The German Alphabet

Letter Pronunciation German example with English translation

A ah Arm (arm)

B beh Baby (baby)

C say Celsius (celsius)

D day Debatte (debate)

E ay Eskimo (eskimo)

F eff Familie (family)

G gay Gold (gold

H haa Haus (house)

I eeh Idee (idea

J yott Januar (January)

K kah Kaffee (coffee)

L ell Lampe (lamp)

M em Mutter (mother)

N en Nase (nose)

O oh Ozean (ocean)

P pay Pause (pause)

Q koo Quiz (quiz)

R err Regen (rain)

S ess Salami (salami)

T tay Telefon (telephone)

U oo

Uhr (clock)

V fow Vater (father)

W vay Willkommen (welcome)

X eks X-Beine (knock-knees)

Y epseelohn Yoga (yoga) Z zett Zombie (zombie)

Talking About People

Just one (singular)
Ich du you ( casual to one person) er(he)\ sie(she) es(it)

Sie you (formal to one person)

More than one (plural)

Wir(we) Ihr(you (casual to a group)) Sie(they) Sie(you (formal to a group))

Which "you" is you?

You will notice that pronouns in the singular and plural forms (as described above) both have a you, (duand Sie in German). Back in the days of Shakespeare, people used the words thou and thee to address their friends or loved ones (royals were addressed with the more formal you and ye). These polite forms of you have fallen out of use in modernday English, but German has maintained a distinction between familiar and polite forms of you which are used in the following ways: The sie form of you is used in a global way when you are addressing several other people, not including yourself. But beware, sie also means she. The Sie form of you is used when you wish to be polite or show respect to an individual or a group. You might use it with strangers, the elderly, teachers or authority figures. In German, addressing someone with Sie always creates a respectful distance which can be very useful to emphasize a point. Sie is spelled with a capital S when used in a formal way. The du form of you is used to speak to children, friends, family members, pets and loved ones in a casual, relaxed and familiar way. The ihr form of you is used when you are addressing several other people, not including yourself in a casual way, like you guys. If you are in doubt, just use the polite form Sie. A relationship often begins with the more formal Sie and progresses to the more casual du.

Action Replay
Talking about people in a global or collective sense = sie Addressing individuals or groups in a formal respectful way = Sie Addressing someone in a casual sense = du Addressing a group in a casual way = ihr

Example

Brauchst du Hilfe? Do you need help? (casual) Haben Sie ein Zimmer frei? Do you have a room available? (formal) Du hast Glck! You are lucky! (casual) Sie sind in der Stadt. They are in town. (collective sense) Sie wollen Schuhe fr Marie kaufen. They want to buy shoes for Marie. (collective sense) Mchten Sie rein kommen? Would you like to come in? (formal) Ihr drft nicht auf der Strae spielen. You are not allowed to play on the road. (casual) Du schummelst! You are cheating! (casual) Geben Sie mir bitte ein Stck Salami. Give me a piece of the salami, please. (formal) Mchten Sie sonst noch etwas? Would you like anything else? (formal)

More Examples

Habt ihr Lust ins Kino zu gehen? Would you like to go to the movies? (casual)

Du bist zu spt! You are too late! (casual)

Wisst ihr wo das Museum ist? Do you know where the museum is? (casual)

Knnen Sie mir bitte helfen? Could you please help me? (formal)

Sie wollen Ski fahren gehen. They want to go skiing. (collective sense)

Wie alt bist du? How old are you? (casual)

Wann fahrt ihr in den Urlaub? When are you going on vacation? (casual)

Sie haben kein Zimmer mehr frei. They don't have a room available. (collective sense)

Sprechen Sie Englisch? Do you speak English?

Woher kommst du? Where are you from?

Test your German Skills!

Translate the following pronouns! The first one is done for you. I 1. You (casual) 2. You (formal) 3. He 4. She 5. We 6. You (to a familiar group) 7. You (to a formal group) ________ich________ __________________ _________________ __________________ __________________ __________________ __________________ __________________

8. They

__________________

Show Answers
Which one would you use? Sie or du?

For example:
What would you like to order? (a waiter asking an elderly couple) 9. Are you having fun? (a brother asking his sister) 10. You are invited! (a friend telling his buddy) 11. Do you need help? (a stranger asking a tourist) 12. How old are you? (a teacher asking a child) 13. What's your name? (a receptionist asking a guest) 14. Whats your name? (a boy asking a girl ) 15. Could you help me, please? (a mother asking her child) 16. You are beautiful. (a gentleman telling a lady) 17. Could you tell me the time, please? (a man asking a child) __________________ __________________ __________________ __________________ __________________ __________________ __________________ __________________ __________________ ________Sie________

The Answers!

