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German

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Contents
1

Introduction

1.1

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

1.1.1

The German Language . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

1.1.2

German and English . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

1.1.3

Vocabulary and Grammar

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

1.1.4

Pronunciation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

1.1.5

Layout of Lessons

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

1.1.6

Layout within Lessons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

1.1.7

The Student and the Lesson

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Lesson 1.00 - Introduction

2.1

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

2.1.1

German and English . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

2.1.2

How to Use this Level of the German Textbook . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

'''Section 1.01 ~ Starting Point'''

Lesson 1.01 - Wie heit du?

4.1

Wie heit du? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

4.1.1

Dialogue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

4.1.2

Hellos and Goodbyes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

4.1.3

Mr. and Mrs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

4.1.4

Replies to Wie gehts? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

4.1.5

Test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Lesson 1.02 - Freizeit

11

5.1

Freizeit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

11

5.1.1

Dialogue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

11

5.1.2

Sports and Activities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

11

5.1.3

Spielen, Machen and Other Verbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

11

5.1.4

Expressing likes and dislikes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

12

5.1.5

Numbers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

12

Whats On the Test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

13

5.2

ii
6

CONTENTS
Lesson 1.03 - Essen

14

6.1

Essen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

14

6.1.1

Dialogue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

14

6.1.2

Food! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

14

6.1.3

Accusative Case . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

14

6.1.4

Food-Related Verbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

15

6.1.5

Modals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

15

6.1.6

Hunger and Thirst . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

16

6.1.7

Formal Conversations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

16

6.1.8

Kein-words . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

17

6.1.9

Ordering at a Restaurant in Germany . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

17

6.1.10 Accusative case prepositions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

17

6.1.11 Saying How Food Tastes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

17

6.1.12 Dieser-forms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

18

6.1.13 Money and Paying . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

19

6.1.14 Test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

19

Review 1.01

20

7.1

Review 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

20

7.1.1

Vocabulary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

20

7.1.2

Wie heit Du? (1. Teil) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

20

7.1.3

Wie heit du? (2. Teil) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

20

7.1.4

Bitte buchstabieren Sie . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

20

'''Section 1.02 ~ Berlin, Germany'''

22

Lesson 1.04 - Kleidung

23

9.1

Kleidung . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

23

9.1.1

Hello from Berlin! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

23

9.1.2

Dialogue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

24

9.1.3

Shopping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

24

9.1.4

Money . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

24

9.1.5

Clothing

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

25

9.1.6

Separable Prex Verbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

25

9.1.7

Tragen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

25

9.1.8

Colors

26

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

10 Lesson 1.05 - Volk und Familie

27

10.1 Volk und Familie . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

27

10.1.1 Hello from Berlin! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

27

10.1.2 Dialog . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

27

10.1.3 People . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

27

10.1.4 Possessives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

29

CONTENTS

iii

10.1.5 Expressing Favorites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .


11 Lesson 1.06 - Schule

29
30

11.1 Schule . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

30

11.1.1 Hello from Berlin! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

30

11.1.2 Dialogue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

30

11.1.3 Und Satz fr Satz ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

30

11.1.4 Aufgabe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

33

11.1.5 School . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

33

12 Review 1.02

34

12.1 Review 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

34

12.1.1 Vocabulary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

34

12.1.2 Wie heit Du? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

35

12.1.3 Freizeit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

35

12.1.4 Essen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

35

13 '''Section 1.03 ~ Vienna, Austria'''

36

14 Lesson 1.07 - Das Fest

37

14.1 Das Fest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

37

14.1.1 Dialogue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

37

14.1.2 Es gibt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

37

14.1.3 Weihnachten in Deutschland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

37

14.1.4 Dativstze . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

37

14.1.5 Weihnachtsessen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

38

15 Lesson 1.08 - Privileg und Verantwortung

39

15.1 Privileg und Verantwortung . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

39

15.1.1 Jobs and Tasks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

39

15.1.2 Plans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

39

15.1.3 Places To Go . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

39

16 Lesson 1.09 - Wetter

40

16.1 Wetter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

40

16.1.1 Dialoge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

40

16.1.2 Weather

40

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

16.1.3 Transportation

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

17 Review 1.03

40
41

17.1 Review 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

41

17.1.1 Vocabulary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

41

18 '''Section 1.04 ~ Berne, Switzerland'''

43

iv

CONTENTS

19 Lesson 1.10 - Zu Hause Essen

44

19.1 Zu Hause Essen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .


20 Lesson 1.11 - Filme

45

20.1 Filme . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
21 Lesson 1.12 - Das Haus

45
46

21.1 Das Haus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .


21.1.1 The Home

44

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

22 Review 1.04

46
46
47

22.1 Review 4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

47

22.1.1 Vocabulary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

47

23 '''LEVEL TWO LESSONS'''

48

24 '''Section 2.01 ~ Salzburg, Austria'''

49

25 Lesson 2.01 - Einfache Gesprche unter Freunden

50

25.1 Lesson 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

50

25.1.1 Grammatik 1-1 ~ Introduction to German grammar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

50

25.1.2 Gesprch 1-1 ~ Die Freunde . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

50

25.1.3 Vokabeln 1-1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

50

25.1.4 Gesprch 1-2 ~ Die Studenten

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

51

25.1.5 Grammatik 1-2 ~ Word Order in Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

51

25.1.6 Grammatik 1-3 ~ Introduction to pronouns

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

51

25.1.7 Vokabeln 1-2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

52

25.1.8 bersetzung 1-1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

52

26 Lesson 2.02 - Fremde und Freunde

53

26.1 Lesson 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

53

26.1.1 Grammatik 2-1 ~ Introduction to Verbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

53

26.1.2 Grammatik 2-2 ~ Pronouns in the Nominative Case . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

53

26.1.3 Gesprch 2-1 ~ Die Geschftsleute . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

54

26.1.4 Vokabeln 2-1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

54

26.1.5 Grammatik 2-3 ~ Familiar and Polite Pronoun Forms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

54

26.1.6 Gesprch 2-2 ~ Die Geschftsmnner

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

54

26.1.7 Vokabeln 2-2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

55

26.1.8 Grammatik 2-4 ~ Personal pronoun gender

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

55

26.1.9 bersetzung 2-1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

55

27 Lesson 2.03 - Die Zahlen

56

27.1 Lesson 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
27.1.1 Lektion 3 ~ Zhlen von 1 bis 12

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

56
56

CONTENTS

27.1.2 Grammatik 3-1 ~ Telling time (hours) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

56

27.1.3 Vokabeln 3-1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

57

27.1.4 Grammatik 3-2 ~ Introduction to Nouns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

57

27.1.5 Grammatik 3-3 ~ Gender of Nouns

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

57

27.1.6 Vokabeln 3-2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

58

27.1.7 bersetzung 3-1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

58

28 Lesson 2.04 - Eine Geschichte ber Zrich

59

28.1 Lesson 4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

59

28.1.1 Lesestck 4-1 ~ Eine Geschichte ber Zrich . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

59

28.1.2 Vokabeln 4-1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

59

28.1.3 Grammatik 4-1 ~ Introduction to adjectives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

59

28.1.4 Gesprch 4-1 ~ Das neue Mdchen

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

60

28.1.5 Vokabeln 4-2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

60

28.1.6 Grammatik 4-2 ~ Nouns and pronouns in the accusative and dative . . . . . . . . . . . . .

60

28.1.7 Grammatik 4-3 ~ Interrogatives

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

61

28.1.8 bersetzung 4-1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

61

29 Review 2.01

62

29.1 Lesson 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
29.1.1 Wiederholung

62

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

62

29.1.2 Parts of Speech and Word Order . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

62

29.1.3 Nouns

62

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

30 '''Section 2.02 ~ Zrich, Switzerland'''

63

31 Lesson 2.05 - Die Wohnung

64

31.1 Lesson 6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

64

31.1.1 Gesprch 6-1 ~ Ein Bruder besucht Markus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

64

31.1.2 Vokabeln 6-1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

64

31.1.3 Grammatik 6.1 ~ Introduction to verb conjugations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

64

31.1.4 Grammatik 6.2 ~ Case in German nouns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

65

31.1.5 Grammatik 6.3 ~ Commands

65

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

32 Lesson 2.06 - Mathematik

66

32.1 Lesson 7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

66

32.1.1 Lernen 7 ~ Zhlen von 13 bis 100 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

66

32.1.2 Grammatik 7-1 ~ Math Calculations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

66

32.1.3 Vokabeln 7-1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

66

33 Lesson 2.07 - Mein, Dein, und Sein

67

33.1 Lesson 8 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

67

33.1.1 Grammatik 8-1 ~ Colors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

67

33.1.2 Grammatik 8-2 ~ Possessive Adjectives, Pronouns, and the Genitive Case

67

. . . . . . . . .

vi

CONTENTS

34 Lesson 2.08 - Einkaufen gehen

68

34.1 Lesson 9 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

68

34.1.1 Lernen 9 ~ Die Kleidungsstcke (articles of clothing) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

68

34.1.2 Gesprche 9-1 ~ Katrin macht Besorgungen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

68

34.1.3 Vokabeln 9-1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

68

34.1.4 3 Accusative Case . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

69

35 Review 2.02

70

35.1 Lesson 10 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
35.1.1 Wiederholung

70

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

70

35.1.2 Verb Conjugation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

70

36 '''Section 2.03 ~ Hannover, Germany'''

71

37 Lesson 2.09 - Verbtempus und Wortstellung

72

37.1 Lesson 11 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

72

37.2 Ein Treen in Hannover (WIP) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

72

37.2.1 Vokabeln . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

72

37.2.2 Word Order . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

72

38 Lesson 2.10 - Undeveloped

74

38.1 Lesson 12 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

74

38.2 Fragewrter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

74

38.2.1 Questions Words . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

74

38.2.2 Q.W. Meaning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

74

38.2.3 Rules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

74

38.2.4 Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

75

38.2.5 Vokabeln . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

77

38.2.6 Excercise / bung . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

77

39 Lesson 2.11 - Undeveloped

78

39.1 Lesson 13 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

78

39.1.1 Mein Arm schmerzt ! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

78

39.1.2 Vokablen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

78

39.1.3 Adjectives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

78

40 Lesson 2.12 - Undeveloped

79

40.1 Lesson 14 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

79

40.1.1 Tier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

79

40.1.2 Grammatik . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

79

41 Review 2.03

80

41.1 Lesson 15 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

80

41.1.1 Vokablen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

80

CONTENTS

vii

41.1.2 Grammatik . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

80

42 '''LEVEL THREE LESSONS'''

81

43 '''Section 3.01 ~ Bonn, Germany'''

82

44 Lesson 3.01 - Markus

83

45 Lesson 3.02 - Gesprche unter Geschftsmnnern

84

45.1 Gesprche Unter Geschftsmnnern . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .


45.1.1 Gesprch 2-3 ~ Katrin geht einkaufen

84

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

84

45.1.2 Vokabeln 2-3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

84

45.1.3 Grammatik 2-5 ~ Word Formation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

84

45.1.4 Grammatik 2-6 ~ Personal Pronouns: nominative case . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

85

45.1.5 Grammatik 2-7 ~ More on verb forms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

85

45.1.6 Vokabeln 2-4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

85

45.1.7 Andere Wrter 2A . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

85

45.1.8 bersetzung 2-2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

85

46 Lesson 3.03 - Mach dir keine Sorgen!

86

46.1 Mach Dir Keine Sorgen! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .


46.1.1 Gesprch 3-3 ~ Mach dir keine Sorgen!

86

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

86

46.1.2 Vokabeln 3-3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

86

46.1.3 Grammatik 3-5 ~ Numbers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

86

46.1.4 Grammatik 3-6 ~ Expressions of Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

86

46.1.5 Vokabeln 3-4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

87

46.1.6 Andere Wrter 3A . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

87

46.1.7 bersetzung 3-2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

87

47 '''Section 3.02 ~ Innsbruck, Austria'''

88

48 Lesson 3.04 - Die Geschftsleute

89

48.1 Die Geschftsleute . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

89

48.1.1 Gesprch 4-2 ~ Die Geschftsleute . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

89

48.1.2 Vokabeln 4-3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

89

48.1.3 Grammatik 4-4 ~ Personal Pronouns: Accusative Case

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

89

48.1.4 Grammatik 4-5 ~ Personal Pronouns in the Dative Case . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

90

49 Lesson 3.05 - Der Englnder in sterreich

91

49.1 Der Englnder in sterreich . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

91

49.1.1 Gesprch 5-2 ~ Der Englnder in sterreich . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

91

49.1.2 Vokabeln 5A . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

92

49.1.3 Andere Wrter 4A . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

92

49.1.4 Lesestck 5-1 ~ Eine Geschichte ber St. Plten

92

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

viii

CONTENTS

50 Lesson 3.06 - Tour de France

94

50.1 Tour de France . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

94

50.1.1 Lernen 7-2 ~ Tour de France . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

94

50.1.2 Vokabeln 7A . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

94

51 '''Section 3.03 ~ Bavaria, Germany'''

95

52 Lesson 3.07 - Undeveloped

96

53 Lesson 3.08 - Undeveloped

97

54 Lesson 3.09 - Undeveloped

98

55 '''LEVEL FOUR LESSONS'''

99

56 '''Section 01 ~ Kiel, Germany'''

100

57 '''Section 02 ~ Schaan, Liechtenstein'''

101

58 '''Section 03 ~ Schahausen, Switzerland'''

102

59 '''GRAMMAR'''

103

60 Adjectives and Adverbs

104

60.1 Adjectives and Adverbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104


60.1.1 Adjectives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
60.1.2 Adjective Endings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
60.1.3 Adverbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
61 Articles

107

62 '''Nouns''

108

62.1 Nouns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108


62.1.1 What Is a Noun? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
62.1.2 Plurals

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108

62.1.3 Gender . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109


62.1.4 Contents

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111

63 Gender

112

64 Plurals

113

65 Adjectival Nouns

114

66 Weak Nouns

115

67 Mixed Nouns

116

CONTENTS

ix

68 Pronouns

117

68.1 Pronouns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117


68.2 Comparison of Pronouns to other Parts of Speech . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
69 Sentences

119

69.1 Sentences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119


69.1.1 Sentence Structure in Main clauses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
69.1.2 Position of the Verb . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
69.1.3 Order of phrases - Reihenfolge der Satzglieder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
69.1.4 Syntax of Interrogatives and Imperatives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
69.1.5 Coordinating Conjunctions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
69.1.6 Dependent Clauses: Subordinate and Relative Clauses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
69.1.7 Innitive Clauses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
70 Verbs

126

70.1 Verbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126


70.1.1 Verbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
70.1.2 Strong Verbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
70.1.3 Separable Verbs

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126

70.1.4 Reexive Verbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126


70.1.5 Modals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
70.1.6 Present Tense . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
70.1.7 Perfect Tense . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
70.1.8 Sentence Structure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
70.1.9 Past tense . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
70.1.10 Future Tense . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
71 '''APPENDICES'''

132

72 A.01 - Das Alphabet

133

72.1 Alphabet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133


72.1.1 The Alphabet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
72.1.2 Deutsche Aussprache ~ German Pronunciation Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
72.1.3 Links . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
73 A.02 - Phrase Book

136

73.1 Phrasebook . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136


73.1.1 German Phrases

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136

73.1.2 Positionen (Locations) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136


73.1.3 Common phrases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
74 A.03 - Grammar Reference Table I

137

74.1 Grammar I . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137


74.1.1 Der-word Case for German Nouns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137

CONTENTS
74.1.2 Personal Pronoun Tables: nominative, genitive, dative & accusative cases . . . . . . . . . . 137

75 A.04 - Grammar Reference Table II

138

75.1 Grammar II . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138


75.1.1 Conjugating 'to be' . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138
75.1.2 Conjugating Normal Verbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138
75.1.3 Conjugating Irregular Verbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138
75.1.4 Conjugating Modals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
75.1.5 Separable Verbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
76 A.05 - Webseiten and other resources

140

76.1 Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140


76.1.1 Lists and directories to online resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
76.1.2 ber die deutsche Sprache - about German . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
76.1.3 Online Wrterbcher - Dictionary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
76.1.4 Deutsche Grammatik und Rechtschreibung- German Grammar and Spelling . . . . . . . . 141
76.1.5 Aussprache - Pronunciation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
76.1.6 Blogs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
76.1.7 Podcasts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
76.1.8 Tandem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
77 A.07 - Namen

142

77.1 Names . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142


77.1.1 Names

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142

77.1.2 Typical for young people . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142


78 A.08 - False Friends

146

78.1 False friends . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146


79 A.09 - Level I Vocabulary

147

79.1 Vocabulary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147


79.1.1 Wie heit du? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147
79.1.2 Freizeit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147
79.1.3 Essen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148
79.1.4 Kleidung . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
79.1.5 Volk und Familie . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
79.1.6 Schule . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
79.1.7 Die Fete . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
79.1.8 Privileg und Verantwortung . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
79.1.9 Wetter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
80 Text and image sources, contributors, and licenses

151

80.1 Text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151


80.2 Images . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153

CONTENTS

xi

80.3 Content license . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155

Chapter 1

Introduction
1.1 Introduction

stein, Luxembourg, the Sdtirol (South Tyrol) region of


Italy, the Opole Voivodship of Poland, the eastern part
of Belgium, parts of Romania, the Alsace (Elsass) region
of France and parts of Denmark. Additionally, several
former colonial possessions of these countries, such as
Namibia in Africa, have sizable German-speaking populations. There are German-speaking minorities in several eastern European countries including Russia, and in
the United States as well as countries in South America like Brazil, Argentina and Chile. Over 120 million
people speak German as their native language. German
is the third most popular foreign language taught worldwide, and the second most popular in Europe. Continue
reading about the German language.

A Textbook on Five Levels


The question arose early in the development of this textbook as to precisely who would be the target audience.
Although intended to be a beginning textbook on German, many felt that the early lessons were too dicult for
younger students with very limited or no experience with
German and, perhaps more importantly, limited skills in
English grammar. For this reason a textbook on three
levels was conceived. Beginning German (Level I) puts
more emphasis on building vocabulary around subject
matter interesting and useful to young students. Basic
German (Level II) emphasises grammar, and assumes a
greater knowledge of English grammar more typical of an
older high school or a college student. If you are just beginning to learn German or attempting to teach yourself,
you may wish to try both approaches and see which works
better for you, since some people require a strong structural approach to learning a new language while others
nd this structure only impedes progress by adding another layer of complexity. Intermediate German (Level
III), which requires even more knowledge of English,
is for college students, preferably for sophomores or juniors. With even more complex lessons, grammar and
vocabulary comes Advanced German (Level IV), which
with the most complex and dicult parts of the German
language, is for late college students (Seniors) and college
graduates. The last level, which is a review level, but also
has cultural facts and the history of the German language,
is Reviewed German. (Level V). An existing, separate
text, German/Grammar, may eventually be merged into
the lesson modules or developed into useful appendices
as a grammar reference. At present, however, German
Grammar is an expanding, signicant contribution to the
textbook; it provides an important reference on German
language grammar rules useful to the student working
through any of the three levels.

1.1.2 German and English


If you are an English speaker unfamiliar with German,
you may be surprised to learn that English and German
are closely related languages and share many words that
are very similar. Such words are called cognates. This
is particularly true for everyday words in English that are
Anglo-Saxon (that is, Germanic) in origin. Consider the
following list of English words followed by their German
counterparts:
arm ~ der Arm
book ~ das Buch
cat ~ die Katze
father ~ der Vater
nger ~ der Finger
wagon ~ der Wagen
house ~ das Haus
hand ~ die Hand
June ~ der Juni

1.1.1

man ~ der Mann

The German Language

mother ~ die Mutter

German (Deutsch) is a member of the western group of


the Germanic languages. It is spoken primarily in Germany, Austria, the majority of Switzerland, Liechten-

mouse ~ die Maus


name ~ der Name
1

CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION
son ~ der Sohn

1.1.3 Vocabulary and Grammar

garden ~ der Garten


In learning to read or speak any language with which
you have minimal acquaintance (that is, are not a native
speaker of), the two aspects to be mastered are vocabbush ~ der Busch
ulary and grammar. Acquiring vocabulary is a simple
baker ~ der Bcker
matter of memorization. For the language(s) we learn as
net ~ das Netz
children, this process is so transparent that we have trouble conceiving of the importance of having a large vocabstorm ~ der Sturm
ulary. By the age of conscious recognition of our comhat ~ der Hut
municating with others through speech, we have already
re ~ das Feuer
learned the meaning of thousands of words. Even words
we have trouble dening, we readily understand their use
grass ~ das Gras
in conversation. This process can be reactivated, as it
sh ~ der Fisch
were, by immersion in a second language: a method of
kindergarten ~ der Kindergarten
learning a new language by moving to a place where that
language is spoken and having to get around and live withSome German words have the same origin as their English out use of ones native tongue.
counterparts but the meaning has changed:
The student of German language, if not residing in a
German-speaking environment, must put forth substantial eort to learning words, including their meaning,
worry wrgen (strangle)
their pronunciation and their usage in common sentences.
kind das Kind (child)
Be sure to learncommit to memoryall of the vocabulary words in each lesson as they are presented. Early
Audio: OGG (308KB) ~ Hear these words
lessons have simple sentences because it is assumed that
the students vocabulary is limited. But throughout the
Of course, even words whose spelling is no dierent in text, more complex discourses (often as photo captions)
English and German may be pronounced quite dier- are included to introduce the student to regular German in
ently. But in reading German, you will see the con- use. It may be helpful to translate these using a Germannections between these languages, even in many of the English dictionary (access to one is a must; see Appendix
small words (the above examples are all nouns). For 5 for on-line options). Other sources of German, such as
example:
newspapers, magazines, web sites, etc., can also be useful in building vocabulary and developing a sense of how
German words are put together. The German Wikipedia
This week, my father is with my brother in the
provides an ever expanding source of German language
city.
articles that can be used for this purpose. Further, a GerDiese Woche ist mein Vater mit meinem Bruder
man version of the Wikibooks projecta library of textin der Stadt.
books in Germanis available at German Wikibooks.
lamp ~ die Lampe

Audio: OGG (87KB) ~ Hear these sentences


Note also the general similarity of sentence structure with
English. The only real dierence in the German is that the
verb is moved forward in the sentence. However, there
are many German sentences in which a verb form is the
last word in the sentence.
Unfortunately, while German is perhaps the easiest foreign language for an English speaker to learn, meanings
of words that are spelled similarly are not always identical. These "false friends" can be confusing for the beginner. Further, German is a more structured language than
English, with a more complex grammar, and it will become apparent as you learn German that you will also
learn more about English language structure than you
might ever recall from your high school English classes.
For a quick listing of similarities and dierences between
English and German, read the Introduction to Level I.

German grammar is more complex than, but suciently


similar to, English that reading German is possible with
minimal vocabulary in the sense that the student should
generally recognize the parts of a sentence. With a good
dictionary or an online translator, an English speaker can
usually translate a German sentence close to correctly.
However, to accurately speak and understand German,
you must learn how each word functions in a sentence.
There are eight basic grammatical functions: case, gender, number, tense, person, mood, voice, and comparison. How words signal these functions is an important aspect of learning a new language. English speakers
should know all of these functions and the signals used in
English, but it is often the situation that you know perfectly well how to speak English, without understanding
much about word-functions and signals. For this reason,
this textbook incorporates considerable detail on grammar, including both English and German grammar. The
reference book English at Wikibooks may be consulted for

1.1. INTRODUCTION
additional help. When we say German is more complex
than English, what we really mean is that the signals used
in German are dierent from and more numerous than
those used by English.

1.1.4

Pronunciation

A guide to the pronunciation of German is provided. You


should become familiar with this page early on, and refer
to it often. Nothing can replace learning a language from
a native speaker, but the text is liberally sprinkled with
audio les providing the student with valuable input from
hearing spoken German. Analyze the spoken words carefully. The pronunciation guide can only closely, not exactly, convey how German words should be pronounced.
And of course, German (like English) has a number of
dialects distinguished by dierences in pronunciation.
Help in the pronunciation of individual words can be
found by accessing the sound les of either of the online dictionaries, links to which are given in the German
websites appendix.

1.1.5

Layout of Lessons

This textbook is intended as a beginning course in the


German language for English speakers. Early lessons emphasize conversational subjects and gradually introduce
German grammatical concepts and rules. In addition,
sound les accompany appropriate parts of each lesson.
Although the basic lessons (Grundlegende Lektionen) are
presented at about the (US) high school level, beginners
(including those attempting to learn German outside of
a course structure) are expected to work through several
basic lessons up to an indicated point, when review is suggested along with additional study. The basic way lessons
go to other lessons is very simple and direct:

3
4. A list of words (Vokabeln) and phrases introduced
in the lesson, above that point, usually in the conversation, story, or study presentations. Words and
phrases are arranged alphabetically within groups,
and the groups are presented in the following order:
1) nouns, 2) phrases, 3) verbs, and 4) all other words.
A guide to pronunciation of the words presented is
consolidated within Appendix 1. However, in each
Vokabeln, nouns stressed on other than the rst syllable (the general rule in German) are indicated by
bolding of the stressed syllable (e.g., Biologie). Note
that the English translation of all German words in
a Vokabeln is the best equivalent for the lesson example. The lesson Vokabeln is not a dictionary, but
a quick reference for translation purposes. For this
reason, verbs are not translated into a typical English
innitive form with a preceding particle, to.
5. A list of additional, related words or phrases (Andere Wrter; advanced lessons only) that relate to,
but are not included in, the vocabulary presented in
the basic and advanced lessons.
6. English sentences and other material to be translated
by the student into German (bersetzung). These
are numbered and a matching answer sheet is linked
to this category. The student should write out the
German using material from the lesson (and previous lessons) before checking their work against the
answer list.

1.1.7 The Student and the Lesson

1. One or more conversation (Gesprch) or story


(Geschichte) pieces in German alone to illustrate the
language in use.

Each level of the text is designed to constitute a course


of study in the German language. For any level selected,
each lesson should be read thoroughly and mastered before moving on. Substantial text in German is included
and the student should read all of it, not once, but multiple times. At Levels II and III, complete translations
into English are included only in selected places. Most
of this text must be translated by the student using his or
her acquired vocabulary and the vocabulary presented at
the bottom of each lesson. As the German text is read
(preferably out loud), the student must succeed in gaining an understanding of the meaning of each sentence,
and of the role each word plays in establishing that meaning. To the beginner, there will seem to be many words
in a German sentence that are out of place or even redundant or unnecessary. These add subtleties to the language
that will make sense eventually. But it is important to experience these subtleties from the very beginning.

2. Study material (Lernen) in English and German to


present lists of conceptually related words.

Continue to the level one introduction.

Lesson 1 > 2 > 3 > 4 > and on to the end of the text.

1.1.6

Layout within Lessons

The following subheadings or categories are oered


within the lessons (Level II and above):

3. One or more grammar (Grammatik) lessons covering elements of German grammar, with illustrations
drawn from the conversation, story, or study materials.

Chapter 2

Lesson 1.00 - Introduction


2.1 Introduction

Kindergarten (early school grade) is an English


word borrowed directly from German, with a slight
change of meaning from its original sense of daycare
or nursery school.

I.0: Introduction
Welcome to Level I German!

Level I is aimed at junior high and high school students. As you can see, German is quite similar to English. There
However, it can also be used by others just beginning to are, however, dierences:
learn to speak or read German.
German has more letters than and dierent pronunThe goal of Level I German is to introduce the basics
ciations from English.
of the German language without overwhelming students.
Therefore, the vocabulary is formatted for translating
from English (which the students know) into German.

In German the verb is sometimes the last word of a


sentence.

Although Level II is aimed at students and people who


are a bit procient after Level I, still, English translation
will be used, so as to ease the learning. It helps because,
at times while learning a new language, even with basic
understanding, the words are above normal understanding
level, and thus require a sub assistance.

German has more verb forms than English.

2.1.1

German has three dierent words for you.

German is the only known written language where


every noun is capitalized, whether or not it is a
proper noun.
The word ich (I) is only capitalized if it is the rst
word of the sentence.

German and English

Adjectives have dierent endings based on the noun


they are modifying in German.

German and English are quite close to each other, and


are called language sisters or, more formally, cognate languages. Both belong to the Germanic branch of the IndoEuropean language family. Here are some major similarities:

German does not have any Present Continuous


tense, only Present tense.
However, German is still one of the easiest languages for
English speakers to learn. The dierences will be tackled
over the course of the lessons.

Both languages use the Latin alphabet.


Normally, sentences follow Subject-Verb-Object order.

2.1.2 How to Use this Level of the German


Textbook

Questions have Verb-Subject-Object order or


Adverb-Verb-Subject-Object order.

There are contractions (e.g., isn't) in both German The lessons are meant to be taken in order. You should
read and review the German dialogs as often as possible.
and English.
Many of the dialogs come with audio recordings by na Many words share the same roots, such as word and tive speakers. These recordings are invaluable to learn
the German pronunciation. If there is a recording, you
Wort, or house and Haus.
can do several kinds of exercises:
Many words are spelled almost the same way in En Read the German dialog and translate it to English
glish and German; for example, Text, Zoo, Handball,
with the help of the vocabulary list.
Motor, Bus, Park, Position, or Garage.
4

2.1. INTRODUCTION
Listen to the dialog while you read it and try to understand as much as possible.
Listen to the dialog without reading it, pause the
playback after each sentence and translate it to English.
Listen to the dialog without reading it, pause the
playback after each sentence, and write it down in
German.
Listen to the dialog while reading it, stop after each
sentence and repeat the pronunciation.
At the reviews, after every third lesson, you go back to
look at the previous lessons.
Layout of the Lessons
Every lesson has a title at the top.
The lesson will introduce several topics, more and
more as the lessons progress.
Topics are usually introduced by dialogs, which are
accompanied by vocabulary lists.
Each lesson features several problems and a test at
the end. You should write down your answers (either electronically or on paper) before looking at the
suggested answers. The act of writing down your answers will help you to learn the spelling.
Level I uses a more than enough system for the
problems. You don't have to do all of the problems
if you think you know the material. However, the
test may require knowing certain vocabulary, so you
need to make sure you know it.
Levels of Completion
On the contents page, you will see lled-in boxes next
to each lesson. The number of boxes corresponds to the
completeness of the lesson as follows:
- The lesson is started, with a lesson overview
at least.
- At least half of the sections are complete.
- Most of the lesson is complete.
- The entire lesson is complete.

Chapter 3

'''Section 1.01 ~ Starting Point'''

Chapter 4

Lesson 1.01 - Wie heit du?


4.1 Wie heit du?

danke, and dann pronounced?


2. How is the i in ich and bis pronounced?
3. How is the ch in ich pronounced?
4. How is the z in Franz pronounced?
5. How is the w in wie, Wei" and wiedersehen
pronounced?
6. How is the ie in wie and Wiedersehen pronounced?
7. How is the ei in heit, heie and Wei" pronounced?
8. How is the "" in heit, heie and Wei" pronounced?
9. How is the e in es, kennst, er and Herr
pronounced?

Germans usually shake hands when they are introduced or introduce themselves.

10. How is the rst e in gehen, Greta, and geht


pronounced?

Lesson I.1: Wie heit du? (1. Teil)

Answers

This lesson deals with basic conversation topics such as


saying hello and goodbye and asking people how they are
feeling. This lesson features audio recordings by native
speakers to help you with the pronunciation.

4.1.1

1. Similar to the a in hard.


2. Similar to the i in hit.
3. Similar to, but not entirely like, the ch in the Scottish word Loch. The sound does not exist in English.

Dialogue

Read and listen to the following dialogue between two


students: Franz and Greta. You don't have to understand
anything! You should rather try to nd out how each word
is pronounced.

4. z is pronounced like ts.


5. Similar to the v in vat.

Problems: Listen carefully!


The German pronunciation of many letters is similar to
the English pronunciation, but there are also many dierences. Try to answer the following question by listening
carefully. Write your answers on a piece of paper or in a
text le before you check them.

6. Similar to the ee in meet.


7. ei is pronounced like ai in German or like the
i in the English word time.
8. "" is pronounced like s.

1. How is the a in Hallo, Franz, Greta, ja,

9. Similar to e in pet.
7

CHAPTER 4. LESSON 1.01 - WIE HEIT DU?

10. This is a long German e"; the sound doesn't exist in However, you will not be required to know any of these
English. It is between the i in hit and the e in less common phrases for any problems or tests.)
pet.
The more formal phrases are guten Morgen, guten Tag,
and auf Wiedersehen. The less formal ones are tschss,
Now try to understand the dialogue with the help of the Tag, servus, and ciao. The others are somewhat neutral
following list of vocabulary. (A complete translation is on the formal-informal scale.
given in the answers to the next problems.)
Problems: Hellos and goodbyes
Problems: Working with the dialogue
How would you say hello and goodbye in these situations:
1. Translate the dialogue to English with the help of the
list of vocabulary. Write your translation on a piece
of paper before you check it.
2. Listen to the recording without reading and try to
understand the meaning of the words. If you cannot
remember some words, look them up and start again.

1. You meet a friend in the morning.


2. You meet a teacher in the classroom in the afternoon.
3. You meet a classmate in the evening.
4. You talk to a shop assistant in the morning.

3. Read the dialogue aloud. Compare your pronuncia- Answers


Avoiding local variants, these are some options:
tion with the pronunciation of the recording.
4. Listen to the recording without reading and write
down the dialogue in German. Pause the playback
after each sentence to write down what you have
heard. Repeat this exercise until you know the
spelling of the German words.
Answers

1. Hello:
Hallo!/(Guten) Morgen!/(Guten) Tag!
Goodbye: Tschss!/Bis spter!/Bis dann!/Bis bald!
2. Hello: Guten Tag! Goodbye: Auf Wiedersehen.
3. Hello:
Hallo!/Guten Abend!
Tschss!/Bis dann!/Bis bald!

Goodbye:

4. Hello: Guten Morgen!/Guten Tag! Goodbye: (Auf)


Wiedersehen!
1. Translation to English:
Franz: Hello, I am Franz. What is your
name?
Greta: Hello, Franz. My name is Greta.
How is it going?
Franz: I'm good. Do you know the
teacher?
Greta: Yes, his name is Mr. Wei.
Franz: Oh, thanks, Greta. See you!
Greta: Goodbye!
2.
3.
4. See the dialogue.

4.1.2

Hellos and Goodbyes

4.1.3 Mr. and Mrs.


In German, Herr and Frau are used instead of Mr. and
Mrs. before a last name; e.g., Mr. Schwarz Herr
Schwarz.
Frau is used for married and unmarried women. Some
people still use Miss Frulein in spoken German but it
is no longer used in written German since it is considered
an inappropriate discrimination of unmarried women.
Literally, der Herr means the gentleman and die Frau
means the woman. If you use these words without a last
name after them, you have to use an article before them;
e.g., der Herr or die Frau. This is actually just like in
English. For example:
The womans name is Mrs. Wei Die Frau heit
Frau Wei.

There are many ways of saying hello and goodbye in GerNote also that the German translation of the man is der
man; some of them are:
Mann and the lady should be translated to die Dame.
*You will need to know each expression with an asterisk Thus, without last names you would rather use these pairs:
(*) after it. The others, of course, would be useful to
know if you are traveling to regions where they are used.
man and woman Mann und Frau
(As you can see, the dierent German-speaking regions
men and women Mnner und Frauen
often have their own ways of saying hello and goodbye.

4.1. WIE HEIT DU?


lady and gentleman Dame und Herr
ladies and gentlemen Damen und Herren
Problems: Mr. & Mrs.
Translate the following words and phrases to German:

9
6. Ganz _______, danke.
Answers

1. Wie gehts?

1. Mr. Schwarz

2. Prima. Und dir?

2. the man

3. Es geht so.

3. The mans name is Mr. Schwarz.

4. Wie geht es Ihnen?

4. the woman

5. Sehr gut. Und selbst?

5. The womans name is Mrs. Schwarz.

6. Ganz gut, danke.

6. ladies and gentlemen

4.1.5 Test

Answers

5. Die Frau heit Frau Schwarz.

The test consists of three parts: pronunciation, vocabulary, and translation. As always, you should write down
your answers before you check them. (Writing the German words is in fact a great way to practice the spelling
of German words.) The vocabulary and translation problems are all from English to German because this is what
you have to learn if you want to communicate in German. Once you are able to translate an English word to
the corresponding German word, it won't be any problem
to translate the German word back to English.

6. Damen und Herren

Problems: Pronunciation

1. Herr Schwarz
2. der Mann
3. Der Mann heit Herr Schwarz.
4. die Frau

4.1.4

Replies to Wie gehts?

There are many ways to reply to the question Wie gehts?


Here are some of them:

1. How do you pronounce Ich heie ..."?


2. How do you pronounce Franz"?
3. How do you pronounce Wiedersehen"?

*The more formal form is Wie geht es Ihnen?


After replying to the question, you could continue with:
And how are you? Und wie geht es dir? (formal:
Und wie geht es Ihnen?)
Or shorter:
And you? Und dir? (or: Und selbst?; or formal:
Und Ihnen?)
Problems: Wie gehts?
Fill in the blanks:
1. _______ gehts?
2. Prima. _______ dir?

Answers

1. i as in hit, ch as in Loch, h as in hotel,


ei as the i in times, "" is pronounced just like
a s, last e as in pet
2. f, r, n similar to the English pronunciation of
these letters, a as in hard, z like ts.
3. w as the v in vat, ie as the ee in meet,
eh is the long German e (between i in hit
and a e in pet), the other letters are pronounced
similarly in English.
Problems: Vocabulary
Translate from English to German:

3. Es _______ so.

1. Mr.

4. Wie geht _______ Ihnen?

2. Good evening!

5. Sehr _______. _______ selbst?

3. how

10

CHAPTER 4. LESSON 1.01 - WIE HEIT DU?

4. Good morning!

15. ich

5. teacher

16. Auf Wiedersehen!

6. (the) man

17. er

7. Good night!

18. Bis spter!

8. you

19. Hallo!

9. (the) woman

20. sehr gut

10. Bye!

21. (die) Frau

11. How are you?

22. ja

12. thanks

23. nicht (so) gut

13. bad
14. Good day!
15. I
16. Goodbye!
17. he
18. See you later!

Problems: Translation
Translate from English to German:
1. Hello! I'm Susanne. Whats your name?
2. Good morning, Susanne. My name is Andreas.
3. Good day, Andreas. How are you?

19. Hello!

4. Very good. Thanks, Susanne. And you? How are


you?

20. very good

5. Great, thanks. See you later, Andreas!

21. Mrs.

6. Goodbye!

22. yes

Answers

23. not (so) good


Answers

1. Hallo! Ich bin Susanne. Wie heit du?


2. Guten Morgen, Susanne. Ich heie Andreas.

1. Herr

3. Guten Tag, Andreas. Wie gehts?

2. Guten Abend!

4. Sehr gut. Danke, Susanne. Und dir? Wie gehts dir?

3. wie

5. Prima, danke. Bis spter, Andreas!

4. Guten Morgen!

6. Wiedersehen!

5. Lehrer
6. (der) Mann
7. Gute Nacht!
8. du
9. (die) Frau
10. Tschss!
11. Wie gehts?
12. danke
13. schlecht
14. Guten Tag!

Chapter 5

Lesson 1.02 - Freizeit


5.1 Freizeit

Ich spiele Basketball.


I'm playing basketball.

Lesson I.4: Freizeit

5.1.1

Spielst du Fuball?

Dialogue

Literally, Freizeit means free time, i.e., spare time. In this


dialogue, Franz and Greta are familiarizing each other
with their sports activities.
*The audio recording says das, but it should be der.

5.1.2

Do you play soccer?


Ich mache Hausaufgaben.
I'm doing homework.
Er macht Hausaufgaben.

Sports and Activities

Hes doing homework.

Section Problems>>

Machst/Treibst du Sport?

5.1.3

Spielen, Machen and Other Verbs

Do you play sports?


All three verbs that you were introduced to in Lesson 2
are irregular in some way; however, most verbs are regu- Note that in English one plays sport, while in German
lar verbs. In English, the regular conjugation is very easy: one does sport. You can also use the question words from
only for the third person singular an "-s is added to the Lesson 3 to form more combinations:
innitive (to see becomes he/she/it sees). Unfortunately, there are more endings in German. The following
Warum spielst du Baseball?
two tables show the endings for the two regular verbs spielen (to play) and machen (to do; to make):
Why do you play baseball?
As you see, the endings are the same for corresponding
forms of spielen and machen. In fact, they are the same
Wann machst du die Hausaufgaben?
for all regular verbs. Thus, you can always just remove
the -en from the innitive of a regular German verb to
When do you do the/your homework?
form the stem (e.g., spielen becomes spiel- and machen
becomes mach-) and then add the ending for the particuTo say not, use nicht. Nicht goes after the verb but
lar person. Here is a table with these endings:
before the sport.
*The form for you (polite) Sie is exactly the same as
for the plural, 3rd person pronoun they sie.
Wer spielt nicht Fuball?
Who doesn't play soccer?

Examples
Was machst du?

Wir spielen nicht Tennis.

What are you doing?

We don't play tennis.


11

12

CHAPTER 5. LESSON 1.02 - FREIZEIT

Compound Sentences

5.1.4 Expressing likes and dislikes

Both German and English have compound sentences; the * gern and gerne can be used interchangeably.
applications of these are enormous. They can be used in
In German, there are several ways to express likes and
lists and also in compound sentences. For example,
dislikes; this is just one of them. You can also add other
verbs for other activities, e.g., I like to read. Ich lese
Ich spiele Basketball und er spielt auch Basketball.
gern. or I like to work. Ich arbeite gern. or I like to
watch TV. Ich schaue gern Fernsehen.
I play basketball, and he also plays basketball.

To express preference, you can use lieber instead of gern.


For example, I prefer to play basketball. Ich spiele
lieber
Basketball. or I prefer to read. Ich lese lieber.
The new word, also auch is very important. The one
grammar rule about auch is that it always comes after the To express favorite activities, you can use am liebsten
verb.
(meaning most of all) instead of lieber or gern. For example, Most of all, I like to play chess. Ich spiele am
Section Problems>>
liebsten Schach.
To express dislikes, you can use nicht gern instead of gern,
for example I don't like to swim. Ich schwimme nicht
gern. or I don't like to work. Ich arbeite nicht gern. or I
Schauen, schreiben and schwimmen are all regular verbs; don't like to play soccer. Ich spiele nicht gern Fuball.
i.e., they follow regular conjugations. To conjugate them,
Section Problems>>
you rst remove the -en from the innitive to form the
stem (i.e., schau-, schreib-, and schwimm-), and then add
the correct ending. Here is an example:
Other Verbs and Their Conjugations

Arbeiten is an irregular verb; however, it has a simple


change. Whenever the ending starts with a consonant, an
-e- is added before it. For example, du arbeitest (not du
arbeitst). As well as er/sie/es/ihr arbeitet (not er/sie/es/ihr
arbeitt).

5.1.5 Numbers

Numbers are among the most important and most useful


words: we need them to talk about time, amounts, money,
etc. Even if you are just a tourist, you often cannot
avoid numbers. Learning numbers can be a bit of a pain;
Lesen is also an irregular verb. For the second and third
thus, here is some advice: whenever you have time, count
person singular the form is liest, i.e., du/er/sie/es liest (not
something in German; e.g., steps, cars, people, seconds,
du lesst).
whatever: just count.
Sehen is the last irregular verb. The second person sin*Some numbers are missing in the audio recording.
gular is du siehst and the third person singular is er/sie/es
**Some people sometimes say zwo instead of zwei in orsieht.
der to distinguishing it more clearly from drei (three), esSection Problems>>
pecially on the phone.
Two More Verb Forms

Notice the pattern: -teen translates to -zehn, and -ty to


-zig.

There is one big problem with the numbers: in German the unit position comes before the tens and is connected by und (and). For example: twenty-three
dreiundzwanzig (literally: threeandtwenty), twenty-four
vierundzwanzig, thirty-ve fnfunddreiig, fortyThe simple rule is: these constructions don't exist in Ger- six sechsundvierzig, etc.
man. Thus, you should translate I am playing to ich spiele. One exception is eins which becomes ein- in 21, 31,
Similarly, I do play is also translated to ich spiele. Any- 41, etc.: twenty-one einundzwanzig (literally: onething else (ich mache spielen or ich bin spielen) is either andtwenty), thirty-one einunddreiig, forty-one einot possible in German or has a dierent meaning.
nundvierzig, etc.
There are two common verb forms in English that just
don't exist in German: the ing-form (or: present progressive); e.g., I am playing or he is making"; and forms
with to do"; e.g., I do play or he does not play.

The phrase I do not play should be translated to ich spiele


nicht (literally: I play not) since nicht (not) comes usually
after the verb. This may sound like Early Modern English
in a play by Shakespeare, and this is no coincidence since
German and English are both West Germanic languages.
Section Problems>>

German is not the only language with this reverse order of numbers: Danish (another Germanic language)
and Arabic do it the same way. This was also the standard way of forming numbers in older versions of English (Four and twenty blackbirds/Baked in a pie. http:
//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sing_a_Song_of_Sixpence).

5.2. WHATS ON THE TEST


Section Problems>>

5.2 Whats On the Test


To go straight to the lesson test, go here.
The test will have four parts to it: Grammar (79 points),
Translating (95 points), Reading Comprehension (20
points), Vocabulary (20 points), and Previous Topics (10
points) in that order. The Grammar section will test your
ability to know the verbs from this lesson and its various
versions, to know articles - the genders of them and the
correct usage of them, and correct word order.
The Translating section is worth the most points, and it
too has three sections. You must know the translations
for sentences and phrases going from English to German,
and be able to take a German dialogue and translate it
back into English. Also you must know the translation
from Numbers to German.
The third section, Reading Comprehension, is Comprehension Questions you must know how to read the conversion and after reading you will be asked question on
the previous conversion.
The fourth section is a vocabulary section. You get
20 English words on the left and 20 German words
on the right, and be asked to match them.
To
study for that, check out the 401 ashcards related
to this lesson at FlashcardExchange.com Part I and
FlashcardExchange.com Part II.
The last section, Previous Topics, is a quick review on
Lesson 1 to get ready for this section, just look at some
past notes or go to Lesson 1 and study. That is the whole
test. Take it!

13

Chapter 6

Lesson 1.03 - Essen


6.1 Essen

solutions:
To nd out the case of something, rst nd the verb. The
verb rules the sentence. Everything revolves around it.
Next you nd the subject of the sentence. The subject is
the thing/person that is doing the verb. The subject is
always in the Nominative Case, so it takes on the der,
die, das, die, or ein, eine, ein.

Lesson I.6: Essen

6.1.1

Dialogue

6.1.2

Food!

Now you look back at the verb. If it is a being verb (am,


are, is, etc.), the next noun after the verb is the predicate
Section Problems >>
noun. An easy way to gure this out is to write an equation. If the verb can be replaced with an equals sign (=),
then the following noun is a predicate noun. If it can't be
6.1.3 Accusative Case
replaced by an equals sign, refer to the next paragraph.
The predicate noun is also always in the Nominative
As you know from the introduction, in German, there are
Case, so the same rules apply to it.
four cases. Three are used often. The rst, Nominative Case, you learned in Lesson 1. It covers the subject, Ich bin ein Junge. Sie ist eine Frau.
and the predicate noun (in He is (noun)., (noun) is the If the verb of the sentence is an action verb (playing,
predicate noun). The second, the Accusative Case, you throwing, making, eating), nd what the subject is doing
will learn now. It covers the direct object and the object the verb to. For example, if the verb is makes (macht),
of several prepositions. The third, the Dative Case will you look for what is being made. That is the direct object.
be taught later on. It covers the indirect object and the The direct object is always in the Accusative Case, so
object of many other prepositions.
it takes on the den, die, das, die, or einen, eine, ein.
The object of a sentence will be in accusative case. In, Sie haben den Cheeseburger. Habt ihr einen Salat?
You hurt me., 'me' would be accusative.
The indenite articles, when you just look at their endNote: The Accusative Case and Dative Case are identi- ings, select e, -, e for nominative case, and en, e, -, e for
cal in English; thats why German has one case extra.
accusative.
Remember, between nominative and accusative, the only
third-person change is in the masculine form.

Articles

Section Problems >>

* The indenite article for plurals is non-existent. However


related words, such as possessives and the kein- words that
you will learn later this lesson, will end in eine for plurals.

Pronouns

In the articles, the memory hook for accusative case is


Der goes to den (pronounced dane audio ) and the
rest stays the same. The masculine indenite article goes
to einen, and everything else stays the same there. Therefore above, der Hamburger goes to den Hamburger and
ein Hamburger goes to einen Hamburger when the hamburger is the direct object, such as in Er hat einen Hamburger. (He has a hamburger.)

The pronouns experience a much bigger change than the


articles. This is also true in English, as the articles (a, an,
the) do not change ever, but I goes to me, we goes to us,
etc.

Not everything is the same, though. While me is mich


and us is uns, the second and third persons undergo different changes. In third person, as in the articles, the only
If you are getting confused, its ne. This topic is one of change is in masculine singular. Following the der goes
the hardest for English speakers to grasp. Here are some to den rule, er goes to ihn when in the accusative case.
14

6.1. ESSEN
The second person in English never changes. In German,
du goes to dich and ihr goes to euch. Sie, the formal version of either, stays the same. Remember, Sie (2nd person formal) and sie (3rd person plural) only dier in their
meanings and the fact that the former is capitalized and
the latter is not. This stays true throughout German grammar.
Here is a tabular representation of the above.
Section Problems >>

15
you remember from the last lesson 'lesen' and 'sehen'? In
both of them, the rst 'e' changed to 'ie' in the du- and
er/sie/es-forms. Well essen experiences the same change,
except that it changes to 'i', not 'ie'. Also, it acts the same
as 'lesen' in the du-form: You don't have three ss in a
row.
Isst sounds and looks a lot like ist. The minute dierence
happens to be in the way you pronounce the s. When
you mean eats it is sometimes an overstressed hissing (i.e.
extremely sharp) sound. In normal life Germans, too, can
only tell which verb is meant from knowing the context.

Antecedents

Just like in last lesson, where you could say, Ich spiele
gerne Fuball., you can also extend it to food. I like to
Note: This is just a quick lesson in English grammar ap- eat cheeseburgers. is translated as Ich esse gerne Cheeseplied into German. If you already know all about an- burger.
tecedents in English, skip the rst paragraph.
Before 1996, the usage of it and et were common, but
When using a pronoun, you have to know what it is for the new reform rules specify that these spellings are now
it to work. There are some rare exceptions, such as in the only correct spellings.
mysteries or drama, but otherwise this is always true.
Sometimes in dialogue this is taken care of by pointing The last two verbs (marked (M)) are modals. They will
or making some other gesture, but most of the time, the be discussed in the next section.
pronoun modies something already mentioned. The ob- Section Problems >>
ject/person mentioned earlier that turns into a pronoun later is called the antecedent.
In German this is very useful. You can't simply say 'it'
any more. Many food words are masculine and feminine, and when you turn them into pronouns, they turn
into 'he', 'she', 'him', and 'her', not always 'it'. For example, the sentence The cheeseburger tastes good. Its very
crunchy. turns into The cheeseburger tastes good. Hes
very crunchy. Note: You will learn how to say this in
German later in this lesson.

6.1.5 Modals
In the introduction, you learned that German has no helping verbs. Instead, they have modals, words that basically
do the same thing.

Modals are conjugated very dierently from normal


verbs. The ich- and er/sie/es-forms are always the same,
while the du-form adds an 'st'. Most modals experience
Why is it he"? This is where the antecedent comes a vowel change from singular to plural, and the rest is the
in. Because there are foods that are masculine and fem- same.
inine in German, you can't assume the 'es. You have
to look back at the previous sentence, at the antecedent,
der Cheeseburger. Der Cheeseburger is replaced by er Mchten
(since it is the subject, and therefore in Nominative Case).
Therefore, all you need to know are these connections: 'Mchten' isn't technically a modal, but it acts exactly the
der/den-er/ihn, die-sie, das-es, die-sie.
same. There is no vowel change, and the ich- and er/sie/es
forms are mchte. Here is the complete conjugation:
Section Problems >>
'Mchten' means would like and can be applied to food
(e.g. Ich mchte einen Cheeseburger.). Mchten can be
6.1.4 Food-Related Verbs
translated even more literally as would like to, and is
traditionally used with an innitive verb at the end of the
essen (I) - to eat, to be eating, to do eat
sentence (e.g. Ich mchte jetzt gehen"/"I would like to
go now). However, this innitive is not necessary if its
trinken - to drink, to be drinking, to do drink
completely obvious what you're talking about (If you say
bekommen - to get/receive, to be getting/receiving, Ich mchte einen Cheeseburger, everyone will assume
to do get/receive
that you would like a cheeseburger to eat.)
(Note: Technically, mchten is not a word. The above
cited conjugation is actually the Konjunktiv of mgen,
wollen (M) - to want, to be wanting, to do want
which has become so popular as a phrase, that even many
Germans today aren't aware of it any more, so you don't
Of these ve verbs, only trinken and bekommen are reg- need to worry about it. Etwas mgen means to like
ular. Essen is irregular (thats what the I means). Do to, and I would like is the closest translation of ich
mchten (M) - would like

16

CHAPTER 6. LESSON 1.03 - ESSEN

mchte.)

6.1.7 Formal Conversations

In Lesson 1, you learned how to talk formally, using


phrases like Guten Morgen!" and Wie heien Sie?".
There are, however, a few words that are 'survival words
'Wollen' is a true modal; it even changes vowels. in Germany, specically:
Ich/er/sie/es will and du willst. Here is the complete conDanke - Thank you, Thanks
jugation:
Bitte - Please and You're welcome.
'Wollen' can also be applied to food, but may be considered impolite and demanding (Ich will einen Cheese- To make this even more formal, you can tack on the word
burger!" roughly means I demand a cheeseburger!" 'schn' to the end of Thank you and You're welcome
Mchten should be used instead: Ich mchte einen to make 'dankeschn' and 'bitteschn' (both one word) in
response. 'Schn' literally means 'pretty' (you'll relearn
Cheeseburger!" = I want a cheeseburger!").
this next lesson).
'Wollen' should not be confused with the future tense, despite the presence of the English word 'will' in the conju- Some other ways to say thank you":
gations. However, will can also mean an intent or a document showing what one wants to happen. So it is not so
Dankeschn - Thank you very much
dierent from 'to want' as possibly originally presumed.
Wollen

Danke sehr - Thanks a lot


Modals with other verbs

Herzlichen Dank (herzlichen means sincere or


from the heart; you may remember it from Herzlichen Glckwunsch zum Geburtstag!" last lesson)

This is very important. When you need to use another


verb with a modal (such as expressing you would like
or want to perform an action), the sentences word or Vielen Dank - Thanks a lot
der is somewhat dierent than it would be in English.
In English, you would state the subject pronoun (such
Tausend Dank* - Thanks a million (literally meanas I), an English equivalent to the modal verb (such as
ing a thousand, but English is more generous)
want), the action you want to perform (such as to eat)
and then what the action will be performed on (such as
Aufrichtigen Dank* - would be thank you sinhamburger), making the sentence I want to eat a hamcerely (very formal)
burger. In German you must put the action at the end of
the sentence, making the sentence I want a hamburger
to eat. (Ich will einen Hamburger essen.)
* - You will not be tested on these phrases.
Section Problems >>
Some other ways to say You are welcome":

6.1.6

Hunger and Thirst

In German, instead of saying, I'm hungry."(Ich bin hungrig), you may also say I have hunger."(Ich habe Hunger)
The same applies to thirst. Here are the German translations of the corresponding nouns:
Hunger - der Hunger
Thirst - der Durst

Bitteschn!
Bitte sehr!
Gern geschehen! - Don't mention it
Gerne! - also meaning gladly
Kein Problem! - No problem

Like in English, these two words do not have a plural


Dafr nicht!* - (Do) not (thank me) for this (only
form. When using them, you don't need to worry about
used in Northern Germany)
the 'der'; you can just say, Ich habe Hunger to say I
am hungry and Ich habe keinen Hunger for I am not
hungry.
* - You will not be tested on this phrase.
Somewhat archaic but still in use are the adjectives hun- These might also be useful:
grig and durstig. Those are often used when talking about
someone (especially animals): Der Lwe ist hungrig for Entschuldigung - Excuse me, Pardon
Es tut mir leid - Sorry, I'm sorry
The lion is hungry.
Section Problems >>

Section Problems >>

6.1. ESSEN

6.1.8

Kein-words

Twice you have been taught that the ending of the indenite article for plurals would be eine (for Nominative and
Accusative cases), if there was an indenite article for
plurals. Now that lesson applies. The kein-words have
the same endings as the ein-words, and they mean the
opposite: no, not any, none. For example, kein Cheeseburger means no cheeseburger. Keine Cheeseburger
(in this case Cheeseburger is plural) means No cheeseburgers". Notice the 'e' at the end of 'keine'. Thats the
ending for plurals and feminine nouns and can be likened
to the der, die, das -> die relationship, where the feminine article serves for the plural as well.
Section Problems >>

17

* zum Amerikaner is often used in a jokey way, to express


that one is going to either McDonalds or Burger King. There
are few American restaurants, in Germany and they are mostly
referred to as "(American) Diner, so it is not used like zum
Italiener.

6.1.10 Accusative case prepositions


You read at the beginning of this lesson that the Accusative Case covers the direct object and the objects
of some prepositions. Here are those prepositions that
always fall under Accusative Case
bis - until
durch - through
entlang - along

6.1.9

Ordering at a Restaurant in Ger- fr - for


many
gegen - against

das Restaur'ant' (French pronunciation) - Restaurant


Fr-Restaurant.ogg

ohne - without

There are many restaurants you might nd in Germany.


Much like in English-speaking countries, you would more
likely use the name of the restaurant than name what kind
of restaurant. If you want to address the wish to eat a
certain food, there are two ways:

You learned um last lesson, and ohne earlier this lesson.


Bis, durch, entlang and gegen will be taught in depth later,
and fr will be taught now.

um - at, around

Up until this point, you have only worried about the Accusative Case in third person. Fr, meaning 'for', can and
example: wanting to eat chinese food
should be used in the rst and second persons, too. Heres
1. Ich mchte gerne zum Chinesen. - literally: I want an example:
to go to the Chinese (restaurant). 2. Ich mchte gerne The cheeseburger is for me. - Der Cheeseburger ist fr
chinesisch essen (gehen). - literally: I want to (go) eat mich.
Chinese (style food).
As you can see, 'me' is put into accusative case because
Here are some more restaurants you can nd in Germany: the preposition is fr.
Section Problems >>
American food: zum Amerikaner / amerikanisch
essen"*
Arabic food: zum Araber / arabisch essen
Chinese food: zum Chinesen / chinesisch essen
French food: zum Franzosen / franzsisch essen
Greek food: zum Griechen / griechisch essen
Italian food: zum Italiener / italienisch essen
Indian food: zum Inder / indisch essen
Japanese food: zum Japaner / japanisch essen

6.1.11 Saying How Food Tastes


In German (as in English) there are several ways of telling
how food tastes. You can do this with 'gut' and 'schlecht'
from Lesson 1 to say:
Der Cheeseburger schmeckt gut - The cheeseburger
tastes good
Der Cheeseburger schmeckt schlecht - The cheeseburger tastes bad
But this is bland. Hopefully the food has more avor than
the description of it. You can use the following words to
more colorfully describe how the cheeseburger tastes:

Mexican food: zum Mexikaner / mexikanisch essen

delicious - lecker

Spanish food: zum Spanier / spanisch essen

delicious - delikat* (a lot more formal than lecker)

Turkish food: zum Trken / trkisch essen

tasty - schmackhaft

18

CHAPTER 6. LESSON 1.03 - ESSEN

juicy - saftig*

Dieser

crunchy - knackig (can also mean crispy)

'Dieser' is a special adjective. It changes forms in dierent


situations: dierent genders and dierent cases. It can
also mean 'these' when modifying a plural. Here are its
forms:

crispy - knusprig*
spicy - wrzig, pikant
stale, tasteless - fade* (Austria: fad)
salty - salzig
oversalted - versalzen* oder zu salzig

As you can see, dieser is only appropriate for modifying


masculine nouns in nominative case. But 'Cheeseburger',
which is masculine, is the subject of the sentence, Dieser
Cheeseburger schmeckt gut. So it is correct in that circumstance.

sweet - s

Jeder

bitter - bitter

Jeder means 'every'. It acts exactly like 'dieser' in its endings, so it should be easy to remember. Here are the different forms:

sour - sauer

Notice the absence of the plural form. When you think


about this, its the same in English: no one says 'every
hot (in the sense of very spicy) - scharf - literally books.
meaning sharp
creamy - cremig*

hot (in the sense of very warm) - hei

Welcher

burnt - angebrannt*

'Welcher' is the third of this threesome of adjectives.


'Welcher' means 'which' and is used like the other
interrogatives (wer, was, wann, wo, warum, wie, and
welcher). However, because the general subject has to be
specied, welcher must be inected before use: Welcher
Hamburger ist seine?" Its forms have the same endings as
'dieser'.

cold - kalt
disgusting, terrible - schrecklich
* - You will not be tested on these descriptors.

Schmecken is a regular verb. Here is its conjugation:


The rst and second persons really shouldn't be used. No Connection with Time
one is going to say, You guys taste salty or I taste
creamy. So the only forms you really need to know are You might want to say 'every day', 'this week', 'every
er/sie/es schmeckt and sie (plural) schmecken.
morning', or 'which Tuesday night?'. But to do this, not
You can use 'schmeckt' and 'schmecken' or 'ist' and 'sind' only do you need to know the jeder-forms, but also the
to state how the food tastes. Just use whichever one you genders of the times and the cases. The second one is
easy: Whenever you do something at a certain time,
would use in English and it'll usually be correct.
that time is put into Accusative Case. Last lesson,
Although the English meaning of schmecken is simply to you learned the gender of one time: der Tag. So now
taste, Schmeckt der Cheeseburger?" can be taken in a pos- you know everything to say 'diesen Tag', 'jeden Tag', and
itive way to mean Do you like the cheeseburger?". In 'welchen Tag?' (this day, every day, and which day?).
other words, schmecken alone can mean to taste good.
Here are the cases of all the times in Lesson 2:
Section Problems >>
When extending to 'which Tuesday night?', remember

6.1.12

Dieser-forms

"The cheeseburger tastes good. does not sound that specic as to which cheeseburger you are talking about. You
could be talking about a cheeseburger that is not directly in front of you. It just isn't clear. Now, if you
said, "This cheeseburger tastes good., it would be obvious that you're talking about the cheeseburger you're eating. 'Dieser' is the German translation for 'this: Dieser
Cheeseburger schmeckt gut.

that the night stays feminine on Tuesday, so it stays


Welche Dienstagnacht?". Likewise, you can say 'every
June' the same as 'every month': 'jeden Juni'.
This and That
Ich mchte einen Cheeseburger. Der schmeckt sehr gut.
Ich esse jeden Tag Cheeseburger. Die habe ich gern.
Look at the second sentence of each of these German
dialogues. Whats missing? Thats right, instead of

6.1. ESSEN

19

Der Cheeseburger schmeckt sehr gut. and Die Cheese How much is that?" - Was macht das?" (What
burger habe ich gern., both of the 'Cheeseburgers, so to
does that make?") or the umgangssprachliche
speak, are dropped. We're left with just the articles, only
Wie viel kostet das?"
in this case, they aren't articles. They're demonstrative
pronouns.
* To ask for the bill you can say, Bitte zahlen!", or make
Demonstrative pronouns aren't scary. They're just the it a complete sentence: Ich wrde gern zahlen!", or Wir
same as the normal pronouns, only they give more oomph mchten/wollen zahlen!". You can also say, "(Herr Ober), die
to the sentence. They can be translated as either 'this or Rechnung bitte!". The term der Ober is the waiter, but this
'that' (I'd like a cheeseburger. That tastes very good.), sounds very old fashioned and is hardly ever used today. To
or 'these' or 'those' for plurals (I eat cheeseburgers every address the waiter you would probably say Entschuldigen Sie,
... (Pardon, ...) as in Entschuldigen Sie, wir wrden gern
day. These I like.).
Demonstrative pronouns are exactly the same as the definite articles (well, there is one change in dative, but that
will be covered in Lesson 7). If you are not sure of the
gender (meaning in context, the speaker doesn't know,
not that you've forgotten that its 'der Cheeseburger'), use
'das, like in Was ist das?" (What is that?).

6.1.13

Money and Paying

zahlen (Pardon me, we would like to pay).


** Although it is perfectly OK to say Bedienung or Kellner
when talking about a waiter or a waitress, you should not address
the waiter by saying Bedienung!" or even Frulein! which is
regarded very impolite since the 1980s.

Section Problems >>

6.1.14 Test

Germany, Austria, Luxemburg, Belgium and Sdtirol The test will be located here, but the test for this lesson is
in other words: all German speaking regions except not yet completed.
Switzerland and Liechtenstein have given up their former currencies and adopted the Euro as of 1999. One
Euro is worth 100 Cents. Because they are not members
of the European Union, Switzerland and Liechtenstein
have kept the Swiss Francs (Franken = 100 Rappen).
'Euro' normally does not change in the plural in German,
so you would still say Ich habe 500 Euro. Nevertheless,
there is an exception: Euro coins. If you say Ich habe
vier Euros., you actually are saying that you have four
1-Euro coins. Because the backsides of euro coins look
dierent in each country, many people in Europe have
started collecting foreign euro coins. In this case you can
say Ich habe irische Euros. (I have Irish euro coins.) for
example.
There is not yet a rule whether or not the word Cent has a
dierent plural form. The majority of Germans are using
the word Cent as a plural form, but when they don't it is
simply Cents.
In German euro is pronounced [oi-ro], not [you-ro].
For Cent there are two pronunciations: you can either
pronounce it as in English or you say tzent. The latter
version seems to be preferred by older people.
When at a restaurant, you will want to pay at the end. You
can use this vocabulary to help you.
to pay - zahlen
the bill - die Rechnung*
the waiter - der Kellner, die Bedienung (also der
Ober)**
the waitress - die Kellnerin (but not die Oberin because this means Reverend Mother)

Chapter 7

Review 1.01
7.1 Review 1

Replies to Wie gehts?

Review Section I.A: Lessons I.1 to I.3

Do you remember how to reply to this question?


Review

7.1.1

Vocabulary
7.1.3 Wie heit du? (2. Teil)

*You will need to know each expression with an asterisk


(*) after it. The others, of course, would be useful to
Sie and du
know if you are traveling to regions where they are used.
(As you can see, the dierent German-speaking regions
often have their own ways of saying hello and goodbye. Do you remember when to use Sie and when to use du?
However, you will not be required to know any of these Review
less common phrases for any problems or tests.)
*The more formal form is Wie geht es Ihnen?
*Sie is the formal (polite) version of du and ihr.

Subject Pronouns

*Remember, the formal way to ask someones name is to Do you remember what a subject pronoun is? Do you
ask Wie heien Sie?
remember the German subject pronouns?
*The form of verbs for you (polite) Sie is exactly the Review
same as for the plural, 3rd person pronoun they sie.
*Don't forget that the form for you (polite) Sie is the
Names
same as for the plural, 3rd person pronoun they sie.
*This is also the form for you (polite) Sie.

Do you remember how to tell your or someone elses


*Note that Mdchen is neuter. (In fact, almost all words name?
with the ending -chen are neuter.)
Review
*Note that Mdchen is neuter.

7.1.2

Wie heit Du? (1. Teil)

Hello and Goodbyes

Important Verbs
Do you remember how to conjugate heien, sein, and
haben?

Can you remember the most common phrases for hellos Review
and goodbyes in German?
Review

7.1.4 Bitte buchstabieren Sie

Mr. and Mrs.

The German Alphabet

How do you say Mr. and Mrs. in German?

Do you remember how to spell the German letters?

Review

Review
20

7.1. REVIEW 1
Forming Questions
Do you remember the word order in questions and the
most common question words?
Review
Articles
Do you remember the denite and indenite articles in
German?
Review

21

Chapter 8

'''Section 1.02 ~ Berlin, Germany'''

22

Chapter 9

Lesson 1.04 - Kleidung


9.1 Kleidung

Its Time to Change Time Berlins time is GMT+1.


That means that they are 6 hours ahead of E.S.T. If its
2:00pm in New York City, its 8:00pm (or 20:00) locally.
Please note that Germany changes to and from daylightsaving time a few weeks before the U.S., so time dierences still vary in March and October.

Tip, Tip, and More Tip In contrast to many other


countries where waiters sometime 'live on the tips in
German-speaking countries service personnel always receive a regular wage (usually per hour) and the tip is always an extra for good service. Not to give a tip will
probably give the waiter the impression that either service or product were not that good and you are too polite
to admit this, but not tipping is not considered 'rude'. If
you tip you usually round up, up to 50 Cents for coee
or up to the next 5 euros for lunch, e.g. 2,70 becomes
3,00 and 21 become 25 . Also, tipping is only
expected when you get served, i.e. when the service personnel bring something to your table, so if you pay at a
counter like at McDonalds or StarBucks you don't tip
at all. Only when having a large party, like celebrating
your birthday in a restaurant, you do extra tipping. For a
night you should pay 30 EUR to 80 EUR per waiter and
give it separately to the manager (fr die Bedienung).
In many restaurants it is normal the tip is shared with the
kitchen personnel. Paying with credit card or debit card
makes tipping dicult, because there is no line on the
bill to ll in the tip. Always tip when paying, don't leave
money on the table.

Gedchtniskirche auf dem Kurfrstendamm, Berlin

Lesson I.7: Kleidung

9.1.1

Hello from Berlin!

In every Lesson from 7 - 15 there is going to be a featured German-Speaking city, which will be the theme of
the lesson. For 7 - 8 it is Berlin. There will be famous locations in Berlin, for this lesson its Kurfrstendamm and
KaDeWe, the shopping area of Berlin. Also in each lesson there will be facts, so if you ever travel to a GermanSpeaking country, it'll be like you are a native!
Facts

Shopping Locations There are two major shopping locations. The Kurfrstendamm in the old west is lined
with boutiques and department stores. It continues eastwards for about three hundred yards where you can visit
KaDeWe, the biggest department store in Europe. On
the newly-developed Friedrichstrae in the old east, the
famous French store Galleries Lafayette is to be found
together with a maze of underground shopping malls.
Shops are generally open 9am-8pm Monday through Saturday. In the outskirts most shops close at 4pm on Saturdays.

23

24

CHAPTER 9. LESSON 1.04 - KLEIDUNG

9.1.2

Dialogue

9.1.3

Shopping

Does the DVD player also play CDs?


Hat das Mobiltelefon/das Handy eine Digitalkamera?

There is a lot to say about shopping, places to shop at,


Does the cell phone have a digital camera?
money and items to buy. In this lesson we will cover most
of it. There are two big shopping locations in Berlin. They
If you look at the word order of this sentence, you will see
are Kurfrstendamm and KaDeWe.
that you've already learned everything you need to make
these sentences, and you, yourself can customize these
Kurfrstendamm
sentences if you want.
Kurfrstendamm

Section Problems>>

Tauentzienstrae

Bedding The bedding section is also quite bare, but


that is because it will be discussed further in Lesson 12.

Fasanenstrae

And like always here are some of the things you might
say that are related to bedding.

The Kurfrstendamm has many boutiques, department


stores, etc., which are on Tauentzienstrae and Fasanenstrae, two streets in Kurfrstendamm. Tauentzienstrae
has a lot of the department stores, including KaDeWe,
which we will get into greater detail later. Fasanenstrae
has a lot of the boutiques.

Passen die Kopfkissenbezge auf das Kopfkissen?


Does the pillow case t the pillow?

And with that question there are other variations of it you


And some of the things you might say or ask while in a can ask, like...
clothing store...
Knnen Sie mir helfen, meine Gre zu nden (fr
dieses ____)?
Can you help me nd my size (for this ____)?

Passt die Decke auf das Bett?


Does the blanket t the bed?
Section Problems>>

Wo ist die Umkleidekabine?

9.1.4 Money
Where is the dressing room?
Germany, Austria, Luxemburg, Belgium and Sdtirol
in other words: all German speaking regions except
Section Problems >>
Switzerland and Liechtenstein have given up their former currencies and adopted the Euro as of 1999. Because
KaDeWe
they are not members of the European Union, Switzerland and Liechtenstein have kept the Swiss Francs. CurAnother shopping location is das KaDeWe, an upscale rently 1 EUR is 1.34 USD.
department store in Germany. It has six oors, and Is also
Now if you were at a shopping center in German like Kurcalled The department store of the west (Kaufhaus des
frstendamm, and you were shopping at a boutique here
Westens) because it is the largest and most magnicent
is some vocabulary you might want to know.
department store on continental Europe.
Since we already have most of the general shopping
phrases and vocabulary down, we are going to get into
more detail in the next few sections.
Section Problems>>

Was macht das?, Was kostet das?


How much does it cost?
Das Hemd kostet 120 Euro.

Electronics First is electronics: it might seem a little


sparse, but electronics and much other stu will be featured in Lesson 12.
Spielt der DVD-Player auch CDs?

The shirt costs 120 euros.


Das kostet 690 Euro.

9.1. KLEIDUNG
That costs 690 euros (all together).

25
The shirt ts tight.

Das Hemd sitzt eng.


Note: The word coin (Mnze) mostly turns to Stck
Now, the bold words are verbs that are one part in dewhen a word or number is put together with it.
scribing how the shirt is. The other half of describing it
Even though in the vocabulary we list the 1, 2, 5, 10, 100 is the adjectives like soft, tight, great, etc. And as you can
Euro there are more Euro notes. The twenty, fty, two see the verb looks is separable, but we will get into that
hundred, and ve hundred Euro notes are the ones we later.
didn't list, also there are cent coins.
Clothing-Related Verbs
German Math
In written German, a comma is used (e. g. in prices)
where we would put a decimal point in English. Thus
5,49 (or 5,49 ) means ve euros and forty-nine cents.
When a price ends in a round number of euros, it is most
commonly written as 5,- etc. The reverse is also true.
Where as English uses a comma to split up large numbers,
German uses a dot. So " 6.945 means sechs tausend
neunhundertfnfundvierzig (six thousand nine hundred
and forty-ve) euros - not six point nine four ve euros.

9.1.5

Clothing

Section Answers >>


Describing Clothes

And now getting into verbs - here are some of the verbs,
and also some of these are Separable-Prex Verbs, like
aussehen, anprobieren, and anhaben. But we will study
those in more detail later. Also we will be learning about
tragen.

9.1.6 Separable Prex Verbs


Many German verbs change their meaning by adding prexs, which are often preposition such as ab-, an-, auf-,
aus-, bei-, ein-, mit-, vor-, or zu-.The verbs anhaben
(to wear) and aussehen (to look) are both verbs with separable (trennbar) prexes. That is, when used next to the
subject pronoun, the prex is separated from the verb and
put at the end of the sentence or clause. Or, better put, In
the present tense and imperative, the prex is separated
from the innitive stem.

Examples:
Here are some of the words you can use when you are
Ich habe einen Mantel an. (I'm wearing a coat. Or,
describing clothes:
more literally translated, I have a coat on.)
To say I like something or not, for clothing, its...
Was hast du an?" (What are you wearing?" or What
I like it!
do you have on?")
Er/Sie/Es gefllt mir!
However, when the separable-prex verb is put at the end
I don't like it!
Er/Sie/Es gefllt mir nicht!

of the sentence, such as when used with a modal verb, the


verb in question and its prex are not separated.

Examples:
Now if you try something on or you're looking for a soft
shirt with a tight t, you nd it, feel it, try it on, but its Du willst einen Mantel anhaben. (You want to wear a
coat.)
fairly expensive you might say this...
In English: The shirt looks great! The shirt feels soft, Willst du eine Bluse anhaben?" (Do you want to wear a
ts tight. The shirt is very comfortable. How much does it blouse?")
cost? Oh no! The shirt is expensive! 55 euros is a little too Section Problems >>
much for me.
In German: Das Hemd sieht prima aus! Das Hemd fhlt
sich weich an, es sitzt eng. Das Hemd ist sehr bequem. 9.1.7 Tragen
Wieviel kostet es? Oh nein! Das Hemd ist teuer! 55 Euro
Instead of anhaben the verb tragen is often used. The
sind mir ein bisschen zuviel.
sentences from above would then be:
The phrases to describe the shirt were...
Ich trage einen Mantel. (I'm wearing a coat. )
The shirt looks great.
Was trgst du?" (What are you wearing?")
Du willst einen Mantel tragen. (You want to wear a
Das Hemd sieht prima aus.
coat.)
The shirt feels soft.
Willst du eine Bluse tragen?" (Do you want to wear a
Das Hemd fhlt sich weich an.
blouse?")

26

CHAPTER 9. LESSON 1.04 - KLEIDUNG

The verb tragen has two meanings: to wear and to


carry. So if someone says Ich trage Schuhe only the
context will tell you whether the person is carrying the
shoes in his hands or actually wearing them. Tragen is
a dierent kind of irregular verb -- one that not only
changes at the end of the word, but also changes internally. Notice that the vowel in tragens second and
third-person forms changes from an a into an . Other
verbs with similar conjugation patterns include fahren,
graben, schaen, and waschen.

9.1.8

Colors

Color are also another great way to describe clothes like


Das rote Hemd passt gut.which means The red shirt ts
well.
Read the following paragraph, try to nd the words described to have a color.
Wir fahren in den Schwarzwald. Ich habe ein grnes
Hemd getragen. Die Reise war lang. Es begann klter
zu werden und abzukhlen. Ich hrte Musik auf meinem
braunen iPod. Ich bin schlielich eingeschlafen. Als ich
aufwachte, sah ich den blauen Himmel und den weien
Schnee.
If you found 5 words you are right.
Schwarz which means black (the Schwarzwald (Black
Forest) is a wooded mountain range)
Grnes Hemd which is a green shirt.
Brauner iPod which is a brown iPod.
Blauer Himmel which is blue sky.
And weier Schnee which is white snow.
And now for the actual colors...
Red Rot Blue Blau Green Grn Orange Orange
Violet Violett Yellow Gelb Brown Braun Indigo
Indigo Gray Grau Black Schwarz White Wei"
Section Problems >>

Chapter 10

Lesson 1.05 - Volk und Familie


10.1 Volk und Familie

The Family
Home is where the heart is, they say. And what is in the
home? Family! of course, so this is a very important section of the lesson. It'll give all vocabulary for the family,
and later in a dierent section, you'll learn how to describe your brothers and sisters or any person! And now
to get started lets do some vocabulary...
Now even though many of these are common phrases you
and I would say in everyday life, some of these are rather
used when you are on a visit to grandmothers, or things
your mother would say. Maybe you notice some of these
in the dialogue. Now you might be asking How am I
going to speak uent German, if I just learn phrases?"
Like I said, these are basically from the dialogue, and you
can study these to look at the word order. Also certain
things are just dierent in German, like Wie heit du?"
which translates literally to How are you called?" when
we use What is your name?". Okay lets get started on
these common phrases...

Brandenburg Gate in Berlin

Lesson I.8: Familie und Nationalitt

Du bist ja richtig gro geworden.

10.1.1

You have grown up so much (usual sentence used by Opa


und Oma)

Hello from Berlin!

Hast du uns etwas mitgebracht?

Facts
Banks and Money Germanys main banks are
Deutsche Bank, Dresdner Bank and Commerzbank.
There are many banks of all kinds throughout the
country. Banks are open Mon-Fri 9am-12pm and
2:30-4pm. On Thursdays, they are open until 5:30 or
6pm. Changing money is best done at a bank because
their rates will be better than exchange services located
at a Bureau de Change. Major post oce branches and
travel agents also oer currency exchange. Germany is
one of 15 European countries that have replaced their
national currencies with the Euro, which is stronger to
the U.S. Dollar, but weaker than the British Pound.

10.1.2

Dialog

10.1.3

People

Have you brought something for us? (usual sentence used


by Enkel and Enkelin)
Nun sei nicht so aufgeregt.
Now don't be so excited.
Komm rein.
Come in.
(Sie) Wurden schon ausgepackt.
(They) Have already been opened.
(Sich) Bedanken fr etwas.
To thank for something.

Using Formal and Informal Pronouns in the Family


Some very conservative families might still use Sie with
grandparents or even parents! This is sometimes practiced in families of nobility or exterritorial cultural islands
27

28

CHAPTER 10. LESSON 1.05 - VOLK UND FAMILIE

in which older German customs have survived. However, Related Verbs


using Sie feels very outdated to the vast majority of
people. In practically every family all members use du Okay we just went over the verb in the previous section.
with each other.
This will basically be a list that will help you memorize
them better, and there is not a lot. Other than "klingen"
and "fhlen" you should know all of these. The Er sieht
aus is to show you it is a separable-prex verb.
Describing People
Nationality
I can't describe in words how important this section of
the lesson is. Even though you have already learned to
This is also a large section of this lesson: nationality,
describe to some degree, here we will introduce a new
and its very important. There are many nationalities, too
aspect of describing, and we will review. But how could
many to go over in this lesson, but you will learn more
we describe if we didn't have vocabulary? Here it is...
nationality as this level and book goes on. Right now we
The verb used most often for describing is "to be" which are just going to have a vague little list, and as this section
we learned in the rst lesson. Some examples are: He goes on there will be more. Finally, gentlemen, get ready
is wet, This is stupid, I am lazy. But you do use other to have your minds blown...
verbs like feel, look, etc. This lesson we will be sticking
mostly with the verbs we've learned in the past. We will,
however, learn one new verb. All sentences we will create
Some Nationalities This is the small list, make sure
will be in the nominative case. Okay, lets get started!
you memorize this list and the next one.
In term of beauty, you can say four basic things. These
aren't the all but these are the easiest and simplest ones.
She is beautiful.

Describing People with Nationality It is no surprise


you can describe people with nationality, most times, its
stereotypical, like Norwegians are blonde, tall, etc. or
He is ugly.
Germans wear lederhosen, drink beer, and play polka all
Er ist hsslich.
day long, but that is just not true. However you can just
These two use the verb to be, and the next one will use the use it for what it is, a nationality. If you do describe peoverb to look which would need something else in order to ple by nationality this will help. Okay, you should already
know how to describe, right?
make sense.
Sie ist schn.

This part we will get more in to detail later, but right it


is an important part of describing people with nationalSie sieht schn aus, aber dieses Hemd ist hsslich.
ity, even though in English we most times don't do this,
in German they do. The dierence between nationality
He looks ugly, but he looked handsome yesterday.
and language, like in English, French and French. But
Er sieht hsslich aus, aber gestern sah er schn aus.
in German it is franzsisch and Franzose, Franzsin.
And in the last sentence it says ausgesehen. Don't worry This also is how it works for nationality describing by
about that--it wouldn't be taught until Level 3. So since noun or adjective, which we are going to learn right now.
you get the idea of describing, lets learn a new verb! And
the new verb is klingen which is to sound. As in He
sounds weird., She sounds boring. Since we know how
to describe, we really don't have to cover it. Its works just Noun or Adjective Nationality There are two ways to
describe someone. With a noun-based nationality word
like other verbs.
or an adjective-based nationality word. But note that in
He sounds nice.
German the noun-based form is used more often.
Er klingt nett.
Example: Ich bin Schwede (I am Swedish) and Ich bin
schwedisch (I am Swedish)
They sound funny.
She looks beautiful, but that shirt is ugly.

Sie klingen komisch.

Example: Ich bin Franzose (I am French) and Ich bin


franzsisch (I am French)

Remember that when describing its S+V+A, or subject,


verb, then adjective. Exactly like in English. For right
now, thats all for describing things. We are going to have
some small describing lessons with some parts of this les- More Nationalities A longer list of nationalities found
in and around Germany:
son.

10.1. VOLK UND FAMILIE

29

Age

You should all ready get the pattern for this, but we are
going to keep on doing this list, if you aren't sure of something or you are confused. So for the 3rd person...

Now we are all familiar with the word "alt'", which means
old. And in English, to nd out somebodys age we ask
"How old are you?". In German it is exactly the same.
The "alt" kind of belongs to the interrogative adverb, so
in both German and English it may be in front of the verb:

Wie alt ist er/sie?

Wie alt bist du?

He is __ years old.

How old are you?

Sie ist __ Jahre alt.

Now to ask the question with 1st person it is...

She is __ years old.

Wie alt bin ich?

And now the plural 3rd person of question and response...

How old am I?

Wie alt sind sie?

And as response you might get...

How old are they?

Ich bin __ Jahre alt.

And of course the response...

I am __ years old.

Sie sind __ Jahre alt.

Du bist __ Jahre alt.

They __ years old.

You are __ years old.

How old are we?

Now with some people you might be able to guess their


age, and you could ask them directly about it. This is usually pretty of rude, but it illustrates nicely how the phrase
has to be changed if you ask a yes-no-question, so lets
get started, anyway!

The responses you will get is...

Bist du __ Jahre alt?

Wir sind __ Jahre alt.

Are you __ years old?

We are __ years old.

Ist er/sie __ Jahre alt?

Ihr seid __ Jahre alt.

Is he/she __ years old?

You all are __ years old.

Sind sie __ Jahre alt?

And now the plural version of the 1st person...


Wie alt sind wir?

How old is he/she?


The responses to this are...
Er ist __ Jahre alt.

To ask this important question in the 2nd person. First, Are they __ years old?
we will learn the biggest question here, "How old are
you?" which is...
Note the inversed order between Wie alt bist du?" und
Wie alt bist du?
Bist du __ Jahre alt?" This is exactly the same as in EnHow old are you?
glish!
And there is only one response to this it is...
Ich bin __ Jahre alt.
I am __ years old.
For the equally important plural 2nd person...
Wie alt seid ihr?

10.1.4 Possessives
Note: 'Euer' is irregular. When 'euer' has to have a different ending the e before r is dropped, so it turns into
'eur-'.

How old are you all?


Which the response is...
Wir sind __ Jahre alt.
We are __ years old.
And formal question, for both singular and plural is...
Wie alt sind Sie?
How old are you?
How old are you all?

Gender, Case, and Endings

10.1.5 Expressing Favorites


Problems >>

Chapter 11

Lesson 1.06 - Schule


11.1 Schule

Generally speaking, many schools still are more formal than US or Canadian schools.

Lesson I.9: Schule

The marking system uses

11.1.1

1 (very good, 87,5% or 96%),

Hello from Berlin!

2 (good 75% or 85%), **

School in Germany

3 (satisfactory, 62,5% or 65%),

School is not regulated nationwide, but by each Land

4 (sucient 50% or 45%).

German Kindergarten is optional - it translates


rather to play school, Vorschule being roughly
the equivalent to Kindergarten

5 (faulty) is failed or 25%.


6 (not sucient) is only used when the student
literally hands in a blank sheet or failed.

From the age of six on, all Germans attend a


Grundschule (elementary school) for four or six
years, depending on the Land.

These marks can be modied with a "+" or a "-" to


indicate a tendency, so e.g. 2+ is a fairly good mark
that corresponds to about 80%.

After that, they go to either


the Hauptschule which is industrially ori- 11.1.2 Dialogue
ented,
Silke: Jetzt haben wir Mathe. Torsten: Oh nein, ich habe
the Realschule, which is skill oriented,
berhaupt keine Lust dazu. Silke: Hast du die Aufgaben
the Gymnasium, which is academically ori- gemacht? Torsten: Ja, im Bus. Silke: Super! Kann ich
ented,
sie abschreiben? Lehrer (Betritt den Raum): Guten Mor or the Gesamtschule, or comprehensive gen! Klasse: Guten Morgen! Lehrer: Wer mchte die
school.
Aufgaben an der Tafel rechnen? Florian? Florian geht
zur Tafel, schreibt an und liest vor: 5 plus 8 ist gle Schooling is obligatory until the age of 16, but the
ich 13 8 minus 5 ist gleich 3 3 mal 8 ist gleich 24
Gymnasium diploma Abitur can only be obtained
24 geteilt durch 12 ist gleich 2 Lehrer: Sehr gut, Floafter 12 or 13 years, i.e. at age 18 or 19.
rian! Die Glocke lutet. Es ist Fnfminutenpause. Silke:
Latin and sometimes even ancient Greek are regu- Schnell, wir mssen zu Musik! Torsten: Au ja, darauf
larly taught at the Gymnasium. For the Abitur, at freue ich mich schon. Silke: Was machen wir heute?
least two foreign languages as well as some calculus Torsten: Wir wollen ein Lied von Grnemeyer singen!
Silke: Welches denn? Torsten: Alkohol, glaube ich.
and analysis classes have to be taken.
Nach dem Musikunterricht: Silke: Jetzt haben wir nur
School days often are from 8:00-13:00. In most noch Geschichte... Torsten: Komm, wir schwnzen und
'Lnder', only the older students have additional gehen ins Bistro. Silke: Schon wieder!
classes between about 14:00-15:30 (i.e. 8AM 1PM and 2PM - 3:30PM)

11.1.3 Und Satz fr Satz ...

In most schools, Extracurricular Activities are offered, such as Drama Club or School Choir, but
they are less common than in the U.S. Though many Oh nein, ich habe berhaupt keine Lust dazu.
students feel some sort of identication with their Lust (zu etwas) haben means feeling like (it)". Ich
school, most are just happy when they can go home. habe keine Lust (dazu)" is I don't feel like (it)". Ich
30

11.1. SCHULE
habe berhaupt keine Lust emphasizes it, meaning I
don't feel like it at all.

31
Lets introduce objects in our phrase:

Wer rechnet die Aufgabe?" - Ich rechne die Aufgabe


Hast du die Aufgaben gemacht? Have you the tasks done? Who calculates the task?" - I calculate the task, meaning Who answers the question
Did you do your homework?"
This is a direct object, Aufgabe is in the accusative case.
Because this is a feminine noun, this is not so obvious, but
This is a common practice of students everywhere in the the structure is the same as in:
world, I guess...
Wer sieht den Mann?" - Ich sehe den Mann. Who sees
Notice the contraction of im, which is derived from in the man?" - I see the man.
dem, in the.
Now, we also have an adverbial expression of the place.
Super! Kann ich sie noch schnell abschreiben? Super! This is an expression that denes the verb, thus ad-verbial.
Can I just quickly copy them?
Wer rechnet an der Tafel?" - Ich rechne an der Tafel
Super, Cool, Toll, are common exclamations ... Who calculates on the blackboard?" - I calculate on the
Noch schnell is here meant as while there is still time blackboard
Lehrer (Betritt den Raum): Guten Morgen! Teacher (en- Now lets put all this together:
ters the room): Good Morning! Klasse: Guten Morgen!
Class: Good Morning! Wer mchte die Aufgaben an der Wer rechnet die Aufgabe an der Tafel?" - Ich rechne die
Aufgabe an der Tafel. Who calculates the task on the
Tafel rechnen? Florian? Who would like the tasks on the
blackboard?" - I calculate the task on the blackboard
blackboard calculate?
Who would like to do these questions on the black- Note that the order expressions is widely interchangeable.
board?" Note that Tafel is related to table, meaning You can emphasize something by putting it closer to the
a at surface, and indeed German Tafel can also desig- end of the question.
Ja, im Bus. Yes, in the bus.

nate a table prepared for a feast.

And now for the whole phrase in all its glory:

Don't let the weird order of the words disturb you, even Wer | mchte | die Aufgabe | an der Tafel | rechnen?"
if the phrase seems totally incomprehensible at rst. I'll - Ich | mchte | die Aufgabe | an der Tafel | rechnen.
try to construct this bit by bit:
Who | would like | the task | on the blackboard | calculate?" - I | would like | the task | on the blackboard |
This is the basic question and answer pair:
calculate.
Wer rechnet?" - Ich rechne. Who calculates?" - I calIt wasn't THAT bad, was it?
culate.
To ask, if you want to do something, you use a construc- Florian geht zur Tafel, schreibt an und liest vor: Florian
goes to the blackboard, writes on and reads out:
tion similar to English:
Florian goes to the blackboard, writes down and reads
Wer will rechnen - Ich will rechnen. Who wants to
out aloud
calculate - I want to calculate.
Note that the to is already included in the German word zur is another contraction, this time of zu and der.
rechnen. Rechnen is clearly already an innitive, and Note that after zu follows the dative case, so der is
doesn't need a zu to prove it. This is one of the main not the masculine but the feminine article.
reasons why complicated conjugations can survive, they anschreiben splits to schreibt an, and means literally
contain information that doesn't have to be expressed oth- writing on. It is often used when writing legibly on a
erwise then...
large, visible surface such as blackboard or a ipchart.
To be a little more polite (or at least seem like it, since vorlesen splits to liest vor and translates to read
our teacher probably wouldn't take a no for an answer)
aloud.
Wer mchte rechnen?" - Ich mchte rechnen!" Who 5 plus 8 ist gleich 13 8 minus 5 ist gleich 3 3 mal 8
would like to calculate?" - I would like to calculate
ist 24 24 geteilt durch 12 gleich 2
This is another example for brevity by conjugation.
The word mchte contains the would, as it is a
Konjunktiv"-form of the word mgen which translates
to like. Don't be discouraged, many Germans don't realize this, and many don't use the Konjunktiv correctly, if
ever. However, ich mchte"-phrases are extremely popular, so just use them, even if you didn't understand yet a
word of the explanation above ;-)

So, as you might have guessed, plus and minus are the
same as in English - they are just pronounced German.
The verbs addieren and subtrahieren are probably not
dicult either... Ist gleich or short gleich or just ist
corresponds obviously to is equal to or equals.
mal means times. This is also used in every day
phrases, such as 100mal habe ich dir gesagt ... I told
you a 100 times ... The corresponding verb is mal-

32

CHAPTER 11. LESSON 1.06 - SCHULE

nehmen or multiplizieren

Sich ber etwas freuen means to be happy about somegeteilt durch is literally divided by, and the verb is thing". This is kind of self-explanatory. But sich auf etwas freuen, literally to be happy on something" means
teilen or dividieren.
to look forward to. This is a common phrase that uses
Lehrer: Sehr gut, Florian! Very good, Florian!
the on in the same wide sense as in "on drugs, or living
on something - there is no spatial relation here...
Now, that was easy!
Die Glocke lutet. Es ist Fnfminutenpause. The bell In darauf you recognize the auf. The da is a demonstrative prounoun such as in "that place. Darauf acturings. It is ve-minute-break
ally is another contraction which developped a long time
Between single classes, there is usually a break of ve ago from da-herauf. The darauf is referencing the
minutes to allow teachers and students to go from one word Musik from Silkes sentence.
classroom to another. In most schools, classes such as
German, English, History, Philosophy are taught in the So Au ja, darauf freue ich mich schon or to-this lookclassroom. Classes that use special equipment, such as forward I myself already just means Great, I'm already
all sciences, music and arts and of course computers looking forward to that
and sport are being taught in a specialized lab classes. Maybe it comforts you a little that the English phrase in
Roughly every second break is 15 minutes long, and if a word-by-word translation to German would be just as
there are lessons in the afternoon, theres often a break unintelligible...
of 45 to 60 minutes for lunch.
Was machen wir heute? What make we today?
Schnell, wir mssen zu Musik! Quick, we must to music!
What we (are going to) do today?" Note again, that
This sentence sounds strange. This is, because in ev- machen often does not translate to make, but to do"!
eryday German, sometimes the verb gehen can be left
Wir wollen ein Lied von Grnemeyer singen! We want a
out, if it is clear what is meant. In this case, the complete phrase would have to be Wir mssen zu Musik song of Grnemeyer sing!
gehen". But since Torsten will not think Silke is going We want to sing a song by Grnemeyer!"
to y there, there will be no misunderstanding. Addition- Welches denn? Which then? Alkohol, glaube ich...
ally, the word class, or course is missing, which is the Alcohol, believe I...
usual way of students to talk about their subjects.
Note that adding a glaube ich is another common
Note: In English, the phrase might be We have to go to phrase, exacly as I think or I believe can be added
the music room instead of must. The German transla- to an English phrase. (Never mind the word order, this is
tion Wir haben in den Musikraum zu gehen would be because Alcohol is the object, so the verb is at the second
understood, but is quite formal. Additionally, there is a position in the text)
connotation that the speaker distances himself from the
Herbert Grnemeyer is a very popular German rock
order he is being given.
singer from the Ruhr region. His most famous songs inAu ja, darauf freue ich mich schon! Oh yes, to this look clude Mnner, Bochum (a city in the Ruhr region),
forward I myself already!
Mensch and also Alkohol.
Whew, what was that?
Nach dem Musikunterricht: After the music class:
Lets start at the beginning. Au ja ist an exclamation Unterricht comes from unterrichten to teach, and
meaning cool, thats great. It has nothing to do with means simply class. Better not think about under and
the German equivalent of ouch!", which is au(a)!"
right here, which you might have correctly recognized
Sich freuen means being happy. It is reexive such as the words components richten literally means to
as in I help myself, because the subject and the object correct.
are the same. Some phrases simply are constructed like Jetzt haben wir nur noch Geschichte... Now have we only
this, even if there seems to be no real reason to this, and still history...
many languages know this phenomenon. The sich here
is technically the accusative of he, she, it and is being Now we have only history left
changed depending on the person:
Komm, wir schwnzen und gehen ins Bistro. Come, we
ich freue mich I am happy du freust dich you are happy skip and go in the bistro.
er, sie, es freut sich he, she, it is happy wir freuen uns we Come on, lets skip class and go to the bistro instead.
are happy ihr freut euch you are happy Sie/sie freuen sich As in English, Komm can be used to motivate others.
they are happy
There is yet another contraction here ins is derived from
Note that to be happy actually would be rather trans- in das, meaning in the. das is the neutral article in
lated by glcklich sein, but it is the closest English accusative case here.
equivalent to sich freuen.
Schon wieder! Already again!

11.1. SCHULE

11.1.4

Aufgabe

Make a list of all the contractions used in this chapter. Can you determine the full tables?

11.1.5

School

Vocabulary
School-Related Verbs Lesen To Read Schreiben To
Write Rechnen To Calculate (doing maths) Studieren To
Study Lernen To Learn Zeichnen To Draw Malen To
Paint
School Subjects Deutsch German Englisch English
Russisch Russian Franzsisch French Latein Latin Mathe
Maths Mathematik Mathematics Sport PE or Gym
Kunst, Zeichnen Arts Musik Music Werken Crafts
Sachkunde, Sachunterricht Science Lesson in Elementary School Geschichte History Erdkunde Geography
Politik Politics Biologie Biology Geograe Geography
Religion RE or Religion Ethik Ethics Chemie Chemistry
Physik Physics Informatik Computer Science Elektronische Datenverarbeitung Computer Science
School Supplies and Ect. der Radiergummi
Eraser/Rubber der Bleistift Pencil der Stift, der
Kugelschreiber Pen der Fller, der Fllfederhalter
Fountain pen das Fach Subject die Klasse Class der
Lehrer Teacher (male) die Lehrerin Teacher (female)
die Schule School der Schler Pupil der Student Student
(College/University) die Stunde/Schulstunde school
hours die Pause Break die Schultasche Backpack

33

Chapter 12

Review 1.02
12.1 Review 2
Review Section I.B: Lessons I.4 to I.6

12.1.1

Vocabulary

I ich We wir You du Sie (formal) You All ihr Sie (formal)
He er She sie It es They sie Have habe (1st Person, Singular,
ich) hast (2nd Person, Singular, informal, du) haben (1st & 3rd
Person, Plural, wir, sie; 2nd Person, singular & plural, formal,
Sie) habt (2nd Person, Plural, informal, ihr) Has hat (3rd Person, singular, er, sie, es Am bin (1st person, Singular) Are bist
(2nd Person, Singular, informal) sind (1st & 3rd Person, Plural; 2nd Person, sing. & plur., formal) seid (2nd Person, Plural,
informal) Is ist Hello! Hallo! Servus! (used in Bavaria and
Austria) Moin! or Moin Moin! (used in northern Germany)
Grezi! (used in Switzerland) Good morning! Guten Mor-

gen! or Morgen! Good day! Guten Tag! or Tag! Good


evening! Guten Abend! or N'Abend! Gr Gott! (used in
southern Germany, Austria and South Tyrol) Goodbye! Auf
Wiedersehen! or Wiedersehen Bye! Tschss! or Tschau!
(Ciao from Italy) Servus! (used in Bavaria, Austria) Later!
Bis spter! or Bis dann! Good night! Gute Nacht! Good
Gut Super! Spitze! Great! Prima! Very good! Sehr
gut! Bad Schlecht Miserable Miserabel Who Wer What
Was Where Wo When Wann Why Warum How Wie Boy
Der Junge Girl Das Mdchen Man Der Herr Woman Die
Frau Boys Die Jungen Girls Die Mdchen Men Die Mnner Women Die Frauen Sport(s) Sport Interests Hobbys
Soccer Fuball USA Football Football Volleyball Volleyball Basketball Basketball Tennis Tennis Baseball Baseball 9-pin Bowling Kegeln Chess Schach Board Game
Das Brettspiel Game Das Spiel Homework Hausaufgaben
Television Fernsehen Movie Der Film, Filme And und
But aber Or oder To Have haben To Be sein To Be
Called heien To Play spielen To Do/Make machen To
Read lesen To Watch schauen To See sehen To Work
arbeiten To Write schreiben To Swim schwimmen One
Eins Two Zwei Three Drei Four Vier Five Fnf Six Sechs
Seven Sieben Eight Acht Nine Neun Ten Zehn Eleven
Elf Twelve Zwlf Thirteen Dreizehn Fourteen Vierzehn
Fifteen Fnfzehn Sixteen Sechzehn Seventeen Siebzehn
Eighteen Achtzehn Nineteen Neunzehn Twenty Zwanzig
Thirty Dreiig Forty Vierzig Fifty Fnfzig Sixty Sechzig

Seventy Siebzig Eighty Achtzig Ninety Neunzig Hundred


Hundert Thousand Tausend Noon Mittag Midnight Mitternacht After Nach Till Vor Quarter Viertel Half Before Halb Quarter Before Dreiviertel (used in eastern Germany) Day Tag Today Heute Tomorrow Morgen Yesterday Gestern Early Morning Morgen (use morgen frh for tomorrow morning) Morning Vormittag Afternoon Nachmittag Evening Abend Night Nacht Monday Montag Tuesday Dienstag Wednesday Mittwoch Thursday Donnerstag
Friday Freitag Saturday Samstag or Sonnabend Sunday
Sonntag January Januar Jnner (used in Austria) February Februar March Mrz April April May Mai June Juni
Juno (in spoken word only) July Juli Julei (in spoken word
only) August August September September October Oktober November November December Dezember Spring
Frhling Summer Sommer Autumn Herbst Winter Winter Time Die Zeit Free Time Die Freizeit Always immer
Often oft Sometimes manchmal Seldom selten Never nie
Only nur Me mich Us uns You dich You (formal) Sie
You All euch Him ihn Her sie It es Them sie Appetizers
Vorspeisen Salad Der Salat Bread Das Brot Breadstick
Die Scheibe Brot Main Dishes Hauptgerichte Sausage
Die Wurst Sausages Die Wrste Bratwurst Die Bratwurst
Hot Dog Das Hot Dog Pizza Die Pizza Pizzas Die Pizzen
Hamburger Der Hamburger Hamburgers Die Hamburger
With mit (ignore article) Without ohne (ignore article)
Tomatoes Die Tomaten Lettuce Der Salat Cheese Der
Kse Pickles Die Gewrzgurken Onions Die Zwiebeln
Ketchup Der Ketchup Mustard Der Senf Chicken Das
Hhnchen Chickens Die Hhnchen Seafood Die Meeresfrchte (plural) Fish Der Fisch Sides Die Beilage (singular),
die Beilagen (plural) Soup Die Suppe Soups Die Suppen
Noodle Soup Die Nudelsuppe French Fries Die Pommes
frites (plural) Fries Die Fritten (Informal and plural) Pasta
Die Pasta or Die Nudeln Potato Die Kartoel Potatoes
Die Kartoeln Corn Der Mais Bean Die Bohne Beans
Die Bohnen Desserts Nachspeisen Gteau Die (Sahne)Torte Strudel Der Strudel Apple strudel Der Apfelstrudel
Cake Der Kuchen Piece of Cake Das Stck Kuchen Pie
Die Pastete Piece of Pie Das Stck Pastete Apple Pie
Die Apfelpastete Ice Cream Das Eis Pudding Der Pudding Cookie Der Keks Cookies Die Kekse Fruit Das
Obst The Meal Das Essen Lunch Das Mittagessen Dinner
Das Abendessen Hunger Der Hunger Thirst Der Durst
To Eat essen To Drink trinken To Receive bekommen

34

12.1. REVIEW 2
To Want wollen Would Like mchten Thank you Danke
Please & You're Welcome Bitte Thank you very much
Dankeschn Thanks a lot Danke sehr No problem Kein
Problem! Chinese Food chinesisches Essen Japanese
Food japanisches Essen American Food amerikanisches
Essen Mexican Food mexikanisches Essen Arabic Food
arabisches Essen Italian Food italienisches Essen Indian
Food indisches Essen French Food franzsiches Essen
Greek Food griechisches Essen Durch Through Fr For
Gegen Against Ohne Without Um At, Around Delicious
lecker Tasty schmackhaft Juicy saftig Crunchy knackig
Crispy knusprig Spicy wrzig Stale fade fad (used in Austria) Salty salzig Sweet s Bitter bitter Sour sauer Creamy
cremig Hot hei Burnt angebrannt Cold kalt Disgusting
schrecklich To Pay Zahlen The Bill Die Rechnung Waiter
Der Ober

35
Regulars Verbs
Wir haben die regelmigen Verbende gelernt. Knnen
Sie sich an sie erinnern?
Bericht!
Likes & Dislikes
Wir haben gelernt unser Gefallen auszudrcken. Knnen
Sie sich daran erinnern?
Bericht!
Numbers
Wir haben die Zahlen gelernt. Knnen Sie sich an sie
erinnern?

12.1.2

Wie heit Du?

Bericht!

Hello and Goodbyes


Time
Wir haben Begrungen und Verabschiedungen gelernt.
Wir haben schon Zeit-Wrter gelernt. Knnen Sie sich
Knnen Sie sich an diese erinnern?
an diese erinnern?
Bericht!
Bericht!
Nominative Case

12.1.4 Essen

Wir haben auch den Nominativ gelernt. Knnen Sie sich


Accusative Case
an ihn erinnern?
Bericht!

Wir hatten schon den Akkusativ-Fall gelernt. Knnen Sie


sich an ihn erinnern?
Bericht!

Names
Wir haben das Verb heien gelernt. Erinnern Sie sich?
Bericht!

Modal Verbs
Wir haben die Modalverben gelernt. Knnen Sie sich an
sie erinnern?
Bericht!

Verbs

Wir haben zwei andere Verben konjugiert. Knnen Sie


Kein-Words
sich daran erinnern?
Bericht!

Wir haben die Kein-Wrter gelernt. Knnen Sie sich


daran erinnern?
Bericht!

Articles

Wir haben die Artikel beim Nominativ gelernt. Knnen This, Everyone, and Which
Sie sich an sie erinnern?
Wir haben dieser, jeder und welcher gelernt.. KnBericht!
nen Sie sich erinnern?
Bericht!

12.1.3

Freizeit

Chapter 13

'''Section 1.03 ~ Vienna, Austria'''

36

Chapter 14

Lesson 1.07 - Das Fest


14.1 Das Fest
Lesson I.10: Das Fest
This lesson deals with the Christmas time in the German language countries, where you learn some traditions
and vocabularies about Christmas. You'll also learn about
there is and there are in German and about the dative
case.

14.1.1

Dialogue

Read and listen to the following dialogue between mother


and daughter: Roswitha and Anja. Both of them want to
decorate for Christmas.
In Austria Adventkranz

14.1.2

can buy some little Christmas presents, decorations, ride


some carnival rides, and often drink some hot spiced wine
- the children drink punch for children, listen to carolers and enjoy a warm, snowy atmosphere. On the 6th of
December, German children celebrate St. Nicholas Day.
The children put a boot in front of the door and wait until
St. Nicholas brings little presents that are often sweets,
walnuts, apples, tangerines and oranges. Bad children get
birching by Knecht Ruprecht (which is now forbidden in
Germany). Pupils do a secret Santa with other pupils on
the last school days before the Christmas holidays, which
are often two or three weeks long. St. Nicholas looks
similar to Santa Claus who brings big presents on the
evening of the 24th of December; in Southern Germany
Christkind brings the presents. Most families decorate
their Christmas trees on this day with Christmas baubles
and tinsel and candles and so forth. After the Christmas
dinner, the whole family sits next to the Christmas tree
and exchanges gifts.

Es gibt

The English words there is and there are are both in


German es gibt. When you ask someone, if theres
a snowman, you say Gibt es hier einen Schneemann?. Many German native speaker put the words
gibt and es into gibts.

14.1.3

Do you have the Christmas spirit yet? - Bist du schon


in Weihnachtsstimmung?
Do you decorate your house this year? - Schmckst
du dieses Jahr dein Haus?
On St. Nicholas Day gets Julian a little present. - An
Nikolaustag bekommt Julian ein kleines Geschenk.

Weihnachten in Deutschland

The Queen takes every year a Christmas Day


In Germany the advent season begins on Sunday four
Speech. - Die Queen hlt jedes Jahr eine Weihweeks before Christmas. Its the day where many famnachtsansprache.
ilies decorate their houses or ats, begin to bake some
biscuits and start to sing some Christmas carols. One
The whole room is sweet with cinnamon. - Der
typical decoration is the advent wreath, which has four
ganze Raum duftet nach Zimt.
candles - one candle is lit in the rst week, two candles
in the second week, etc. - and normally stands on the
dining table or on the coee table. Another tradition, es- 14.1.4 Dativstze
pecially for children, is the advent calendar that you hang
on the wall. They've often got 24 doors and you're only
The Dativ, also called 3. Fall or Wemfall is in the
allowed to open one a day. Other typical Christmas decGerman language the third object.
orations are a crib, a Ruchermann - a wooden gure that
Die Kokosmakronen gehren der Anja. - You
blows avour of incense cones - in Northern Germany
ask: Wem gehren die Kokosmakronen? - the
a Moosmann, Christmas pyramids and Schwibbogen and
answer is: Der Anja (gehren die Kokosmakronutcrackers and poinsettias and much more. Most Christnen).
mas markets start in the rst week of Advent. There you
37

38

CHAPTER 14. LESSON 1.07 - DAS FEST

Lisa schenkt (dem) Bjrn ein Spekulatius - You


ask: Wem schenkt Lisa ein Spekulatius? - the
answer is: Dem Bjrn (schenkt Lisa ein Spekulatius).

14.1.5

Weihnachtsessen

das Pltzchen, der Keks cookie die Ausstecher cookie


cutter das Nudelholz rolling pin die Vanillekipferl vanilla
cornets der Lebkuchen gingerbread das Lebkuchenhaus
gingerbread house die Kokosmakrone coconut macaroon
die Spitzbuben jammy dodgers, linzer eye a biscuit with
currant jam and icing powdered sugar die Pfeernuss spice
nut der Christstollen stollen die Marzipankartoel marzipan potato die Weihnachtsgans Christmas goose der
Weihnachtskarpfen Christmas carp der Truthahn turkey
Wrstchen und Kartoelsalat sausages and potato salad
das Spekulatius almond biscuit der Baumkuchen pyramid
cake der Mrbeteig shortcrust der Springerle springerle
das Bethmnnchen bethmnnchen typical Frankfurt marzipan biscuits der Zimtstern star-shaped cinnamon biscuit
das Frchtebrot fruitcake der Bratapfel roast apple der
Dominostein domino a candy that you can eat in advent time
die Zuckerstange candy cane der Glhwein hot spiced
wine der Kinderpunsch punch for children das Kenkentjch kenkentjch cookies from northern Germany die gebrannte Mandeln roasted almonds das Weihnachtsessen
Christmas dinner das Hirschhornsalz salt of harts horn
der Zimt cinnamon der Puderzucker icing powdered
sugar das Aroma avour
In the southern part of Germany they have other
words for Pltzchen.
So in Swabian they call it Pltzle or Brtle and in Bavaria
Platzerl. In Switzerland they call it Guetsli.
Other names for Nudelholz are Teigrolle, Wellholz,
Wlgerholz and Rollholz rare.
In Austria and Bavaria they call it Nudelwalker and in
Switzerland Wallholz.

Chapter 15

Lesson 1.08 - Privileg und Verantwortung


15.1 Privileg und Verantwortung

Mnchen

Lesson I.11: Privileg und Verantwortung

Common Phases

15.1.1

Ich muss nach ... gehen.

Jobs and Tasks

I have to go to...
Vocabulary
Careers
Work Arbeit Doctor Arzt Business Man
Geschftsmann Business Woman Geschftsfrau Teacher
Lehrer Police Ocer Polizeibeamte Fireman Feuerwehrmann Actor Schauspieler Artist Knstler Author
Schriftsteller Bank Clerk Bankangestellter Car Mechanic Automechaniker Chemist Chemiker Civil Servant Beamter Computer Programmer Programmierer
Engineer Ingenieur Farmer Landwirt Hairdresser Friseur
Journalist Journalist Lawyer Rechtsanwalt Lecturer
Dozent Nurse Krankenpeger Pensioner Rentner Photographer Fotograf Politician Politiker Postman Brieftrger
Professor Professor Salesperson Verkufer Secretary
Sekretr Student Student Taxi Driver Taxifahrer Waiter
Kellner
Tasks Cleaning Reinigung Cooking Kochen Homework Hausaufgaben Laundry Wscherei Tasks Aufgaben

15.1.2

Plans

Common Phases
Ich habe Plne...
I have plans...
Ich habe Plne mit...
I have plans with...

15.1.3

Places To Go

Vocabulary
Germany Deutschland Hamburg Hamburg Berlin
Berlin Frankfurt Frankfurt Cologne Kln Munich
39

Chapter 16

Lesson 1.09 - Wetter


16.1 Wetter

Das Thermometer zeigt 15 Grad (Celcius) an.


The thermometer says 15 degrees (Celsius).

Lesson I.12: Wetter

Das Thermometer zeigt minus 15 Grad (Celcius)* an.


The thermometer says minus 15 degrees (Celsius).

16.1.1

Dialoge
You can also say Das Thermometer zeigt 15 Grad
minus an.

Lukas calls his friend Nadja after he sees the weather forecast.

16.1.3 Transportation
16.1.2

Weather
Vocabulary

Vocabulary
You will need to know each expression with an asterisk (*)
after it. The others, of course, would be useful to know
for the weather forecast or when someone talks with you
about weather. But you aren't forced to know Schniesel.
Because many people don't know this word.
Common Phrases

das Auto car der Bus bus das Fahrrad bike das Motorrad motor-cycle das Mofa moped der Lastwagen truck,
lorry die Strae road die Landstrae highway die Autobahn motorway der Stadtbus city bus der Linienbus urban bus der Reisebus coach die Bushaltestelle bus stop
der Zug train die Stadtbahn city railway die Straenbahn
tramway, streetcar der Bahnhof trainstation das Flugzeug
airplane der Helikopter helicopter der Flughafen airport
das Boot boat das Schi ship die Fhre ferry der Hafen
harbor

Wie ist (denn) das Wetter in Berlin?


Whats the weather like in Berlin?
In Berlin scheint die Sonne.
The sun shines in Berlin.
Wie wird das Wetter?
Whats the weather going to be like?
Knnen Sie mir sagen wie das Wetter heute wird?
Can you tell me how todays weather is going to be?
Wird es regnen, oder bleibt es schn?
Will it rain, or will it remain nice?
Es wird heute schlechtes Wetter erwartet. Nimm bitte
deinen Regenschirm mit!
Bad weather is today expected. Please take your umbrella
with you!
Wie viel Grad zeigt das Thermometer an?
How many degrees on the thermometer?
40

Chapter 17

Review 1.03
17.1 Review 3
Review Section I.C: Lessons I.7 to I.9

17.1.1

Vocabulary

Babywear Die Babyartikel (plural) Childrens Wear Die


Kinderbekleidung Clearance Sale Der Rumungsverkauf
Closed Geschlossen Clothing Die Kleidung Computer
Section Der Computershop Cosmetics Die Kosmetik
Customer Der Kunde Customer Service Der Kundendienst Electrical Appliance Das Elektrogert Escalator
Die Rolltreppe Fashion Die Mode Furniture Das Mbel (no plural) Gift Der Geschenkartikel Good Value
(Adj.) Preiswert Groceries Die Lebensmittel (plural)
Jewellery Damenschuhe (plural) Leather Goods Die
Lederwaren (plural) Open Genet Opening Hours Die
nungszeiten (plural) Present Das Geschenk Reduced
Reduziert Sales Receipt Der Kassenbon Souvenir Das
Andenken Special Oer Das Sonderangebot Sports
Goods Sportartikel (plural) Stationery Schreibwaren
(plural) Summer Sale Der Sommerschlussverkauf (abbr.
SSV) Video Store Die Videothek Winter Sale Der
Winterschlussverkauf (abbr. WSV) Department Store
Warenhaus Retail Store Einzelhandelsgeschft The Mall
Einkaufszentrum Boutique Boutique Store Geschft
Manager Manager Employee Angestellter Sales Clerk
Verkufer Cashier Kassierer Dressing Room Umkleidekabine Mens Section Mnnerabteilung Womens
Section Frauenabteilung First Floor Erstes Stockwerk
Menswear Mnnerkleidung Second Floor Zweiter Stock
Womenswear Frauenkleidung Third Floor Dritte Stock
Kids Section Kinderabteilung Fourth Floor Vierter Stock
Electronics Elektronik Kitchenware Kchenbedarf Fifth
Floor Fnfter Stock Lighting Beleuchtung Bedding
Bettwsche Toys Spielwaren Six Floor Sechster Stock
Food Lebensmittel Electronics Elektronik Television
Fernsehen Digital Camera Digitalkamera Telephone
Telefon Cell phone Mobiltelefon, Handy Computer
Computer, Rechner Speakers Lautsprecher DVDs
DVDs CDs CDs DVD Player DVD-Player CD Player
CD-Player Bedding Bettwsche Blankets Decken Pillow
Kopfkissen Pillow Case Kopfkissenbezug Sheets Bltter
Bed Skirt Bett-Rock Price Preis Note Der Schein Coin

Die Mnze 1 Euro Coin Das Eurostck 2 Euro Coin


Das Zweieurostck 5 Euro Note Der Fnfeuroschein
10 Euro Note Der Zehneuroschein 100 Euro Note Der
Hunderteuroschein 1 Cent Coin Das Centstck 2 Cent
Coin Das Zweicentstck 5 Cent Coin Das Fnfcentstck
10 Cent Coin Das Zehncentstck 20 Cent Coin Das
Zwanzigcentstck 50 Cent Coin Das Fnfzigcentstck
Skirt Der Rock Pullover Der Pullover Scarf Das Tuch
Coat Der Mantel Shirt Das Hemd Sweater Der Pullover
Necktie Der Schlips Jacket Die Jacke Pants Die Hose
Hat Der Hut Shoe Der Schuh Sock Die Socke Glove
Der Handschuh Blouse Die Bluse Size Die Gre Color
Die Farbe Cotton Die Baumwolle Leather Das Leder
Rayon Die Kuntseide Small Klein Medium Mittel Large
Gro Extra-Large Extragro Cheap Billig Expensive
Teuer Pretty Schn Ugly Hsslich Soft Weich New
Neu Broad Breit Wide Weit Tight Eng Comfortable
Bequem Red Rot Blue Blau Green Grn Orange Orange
Violet Veilchen Yellow Gelb Brown Braun Indigo
Indigo Gray Grau Black Schwarz White Wei To
Look Aussehen To Try On Anprobieren To Put On
Anziehen To Take Nehmen To Buy Kaufen To Have
On/Wear Anhaben Tragen Sohn Son Tochter Daughter
Vater Father Mutter Mother Grovater Grandfather
Gromutter Grandmother Opa Grandpa Oma Grandma
Schwester Sister Bruder Brother Geschwister Brothers
& Sisters Enkel Grandson Enkelin Granddaughter Frau
Wife Mann Husband Schwiegervater Father-in-Law
Schwiegertochter Daughter-in-Law Schwager Brotherin-Law Schwgerin Sister-in-Law Schwiegermutter
Mother-in-Law Schwiegersohn Son-in-Law Onkel Uncle
Tante Aunt Geschenk Present Nimmt To Take Away
Lesen To Read Schreiben To Write Studieren To Study
Lernen To Study Zeichnen To Paint Deutsch German
Englisch English Russisch Russian Franzsisch French
Latein Latin Mathematik Mathematics Sport PE or Gym
Kunst or Zeichnen Arts Musik Music Geschichte History
Biologie Biology Geograe Geography Religion RE or
Religion Chemie Chemistry Physik Physics Informatik
Computer Science der Radiergummi Eraser/Rubber der
Bleistift Pencil der Kuli/Kugelschreiber Pen das Fach
Subject die Klasse Class der Lehrer Teacher (male) die
Lehrerin Teacher (female) die Schule School der Schler
Student (High/Secondary School and Lower) der Student
Student (College/University) die Stunde/Schulstunde

41

42
Lesson die Pause Break die Schultasche Backpack

CHAPTER 17. REVIEW 1.03

Chapter 18

'''Section 1.04 ~ Berne, Switzerland'''

43

Chapter 19

Lesson 1.10 - Zu Hause Essen


19.1 Zu Hause Essen
Lesson I.13: Zu Hause essen

44

Chapter 20

Lesson 1.11 - Filme


20.1 Filme
Lesson I.14: Filme

45

Chapter 21

Lesson 1.12 - Das Haus


21.1 Das Haus
Lesson I.15: Das Haus

21.1.1

The Home

Rooms in the Home


Features in the Home
Furniture and ttings
The Bathroom
asdf

46

Chapter 22

Review 1.04
22.1 Review 4
Review Section I.D: Lessons I.10 - I.12

22.1.1

Vocabulary

das Spiel Game das Videospiel Video Game der Spa


Fun die Feier Party* die Party Party die Musik Music
die Torte Cake das Fass Keg das Bier Beer der Schnaps
Hard Liquor der Wein Wine der Weiwein White Wine
der Rotwein Red Wine Feiern To Party Trinken Drinking Saufen To Get Drunk Erbrechen / sich bergeben
To Throw Up Kotzen To Puke (slang) Tanzen To Dance
der Geburtstag Birthday Weihnachten Christmas Ostern
Easter das Jubilum Anniversary das Wasser Water Work
Arbeit Doctor der Arzt Buniness Man der Geschftsmann
Buniness Woman die Geschftsfrau Teacher der Lehrer
Police Ocer der Polizeibeamte Fireman der Feuerwehrmann Actor der Schauspieler Artist der Knstler Author der Schriftsteller Bank Clerk Bankangestellter Car
Mechanic der Automechaniker Chemist der Chemiker
Civil Servant Beamter Engineer der Ingenieur Farmer
der Landwirt Hairdresser der Friseur Journalist der Journalist Lawyer der Rechtsanwalt Lecturer der Dozent
Nurse der Krankenpeger Pensioner der Rentner Photographer der Fotograf Politician der Politiker Postman
der Brieftrger Professor der Professor Salesperson der
Verkufer Secretary der Sekretr Student der Student
Taxi Driver der Taxifahrer Waiter der Kellner Germany
Deutschland Humburg Hamburg Berlin Berlin Frankfurt
Frankfurt Colonge Kln Munich Mnchen Weather das
Wetter Rain der Regen Snow der Schnee Snow Showers Schneesch Showers Schauer Thunder Donner Storm
der Sturm Thunderstorm das Gewitter Cloudy Bewlkt
Overcast Bedeckt Hail der Hagel Drizzle Nieseln Thaw
Tauen Frost der Frost Car das Auto Train der Zug Trainstation der Bahnhof Airplane das Flugzeug Boat das Boot
Highway die Landstrae Road die Strae

47

Chapter 23

'''LEVEL TWO LESSONS'''

48

Chapter 24

'''Section 2.01 ~ Salzburg, Austria'''

49

Chapter 25

Lesson 2.01 - Einfache Gesprche unter


Freunden
25.1 Lesson 1

standing these clues or signals to word function that come


from the grammatical rules. The basic lessons (Level II)
of this textbook are set up to rst introduce the parts of
speech, and then bring in the rules that govern these. Pay
particular attention to both word endings and sentence
word order as you progress in learning the German language.

<< Vorwort | Lektion 1 | Lektion 2 >> |

Following is a short conversation piece (Gesprch). Play


the audio le rst, then attempt to repeat what you hear,
reading the spoken parts of the conversation. Go back
and forth (listening and then speaking) until the German
ows easily from your lips. This may take considerable
practice. Refer to the vocabulary (Vokabeln) below to
understand the meaning of the German sentences you are
hearing and speaking.

25.1.2 Gesprch 1-1 ~ Die Freunde


Heinrich trit Karl auf der Strae. Heinrich
und Karl sind Freunde.
Heinrich: Guten Tag, Karl. Wie geht es
dir?
Karl: Guten Tag. Danke, mir geht es gut.
Und dir?
Heinrich: Danke, mir geht es gut. Auf
Wiedersehen.

Auf der Strae

Karl: Auf Wiedersehen!

25.1.1

Grammatik 1-1 ~ Introduction to In this conversation we learn several simple greetings


exchanged between friends meeting very briey on the
German grammar
street.

Knowing the parts of speech (how words function in a


sentence) is important for anyone attempting to learn a
second language. English speakers will nd many strong
parallels between their language and German. However,
as noted in the introduction, German grammar signals
how words indicate their function in a sentenceare
more complex than English, and identifying the meaning
of words in a German sentence is dicult without under-

25.1.3 Vokabeln 1-1


This rst vocabulary (Vokabeln) may seem a bit long
considering you have been presented with only the brief
conversation piece above, but it also contains all of the
German words you have encountered up to this point

50

25.1. LESSON 1
in the Level II textbook, including words in photo captions and lesson section headers. The layout of the Vokabeln is explained in the Lesson Layout Guide in the German~English textbook introduction, but the four parts of
the Vokabeln are labeled in this rst lesson to reenforce
the concept. Note that column 3 may contain (in parentheses) additional notes about a word in column 1. Also,
you can nd the greeting phrases that appear in the simple conversations above (and many others) in Appendix
2, a German-English phrase book.
NOUNS der Anhang, die Anhnge appendix, appendices (singular and plural) die Brcke bridge der Freund, die Freunde friend, friends (singular and plural)
das Gesprch, die Gesprche conversation, conversations die Grammatik grammar (note irregular stress) die
Lektion lesson (note irregular stress) die Strae street das
Tor gateway die Vokabeln word list, vocabulary das Vorwort foreword, preface (introduction to a book) SHORT
PHRASES auf der Strae on the street Auf Wiedersehen Good bye Mir geht es gut I am ne (lit: 'It goes
with me good') Guten Tag! Good day (greeting) Und
dir? And you? (implied: 'And how are you?') unter
Freunden between friends Wie geht es dir? How are
you (lit: 'How goes it with you?') Wie gehts? How
are you? (casual, but more commonly used) VERBS
gehen go (geht is goes) treen meet, come upon (trit
is meets) OTHER SMALL WORDS (adjectives, adverbs, prepositions, etc.) danke thank you; thanks dir
(with or for) you einfach simple es it gut good mir (with
or to) me und and wie? how?
<< Lesson Layout Guide

51

25.1.5 Grammatik 1-2 ~ Word Order in


Questions
Basic or normal word order in simple German sentences
is the same as in Englishsubject then verb then verb
object:
Ich habe Kse ~ I (subject) have (verb) cheese
(verb object = what you have)
Unlike with English sentence structure, a question sentence in German is formed by reversing subject and verb:
Hast du Kse? ~ Have (verb) you (subject)
cheese?
This is called inverted word order. Examples are provided in Gesprch 1-1 and Gesprch 1-2. As another example, consider the statement: Er studiert Biologie ('He
studies biology'). A question statement might be: Was
studiert er? ('What studies he?'; although in English, we
would usually say: What is he studying?"). The normal word order of subject (er or he) then verb (studiert
or study) is reversed and, in this case, an interrogative (was or what) added onto the front replacing the
unknown (to the speaker) object (here, biology). Additional examples of questions formed from basic statements illustrate inverted word order:
Wie geht es dir? from Es geht mir gut. ('It goes
well with me.')
Wohin geht sie? from Sie geht einkaufen. ('She
goes shopping.')

Pronunciation Guide >>

25.1.4

Gesprch 1-2 ~ Die Studenten

Markus ist Student. Er studiert Biologie. Er


begegnet Katrin. Sie studiert Mathematik.
Markus und Katrin sind Freunde.
Markus: Hallo, Katrin! Wohin gehst du?
Katrin: Ich gehe einkaufen.
Der
Khlschrank ist fast leer. Ich brauche
Wurst und Kse. Und du? Wohin gehst
du?

Was ist fast leer? from Der Khlschrank ist fast


leer. ('The fridge is almost empty.')
Was brauche ich? from Ich brauche Wurst und
Kse. ('I need sausage and cheese.')
Versteht sie mich? from Sie versteht mich. ('She
understands me.')

25.1.6 Grammatik 1-3 ~ Introduction to


pronouns

A pronoun (Pronomen) is a short word that takes the


place of a noun previously mentioned in the sentence,
paragraph, or conversation. A pronoun substitutes for
a noun or noun phrase and designates persons or things
Markus: Zur Uni. Ich habe viel zu tun.
asked for, previously specied, or understood from con Katrin: Gut! Dann bis bald. Tschss.
text. A specic pronoun in English as well as German has
person, number, and case. You will be encountering
Markus: Tschss, Katrin.
all of the common German pronouns in the next several
lessons, so we will track these as they appear. The folHere again, two friends (college students) meet casually lowing familiar personal pronouns are introduced in this
and discuss briey what each is doing.
lesson (Lektion 1):

52

CHAPTER 25. LESSON 2.01 - EINFACHE GESPRCHE UNTER FREUNDEN

ich I (1st person, singular, nominative case) mich me


(1st person, singular, accusative case) mir me (1st person singular, dative case) du you (2nd person, singular, nominative case) dich you (2nd person, singular,
accusative case) dir you (2nd person singular, dative
case) er he (3rd person singular, nominative case) sie
she (3rd person singular, nominative case) es it (3rd
person singular, nominative case)
Pronoun person describes the relationship of the word to
the speaker (that is, 1st person is the speaker; 2nd person
is spoken to; and 3rd person is spoken about). Pronoun
number refers to whether the word represents one (singular) or more than one (plural) person or object. Finally,
case indicates how the pronoun is used in a sentence, as
will be explained over the next several lessons. For now,
note in the examples you have already encountered, the
three cases of 1st person singular pronouns in German:
ich, mich, and mir. In English these are: 'I', 'me', and (to
or with) 'me' in essence, there are really just two cases
in English: subjective ('I') and objective ('me'). You will
shortly see that there are similarities, yet distinct dierences, in the cases as used by the English and German
languages.

25.1.7

Vokabeln 1-2

NOUNS die Antwort, die Antworten answer(s) (singular


and plural) die Biologie biology (note irregular stress) die
Freundin, die Freunde (female) friend, friends (compare
der Freund) der Kse cheese der Khlschrank refrigerator die Mathematik mathematics (note irregular stress)
das Pronomen pronoun (note irregular stress) der Student, die Studentin student, (female) student die Uni university (a short form of die Universitt) die bersetzung
translation (lit. over-setting) die Universitt university
(note irregular stress) die Wurst sausage, banger SHORT
PHRASES Dann bis bald! then until (we) soon (meet
again) (until then) zu tun to do VERBS begegnen meet
brauchen need, want, require einkaufen gehen go shopping haben have studieren study verstehen understand
OTHER SMALL WORDS an to (towards) bald soon
bis until dann then du you er he fast almost hallo hello ich
I leer empty, vacant mich me schn beautiful (in this case,
'nice' or 'ne') sehr very sie she tschss so long (good bye)
viel much was? what? wohin? where?
<< Lesson Layout Guide

Pronunciation Guide >>

25.1.8

bersetzung 1-1

By referring back to lesson examples, you should be able


to write out the following sentences in German. On a
piece of paper, rst number and write each English sen-

tence. Then review the lesson above and produce a German sentence that says the same thing as each English
sentence. After all seven lines are translated, follow the
Antworten (answers) link to compare your work with the
correct ones. Do not be too concerned at this point if
your spelling of the German verbs do not match the answers. You will learn all about German verb forms in later
lessons.
1. Good day, Mark! How are you?
2. Thanks, I am well. And you?
3. Good bye, Henry!
4. Catherine needs cheese.
5. She understands the lesson well.
6. So long, Mark! Until we meet again.
7. Where is he going?
Antworten >

Chapter 26

Lesson 2.02 - Fremde und Freunde


26.1 Lesson 2

are all expressed in German in only one way: Sie nennen


die Firma, Trans-Global. And the question statement:
'Do they call the corporation, Trans-Global"?' becomes,
in German: Nennen sie die Firma, Trans-Global"?

<< Lesson 1 | Lektion 2 | Lektion 3 >>

Fremde und Freunde ~ Strangers and Friends

26.1.1

Grammatik 2-1 ~ Introduction to


Verbs

A verb is that part of speech that describes an action.


Verbs come in an almost bewildering array of tenses, aspects, and types. For now, we will limit our discussion
to verbs used in the present tense i.e., describing an
action occurring in the present. You should start to recognize that the form a verb takes is related to the subject
of that verb: the verb form must match the person of the
subject. This requirement is sometimes evident in English, but always so in German. Consider the following
English and German sentences (the verb is studieren in
every case):

26.1.2 Grammatik 2-2 ~ Pronouns in the


Nominative Case

Most of the personal pronouns introduced in Lektion 1


are used as subjects of their verbs. These represent the
nominative case in German (as in English). We will
shortly learn three other cases in German: the accusative
for direct objects, the dative for indirect objects, and
the genitive for expressing possession. For now, remember that the singular personal pronouns in English
(nominative case) are I, you, and he/she/it (1st,
2nd,
and 3rd persons) and the nominative case is used
Several things are illustrated by these sentence pairs.
as
the
subject of a verb. In German, these pronouns are
First, all verbs in German follow the rule just stated that
rendered
as ich, du, and er/sie/es. In these example sena verb form must agree with its subject. Starting in Lektences,
the
subject of the verb is underlined:
tion 6 we will learn the verb forms associated with each
person in German. Second, this rule in English applies There are, of course, plural personal pronouns in the Enmostly to the verb 'to be' (e.g., I am, you are, he is, etc.). glish nominative case: we, you, and they"; and in
In some English verbs, the 3rd person singular form is German, these nominative case pronouns are wir, ihr, and
unique, often taking an 's or 'es ending: I give at the sie. These appear in the following examples (again, suboce, but He gives at the oce (and She studies... ject underlined):
above). Finally, some German verbs are best translated
with an English 'to be' verb form added. This is called the In both English and German, the 3rd person singular also
progressive form in English ('What are you studying?'), has gender. As you will next learn, the 2nd person (perbut it does not exist in German. Thus, a verb like nen- son being addressed) in German has both familiar and
nen can best be translated as to name or to call. The polite (formal) forms. Further, it is worth repeating here
following example may make this clearer. In the present although introduced in Grammatik 2-1 above and to be
covered in detail in future lessons that the verb form
tense, the following statements in English:
changes when the subject changes. That is, in German the
verb form must match the subject of a sentence. Here are
'They are calling the corporation, Transsome examples; compare with the previous three examGlobal"'
ple sentences above and note how the verb form changed
to match the sentence subject (subject and verb under'They name the corporation, Trans-Global"'
lined):
'They call the corporation, Trans-Global"'
In the last example, the English verb form ('have') also
'They do call the corporation, Trans-Global"'
changed based upon the subject of the sentence.
53

54

CHAPTER 26. LESSON 2.02 - FREMDE UND FREUNDE

26.1.3

Gesprch 2-1 ~ Die Geschftsleute

Herr Schmidt trit Frau Baumann. Sie sind


Geschftsleute und sie arbeiten an dem Hauptsitz.
Herr Schmidt: Guten Tag, Frau Baumann!
Frau Baumann:
Schmidt!

Guten Tag, Herr

Herr Schmidt: Wie geht es Ihnen?


Frau Baumann: Sehr gut, danke. Und Ihnen?
Herr Schmidt: Auch gut.
Frau Baumann: Schn. Haben Sie Herrn
Standish schon getroen?
Herr Schmidt: Aus England? Nein. Ist er
zu Besuch?

Ihnen (to) you (2nd person singular, dative case) ihr


you (2nd person, plural, nominative case) sie they (3rd
person, plural, nominative case) Sie you (2nd person,
singular, nominative case) wir we (1st person, plural,
nominative case)
In the conversations between friends presented in
Gesprche 1-1 and 1-2 (Lektion 1) the familiar form of
the personal pronouns (e.g., du, dir) was used. However,
German also has a polite or formal form of some of these
personal pronouns. The polite form is used in conversations between strangers and more formal situations, as illustrated in the Gesprch 2-1: greetings between business
associates.
The polite form is always rst-letter capitalized in German, which can be helpful in dierentiating Sie (you)
from sie (she and they); Ihnen (you) from ihnen (them).
However, you will soon learn that the form of the verb
(see Grammatik 2-3 below) is most telling, as shown by
these example pairs using the verb, haben (have):

Because the rst letter in a sentence is always capitalized,


we cannot determine (without the verb form) whether the
second and third examples begin with sie ('she' or 'they')
Herr Schmidt: Auf Wiedersehen, Frau
or with Sie (polite 'you'); a problem that would also exist
Baumann!
in conversation. The fourth example, where subject and
verb are reversed in a question, demonstrates the pronoun
In this conversation, although the subject matter is basi- 'they'; compare it with the polite 'you' in the rst example.
cally casual, a more formal form of German is being used It is relatively easy for an English speaker to appreciate
intoning respect between coworkers in an oce setting. how context, especially in conversation, overcomes conThe polite form is expressed by the pronouns as explained fusion considering that English has fewer forms for these
below (Grammatik 2-3).
pronouns than German. However, this fact does present
Frau Baumann: Ja. Das ist richtig! Auf
Wiedersehen, Herr Schmidt!

26.1.4

Vokabeln 2-1

some diculty when learning German, since improper


use of a pronoun may just create confusion in speaking
or writing German.

die Anleitungen instructions das Deutsch German (language) (more common is die deutsche Sprache) der
Fremde foreigner, stranger die Firma company, rm, 26.1.6 Gesprch 2-2 ~ Die Geschftsmnner
business concern die Frage question die Geschftsleute
business people (die Leute = people) der Hauptsitz head
oce (das Haupt = head or chief) der Tag day, daytime
Herr Schmidt und Herr Standish begegnen sich
aus England from England Das ist richtig! That is right!
am Hauptsitz:
Frau Baumann Ms. Baumann Herr Schmidt Mr. Schmidt
zu Besuch visiting arbeiten work getroen (have) met
(past participle of treen) nennen name, call alle all an
at Ihnen (with or to) you (polite form) heute today ihr
you (plural), you all ja yes nein no richtig correct sie they
(note: also she) Sie you (polite form) wir we
Pronunciation Guide >>

26.1.5

Vereinigtes Knigreich
von Grobritannien und Nordirland

Grammatik 2-3 ~ Familiar and Polite Pronoun Forms

Many pronouns were introduced in Lesson 1. In Gram- Bundesrepublik


matik 2-1 and Gesprch 2-1 we have been presented with Deutschland
the following additional pronouns:

26.1. LESSON 2
Herr Schmidt: Guten Morgen, Herr Standish! Wie geht es Ihnen?
Herr Standish: Danke sehr, es geht mir
gut. Und Ihnen?
Herr Schmidt: Nicht so gut. Ich bin
mde.
Herr Standish: Wie bitte?
Mde?
Warum?
Herr Schmidt: Ich habe so viel Arbeit.
Herr Standish: Das kann ich verstehen.
Zu viel ist zu viel.
Herr Schmidt: Das ist richtig. Auf
Wiedersehen, Herr Standish!
Herr Standish: Auf Wiedersehen, bis
morgen.

26.1.7

Vokabeln 2-2

die Bundesrepublik Deutschland Federal Republic


of Germany die Geschftsmnner businessmen (die
Geschftsleute is preferred) Grobritannien Great Britain
(technically Vereinigtes Knigreich von Grobritannien
und Nordirland) der Morgen morning die bersetzung
translation bis morgen until tomorrow Guten Morgen!
Good morning (greeting) nicht so gut not so well so viel
so much Wie bitte? How is that? zu viel too much bis
until kein no (in the sense on none) mde tired nicht
not sich each other warum ? why ?
Pronunciation Guide >>

26.1.8

Grammatik 2-4 ~ Personal pronoun


gender

In both English and German the 3rd person personal pronouns have gender (Grammatik 1-3). However, in English, the pronoun it is used for most inanimate or nonliving things. There are a few exceptions: a ship might
be referred to as she. However, in German, the 3rd
person personal pronoun reects the gender of the noun
(antecedent) referred to by the pronoun. For examples:
The following table summarizes these gender relationships:

26.1.9

bersetzung 2-1

You may, at this point, try the ash cards developed for
Level I German. This set has a few words and concepts
not yet presented in Level II, but for the most part can
be very helpful in enhancing your vocabulary. Go to
FlashcardExchange.com.
Translate the following sentences into German. Pay attention to whether familiar or polite form of the pronoun
is requested:

55
1. Good day, Ms. Neumann. How are you? [in polite
conversational form]
2. I am well, thank you. And you? [in polite form]
3. I am well, thank you. And you? [in familiar form]
4. Katrin is studying math.
5. They meet each other at the head oce.
6. I do understand the instructions.
7. Is she visiting from England?
8. How is that? You have too much work? [in polite
form]
9. Good bye, Mr. Smith. Until tomorrow morning?
Antworten >

Chapter 27

Lesson 2.03 - Die Zahlen


27.1 Lesson 3
<< Lesson 2 | Lektion 3 | Lektion 4 >> |

Die Zahlen ~ The Numbers

27.1.1

Lektion 3 ~ Zhlen von 1 bis 12

Counting in any language is a valuable skill best learned Der Uhrturm von Graz
early on. In German as in English, there are both cardinal (counting) and ordinal (place or order) numbers,
and number formation is similar in that the rst twelve
numbers are unique. Above twelve, numbers are formed Gesprch 3-1
by combination. For example, 13 is dreizehn and 14 is
Zwei Jungen, Heinrich und Karl, sind Freunde.
vierzehn. Higher numbers will be the subject of later
Sie begegnen sich eines Nachmittags.
lessons.
Heinrich: Karl. Wie gehts?
Note in the table how ordinals are formed from the cardinals in German by adding te. 'Ten' becomes 'tenth' in
Karl: Hallo!
English; zehn become zehnte in German. As in English,
Heinrich: Willst du spielen? Ich habe
there are several nonconforming variants: erste, dritte,
einen Ball.
and siebte.
Karl: Wie spt ist es?
Audio: OGG (385KB)
Heinrich: Es ist ein Uhr.
Karl: Dann kann ich bis zwei Uhr spielen.
Heinrich: Das ist gut. Wir spielen eine
Stunde lang!
Asking for the time is accomplished by the sentence: Wie
spt ist es? (How late is it?"). The answer places the hour
in the line Es ist ____ Uhr (It is __ o'clock), substituting
27.1.2 Grammatik 3-1 ~ Telling time the correct cardinal value (except ein is used instead of
(hours)
eins). One could also ask: Wieviel Uhr ist es? (not used
very often anymore) or respond Es ist eins or Es ist drei,
etc.which may be imprecise, unless the time is close
Knowing the numbers from 1 to 12, you can now begin to the hour. The following sentences also relate to telling
asking and telling time in German.
time:
56

27.1. LESSON 3
* this is only regional - many Germans may not un-

57

27.1.5 Grammatik 3-3 ~ Gender of Nouns

derstand

Knowing how to express the quarter, half, and three quarter hours will allow you to give the time more precisely.
We will, of course, revisit this subject. Once you know
how to count beyond twelve, the hours division into 60
minutes can be expressed. Also, Germans (like most Europeans) utilize what is known in America as military
time or a 24-hour clock.

We have seen evidence of word gender in the pronouns


we have been enountering; notably 'he', 'she', and 'it' in
English and er, sie, and es in German. Just like many
other languages (but not English), German has genders
for nouns as well. Noun gender is indicated by the denite article, which should always be learned as part of the
noun. For this reason, nouns presented in each lessons
Vokabeln include the gender appropriate denite article.
Denite Articles

27.1.3

Vokabeln 3-1

The denite article (bestimmter Artikel) is equivalent to an


English 'the', and the three basic gender forms of denite
Also included in the vocabulary for Lesson 3 are the or- articles in German are as follows:
dinal and cardinal numbers 1 through 12 from Lektion 3
To say 'the book' in German, you would say das Buch, beabove.
cause Buch is a neuter noun. To say 'the man' in German,
der Ball ball der Junge, die Jungen boy, boys das Lernen you would say der Mann, because Mann is a masculine
learning, study der Nachmittag afternoon die Stunde hour noun. To say 'the woman' in German, you would say die
die Uhr watch (timepiece); also o'clock der Uhrturm Frau, because Frau is a feminine noun.
clock tower die Uhrzeit time, time of day das Viertel
Noun gender does not always derive from actual gender
quarter die Zahl, die Zahlen number, numbers bis zwei
where gender might be applicable. For example, 'the boy'
Uhr until two o'clock das ist gut very well (lit.: that is
is der Junge (masculine); but 'the girl' is das Mdchen
good) eines Nachmittags one (unspecied) afternoon ich
(neuter). Also, nouns that have no inherent gender are
kann... spielen I can play es ist it is willst du ...? do you
not necessarily neuter. From this lesson: 'the watch or
want ...? (familiar form) fragen ask (a question) spielen
time piece' is die Uhr ('feminine').
play zhlen count dann then halb half, halfway to nach
Because German is generally more structured than Enabout, after spt late vor before, until zu to
glish, it is important when learning German nouns to always learn them with their gender correct denite article;
Pronunciation Guide >>
and in the Vokabeln nouns are always given with their associated denite article. That is, you must memorize the
word for 'book' in German as das Buch, not simply Buch.
27.1.4 Grammatik 3-2 ~ Introduction to Not just denite articles, but indenite articles and adjectives have endings that must match the gender of the
Nouns
noun they precede. Using the wrong gender can alter the
meaning of a German sentence, so in forming a proper
A noun is a fundamental part of speech, occurring in sensentence with Buch, you will need to know that it is a
tences in two dierent ways: as subjects (performers of
neuter noun.
action), or objects (recipients of action). As a generality, a noun is the name of a person, place, or thing.
Nouns are classied into proper nouns (e.g. Janet), Indenite Articles
common nouns (e.g. girl), and pronouns (e.g. she
and which). A proper noun (also called proper name) In addition to the denite articles"the in English and
is a noun which denotes a unique entity. The meaning of der-words in Germandiscussed above, both languages
a proper noun, outside of what it references, is frequently have indenite articles (unbestimmter Artikel). Indefarbitrary or irrelevant (for example, someone might be inite articles precede nouns in the same way that denamed Tiger Smith despite being neither a tiger nor a nite articles do, but convey a general or indenite sense.
smith). Because of this, they are often not translated These are a or an in English. Thus, 'the book' or das
between languages, although they may be transliterated Buch refers to a denite or specic book, whereas 'a book'
for example, the German surname Kndel becomes or ein Buch is indenite about which book is referred to.
Knoedel in English, as opposed to Dumpling. Proper Indenite articles also have gender as shown here:
nouns are capitalized in English and all other languages
that use the Latin alphabet; this is one way to recognize Here are some examples of indenite articles (underlined)
them. However, in German both proper and common used in German sentences:
nouns are capitalized (as are certain formal pronouns; Why, you ask, are there words like einen in some sentences abovea spelling that does not appear in the gensee Grammatik 2-3).

58

CHAPTER 27. LESSON 2.03 - DIE ZAHLEN

der table? The tables for both the denite and indenite
articles above are simplied at this stage, giving only articles in the nominative case (applied to words that are
subjects of verbs). In the very next lesson you will start
to address all the other cases in German. However, the
nominative case is the one used to signify the gender of
a noun, as in our Vokabeln.

27.1.6

Vokabeln 3-2

das Buch book die Frau woman der Kndel dumpling das
Mdchen (young) girl der Mann man lesen read
Pronunciation Guide >>

27.1.7

bersetzung 3-1

Translate the following sentences into German:


1. I am reading until ten o'clock.
2. It is nine thirty.
3. It is a quarter to ten.
4. Cathy is a student at the university.
5. She meets Mark on the street.
6. Henry has a ball.
7. The girl is a friend.
8. Mr. Smith has a question.
Antworten >

Chapter 28

Lesson 2.04 - Eine Geschichte ber Zrich


28.1 Lesson 4

applicable here: translate des as of the or of and note


there are other der-words that also mean of the.

<< Lesson 3 | Lektion 4 | Lektion 5 >>

28.1.2 Vokabeln 4-1


die Alpen Alps der Aususs outlet, euence (of a lake)
die Bankinstitute banking institutes die Bankenwirtschaft
banking business das Ende end die Grossbanken major
banks die Hauptstadt capital city das Haus house der Kanton canton (Swiss state) das Lesestck reading passage
die Schweiz Switzerland die Sicht view der Sitz oce das
Wetter weather das Zentrum center (centre) das Zrich
Zurich (city and canton in Switzerland) der Zrichsee
Lake Zurich d.h. (das heit) i.e. (that is in Latin)
Glarner Alpen Glarner Alps man hat... one has... nach
Hause (toward) home (compare: zu Hause = at home)
anrufen call, telephone geben (gab, gegeben) give kommen (kam, gekommen) come liegen (lag, gelegen) lie
(lay, lain) am (an dem) at the ausgesprochen markedly bei
Zrich: am Aususs des Zrichsees
in beiden two etliche a number of, quite a few, several gleichnamig same named grte largest klar clear klein small
neben besides nrdlich northern schweizer of or pertain28.1.1 Lesestck 4-1 ~ Eine Geschichte ing to Swiss

ber Zrich

Pronunciation Guide >>

Zrich ist die grte Stadt der Schweiz.


Sie liegt am Aususs des Zrichsees und
ist die Hauptstadt des gleichnamigen Kantons, des Kantons Zrich. Zrich ist ausgesprochen schn gelegen, am nrdlichen Ende
des Zrichseesbei klarem Wetter hat man
eine gute Sicht auf die Glarner Alpen.

28.1.3 Grammatik 4-1 ~ Introduction to


adjectives
An adjective is a part of speech which can be thought of
as a describing wordtypically, an adjective modies
a noun. In both English and German, adjectives come
before the noun they describe or modify. In many other
languages (such as French) they usually come after the
noun. Here are some examples of adjectives (underlined)
you have already encountered:

Zrich ist das Zentrum der schweizer Bankenwirtschaft. Neben den beiden Grossbanken
('Credit Suisse' und 'UBS') haben auch etliche
kleinere Bankinstitute ihren Sitz in der Stadt.
Although this short story contains quite a number of impressive German nouns and adjectives, with the aid of
Vokabeln 4-1 following you should have no trouble reading and understanding it. The passage makes considerable use of the German genitive case (English possessive
case), which you have not yet learned. However, a clue

Because nouns are capitalized in German, it is fairly obvious in these sentences where the adjectives occur: just
before the nouns they modify. Note how the endings on
German adjectives can change, depending upon the noun
(keinen Kse; klarem Wetter; gute Sicht)specically, the
gender and case of the noun they are modifying. Before explaining the basic rules governing adjective endings, you need to have a better understanding of person,

59

60

CHAPTER 28. LESSON 2.04 - EINE GESCHICHTE BER ZRICH

gender, and case in German nounsconcepts that will be he/she/it (1st, 2nd, and 3rd persons). The objective
explored in the next few lessons.
case, personal pronouns in English are me, you, and
Finally, realize that the ordinal numbers you learned in him/her/itand are used for both direct and indirect
Lektion 3 are, in fact, adjectivessubject to the same objects of verbs. For example:
rules governing word endings for adjectives.

28.1.4

Gesprch 4-1 ~ Das neue Mdchen

Markus und Helena sind Freunde.


Markus: Lena, wer ist das neue Mdchen? Die Brnette dort drben.
Helena: Ich glaube, sie heit 'Karoline'.
Markus: Sie ist sehr schn.
Helena: Sie ist hbsch, wenn man kleine
Mdchen mit langen dunklen Haaren
mag.
Markus: Ja. Ihre Haare gefallen mir sehr.
Helena: Markus, du bist ein Ferkel!

He gives it [the Direct Object] to me [the Indirect


Object].
The German accusative case, personal pronouns (singular) are: mich, dich, ihn/sie/es. The German dative case,
personal pronouns (singular) are: mir, dir, ihm/ihr/ihm.
Thus, the above English example sentence becomes, in
German:
Er gibt es [the Direct Object] mir [the Indirect Object].

Because mir is a dative pronoun, there is no need in German to use a modier as in English, where to is used as
a signal of an indirect object. The following table summarizes the German pronouns in three cases for both sinThis short conversational passage contains more exam- gular and plural number:
ples of adjectives.
* Polite form

28.1.5

Vokabeln 4-2

die Brnette brunette die Haare hair(s) das Mdchen


girl das Ferkel piglet gefallen appeal to glauben believe
heien name, call mag like, desire, wish dort there (dort)
drben over there dunkel dark ihr her hbsch cute klein
short lang long neue new wenn if wer? who?
Pronunciation Guide >>

28.1.6

Recall from Gesprch 2-1 the incomplete sentence Und


Ihnen? ('And you?'). Note that the pronoun agrees in case
(here, dative) with the implied sentence Und wie geht
es Ihnen? The same rule is evident in Gesprch 1-1 (Und
dir?). Such agreement is important to convey the correct
meaning. Tables giving the German personal pronouns in
all cases can be found in an appendix: Pronoun Tables.
Nouns

Grammatik 4-2 ~ Nouns and pronouns in the accusative and dative Nouns do not change their form (spelling) relative to case

As was noted previously when the concept of case was


introduced for pronouns (Grammatik 2-2), there are four
cases used in German. Recall that the nominative case in
German corresponds to the subjective case in English and
applies to nouns and pronouns used in a sentence as the
subject of a verb. Nouns (and pronouns) that are used as
objects of transitive (action) verbs are in the English objective case. If these are direct objects (recipients of the
action of a verb), then these nouns are in the accusative
case in German. If indirect objects, then these nouns
are in the dative case in German. Essentially, the English
objective case is divided, in German, into an accusative
case used for direct objects and a dative case used for
indirect objects.

in German; instead, a preceding article indicates case.


You have learned the nominative case denite and indefinite articles (Grammatik 3-3: der, die, das and ein, eine.
ein) for each of the three noun genders. Now we will
learn the accusative (used to signal a direct object) and
dative (used to signal an indirect object) articles. First,
the denite articles:

This table might seem a bit overwhelming (and there is


yet one more case in German: the genitive!), but some
points to note can make memorizing much easier. First,
as you can see from the table, gender does not really exist
for plural nouns. No matter what the noun gender in its
singular number, its plural always has the same set of definite articles: die, die, den for nominative, accusative, and
dative cases. The plural der-words are similar to the feminine singular der-words, diering only in the dative case.
Another point: the dative for both masculine and neuter
Pronouns
nouns is the same: dem. Finally, for feminine, neuter,
For comparison with English, recall that the singular and plural nouns, there is no change between nominative
personal pronouns (nominative case) are I, you, and and accusative cases. Thus, only for masculine nouns is

28.1. LESSON 4
there a denite article change in the accusative compared
with the nominative.
The following examples demonstrate the use of the denite article in various parts of speech:
In the last example, you need to know that in both English
and German, the noun (or pronoun) that follows the verb
'to be' is a predicate noun, for which the correct case
is the nominative. That is why, in English, 'It is I' is
grammatically correct and 'It is me' is simply incorrect.
The indenite articles are as follows:
Of course, there are no plural indenite articles in German or English (ein means a. an, or one). It is
important to see that there is a pattern in the case endings added to ein related to the der-words in the denite
articles table above. For example, the dative denite article for masculine nouns is demthe indenite article is
formed by adding -em onto ein to get einem. The dative
denite article for feminine nouns is derthe indenite
is ein plus -er or einer. These ending changes will be covered in greater detail in a future lesson. You will see that
there are a number of words (adjectives, for example)
whose form relative changes by addition of these endings
to signal the case of the noun they modify. Finally, we can
see a pattern relationship between these endings and the
3rd person pronouns as well:
We could construct a similar table to compare the denite
articles to the 3rd person pronouns. And in that case, we
would also see how the plural denite articles (die, die,
den) compare with the third person plural pronouns (sie,
sie, ihnen).

28.1.7

Grammatik 4-3 ~ Interrogatives

You have encountered nearly all of the interrogatives


commonly used in German (review Grammatik 1-2):
wann when warum why Warum sind Sie mde? was what
Was ist das? wer who Wer ist das Mdchen? wie how
Wie geht es dir? wieviel how much Wieviel Uhr ist es? wo
where Wo ist das Buch? wohin where (to) Wohin gehst
du?
In a question, interrogatives replace the unknown object
and establish the class of answer expected.
Note that the English construction for some of the questions diers from the German in that the former uses the
progressive form of do.

28.1.8

bersetzung 4-1

Translate the following sentences into German:


1. They have a good view of the Alps.
2. Lake Zurich is very beautiful.

61
Antworten >

Chapter 29

Review 2.01
29.1 Lesson 5

either a person, place, or thing and, in German, are


always capitalized. Every noun in German has an assigned gender (masculine, feminine, neuter), and we
learn each noun with its nominative case, denite article (der, die, das, respectively) in order to also learn that
gender. Thus, a Vokabeln section for nouns is presented
thusly:

<< Lektion 4 | Lektion 5 | Lektion 6 >>

29.1.1

Wiederholung

Lesson 5 is a review (Wiederholung) lesson to summarize the German language lessons presented in Lessons 1
through 4. You should, then, return to Lektion 1 and review (that is, reread) each of the four lessons back up to
this point. For a more advanced course, you might now
incorporate each of the advanced lessons into this review process. That is: review Lesson 1, then do Lesson
1A, review Lesson 2, then do Lesson 2A, etc.

29.1.2

der Anhang, die Anhnge appendix, appendices (singular and plural) die Brcke bridge der Freund, die Freunde
friend, friends (singular and plural) das Gesprch, die
Gesprche conversation, conversations die Grammatik
grammar (note irregular stress) die Lektion lesson (note
irregular stress) die Strae street

Parts of Speech and Word Order

Sentences are composed of parts that perform specic


functions. You have been introduced to most (but not
all) the major parts of speech: pronouns/nouns, verbs,
and adjectives; and how these are expressed in German
compared with English. Consider the following:
Ich brauche Wurst und Kse
I (pronoun as subject) need (verb) sausage and
cheese (nouns as direct objects)
Haben sie zu viel Arbeit?
Have (verb) they (pronoun subject) too much
(adjectives) work (noun direct object)?
Word order in a simple sentence follows that used in English. Subject and verb are reversed to form a question. In English, but not in German, the question sentence
could also be stated (and, in fact, occurs more often in the
US) as 'Do they have too much work?'

29.1.3

Nouns

Nouns are words that typically occur in sentences as either subjects (performers of some action) or objects (recipients of some action). Most nouns are the name of
62

Chapter 30

'''Section 2.02 ~ Zrich, Switzerland'''

63

Chapter 31

Lesson 2.05 - Die Wohnung


31.1 Lesson 6

31.1.3 Grammatik 6.1 ~ Introduction to


verb conjugations

<< Lektion5 | Lektion 6 | Lektion 7 >>

In German, every grammatical person has, or potentially


has, its own unique verb form. Describing the various
verb forms is called verb conjugation. This variation
in verb form is certainly one of the things that makes
31.1.1 Gesprch 6-1 ~ Ein Bruder besucht German grammar somewhat dicult for English speakMarkus
ers to learn. In English, only the 3rd person singular
might dier from the verb form used with all of the
Markus studiert Biologie an der Universitt. Er
other persons (see Grammatik 1-3) and that dierence
besucht die Vorlesungen und dann geht er nach
is made by adding an ending of 's or 'es. For example:
Hause. Er wohnt nicht bei seinen Eltern; er
I/you/we/they 'go', but he/she/it 'goes.
mietet sich eine kleine Wohnung. Sie hat nur
Let us have a closer look at German verbs. Usually, the
drei Zimmer. Gegen Abend zeigt er sie seinem
innitive form of a verb in German ends with -enfor
Bruder.
examples, consider these verbs you have already learned:
gehen ('go'), haben ('have'), and studieren ('study'). In
Markus: Karl. Herein!
order to build the dierent verb forms (that is, conjugate
Karl: Tag, Markus! Mutti grt dich.
a verb), rst cut o the '-en' ending from the innitive.
Then append a new ending according to the grammatical
Karl sieht sich um.
person. For regular verbs it works essentially as follows:
Karl: Mir gefllt deine Wohnung.
As you see in this example using the verb gehen, the sinDie Wohnung ~ The Apartment

Markus: Danke. Sie hat drei Zimmer. Es


gibt eine Kche, ein Wohnzimmer, und
ein Schlafzimmer.

gular 1st person ends with -e, the 2nd person with -st and
3rd person (no matter what gender) ends with -t. As for
the plural forms, note that 1st and 3rd person in plural
number (see Grammatik 1-3) are built the same way
Karl: Ich habe sie gern!
as the innitive. Again note that, in English, only the
Markus:
verb form for the 3rd person singular is unique. An
easy way to remember the regular verb endings is the
This incomplete story and conversation introduces terms following mnemonic "Elephants standing together enjoy
trumpeting endlessly.
for items around the house (or apartment).
Seems simple enough. However, realize we are discussing here only the regular verb forms in the present
31.1.2 Vokabeln 6-1
tense (Prsens). You will learn quite soon that, unfortunately, there are many exceptions from these simple
der Bruder brother die Eltern parents die Kche kitchen rules. An important one is the irregular verb sein ('to
das Schlafzimmer bedroom die Vorlesung class, instruc- be') which is irregular in English as well (I am, you are,
tion (at a university) die Wohnung apartment, at das he is...).
Wohnzimmer living room das Zimmer, die Zimmer
room(s) es gibt there is gegen Abend towards evening At least 1st and 3rd person plural are the same. Another
gern haben like (i.e., to gladly have) Herein! Come in! important verb is haben ('to have'):
sich umsehen look around zeigen show besuchen visit, at- You see, its not too irregularonly the 2nd and 3rd pertend (classes) gren greet mieten rent sein his (a posses- son singular constitute a small exception since the 'b' has
sive adjective)
vanished. English is somewhat curious in this respect as
64

31.1. LESSON 6
well: 'I have', but 'he has. Future lessons will introduce
you to the many irregular verbs in German. But you
should now recognize what is happening to the verbs in
German sentences. They are reecting the person and
number of their nominative case subjects. Recall these
sentences from past lessons (verbs underlined here):
Danke, es geht mir gut Thanks, it goes well with me (verb
is gehen) Ich habe viel Arbeit I have much work (verb is
haben) Ist er zu Besuch? Is he visiting? (verb is sein) Du
bist ein Schwein! You are a pig! (verb is sein) Wie heien
Sie? What are you called? (verb is heien, and pronoun
is formal) Wir spielen eine Stunde lang! We play for one
hour! (verb is spielen) Sie liegt am Aususs des Zrichsees.
It lies at the outlet of Lake Zurich (verb is liegen)

31.1.4

65

31.1.5 Grammatik 6.3 ~ Commands


Ruf sie an, bitte! Call her, please. or Ruf sie bitte an!
Gehen Sie nach Hause! Go home (formal). Kommt mit!
Come with (plural)! Gib es mir! Give me it!
Notice that in these sentences there are no subjects (except for #2). In German, as in English, there is a commandative form, a way to demand something using an
understood you. In English, there is only one you-form
and one command form. In German, since there are three
yous, there are three ways to command.
If the subject is singular (du), then the verb has no ending.
If it is irregular, it takes the du-form, such as in essen
(Iss!) or lesen (Lies!). If there is a plural subject (ihr),
then the verb takes the ihr-form. Nothing else is changed.
Most of the time, ihr-commands are used with children,
but that is not always the case. In both of these sentences,
the du or ihr is omitted.

Grammatik 6.2 ~ Case in German Formal is normal. The Sie stays (after the verb) and the
verb is in its formal form. Although it is worded like a
nouns

Through our discussions on the personal pronouns, you


have learned how pronouns have case. Nouns also have
caseand in German, noun case can be expressed by the
denite article (der). Recall this table from Lektion 3:
These der-words reect noun gender in the nominative
caseappropriate whenever a noun is used as the subject of a sentence. For other cases, the der words change.
Expanding the table to present nominative (NOM.), accusative (ACC.), dative (DAT.), and genitive (GEN.)
cases:
Note, there are also der-word forms to be used for plural
nouns. Fortunately, these are the same, no matter what
the gender of the singular noun. For future reference, you
can nd the der-words summarized in Anhnge Drei.
The following examples demonstrate the use of the denitive article in various parts of speech:
Du hast die Wurst und den Kse. You have the sausage
and the cheese. (accusative case) Die Geschftsleute verstehen die Arbeit The business associates understand the
work. (nominative and accusative cases) Sie liegt am Aususs des Zrichsees. It lies at the outlet of (the) Lake
Zurich. (genitive case) Zrich ist die grte Stadt der
Schweiz. Zurich is the largest city in (of the) Switzerland.
(nominative and genitive cases)
In the last example, remember that in both English and
German, the noun (or pronoun) that follows the verb 'to
be' is a predicate noun, for which the correct case is the
nominative. That is why, in English, 'It is I' is grammatically correct and 'It is me' is incorrect. So consider the
following (and note that case of each denite article is the
same as in the last example above):
Zrich ist der Kanton der gleichnamigen Stadt. Zurich is
the canton of the same named city.

question, in written or spoken form, it is easy to tell the


dierence.

Chapter 32

Lesson 2.06 - Mathematik


32.1 Lesson 7
Einfache Mathematik ~ Simple Mathematics

It would be excellent practice towards learning these


numbers by counting (in German, of course) from 1 to
199or counting along any continuous sequence that
comes to mind. For example, start with your age and
count to 50 (count down if appropriate).

32.1.1

32.1.2 Grammatik 7-1 ~ Math Calculations

<< Lektion6 | Lektion 7 | Lektion 8 >>

Lernen 7 ~ Zhlen von 13 bis 100

Once you have memorized the numbers from 1 to 12 The following table presents the symbols used for basic
(see Lernen 3), counting higher in German becomes very mathematics.
much like counting in English. From 13 to 19, add -zehn
We can use these symbols to ask and answer simple prob(10; "-teen in English) after the cardinal number root:
lems in mathematics. Some of the examples that fol13 dreizehn (irregular in English: 'thirteen')
low include rst a question (Frage) and then the answer
14 vierzehn
(Antwort):
15 fnfzehn
16 sechzehn (note that the 's in sechs is dropped and the Wieviel ist sechs und sieben? How much is 6 and 7? Sechs
und sieben ist dreizehn 6 and 7 is 13 Wieviel ist fnfzig plus
'ch' is pronounced like the 'ch' in ich)
achtzehn? How much is 50 + 18? Fnfzig plus achtzehn
17 siebzehn (note that the 'en' in sieben is dropped)
ist gleich achtundsechzig 50 + 18 = 68 Wieviel ist siebzig
18 achtzehn
minus zehn? How much is 70 - 10? Siebzig minus zehn
19 neunzehn
ist gleich sechzig 70 - 10 = 60 Wieviel ist neun durch drei?
Above 19 the counting system is constant: add -zig ("-ty How much is 9 divided by 3? Neun durch drei ist gleich
in English) to the cardinal root. Thus, we get:
drei 9 3 = 3 Funf ist grer als zwei 5 > 2 Acht ist kleiner
als siebzehn 8 < 17
20 zwanzig
21 einundzwanzig (note: 'one-and-twenty')
22 zweiundzwanzig (note: 'two-and-twenty')

32.1.3 Vokabeln 7-1

And the same for 30, 40, 50....etc.

Counting to 199 is also included in the vocabulary for


Lektion 7.

30 dreiig (this is an exception to the -zig Rule)


40 vierzig
50 fnfzig
60 sechzig
70 siebzig
80 achtzig
90 neunzig
100 hundert

die Antwort answer die Frage question geteilt/dividiert


durch over [math] grer als greater than kleiner als
smaller than geteilt/dividiert divided, forked, split gleich
equal, same, even hoch tall, to the power of [math] mal
times [math] minus minus plus plus wieviel? how much?

So, combining these, we get:


34 vierunddreiig (note: 'four-and-thirty')
143 hundertdreiundvierzig (note: 'hundred-three-andforty')
170 hundertsiebzig
199 hundertneunundneunzig
66

Chapter 33

Lesson 2.07 - Mein, Dein, und Sein


33.1 Lesson 8

In German, the genitive case correspond to the English


possessive case or to the objective case proceeded by of
to denote possession. If the possessive is not followed
by a noun, it becomes a possessive pronoun (see Pronoun
Tables).

<< Lektion 7 | Lektion 8 | Lektion 9 >>

33.1.1

Grammatik 8-1 ~ Colors

The pattern in the case endings of the possessive adjectives is that seen in Lektion 4 for the word ein. We can
generalize these endings as in the following table, where
we can express plural endings because other so-called
ein-words do have plurals:

yellow: gelb
blue: blau
red: rot
black: schwarz
white: wei
orange: orange
pink: pink
violet: lila
cyan: trkis
brown: braun
grey: grau
light-grey: hellgrau
dark-grey: dunkelgrau

33.1.2

The small group of words that take these endings (in addition to ein) includes the possessive adjectives and kein
(not any or no in the sense of none).

Grammatik 8-2 ~ Possessive Adjectives, Pronouns, and the Genitive


Case

Recall the following from Gesprch 3-1:


Karl: Ja. Und danach bringst du mich auf
deinem Motorrad zu meiner Wohnung.

Which translates:
Carl: 'Yes. And after that take me on your motorcycle to my apartment'.
The sentence demonstrates two of the possessive adjectives. These are (singular) 'my', 'your', and 'his/her/its in
English and mein, dein, and sein/ihr/sein in German. Note
that because these are adjectives, the word ending must
reect the case and gender of the noun being modied
(see Grammatik 4-1 above).
67

Chapter 34

Lesson 2.08 - Einkaufen gehen


34.1 Lesson 9

Verkufer: Mchten Sie diese Schuhe? Diese hier


sind grer.

<< Lektion 8 | Lektion 9 | Lektion 10 >>

Einkaufen gehen ~ Going shopping

Katrin: Ja, danke.


Katrin probiert die Schuhe an. Sie passen prima.

34.1.1

Verkufer: Sie kosten neununddreiig Euro neunzehn.

Lernen 9 ~ Die Kleidungsstcke


(articles of clothing)

German English German plural die Bluse blouse die


Blusen der Grtel belt die Grtel das Hemd shirt die
Hemden das Kleid dress die Kleider die Hose pants
(US)/trousers die Hosen der Hut hat die Hte die Kleidung clothes (casual) die Kleidungsstcke die Jeans jeans
die Jeans die Mtze/Haube cap die Mtzen der Pullover
pullover die Pullis, die Pullover der Rock skirt die Rcke
der Schuh shoe die Schuhe die Shorts shorts die Shorts
die Socke sock die Socken der Stiefel boot die Stiefel das
T-Shirt T-shirt die T-Shirts

34.1.2

Gesprche 9-1 ~ Katrin macht Besorgungen

Katrin: Die Schuhe sind billig. Dann kaufe ich sie.

34.1.3 Vokabeln 9-1


Included in this vocabulary lesson are the German nouns
for various articles of clothing (Lernen 9 above).
die Besorgungen errands das Einkaufszentrum shopping
mall der Euro uro die Farbe color die Klamotten gear,
stu (things) das Paar pair, couple der Preis price der
Verkufer sales clerk, sales assistant neununddreiig Euro
neunzehn 39.19 anprobieren try on brauchen need
kaufen buy kosten cost mgen would like passen t [clothing] suchen seek, look for besonders especially billig
cheap prima topnotch, super welche which

Katrin macht Besorgungenbesonders sucht sie neue


2-2 Shopping-related Verbs
Schuhe. Sie geht in das Einkaufszentrum.
There are a lot of verbs that have to do with shopping for
Katrin: Entschuldigen Sie. Ich brauche Schuhe. Wo clothes. The most prominent are listed below.
sind sie?
anziehen - to put on (clothes)
aussehen
- to appear
Verkufer: Wir haben viele Schuhe. Welche Farbe
nehmen
to take
mchten Sie?
wollen - to want (somewhat impolite)
Katrin: Ein Paar Schuhe in Wei, bitte.
These verbs are used often, so it is necessary to learn
them. Among them are separable verbs, irregular verbs,
Verkufer: Da drben.
and modals.
Separable Verbs
Katrin probiert ein Paar Schuhe an.
Verkufer: Passen sie?
Katrin: Nein, sie sind zu klein.

Anprobieren, aussehen and anziehen are separable verbs.


It is easy to see this, as they each have a prex of 'aus or
'an'. When using the verb as the main verb of a sentence,
separate the prex and put it at the end of the sentence.
When the verb is in innitive form, leave it just as you see
it.
68

34.1. LESSON 9
Irregular Verbs

69
3-2 Accusative Case Articles

Ausehen and nehmen are the two irregular verbs on this


Remember that in the nominitive case, the articles are
list. Both experience a change in the rst 'e' in the duder, die, das, and die, listed in MFNP (masculine, femform and er/sie/es-form. Du siehst ... aus und er/sie/es
inine, neuter, and plural) order. Well, in the accusative
sieht ... aus. Du nimmst und er/sie/es nimmt.
case, only the masculine form changes to den. An easy
Modals
memory hook is Der goes to den and the rest stay the
Mchten and wollen are the two modals introduced here. same.
Modals are similar to the helping verbs in English and The ein-forms undergo the same change. Masculine ein
cause the other verb to go to the end in the innitive form. goes to einen and the rest stay the same.
They also have a strange conjugation. Mchten changes
in er/sie/es form to mchte (the same as the ich-form).
In fact all modals have the same er/sie/es-form and ich- 3-3 Prices
form.
Two easy words describe prices.
Wollen is like most other modals: it has a dierent vowel
in singular and plural, except when using formal you. billig - cheap
Ich will (not to be confused with future tense), du willst, teuer - expensive
er/sie/es will, wir wollen, ihr wollt, und sie/Sie wollen.
These adjectives are applied to the products you buy,
All of this verb conjugation and more can be found in never to the word Preis. Anyway, you rather say Das
ist billig/teuer. (meaning the product you buy) than Der
Reference Table II.
Preis ist niedrig/hoch.
3-4 A DDR Joke

34.1.4

3 Accusative Case

In einem Kaufhaus in der DDR fragt ein Kunde: Haben


Sie keine Unterhosen?".

You have already learned the pronouns and articles in the


Die Verkuferin antwortet: Nein, wir haben keine Badenominative case. Now it is time for the accusative case.
hosen. Im zweiten Stock haben wir keine Unterhosen!"
fragen to ask DDR Deutsche Demokratische Republik
(German Democratic Republic, long since reunited with
the BRD) Kaufhaus very big shop Kunde client Unterho3-1 Example Story 2
sen underpants Badehosen swimming trunks Im zweiten
You now need more clothes. You drive to a mall and go Stock on the second oor
to the clothing department store.
Du suchst zwei Jeans, drei Hemden und einen Grtel. Du
siehst die Jeans und nimmst zwei. Du kaufst jetzt nur die
Hemden und den Grtel.
VERKUFERIN: Die Grtel sind da.
DU: Haben Sie auch Grtel in Braun?
VERKUFERIN: Ja, da hinten.
Du nimmst den Grtel in Braun, aber er ist billig. Du
kaufst zwei.
VERKUFERIN: Noch etwas?
DU: Ja, ich brauche drei Hemden.
VERKUFERIN: Hemden haben wir. Sie sind hier.
Du nimmst ein Hemd in Blau, und zwei in Rot. Du probierst die Hemden, die Jeans, und die Grtel an. Alles
passt.
DU: Was kosten diese Klamotten?
VERKUFERIN: Zwei Jeans, drei Hemden, und zwei
Grtel kosten fnfundsechzig Euro.
You give the clerk the money and take the clothing home.

Chapter 35

Review 2.02
35.1 Lesson 10
<< Lektion 9 | Lektion 10 | Lektion 11 >>

35.1.1

Wiederholung

Lesson 10 is a review (Wiederholung) lesson to summarize the German language lessons presented in Lessons 6
through 9. You should, as well, return to Lektion 6 and review (that is, completely reread) each of the four lessons
back up to this point. For a more advanced course, you
should now incorporate each of the advanced lessons into
this review process. That is: review Lesson 6, then do
Lesson 6A, review Lesson 7, then do Lesson 7A, etc. If
the advanced lessons have already been completed, then
now review lessons in the order 6 -> 6A -> 7 -> 7A -> 8,
etc.

35.1.2

Verb Conjugation

You have learned that there is a relationship between the


subject of a verb and the form that verb takes in German. Some verbs follow a predictable regular pattern,
while others are less predictable (irregular verbs).
verb: knnen (can) gehen (go) sein (to be) pronoun verb
I (irreg.) verb II verb III (irregular) Basicform knnen
gehen sein ich kann gehe bin du kannst gehst bist er/sie/es
kann geht ist wir knnen gehen sind ihr knnt geht seid
sie knnen gehen sind Sie (formal) knnen gehen sind
As you can see, any verb uses the same declination for
wir, sie and Sie. Also, er/sie/es uses the same declination
for all three genders.

70

Chapter 36

'''Section 2.03 ~ Hannover, Germany'''

71

Chapter 37

Lesson 2.09 - Verbtempus und


Wortstellung
37.1 Lesson 11
<< Lektion 10 | Lektion 11 | Lektion 12 >> |

37.2 Ein Treen


(WIP)

in

Hannover

(Don't be too afraid, its a lot of text but simple grammar!)


Katja hat sich mit einem Freund, Markus, verabredet, den
sie im Chat kennengelernt hat. Sie hat ein Foto von ihm
gesehen, und vielleicht gefllt er ihr ja. Am Krpcke,
der grten U-Bahnstation in Hannover, steigt sie aus der
U-Bahn. Tglich betreten Hunderte von Menschen diese
Station, Schler, Studenten, Angestellte und Rentner. Sie
ist 22, studiert seit 2 Jahren Tiermedizin in Hannover, und
ist im Moment ledig.
Sie geht auf die Rolltreppe, betritt die Stufen, und fhrt
zwei Stockwerke nach oben. Whrenddessen schaut sie
nach unten. Ihre U-Bahn hat die Station verlassen. Eine
andere U-Bahn hat bereits gehalten, und die Fahrgste
sind aufgestanden und ausgestiegen. Sie kommt auf der
zweiten Ebene an und geht weiter, Richtung Sonnenlicht,
in die Pasarelle. Die Pasarelle fhrt Richtung Hauptbahnhof, und links und rechts locken die Schaufenster der
Geschfte. Nach einer Weile hat sie die Rolltreppe erreicht, die zum Hauptbahnhof fhrt. Nun sieht sie in voller
Breite den Hauptbahnhof von Hannover, und davor einen
Sockel mit einer Statue von einem Pferd mit Reiter. Dort
hat Markus schon fnf Minuten gewartet und begrt sie,
bevor sie sich ins Eiscafe nebenan setzen.

tive) er gefllt ihr She likes him (he pleases her, literally) Krpcke The name of Hanovers biggest subway station U-Bahn subway die grte greatest (feminine here)
die Station the station aussteigen getting o (a train, investment etc.) tglich daily betreten to enter Hunderte
hundreds diese female form of this der Schler, die
Schler(pl) pupil (British engl.) der Student student der
Angestellte Clerk der Rentner, die Rentner(pl) pensioner
studieren to study im Moment currently ledig a person
not having a partner gehen to go Rolltreppe escalator die
Stufe stair fahren to drive (often specializing from engl.
to travel towards) whrenddessen during this schauen
look ihre her (form for female possessions of a female
person) verlassen to leave verlassen Partizip Perfekt von
verlassen eine andere another (feminine object) bereits already der Fahrgast passenger die Fahrgste passengers (pl) aufstehen to stand up aufgestanden Partizip Perfekt von aufstehen ausgestiegen Partizip Perfekt von
aussteigen die Ebene level/plateau weitergehen to go on
sie geht weiter she goes on das Sonnenlicht sunlight die
Richtung direction Richtung Sonnenlicht towards sunlight die Passarelle passage way fhren lead Hauptbahnhof central station (in most German cities this is in the city
centre) Richtung Hauptbahnhof in direction of the central station links left rechts right locken tempt (not to confuse with die Locken = locks, curls!!) das Schaufenster
display window die Schaufenster plural of das Schaufenster das Geschft the shop die Geschfte the shops der
Geschfte of the shops nach einer Weile After a while erreichen reach erreicht Partizip Perfekt von erreichen die
zum Hauptbahnhof fhrt that leads to the central station

37.2.2 Word Order


37.2.1

Vokabeln

Inverted word order occurs under several circumstances,


among which are:

Katja Female rst name Markus Male rst name sich


verabreden to make a date Chat Internet Chat kennenlernen to get to know someone kennengelernt Partizip
Perfekt von kennenlernen das Foto Photographic Picture sehen to see gesehen Partizip Perfekt von sehen
vielleicht perhaps gefallen to please someone (with da72

Interrogatives
Time Expressions
Subordinating Conjunctions

37.2. EIN TREFFEN IN HANNOVER (WIP)


For interrogatives, a simple statement, Du hast das
Buch. becomes Hast du das Buch?" when converting
it to a question. The method is simply switching the verb
and subject of the sentence.
Time expressions, such as Nach der Schule prefacing
a sentence cause inverted word order. The formula is
Time Expression, Verb, Subject and Rest of sentence. Practically applied, Every day, I go to school
becomes Jeden Tag gehe ich zur Schule.
Subordinating conjunctions connect a dependent clause
to an independent clause. Some subordinating conjunctions are: dass (that), obwohl (although), seit (since), weil
(because), and wenn (if, when). The formula for a dependent clause is subordinating conjunction subject
rest of clause verb and is oset from the independent
clause by a comma. Here are some examples (the dependent clause is underlined):
Ich kann das Buch nicht kaufen, weil ich kein Geld habe.
Ich kaufe das Buch fr dich, da du kein Geld hast. Wenn
unsere Eltern uns besuchen, schenken sie uns Geschenke.
I can't buy the book because I have no money. I am buying
the book for you, as you have no money. When our parents
visit us, they give us presents.

73

Chapter 38

Lesson 2.10 - Undeveloped


38.1 Lesson 12

zweimal 12. wann* Zeit (Time - When?) im Winter 13.


a. woher Ort (Kommen - Coming from / Where from?)
von zu Haus / aus Berlin b. wohin Ort (Gehen / Fahren /
Fliegen - Going to?) nach Haus / zum Bahnhof c. wo Ort
(Sein / sich benden / wohnen zu Haus 14. wen Objekt
Person (Object Person) die Dame 15. was Objekt Sache
(Object Thing) das Buch

<< Lektion 11 | Lektion 12 | Lektion 13 >> |

38.2.2 Q.W. Meaning


Fragewrter

38.2 Fragewrter
Fragewrter meaning Questions or Question words, are
the ways to determine certain outcomes, which can be as
simple as Wie ist dein Name bitte? (What is your name
please?), to some complex ones like Kaufte die Frau
einen Koer? (Did the lady buy any suitcase?)
This lesson deals with letting you know of the
Question words, which are in use for daily use
and common phrases for the same.

1. wer who 2. was what (for non living things, detailing) 3. was what (for profession or occupation) 4. was
+(Ploos) machen what + does (activity, work or play etc.)
5. wie how (can be count as well, depending on the time
frame) 6. wie viele how many (numbers or count) 7. wie
viel how much (price) 8. wie lange how long (duration)
9. wie alt how old (age) 10. wie weit how far (distance)
11. wie oft* how often (time gap in between two events,
or the same event happening more than once) 12. wann*
when has, have, does (certain time period, or specic time
period) 13. a. woher from where, where from (source
of travel) b. wohin to where, where to (destination of
travel) c. wo where (nal reach point or nal destination)
14. wen whom (end person, or the other person) 15. was
what (for movement of non living or living things)

38.2.3 Rules
38.2.1

Questions Words

In Q.W. (Question Word) the rst rule is that:

There are in total 15 major types of Question Words, or


Fragewrter, which are used. These are as follows:
S No. Question Word (German) Related To (What is this
Q about) Example 1. wer Subjekt Person (Subject Person) Maria / Peter 2. was Subjekt Sache (Subject Thing)
Kreide (die) 3. was Beruf (Profession / Occupation) Arzt
4. was +(Ploos) machen Prdikat (Predicative) spielt
Tennis 5. wie Adjektiv (Adjective) interessant / schn
6. wie viele Zahl / Nummer (Numbers) sechs (zecs) (6)
Fenster 7. wie viel Betrag (Amount) kostet 8. wie lange
Zeitdauer (Time / Duration) neunzig / 90 Minuten 9. wie
alt Alter (Age - How Old Are You?) 2 Monate alt 10.
wie weit Entfernung (Distance - How far?) 2 Kilometer
weit 11. wie oft* Hugkeit (Frequency - How often?)
74

The Q.W. takes the rst position. Like (1)


Fragewrter (2) Verb (3) Subjekt (4) Alles
andere (Everything else) (5) ? (Fragezeichen)
So, The basic word order in a German sentence is the same as in English: subject verb object(s).
The second most important rule is that, all objects
(objekts) take Akkusative and all subjects (subjekts),
take Nominativ artikle.
Few Examples:

38.2. FRAGEWRTER

75

Der Junge spielt Fuball. (Subjekt: der Junge, Verb: 38.2.4 Questions
spielt, Objekt: Fuball.)
We will go backwards, so as to understand the Questions,
and their implication properly.
The boy plays football. (Subject: the boy, verb:
plays, object: football.)
To change the English sentence The boy plays football.
into a question, we insert the auxiliary verb does before
boy, change plays to the innitive form play and place a
question mark at the end: Does the boy play football?

Answer 01. Maria ist Lehrerin. (Maria is a female


teacher.)
Rule: When the subject person is underlined,
the Q.W. will be wer meaning who.

The process is very similar in German. However, we don't


need an auxiliary verb in German; thus, we just switch Q 01. Wer ist Lehrerin? (Who is the Teacher?)
the whole verb with the subject, ending up with:
Answer 02. Die Kreide ist wei. (The chalk is
white.)
Spielt der Junge Fuball?
Does the boy play football?

Rule: When the subject is non-person (is underlined), Q.W. will be was meaning what.

In German, there are two basic ways of forming a ques- Q 02. Was ist wei? (What is white?)
tion. The rst is the method described above. In addition
to this, you can use a question word (an interrogative ad Answer 03. Peter is Arzt (Pronounced Art'zst).
verb); for example, how wie as in How are you?
(Peter is Doctor.)
Wie gehts?
Other question words are summarized in the following
table.

Rule: When the profession / occupation is underlined, the Q.W. will be was meaning what.

In order to understand better, we will list all of the Q 03. Was ist Peter? (What is Peter?)
Question Words that are in language German.
Answer 04. Boris Becker spielt Tennis. (Boris
Becker plays Tennis.)
The question Wie heit ...? literally translates to How is
... called? meaning What is ... called?. This is why the
German question does not contain what was.
Rule: When the entire predicate is underlined,
Q.W. will be was followed by the correct conA question word comes rst in a sentence; thus, the word
junction of the word machen (to do / make).
order is: question word verb subject object(s).
For example:
Q 04. Was macht Boris Becker? (What does Boris
Becker do?)
Warum spielt der Junge Fuball?
Why does the boy play football?

Answer 05. Das Buch ist interessant. (The book is


interesting.)

Note that in German, the verb almost always comes secRule: When an adjective (adjektive) is underond in the sentence, except in the case of a question as
lined, the Q.W. will be wie, meaning how.
described above. The subject is almost always next to
the verb, if not in front of it then following it. For
Q 05. Wie ist das Buch? (How is the book?)
example:
Der Junge spielt nicht Fuball.
The boy is not playing football.
Heute spielt der Junge Fuball.
Today, the boy plays football.

Answer 06. Das Haus hat sechs (6) Fenster. (The


house has six (6) windows.)
Rule: When number (nummer) is underlined,
Q.W. will be wie viele, meaning how many.
Q 06. Wie viele Fenster hat das Haus? (How many windows does the house have?)

76

CHAPTER 38. LESSON 2.10 - UNDEVELOPED

Answer 07. Der Stuhl kostet 120 Rupien. (The stool Q 12. Wann hat Indien viele Feste? (When does India
/ chair costs Rupees 120.)
have many festivals?)
Rule: When amount (unit of monetizing) is underlined, Q.W. will be wie viel, meaning how
much.
Q 07. Wie viel kostet der Stuhl? (How much does the
stool / chair cost?)

This is an exception in example,


as it is states a particular time
span for the festival.
Rule: For Place there are 3 (three)
Questions.

Answer 08. Der Unterricht dauert neunzig Minuten.


(The class continues for 90 (ninety) minutes.)
Wohin To where / Where to Woher Where from /
From where Wo Where
Rule: When duration is underlined, Q.W. will
be wie lange, meaning how long.
Answer 13. a. Ich komme aus Hanover. (I come
from Hanover.)
Q 08. Wie lange dauert der Unterricht? (How long is the
class? / What is the duration of the class?)
Q 13. a. Woher kommen Sie? (Where are you coming from?) Woher kommst du? (Where do you come
Answer 09. Die Katze ist 2 (zwei) Monate alt. (The from?)
cat is 2 months old.)
Rule: When age is underlined, Q.W. will be
wie alt, meaning how old.
Q 09. Wie alt ist die Katze? (How old is the cat?)
Answer 10. Die Universitt ist 2 (zwei) Kilometer
weit vom Haus. (The University is 2 kilometer away
from the house.)
Rule: When the distance is underlined, Q.W.
will be wie weit, meaning how far.

Answer 13. b. Ich gehe nach Haus. (I go to


house.)
Q 13. b. Wohin gehen Sie? (Where to?) Wohin gehst
du? (Where to?)
Answer 13. c. Ich wohne in Hanover. (I live in
Hanover.)
Rule: Other than Kommen, Gehen,
Fahren, Fliegen, the place takes the
Q.W. wo, meaning where.

Q 10. Wie weit ist die Universitt vom Haus? (How far
is the University from the house? / What is distance of
Q 13. c. Wo wohnen Sie? (Where do you live?)
the University from the
house?)
Answer 14. Er besucht die Dame. (He visits the
Answer 11. Wir kommen hierher zweimal in der
lady.)
Woche. (We come here twice in the week.)
Rule: When frequency is underlined, Q.W. will
be wie oft, meaning how often.

Rule: When the Akkusativ objekt person


(subject name) is underlined, Q.W. is wen,
meaning whom.

Q 11. Wie oft kommen Sie/ihr hierher in der Woche?


Q 14. Wen besucht er? (Whom does he visit?)
(How often do you come here in a week?
Rule: When the answer is either in ich
or wir, the Question is always in Sie.
Answer 12. Im Winter hat Indien viele Feste. (In
winter India has many festivals.)
Rule: When time (season) is underlined,
Q.W. will be wann hat, meaning when has /
have / does.

Answer 15. Ich lege das Buch hin/beiseite. (I put


(down/aside) the book.)
Rule: When Akkusativ non-person is underlined, Q.W. is was, meaning what.
Q 15. Was legen sie hin/beiseite? (What do you put
(down/aside)?)

38.2. FRAGEWRTER

38.2.5

Vokabeln

ist Is Maria Female rst name Peter Male rst name


Lehrerin Female Teacher die Kreide Chalk wei
Color White Beruf Profession or Occupation Arzt
Doctor spielen To play (Verb) spielt Tennis Plays Tennis macht (machen) To do (Verb) interessant Interesting das Buch The Book Zahl or Nummer Numbers (Like, 0-9, etc) Betrag Amount (Monetary Term)
kostet Cost(s) Zeit Time dauern To continue Alter
Age Monate Months Entfernung Distance Hugkeit
Frequence zweimal Number 2 Ort Place or Position
Sache Thing Dame Lady Alles Everything andere
Else Artikel Article Katze Cat Unterricht Class Stuhl
Stool or Chair Fenster Window sechs Six (6) Universitt University Haus House Woche Week Fest Festival Indien India viele Many kommen Coming from
gehen Going to fahren Driving to iegen Flying to besuchen To visit legen Put down or Put aside

38.2.6

Excercise / bung

77
1. Translated questions:
(a) Wer heit Josef?
(b) Heit sie Sabine?
(c) Wann haben wir Deutsch?
(d) Wie heit der Junge?
(e) Wo bist du? / Wo sind Sie?
(f) Wie heit die Frau?
(g) Warum heit du George?
(h) Wann ist er ein Mann?
2. In German, the question is changed from What
are you called? to How are you called? (Note:
This is not the only time wie replaces was. For example, when asking to repeat something someone said, Germans usually say Wie bitte? (or
just: Bitte?) instead of Was? In fact, the latter
is considered impolite.)
3. German questions:
(a) Wie heien Sie?

Here are a few examples for better understanding the


stated methodology and to get a better grip on the
daily conversation:

(b) Wie heit es?

Problems: Forming Questions

(d) Wie heit du? / Wie heien Sie?

(c) Wie heit sie?


(e) Wie heit ihr?

1. Translate the following sentences into German.


(a) Who is called Josef?
(b) Is her name Sabina?
(c) When do we have German?
(d) What is the boys name?
(e) Where are you?
(f) What is the womans name?
(g) Why is your name George?
(h) When is he a man?
2. Explain in your own words why the translation
of What is your name? Wie heien Sie? contains how wie instead of what was.
3. Provide questions (in German) for the following
answers.
(a) Sie heien Johannes und Christine.
(b) Es heit Volkswagen.
(c) Sie heit Helga.
(d) Ich heie Kirstin.
(e) Wir heien Fritz und Werner.
(f) Er heit Dirk.
Answers

(f) Wie heit er?

Chapter 39

Lesson 2.11 - Undeveloped


39.1 Lesson 13

Milch wird dich krank machen. (The old milk will make
you sick.)

<< Lektion 12 | Lektion 13 | Lektion 14 >> |

39.1.1

Mein Arm schmerzt !

Franz met his friend Karl , Karl got a plaster on his arm .
Franz : guten Tag Karl , wie geht`s?
Karl : guten Tag Franz , nicht so gut , mein Arm schmerzt
, und ihnen?
Franz : wie bitte ? Arm schmerzt ? warum ?
Karl : gestern , im fussball spiele ,ich htte eine Wunde .
Franz : gehst du nach Arzt ?
Karl : ja . auf Widersehen .
Franz : auf Widersehen.
____

39.1.2

Vokablen

____
(The plural article is always die.)German

39.1.3

Adjectives

Adjectives are words that describe nouns. Most adjectives are stand-alone words; however, present and past
participles can also be used as adjectives. Numbers are
also adjectives, though they do not decline.
Adjectives may be either predicate or attributive. Predicate adjectives are adjectives connected to a noun through
a verb known as a copula. Those verbs in German are
sein (to be), werden (to become), and bleiben (to remain).
Other verbs, such as machen and lassen impart a predicate
adjective onto an accusative object. Predicate adjectives
are never inected.
Ich bin noch ledig. (I am still single.) Trotz des Streites
bleiben wir verheiratet. (Despite the argument we remain
married.) Ich werde bse. (I am getting angry.) Die alte
78

Chapter 40

Lesson 2.12 - Undeveloped


40.1 Lesson 14
<< Lektion 12 | Lektion 13 | Lektion 14 >> |

40.1.1

Tier

40.1.2

Grammatik

Adverbs
Adverbs based on adjectives (remember last lesson)are
one of the simplest parts of German grammar. Any adjective can be used as an adverb simply by placing its
uninected form within the sentence, usually towards the
end.
Das Ehepaar ging gestern frhlich spazieren. (The married couple went for a walk joyfully yesterday.)
Other adverbs have no adjectival equivalent. Many of
these express time.
Damals (at that time) Ich bin gestern dort gewesen. (I
was there yesterday.) Morgens bin ich normalerweise im
Bro. (I am normally in the oce in the morning.)

79

Chapter 41

Review 2.03
41.1 Lesson 15

41.1.2 Grammatik
Adjectives are words that describe nouns. Most adjectives are stand-alone words; however, present and past
participles can also be used as adjectives. Numbers are
also adjectives, though they do not decline.

<< Lektion 11 | Lektion 12 | Lektion 13 >> |

41.1.1

Vokablen

er gefllt ihr She likes him (he pleases her, literally)


Krpcke The name of Hanovers biggest subway station. U-Bahn subway die grte greatest (feminine here)
die Station the station aussteigen getting o (a train, investment etc.) tglich daily betreten to enter Hunderte
hundreds diese female form of this der Schler, die
Schler(pl) pupil (British engl.) der Student student der
Angestellte Clerk der Rentner, die Rentner(pl) pensioner
studieren to study im Moment currently ledig a person
not having a partner gehen to go Rolltreppe escalator die
Stufe stair fahren to drive (often specializing from engl.
to travel towards) whrenddessen during this schauen
look ihre her (form for female possessions of a female
person) verlassen to leave verlassen Partizip Perfekt von
verlassen eine andere another (feminine object) bereits already der Fahrgast passenger die Fahrgste passengers (pl) aufstehen to stand up aufgestanden Partizip Perfekt von aufstehen ausgestiegen Partizip Perfekt von
aussteigen die Ebene level/plateau weitergehen to go on
sie geht weiter she goes on das Sonnenlicht sunlight die
Richtung direction Richtung Sonnenlicht towards sunlight die Passarelle passage way fhren lead Hauptbahnhof central station (in most German cities this is in the city
centre) Richtung Hauptbahnhof in direction of the central station links left rechts right locken tempt (not to confuse with die Locken = locks, curls!!) das Schaufenster
display window die Schaufenster plural of das Schaufenster das Geschft the shop die Geschfte the shops der
Geschfte of the shops nach einer Weile After a while erreichen reach erreicht Partizip Perfekt von erreichen die
zum Hauptbahnhof fhrt that leads to the central station

Adjectives may be either predicate or attributive. Predicate adjectives are adjectives connected to a noun through
a verb known as a copula. Those verbs in German are
sein (to be), werden (to become), and bleiben (to remain).
Other verbs, such as machen and lassen impart a predicate
adjective onto an accusative object. Predicate adjectives
are never inected. Adverbs based on adjectives (remember last lesson)are one of the simplest parts of German
grammar. Any adjective can be used as an adverb simply
by placing its uninected form within the sentence, usually towards the end. The examples below can describe
both of Adjectives and Adverbs.
Ich bin noch schuler. (I am still student .) Trotz des Streites bleiben wir freunde . (Despite the argument we
remain friends.) Ich werde frh. (I am getting happy.)
Die alte Milch wird dich krank machen. (The old milk
will make you sick.)
.Now try to translate the following sentences into English
according to what you've learned about Adjectives and
Adverbs :

____
(The plural article is always die.)German
80

1. Lukas wird faul


2. wir bleiben freunde fr einen 12 jahren.
Antworten>

Chapter 42

'''LEVEL THREE LESSONS'''

81

Chapter 43

'''Section 3.01 ~ Bonn, Germany'''

82

Chapter 44

Lesson 3.01 - Markus

83

Chapter 45

Lesson 3.02 - Gesprche unter


Geschftsmnnern
45.1 Gesprche
Geschftsmnnern

Unter 45.1.2 Vokabeln 2-3

das Delikatessengeschft Deli, Delicatessen (das


Geschft = business) der Hartkse hard cheese
Lektion 1 | Lektion 2 | Lektion 3 | Lektion 4 | Lektion 5 | Lektion das Lebensmittel, die Lebensmittel food, foods der
6 | Lektion 7 | Lektion 8 | Lektion 9 | Lektion 10 | Lektion 11 | Schmelzkse soft cheese die Schweinswurst pork sausage
Lektion 12
der Schweizerkse Emmenthaler cheese, Swiss cheese
das Stck piece der Verkufer sales clerk das Wrstchen
small sausage die Wurstsorten types of sausage Bitte
Lektion Zwei fr Fortgeschrittene
If you please Nrnberger Schweinswrste a type of
small, pork sausage (pl.) nden nd heien call, name
schmecken taste suchen seek, look for verkaufen sell
45.1.1 Gesprch 2-3 ~ Katrin geht (compare with einkaufen & der Verkufer) hnlich
einkaufen
similar ein a, an, any, one lecker tasty, delicious nicht
not stckweise piecemeal, by the piece (compare with
das Stck)
Katrin geht einkaufen. Sie braucht Wurst und
Kse, aber sie ndet viele leckere Lebensmittel
Pronunciation Guide >>
in dem Delikatessengeschft.
Katrin: Hallo. Ich brauche Kse.
Verkufer: Ich habe einen leckeren
Schmelzkse. Er heit 'Brimsen'.
Katrin: Nein. Ich suche Hartkse. Haben
Sie einen 'Jarlsberg'?
Verkufer: Nein. Aber ich habe einen
guten Schweizer Kse. Er schmeckt hnlich.
Katrin: OK. Verkaufen Sie den stckweise?
Verkufer: Ja. Ein Stck?
Katrin: Bitte. Und haben Sie Wurst?
Verkufer: Ja gewiss. Wir haben viele
Wurstsorten.
Katrin: Ich suche Wrstchen.
Verkufer:
Ich
Schweinswrste'.
Katrin: Das ist gut.

habe

'Nrnberger

45.1.3 Grammatik 2-5 ~ Word Formation


As in any language, many words in German are constructed from other smaller words that provide similar
meaning, although the connections can sometimes be obscured by the passage of time. Construction of new words
from word combinations is especially prevalent with German nouns, and understanding word roots can therefore
be helpful in learning new words. As an example, consider the phrase Auf Wiedersehen the standard translation into English being 'Good bye', although it means literally 'upon reunion' (in essence, until we meet again).
The noun, das Wiedersehen, consists of wieder, 'once
again' (or 're-' as a prex), and sehen or 'see'.
The noun die Geschftsleute provides a direct example of
a compounded noun: the rst part of each deriving from
das Geschft ('business) and the second part from die
Leute ('people'). The gender of a compound noun follows
the base or last noun.
There are other examples in the this lesson, but these may
not be immediately obvious unless you already have a
good command of German words. However, you should
84

45.1. GESPRCHE UNTER GESCHFTSMNNERN


train yourself to view new words in terms of the meanings of their component parts. Consider all of the various words used in this lesson to describe types of cheeses:
der Hartkse, der Schmelzkse, der Schweizerkse; or
nouns and verbs related to buying and selling (Kaufen und
Verkaufen).

45.1.4

85

45.1.6 Vokabeln 2-4


der Brief letter das Einkaufen shopping der Finger, die
Finger nger, ngers das Kaufen buying (use of the
verb form is preferred) das Schwein pig (compare with
die Schweinswurst) das Verkaufen selling knnen can
schreiben write jede any zehn ten

Grammatik 2-6 ~ Personal Pro45.1.7 Andere Wrter 2A


nouns: nominative case

Here are the personal pronouns in the nominative case:

Using these additional vocabulary words, you should be


able to restate Gesprch 2-2 above, altering the meaning
(or time of day) of the conversation.

Polite form.

der Abend evening Guten Abend! Good Evening (greeting) morgen frh tomorrow morning zu wenig too little
abend evening abends evenings falsch false, wrong morThe nominative case is that of the subject of a verb. The
gen tomorrow morgens in the morning schlecht bad
pronoun subject of these sentences is underlined in the
German and the English:
Pronunciation Guide >>
This last sentence is an example from Gesprch 2-3 using
the polite form of 'you'. Whether singular or plural must
be established by context. This next sentence translates 45.1.8 bersetzung 2-2
with sie as 'they':
as evidenced by the form taken by the verb 'can' (knnen). Write these sentences in German. Pay attention to the
Other uses of the nominative case in German will be ex- additional words presented in Andere Wrter 2A:
plored in future lessons. Tables of the pronouns in all
cases are summarized in the grammar appendix: Pronoun
Tables.
NOTE: An intransitive verb cannot be followed by an
object in English or German. A pronoun following an
intransitive verb such as 'to be' is called a predicate pronoun and should be in the nominative case. In English 'It
is I' is correct; 'It is me' is incorrect.

45.1.5

Grammatik 2-7 ~ More on verb


forms

Just as English sometimes adds the verb to be, forming the progressive, note also in Grammatik 2-2 (in both
question sentence examples) that English also may insert
the verb 'to do' (called the emphatic form), especially useful when forming a question. This is not done in German:
Again, in the present tense, the English sentences:
'I write a letter.'
'I do write a letter.'
are all, in German: Ich schreibe einen Brief.
'I am writing a letter.'
means: Ich schreibe gerade einen Brief.

1. Good evening Catherine.Where are you going?


2. I'm looking for a good Swiss cheese.
3. That is wrong! Too little is too little.
Antworten >

Chapter 46

Lesson 3.03 - Mach dir keine Sorgen!


46.1 Mach Dir Keine Sorgen!

46.1.3 Grammatik 3-5 ~ Numbers

Lektion 1 | Lektion 2 | Lektion 3 | Lektion 4 | Lektion 5 | Lektion


6 | Lektion 7 | Lektion 8 | Lektion 9 | Lektion 10 | Lektion 11 |
Lektion 12

Gender of Ordinals

Lektion Drei fr Fortgeschrittene

46.1.1

Gesprch 3-3 ~ Mach dir keine Sorgen!

Ordinal numbers are adjectives, and therefore have forms


for each of the three genders in German. The forms are
derived from the feminine form (as introduced in the beginning of Lesson 3) by adding an 'r' (masculine) or an 's
(neuter). Thus: erste (feminine), erster (masculine), and
erstes (neuter). Examples:
~ erster Mann ('rst man'); letzter Mann ('last
man'); siebter Himmel (7th heaven)

Beim Ballspielen macht Karl sich Sorgen um die Uhrzeit.


Karl: Wie spt ist es jetzt?

~ zehnte Frau ('tenth woman'); zweite Woche


('second week')

Heinrich: Es ist erst halb eins.

~ drittes Mdchen ('third girl')

Karl: Kannst du mir bitte sagen, wenn es Viertel vor


zwei ist?
46.1.4
Heinrich: Warum?
Karl: Dann muss ich nach Hause gehen.

Grammatik 3-6 ~ Expressions of


Time

Idioms used in Telling Time

Heinrich: Und jetzt ist es schon ein Uhr einund- As in English, there are a number of idiomatic phrases
dreiig.
associated with giving or telling time. For example, note
Karl: Du bist komisch! Hier, ich kicke dir den Ball that the half hour is given as approaching the next hour.
The German preposition, um, is used to mean at a given
zu.
time.
Heinrich: Ja. Dann kann ich ihn dir zurckkicken.
1

This idiom (Es ist viertel zehn) is used especially in the southern parts of Germany, but
is becoming popular among young Germans
throughout the Country.

Karl: Ja. Und danach bringst du mich auf deinem


Motorrad zu meiner Wohnung.

46.1.2

Vokabeln 3-3

das Ballspiel ball game die Minute minute das Motorrad motorcycle die Sorge, die Sorgen problem(s), worry(ies) das Viertel quarter, one-fourth die Woche week die
Wohnung apartment mach dir keine Sorgen! do not
worry! nach Hause gehen go home kicken kick zurckkicken kick back, return kick beim when, while (usually,
at the) danach after that dein your erst only halb half
jetzt now komisch comical, funny mein my schon already
zurck back warum why (interrogative)

Periods of the Day


There are a number of adverbial phrases used in German
to denote time periods during the day. Common ones are
listed here:

86

Forms like morgens and des Nachmittags


would tend to be used to indicate customary
or habitual actions, as in this sense:

46.1. MACH DIR KEINE SORGEN!


Morgens spiele ich. = In the morning I (usually) play.
However, these forms aren't used much anymore.
Additional Notes
The rst sentence in Gesprch 3-3 uses Beim Ballspielen in the sense of during the ball game or while playing ball. Beim is a contraction of bei dem or at the.
However, das Ballspiel is a noun that represents an action (playing with a ball), so it is correct to use beim
in the sense intended here. It is not the most beautiful
way of saying thisbut is correct. With the innitive of
a verb you can use beim too: Beim Spielen means while
playing. This form is more common in modern German
language.

46.1.5

Vokabeln 3-4

der Abend evening der Himmel heaven der Mittag noon,


noontime der Morgen, die Morgen morning(s) der Nachmittag afternoon die Nacht night der Tag, die Tage day(s)
abreisen depart (from a trip) auf for (duration), after
gegen towards, about, approximately letzt(er) last ungefhr (at) about, approximately
Note that morgen does not change in plural; thus, Die
Morgen = the mornings. It is uncommon to use it in
plural, unless as a measure of land Vier Morgen Land =
four 'morgens of land. For a plural use of mornings,
it is better to substitute die Vormittage.

46.1.6

Andere Wrter 3A

Using these additional vocabulary words, you may be able


to restate Gesprch 3-3 above, altering the meaning (or
time of day) of the conversation.
die Hlfte half die Viertelstunde quarter of an hour
Pronunciation Guide >>

46.1.7

bersetzung 3-2

Translate the following sentences into German:


1. I am always at home in the morning.
Antworten >

87

Chapter 47

'''Section 3.02 ~ Innsbruck, Austria'''

88

Chapter 48

Lesson 3.04 - Die Geschftsleute


48.1 Die Geschftsleute

Herr Schmidt: Alles klar.


Frau Baumann: Spter werden wir eine
Versammlung in der Buchhaltung abhalten.

Lektion 1 | Lektion 2 | Lektion 3 | Lektion 4 | Lektion 5 | Lektion


6 | Lektion 7 | Lektion 8 | Lektion 9 | Lektion 10 | Lektion 11 |
Lektion 12

Herr Standish: Sehr gut. Auf Wiedersehen Frau Baumann. Auf Wiedersehen
Herr Schmidt.

Lektion Vier fr Fortgeschrittene

48.1.1

Herr Schmidt: Auf Wiedersehen.

Gesprch 4-2 ~ Die Geschftsleute

Herr Schmidt und Herr Standish, als sie sich


am Hauptsitz endlich begegnen. Frau Baumann ist auch da.
Herr Schmidt: Guten Morgen, Herr Standish! Darf ich mich vorstellen: mein
Name ist Schmidt, Johann Schmidt.
Herr Standish: Es freut mich sehr, Sie
kennen zu lernen. Ich heie Miles Standish.
Herr Schmidt: Ich glaube, dass Sie Frau
Baumann schon kennen.
Herr Standish: Ja, gewiss. Wie geht es
Ihnen, Frau Baumann?
Frau Baumann: Danke, es geht mir gut.
Herr Schmidt: Verstehe ich es richtig,
dass Sie gestern ankamen und morgen ins
Wiener Bro reisen mssen?
Herr Standish: Ja, am Montag fuhr
ich mit dem Schnellzug durch den
rmelkanaltunnel. Wenn ich meine Arbeit abgeschlossen habe, werde ich am
Donnerstag nach Zrich und Wien reisen.

48.1.2 Vokabeln 4-3


der rmelkanaltunnel Chunnel (England-France channel
tunnel) die Arbeit work die Bibliothek library die Buchhaltung accounting oce das Bro oce der Donnerstag
Thursday die Geschftsbibliothek company (business) library der Montag Monday der Name name der Schnellzug express train das Sehen vision die Versammlung
meeting das Wien Vienna (Austria) das Wiedersehen reunion die Woche week das Zrich Zurich alles klar all
right, everything clear am Montag on Monday dann wenn
at such time when Darf ich... ? May I... ? Es freut mich
sehr It gives me pleasure Guten Morgen! Good morning!
(greeting) Ja, gewiss certainly, of course vor Ende der
Woche before the end of the week Wiener Bro Vienna
branch oce abhalten hold abschlieen complete ankommen (kam an, angekommen) arrive fahren ride geben give
kennen lernen meet, make acquaintance mssen must
(aux.) reisen travel sehen see, look tun do, accomplish
sich vorstellen introduce werden will wrde would bitte
please da there durch through, by means of endlich nally
gestern yesterday nach to, towards natrlich of course
mich myself (reexive) mit with schnell fast, quick, rapid
sofort directly, forthwith wieder again, once again

Herr Schmidt: Sehr gut. Bitte sprechen


Sie vor Ende der Woche noch mit Frau
Kaufmann.

Pronunciation Guide >>

Frau Baumann: Sie arbeitet in der


Geschftsbibliothek.

48.1.3 Grammatik 4-4 ~ Personal Pronouns: Accusative Case

Herr Schmidt: Das ist richtig. Die Bibliothek.

Here are the personal pronouns in the accusative case:

Herr Standish: Ich werde es sofort tun.

*Polite form.
89

90

CHAPTER 48. LESSON 3.04 - DIE GESCHFTSLEUTE

The accusative case is that of the object of a verb. Only


transitive verbs take direct objects. The pronoun (and
noun in two cases) object in each of these sentences is
underlined in the German and the English:

Word order in a German sentence with an indirect object


depends upon whether that direct object is a pronoun or
a noun. If the direct object is a noun, the dative precedes
the accusative; if the direct object is a personal pronoun,
Knnen Sie mich verstehen? Can you understand me? Ich the accusative precedes the dative:
kann Sie verstehen. I can understand you. Ich kann sie English sentence structure is similar.
verstehen I can understand (her or them). Ich kann ihn
dir zurck kicken! I can kick it back to you!
Note the order of the pronouns in this last sentence. If
the direct object (here: ihn) is a personal pronoun, it precedes the dative (dir); if it were a noun, the dative would
precede it, as in these sentences:
Hier, ich kicke dir den Ball zu. Here, I kick the ball to
you. Darf ich Ihnen meine Freundin vorstellen? May I
introduce my friend to you?
Other uses of the accusative case in German will be explored in future lessons. Tables of the personal pronouns
in all cases are summarized in Pronoun Tables.

48.1.4

Grammatik 4-5 ~ Personal Pronouns in the Dative Case

Here are the personal pronouns in the dative case:


*Polite form.
The dative case is that of the indirect object of a verb. The
pronoun indirect object of these sentences is underlined
in the German and the English:
Es geht mir gut It goes (for) me well Wie geht es dir? How
goes it (for or with) you Und knnen Sie mir sagen...? And
can you tell me...? Karl gibt ihm den Ball Karl gave him
the ball. Wie geht es Ihnen? How goes it (with) you?
(How are you?)
This last sentence is an example from Gesprch 1-2 using
the polite form of 'you'. Whether singular or plural must
be established by context. This next sentence translates
with ihnen as 'them':
Wie geht es ihnen? How goes it with them? (How are
they?)
The meaning of ihnen (or Ihnen) would have to come
from context in a conversation.
Another use of the dative case in German is after these
prepositions: aus, bei, mit, nach, seit, von, zu. You will
be introduced to the meanings of these prepositions over
many future lessons rather than all at once, because some
have many meanings in English. Indeed, because each
language associates specic prepositions with many common sayings (and these often do not correspond in German and English), these little words can be troublesome
for students. Nonetheless, you should memorize now the
list of prepositions above to always remember their association with the dative case. Tables of the pronouns in all
cases are summarized in Appendix 2.

Chapter 49

Lesson 3.05 - Der Englnder in sterreich


49.1.1 Gesprch 5-2 ~ Der Englnder in
sterreich

49.1 Der Englnder in sterreich


Lektion 1 | Lektion 2 | Lektion 3 | Lektion 4 | Lektion 5 | Lektion
6 | Lektion 7 | Lektion 8 | Lektion 9 | Lektion 10 | Lektion 11 |
Lektion 12

Lektion Fnf

Republik sterreich

Wenn er auf den Kontinent fhrt, wandert Herr Standish gern. Heute frh fhrt er in die Stadt St. Plten in
Niedersterreich. Er spricht mit einer fremden Frau:
Herr Standish: Entschuldigen Sie bitte. Wo ist hier
ein Hotel?
Die Frau: Gleich dort drben. Das ist das Hotel
Zur Post.
Herr Standish: Gibt es ein Restaurant darin?
Die Frau: Ja gewiss! Ein Restaurant mit einfacher
Kche, besonders zum Abendessen. Aber ich knnte Ihnen ein anderes Restaurant empfehlen. Es
heit 'Alt-Wien', und es gibt dort das beste Frhstck. Das Restaurant ist links neben dem Hotel,
um die Ecke.
Herr Standish: Danke sehr. Und knnen Sie mir
sagen, wo das Rathaus von St. Plten ist?
Die Frau: Wie bitte?
Herr Standish: Wie komme ich zum Rathaus?
Die Frau: Rechts um die Ecke und dann immer geradeaus ungefhr ein Kilometer.
Herr Standish: Danke sehr.
Die Frau: Bitte sehr. Wiedersehen.
Rathaus von St. Plten

Herr Standish: Auf Wiedersehen.


91

92

49.1.2

CHAPTER 49. LESSON 3.05 - DER ENGLNDER IN STERREICH

Vokabeln 5A

es 1159. Bis 1494 stand St. Plten im Besitz des Bistums Passau, dann wurde es landesfrstliches Eigentum.
Bereits 771 ndet sich ein Benediktinerkloster, ab 1081
gab es Augustiner-Chorherren, 1784 wurde deren Kollegiatsstift aufgehoben, das Gebude dient seit 1785 als
Bischofssitz. Zur Landeshauptstadt von Niedersterreich wurde St. Plten mit Landtagsbeschluss vom 10.
Juli 1986, seit 1997 ist es Sitz der Niedersterreichischen
Landesregierung.

das Abendessen supper (evening meal) [das] sterreich


Austria die Ecke corner das Frhstck breakfast das Hotel hotel der Kilometer kilometer die Kche cooking, cuisine der Kontinent continent (Europe) [das] Niedersterreich (federal state of) Lower Austria das Rathaus city
hall das Restaurant restaurant die Stadt city Bitte sehr
You're welcome Entschuldigen Sie Pardon me, excuse me
Es gibt dort... There is there... Gibt es...? Is there..?
Guten Tag good day (parting) immer geradeaus straight
on ahead knnen Sie could you (polite form) Wie bitte?
Pardon me? (polite come again?") empfehlen recommend fahren travel kommen come, go, get wandern wander sagen say, tell sprechen speak anderer, andere, anderes other besonders especially bitte please das that dann
then darin therein ein a (indenite article) eins one (cardinal number) fremd unknown gern gladly gleich just, right
(correct), right here, same heute frh this morning hier
here (in this place) ich I (personal pronoun) links left (direction) neben next to rechts right (direction) ungefhr
approximately von of (Rathaus von St. Plten = St. Polten Luftbild von St. Plten
City Hall) wie how (interrogative) wo where (interrogative) zu to (zum = contraction of zu dem)

49.1.3

Andere Wrter 4A

Vokabeln 5B

der Bahnhof train station der Flughafen airport die Die Altstadt old town Der Augustiner Augustinian Der
Polizeiwache police station die Post post oce genau ex- Besitz possession, holding Das Bistum diocese Der
Bischofssitz bishops see (a seat of a bishops authority)
act(ly) heute today
Die Bundeslnder federal states Die Chorherren mens
choir Das Eigentum proprietorship Die Einwohner in49.1.4 Lesestck 5-1 ~ Eine Geschichte habitants Das Gebude premises Die Geschichte history
Das Jahrhundert century Das Kloster monastery, friary
ber St. Plten
Das Kollegiatsstift monastery college Die Landeshauptstadt regional or state capital city Die Landesregierung
provincial (state) government Der Landtagsbeschluss day
of jurisdictional reorganization Das Marktrecht right to
hold markets Der Name name Der Ort place, spot, city
Die Rmerstadt Roman town Der Sitz ocial place Bistum Passau a dioecian region in Bavaria sowohl... als auch
both... and zurck auf goes back to aufheben (hob auf,
aufgehoben) merged in (or turned into?) benden sich situated, located (befand sich, haben sich befunden) nden
sich* found (located) benennen (benannte, benannt) call
(as to label) erhalten (erhielt, erhalten) receive erheben
Karte: St. Plten in sterreich
(erhob, erhoben) arise, raise erwhnen (erwhnte, erNiedersterreich ist sowohl chenmig als auch nach whnt) mention stehen (stand, gestanden) stand (stood,
Einwohnern das grte der neun sterreichischen Bun- stood) werden (wurde, [ist]geworden) become ab from
deslnder. Sankt Plten ist die Landeshauptstadt von auf up bereits already bis until, by, up to chenmig
Niedersterreich. Der Name St. Plten geht auf den (no direct translation) ~ when measured in surface heilig
heiligen Hippolytos zurck, nach dem die Stadt benannt holy landesfrstlich baronial or princely (holdings) nach
in terms of um around
wurde.
Die Altstadt bendet sich dort, wo vom 2. bis zum 4.
Jahrhundert die Rmerstadt Aelium Cetium stand. 799
wurde der Ort als Treisma erwhnt. Das Marktrecht
erhielt St. Plten um 1050, zur Stadt erhoben wurde

(* one short form of annden: ndet sich (an); in colloquial language you can cut the an"; but in THIS special
case it is the short form of "(be)ndet sich (dort)")
Pronunciation Guide >>

49.1. DER ENGLNDER IN STERREICH


Read more about St. Plten at the German
Wikipedia (source of article above).

93

Chapter 50

Lesson 3.06 - Tour de France


50.1 Tour de France
Lektion 1 | Lektion 2 | Lektion 3 | Lektion 4 | Lektion 5 | Lektion
6 | Lektion 7 | Lektion 8 | Lektion 9 | Lektion 10 | Lektion 11 |
Lektion 12

50.1.1

Lernen 7-2 ~ Tour de France

(aus Wikipedia, der freien Enzyklopdie)


Die Tour de France ist eines der berhmtesten und
wichtigsten sportlichen Groereignisse berhaupt. Seit
1903 wird die Tour alljhrlich - mit Ausnahme der Zeit
des Ersten und Zweiten Weltkriegs - drei Wochen lang im
Juli ausgetragen und fhrt dabei in wechselnder Streckenfhrung quer durch Frankreich und das nahe Ausland.
Eine Tour de France der Frauen (grande boucle fminine)
mit deutlich krzeren Etappen wird seit 1984 gefahren.
Sie steht medial vllig im Schatten ihres mnnlichen Pendants.

50.1.2

Vokabeln 7A

die Ausnahme exception die Enzyklopdie encyclopedia der Erste Weltkrieg WW I das Groereignis major event der Juli July das Radrennen bicycle race die
Welt world die Woche, die Wochen week, weeks die
Zeit time, period der Zweite Weltkrieg WW II (bei
weitem) berhmteste among the most widely renowned,
the most popular alljhrlich every year bei among (one of)
berhmteste most celebrated, most renowned frei, freien
(Akkusativ) free seit since sportlich athletic berhaupt
altogether, generally whrend during drei Wochen lang
three weeks lasting weit broad, wide wichtig important
Pronunciation Guide >>

94

Chapter 51

'''Section 3.03 ~ Bavaria, Germany'''

95

Chapter 52

Lesson 3.07 - Undeveloped

96

Chapter 53

Lesson 3.08 - Undeveloped

97

Chapter 54

Lesson 3.09 - Undeveloped

98

Chapter 55

'''LEVEL FOUR LESSONS'''

99

Chapter 56

'''Section 01 ~ Kiel, Germany'''

100

Chapter 57

'''Section 02 ~ Schaan, Liechtenstein'''

101

Chapter 58

'''Section 03 ~ Schahausen, Switzerland'''

102

Chapter 59

'''GRAMMAR'''

103

Chapter 60

Adjectives and Adverbs


60.1 Adjectives and Adverbs
60.1.1

Adjectives

Adjectives are words that describe nouns. Most adjectives are stand-alone words; however, present and past
participles can also be used as adjectives. Numbers are
also adjectives, though they do not decline.
Attributive adjectives precede the noun that they are describing, and are always declined. Learning the adjective
endings is a central part to the study of German. The adjective endings are frequently one of the hardest topics
for new students to learn. It is best to commit the declension tables to memory, while attempting to speak independently. Proper use of adjective endings, especially
in speaking, will come with repeated use. They are described in the next part of this chapter.

60.1.2

Note the shape of the state Oklahoma

nite articles and der-words always provide a primary case


ending. Indenite articles and ein-words provide primary
case endings outside of Oklahoma. Sometimes nouns
have no article, in which case adjectives provide the primary case ending.

Adjective Endings

Forms

Forms in Context of Articles

This section will make use of the mnemonic Oklahoma,


which denotes the elds of nominative masculine; nominative neuter; accusative neuter; nominative feminine;
and accusative feminine, which resemble the state of Oklahoma in the tables used below. The concept is used
to describe endings in two declension tables: the weak
adjective declension, and the indenite-article/ein-word
declension.

This terminology - strong and weak endings - is confusing


for many students. As the student develops, he or she will
develop an ear for case endings, and will recognize when a
noun has and has not received a case ending. Nonetheless,
it is worth providing the three declension tables that result
from this principle.

Adjectives following a denite article or der-word always


have a weak ending. Within Oklahoma, that is "-e, and
The endings of attributive adjectives can be divided into outside of Oklahoma, that is "-en. Also dies.., jed..,
manch.., welch.., solch.. and all.. get the same ending
two groups: strong endings and weak endings.
as in the table above.
The strong adjective endings are nearly the same as the
der-word endings, with the exceptions of masculine and Note how, within Oklahoma, adjectives take strong endings, and outside Oklahoma, they take weak endings.
neuter adjectives in the genitive case (marked in bold).
This is because indenite articles provide primary endMake note of the region, Oklahoma, in the nominative ings only outside of Oklahoma. Also mein.., dein.., sein..,
and accusitive cases, for weak endings.
ihr.., unser.., euer.. and Ihr.. get the same ending as in
The use of a weak or a strong adjective ending depends the table above.
on what precedes it:
Forms of nouns without articles are rare compared to
The principle guiding adjective endings is that a noun, those with denite and indenite articles; however, one
when possible, should have a primary case ending. De- must still know the strong declension. Note that the strong
104

60.1. ADJECTIVES AND ADVERBS

105

adjective declension is almost the same as the der-word adverb. To give up, whose innitive in German would
endings, with the exceptions of masculine and neuter in be to up-give, means to quit, in sharp contrast to to
the genitive case (in bold).
give. In the fourth example, it is not even possible to
look someone, whereas it is possible to look someone
up, or look a candidates resume over. (English even
has inseparable prepositional prex verbs; compare to
60.1.3 Adverbs
look s.o. over to to overlook s.o. Many of these verbs
Adverbs based on adjectives are one of the simplest parts have been replaced by verbs based on Latin and Greek.)
of German grammar. Any adjective can be used as an The adverbs in the fth example correspond to da-, wo-,
adverb simply by placing its uninected form within the hin- and her- compounds in German. Such compounds
sentence, usually towards the end.
are often used in legal texts in English. In such comDas Ehepaar ging gestern frhlich spazieren. (The mar- pounds, the object of the preposition is replaced with the
words there or here, compounded with the preposiried couple went for a walk joyfully yesterday.)
tion. Therein simply means in it.
Other adverbs have no adjectival equivalent. Many of
The German system of adverbs based on prepositions
these express time.
is considerably more rigorous, and forms the basis of a
Damals (at that time) Ich bin gestern dort gewesen. (I
large part of the languages morphology. To catch on
was there yesterday.) Morgens bin ich normalerweise im
means to begin in English; In German, the primary
Bro. (I am normally in the oce in the morning.)
word for to begin is literally to catch on (anfangen),
Adverbs can also be based on participles (past and from which the equivalent noun, der Anfang (the beginpresent). These are less common.
ning) is derived. A remnant of this in English can be
Er betrachtete mich bedrohlich. (He looked at me threat- found when describe a childs upbringing.
eningly.)

As in English, prepositional adverbs in German to varying


Some adverbs are formed by adding -weise to adjectives degrees alter the meaning of their associated verb.
and nouns in the plural form, and mean regarding, with Separable-prex verbs. This topic is better explored in
respect to, or "-wise in English. Construction of new the chapter on verbs. Separable prexes are themselves
adverbs of this sort is usually frowned upon.
adverbs. As in English, many of them are integral to the
meaning of the verb. Fangen means to catch, whereas
anfangen means to begin.
Adverbs based on prepositions
Most prepositional adverbs are treated as part of the root
Much of the material in this section will be explained in word in the innitive, and are used as such in the construction of participles. However, not all possible separablegreater detail in the chapter on prepositions.
prex verbs are lexical; vorbeikommen (to come over),
German has a complex system of adverbs based on prepo- vorbeibringen (to bring over), and so on, may not all be
sitions, which are used to indicate direction of motion, lo- listed in a dictionary. It is better to learn vorbei as an
cation, time, and other concepts. English also possesses adverb implying visitation.
such a system, though it is used less. Consider the followThe German prex in is of note. It has two adverbial
ing sentences in English:
forms. As in it describes location; when describing move1) Could you take the garbage out? 2) Come over this ment, it becomes ein. Thus, for example, darin means in
evening if you get the chance. 3) You should just give up. there, whereas darein means in(to) there. Another ex4) I will look you up in the phone book. 5) The contract, ample is the word, einleiten, to introduce.
and the conditions contained therein, is hereby declared
Hin- and her-. Prepositional adverbs of motion are usunull and void. (Legalese)
ally based on hin-, implying motion or direction away
In both English and German, prepositions and particles from the speaker, and her-, implying motion or direction
derived from prepositions are treated as adverbs. In many towards the speaker. Hin and her are themselves standcases, these prepositional adverbs are associated with alone adverbs meaning the same thing, and describe lessspecic verbs.
specic motion or direction. (One example in which hin
is
an integral separable prex is the verb hinrichten, which
In the rst two examples, the italicized prepositions are
means
to execute.) Not all verbs formed from hin- and
used as adverbs of motion; in the rst example, the word
hercompounds
are lexical. Some examples of hin- and
out indicates the direction out of the apartment"; in the
hercompounds
are:
second case, over not only means means the direction
towards, but also implies visitation of a residence.
herab (down, down from) hinein (in, inside) hinaus (out,
The third and fourth examples correspond to separable- out of, onto) darber hinaus (furthermore, above all)
prex verbs in German. The word up is integral to the dahin (in the direction/towards of known location)
verb, which would have a dierent meaning without the

106
Mastery of hin- and her- requires considerable eort from
the student.
Da- compounds are also adverbs, corresponding to
there-" compounds in English. They replace specic
prepositional objects. Although are used principally in
legal texts and therefore sound formal in English, they
are often employed in written and spoken German and
are convenient replacements for long and complicated
prepositional phrases. Their comprehension and active
use are essential in German. Da- compounds are formed
by adding da- before the preposition, with an r inserted
before prepositions starting with a vowel. There are exceptions to this, and da- compounds are given a fuller
treatment in the chapter on prepositions.
Hier- and dort- compounds also exist in German, though
they are used less frequently. As in English, they are considered formal, and are used primarily in academic and
legal texts. They are best memorized as vocabulary.
hierhin und dorthin - hither and thither

CHAPTER 60. ADJECTIVES AND ADVERBS

Chapter 61

Articles

107

Chapter 62

'''Nouns''
62.1 Nouns

Suxes

62.1.1

Although gender and plural form are often arbitrary, there


exist certain suxes whose gender and plural form are
regular. They are mainly feminine.

What Is a Noun?

A word that can be used to refer to a person, place, thing,


quality, or idea; part of speech. It can serve as the subject -ung, -heit, -keit, -schaft, -ion, and -tt
or object of a verb. For example a table or a computer. These are all feminine endings, which are pluralized by
Nouns start with a capital letter in written language.
-en.

62.1.2

Diskussion(en)

Plurals

Discussion(s)

German, unlike English, has more than one way to make


nouns plural, and plural form, like gender, must be memorized with every noun.

Universtt(en)

There are twelve dierent ways to form plurals in GerUniversity(ies)


man. They are formed by axes at the end of the word,
and the umlaut of the vowel of the stem. They are (changing nothing); -; -e; -e; -n; -n; -en; -en; -er; -er; -unft
-nen (to feminine sux -in); -s (mainly with English loan- This endings is feminine and is pluralized by changing
words); adding foreign endings (mainly Latin words); the stem vowel and adding -e
and changing suxes (mainly Latin words).
When German nouns are used in the plural, their gender
becomes irrelevant. The plural can almost be thought of
as a gender on its own. In the plural, the denite article
is always die when using the nominative and accusative
cases.

Unterkunft
Lodging
Unterknfte

When using the dative case, den is the denite article


of all plurals. All plurals not ending in -n or -s ax an -n.
The denite article of the plural in the genitive case is
der.
Examples
Nominative: Die alten Mnner spielen Schach. The old
men are playing chess.

Lodgings
-ik
This ending often doesn't have a plural. When it does
however, you add '-en

Accusative: Ich sah die alten Mnner beim Schachspielen. I saw the old men as they played chess.
Dative: Ich spielte mit den alten Mnnern Schach. I
played chess with the old men.

Technik(en)
Technique(s)

Genitive: Das Schachspiel der alten Mnner war nicht Other


sehr spannend. The old mens chess game was not very When verb innitives transform into nouns, they do not
have a plural form.
exciting.
108

62.1. NOUNS
das Sprechen
Language

109
-ismus: der Kommunismus, der Anglizismus, der Terrorismus -ling: der Lehrling (apprentice), der Liebling
(darling), der Schmetterling (buttery) -or: der Motor ant: der Elefant

Many masculine nouns are formed by verbal stems with- Exceptions:


out a sux. Many of these receive an umlaut in their neuter: Recycling, Restaurant, Labor
plural form.
The following groups of nouns are usually (but not always) masculine

62.1.3

Gender

Nouns ending in -el: der Vogel Nouns ending in -er: der


Hamster Nouns ending in -en: der Kuchen (but not inGerman, like many other languages, gives each noun a nitives used as nouns. They are neuter: das Rauchen,
gender: Masculine, Feminine, and Neuter. Plural nouns das Lachen) Nouns ending in -aum:
also act dierently not only with the verb of the sentence,
Examples:
but the article preceding it.
Baum, Traum, Schaum, Raum, Saum, Flaum
The way any particular word is classied may not be logNouns ending in -ang:
ical.
Examples:
Drang, Fang, Gang, Hang, Klang, Rang, Anfang, Empdas Mdchen the girl (neuter) die Person the person (fem- fang, Gesang, Tang
inine - even when talking about a man)
Nouns ending in -und:
However, not all German Nouns are randomly allocated
a gender. The following notes will apply to most nouns Examples:
Bund, Grund, Schund, Hund, Fund, Schwund, Schlund,
but not all.
Mund
A note on Mdchen:
Exceptions:
This is derived from the diminutive form of Maid (old, neuter: Pfund
rarely used) - Maidchen. Grammatically it is neuter, but
when referenced, nowadays the logical feminine gender Nouns ending in -all:
can takes over: Das Mdchen und ihr Hund, instead of Examples:
Das Mdchen und sein Hund.
Ball, Fall, Krawall, Drall, Hall, Wall, Aufprall, Kristall,
Knall, Schall, Zufall, Abfall, Vorfall, Schwall
Examples:

Masculine

Exceptions:
neuter: All, Metall, Intervall
There are far more masculine nouns than of either of the feminine: Nachtigall
other genders. The masculine nominative denite article
is der.
Feminine
Semantic Groups Which Are Masculine

The feminine Gender article is die. It is used in the nomdays z.B. der Montag times of the day z.B. der Morgen inative and accusative singular case. It is also used to inmonths z.B. der August seasons z.B. der Sommer (male) dicate nominative and accusative plural for nouns of any
persons* z.B. der Mann, der Knig (male) animals z.B. gender.
der Lwe, der Hahn, der Ochse alcohol** z.B. der Wein, e.g. die Katze Feminine
der Likr, der Alkohol, der Champagner car*** z.B. der
or die Katzen feminine plural die Mnner - masWagen, der Opel, der Mercedes, der BMW
culine plural die Mdchen - neuter plural
* With, of course, the exception of die Person which
remains feminine even when talking about a man.
** However, it is das Bier, die Spirituose (because of Semantic Groups Female persons and (female) anthe ending "-ose), das Pils (because it is a beer), das imals are usually feminine (very few exceptions).
Methanol (because it is a scientic term of a substance)
Examples:
*** Excepting das Auto.
die Frau (woman) die Schwester (sister) die Mutter
(mother)
Words with Certain Endings These rules apply al- To change a designation to explicitly feminine, one often
ways
uses the ending -in.

110

CHAPTER 62. '''NOUNS''

der Lehrer - die Lehrerin (teacher) der Kaiser - die Neuter


Kaiserin (emperor and empress) der Knig - die Knigin (king and queen) der Arzt - die rztin (doctor) der The neutral Gender article is das for the nominative and
Lwe - die Lwin (lion and lioness)
accusative case.
Exceptions
das Mdchen (girl) das Kind (child) das Frulein (old Semantic Groups names of colors: das Blau, das Rot,
das Gelb, das Hellgrn, das Dunkelbraun
fashioned for Miss)
A lot of plants and trees are also feminine
Examples:

Words With Certain Endings This rule applies always:

die Buche (beech) die Eiche (oak) die Rose (rose) die
diminutive endings -lein and -chen: das Mdchen (girl),
Tulpe (tulip) die Nelke (carnation)
das Huschen (little house), das Bchlein (little book)
Exceptions:
This rules apply often:
das Veilchen (violet), der Farn (fern) ...
ending -um if the word has Latin origin: : das Zentrum, das Museum ending -ment: das Parlament (parliament), das Fundament (base, basis), das Element (element) Words that end with -em and are stressed on the
last syllable:
Words With Certain Endings The following rules al- Examples:
Problem, Theorem, System, Extrem
ways apply.
Foreign words that end with -ett and are stressed on the
German words:
last syllable:
-heit: die Gesundheit (health), die Wahrheit (truth) -keit:
die Mglichkeit (possibility) -schaft: die Wirtschaft, die Examples:
Freundschaft -ei: die Trkei, die Mongolei, die Bck- Tablett, Etikett, Korsett, Parkett, Kabarett, Ballett
erei* Words derived from verbs with the ending -ung: Words that end with -ma:
die Beobachtung (observation; v: beobachen), die Verfolgung (persecution; v: verfolgen) Words derived from Examples:
verbs (mostly irregular verbs), ending in -t: die Hand- Thema, Trauma, Drama, Dilemma, Prisma, Schema,
schrift (hand writing (n), derived from schreiben), die Koma, Klima, Komma, Karma, Lama, Dogma,
Paradigma
Fahrt (journey, trip or ride, derived from fahren)
Exceptions:
Exceptions
feminine: Firma
* das Ei (egg) has nothing to do with the ending -ei.
Das Ei is neuter, including all words derived from: z.B. Words that end with -o:
das Spiegelei, das Rhrei, das Vogelei (dierent types of Examples:
eggs) * der Papagei (parrot)
Auto, Radio, Video, Kino, Kilo, Bro, Sakko, Solo,
Foreign words: Words with the endings given below are Storno, Bistro, Manko, Banjo, Tempo, Motto, Fresko,
Embargo, Esperanto, