
Ein Mantel ist schwarz.
The coat is black.
A coat is black.
Masculine accusative
den
Die Frau trägt den schwarzen Mantel.
The woman is wearing the black coat.
einen/keinen Die Frau trägt einen schwarzen Mantel.
The woman is wearing a black coat.
Feminine, neuter, and plural articles stay the same in the nominative and accusative cases.
Feminine nominative
die
Die Hose ist rot.
eine/keine
Eine Hose ist rot.
The pants are red.
A pair of pants is red.
Feminine accusative
die
Der Mann trägt die Hose.
eine/keine
Der Mann trägt eine Hose.
The man is wearing the pants.
The man is wearing a pair of pants.
Neuter nominative
das
Das Hemd ist weiß.
ein/kein
Ein Hemd ist weiß.
The shirt is white.
A shirt is white.
Neuter accusative
das
Der Junge trägt das Hemd.
ein/kein
Der Junge trägt ein Hemd.
The boy is wearing the shirt.
The boy is wearing a shirt.
Plural nominative
die
Die Schuhe sind braun.
eine/keine
Keine Schuhe sind braun.
The shoes are brown.
No shoes are brown.
Plural accusative
die
Das Mädchen trägt die Schuhe.
eine/keine
Das Mädchen trägt keine Schuhe.
The girl is wearing the shoes.
The girl isn’t wearing shoes.
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Fragepronomen: wer, was, wo, welche; Adjektive
Interrogative Pronouns: Who, What, Where, Which; Adjectives
1-10
New Vocabulary
die Farbe, -/-n
das Lebensmittel, -/-
macht (machen)
machen
was
wer
welch…
wo
Usage: Questions and Statements about Colors
Use a form of the verb haben (to have) to ask a question about color. Use a form of the
verb sein (to be) to make a statement about color.
Welche Farbe hat das Auto?
What color is the car?
(literally, “Which color has the car?”)
Das Auto ist rot.
The car is red.
Grammar: Forming a Question
All the German question words, or interrogatives, start with w.
wer
was
welcher
wo
who
what
which
where
Note that wo is “where” while wer is “who.”
Was and wo do not take endings. Wer does not change as long as it is the subject of the
sentence (in the nominative case). However, welcher takes different endings that resemble
the endings of the definite article.
The nominative endings are:
Masculine
Feminine
Neuter
Plural (all genders)
welcher
welche
welches
welche
welcher Mann
welche Frau
welches Kind
welche Blumen
which
which
which
which
man
woman
child
flowers
The answer to a question that starts with welcher often contains a form of dieser (this).
Dieser takes exactly the same endings as welcher.
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Weitere Verben: Präsens
More Verbs: Present Tense
2-01
New Vocabulary
am
der Boden, -s/"die Ente, -/-n
etwas
fängt (fangen)
lächelt (lächeln)
die Gans, -/"-e
die Harke, -/-n
lacht (lachen)
jemand…
liegt (liegen)
die Kleidung, -/(no plural) schwimmen
klein…
spricht (sprechen)
schreibt (schreiben)
das Telefon, -s/-e
tritt (treten)
wirft (werfen)
zeigt (zeigen)
Usage: Prepositions
Verbs used in combination with certain prepositions have special meanings. Note that the
preposition used in German is often different from the one used in English.
Die Frau zeigt auf etwas.
The woman is pointing at something.
Die Frau zeigt etwas.
The woman shows something.
Grammar: Verbs
In German there are three categories of verbs: weak, strong, and irregular (or “mixed”).
All weak verbs are regular; they are “too weak to change.” Strong verbs change the vowel
in the stem in the second and third person singular forms; they are “strong enough to
change.” The past participle of weak verbs, which you will learn later with the present
perfect and past perfect verb tenses, always end in -t, whereas the past participle of
strong verbs end in -n. Irregular or mixed verbs mix these two patterns and must simply
be memorized.
Weak verbs take the following endings in the present tense. The endings are added to the
stem. To find the stem, drop the -en ending from the infinitive (the unconjugated form of
the verb), then replace it with the endings shown below.
ich
-e
du
-st
er/sie/es -t
Sie
wir
ihr
sie
-en
-t
-en
-en
An example of a weak verb in this lesson is lachen. To find the stem, take off the -en,
leaving lach-, then add the endings.
lachen (to laugh) – present tense:
ich lache
wir lachen
du lachst
ihr lacht
er/sie/es lacht
sie lachen
Sie lachen
If you have ever read Shakespeare or the King James translation of the Bible, you may
remember forms like “thou laughest” and “she laugheth.” Compare these with the modern
German forms.
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2-01
Some strong verbs in this lesson follow the same regular pattern of conjugation in the
present tense as weak verbs. They are liegen, schreiben, fliegen and schwimmen.
The four examples below show the vowel change in the stem as defined above.
Note how their vowels change only in the second and third person singular.
fahren (to drive) – present tense:
ich fahre
wir fahren
du fährst
ihr fahrt
er/sie/es fährt
sie fahren
Sie fahren
Die Frauen fahren.
The women are driving.
Die Frau fährt.
The woman is driving.
fangen (to catch) – present tense:
ich fange
wir fangen
du fängst
ihr fangt
er/sie/es fängt
sie fangen
Sie fangen
Die Jungen fangen den Ball.
The boys are catching the ball.
Der Junge fängt den Ball.
The boy is catching the ball.
treten (to step, sometimes to kick) – present tense:
ich trete
wir treten
du trittst
ihr tretet
er/sie/es tritt
sie treten
Sie treten
Die Männer treten den Ball.
The men are kicking the ball.
Der Mann tritt den Ball.
The man is kicking the ball.
werfen (to throw) – present tense:
ich werfe
wir werfen
du wirfst
ihr werft
er/sie/es wirft
sie werfen
Sie werfen
Die Mädchen werfen den Ball. The girls throw the ball.
Das Mädchen wirft den Ball.
The girl throws the ball.
Some verbs end in -rn or -In. To derive the stem, just take off the -n; then add the regular
endings. An example in this lesson is lächeln.
lächeln (to smile) – present tense:
ich lächele
wir lächeln
du lächelst
ihr lächelt
er/sie/es lächelt
sie lächeln
Sie lächeln
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Menschen und Tiere
People and Animals
2-02
New Vocabulary
der/die Erwachsene, -n/-n
ein Erwachsener
zwei Erwachsene
die Person, -/-en
das Tier, -(e)s/-e
Grammar: Adjectives Used as Nouns
German frequently uses adjectives as nouns, and, like all other nouns, they must be
capitalized. However, they still take whatever ending they would have taken if they were
being used as ordinary adjectives. Adjective endings are explained in Lessons 2-03
and 2-04.
The adjective erwachsen (grown-up) is used as a noun to mean “an adult.”
Fritz ist erwachsen.
Der Erwachsene ist mit dem Kind.
Ein Erwachsener und zwei Kinder.
Die Frau ist eine Erwachsene.
Fritz is grown up.
The adult is with the child.
An adult and two children.
The woman is an adult.
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Groß und klein; Substantive und Adjektive
Big and Small; Nouns and Adjectives
2-03
New Vocabulary
das Rad, -(e)s/"-er
der Regenschirm, -(e)s/-e
das Schiff, -(e)s/-e
das Sofa, -s/-s
der Fernseher, -s/groß…
die Kiste, -/-n
der Lastwagen, -s/-
das Werkzeug, -(e)s/e
das Zelt, -(e)s/-e
Grammar: Adjective Endings
Adjectives take endings when they come before a noun. The following phrases consist of:
1. some form of ein, 2. an adjective with an ending, and 3. a noun in the nominative case.
ein großer Regenschirm
eine blaue Kiste
ein kleines Rad
a big umbrella
a blue box
a small wheel
Masc. sing.
Fem. sing.
Neut. sing.
(der Regenschirm)
(die Kiste)
(das Rad)
Notice that when ein has no ending, the adjective takes an ending similar to the definite
article for the appropriate gender. For instance, the -er of großer looks like der, the -e of
blaue looks like die, and the -es of kleines looks like das.
When more than one adjective modifies the same noun, they all take the same ending.
ein großes, schwarzes Rad
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a big black wheel
Neut. sing.
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Formen und Farben; Adjektive; Komparation
Shapes and Colors; Adjectives; Comparison
2-04
New Vocabulary
(klein), kleiner, kleinste
der Kreis, -es/-e
das Quadrat, -(e)s/-e
als
das Dreieck, -s/-e
(groß), größer, größte
das Rechteck, -s/-e
Usage: als in Comparisons
Use als for unequal comparisons.
Das grüne Dreieck ist kleiner als der gelbe Kreis.
The green triangle is smaller than the yellow circle.
Grammar: Adjective Endings
In Lesson 2-03 we learned that adjectives take endings when they come before a noun.
Which ending is used depends on the article that precedes the adjective. There are two
categories of endings.
If the article is definite (der, die, or das, or another “der-word”) in the nominative case
(as the subject of the sentence), the adjective ending is -e.
Der blaue Kreis ist kleiner.
Das kleinste Quadrat ist rot.
Die junge Frau hat langes Haar.
If the article is indefinite (ein or eine) in the nominative case, the adjective ending takes
the same ending as the noun’s definite article determined by gender (der, die, or das).
Note the following pattern:
der Kreis
ein roter Kreis
das Quadrat
ein kleines Quadrat
die Kiste
eine große Kiste
Grammar: Degrees of Comparison of Adjectives
Like in English, German uses three degrees of comparison: positive, comparative, and
superlative.
Positive
Das ist ein kleines Quadrat.
That is a small square. (one)
Comparative
Das Quadrat ist kleiner als der Kreis. The square is smaller than
the circle. (two)
Superlative
Das kleinste Quadrat ist rot.
The smallest square is red.
(three or more)
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2-04
One syllable adjectives with a vowel a, o, or u in the stem add an umlaut for the
comparative and superlative.
das lange Rechteck
the long rectangle
Das grüne Rechteck ist länger.
The green rectangle is longer.
Das längste Rechteck ist grün.
The longest rectangle is green.
The adjective groß also adds an umlaut for the comparative and superlative. Because it
already ends in -ß (an S-family sound), it does not add an additional -s for the superlative.
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der große Kreis
the large circle
Der Kreis ist größer.
The circle is larger.
der größte Kreis
the largest circle
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Links und rechts
Left and Right
2-05
New Vocabulary
Achtung
der Becher, -s/darauf
die Gitarre, -/-n
hält (halten)
die Hand, -/"-e
ihr…
das Känguru, -s/-s
die Kuh, -/"-e
link…
links abbiegen
das Mikrofon, -s/-e
oder
das Papier, -s/-e
parken
rund…
das Reh, -(e)s/-e
recht…
rechts abbiegen
der Sänger, -s/die Sängerin, -/-nen
spielt (spielen)
der Stift, -(e)s/-e
verboten (verbieten)
das Zeichen, -s/wenden
zeigen
Vocabulary
Many masculine nouns that end in -er indicate an activity or occupation and have a
feminine form that ends in -erin.
der Sänger
die Sängerin
the male singer
the female singer
Usage: Left and Right
Links (to the left) and rechts (to the right) are adverbs. Links abbiegen means “to turn
to the left,” while rechts abbiegen means “to turn to the right.” Written as one word and
capitalized, these words become nouns.
Linksabbiegen ist verboten.
Turning left is forbidden.
Link- (left) and recht- (right) are adjectives, and take the normal adjective endings.
der linke Arm
die linke Hand
das linke Auge
the left arm
the left hand
the left eye
Masc. sing. nominative
Fem. sing. nominative
Neut. sing. nominative
der rechte Arm
die rechte Hand
das rechte Auge
the right arm
the right hand
the right eye
Masc. sing. nominative
Fem. sing. nominative
Neut. sing. nominative
Usage: Possessive Adjectives
Remember that feminine nouns can be replaced by the personal pronoun sie (she). The
corresponding possessive adjective is ihr (her).
Die Frau hat einen Ball.
Sie hat einen Ball.
Sie hat einen Ball in ihrer Hand.
The woman has a ball.
She has a ball.
She has a ball in her hand.
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2-05
All singular possessive adjectives take the same endings as the indefinite article (ein),
while all plural possessive adjectives take the same endings as the definite article (die).
Masculine
Feminine
Neuter
Plural
Nominative
Genitive
Dative
Accusative
der
des
dem
den
die
der
der
die
das
des
dem
das
die
der
den
die
Nominative
Genitive
Dative
Accusative
ein
eines
einem
einen
eine
einer
einer
eine
ein
eines
einem
ein
Ein has no plural; but note that possessive adjectives do have plural forms.
Nominative
Genitive
Dative
Accusative
mein
meines
meinem
meinen
meine
meiner
meiner
meine
mein
meines
meinem
mein
meine
meiner
meinen
meine
Usage: das Mädchen
Mädchen is a grammatically neuter word: das Mädchen. However, in recent decades, sie
is sometimes used as the personal pronoun and ihr as the possessive adjective, as if it
were a regular feminine noun.
Das Mädchen hat etwas in ihrer rechten Hand.
Grammar: The Strong Verb halten
Halten (to hold) is a strong verb. Notice that in the third person singular it undergoes not
only a vowel change, but does not add the usual -t ending because the t is already part
of the stem.
halten (to hold) – present tense
ich halte
wir halten
du hältst
ihr haltet
er/sie/es hält sie halten
Sie halten
Die Frau hält etwas in ihrer linken Hand.
The woman is holding something in her left hand.
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2-05
Grammar: da- and darThe noun or pronoun that follows a preposition is called its object, just like the noun or
pronoun that follows a verb is often its object.
auf dem Mann
unter dem Jungen
on the man
under the boy
The noun can be replaced by a personal pronoun.
auf ihm
unter ihm
on him
under him
However, to replace the object of a preposition that is not a living thing, instead of a
pronoun, use da- (or dar- if the preposition begins with a vowel) plus the preposition.
Die Frau zeigt auf das Telefon.
Die Frau zeigt darauf.
The woman is pointing to the telephone.
The woman is pointing to it.
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Verneinung von Verben
Negating Verbs
2-06
New Vocabulary
benutzt (benutzen)
zu Fuß gehen
das Haar, (e)s/-e
der Kopf, -es/"-e
der Schutzhelm, -(e)s/-e
Usage: nicht and kein (Review)
Remember that a noun is negated by placing a form of kein in front of it.
Diese Frau trägt keinen schwarzen Hut. This woman is not wearing a black hat.
(literally, “This woman is wearing no black hat.”)
A verb is negated by placing nicht after it.
Der Vogel fliegt nicht.
Der Junge springt nicht.
The bird is not flying.
The boy is not jumping.
Grammar: Accusative and Dative case forms
Note how accusative and dative case forms are employed in this lesson. In the sentence
Dieser Mann trägt einen Schutzhelm auf dem Kopf.
einen Schutzhelm is in accusative form because it is the direct object of trägt; auf dem
Kopf is in dative form because it expresses at rest/location. See Lesson 2-08 for further
explanation of dative.
What other accusative and dative forms can you find in this lesson? Some verbs, like
laufen, fliegen, schwimmen, springen, gehen, and reiten take no objects, so no
accusative form will follow them. However, a dative form might be used to express where
the action occurs.
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Durch „und“ verbundene Subjekte
Subjects linked by “and”
New Vocabulary
doch
fahren
haben
die Mauer, -/-n
steht (stehen)
stehen
2-07
der Stuhl, -(e)s/"-e
der Traktor, -s/-en
vom
vor
der Zaun, -(e)s/"-e
Grammar: Multiple Subjects
In German, just as in English, a sentence can have two subjects. In this case, the subjects
are joined by und and the verb must be plural.
Der Mann und die Frau tanzen.
The man and the woman are dancing.
Compound subjects are made up of more than one noun.
Der Mann, das Mädchen und das Baby sitzen auf dem Traktor.
The man, the girl and the baby are sitting on the tractor.
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Weitere Präpositionen
More Prepositions
2-08
New Vocabulary
der Baum, -(e)s/"-e
das Bonbon, -s/-s
der Esel, -s/herum
hinter
die Leute (pl.)
mittelgroß…
neben
nebeneinander
die Nummer, -/-n
das Regal, -s/-e
die Schale, -/-n
der Sessel, s/der Stock, -(e)s/"-e
die Tasse, -/-n
der Taucher, -s/über
um
zwischen
Usage: stehen, sitzen, liegen
German usually uses a specific verb to indicate what position a person or thing is in,
whereas English often uses the verb “to be.”
Das Auto steht vor dem Haus.
The car is in front of the house.
(literally, “The car stands in front of the house.”)
Die Frau sitzt in dem Wagen.
The woman is in the car.
(literally, “The woman sits in the car.”)
Die Katze liegt auf dem Boden.
The cat is on the floor.
(literally, “The cat lies on the floor.”)
Grammar: der-words and ein-words
All the forms of the definite article der are given in Lesson 2-05. Other words that take
those same endings are called der-words. Two of the most common der-words are welcher
and dieser. Note that the -as in das becomes -es in welches and dieses.
Der-words point out or demonstrate which people or things. They come before the noun
and must agree with it in gender, number, and case. They function as demonstrative
adjectives or demonstrative pronouns.
Nominative
Accusative
Masc.
Fem.
Neuter
Plural
dieser
diesen
diese
diese
dieses
dieses
diese
diese
Dieser Mann hat keine Haare.
Dieses Mädchen geht nicht zu Fuß.
This man doesn’t have any hair.
This girl is not walking.
There is also a group of words that take the same endings as ein, except that they also
have a plural. They are called ein-words. They include mein and kein. Their endings were
given in Lesson 2-05.
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2-08
Grammar: The Dative Case
As discussed in Lesson 1-09, the subject of a sentence is always in the nominative case,
and the direct object of a verb is always in the accusative case. A third case, the dative,
is used for indirect objects. Indirect objects indicate to whom something is shown, given,
said, etc. They answer the question “to whom?” or “for whom?”.
Die Frau gibt dem Jungen den Ball.
The woman is giving the boy the ball.
or The woman is giving the ball to the boy.
Remember that a prepositional phrase consists of a preposition plus an object. A second
rule that governs dative is the expression of location. Note that all the examples given
below express location and are in dative case.
auf
preposition
einem Flugzeug
object
The endings of ein- or der-words before the object of a preposition depend on the
preposition as well as on the gender and number of the object itself. Some prepositions
in German take the accusative case, while some take the dative case.
The dative endings are identical for der- and ein-words.
masculine -em
Die Frau sitzt
Die Frau sitzt
Die Frau sitzt
Die Frau sitzt
auf
auf
auf
auf
feminine -er
Die Frau steht
Die Frau steht
Die Frau steht
Die Frau steht
neuter
Die
Die
Die
Die
-em
Frau
Frau
Frau
Frau
sitzt
sitzt
sitzt
sitzt
dem Tisch.
diesem Tisch.
einem Tisch.
meinem Tisch.
vor
vor
vor
vor
in
in
in
in
der Mauer.
dieser Mauer.
einer Mauer.
ihrer Mutter.
dem Auto.
diesem Auto.
einem Auto.
meinem Auto.
The
The
The
The
woman
woman
woman
woman
is
is
is
is
sitting
sitting
sitting
sitting
on
on
on
on
The
The
The
The
woman
woman
woman
woman
is
is
is
is
standing
standing
standing
standing
in
in
in
in
The
The
The
The
woman
woman
woman
woman
is
is
is
is
sitting
sitting
sitting
sitting
the car.
this car.
a car.
my car.
in
in
in
in
the table.
this table.
a table.
my table.
front
front
front
front
of
of
of
of
the wall.
this wall.
a wall.
her mother.
plural -en
Das Mädchen steht zwischen den zwei Fahrrädern.
The girl is standing between the two bikes.
Das Mädchen steht zwischen ihren zwei Fahrrädern.
The girl is standing between her two bikes.
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2-08
All plural nouns that do not already end in -n or -s add an -(e)n in the dative plural.
zwei Fahrräder
zwischen ihren zwei Fahrrädern
two bicycles
between her two bicycles
While certain prepositions, including auf, in, vor, and zwischen can take either a dative or
an accusative object, other prepositions always take accusative objects. Um and ohne
always take accusative.
um den Tisch
around the table
masc. sing. accus.
See Lesson 4-05 for a complete list of dative and accusative prepositions.
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Kopf, Gesicht, Hände und Füße; Genitiv; Possessivpronomen
Head, Face, Hands and Feet; Genitive Case; Possessive Pronouns
2-09
New Vocabulary
an
der Arm, -(e)s/-e
aufgestützt (aufstützen)
berührt (berühren)
bürstet (bürsten)
der Ellenbogen, -s/-
der Fuß, -es/"-e
das Gesicht, -(e)s/-er
kämmt (kämmen)
das Kinn, -(e)s/-e
das Knie, -s/der Mensch, -en/-en
der Mund, -(e)s/"-er
die Nase, -/-n
das Ohr, -(e)s/-en
sein…
Usage: The Reflexive Pronoun sich
Sometimes German uses the reflexive pronoun sich to indicate that a person is doing
something to or for himself. A verb that occurs with a reflexive pronoun is called a
reflexive verb.
Die Frau kämmt sich das Haar.
The woman is combing her hair.
Compare this with:
Die Frau kämmt das Haar des Mädchens.
The woman is combing the girl’s hair.
Usage: Person, Mensch, Leute, Volk
Person, Mensch, Leute, and Volk all refer to people.
Person (plural Personen) is always concrete: it refers to a particular person or persons.
Diese Person ist kein Kind.
Zwei Personen laufen.
This person is not a child.
Two people are running.
Mensch (plural Menschen) may be either concrete or abstract.
die Füße eines Menschen
a person’s feet
(concrete; these feet belong to a particular person)
Der Mensch ist sterblich.
Man is mortal. (abstract)
Leute is plural and may be abstract or concrete.
Viele Leute sind auf der Straße.
Kleider machen Leute.
Many people are in the street. (concrete)
Clothes make the man.
(abstract; literally, “Clothes make people.”)
Volk means “people,” as in a particular group of people or nationality.
Das deutsche Volk wohnt in Mitteleuropa.
The German people live in Central Europe.
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2-09
Grammar: The Genitive Case
Three cases have already been introduced:
The nominative case is used for the subject of a sentence.
The accusative case is used for the direct object of the verb and the object of certain
prepositions. In the case of two-way prepositions, it expresses motion toward a place.
The dative case is used for indirect objects and the object of certain prepositions. In the
case of two-way prepositions, it expresses location, at rest in/at a place.
The genitive case is used to show possession. Like the other cases, the genitive has its
own set of endings.
Masculine
-es
das Auto des Mannes
das Auto eines Mannes
the man’s car
a man’s car
Feminine
-er
die Hände der Frau
die Hände einer Frau
the woman’s hands
a woman’s hands
Neuter
-es
das Fahrrad des Kindes
das Fahrrad eines Kindes
the child’s bike
a child’s bike
Plural
-er
die Fahrräder der Kinder
die Fahrräder ihrer Kinder
the children’s bikes
her children’s bikes
Note that the number and gender of the der- or ein-word are determined by the noun
it modifies (the noun that owns), not the noun that is owned. For instance, in “das Auto
des Mannes,” des takes the masculine singular ending because it modifies der Mann,
a masculine singular noun, not Auto, which is a neuter singular noun.
Note in the examples above that a masculine or neuter noun also takes an ending,
-(e)s, when it is in the genitive. The feminine and plural forms take no special ending.
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Verben: Präsens, Perfekt und Futur
Verbs: Present, Present Perfect and Future
2-10
New Vocabulary
der Cowboy, -s/-s
essen
fallen
gefallen (fallen)
gegessen (essen)
geschnitten (schneiden)
gesprungen (springen)
getrunken (trinken)
der Reiter, -s/-
schneidet (schneiden)
schneiden
wird (werden)
werden
Pronunciation
Many foreign words have been adopted in German over the centuries. The newer arrivals
often retain both the original spelling and something of the original pronunciation. Cowboy
is pronounced like the English word “cowboy” – with a German accent.
Grammar: The Future Tense
The future tense is used to indicate something that has not happened yet. In German, the
future tense consists of a form of the verb werden in the present tense plus an infinitive.
werden
ich werde
wir werden
du wirst
ihr werdet
er/sie/es wird
sie werden
Sie werden
Present
Der Junge springt in das Wasser.
The boy is jumping into the water.
Future
Der Junge wird in das Wasser springen.
The boy will jump into the water.
Notice that the infinitive moves all the way to the end of the clause, while the conjugated
form of werden appears where the main verb usually does.
Note: for an event that is just about to take place, called the near future, German uses
the present tense.
Ich fahre morgen nach Berlin.
Tomorrow I’m going to Berlin.
Grammar: The Present Perfect Tense
The present perfect tense is used to indicate something that happened previously. In
spite of its name (present perfect), it is actually a past tense because it describes an
action in the past, but one that is true to the present (therefore “present perfect”).
In German, the present perfect consists of a form of either the verb haben or sein in
the present tense plus a past participle that goes at the end of the clause.
The past participle is a form of the verb that never occurs alone. It combines with an
auxiliary verb to form the perfect tenses. You will learn the past perfect tense later.
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2-10
In German, weak verbs form their past participles by adding the prefix ge- and the ending -t
to the stem.
Present
Past participle
lachen
gelacht
Strong verbs form their past participles by adding the prefix ge-, but they end in -en instead
of -t. In addition, the stem may change.
Present
Past participle
springen
gesprungen
Present
Present perfect
Der Mann trinkt die Milch.
Der Mann hat die Milch
getrunken.
The man is drinking the milk.
The man has drunk the milk.
Present
Der Junge springt in das
Wasser.
Der Junge ist in das
Wasser gesprungen.
The boy is jumping into the water.
Present perfect
trinken
getrunken
The boy has jumped into the water.
Note that most verbs that are otherwise regular in the present tense but have a stem that
ends in -d or -t take an extra e between the stem and the ending: schneiden becomes
schneidet.
Grammar: haben and sein as Auxiliary Verbs
Haben and sein are both used in German as auxiliary verbs, or helping verbs, to form the
present perfect. They are conjugated in the present tense as follows.
sein (to be)
haben (to have)
ich
du
er/sie/es
bin
bist
ist
habe
hast
hat
wir
ihr
sie/Sie
sind
seid
sind
haben
habt
haben
Every German verb uses either haben or sein as an auxiliary verb, and you need to learn
which to use for each verb. The vast majority of verbs use haben; however, many of the
most common verbs use sein.
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2-10
Many people studying German prefer to learn the auxiliary when they learn the verb. There
are, however, some simple rules that make it easier.
1. A transitive verb is a verb that takes a direct object, like “throw,” “read,” and “eat.”
All transitive verbs take haben.
Present
Ich werfe den Ball.
Present perfect Ich habe den Ball geworfen.
I am throwing the ball.
I threw the ball.
Present
Sie liest ein Buch.
Present perfect Sie hat ein Buch gelesen.
She is reading a book.
She read a book.
Present
Wir essen eine Banane.
Present perfect Wir haben eine Banane gegessen.
We are eating a banana.
We ate a banana.
2. Intransitive verbs are verbs that do not take a direct object, like “jump” or “sleep.”
Although most intransitive verbs also take haben, intransitive verbs that indicate a
change of condition or location take sein.
Present
Der Junge springt in das Wasser.
The boy jumps into the water.
Present perfect Der Junge ist in das Wasser gesprungen.
The boy has jumped into the water.
Present
Der Mann schläft.
Present perfect Der Mann hat geschlafen.
The man sleeps.
The man has slept.
3. There are two exceptions to rule number 2: sein and bleiben both take sein, even
though they are intransitive verbs that have nothing to do with changes of condition
or location.
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Personenbeschreibungen mit Adjektiven
Using Adjectives to Describe People
New Vocabulary
blond…
der Clown, -s/-s
dick…
dünn…
glatt…
die Glatze, -/-n
die Gruppe, -/-n
der Läufer, -s/die Läuferin, -/-nen
lockig…
3-01
sehr
die Seite, -/-n
der Tänzer, -s/die Tänzerin,-/nen
von
Usage: Word Formation
A number of masculine nouns that indicate an activity end in -er. Many of them add -in
for the feminine.
34
der Läufer
the runner (male)
die Läufer
the runners (male or mixed)
die Läuferin
the runner (female)
die Läuferinnen
the runners (female)
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Mengenangaben und ihre Beziehung zueinander
Quantities and their Relationship to One Another
3-02
New Vocabulary
der Autobus, -ses/-se
der Ballon, -s/-s
der Cowboyhut, -(e)s/"-e
genauso
der Laib, -(e)s/-e
mehr
die Münze, -/-n
die Murmel, -/-n
der Regenschirm, -(e)s/-e
viel…
weniger
wie
Usage: Equal and Unequal Comparisons
To express “more than,” use mehr ... als; to express “less than,” use weniger ... als.
Hier sind mehr Tische als Sessel.
Hier sind weniger Sessel als Tische.
There are more tables than armchairs.
There are fewer armchairs than tables.
To express “as many as,” use genauso viele ... wie.
Hier sind genauso viele Pferde wie Leute.
There are exactly as many horses as people.
Note: mehr and weniger are adverbs, not adjectives, so they do not take any endings.
However, einige, mehrere and viele are adjectives and take regular adjective endings.
Usage: Quantities of Things
Where English has phrases like “a loaf of bread” and “a glass of water,” German says the
same thing without using “of.”
ein Laib Brot
ein Glas Wasser
a loaf of bread
a glass of water
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Mehr Kleidung
More Clothing
3-03
New Vocabulary
die Jacke, -/-n
der Pullover, -s/-
die Socke, -/-n
Grammar: Adjective Endings
Remember that feminine and neuter ein-words are the same in the nominative and
accusative. Therefore, the adjective endings that follow feminine and neuter ein-words
are the same in the nominative and accusative as well.
Neuter nominative
Neuter accusative
Das ist ein blaues Hemd.
Er trägt ein blaues Hemd.
Feminine nominative Das ist eine blaue Hose.
Feminine accusative Sie trägt eine blaue Hose.
That is a blue shirt.
He is wearing a blue shirt.
That is a pair of blue pants.
She is wearing a pair of
blue pants.
Masculine ein-words, however, have different endings for the nominative and accusative,
and the following adjective has different endings, too.
Masculine nominative Das ist ein roter Pullover.
That is a red sweater.
Masculine accusative Sie trägt einen roten Pullover. She is wearing a red sweater.
Grammar: Reflexive Verbs (Review)
A reflexive verb indicates that a person is doing something to or for himself. It consists of
two parts: the reflexive pronoun sich plus a verb. Sich is considered part of the verb.
The verb sich anziehen means “to get dressed”; literally, “to dress oneself.” When an
article of clothing is specified, it means “to put on.”
Der Clown zieht sich an.
Der Clown zieht sich eine Hose an.
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The clown is getting dressed.
The clown is putting on a pair of pants.
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Drinnen und draußen; Präpositionen
Inside and Outside; Prepositions
3-04
New Vocabulary
die Außenseite,-/-n
dies…
draußen
drinnen
das Gebäude, -s/die Innenseite, -/-n
die Kirche, -/-n
schwingt (schwingen)
das Seil, -(e)s/-e
spielen
Usage: auf and an
Auf is used to refer to horizontal surfaces or spaces (on), while an is used to refer to
vertical ones (at).
Er sitzt auf dem Tisch.
He is sitting on the table.
(He is sitting on top of the horizontal surface.)
Er sitzt an dem Tisch.
He is sitting at the table.
(He is occupying the vertical space next to the table.)
Usage: dies and das
Dies is a demonstrative pronoun meaning this. It is used when pointing.
Dies ist mein Auto.
This is my car.
It is usually interchangeable with das.
Das ist mein Auto.
This is my car.
or That is my car.
Grammar: Using an Indefinite Article as a Pronoun
Remember that in the masculine nominative as well as the neuter nominative and
accusative, ein has no ending. However, if the noun after ein is taken away, ein becomes
a pronoun and requires an ending to identify the gender of the missing noun.
Wie
Wie
Wie
Wie
viele
viele
viele
viele
Kinder springen? Ein Kind.
Kinder springen? Eines.
Männer laufen? Ein Mann.
Männer laufen? Einer.
How
How
How
How
many
many
many
many
children are jumping? One child.
children are jumping? One.
men are running? One man.
men are running? One.
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Weitere Farben und Zahlen
More Colors and Numbers
3-05
New Vocabulary
der Hintergrund, -(e)s/"-e
die Kappe, -/-n
schwarzweiß…
braunweiß…
gebürstet (bürsten)
das Gras, -es/"-er
das T-Shirt, -s/-s
weißgelb…
Usage: Compound Adjectives
It was mentioned earlier that there are many compound nouns in German. There are also
compound adjectives.
schwarzweiß
weißgelb
Generally, you should only form a compound adjective from words that mean the same kind
of thing. Different kinds of things should simply be listed.
Die Blume ist rotweiß.
Er hat langes, schwarzes Haar.
The flower is red and white.
He has long black hair.
Grammar: Agreement
Interrogative adjectives and pronouns must agree in number, gender, and case with the
noun they modify, regardless of the noun’s position in the sentence.
Welcher Mann ist alt?
Welcher ist der alte Mann?
Welches Pferd?
Welches ist das alte Pferd?
Welche?
Welche ist die alte Frau?
Which man is old?
Which one is the old man?
Which horse?
Which one is the old horse?
Which?
Which one is the old woman?
Grammar: The Passive Voice
There are two voices, active and passive. In an active sentence, the subject is doing
something to a direct object. In a passive sentence, something is being done to the subject
by an agent. Often the agent is unnamed.
Active
Passive
Der Mann fährt das Auto.
The man is driving the car.
Das Auto wird von dem Mann gefahren.
The car is being driven by the man.
In German, the passive voice is formed by using a form of werden plus a past participle
of the verb.
Welches Pferd wird von dem Mädchen gebürstet?
Which horse is being brushed by the girl?
Note: Good German style allows more passive constructions than good English style does.
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Tiere; echt, nicht echt
Animals; Real, Not Real
3-06
New Vocabulary
der Bär, -en/-en
das Bein, -(e)s/-e
der Drache, -n/-n
echt…
die Giraffe, -/-n
die Herde, -/-n
das Kamel, -s/-e
klettert (klettern)
der Löwe, -n/-n
das Schaf, -(e)s/-e
das Schaukelpferd, -(e)s/-e
die Schildkröte, -/-n
der Schwan, -(e)s/"-e
das Schwein, -(e)s/-e
der Tiger, -s/die Ziege, -/-n
Usage: Gender of Animals
The words for some animals are the same for both genders.
der Schwan
die Giraffe
das Kamel
the swan (male or female)
the giraffe (male or female)
the camel (male or female)
If you must specify the gender of one of these animals, use the adjectives männlich
(masculine) or weiblich (feminine).
Das ist eine männliche Giraffe.
Das ist ein weiblicher Schwan.
That is a male giraffe.
That is a female swan.
The words for certain other animals have different forms for male and female.
der Löwe
die Löwin
the male lion
the lioness
Still other animals have unrelated words that indicate gender.
der Stier
die Kuh
the bull
the cow
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Adjektive: Eigenschaften von Menschen und Tieren
Adjectives: Characteristics of Humans and Animals
3-07
New Vocabulary
durstig…
gesund…
glücklich…
hässlich…
heiß…
hungrig…
ihm
ihnen
kalt…
krank…
müde…
reich…
satt…
schön…
schwach…
stark…
traurig…
Usage: Idioms for Being Hot or Cold
German uses idioms, or particular ways of saying things, that are sometimes very different
from the way you would say the same thing in English. These differences arise from the
different way the languages developed.
Ihnen ist kalt.
Ihm ist heiß.
They are cold. (literally, “To them is cold.”)
He is hot. (literally, “To him is hot.”)
The person or persons who are hot or cold take the dative case. Notice how the dative
pronouns resemble the definite and indefinite articles.
Dative masculine and neuter
Dative feminine
Dative plural
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dem, einem, ihm
der, einer, ihr
den, keinen, ihnen
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Berufe, Zustände und Tätigkeiten; Adjektive
Professions, Conditions and Activities; Descriptive Adjectives
3-08
New Vocabulary
die Angst, -/"-e
die Bank, -/-en
bäckt (backen)
behandelt (behandeln)
beschämt…
das Geld, -es/-er
hebt ab (abheben)
kocht (kochen)
lehrt (lehren)
lesen
die Polizeiwache, -/-n
repariert (reparieren)
der Schmerz, -es/-en
der Sohn, -(e)s/"-e
stolz…
tippt (tippen)
der Zahn, -(e)s/"-e
Berufe (männlich)
der Arzt, -es/"-e
der Bäcker, -s/der Kellner, -s/der Koch, -(e)s/"-e
der Krankenpfleger, -s/der Lehrer, -s/der Polizist, -en/-en
der Mechaniker, -s/der Schüler, -s/der Sekretär, -s/-e
der Student, -en/-en
der Wissenschaftler, -s/der Zahnarzt, -es/"-e
Berufe (weiblich)
die Ärztin, -/nen
die Bäckerin, -/-nen
die Kellnerin, -/-nen
die Köchin, -/-nen
die Krankenschwester, -/-n
die Lehrerin, -/-nen
die Polizistin, -/-nen
die Mechanikerin, -/-nen
die Schülerin, -/-nen
die Sekretärin, -/-nen
die Studentin, -/-nen
die Wissenschaftlerin, -/-nen
die Zahnärztin, -/-nen
Usage: Expressions with haben
Here are some more German idioms.
Er hat Schmerzen.
Er hat Angst.
He is in pain. (literally, “He has pains.”)
He is afraid. (literally, “He has fear.”)
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Teile und Bilder
Body Parts and Pictures
3-09
New Vocabulary
bedecken
der Bär, -en/-en
das Bein, -(e)s/-e
das Bild, -(e)s/-er
das Blumenbild, -(e)s/-er
das Elefantenbein, -(e)s/-e
das Frauenbild, -(e)s/-er
das Gesicht, -(e)s/-er
der Hase, -n/-n
das Katzenbild, -(e)s/-er
liegen
das Maul, -(e)s/"-er
der Menschenarm, -(e)s/-e
das Menschenbein, -(e)s/-e
das Pferdebein, -(e)s/-e
die Statue, -/-n
die Wand, -/"-e
Usage: Bild and Foto
Ein Bild can mean a picture, photograph, or image. Das Foto is used only for photographs.
Grammar: Special Masculine Genitive Form
Masculine nouns typically take -es for one-syllable words and -s for words with two or more
syllables in the genitive. There is a significant group of animate nouns (nouns that refer
to living beings) that instead take -n or -en not just in the genitive, but in all forms except
the nominative singular. These nouns are referred to as weak nouns or -n nouns. At a later
stage in your study of the language, there will be some clues to look for when deciding if
a noun is weak, but for now it is best to memorize these nouns as a special category.
Compare Vogel with Bär and Junge.
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Singular
Nominative
Genitive
Dative
Accusative
der Vogel
des Vogels
dem Vogel
den Vogel
der Bär
des Bären
dem Bären
den Bären
der Junge
des Jungen
dem Jungen
den Jungen
Plural
Nominative
Genitive
Dative
Accusative
die Vögel
der Vögel
den Vögeln
die Vögel
die Bären
der Bären
den Bären
die Bären
die Jungen
der Jungen
den Jungen
die Jungen
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Uhrzeit und Tageszeit
Clock Time, Time of Day
3-10
New Vocabulary
elf
fast
fünfundvierzig
der Morgen, -s/nach
der Nachmittag, -s/-e
die Nacht, -/"-e
das Viertel, -s/-
Vocabulary: Morgen, morgens, and morgen
The noun Morgen means “morning.” The adverb morgens means “in the morning” in a
general way. The adverb morgen means “tomorrow.”
Der Morgen ist schön.
Morgens ist es kalt.
Ich fahre morgen nach Berlin.
The morning is beautiful.
It is cold in the morning.
I’m going to Berlin tomorrow.
Usage: Telling Time
In German there are several different constructions used to tell time. Notice how the word
Uhr comes between the hour and the minutes.
Es ist zwei Uhr fünfzehn.
Es ist Viertel nach zwei.
Es ist Viertel vor zwei.
It is 2:15.
It is quarter after two.
It is quarter of two.
In conversation, Germans often use constructions like the following.
Es ist halb drei.
It is half past two. (literally, “It is half three.”)
Note that English uses half past the hour, while German uses half before the hour. Thus,
“halb drei” means half an hour before three o’clock, or half past two.
In Germany, printed schedules use official time, which is based on the twenty-four hour
clock. With a twenty-four hour clock, 1 o’clock in the afternoon is 13 o’clock, 2 o’clock is
14 o’clock, etc. These times are printed as numbers without punctuation.
German schedule
0215
1415
German words
English equivalent
zwei Uhr fünfzehn
vierzehn Uhr fünfzehn
2:15 a.m.
2:15 p.m.
So 3:30 p.m. could be stated in German in several ways:
drei Uhr dreißig
halb vier
fünfzehn Uhr dreißig
three o’clock thirty minutes
half before four
fifteen hours thirty minutes
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Fragen und Antworten; Präsens
Questions and Answers; Present Tense
4-01
New Vocabulary
könnte (können)
können
lächeln
das Pony, -s/-s
richtig
der Vater, -s/"-
die Violine, -/-n
zusammen
Vocabulary: können
Können means “to be able to.”
Können Hunde lächeln?
Can dogs smile?
Könnte is the subjunctive form (Konjunktiv) of können. The subjunctive is often used to
discuss conditions contrary to fact, such as in the following sentence.
If I were rich, I would travel.
It is also used to express possibility.
Would it be possible for him to fall? More briefly, could he fall?
Er könnte fallen.
He could fall. (It is possible that he will fall.)
Notice that können is conjugated, while fallen is in the infinitive form.
Grammar: Questions
Questions are formed in German in either of two ways:
1. by inverting the subject and verb (beginning with the verb) or
2. by beginning with an interrogative word (a W-word, such as welch-, was, wer,
and wie viele).
Geht die Frau zu Fuß?
Springen die Kinder?
Was macht der Junge?
Welcher große Mann trägt eine Brille?
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Is the woman walking?
Are the children jumping?
What is the boy doing?
Which tall man is wearing glasses?
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Offen, geschlossen, zusammen, getrennt, ausgestreckt, gebeugt
Open, Closed, Together, Apart, Straight, Bent
4-02
New Vocabulary
auseinander
ausgestreckt (ausstrecken)
die Autotür, -/-en
gebeugt (beugen)
geöffnet (öffnen)
geschlossen (schließen)
getrennt (trennen)
die Zehe, -/-n
Grammar: Past Participles Used as Adjectives
Past participles may be used as adjectives. Remember that the past participles of most
German verbs take a ge- prefix. For weak verbs they end in -t, and for strong verbs they
end in -en.
Die Tür ist geschlossen.
Die Tür ist geöffnet.
The door is closed.
The door is open. (literally, “The door is opened.”)
German also has the adjective offen, which means the same as the English adjective open.
Gebeugt (bent), getrennt (apart or separated), and ausgestreckt (stretched out) are also
past participles. Notice that the ge comes after certain prefixes, such as aus, bei, nach,
and vor.
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Die Zahlen: eins–einhundert
Numbers: One–One Hundred
4-03
New Vocabulary
zwölf
dreizehn
vierzehn
sechzehn
siebzehn
achtzehn
neunzehn
vierzig
fünfzig
sechzig
achtzig
neunzig
fünfundsiebzig
fünfundachtzig
fünfundneunzig
einhundert
zweiundzwanzig
zweiunddreißig
zweiundvierzig
sechsundvierzig
zweiundfünfzig
sechsundsechzig
sechsundachtzig
Vocabulary: Numbers
The word Finger (finger) comes from fünf, which means five, while the word Zehe (toe)
comes from zehn, which means ten.
Like English, German has special words for eleven and twelve. Also like English, thirteen
through nineteen are compound words based on the words for three through nine plus
zehn, the word for ten.
eins
zwei
drei
vier
fünf
sechs
sieben
acht
neun
zehn
elf
zwölf
dreizehn
vierzehn
fünfzehn
sechzehn
siebzehn
achtzehn
neunzehn
zwanzig
eleven
twelve
thirteen
fourteen
fifteen
sixteen
seventeen
eighteen
nineteen
twenty
Drop the -s on sechs to form sechzehn and the -en on sieben to form siebzehn.
The words for twenty, thirty, forty, etc. are based on the words for two, three, four, etc.,
plus zig – but notice the differences.
zwei
drei
vier
fünf
sechs
sieben
acht
neun
zehn
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zwanzig
dreißig
vierzig
fünfzig
sechzig
siebzig
achtzig
neunzig
hundert
twenty
thirty
forty
fifty
sixty
seventy
eighty
ninety
hundred
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4-03
Note: Try saying “zweizig,” and you’ll understand why zwanzig changes the -ei to -an.
Rather than dreizig, thirty is spelled (and pronounced) dreißig. Sechs drops the -s to
form sechzig. Sieben again drops the final -en to form siebzig.
The numbers for twenty-one through twenty-nine are just combinations of zwanzig plus
eins, zwei, drei, etc. However, in German the ones come before the tens.
einundzwanzig
achtundvierzig
twenty-one (literally, “one and twenty”)
forty-eight (literally, “eight and forty”)
English at one time used this pattern; witness the nursery rhyme: “Four and twenty
blackbirds baked in a pie.”
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Menschen sprechen
People Talking
4-04
New Vocabulary
das Buch, -(e)s/"-er
das Funkgerät, -(e)s/-e
das Funktelefon, -s/-e
gar
im
jetzt
kann (können)
miteinander
die Pflanze, -/-n
Schach spielen
sprechen
weil
Vocabulary: sprechen
Sprechen means “to speak” or “to talk.”
Der Mann und die Frau sprechen.
The man and the woman are talking.
Sprechen is also used with languages.
Sie sprechen Deutsch.
They speak German.
Sprechen über means “to talk about.”
Diese zwei Frauen sprechen über
die Pflanze.
These two women are talking about
the plant.
Vocabulary: Schachspiel
Note that “to play chess,” you use the verb spielen with Schach (chess in the abstract),
but the noun that means the game of chess is das Schachspiel.
Dieser Mann spielt Schach.
This man is playing chess.
Grammar: können
Können means “to be able,” and is often used as an auxiliary verb. It is a strong verb.
können (to be able) – present tense
ich kann
wir können
du kannst
ihr könnt
er/sie/es kann
sie können
Sie können
Notice that when können is used as an auxiliary verb, it is conjugated and appears after
the subject, while the infinitive comes at the end of the clause. This is the same position
of the verb as in the future tense.
Der Junge kann sprechen.
Die Mädchen können sprechen.
Die Mädchen werden sprechen.
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The boy can talk.
The girls can talk.
The girls will talk.
Present with können
Present with können
Future
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4-04
Grammar: Main Clause and Subordinate Clause
A main (or independent ) clause is a clause that can stand by itself as a sentence; but it
can also be joined to another main clause or to a subordinate clause. A subordinate (or
dependent ) clause cannot stand alone. It always occurs in a sentence that contains a main
clause. In a main clause, the verb that gets conjugated comes second, usually after the
subject and any modifiers.
Der Junge kann sprechen; er ist nicht unter Wasser.
The boy can talk; he is not under water.
In a subordinate clause, the conjugated verb goes at the end.
Der Junge kann sprechen, weil er nicht unter Wasser ist.
The boy can talk because he is not under water.
The conjunction weil (because) always sends the conjugated verb to the end of the clause.
You always put a comma before weil.
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Kommen und gehen
Coming and Going
4-05
New Vocabulary
aus
eingeschlafen (einschlafen)
erwacht (erwachen)
gestiegen (steigen)
herunter
hinauf
kommen
kommt (kommen)
küßt (küssen)
die Leiter, -/-n
das Paar, -(e)s/-e
die Pferdekutsche, -/-n
die Rolltreppe, -/-n
schläft (schlafen)
steigt (steigen)
die Stufe, -/-n
der Transporter, -s/die Treppe, -/-n
Usage: hin and her
The word hin indicates movement away from the speaker, while the word her indicates
movement toward the speaker.
Die Frau geht hin.
The woman is going.
(The woman is moving away from the speaker).
Das Mädchen kommt her. The girl is coming.
(The girl is moving toward the speaker).
Hin and her are often combined with auf (up) and unter (down).
Der Mann kommt herauf.
Der Junge geht hinunter.
The man is coming up.
The boy is going down.
Grammar: Reflexive Verbs
Reflexive verbs usually indicate that a person is doing something to or for himself.
Sometimes, reflexive verbs express reciprocal action.
Das Paar küsst sich.
Literally: The couple are kissing each other.
Note that in German, Paar is a singular noun, while in English, couple is treated
sometimes as a singular noun and sometimes as a plural noun.
Grammar: Accusative and Dative Prepositions
Remember that some prepositions in German take the accusative case, while some
take the dative case. Still others can take either case depending on whether the action
expressed indicates motion toward a place or being at rest or within a place.
Accusative prepositions
durch
für
gegen
through
for
against
ohne
um
without
around
Die Sessel sind um den Tisch herum.
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The chairs are around the table.
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4-05
Dative prepositions
aus
außer
bei
mit
out of
except
near, at
with
Die Frau spricht mit dem Mann.
nach
seit
von
zu
after
since
from, of
to
The woman is talking with the man.
The above one-way prepositions have fixed cases. They take precedence over any other
consideration. You would do well to memorize the two lists. Any preposition not in either list
may be safely assumed to be a two-way preposition as described next.
Two-way prepositions that sometimes take the accusative and sometimes the dative
an
auf
hinter
in
neben
on (vertical space)
on (horizontal space)
behind
in
beside
über
unter
vor
zwischen
over
under
in front of
between
These prepositions sometimes take accusative and sometimes take dative. All of them
have to do with spatial relationships. If the spatial relationship has to do with a destination,
then the preposition takes the accusative. If the spatial relationship indicates a location,
then the preposition takes the dative.
Accusative
Dative
Die Frau geht in das Gebäude.
Der Mann sitzt in dem Gebäude.
The woman is going into the building.
The man is sitting in the building.
An, auf, and über are sometimes used figuratively. When this happens, auf and über
take the accusative, but an may take either, depending on the meaning of the particular
expression.
Accusative
Die Jungen sprechen über die Mädchen.
The boys are talking about the girls.
Dative
Die Frau arbeitet an dem Projekt.
The woman is working on the project.
Accusative
Der Mann glaubt an den Jungen.
The man believes in the boy.
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Verschiedene Verben; die Konjunktion „während“
Various Verbs; The Conjunction während
4-06
New Vocabulary
durch
das Gewehr, -(e)s/-e
greift (greifen)
der Handschuh, -(e)s/-e
die Handtasche, -/-n
der Huf, -(e)s/-e
das Keyboard, -s/-s
lenkt (lenken)
marschieren
niemand…
die Parade, -/-n
riecht (riechen)
schauen zu (zuschauen)
die Schaufel, -/-n
sieht fern (fernsehen)
zuhört (zuhören)
zuschaut (zuschauen)
Vocabulary: marschieren
German has imported literally thousands of verbs with Latin roots from French and English.
They all end in -ieren. The syllable with -ier is always stressed. Their meanings are often
similar to English.
Die Jungen marschieren in einer Parade.
The boys are marching in a parade.
The past participle of these verbs never takes the prefix ge-.
Die Mädchen sind in einer Parade marschiert.
The girls have marched in a parade.
Usage: Expressions
Many German expressions consist of a verb plus a particular preposition.These combinations
have special meanings. Sometimes the English equivalent requires no preposition, while
other times it requires a different preposition from the German expression.
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riechen an
Das Mädchen riecht an einer Blume.
The girl is smelling a flower.
greifen nach
Der Mann greift nach einer Schaufel.
The man is reaching for a shovel.
lesen in
Der Junge liest in einem Buch.
The boy is reading a book.
spielen auf
Die Frau spielt auf der Gitarre.
The woman is playing the guitar.
zeigen auf
Das Kind zeigt auf etwas.
The child is pointing at something.
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4-06
Grammar: The Subordinating Conjunction während
Remember that a subordinate clause is a clause that cannot stand alone. Like weil,
während (while) introduces a subordinate clause. Remember that the conjugated verb
comes at the end of a subordinate clause.
Das Mädchen trägt einen Hut, während sie fernsieht.
The girl is wearing a hat while she is watching television.
Grammar: Separable Prefix Verbs
Some verbs in German have a separable prefix. When this kind of verb is the main verb
in a main clause, its prefix detaches from the rest of the verb and moves to the end of
the clause. The prefix reconnects in a subordinate clause, when the verb is in the infinitive
form, or as part of a past participle with ge in the middle.
Two examples in this lesson are fernsehen (to watch television) and zuschauen (to watch).
The separable prefix is always stressed.
Die Kinder sehen fern.
The children are watching television.
Die Kinder haben ferngesehen.
The children have watched television.
Die Kinder sprechen nicht, während sie fernsehen.
The children do not talk while they are watching television.
Note: Not all verbs that begin with a prefix are separable; you have to learn which ones
are which. Some inseparable prefixes are ver-, be-, and zer-. Inseparable prefixes are
never stressed.
Ihre Hände bedecken ihre Augen.
Her hands are covering her eyes.
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Familiäre Beziehungen
Family Relationships
4-07
New Vocabulary
der Bruder, -s/"derselb…
die Eltern (pl)
die Familie, -/-n
selb…
der Stuhl, -(e)s/"-e
die Tochter, -/"zur
gehören
das Kind, -(e)s/-er
die Mutter, -/"die Schwester, -/-n
Usage: Mann and Frau
The word Mann means both “man” and “husband.” The word Frau means both “woman”
and “wife.”
Der Mann sitzt neben seiner Frau. The man is sitting next to his wife.
Die Frau spricht mit ihrem Mann. The woman is talking to her husband.
Usage: gehören zu
Gehören zu means “to belong to a group or organization.”
Diese vier Leute gehören zur selben Familie.
These four people belong to the same family.
Gehören used with the dative case indicates “to belong to” in the sense of ownership.
Notice that in this expression German uses no preposition and English does.
Das Auto gehört der Frau.
The car belongs to the woman.
Grammar: derselbe
Derselbe (the + same) is written as one word. Both parts must agree with the noun it modifies.
Das sind
Das Kind sieht
Dative:
Das Kind
spricht mit
Das Kind
liest in
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That is
Those are
denselben Mann.
⎧ dieselbe Frau.
⎨ dasselbe Buch.
⎩ dieselben Bücher.
⎫
⎬
⎭
⎫
⎬
⎭
Accusative:
derselbe Mann.
dieselbe Frau.
dasselbe Buch.
dieselben Bücher.
the
the
the
the
same
same
same
same
man.
woman.
book.
books.
the same man.
The child sees
demselben Mann.
derselben Frau.
The child
is talking to
demselben Buch.
denselben Büchern.
The child
is reading
⎧ the same woman.
⎨ the same book.
⎩ the same books.
⎫
⎬
⎭
⎫
⎬
⎭
⎫
⎬
⎭
Das ist
⎫
⎬
⎭
Nominative:
the same man.
the same woman.
the same book.
the same books.
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4-07
Grammar: sein (his)
Be careful not to confuse the infinitive sein (to be) with the possessive adjective sein (his).
The possessive adjective is an ein-word and takes the same endings as ein in all situations.
Sein Auto ist grün.
Er sitzt in seinem Auto.
Er spricht mit seiner Frau.
Hier sind seine Bücher.
His car is green.
He is sitting in his car.
He is talking to his wife.
Here are his books.
Neuter nominative
Neuter dative
Feminine dative
Plural nominative
Grammar: Contractions
Zu der and zu dem (to the) usually contract to zur and zum.
Sie gehören zur selben Familie.
They belong to the same family.
In dem and in das (in the or into the) usually contract to im and ins.
Er geht ins Gebäude.
Er ist im Gebäude.
He is going into the building.
He is in the building.
In English, contractions such as can’t are used in informal speech, while formal speech calls
for cannot. In German, these contractions are very common, whether formal or informal.
Here are some of the common German contractions:
ans
am
beim
im
ins
vom
zur
zum
an das
an dem
bei dem
in dem
in das
von dem
zu der
zu dem
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Jeder, jemand, niemand, keiner
Everybody, Somebody, Nobody, Anybody
4-08
New Vocabulary
das Foto, -s/-s
jeder
leer…
Usage: nicht vs. nichts
Nicht (not) is an adverb used to negate words other than nouns.
Er kommt nicht.
Das Auto ist nicht rot.
He is not coming.
The car is not red.
Nichts means “nothing.”
Nichts ist auf dem Tisch.
Nothing is on the table.
Grammar: jeder
Jeder (every, each) is a der-word, but properly speaking it has no plural. Alle (all) also
functions as a der-word, and is the plural counterpart of jeder.
Jeder Mann ⎫
Jede Frau
⎬ kommt heute.
Jedes Auto ⎭
Das Kind sieht
⎧ jeden Mann.
⎨ jede Frau.
⎩ jedes Auto.
Alle Männer
⎫
Alle Frauen ⎬ kommen heute.
Alle Autos ⎭
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Every man
⎫
Every woman ⎬ is coming today.
⎭
Every car
The child sees
⎧ every man.
⎨ every woman.
⎩ every car.
All the men
⎫
All the women ⎬ are coming today.
⎭
All the cars
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Fahrzeuge
Vehicles
4-09
New Vocabulary
abgestellt (abstellen)
der Abschleppwagen, -/der Berg, -(e)s/-e
beschädigt (beschädigen)
bewegt (bewegen)
die Brücke, -/-n
der Bus, -ses/-se
das Cabriolet, -s/-s
die Eisenbahn, -/-en
der Fluss, -es/"-e
geparkt (parken)
hatte (haben)
hatten (haben)
die Limousine, -/-n
der Oldtimer, -s/der Schnee, -s/(no plural)
das Segel, -s/der Sportwagen, -s/-
steigen
stellt (stellen)
der Straßenbahnwagen, -s/das U-Boot, -s/-e
überholt (überholen)
der Umzug, -s/"-e
der Unfall, -s/"-e
das Verdeck, -s/-e
wendet (wenden)
Grammar: hatten
Hatten is the past tense of haben.
haben (to have) – past tense
ich hatte
wir hatten
du hattest
ihr hattet
er/sie/es hatte
sie hatten
Sie hatten
Das Auto hatte einen Unfall.
Diese Leute hatten einen Unfall.
The car had an accident.
These people had an accident.
Grammar: Adjective Endings
Remember that after a der- or ein-word, the adjective ending for dative masculine and
dative neuter is -en. If there is no ein- or der-word, the ending is -em. The adjective takes
the ending that the ein- or der-word would have if it were there.
Neuter dative
ein Cabriolet mit einem geöffneten Verdeck
a convertible with an open roof
Neuter dative
ein Cabriolet mit geöffnetem Verdeck
a convertible with open roof
Grammar: Verb Prefixes (Review)
In contrast to separable prefix verbs, inseparable prefix verbs never detach their prefixes
and do not take ge- in the past participle. The prefix is never stressed.
Die Kinder beschädigen das Auto nicht.
The children are not damaging the car.
Die Kinder haben das Auto nicht beschädigt. The children have not damaged the car.
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Präpositionen und Präpositionalobjekte
Prepositions and Objects of Prepositions
4-10
New Vocabulary
benutzen
dabei
der Fallschirm, -s/-e
der Freund, -(e)s/-e
der Sand, -(e)s
die Sonnenbrille, -/-n
der Stab, -(e)s/"-e
Usage: ohne + zu + an Infinitive
The preposition ohne (without) sometimes introduces a prepositional phrase that consists
of zu followed by an infinitive.
Er fährt Fahrrad, ohne seine Hände zu benutzen.
He is riding a bike without using his hands.
The phrase is usually preceded by a comma. The English equivalent of this construction
uses a gerund (-ing form).
Usage: Articles
In German, the indefinite article is sometimes omitted.
Der Mann mit Hut zeigt auf etwas.
The man with a hat is pointing at something.
The omission is more frequent after ohne (without) than after mit (with).
Sie singt mit einem Mikrophon.
Sie singt ohne Mikrophon.
She is singing with a microphone.
She is singing without a microphone.
German does use a definite article when a noun is used to represent a class of objects.
Der Mensch ist sterblich.
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Man is mortal.
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Addition, Subtraktion, Multiplikation und Division
Addition, Subtraction, Multiplication, and Division
5-01
New Vocabulary
geteilt (teilen)
gleich
mal
minus
plus
Usage: Arithmethic Terms
Plus and minus are the same in German and English (except the pronunciation). “Times”
is mal, while “divided by” is geteilt durch. You can use either ist or gleich for “equals.”
Drei plus vier ist sieben.
Sechs minus eins ist fünf.
Zwei mal acht gleich sechzehn.
Zehn geteilt durch zwei gleich fünf.
Three plus four is seven.
Six minus one is five.
Two times eight equals sixteen.
Ten divided by two equals five.
Remember in counting and mathematical operations to use eins for the number one. When
it is followed by a noun, ein either stands alone or takes an ending.
eins, zwei, drei
Sechs minus fünf ist eins.
Er hatte ein Auto.
Sie sehen einen Mann.
Sie sehen eine Frau.
Sie sehen ein Buch.
one, two, three
Six minus five is one.
He had a car.
They see a man.
They see a woman.
They see a book.
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Possessivpronomen
Possessive Adjectives
5-02
New Vocabulary
bockt (bocken)
eigen…
die Erwachsenenkleidung, das Frauenbein, -s/-e
die Frauenhand, -/"-e
der Frauenhandschuh,-s/-e
der Frauenhut, -(e)s/"-e
führt (führen)
führen
gehört (gehören)
das Kinderauto, -s/-s
die Kinderkleidung, -
die Männerhand, -/"-e
der Männerhandschuh,-s/-e
der Männerhut, -s/"-e
schwarzhaarig…
Vocabulary: Compound Nouns
Many German words, especially nouns, are created by putting “building blocks” of two
or more words together. All of the nouns in the vocabulary list of this lesson are such
compound nouns (see above).
der Frauen-Hut
Frauenhut
das Kinder-Auto
Kinderauto
die Männer-Hand-Schuhe Männerhandschuhe
The gender of compound nouns is always that of the last element (der Hut, das Auto,
die Schuhe).
Grammar: The Genitive Case
One of the uses of the genitive case is to show possession. Notice the genitive forms of the
definite article and the genitive endings on masculine and neuter nouns in the singular.
Das
Das
Das
Das
ist
ist
ist
ist
das
das
das
das
Auto
Auto
Auto
Auto
des Mannes.
der Frau.
des Mädchens.
der Frauen.
That
That
That
That
is
is
is
is
the
the
the
the
man’s car.
woman’s car.
girl’s car.
women’s car.
Masculine singular
Feminine singular
Neuter singular
Plural
Grammar: Possessive Adjectives
In German, to indicate that a noun possesses something or someone, the noun takes the
genitive case. However, a possessive adjective is possessive by its very nature. It can occur
in any case and takes the appropriate ein-word endings.
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Nominative
Genitive
Das ist ihr Mann.
Das ist das Auto ihres Mannes.
Dative
Accusative
Sie spricht mit ihrem Mann.
Sie sieht ihren Mann.
That is her husband.
That is her husband’s car.
(Literally – That is the car of
her husband.)
She is talking to her husband.
She sees her husband.
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5-02
Grammar: Weak Nouns
A number of masculine nouns for people and higher animals are called weak nouns, or
sometimes masculine n-nouns. Instead of taking -s or -es in the genitive, they take -n or
-en. In fact, they take -n or -en everywhere (except in the nominative singular). Sometimes
there are clues that a noun is weak, but other times you must simply memorize it. When
a native German word referring to a living being is masculine and ends in -e, it is nearly
always weak, like Junge and Löwe. However, there are other masculine words that refer
to living beings and are weak but offer no clue, like Mensch and Bär. Many foreign words
with the endings -ist and -ent, like Kapitalist and Student, are weak.
So far you have learned several weak nouns.
der
der
der
der
der
der
Bär
Elefant
Junge
Löwe
Mensch
Polizist
Compare Mann (strong) with Junge (weak).
Singular
Nominative
Genitive
Dative
Accusative
Der Mann kommt.
Der Junge kommt.
Das ist die Schwester des Mannes.
Das ist die Schwester des Jungen.
Sie sprechen mit dem Mann.
Sie sprechen mit dem Jungen.
Sie sehen den Mann.
Sie sehen den Jungen.
The man is coming.
The boy is coming.
That is the man’s sister.
That is the boy’s sister.
They are talking to the man.
They are talking to the boy.
They see the man.
They see the boy.
Die Männer kommen.
Die Jungen kommen.
Das ist die Schwester der Männer.
Das ist die Schwester der Jungen.
Sie sprechen mit den Männern.
Sie sprechen mit den Jungen.
Sie sehen die Männer.
Sie sehen die Jungen.
The men are coming.
The boys are coming.
That is the men’s sister.
That is the boys’ sister.
They are talking to the men.
They are talking to the boys.
They see the men.
They see the boys.
Plural
Nominative
Genitive
Dative
Accusative
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Zeitformen: Präsens, Perfekt und Futur
Tenses: Present, Present Perfect and Future
5-03
New Vocabulary
aber
abgeworfen (abwerfen)
aufgehoben (aufheben)
aufzuheben (aufheben)
die Ente, -/-n
fangen
der Flügel, -s/das Frisbee, -s/-s
gefangen (fangen)
gegangen (gehen)
geworfen (werfen)
heruntergelaufen
(herunterlaufen)
hinaufgelaufen
(hinauflaufen)
hinaufklettern
die Kasse, -/-n
nimmt (nehmen)
öffnen
schlafen
die Tasche, -/-n
umarmen
versucht (versuchen)
das Werk, -(e)s/-e
Vocabulary: Maul and Mund
Just as we use essen (eat) for people and fressen (eat) for animals, so humans have a
Mund (mouth) while animals have a Maul (mouth).
Das Kamel öffnet sein Maul.
Der Mann öffnet seinen Mund.
The camel is opening its mouth.
The man is opening his mouth.
Usage: zu with an Infinitive
When an infinitive is not preceded by an auxiliary verb such as werden (will) or können
(can), it is preceded by zu (to).
Der Hund kann das Frisbee fangen.
Der Hund wird das Frisbee fangen.
Der Hund versucht das Frisbee zu fangen.
The dog can catch the frisbee.
The dog will catch the frisbee.
The dog is trying to catch the frisbee.
Grammar: herauf, hinauf, herunter, hinunter
Hin (away from us) and her (toward us) are used as part of larger words to show direction.
They are often combined with um (around), auf (up), and unter (down). These
combinations often function as separable prefixes.
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hinaufgehen
Er geht die Leiter hinauf.
He is going up the ladder.
heruntergehen
Die Leute gehen die Stufen herunter.
The people are coming down the steps.
hinauflaufen
Das Pferd ist hinaufgelaufen.
The horse has walked up.
herunterlaufen
Das Pferd ist heruntergelaufen.
The horse has walked down.
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Grammar: Coordinating Conjunctions
A conjunction is a word that connects other words, phrases, clauses, or sentences.
Some common conjunctions in English are and, but, as, and because. A coordinating
conjunction is a conjunction that connects two main clauses. The five most important
coordinating conjunctions in German are:
aber
denn
oder
sondern
und
but
for (because)
or
but rather
and
These conjunctions do not affect word order.
Er kommt die Treppe herauf und sie geht die Treppe hinunter.
He is coming up the steps and she is going down the steps.
Der Mann hält sein Funktelefon, aber er benutzt es nicht.
The man is holding his mobile phone, but he is not using it.
Remember that subordinating conjunctions do change word order by sending the
conjugated verb to the end of the clause.
Der Junge kann nicht sprechen, weil er unter Wasser ist.
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Weitere Zahlen
More Numbers
5-04
New Vocabulary
siebenundzwanzig
sechsunddreißig
siebenunddreißig
achtunddreißig
dreiundvierzig
neunundfünfzig
dreiundsechzig
achtundsiebzig
siebenundachtzig
einhundertfünfundvierzig
einhundertvierundfünfzig
zweihundertachtundsiebzig
zweihundertsiebenundachtzig
dreihundertfünfundzwanzig
dreihundertzweiundfünfzig
vierhundertfünfundzwanzig
vierhundertzweiundfünfzig
fünfhundertneunundvierzig
fünfhundertneunundfünfzig
sechshundertneunundsechzig
sechshundertsechsundneunzig
siebenhundertvierunddreißig
siebenhundertdreiundvierzig
achthundertvierunddreißig
achthundertdreiundvierzig
neunhundertsechsundzwanzig
neunhundertzweiundsechzig
eintausendsiebenundachtzig
eintausendachtundsiebzig
eintausendachthundertsiebenundfünfzig
zweitausendachthundertsiebenundfünfzig
eintausendachthundertfünfundsiebzig
zweitausendachthundertfünfundsiebzig
dreitausendeinhundertfünfundzwanzig
siebentausendeinhundertfünfundzwanzig
neuntausendeinhundertfünfundzwanzig
zehntausendeinhundertfünfundzwanzig
Vocabulary: Numbers
German makes even the longest numbers into one word.
zehntausendeinhundertfünfundfünfzig
ten thousand one hundred fifty-five
Notice that except for the inversion of the tens place and the ones place, the order is the
same as in English.
Usage: Dates
Dates in German are written just like numbers.
neunzehnhundertsiebenundneunzig
nineteen ninety-seven
Note that hundert is included in the German date, while we drop hundred in English.
In English we say, “That happened in nineteen ninety-seven.” In German, just give the date,
or say, “im Jahre 1997.”
neunzehnhundertsiebenundneunzig
im Jahre neunzehnhundertsiebenundneunzig
Im Jahre 1997 habe ich Deutsch gelernt.
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nineteen ninety-seven
in nineteen ninety-seven
In 1997 I learned German.
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Akkusativ-, Dativ-, und Präpositionalobjekte
Direct and Indirect Objects; Objects of Prepositions
5-05
New Vocabulary
bekommt (bekommen)
gegeben (geben)
gibt (geben)
das Glas, -es/"-er
der Karren, -s/die Matte, -/-n
die Medizin, -/(no plural)
der Rollkarren, -s/-
schieben
schiebt (schieben)
der Servierwagen, -s/ziehen
Usage: Glas
In German, no preposition is needed between a container and the thing contained.
Der Mann hält das Glas Wasser.
Der Mann nimmt ein Glas Milch.
The man is holding a glass of water.
The man is taking a glass of milk.
Grammar: Direct and Indirect Objects
A direct object is the person or thing that receives the action of a verb. The following
sentences have direct objects. They tell what or whom.
Das Mädchen nimmt einen Teller.
Der Mann schiebt den Servierwagen.
Sie ziehen die Matte.
The girl is taking a plate.
The man is pushing the cart.
They are pulling the mat.
An indirect object tells to whom or for whom an action is performed.
Die Frau gibt dem Jungen Geld. The woman is giving the boy money.
(money to the boy)
Der Mann gibt dem Mädchen
The man is giving the girl the guitar.
die Gitarre.
(the guitar to the girl)
In German, the direct object takes the accusative case, while the indirect object takes the
dative case. In the sentence above, die Gitarre is the direct object and dem Mädchen is
the indirect object.
Note that the indirect object comes first unless the direct object is a pronoun.
Indirect object first Die Frau gibt dem Kind Geld. The woman is giving the child money.
Indirect object first Die Frau gibt ihm Geld.
The woman is giving him money.
Direct object first Die Frau gibt es dem Kind. The woman is giving it to the child.
Direct object first Die Frau gibt es ihm.
The woman is giving it to him or her.
Grammar: nehmen
nehmen (to take) – present tense
ich nehme
wir nehmen
du nimmst
ihr nehmt
er/sie/es nimmt
sie nehmen
Sie nehmen
Die Frauen nehmen die Gitarre.
Die Frau nimmt die Gitarre.
The women are taking the guitar.
The woman is taking the guitar.
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Heiß und kalt
Hot and Cold
5-06
New Vocabulary
der Ofen, -s/"der Rauch, -(e)s
der Schal, -s/-s
scheint (scheinen)
der Sommer, -s/die Sonne, -/-n
bedeckt (bedecken)
die Blüte, -/-n
das Eis, -es
das Feuer, -s/das Getränk, -s/-e
die Mütze, -/-n
das Streichholz, -(e)s/"-er
der Tag, -(e)s/-e
verbrennt (verbrennen)
wenn
der Winter, -s/die Wolke, -/-n
Usage: Weather Conditions
Impersonal weather observations use es ist (it is).
Es ist heiß.
It is hot.
Remember to use the dative case when describing a person’s condition.
Es ist ihm heiß.
Ihm ist heiß.
He is hot. (literally, “To him it is hot.”)
Es ist ihr kalt.
Ihr ist kalt.
She is cold. (literally, “To her it is cold.”)
Grammar: wenn
Wenn is a subordinating conjunction meaning “when,” “whenever,” or “if.” A subordinating
conjunction is simply a conjunction that introduces a subordinate clause. The verb in a
subordinate clause goes at the end.
Leute spielen im Wasser, wenn es heiß ist.
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People play in the water when it is hot.
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Arten
Kinds of Things
5-07
New Vocabulary
die Blumenart, -/-n
der Busch, -(e)s/"-e
die Eiscreme, -/(no plural)
die Entenart, -/-en
die Hundeart, -/-en
die Obstsorte, -/-n
die Pflanzenart, -/-en
die Tierart, -/-en
verschieden…
das Vieh, -(e)s
Vocabulary: Art, Sorte, Mittel
German has several words for sort, type, or kind. While Art is the most common, some
expressions use Sorte or Mittel.
Blumenart
Obstsorte
Nahrungsmittel
kind of flower
kind of fruit
means of nourishment
Do not confuse Art (kind) with Kunst (art).
Das ist eine neue Art Kunst.
That is a new kind of art.
Vocabulary: Eis
In Germany, ice cream is called either Eiscreme or simply Eis. Eis also means “ice” as in
“frozen water.” To specify frozen water rather than a dessert, use Eiswürfel (ice cube), but
be aware that ice cubes are not as common in German-speaking countries as they are in
America. Ice on the sidewalk or street is Glatteis (smooth/slippery ice).
Grammar: Predicate Nouns
A statement declaring an item as identical with another uses a predicate noun construction.
As is the case for a predicate adjective (see 1-03), the verb must be a form of sein (to be),
but in this case it links two nouns, both in the nominative. This lesson consists almost
entirely of predicate noun examples.
Eine Blume ist eine Pflanzenart.
A flower is a kind of plant.
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Möbel, Kleidung und Musikinstrumente
Furniture, Clothing, and Musical Instruments
5-08
New Vocabulary
angezogen (anziehen)
die Bassgitarre, -/-n
das Bett, -(e)s/-en
der Clown, -s/-s
elektrisch…
die Flöte, -/-n
formell
gekleidet (kleiden)
hört (hören)
das Klavier, -s/-e
das Kleidungsstück, -(e)s/-e
die Kommode, -/-n
die Krawatte, -/-n
das Möbelstück, -(e)s/-e
das Musikinstrument, -s/-e
das Saxophon, -s/-e
der Schreibtisch, -es/-e
die Trommel, -/-n
der Trommler, -s/verstauen
zum
Vocabulary: Bank
Die Bank can mean a bank that holds money (plural Banken) or a bench that you sit on
(plural Bänke).
Er sitzt auf einer Bank.
Wo ist die Bank?
He is sitting on a bench.
Where is the bank?
Grammar: Using Infinitives as Nouns
Any verb infinitive can be used as a noun; it must be capitalized. English turns a verb into
a noun by using the gerund (-ing) form. While zum literally means “to the,” zum plus a
capitalized infinitive is the same as the English for plus a gerund.
Ein Bett ist ein Möbelstück zum Schlafen.
A bed is a piece of furniture for sleeping.
Diese Leute sind zum Schwimmen gekleidet. These people are dressed for swimming.
Grammar: Past Participles used as Adjectives vs. Present Perfect
Remember that past participles are often used as adjectives and use the auxiliary verb
sein (to be).
Der Clown ist angezogen.
The clown is dressed.
The sentence above is in the present tense and emphasizes the condition of the clown:
he is dressed.
Compare this with the present perfect tense.
Der Clown hat sich angezogen.
The clown got dressed.
The sentence above is in the present perfect tense and emphasizes the action that the
clown undertook: he got dressed.
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Wenig, viel, mehr, weniger
Few, Many, More, Less
5-09
New Vocabulary
das Land, -(e)s/"-er
die Menge, -/-n
nur
das Tablett, -(e)s/-e
wir
zählen
Usage: zum + Infinitive
In the last lesson, we saw that zum (to) plus a capitalized infinitive is the same as for plus
a gerund in English. Sometimes zum plus a capitalized infinitive means the same as
English to plus an infinitive.
zu viele Ballons zum Zählen
too many balloons to count
(Old English: for to count)
Usage: es ist and es sind
To say “there is” or “there are” for situations that are clearly temporary, use es with a form
of the verb sein.
Es ist zu viel Milch im Glas.
Es sind zu viele Leute zum Zählen.
There is too much milk in the glass.
There are too many people to count.
For more permanent situations, use es gibt.
Es gibt fünf Leute in der Familie.
There are five people in the family.
Es gibt zwei Türen in dieser Wand.
There are two doors in this wall.
Note that in all these expressions the singular es is used, even with plural objects, and that
the singular gibt is used for both singular and plural objects. These expressions are idiomatic;
that is, they do not follow the usual rules. Note that es gibt takes an accusative object.
Usage: Comparisons
Mehr (more) and weniger (less) do not take endings. They may be adjectives or adverbs.
Sie trinkt mehr Milch.
She drinks more milk.
Hier sind mehr Stühle als Tische.
There are more chairs than tables.
Es ist weniger Sand als Gras auf
There is less sand than grass in this picture.
diesem Bild.
Wenig (little) and viel (much) may also be adjectives or adverbs. As adjectives they
take regular adjective endings when they modify nouns that can be counted.
Zu viele Leute sind hier.
Too many people are here.
(the people can be counted)
Er spricht mit wenigen Leuten.
He is talking to a few people.
(the people can be counted)
Als (than) is used in unequal comparisons.
Er trinkt weniger Milch als sie.
He drinks less milk than they do.
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Weitere Verben; menschliche Gesten und Gefühle
More Verbs; Human Gestures and Feelings
5-10
New Vocabulary
beenden
die Beerdigung, -/-en
bindet (binden)
dass
denkt (denken)
das Drachenseil, -s/-e
gähnt (gähnen)
gelaufen (laufen)
gewinnen
gewonnen (gewinnen)
heraus
hustet (husten)
kratzt (kratzen)
der Läufer, -s/die Medaille, -/-n
der Nacken, -s/niest (niesen)
putzt (putzen)
rennen
sitzend (sitzen)
die Stirn, -/-en
streckt (strecken)
verschränkt (verschränken)
weint (weinen)
winkt (winken)
die Zunge, -/-n
Vocabulary: nachdenken
Nachdenken is a separable prefix verb meaning “to ponder” or “to reflect.” Nach by itself is
of course a preposition, usually meaning “after,” and denken is a verb that means “to think.”
Er denkt nach.
Er hat nachgedacht.
Er wird nachdenken.
He is reflecting.
He reflected.
He will reflect.
Aufheben is another example of a separable prefix verb in this lesson.
Usage: auf
Auf usually means “on,” but sometimes means “at.”
Der Clown zeigt auf seine Nase.
Die Frau ist auf einer Beerdigung.
The clown is pointing at his nose.
The woman is at a funeral.
Grammar: Using a Verb as an Adjective
In English, we add -ing to a verb to form a gerund that functions as a noun. German has
no equivalent construction.
Der Mann sitzt im Auto.
Ein Sofa ist ein Möbelstück zum Sitzen.
The man is sitting in the car.
A sofa is a piece of furniture to sit on.
(literally: for sitting)
However, there is a way in German to form an adjective from a verb:
infinitive + -d + adjective ending
der sitzende Clown
the sitting clown (the clown who is sitting)
In the example above, sitzen + -d + -e = sitzende.
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Menschliches Befinden und Eigenschaften
Human Conditions and Characteristics
5-11
New Vocabulary
bin (sein)
habe (haben)
ich
mir
springe (springen)
trage (tragen)
trinke (trinken)
uns
Grammar: Personal Pronouns
Nominative
Accusative
Dative
ich
du
er
sie
es
wir
ihr
sie
Sie
mich
dich
ihn
sie
es
uns
euch
sie
Sie
mir
dir
ihm
ihr
ihm
uns
euch
ihnen
Ihnen
I
you
he
she
it
we
you
they
you
me
you
him
her
it
us
you
them
you
to
to
to
to
to
to
to
to
to
me
you
him
her
it
us
you
them
you
Grammar: Relative Pronouns
A relative pronoun is a pronoun that introduces a clause that tells more about a noun
in the previous clause. In English, the most common relative pronouns are that, which,
and who(m). In German, however, relative pronouns are based on the forms of the
definite article (der, die das). In fact, most of the forms are identical to those of the
definite article.
Note below the exceptions to this in the genitive forms and dative plural form.
Nominative
Genitive
Dative
Accusative
Masculine
Feminine
Neuter
Plural
der
dessen
dem
den
die
deren
der
die
das
dessen
dem
das
die
deren
denen
die
How do we know which form to choose? The gender and number of the relative pronoun
come from the antecedent (the noun it refers back to), while the case comes from the
pronoun’s use in its own clause.
Ich bin ein Mann, der hungrig ist.
I am a man who is hungry.
Because Mann is masculine singular, we look in the masculine column on the chart.
Because the relative pronoun is the subject of the relative clause, it is nominative.
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Ich bin ein Mann, den jeder kennt.
I am a man whom everybody knows.
Because we are still focusing on Mann, we still look in the masculine column on the chart.
However, the relative pronoun is not the subject but the direct object of its clause.
Therefore, we choose the accusative form.
Ich bin ein Mann, dem die Frau ein Buch gegeben hat.
I am a man to whom the woman gave a book.
We know that Mann is still the antecedent, so we stay in the masculine singular column
on the chart. However, the relative pronoun is now functioning as the indirect object in its
clause, so we choose the dative form.
Ich bin ein Mann, dessen Auto grün ist.
I am a man whose car is green.
Mann is still the antecedent, so we stay in the masculine singular column on the chart.
Now the relative pronoun indicates possession, so we choose the genitive form.
Notice how the antecedent, Mann, is in the nominative case in all four examples. It could
be in the accusative, dative, or genitive, but it does not affect the case of the relative
pronoun, which is always determined by its function in its own clause.
Ich bin eine Frau, die hungrig ist.
Das sind Leute, die nicht alt sind.
Das ist ein Buch, das ich gelesen habe.
I am a woman who is hungry.
Those are people who are not old.
That is a book that I have read.
Note that in the last sentence, the English equivalent could be, “That is a book I have read.”
The relative pronoun is never omitted in German, however. Note also that in German, a
relative clause is always set off by a comma.
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Präsens und Präteritum von „sein“ und „haben“
Present and Past of “Sein” and “Haben”
6-01
New Vocabulary
das Notizbuch, -(e)s/"-er
der Park, -(e)s/-s
voll
das Fahrradrennen, -s/hielt (halten)
der Messbecher, -s/-
war (sein)
waren (sein)
Grammar: Present Perfect (Review)
Remember that the German present perfect is a general past tense that fills the roles of
several English tenses.
Die Frau hat
Jeans getragen.
The woman has worn jeans.
The woman wore jeans.
The woman did wear jeans.
Present perfect
Simple past
Emphatic past
Ich bin gelaufen.
I have run.
I ran.
I did run.
Present perfect
Simple past
Emphatic past
Grammar: Simple Past
German has another past tense, the simple past, that carries a similar range of meanings
as present perfect, but is generally used in different contexts than the present perfect.
Here are the past tense conjugations for the three verbs whose simple past occurs in this
lesson. Sein and haben are important auxiliary verbs.
ich
du
er/sie/es
wir
ihr
sie/Sie
sein (to be)
haben (to have) halten (to hold)
war
warst
war
waren
wart
waren
hatte
hattest
hatte
hatten
hattet
hatten
hielt
hieltest
hielt
hielten
hieltet
hielten
Ich war krank.
Wir waren müde.
I was sick.
We were tired.
Die Frau hatte ein Auto.
Sie hatten ein Seil.
The woman had a car.
They had a rope.
Sie hielt ein Notizbuch.
Wir hielten seine Bücher.
She held a notepad.
We were holding his books.
In conversation, the present perfect is preferred for most verbs. In telling a story, the simple
past is preferred. Choosing between the two tenses is a question of style or usage more
than meaning.
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Verben: Präsens, Perfekt und Futur
Verbs: Present, Present Perfect and Future
6-02
New Vocabulary
betreten
betritt (betreten)
gelegt (legen)
gerutscht (rutschen)
heruntergegangen
(heruntergehen)
heruntergehen
hinaufgegangen
(hinaufgehen)
hinaufgehen
der Kofferraum, -(e)s/"-e
küssen
legen
rutschen
rutscht (rutschen)
schaut (schauen)
schließen
schreiben
die Straße, -/-n
werfen
Usage: legen and liegen
Legen (to lay) and liegen (to lie) appear in both English and German – and cause
difficulties in both languages. The difference between the two verbs, however, is simple:
legen (to lay) always takes a direct object while liegen (to lie) never does. Part of the
confusion in English comes from the fact that the past of “lie” is “lay.” German does not
present this problem.
Infinitive
Present
Past
Past participle
legen
ich lege
ich legte
gelegt
to lay
I lay
I laid
laid
liegen
ich liege
ich lag
gelegen
to lie
I lie
I lay
lain
Note: These verbs often occur in expressions with those prepositions that can take either
the accusative or the dative. Legen always causes them to take the accusative, liegen
the dative.
Die Frau legt etwas in den Korb. The woman is putting something in the bag.
(literally, “The woman is laying something in the bag.”)
Was liegt in dem Korb?
What is in the bag?
(literally, “What is lying in the bag?”)
This lesson practices expressions for different time frames: present, future and present
perfect (one of the forms for the past). Refer to Lesson 2-10 for review of these tenses.
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6-02
Grammar: Using haben and sein as Auxiliary Verbs (Review)
Remember that:
1. All transitive verbs take haben.
A transitive verb is a verb that takes a direct object, like “throw,” “read,” and “eat.”
Present
Present perfect
Present
Present perfect
Present
Present perfect
Ich werfe den Ball.
Ich habe den Ball geworfen.
Sie liest ein Buch.
Sie hat ein Buch gelesen.
Wir essen eine Banane.
Wir haben eine Banane gegessen.
I am throwing the ball.
I threw/have thrown the ball.
She is reading a book.
She read/has read a book.
We are eating a banana.
We ate/have eaten a banana.
2. Although most intransitive verbs also take haben, intransitive verbs that indicate a
change of condition or location take sein.
An intransitive verb is a verb that does not take a direct object, like “jump” or “sleep.”
Present
Der Junge springt in
das Wasser.
Present perfect Der Junge ist in das Wasser
gesprungen.
Present
Der Mann schläft.
Present perfect Der Mann hat geschlafen.
The boy is jumping into
the water.
The boy jumped/has jumped
into the water.
The man is sleeping.
The man slept/has slept.
3. There are two exceptions to rule #2: sein and bleiben both take sein, even
though they are intransitive verbs that have nothing to do with changes of condition
or location.
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Weitere Personenbeschreibungen; Demonstrativpronomen
More Descriptions of People; Demonstrative Pronouns
New Vocabulary
dunkl…
elegant
die Fliege, -/-n
die Hautfarbe, -/-n
hell…
noch
der Ohrring, -(e)s/-e
der Schnurrbart, -(e)s/"-e
6-03
der Teppich, -s/-e
die Uniform, -/en
der Vollbart, -(e)s/"-e
weder
Vocabulary: dunkel
Dunkel means “dark.” The e in dunkel is dropped when an ending is added.
Das Auto ist dunkel.
Es ist ein dunkles Auto.
The car is dark.
It is a dark car.
The same thing happens to most adjectives that end in -el and -er.
Das Auto ist teuer.
Es ist ein teures Auto.
The car is expensive.
It is an expensive car.
Usage: weder … noch
Weder … noch is used in German the same way that neither … nor is used in English.
Diese Person hat weder einen Schnurrbart noch einen Vollbart.
This person has neither a mustache nor a beard.
Usage: beide
Beide (both) is an adjective and takes normal adjective endings. Sometimes it is preceded
by a definite article.
Beide junge Männer singen.
Die beiden jungen Männer singen.
Both young men sing.
Both of the young men sing.
Grammar: kein
In the masculine nominative as well as the neuter nominative and accusative, kein (like all
ein-words) takes no ending. However, if the noun is removed, kein does require an ending
to indicate what it refers to.
War ein Mann hier?
Nein, kein Mann war hier.
Nein, keiner war hier.
Was a man here?
No, no man was here.
No, none was here.
When keiner appears with no apparent antecedent, it means “no one.”
Wer ist die Frau, die singt?
Keiner weiß es.
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Who is the woman who is singing?
No one knows.
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Mengenangaben
Units of Things
6-04
New Vocabulary
der Blumenstrauß, -es/"-e
die Flasche, -/-n
die Glasflasche, -/-n
halbvoll…
der Kartoffelchip, -s/-s
das Papiertuch, -(e)s/"-er
die Papiertüte, -/-n
die Plastiktüte, -/-n
die Rolle, -/-n
der Saft, -(e)s/"-e
der Stiefel, -s/das Toilettenpapier, -s/(no plural)
die Wassermelonenscheibe, -/-n
der Würfel, -s/-
Usage: Idioms
In certain expressions in German there is no equivalent to the English preposition “of.”
eine Rolle Papiertücher
a roll of paper towels
The same is not true of seemingly similar constructions, for example, those involving
mit (with).
eine Tüte mit Fischen
a bag with fish
Usage: ein Paar vs. ein paar
The phrase ein Paar means “a pair,” while ein paar means “a couple” or “a few.” In writing,
the capital P indicates the difference. In speaking, rely on context.
ein Paar Stiefel
ein paar Freunde
a pair of boots
a few friends
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Nicht mehr; beide, keine, weder–noch
No More; Both, None, Neither–Nor
6-05
New Vocabulary
all…
der Bürgersteig, -(e)s/-e
kleidet sich an
(sich ankleiden)
der Schirm, -(e)s/-e
telefoniert (telefonieren)
Vocabulary: keiner, keine, keines
Keiner, keine, and keines can each mean “no one,” “none,” or “neither.”
Keiner liest in diesem Haus.
Keine der Frauen kommt.
Welches Kind kommt? Keines.
No one reads in this house.
None of the women are coming.
Which child is coming? Neither one.
Usage: weder … noch (Review)
Weder … noch expresses the idea of neither … nor. Noch cannot be replaced by oder (or).
Weder der Mann noch die Frau tragen einen Schirm.
Neither the man nor the woman is carrying an umbrella.
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Verben: Präsens, Präteritum und Perfekt; Relativpronomen
Verbs: Present, Past and Present Perfect; Relative Pronouns
6-06
New Vocabulary
die Ampel, -/-n
angelt (angeln)
aß (essen)
der Autoschlüssel, -s/geangelt (angeln)
gefahren (fahren)
gegraben (graben)
gelesen (lesen)
graben
nun
schaute (schauen)
spielte (spielen)
stieg (steigen)
trug (tragen)
Grammar: Weak and Strong Verbs
A weak verb adds a -t to its stem in the simple past and a -t in the past participle. The
vowel in the stem doesn’t change. Most German verbs are weak.
Present
Past
Past participle
spielen
(to play)
er spielt
er spielte
gespielt
machen
(to make)
er macht
er machte
gemacht
ausstrecken
(to stretch out)
er streckt aus
er streckte aus
ausgestreckt
A strong verb does not add a -t to its stem in the simple past, but does add an -en in
the past participle. The vowel in the stem changes. There are about 225 strong verbs in
German. Many common verbs are strong, and therefore a high percentage of the verbs
you have encountered are strong.
Present
Past
Past participle
fliegen
(to fly)
er fliegt
er flog
geflogen
springen
(to jump)
er springt
er sprang
gesprungen
essen
(to eat)
er isst
er aß
gegessen
werfen
(to throw)
er wirft
er warf
geworfen
While there are patterns among the strong verbs, at this point the best advice is simply to
memorize the different forms. English sometimes provides a clue:
Springen-sprang-gesprungen is literally spring-sprang-sprung.
A handful of verbs are weak, but irregular: they use two different stems but take a -t in both
the past and the past participle. Again, notice the parallel with English.
Present
Past
Past participle
denken (to think)
er denkt
er dachte
gedacht
Trinken-trank-getrunken is drink-drank-drunk; denken-dachte-gedacht is think-thoughtthought.
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Sein, like its English equivalent “to be,” is highly irregular. The present tense has several
different roots, the past is war, and the past participle is gewesen. It is a strong verb.
sein (to be)
ich
du
er/sie/es
wir
ihr
sie/Sie
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Present
bin
bist
ist
sind
seid
sind
Past
war
warst
war
waren
wart
waren
Present perfect
bin gewesen
bist gewesen
ist gewesen
sind gewesen
seid gewesen
sind gewesen
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Namen
Names
6-07
New Vocabulary
dreiundzwanzig
gerade
heißt (heißen)
das Jahr, -(e)s/-e
mein…
der Name, -ns/-n
der Prinz, -en/-en
sagt (sagen)
schau (schauen)
schüttelt (schütteln)
stehe (stehen)
Usage: Names
There are two ways in German to say “my name is.” The more common way is to use the
verb heißen (to be called); the other is to use mein Name ist (my name is).
Ich heiße Michael.
Mein Name ist Michael.
My name is Michael. (literally, “I am called Michael.”)
My name is Michael.
Both constructions can be used in the second or third person as well as the first.
Wie
Wie
Wie
Wie
heißt er?
ist sein Name?
heißen Sie?
ist Ihr Name?
What
What
What
What
is
is
is
is
his name?
his name?
your name?
your name?
Notice the use of wie (how), rather than was (what).
Usage: auf einem Baum
Auf usually means “on,” but the phrase auf einem Baum means “in a tree.”
Er sitzt auf dem Tisch.
Er sitzt auf dem Baum.
He is sitting on the table.
He is sitting in the tree.
Usage: Age
Expressions of age generally parallel English constructions.
Ich bin vierzig Jahre alt.
Sie ist zwanzig Jahre alt.
I am forty years old.
She is twenty years old.
Grammar: mein
Mein (my) is an ein-word, and a possessive adjective, so it takes the usual endings of
adjectives depending on number, gender, and case. See Appendix B.
Mein Haus ist blau.
Das ist meine Frau.
Ich gebe meiner Frau die Autoschlüssel.
Sie sehen auf meinen Tisch.
Meine Autos sind alt.
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My house is blue.
That is my wife.
I am giving my wife the car keys.
They are looking at my table.
My cars are old.
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Verben: Präsens, Perfekt und Futur
Verbs: Present, Present Perfect and Future
6-08
New Vocabulary
anziehen
aufheben
bereitet (bereiten)
geküsst (küssen)
hinaufgestiegen
(hinaufsteigen)
niemand…
der Schaukelstuhl, -(e)s/"-e
schütten
schüttet (schütten)
die Zeitung, -/-en
Grammar: Verb Tenses (Review)
The German tense structure is considerably simpler than the one in English. The six
German tenses are: present, past, future, present perfect, past perfect, and future perfect.
The last two are used only in specific situations; the first four are for general use.
The present tense covers the range of meaning of several English tenses.
Der Junge springt.
The boy jumps.
The boy is jumping.
The boy does jump.
Simple present
Present progressive
Emphatic present
Either the simple past or the present perfect can be used as a general past tense. So either
German sentence:
Der Junge sprang.
or Der Junge ist gesprungen.
can mean:
The boy jumped.
The boy did jump.
The boy has jumped.
Simple past
Emphatic past
Present perfect
The future consists of a form of werden in the present tense plus an infinitive, which goes
at the end of the clause.
Der Junge wird springen.
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The boy will jump.
The boy will be jumping.
Future
Future progressive
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6-08
Grammar: The Auxiliary Verbs haben and sein (Review)
Most verbs form the present perfect by using the present tense of the auxiliary verb haben
(to have) plus the past participle, which goes at the end of the clause.
Ich habe gegessen.
Sie hat geschlafen.
I ate.
She slept.
essen with haben
schlafen with haben
However, some verbs, many of which are common, use sein (to be) as the auxiliary verb.
These verbs do not take a direct object and indicate a change of condition or location. The
exceptions to this rule are sein and bleiben (to stay), both of which take sein as their
auxiliary verb.
Das Mädchen ist gesprungen.
Der Hund ist gelaufen.
Wir sind geblieben.
The girl jumped.
The dog ran.
We stayed.
springen with sein
laufen with sein
bleiben with sein
Grammar: Active Voice and Passive Voice (Review)
Remember that in a sentence in active voice, the subject is doing something to a direct
object. In a sentence in passive voice, something is being done to the subject. To form the
passive voice, use the appropriate tense of werden plus a past participle, which goes at
the end of the clause. When the agent is a person, use the preposition von.
Active
Der Junge wirft den Ball.
The boy is throwing the ball.
Passive
Der Ball wird von dem Jungen geworfen.
The ball is being thrown by the boy.
Do not confuse the passive voice with the future tense. The passive voice is formed by
werden plus a past participle, while the future is formed by werden plus an infinitive.
Future
Der Junge wird den Ball werfen.
The boy will throw the ball.
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Weitere Mengenangaben
More Units of Things
6-09
New Vocabulary
einzeln…
das Esszimmer-Möbelset, -s/-s
die Flagge, -/-n
das Gepäckset, -s/-s
heruntergeht (heruntergehen)
die Läuferin, -/-nen
das Messerset, -s/-s
die Puppe, -/-n
das Puppenpaar, -(e)s/-e
das Puppenset, -s/-s
der Radfahrer, -s/russisch…
das Schachset, -s/-s
das Tafelsilberset, -s/-s
das Tellerset, -s/-s
die Weintraube, -/-n
das Werkzeugset, -s/-s
der Zwilling, -s/-e
Grammar: alle, kein, einige, viele
When a form of alle (all) is followed by an adjective, the adjective takes the ending -en.
The same is true after a form of keine when keine is plural, not feminine singular.
But words like einige and viele do not affect adjective endings, which remain -e in the
nominative and accusative, -en in the dative and -er in the genitive. This happens because
keine is an ein-word and alle behaves like a der-word, while einige and viele are just
ordinary adjectives. See Appendix B for tables of adjective endings.
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Alle jungen Hunde laufen schnell.
Keine alten Hunde laufen schnell.
All young dogs run fast.
No old dogs run fast.
Viele junge Leute laufen schnell.
Einige alte Leute laufen.
Many young people run fast.
Some old people run.
Das sind nicht die Autos junger Leute.
Das sind die Autos einiger alter Leute.
Those are not the cars of young people.
Those are the cars of some old people.
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Allein, Gruppe, Freunde
Alone, Crowd, Friends
6-10
New Vocabulary
allein
die Burg, -/-en
der Chor, -(e)s/"-e
entfernt (entfernen)
das Fort, -s/-s
die Freundin, -/-nen
der Fußweg, -(e)s/-e
gegeneinander
der Hügel, -s/-
umgeben
das Wettrennen, -s/die Wüste, -/-n
Usage: Freund
In Germany, the words Freund (male friend) and Freundin (female friend) are reserved
for intimate friends. A person would usually have no more than a handful of intimate friends
at any given time, and they would remain friends for an extended period of time. If a woman
says mein Freund or a man says meine Freundin, it means “boyfriend” or “girlfriend.” In
the plural, however, Freunde has the same meaning as “friends.”
The best way to translate the American meaning of “friend” is Bekannter. Bekannter
means “acquaintance,” but does not imply a distant relationship. Bekannter comes from
the verb kennen (to know) by way of the adjective bekannt (well-known). Bekannter is
an adjective used as a noun, so it requires adjective endings.
Grammar: Separable and Inseparable Verb Prefixes
Some verb prefixes are always separable, like aus-, and others are always inseparable,
like be-. A small number are sometimes separable and sometimes inseparable, like um-.
aussteigen:
betreten:
umsteigen:
umgeben:
Die Frau steigt aus dem Wagen aus.
Wir betreten das Gebäude.
Ich steige in Berlin um.
Viele Bücher umgeben uns.
The woman is getting out of the car.
We are setting foot in the building.
I am transferring buses in Berlin.
Many books surround us.
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Berufe, Zustände und Tätigkeiten
Professions, Conditions, and Activities
6-11
New Vocabulary
Aua!
außerhalb
backe (backen)
behandle (behandeln)
bei
die Köchin, -/-nen
repariere (reparieren)
schmerzt (schmerzen)
schreibe (schreiben)
die Schreibmaschine, -/-n
unterrichte (unterrichten)
Usage: Professions
When stating a profession in German, do not use an indefinite article.
Ich bin Lehrerin.
Er ist Student.
I am a female teacher.
He is a student.
With a qualifying adjective, however, do use an article.
Er ist ein guter Student. He is a good student.
Grammar: stolz auf and schreiben auf
Auf is a preposition that can take either the accusative or dative. Stolz auf (proud of) is a
figurative use of the preposition auf, so it takes the accusative. In the following sentence,
schreiben auf (to write on or to write with) is not figurative, and answers the question
where, so it takes the dative.
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Feminine accusative
Er ist stolz auf seine Schwester.
He is proud of his sister.
Feminine dative
Sie schreibt auf der Schreibmaschine.
She is writing with the typewriter.
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Weitere Verben
More Verbs
7-01
New Vocabulary
arbeiten
arbeitet (arbeiten)
der Dreck, -(e)s
geben
getroffen (treffen)
gräbt (graben)
das Heu, -(e)s
lassen
lässt (lassen)
oben
unten
worden (werden)
Vocabulary: vorlesen
Lesen means “to read,” while vorlesen means “to read to someone.” By extension, it also
means “to give a lecture.”
Die Frau liest ein Buch.
Die Mutter liest den Kindern vor.
Der Professor liest.
The woman is reading a book.
The mother is reading to the children.
The professor is lecturing.
Vocabulary: Drache and Drachen
Der Drachen is a strong noun, while der Drache is a weak noun. They are synonyms, and
both mean either “dragon” or “kite.”
Der Heilige Georg tötet den Drachen.
Wir lassen den Drachen steigen.
Der Drache ist grün.
Saint George is slaying the dragon.
We are flying a kite.
The dragon is green.
Grammar: lassen
Lassen (to let) is a common auxiliary verb. Its primary meaning is “to let” or “to leave,”
but it can also mean “to have something done.”
Der Junge lässt den Drachen steigen.
The boy is flying the kite. (literally, “The boy is letting the kite climb.”)
Sie lässt ihre Bücher im Auto.
She is leaving her books in the car.
Wir lassen uns ein Haus bauen.
We are having a house built. (literally, “We are allowing ourselves to build a house.”)
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Weitere Verben; Fragepronomen
More Verbs; Interrogative Pronouns
7-02
New Vocabulary
der Anzug, -s/"-e
der Arbeiter, -s/der Astronaut, -en/-en
ausgebreitet (ausbreiten)
leben
lebt (leben)
die Luft, -/"-e
manchmal
der Matrose, -n/-n
momentan
normalerweise
schlägt (schlagen)
der Soldat, -en/-en
verkauft (verkaufen)
der Weltraumanzug, -s/"-e
der Zeiger, -s/-
Vocabulary
Note the connections between the following words: Flügel (wing), fliegen (to fly), and
Flugzeug (airplane).
Vocabulary: kaufen and verkaufen
Verkaufen means “to sell,” while kaufen means “to buy.”
Der Bäcker verkauft mir Brot.
Ich kaufe Brot bei dem Bäcker.
The baker sells me bread.
I buy bread at the baker’s.
Usage: doch and aber
Doch (but) provides a more emphatic contrast than aber (but).
Hunde tragen normalerweise keine Kleidung, doch dieser Hund trägt Kleidung.
Dogs do not normally wear clothes, but this dog is wearing clothes.
Die Sonne scheint, aber der Wind ist kühl.
The sun is shining, but the wind is cool.
Grammar: Adverbs
A predicate adjective is an adjective that follows a verb, normally the verb sein. Predicate
adjectives and adverbs do not take adjective endings.
Das ist ein gutes Pferd.
Das Pferd ist gut.
Das Pferd läuft gut.
That is a good horse.
The horse is good.
The horse runs well.
Attributive adjective
Predicate adjective
Adverb
Notice that when a predicate adjective and an adverb come from the same root, they
are identical in form.
There are exceptions to this pattern. The adjective normal becomes the adverb
normalerweise.
Das ist normale Kleidung.
Hunde tragen normalerweise keine Kleidung.
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That is normal clothing.
Dogs don’t normally wear clothing.
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Schnell und langsam
Fast and Slow
7-03
New Vocabulary
langsam
der Rollschuh, -s/-e
die Schlittschuhläuferin, -/-nen
der Schwimmer, -s/die Schwimmerin, -/-nen
sich bewegen
der Ski, -s/-er or der Skifahrer, -s/überhaupt
Vocabulary: schnell and langsam
Schnell (fast) and langsam (slow) can be adjectives or adverbs.
Das Auto fährt langsam.
Das ist ein langsames Auto.
Dieses Auto ist schnell.
The car is going slowly.
That is a slow car.
This car is fast.
Adverb
Attributive adjective
Predicate adjective
Usage: sich bewegen, umziehen, and ziehen
Sich bewegen means “to move” in the sense of “to be in motion.” Notice that the verb
is reflexive.
Die Radfahrer bewegen sich schnell.
Das Flugzeug bewegt sich schneller.
The cyclists are moving fast.
The airplane is moving faster.
“To move” in the sense of “to change residence” is umziehen, while “to move” a chess
piece is ziehen.
Wir werden nach Berlin umziehen.
Kasparow zieht seinen König.
We will move to Berlin.
Kasparov is moving his king.
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Jahreszeiten und Tageszeiten
7-04
Seasons and Times of Day
New Vocabulary
das Blatt, -(e)s/"-er
der Frühling, -s/-e
grün…
der Herbst, -es/-e
der Mond, -(e)s/-e
nennen
der Parkplatz, -es/"-e
das Schwimmbad, -(e)s/"-er
sehen
die Sommerzeit, -/-en
der Sonnenaufgang, -(e)s/"-e
der Sonnenuntergang, -(e)s/"-e
die Stadt, -/"-e
verläuft (verlaufen)
warm
die Winterzeit, -/-en
Vocabulary: Seasons
der Sommer
der Herbst
der Winter
der Frühling
or das Frühjahr
summer
fall
winter
spring
Note that Herbst (fall) comes from the same root as harvest. Frühling and Frühjahr
both mean “spring.”
früh + ling
früh + jahr
early + a nominal suffix
early + year
Winter and Sommer can take a suffix -zeit (time).
Es ist Winter.
Es ist Winterzeit.
It is winter.
It is wintertime.
Grammar: rosa
The adjective rosa doesn’t take endings because the a would be awkward as part of
an ending.
ein rosa Baum
zwei rosa Autos
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a pink tree
two pink cars
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Alle, kein-, einige, meist-, beide, andere
All, None, Some, Most, Both, Other
7-05
New Vocabulary
hauptsächlich
meist…
der Teil, -(e)s/-e
Usage: die meisten and die beiden
Use die meisten for “most.”
Die meisten Leute haben ein Auto.
Ein Auto steht vor den meisten Häusern.
Most people have a car.
A car stands in front of most houses.
Use beide or die beiden for “both.”
Beide Frauen haben ein Auto.
Die beiden Frauen haben ein Auto.
Both women have a car.
Both women have a car.
Usage: meistens and hauptsächlich
The adverbial form of die meisten (most) is meistens (mostly or mainly).
Die meisten Blumen sind weiß, aber einige sind gelb.
Most of the flowers are white, but some are yellow.
Die Blumen sind meistens weiß, aber einige sind gelb.
The flowers are mainly white, but some are yellow.
Compare its use with hauptsächlich (chiefly or principally).
Diese Blume ist hauptsächlich rot, aber ein Teil ist schwarz.
This flower is mostly red, but a part is black.
Grammar: Understood Verbs
Sometimes a verb is understood to be in a phrase or clause where it does not actually appear.
Dieser Mann trägt eine gelbe Kappe, und diese Frau auch.
This man is wearing a yellow cap, and this woman (is wearing one) too.
Grammar: keiner ist, keine ist, keines ist
Keiner (keine, keines) is singular and takes a singular verb. In English, however, none of
+ a noun frequently takes a plural verb.
Keine dieser Enten hat einen weißen Kopf.
Keiner dieser Männer trägt einen Hut.
Keines dieser Kinder ist ein Mädchen.
None of these ducks have a white head.
None of these men are wearing a hat.
None of these children is a girl.
Note: Be careful to distinguish between keine in the feminine singular and in the plural.
keine Ente
keine Enten
no duck
no ducks
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Demonstrativpronomen; keine und beide
Demonstrative Pronouns; None and Both
7-06
New Vocabulary
There is no new vocabulary in this lesson.
Grammar: eine, keine, alle, beide, diese
Notice the case and the endings of the words eine (one), keine (none), alle (all), beide
(both), and diese (these).
Eine dieser Personen trinkt Milch.
Keine dieser Personen trinkt Milch.
One of these people drinks milk.
None of these people drink milk.
Eine is the subject, so it is nominative. It is feminine because Person is feminine.
Dieser is genitive plural.
Diese beiden Personen trinken Milch.
Both of these people drink milk.
Diese is a der-word in the nominative plural, so the adjective ending on beide is -en.
Beide Personen trinken Milch.
Both people drink milk.
There is no der- or ein-word, so the nominative plural adjective ending on beide is -e.
Alle diese Personen trinken Milch.
All these people drink milk.
Alle behaves like a der-word and diese is a der-word. Therefore, both take the nominative
plural endings for der-words.
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Formen und Standorte; Präpositionen; alle, meistShapes and Locations; Prepositions; All, Most
7-07
New Vocabulary
innerhalb
Usage: um … herum and über … hinüber
The following German sentences use two forms of the same word. This is correct German
usage.
Um dieses Rechteck herum ist ein Kreis.
Er geht über die Straße hinüber.
Around this rectangle is a circle.
He is crossing the street.
Grammar: Word Order
The usual word order for many German sentences is: subject first, followed by the verb.
Ein Kreis ist um dieses Rechteck herum.
subject verb
A circle is around this rectangle.
German sentences can also start with something other than the subject, followed by the
verb, with the subject third.
Um dieses Rechteck herum ist ein Kreis. Around this rectangle is a circle.
verb subject
In German the conjugated verb is always second.
Grammar: Prepositions that take either the Accusative or the Dative (Review)
Several prepositions sometimes take the accusative and sometimes take the dative,
depending on whether the verb indicates destination or location.
Destination:
Accusative
Location:
Dative
Der Junge läuft hinter den Baum.
The boy runs behind the tree.
Der Junge ist hinter dem Baum.
The boy is behind the tree.
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Links und rechts; voll und leer
Left and Right; Full and Empty
7-08
New Vocabulary
enthält (enthalten)
die Mitte, -/(no plural)
die Tür, -/-en
Usage: voll
Do not use “of” with voll (full).
Das Glas ist voll Milch.
The glass is full of milk.
Grammar: links and rechts (Review)
Links and rechts are adverbs as discussed in Lesson 2-05.
Das Auto biegt links ab.
Das Auto biegt rechts ab.
The car is turning left.
The car is turning right.
To form an adjective, remove the -s and add the appropriate adjective endings for gender,
number, and case.
Die linke Hand des Mannes ist voll Bonbons. (fem. sing. nominative)
The man’s left hand is full of candy.
der Baum auf der rechten Seite (fem. sing. dative)
the tree on the right side
Grammar: welcher (Review)
Welcher (which) is a der-word that requires an ending that agrees with the noun in gender,
number, and case.
Welcher Mann kommt?
Welche Frau kommt?
Welches Kind kommt?
Welche Bücher sind das?
Auf welcher Seite ist der Baum?
Which
Which
Which
Which
Which
man is coming?
woman is coming?
child is coming?
books are those?
side is the tree on?
Masc. sing. nom.
Fem. sing. nom.
Neut. sing. nom.
Plural nom.
Fem. sing. dative
Note on the last sentence: Never end a German sentence with a preposition. If a sentence
ends with what appears to be a preposition, it is really a separable prefix (or is wrong!).
An welchem Tisch sitzt er?
Which table is he sitting at?
(literally, “At which table is he sitting?”)
Sie zieht sich an.
She is getting dressed.
In the last sentence, the verb is sich anziehen, so an here is a separable prefix.
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Präpositionen: über und unter, usw.
Prepositions: Over and Under, etc.
7-09
New Vocabulary
besetzt (besetzen)
darunter
dreihundertunddrei
frei
der Himmel, -s/(no plural)
lehnen
lehnt (lehnen)
untergehend…
Vocabulary: Himmel
Himmel means both “heaven” and “sky.”
Es sind viele Ballons am Himmel.
Himmel und Hölle
There are many balloons in the sky.
heaven and hell
Vocabulary: usw.
Usw., in the lesson title above, is an abbreviation for undsoweiter (and so forth). It is
used just like etc., which is an abbreviation for et cetera, a Latin phrase that means
“and the rest.”
Usage: nur and einzig
Nur is an adverb, while einzig is an adjective. Both mean “only.”
Nur ein Mann kommt.
Der einzige Mann kommt.
Only one man is coming.
The only man is coming.
Grammar: Löwe
Löwe (male lion) is a weak noun (or masculine n-noun). In other words, it takes the ending -n
everywhere except in the nominative singular.
Der Löwe kommt.
Sie sehen den Löwen.
Sie stehen hinter dem Löwen.
Die Farbe des Löwen ist gelb.
The lion is coming.
They see the lion.
They are standing behind the lion.
The color of the lion is yellow.
Masc. sing. nom.
Masc. sing. acc.
Masc. sing. dative
Masc. sing. genitive
Grammar: unter, unten, herunter
Unter (under, beneath, or underneath) is a preposition; unten (below) is an adverb; and
herunter (down) is a separable prefix.
Die Katze ist unter dem Zug.
Wir sehen den Zug von unten.
Wir kommen die Treppe herunter.
The cat is under the train.
We see the train from below.
We are coming down the stairs.
The verb in the last sentence above is herunterkommen (to come down).
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Weitere Verben
More Verbs
7-10
New Vocabulary
eingefangen (einfangen)
einzufangen (einfangen)
fesseln
hinaufzuklettern
(hinaufklettern)
das Hindernis, -ses/-se
hinein
das Kalb, -(e)s/"-er
die Kamera, -/-s
klettern
offen
überqueren
Grammar: um … zu (Review)
Um … zu means “in order to.”
Sie benutzt eine Kamera, um ein Bild zu machen.
She is using a camera in order to take a picture.
When um … zu is used with a separable prefix verb, the zu appears in the middle of the verb.
Er benutzt ein Seil, um den Berg hinaufzuklettern.
He is using a rope in order to climb the mountain.
Grammar: Infinitives With and Without zu
We often find the word zu (to) in front of an infinitive. After certain auxiliary verbs, however,
the zu is omitted.
Der Hund versucht, das Frisbee zu fangen.
Der Hund kann das Frisbee nicht fangen.
The dog is trying to catch the frisbee.
The dog cannot catch the frisbee.
Grammar: Infinitives (Review)
When forming an infinitive, most verbs add -en to the verb stem. But verbs whose stem
ends in -l or -r just add -n.
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stem
+ -en or -n infinitive
kletter
trommel
lauf
schau
+
+
+
+
-n
-n
-en
-en
klettern
trommeln
laufen
schauen
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Verben: Präsens, Perfekt und Futur
Verbs: Present, Present Perfect, and Future
7-11
New Vocabulary
esse (essen)
falle (fallen)
gemeinsam
schneide (schneiden)
werde (werden)
Grammar: Present Tense
The first and third person plural of verbs (except sein) is the same as the infinitive. The
second and third person singular of strong verbs usually exhibit a vowel change.
ich
du
er/sie/es
wir
ihr
sie/Sie
lachen
benutzen
(to laugh) (to use)
hinaufklettern
(to climb up)
laufen
(to run)
lesen
(to read)
lache
lachst
lacht
lachen
lacht
lachen
klettere hinauf
kletterst hinauf
klettert hinauf
klettern hinauf
klettert hinauf
klettern hinauf
laufe
läufst
läuft
laufen
lauft
laufen
lese
liest
liest
lesen
lest
lesen
benutze
benutzt
benutzt
benutzen
benutzt
benutzen
Grammar: Present Perfect Tense (Review)
The present perfect is formed by the present of haben or sein plus the past participle.
Trinken:
Ich habe
Du hast
Er hat
Wir haben
Ihr habt
Sie haben
Sie haben
Springen:
Ich bin
Du bist
Er ist
Wir sind
Ihr seid
Sie sind
Sie sind
⎫
⎬
⎭
Milch getrunken.
I
You
He
We
You
They
You
⎫
⎬
⎭
drank milk.
⎫
⎬
⎭
I
You
He
in das Wasser gesprungen. We
You
They
You
⎫
⎬
⎭
jumped into the water.
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7-11
Einfangen:
Ich habe
Du hast
Er hat
Wir haben
Ihr habt
Sie haben
Sie haben
⎫
⎬
⎭
das Kalb eingefangen.
I
You
He
We
You
They
You
⎫
⎬
⎭
caught the calf.
Grammar: Future Tense (Review)
The future is formed by the present tense of werden plus the infinitive.
Schneiden:
Ich werde
Du wirst
Er wird
Wir werden
Ihr werdet
Sie werden
Sie werden
⎫
⎬
⎭
Papier schneiden.
I
You
He
We
You
They
You
⎫
⎬
⎭
will cut paper.
Remember that werden plus the past participle is passive. Do not confuse this with
the future.
Das Papier wird von dem Kind geschnitten.
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The paper is being cut by the child.
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Ordinalzahlen
Ordinal Numbers
8-01
New Vocabulary
dritt…
erst…
letzt…
viert…
zweit…
Vocabulary: Ordinal Numbers
First, second, third, etc., are called ordinal numbers. They are based on the cardinal
numbers (counting numbers).
eins
zwei
drei
vier
fünf
sechs
sieben
acht
neun
zehn
erstzweitdrittviertfünftsechstsiebtachtneuntzehnt-
Das ist mein erstes Auto.
Er wohnt im zweiten Haus.
Welche Zahl ist hinter der sechsten Zahl?
That is my first car.
He lives in the second house.
Which number is behind the sixth number?
Ordinal numbers function as adjectives and take regular adjective endings. Most ordinal
numbers are formed by adding -t to the counting number. Erst-, dritt-, and siebt- have
special forms.
The word for “last” is letzt. It is a regular adjective with an ending.
Sie wohnt in dem letzten Haus.
Wer ist der letzte Mann?
She lives in the last house.
Who is the last man?
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Präsens
Present
8-02
New Vocabulary
mein…
mich
reite (reiten)
singe (singen)
spiele (spielen)
telefoniere (telefonieren)
ziehe (ziehen)
Usage: nicht mehr, noch, schon
Three common adverbs that indicate time are nicht mehr (no longer), noch (still), and
schon (already).
Er ist nicht mehr hier.
Er ist noch hier.
Er ist schon hier.
He is not here anymore.
(literally, “He is no more here.”)
He is still here.
He is already here.
Usage: zu dritt and zu viert
In German you can use an idiomatic expression to indicate a group of people, a twosome,
a threesome, a foursome, etc.
Wir sind zu dritt.
Wir sind zu viert.
There are three of us.
There are four of us.
Usage: telefonieren mit and anrufen
Like English, German distinguishes between “calling” and “talking on the phone.”
Ich telefoniere mit meiner Schwester.
Ich rufe meine Schwester an.
I am talking to my sister on the phone.
I am calling my sister (up).
Grammar: Appositives
An appositive is a phrase that follows and tells more about a noun. It is set off by commas. In
German, an appositive always takes the same case as its antecedent (the noun it refers to).
Beide, der Mann und ich, tragen Regenschirme. (nominative)
Both of us, the man and I, are carrying umbrellas.
Sie sieht uns beide, den Mann und mich. (accusative)
She sees both of us, the man and me.
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Demonstrativpronomen; sieht aus wie, fast alle, ein, ander-, meist-, alle
Demonstrative Pronouns; Looks Like, Almost All, One, Others, Most, All
8-03
New Vocabulary
die Form, -/-en
links
rechts
Usage: dies and dieser
Dies (this) is a demonstrative pronoun which may be used similarly to das when pointing
to any single object. It is invariable.
Dieser is a der-word, and answers the question which one. It has to agree in gender,
number, and case with the noun it modifies.
Dies ist ein Auto.
Dies ist eine Tür.
This is a car.
This is a door.
Dieser Mann ⎫
This man
⎫
Diese Frau ⎬ steht auf dem Bürgersteig. This woman ⎬ is standing on the sidewalk.
Dieses Kind ⎭
This child ⎭
Wir stehen hinter diesen Leuten.
We are standing behind these people.
Usage: Adjectives without Nouns
Sometimes an adjective appears that modifies a previously mentioned noun that does not
appear in the clause. The adjective takes the same endings it would if the noun did appear.
Die meisten schwarzen Quadrate sind groß und alle weißen sind klein.
Most of the black squares are big, and all the white (ones) are small.
Alle kleinen Dreiecke sind grün und einige große sind grau.
All the small triangles are green, and some of the big (ones) are gray.
See Appendix B for tables of adjective endings.
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Weltraum und Geographie, Länder
Space and Geography, Countries
8-04
New Vocabulary
Afrika
Ägypten
Algerien
Argentinien
Asien
asiatisch…
Brasilien
Chile
China
Deutschland
Europa
europäisch…
genannt (nennen)
Großbritannien
Indien
Italien
Japan
Kanada
die Karte, -/-en
der Kontinent, -s/-e
Korea
Mexiko
Nigeria
Nordamerika
der Planet, -en/-en
rot gefärbt…
Russland
Saturn
Spanien
Südamerika
Tansania
die Vereinigten Staaten
Vietnam
Vocabulary: Geographical Names
Many German place names are obvious cognates to the English names, with only a
difference in spelling and pronunciation.
Asien
Afrika
Mexiko
Brasilien
Asia
Africa
Mexico
Brazil
A few are spelled exactly the same.
China
Korea
Vietnam
Note some place names that are completely different, however:
Deutschland
die Vereinigten Staaten
Germany
the United States
Vocabulary: Planet
Planet is a weak noun or masculine n-noun. The ancient Greeks thought of planets as
alive, and therefore derived the name from the word for “wanderer.”
Saturn ist ein Planet.
Wir sehen den Planeten.
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Saturn is a planet.
We see the planet.
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8-04
Usage: Capitalization
Like all German nouns, the names of countries and continents are capitalized. The
adjectives derived from them, however, are not capitalized.
Spanien liegt in Europa.
Spanien ist ein europäisches Land.
Spain is in Europe.
Spain is a European country.
Usage: Land and Staat
In German, Land means “country” as a political unit, “country” as opposed to city, and “land”
as opposed to water. In Germany, Land or Bundesland is also used to refer to each of the
sixteen states into which Germany has been divided since 1990. Staat is the abstract word
for “state,” so “the United States” is “die Vereinigten Staaten” (which requires a plural verb).
Do not confuse Staat (state) with Stadt (city).
Russland ist das größte Land in der Welt.
Russia is the largest country in the world.
Mehr Leute wohnen in der Stadt als auf dem Land.
More people live in the city than in the country.
Deutschland hat sechzehn Länder.
Germany has sixteen states.
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Straßen und Fußwege
Streets and Sidewalks
8-05
New Vocabulary
die Autobahn, -/-en
der Besen, -s/die Eisenbahnschiene, -/-n
fegt (fegen)
die Gasse, -/-n
kreuzt (kreuzen)
das Loch, -(e)s/"-er
die Maschine, -/-n
Rad fahren
die Richtung, -/-en
der Rollstuhl, -(e)s/"-e
überquert (überqueren)
verlaufen
voller
Vocabulary: über
The most common meaning of über is “over,” but sometimes it means “across.”
Wir fliegen über Afrika.
Er läuft über die Straße.
We are flying over Africa.
He is running across the street.
Vocabulary: Richtung
In Richtung means “toward” or “in the direction of.” To say “in which direction?” use “in
welche Richtung?”
In welche Richtung gehen wir?
Which direction are we going?
(literally, “In which direction are we going?”)
Wir gehen in Richtung des Hauses. We are going toward the house.
Vocabulary: voller
Use voller to indicate “full of” in the sense of “crowded with.”
Die Straße ist voller Leute.
The street is full of people.
Usage: laufen and verlaufen
Laufen means “to run” when referring to people; verlaufen is used for the direction a street
runs in.
Die Mädchen laufen im Park.
The girls are running in the park.
Die Straße verläuft in Richtung der Berge.
The road runs in the direction of the mountains.
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Haustiere und Kleidung; Possessivpronomen
Pets and Clothes; Possessive Pronouns
8-06
New Vocabulary
der Bauer, -n/-n
das Haustier, -(e)s/-e
lebend…
streichelt (streicheln)
Usage: gehören (Review)
Gehören means “to belong to.” Usually, it does not have a preposition following it, and it
takes the dative case.
Das Auto gehört der Frau.
The car belongs to the woman.
Die Trommeln gehören dem Mann. The drums belong to the man.
Grammar: der Bauer
Another weak noun or masculine n-noun is Bauer (farmer). Bauer also means peasant as
well as a pawn in chess. Bauer is sometimes considered derogatory; der Landwirt is a
more acceptable word for farmer.
Der Bauer heißt Hans Schmidt.
The farmer’s name is Hans Schmidt.
Die Kuh gehört dem Bauern.
The cow belongs to the farmer.
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Adjektive; Fragewörter; Komparativ und Superlativ
Adjectives; Question Words; Comparative and Superlative
8-07
New Vocabulary
all…
älter
anstelle
dunkelst…
der Fleck, -(e)s/-en
gefährlich
glücklichst…
größt…
zu Hause
hellst…
höchst…
kältest…
kämpfen
kürzest…
längst…
der Leopard, -en/-en
nahe
nassest…
schnellst…
der Streifen, -s/tief
tiefst…
traurigst…
wem
wenigst…
Usage: als (Review)
Remember that unequal comparisons use als (than).
Das Mädchen ist größer als der Junge. The girl is taller than the boy.
Grammar: Comparative Adjectives and Adverbs (Review)
Adjectives and adverbs can show three degrees of comparison, similar to “good,” “better,”
and “best.” Comparative adjectives have three parts: the stem, the comparative ending, and
the regular adjective ending. Remember that most one-syllable adjectives that have
an a, o, or u as the vowel add an umlaut in the comparative.
Die Frau trägt den kleinen Hut.
Die Frau trägt den kleineren Hut.
Die Frau trägt den kleinsten Hut.
The woman is wearing the small hat.
The woman is wearing the smaller hat.
The woman is wearing the smallest hat.
stem + degree + adjective ending
klein + er
+ en
=
kleineren
Der junge Mann heißt Peter.
Der jüngere Mann heißt Peter.
Der jüngste Mann heißt Peter.
The young man’s name is Peter.
The younger man’s name is Peter.
The youngest man’s name is Peter.
stem + umlaut + degree + adjective ending
jung + ¨
+ st
+e
=
jüngste
Predicate adjectives do not take an adjective ending. Predicate adjectives do, however, take
endings to show comparative and superlative. The comparative ending is -er, but the
superlative has a special form: am + adjective + sten.
Dieses Auto ist neu.
Dieses Auto ist neuer.
Dieses Auto ist am neusten.
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This car is new.
This car is newer.
This car is newest.
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Adverbs behave just like predicate adjectives.
Wer läuft schnell?
Wer läuft schneller?
Wer läuft am schnellsten?
Who runs fast?
Who runs faster?
Who runs fastest?
Grammar: Irregular Adjectives
Most adjectives follow the patterns we have already learned. A few adjectives, however,
are irregular.
hoch/hoh, höher, am höchsten
viel, mehr, am meisten
gut, besser, am besten
nah, näher, am nächsten
high, higher, highest
many, more, most
good, better, best
near, nearer, nearest
Dieses Gebäude ist hoch. Es ist ein hohes Gebäude.
That building is high. It is a high building.
Dieses Gebäude ist höher. Es ist ein höheres Gebäude.
That building is higher. It is a higher building.
Dieses Gebäude ist am höchsten. Es ist das höchste Gebäude.
That building is the highest. It is the highest building.
Grammar: Using an Infinitive as a Subject
Sometimes an infinitive is the subject of a sentence.
Zu Hause zu sitzen ist überhaupt nicht gefährlich.
To sit at home is not dangerous at all.
Grammar: wer
Wer (who) is declined like the singular of der except in the genitive, where its form (wessen)
follows that of the relative pronoun (dessen).
Nominative
Genitive
Dative
Accusative
der
des/dessen (rel. pr.)
dem
den
Wer ist das?
Wessen Auto ist das?
Hinter wem stehen wir?
Wen sehen sie?
wer
wessen
wem
wen
Who is that?
Whose car is that?
Behind whom are we standing?
Whom do they see?
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Nah und Fern; Adjektive im Komparativ
Near and Far; Comparative Forms of Adjectives
8-08
New Vocabulary
beieinander
die Nähe, näher
das Schloß, -sses/"-sser
voneinander
weit
weiter
Usage: nahe, beieinander, auseinander, zusammen, entfernt von
Nahe means “near to.” It generally appears in a sentence after the word it refers to, and
takes the dative case. The comparative is näher.
Das Flugzeug ist dem Boden nahe.
Das Flugzeug ist dem Boden näher.
The airplane is near the ground.
The airplane is nearer to the ground.
Beieinander (near one another) and zusammen (together) are interchangeable.
Die Läufer stehen nahe beieinander.
The runners are standing near one another.
Die Schafe sind nahe zusammen.
The sheep are close together.
The opposite of beieinander is auseinander. It means “apart.”
Die Kühe sind weit auseinander.
The cows are far apart.
The opposite of nahe is entfernt von (far from) or weit entfernt von (quite far from).
The comparative is weiter entfernt von (farther from).
Das Flugzeug ist vom Boden entfernt.
The plane is far from the ground.
Das Flugzeug ist vom Boden weiter entfernt.
The plane is farther from the ground.
Vom is a contraction of von dem (from the).
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Orte; Präpositionen
Locations; Prepositions
8-09
New Vocabulary
die Apotheke, -/-n
die Bäckerei, -/-en
der Bahnhof, -s/"-e
die Bibliothek, -/-en
die Ecke, -/-n
die Fabrik, -/-en
der Flughafen, -s/"-
das Gefängnis, -ses/-se
gegenüber
der Hindu-Tempel, -s/das Hotel, -s/-s
das Kino, -s/-s
das Krankenhaus, -es/"-er
das Restaurant, -s/-s
das Schuhgeschäft, -s/-e
der Spielplatz, -es/"-e
der Supermarkt, -(e)s/"-e
die Synagoge, -/-n
die Tankstelle, -/-n
die U-Bahn-Station, -/-en
die Universität, -/-en
Vocabulary: U-Bahn and Kino
U-Bahn (subway or metro) is short for Untergrundbahn (underground rail). Kino means
“cinema” or “movie theater,” never a place where plays are performed, which is Theater.
Vocabulary: gegenüber
Gegenüber means “across from” and always takes the dative case. It signifies location,
not destination.
Die Bäckerei ist gegenüber dem Hotel.
The bakery is across from the hotel.
Vocabulary: Borrowed Words
German has borrowed many words from other languages, especially French, but also Latin,
Greek, Italian, and English. Sometimes there is an English equivalent, sometimes not.
Restaurant and Bank are the same in both German and English, while Bibliothek (library)
and Fabrik (factory) are different, although the roots are recognizable in “bibliophile” and
“fabricate.”
Vocabulary: Flughafen and Krankenhaus
Many native German words are quite literal. Flughafen (airport) comes from Flug (flight)
plus Hafen (harbor). Krankenhaus (hospital) comes from krank (sick) plus Haus (house).
Usage: um without herum
In constructions like um die Ecke (around the corner), the word herum is not used.
Die Bank ist um die Ecke.
The bank is around the corner.
Usage: Straße
Straße means “street” or “block.” When it means “block,” the point of reference is often
followed by aus (from or out of).
Viele Leute sind auf der Straße.
Die Kirche ist von der Bank aus
eine Straße weiter.
Many people are in the street.
The church is one block farther than the bank.
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Wegbeschreibungen
Directions
8-10
New Vocabulary
bis
dann
dort
drehen
das Ende, -s/-n
geradeaus
gesperrt (sperren)
komme (kommen)
der Schuhladen, -s/"die Schule, -/-n
teilt (teilen)
vorbei
Usage: bis zu
The prepositon bis means “until.” It is often followed by another preposition, especially zu (to).
Gehen Sie vier Straßen bis zu einem Restaurant.
Go four blocks until you come to a restaurant.
Usage: auf and zu
Use auf to say “on the right side,” or “on the left side” and auf or zu to say “to your right”
or “to your left.”
Die Bank ist auf der rechten Seite.
The bank is on the right side.
Das Hotel ist zu Ihrer rechten Seite.
The hotel is to your right.
Dort, auf Ihrer rechten Seite, ist die Kirche.
There, to your right, is the church.
Usage: Sie (You Formal)
While German culture has become less formal over the last fifty years, it is still considerably more formal than American culture. One example of this can be seen in the German
language, which has different second-person pronouns for formal and informal situations.
Germans use du (plural ihr) in informal situations. For more formal situations, they use
Sie, which is always capitalized. It takes the same verb conjugation as wir (we) and sie
(they). It can be used either when speaking to one person or to several people. Close
friends, family members, and classmates generally use du and ihr. In other situations,
Sie is preferred. If you are in doubt, use Sie. Allow the German speaker to suggest a
change to du when and if the time comes.
Wie heißen Sie?
Wo sind Sie?
Oh Hans – Hans! Wo bist du?
What is your name?
Where are you?
Oh, Hans – Hans! Where are you?
Grammar: The Imperative Mood
To turn a sentence into a command (the imperative mood), put the verb first and Sie
second. This is the formal imperative. A more informal command form is also used:
Gehen Sie eine Straße weiter.
Geh eine Straße weiter.
Geht eine Straße weiter.
110
Go one block farther.
Go one block farther.
Go one block farther.
Formal
Informal
Informal Plural
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Usage: Ihr and ihr
The possessive adjective Ihr (your, singular or plural, formal) is always capitalized. It
distinguishes it from the personal pronoun ihr (you, plural, informal) and the possessive
adjective ihr (her or their).
Poss. Adj.
Die Bank ist auf Ihrer rechten Seite.
Pers. Pron.
Ich bin krank und ihr seid müde.
Poss. Adj.
Poss. Adj.
eine Frau und ihr Hund
zwei Brüder und ihr Vater
The bank is on your (singular or
plural formal) side.
I am sick and you (plural informal)
are tired.
a woman and her dog
two brothers and their father
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Tätigkeiten; weitere Verben
Activities; More Verbs
8-11
New Vocabulary
angele (angeln)
halte (halten)
halten
hebe (heben)
herauf
laufe (laufen)
lese (lesen)
nehmen
schütte (schütten)
steige (steigen)
teilgenommen
(teilnehmen)
Usage: teilnehmen an
Teilnehmen (to take part in) is a separable prefix verb that combines with the preposition
an to form an expression. Here an takes the dative.
Nehmen Sie an dem Fahrradrennen teil?
Are you taking part in the bike race?
Ja, und wir haben an einem Rennen schon teilgenommen.
Yes, and we already took part in a race.
Compare this with sich anziehen (to get dressed, to put on), also a separable prefix verb,
but where an is the prefix, not a preposition.
Ich ziehe mir das Kleid an.
Ich habe mir das Kleid angezogen.
I am putting on the dress.
I have put on the dress.
Note on word order: Sometimes German word order is more flexible than English,
especially in sentences with a masculine noun or pronoun. While feminine, neuter, and
plural nouns have the same form for the nominative and accusative, masculine makes
a distinction in both the pronoun and the article.
Ich hielt die Gitarre, aber jetzt hält sie der Junge.
I was holding the guitar, but now the boy is holding it.
Word for word, this sentence translates into English as “I was holding the guitar, but now
is holding her the boy,” which is not very clear. To keep things clear, English word order
rules do not allow the direct object (it) to come before the subject (the boy). This word
order is no problem in German, however. The sie that replaces the guitar could be either
nominative or accusative, but der Junge can only be the subject, not the direct object,
so the meaning is clear.
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Appendix A
Principal Parts of Strong Verbs
Infinitive
Third Person
Singular
Present
anziehen (to get dressed; reflexive)
zieht sich an
backen (to bake)
bäckt
abwerfen (to throw down/knock down; see werfen)
bekommen (to get/receive; see kommen)
enthalten (to contain; see halten)
essen (to eat)
isst
fahren (to go other than on foot)
fährt
fahren (to drive)
fährt
fallen (to fall)
fällt
fangen (to catch)
fängt
fliegen (to fly)
fliegt
fliegen (to fly an airplane)
fliegt
fressen (to eat, used for animals; see essen)
geben (to give)
gibt
gewinnen (to win)
gewinnt
graben (to dig)
gräbt
gehen (to go, specifically on foot)
geht
greifen (to grab, seize)
greift
haben (to have)
hat
halten (to hold)
hält
heißen (to be called)
heißt
kommen (to come)
kommt
können (to be able)
kann
lassen (to leave something/someone)
lässt
laufen (to run)
läuft
lesen (to read)
liest
liegen (to lie, to recline: not fib)
liegt
Rad fahren (to ride a bike; see fahren)
reiten (to ride a horse)
reitet
riechen (to smell)
riecht
schieben (to push, shove)
schiebt
schlafen (to sleep)
schläft
schlagen (to hit, slug)
schlägt
schließen (to close, shut)
schließt
schneiden (to cut)
schneidet
Past
Auxiliary
+ Past Participle
zog sich an
backte
hat sich angezogen
hat gebacken
aß
fuhr
fuhr
fiel
fing
flog
flog
hat gegessen
ist gefahren
hat gefahren
ist gefallen
hat gefangen
ist geflogen
hat geflogen
gab
gewann
grub
ging
griff
hatte
hielt
hieß
kam
konnte
ließ
lief
las
lag
hat gegeben
hat gewonnen
hat gegraben
ist gegangen
hat gegriffen
hat gehabt
hat gehalten
hat geheißen
ist gekommen
hat gekonnt
hat gelassen
ist gelaufen
hat gelesen
hat gelegen
ritt
roch
schob
schlief
schlug
schloss
schnitt
ist geritten
hat gerochen
hat geschoben
hat geschlafen
hat geschlagen
hat geschlossen
hat geschnitten
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Principal Parts of Strong Verbs
Infinitive
Third Person
Singular
Present
schreiben (to write)
schreibt
schwimmen (to swim)
schwimmt
schwingen (to swing)
schwingt
sehen (to see)
sieht
sein* (to be)
ist
singen (to sing)
singt
sitzen (to sit)
sitzt
sprechen (to speak, talk)
spricht
springen (to jump, spring)
springt
steigen (to climb)
steigt
tragen (to wear, carry)
trägt
treffen (to meet, to hit a target)
trifft
treten (to step)
tritt
trinken (to drink)
trinkt
umgeben (to surround; see geben)
verbieten (to forbid)
verbietet
verlaufen (to run, used of a street; see laufen)
werden (to become)
wird
werden (auxiliary used with passive)
wird
werfen (to throw)
wirft
ziehen (to pull)
zieht
Past
Auxiliary
+ Past Participle
schrieb
schwamm
schwang
sah
war
sang
saß
sprach
sprang
stieg
trug
traf
trat
trank
hat geschrieben
ist geschwommen
hat geschwungen
hat gesehen
ist gewesen
hat gesungen
hat gesessen
hat gesprochen
ist gesprungen
ist gestiegen
hat getragen
hat getroffen
ist getreten
hat getrunken
verbot
hat verboten
wurde
wurde
warf
zog
ist geworden
ist … worden
hat geworfen
hat gezogen
dachte
nannte
rannte
hat gedacht
hat genannt
ist gerannt
*sein (to be) – present tense
ich bin
wir sind
du bist
ihr seid
er/sie/es ist
sie sind
Sie sind
Principal Parts of Irregular Weak Verbs
denken (to think)
nennen (to name)
rennen (to run)
114
denkt
nennt
rennt
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Appendix B
Adjective Endings
Adjectives are inflected, that is, they take different endings depending not only on number,
gender and case, but also on whether they are preceded by an article or not. There are
three groups or types of adjective endings for singular nouns:
1. those preceded by a der-word,
2. those preceded by an ein-word,
3. unpreceded adjectives.
The plural endings are the same for all genders of preceded adjectives, as is true also for
unpreceded adjectives in the plural.
A. Adjectives Preceded by Der-Words (weak declension)
This group includes all forms of der-die-das, dies-, welch-, jen-, solch-, beid-, etc.
Nom.
Gen.
Dat.
Acc.
Singular Masculine
der junge Mann
des jungen Mannes
dem jungen Mann(e)
den jungen Mann
Singular Feminine
die kleine Kiste
der kleinen Kiste
der kleinen Kiste
die kleine Kiste
Singular Neuter
das große Schiff
des großen Schiffes
dem großen Schiff(e)
das große Schiff
Nom
Gen.
Dat.
Acc.
Plural Masculine
die jungen Männer
der jungen Männer
den jungen Männern
die jungen Männer
Plural Feminine
die kleinen Kisten
der kleinen Kisten
den kleinen Kisten
die kleinen Kisten
Plural Neuter
die großen Schiffe
der großen Schiffe
den großen Schiffen
die großen Schiffe
Note: All adjective endings in the plural follow the same pattern regardless of gender.
B. Adjectives Preceded by Ein-Words (mixed declension)
This group includes ein and kein and all the possessive adjectives.
Nom.
Gen.
Dat.
Acc.
Singular Masculine
ein junger Mann
eines jungen Mannes
einem jungen Mann(e)
einen jungen Mann
Singular Feminine
eine kleine Kiste
einer kleinen Kiste
einer kleinen Kiste
eine kleine Kiste
Singular Neuter
ein großes Schiff
eines großen Schiffes
einem großen Schiff(e)
ein großes Schiff
Nom.
Gen.
Dat.
Acc.
Plural Masculine
keine jungen Männer
keiner jungen Männer
keinen jungen Männern
keine jungen Männer
Plural Feminine
keine kleinen Kisten
keiner kleinen Kisten
keinen kleinen Kisten
keine kleinen Kisten
Plural Neuter
keine großen Schiffe
keiner großen Schiffe
keinen großen Schiffen
keine großen Schiffe
Note: All adjective endings in the plural follow the same pattern regardless of gender.
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C. Unpreceded Adjective Endings (strong declension)
This group includes adjectives which do not follow a der-word or an ein-word, as well as
those which do follow indeclinable words such as viel, mehr, wenig, weniger, or declinable
ones such as ander-, einig-, or mehrer-.
116
Nom.
Gen.
Dat.
Acc.
Singular Masculine
junger Mann
jungen Mannes
jungem Mann(e)
jungen Mann
Singular Feminine
kleine Kiste
kleiner Kiste
kleiner Kiste
kleine Kiste
Singular Neuter
großes Schiff
großen Schiffes
großem Schiff(e)
großes Schiff
Nom
Gen.
Dat.
Acc.
Plural Masculine
junge Männer
junger Männer
jungen Männern
junge Männer
Plural Feminine
kleine Kisten
kleiner Kisten
kleiner Kisten
kleine Kisten
Plural Neuter
große Schiffe
großer Schiffe
großen Schiffen
große Schiffe
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Index
A
aber, 88
accusative, 24, 30
active voice, 38, 83
adjectives,
attributive, 3
comparative, 19, 106
comparison of, 19
compound, 38
endings, 18, 19, 36, 57, 116–117
interrogative, 38
irregular, 107
positive, 19
possessive, 21, 60
predicate, 3, 67, 88, 106
superlative, 19
used as nouns, 17
without nouns, 101
adverbs, 88, 106
age, 81
alle, 56, 84, 92
alphabet, ii
als, 19, 69, 106
an, 37, 94
animals, 39
anrufen, 100
answers, forming of, 7
appositives, 100
arithmetic terms, 59
Art, 67
article,
definite, 2, 9, 11, 19, 58
indefinite, 1, 4, 11, 19, 37, 58
indefinite article as a pronoun, 37
auf, 37, 70, 86, 110
auseinander, 108
auxiliary verbs, 32, 48, 75, 83, 114–115
B
Bank, 68
Bauer, 105
beide, 76, 91, 92
beieinander, 108
benutzen, 97
bewegen (sich), 89
Bild, 42
bis zu, 110
C
capitalization, 102
case,
accusative 12, 30
dative, 27, 30
genitive, 30, 60
nominative, 12, 30
clause,
main, 49
subordinate, 49, 53
cognates, v
colors, 14
comparative, 19, 106, 108
comparisons, 19, 35, 69
conjunction,
coordinating, 63
subordinating, 53, 66
contractions, 55
D
da-, dar-, 23
dates, 64
dative, 24, 27, 30
days, of the week, vii
declension, 116–117
dependent clause, 49
der-words, 26, 27, 30, 57, 84, 92, 94, 101, 116
derselbe, 54
dies, diese, dieser, 37, 92, 101
direct objects, 65
doch, 88
Drache, Drachen, 87
du, 110
dunkel, 76
E
ein-words, 26, 27, 30, 36, 57, 84, 116
ein, eins, 4, 59
eine, 92
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einfangen, 98
einige, 84
einzig, 95
Eis, 67
entfernt von, 108
essen, 7, 10, 62
F
fahren, 6, 16
fangen, 16
farewells, v
Flughafen, 109
formal, 110
Foto, 42
Frau, 54
fressen, 10, 62
Freund, 85
future, 31, 98
future, near, 31
G
gegenüber, 109
gehören, 54, 105
gehören zu, 54
gender, 1, 2, 8, 39
genitive, 30, 42, 60
geographical names, 102
Glas, 65
greetings, v
H
haben, 32, 41, 57, 75, 83
halten, 22
hauptsächlich, 91
helping verbs, 32
herum, 93, 109
herunter, 95
Himmel, 95
hin, her, 50, 62
hinaufklettern, 97
hinüber, 93
I
idioms, 40, 41, 77
ihr, 110
Ihr, ihr, 111
im, ins, 55
118
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imperative, 110
independent clause, 49
indirect objects, 65
infinitives, 68, 96, 107, 114–115
J
jeder, 56
K
kaufen, 88
kein, 11, 24, 76, 84
keine, 91, 92
Kino, 109
Konjunktiv, 44
können, 44, 48
Krankenhaus, 109
L
lachen, 15, 97
lächeln, 16
Land, 103
langsam, 89
lassen, 87
laufen, 97, 104
left, 21
legen, 74
lesen, 97
letters, special combinations of, iii
Leute, 29
liegen, 26, 74
lila, 12
links, 21, 94
Löwe, 95
M
Mädchen, 22
main clause, 49
Mann, 54
Maul, 62
mein, 81
meistens, 91
Mensch, 29
Mittel, 67
months, vii
Morgen, morgen, morgens, 43
Mund, 62
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N
nachdenken, 70
nahe, 108
names, 81
negative, forming a, 7, 11
nehmen, 65
nicht, 11, 24, 56
nicht mehr, 100
nichts, 56
n-nouns, 42, 61, 95, 102, 105
noch, 76, 78, 100
nominative, 30
nouns, 1
compound, 60
definite article for plural nouns, 5
gender of, 1
predicate, 67
weak, 42, 61, 95, 102, 105
numbers, 4, 46, 64, 99
nur, 95
O
objects,
direct, 12, 24, 65
indirect, 65
ordinal numbers, 99
P
paar, Paar, 77
passive voice, 38, 83, 98
past, simple, 73, 79, 114–115
past participles, 79, 114–115
used as adjectives, 45, 68
person, 8
Person, 29
Planet, 102
plural, 5
positive, 19
predicate, 67
prefix, 45, 52, 53, 57, 85, 94, 112
preposition, 1, 15, 23, 37, 58, 95
accusative case, 50–51, 86, 93
dative case, 50–51, 86, 93
noun or pronoun following a preposition, 23
present, 2, 97, 114–115
present perfect, 31, 68, 73, 97
professions, 86
pronouns, 8
demonstrative, 101
interrogative, 14, 38, 44
personal, 8, 9, 71
reflexive, 29, 36
relative, 71
pronunciation, iii, 31
punctuation, v
Q
quantities, of things, 35
questions,
forming of, 7, 14, 44
R
rechts, 21, 94
reflexive verbs, 29, 36, 50
reiten, 6
Richtung, 104
right, 21
rosa, 12, 90
S
schneiden, 98
schnell, 89
schon, 100
seasons, 90
sein, 7, 32, 55, 75, 80, 83
sentences, compound, 25
sich, 29, 50
Sie, 110
singular, 5
Sorte, 67
sprechen, 48
springen, 97
Staat, 103
stehen, sitzen, liegen, 26
Straße, 109
stress, iv
subjects, compound, 25
subjunctive, 44
subordinate clause, 49
subordinating conjunction, 66
superlative, 19, 106
syllables, v
119
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T
teilnehmen an, 112
telefonieren mit, 100
tenses, 82
time,
clock, 6, 43
of day, 43
titles, vi
treten, 16, 75
trinken, 97
verkaufen, 87
verlaufen, 104
viele, 84
voice, active, 38, 83
voice, passive, 38, 83
Volk, 29
voll, 94
voller, 104
vom, 108
vorlesen, 87
U
U-Bahn, 109
über, 104
umziehen, 89
um … zu, 96
unten, unter, 95
usw., 95
W
während, 53
was, 44
weak nouns, 42, 61
weather, 66
weder, 76, 78
welcher, 14, 44, 94
wenn, 66
wer, 14, 44, 107
werden, 31
werfen, 16
word order, 13, 49, 93, 112
words, compound, 10
words, borrowed, 108
V
verbs,
auxiliary, 32, 48, 75
helping, 32
intransitive, 33, 75
irregular, 15
negating, 24
prefixes, 57, 85, 112
reflexive 29, 36, 50
regular, 15
separable/inseparable prefix of, 53, 85, 112
tenses, 82
transitive, 33, 75
understood, 91
used as adjective, 70
weak and strong, 15, 32, 45, 79, 97, 114–115
120
XYZ
ziehen, 89
zu, 62, 96, 110
zu dritt, zu viert, 100
zum, 55, 69
zur, 55
zusammen, 108