For example:
What would you like to order? (a waiter asking an elderly couple) 9. Are you having fun? (a brother asking his sister) 10. You are invited! (a friend telling his buddy) 11. Do you need help? (a stranger asking a tourist) 12. How old are you? (a teacher asking a child) 13. What's your name? (a receptionist asking a guest) 14. Whats your name? (a boy asking a girl ) 15. Could you help me, please? (a mother asking her child) 16. You are beautiful. (a gentleman telling a lady) 17. Could you tell me the time, please? (a man asking a child) ________du__________ ________Sie_________ ________du_________ ________du_________ ________Sie_________ ________du_________ ________Sie________ ________du_________ ________du_________ ________Sie________

Talking About Action

Just One (singular)

ich bin I am

du bist you are ( casual to one person)

er ist he is

sie ist she is

es ist it is

Sie sind you are (formal to one person)

More Than One (plural)

wir sind we are

ihr seid you are (casual to a group)

sie sind they are

Sie sind you are (formal to a group)

Action Replay

Action words, like walking or laughing are called verbs. The neutral form of a verb, like to be or to walk is called the infinitive. A verb changes its form when used with a pronoun, for example to be in connection with I changes into I am. These changes are called conjugations. The singular form is used when talking about a single person, for example she is or you are. The plural form is used when talking about more than one person, for example we are or they are.

Examples

Wir sind in Italien.

We are in Italy.

Ich bin hungrig. Im hungry.

Er ist sehr freundlich. He is very friendly.

Sie sind im Urlaub. They are on vacation.

Sie ist schon da. She is already there.

Seid ihr am Bahnhof?

Are you at the train station?

Bist du sein Bruder? Are you his brother?

Ich bin mde. I'm tired.

Wir sind die besten Freunde. We are the best friends.

Er ist ein guter Spieler. He is a good player.

More examples

Es ist sehr hei. It is very hot.

Ich bin klein. I am small.

Du bist schn. You are pretty.

Wir sind spt dran. We are running late.

Sind Sie mit dem Hotel zufrieden? Are you satisfied with the hotel?

Ihr seid zum Abendessen eingeladen. You are invited for dinner.

Sie sind der Gewinner des Spieles. You are the winner of the game.

Es ist ein groes Problem. It is a big problem.

Bist du auf dem Weg zum Hotel? Are you on the way to the hotel?

Sie ist eine berhmte Schriftstellerin. She is a famous writer.

Er ist sehr hungrig. He is very hungry.

Test your German Skills!

Fill in the gaps with the correct form of the verb sein. You can print this out and complete or say them out loud. Check your answers below.

Fill in the gaps with the correct form of the verb sein. 1. Es ______ sehr kalt. It is very cold. 2. Ich ______ gro. I am tall.

3. Er ______ nicht schn. He is not pretty. 4. Wir ______ zu frh. We are too early. 5. ______ Sie mit dem Essen zufrieden? Are you satisfied with the meal? 6. Ihr _______ zum Mittagessen eingeladen. You are invited to lunch. 7. Sie ______ die Verlierer des Spieles You are the loser of the game. 8. Es ______ kein groes Problem. It is not a big problem. 9. ______ du auf dem Weg zum Strand? Are you on the way to the beach? 10. Sie _____ keine gute Schriftstellerin. She is not a good writer. 11. Sie ______ nicht hungrig. She is not hungry. 12. Wir _______ in Frankreich. We are in France. 13. Ich _____ nicht hungrig. Im not hungry. 14. Er _____ sehr unhflich. He is very impolite. 15. Sie _____ zu Hause. They are at home. 16. Sie _____ noch nicht da. She is not there yet. 17. _____ ihr am Flughafen? Are you at the airport? 18. ______ du seine Schwester? Are you his sister?

19. Ich ______ sehr mde. Im very tired. 20. Wir ______ nicht befreundet. We are not friends. 21. Du ____ verrckt You are crazy! Here the Answers: 1. Es ist sehr kalt. It is very cold. 2. Ich bin gro. I am tall. 3. Er ist nicht schn. He is not pretty. 4. Wir sind zu frh. We are too early 5. Sind Sie mit dem Essen zufrieden? Are you satisfied with the meal? 6. Ihr seid zum Mittagessen eingeladen. You are invited to lunch. 7. Sie sind die Verlierer des Spieles. You are the loser of the game. 8. Es ist kein groes Problem. It is not a big problem. 9. Bist du auf dem Weg zum Strand? Are you on the way to the beach? 10. Sie ist keine gute Schriftstellerin. She is not a good writer. 11. Sie ist nicht hungrig. She is not hungry. 12. Wir sind in Frankreich. We are in France. 13. Ich bin nicht hungrig. Im not hungry.

14. Er ist sehr unhflich. He is very impolite. 15. Sie sind zu Hause. They are at home. 16. Sie ist noch nicht da. She is not there yet. 17. Seid ihr am Flughafen? Are you at the airport? 18. Bist du seine Schwester? Are you his sister? 19. Ich bin sehr mde. Im very tired. 20. Wir sind nicht befreundet. We are not friends. 21. Du bist verrckt. You are crazy!

Learning German
German
Paul Sprechen Sie Deutsch? Nik Ja, ein bisschen. Paul Knnen Sie mich verstehen? Nik Ja, aber... Knnen Sie langsamer sprechen? Paul Ja, natrlich. Ist das besser? Nik Ja, danke. Paul Sprechen Sie auch Franzsisch? Nik Ich wei nicht. Was ist das?

Paul [ha-ha-ha-ha...]

English
Paul Do you speak German? Nik Yes, a little bit. Paul Can you understand me? Nik Yes, but... could you speak more slowly? Paul Of course. Is that better? Nik Yes, thanks. Paul Do you also speak French? Nik I don't know. What is it? Paul [ha-ha-ha-ha...]

Talking About Gender - Part 1

Talking About Gender

Nouns are words used to name or identify a person, animal, place, thing, or idea. Examples include: girl, hat, dog, weather, picture, coffee and hotel. In German, its easy to spot the noun in a sentence, because it always starts with a capital letter. Just as in English, German nouns can either be singular, such as cat or Katze, or plural (i.e., more than one), like cats or Katzen. The first thing that you must learn about German, however, is that all nouns also have a gender. In other words, all objects and living things are grouped as either;

masculine (male) words, or feminine (female) words or neuter ( neuter) words.

Is a vacuum cleaner masculine?

The concept of gender can feel confusing for new students of the German language. Having a gender does not mean that nouns actually refer to male, female or neuter things, although, in most circumstances, the nouns that refer to males (such as a male doctor or a male animal) are masculine, while nouns that refer to females are generally feminine (such as a female doctor or female animal). In most cases the choice of gender seems random, which it basically is! For example, how would anyone know whether the word for hotel or room is masculine, feminine or neuter? (Hotel and Zimmer are both neuter.) In German the sun (Sonne) is feminine, whereas the moon (Mond) is masculine. In French and Spanish for example it is exactly the opposite.

Is There a Clue?
The short words before a noun (like the, a or an in English) will give you an idea of what gender the noun has in German. Well have a closer look at that next lesson. Luckily there are some more clues to the gender of a noun in case there is no word for the, a or an. Have a look at the endings of the nouns, because they can also help you to determine the gender. However there are some exceptions, so take it as a rule of thumb. Most nouns ending in e are feminine, for example Blume (flower). Nouns that refer to a profession and end in -in are feminine, like rztin (doctor), Lehrerin (teacher) or Anwltin (lawyer). The feminine gender is also indicated by the endings -keit and -heit, for example Wirklichkeit (reality) and Sicherheit (security). The endings -er and -ling are generally found on masculine nouns, like Drucker (printer), Staubsauger (vacuum cleaner) and Sugling (infant). Neuter nouns generally end in -lein and -chen, like Kindlein (little child) or Schtzchen (darling).

Action Replay

Nouns are words used to name or identify a person, animal, place, thing, or idea. Nouns can either be singular (just one) or plural (more than one). All nouns have a gender and are either masculine, feminine or neuter. Some noun endings can give you a clue to what gender the noun has. The days of the week, months and seasons are all masculine.

Examples
Masculine Endings (-er and ling)

Computer computer

Schmetterling butterfly

Kalender calendar

Bauer farmer Feminine Endings (-heit, -e, -keit and in)

Schnheit beauty

Blume flower

Freundin girlfriend

Freundlichkeit friendliness Neuter Endings (-chen and -lein)

Mdchen girl

Huslein little house

Bumchen little tree

Tischlein little table

More Examples
Have a look at the examples below.

Mein Computer ist langsam. My computer is slow. (der Computer=masculine)

Was fr ein schner Schmetterling. What a beautiful butterfly. (der Schmetterling=masculine)

Meine Freundin ist die beste! My girlfriend is the best! (die Freundin=feminine)

Der Mlleimer ist voll. The rubbish bin is full. (der Mlleimer=masculine)

Sie ist ein lustiges Mdchen. She is a funny girl. (das Mdchen=neuter)

Wir wohnen in einem kleinen Huslein. We live in a little house. (das Huslein=neuter)

Frhling ist meine liebste Jahreszeit. Spring is my favourite time of the year. (der Frhling =masculine)

Wo ist mein Kugelschreiber? Where is my pen? (der Kugelschreibe=masculine)

Lisa ist rztin. Lisa is a doctor. (die rztin=feminine)

Test your German skills!

Masculine, Feminine or Neuter?
In the space provided, write whether the word is a masculine (M), feminine (F) or neuter (N) noun. The endings will give you a clue. The first one is done for you! German noun 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Gender Bauer Sonne Computer Mdchen Frhling English translation _____M_____ ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ farmer sun computer girl spring

6. 7. 8. 9. 10.

Katze Bumchen Tischlein Freude Staubsauger

___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________

cat little tree little table joy vacuum cleaner female doctor

11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28.

rztin Fahrer Freundlichkeit Drucker Kindlein Flasche Bchlein Mlleimer Designer Gardine Lehrer Kalender Kanne Knnchen Freundin Tante Keller Laune

___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________

male driver

friendliness printer little child bottle little book

rubbish bin male designer curtain male teacher calendar jug little jug girlfriend aunty basement mood

29. 30. 31. 32. 33. 34. 35. 36. 37. 38. 39 40. 41. 42.

Sigkeit Hndin Kassette Schule Feigling Schtzchen Zeichen Krankheit Sugling Geschwindigkeit Sicherheit Kellner Nickerchen Kugelschreiber

___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________

candy

female dog cassette school coward little darling sign disease little baby speed security waiter snooze pen

The Answers!
German noun 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. Gender Sonne Computer Mdchen Frhling Katze Bumchen Tischlein Freude Staubsauger rztin English translation _____F_____ _____M_____ _____N_____ _____M_____ _____F_____ _____N_____ _____N_____ _____F_____ _____M_____ _____F_____ sun computer girl spring cat little tree little table joy vacuum cleaner female doctor

12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. 29. 30. 31. 32. 33. 34. 35. 36. 37. 38. 39. 40. 41. 42.

Fahrer Freundlichkeit Drucker Kindlein Flasche Bchlein Mlleimer Designer Gardine Lehrer Kalender Kanne Knnchen Freundin Tante Keller Laune Sigkeit Hndin Kassette Schule Feigling Schtzchen Zeichen Krankheit Sugling Geschwindigkeit Sicherheit Kellner Nickerchen Kugelschreiber

_____M_____ _____F_____ _____M_____ _____N_____ _____F_____ _____N_____ _____M_____ _____M_____ _____F_____ _____M_____ _____M_____ _____F_____ _____N_____ _____F_____ _____F_____ _____M_____ _____F_____ _____F_____ _____F_____ _____F_____ _____F_____ _____M_____ _____N_____ _____N_____ _____F_____ _____M_____ _____F_____ _____F_____ _____M_____ _____N_____ _____M_____

male driver friendliness printer little child bottle little book rubbish bin male designer curtain male teacher calendar jug little jug girlfriend aunty basement mood candy female dog cassette school coward little darling sign disease little baby speed security waiter snooze pen

Talking About Gender - Part 2

ds a or an or some are indefinite articles and point to a general group of items, things, people or places.

Let's get it straight!

The definite articles singular in German are der = masculine article, the, e.g. der Tisch (the table) die = feminine article, the, e.g. die Tasse (the cup) das = neuter article, the, e.g. das Kind (the child) The indefinite articles singular in German are ein = masculine article, the, e.g. ein Tisch (a table) eine = feminine article, the, e.g. eine Tasse (a cup) ein = neuter article, the, e.g. ein Kind (a child) As mentioned previously, the article (the) before a noun in German is not only

an integral part of the word, but is also a major clue to the gender of the word. In other words, as you learn new words, you should always be learning them with either a der in front, as in der Tisch (the table), a die in front, as in die Tasse (the cup), or a das in front, as in das Kind (the child).This will help you to understand the concept of gender as you build up your vocabulary. Articles can be singular or plural. We will have a look at the plural articles further down the track. Lets focus on the singular articles in the meantime.

Action Replay

Nouns in German are either masculine, feminine or neuter and refer to a person, animal, thing or concept. The short word in front of a noun (the, a, or an) is called an article. Definite articles point to something specific, like the book. Indefinite articles point to something more general, like a book. The definite articles are der, die and das. The indefinite articles are ein, eine, ein.

Examples

der Junge the boy

das Mdchen

the girl

die Frau the woman

das Baby the baby

der Baum the tree

das Buch the book

die Brste

the brush

der Apfel the apple

das Spiel the game

die Banane the banana

das Wasser the water

More Examples

ein Glas a glass

ein Junge a boy

ein Schal a scarf

eine Mtze a hat

ein Mdchen a girl

ein Teddybr a teddy bear

eine Frau a woman

eine Schrze an apron

eine Tte a bag

ein Kind a child

Test your German Skills!

Look at the missing words below. You need to decide whether the noun should have der, die or das in front of it. The first one is done for you! der__ Mann -the man (masculine) 1. _____ Frau - the woman (feminine) 2. _____ Sonne - the sun (feminine) 3. _____ See - the lake (masculine) 4. _____ Restaurant - the restaurant (neuter) 5. _____ Freund - the friend (masculine) 6. _____ Museum - the museum (neuter) 7. _____ Flughafen - the airport (masculine) 8. _____ Feier - the party (feminine) 9. _____ Garten - the garden (masculine) 10. _____ Arbeit - the work (feminine) 11. _____ Mietauto - the rental car (neuter) 12. _____ Bahnhof - the train station (masculine) 13. _____ Fahrrad - the bike (neuter) 14. _____ Tasse - the cup (feminine) 15. _____ Tag - the day (masculine) 16. _____ Wetter - the weather (neuter)

17. _____ Telefon - the telephone (neuter)

The Answers!
1. die Frau - the woman (feminine) 2. die Sonne - the sun (feminine) 3. der See - the lake (masculine) 4. das Restaurant - the restaurant (neuter) 5. der Freund - the friend (masculine) 6. das Museum - the museum (neuter) 7. der Flughafen - the airport (masculine) 8. die Feier - the party (feminine) 9. der Garten - the garden (masculine) 10. die Arbeit - the work (feminine) 11. das Mietauto - the rental car (neuter) 12. der Bahnhof - the train station (masculine) 13. das Fahrrad - the bike (neuter) 14. die Tasse - the cup (feminine) 15. der Tag - the day (masculine) 16. das Wetter - the weather (neuter) 17. das Telefon - the telephone (neuter) Should the following nouns have ein, eine or ein in front of it. ein__ Stuhl - a chair (masculine) 1. _____ Frau - a woman (feminine) 2. _____ Buch - a book (neuter) 3. _____ Baum - a tree (masculine) 4. _____ Konzert - a concert (neuter) 5. _____ Glas - a glass (neuter) 6. _____ Banane - a banana (feminine) 7. _____ Kind - a child (neuter) 8. _____ Junge - a boy (masculine) 9. _____ Mdchen - a girl (neuter) 10. _____ Gemlde - a painting (neuter) 11. _____ Koffer - a suitcase (masculine) 12. _____ Kaffee - a coffee (masculine) 13. _____ Tasse - a cup (feminine) 14. _____ Haus - a house (neuter) 15. _____ Hose - a pair of pants (feminine) 16. _____ Apfel - an apple (masculine) 17. _____ Woche - a week (feminine)

18. _____ Computer - a computer (masculine) 19. _____ Blume - a flower (feminine)

The Answers!
1. eine Frau - a woman (feminine) 2. ein Buch - a book (neuter) 3. ein Baum - a tree (masculine) 4. ein Konzert - a concert (neuter) 5. ein Glas - a glass (neuter) 6. eine Banane - a banana (feminine) 7. ein Kind - a child (neuter) 8. ein Junge - a boy (masculine) 9. ein Mdchen - a girl (neuter) 10. ein Gemlde - a painting (neuter) 11. ein Koffer - a suitcase (masculine) 12. ein Kaffee - a coffee (masculine) 13. eine Tasse - a cup (feminine) 14. ein Haus - a house (neuter) 15. eine Hose - a pair of pants (feminine) 16. ein Apfel - an apple (masculine) 17. eine Woche - a week (feminine) 18. ein Computer - a computer (masculine) 19. eine Blume - a flower (feminine)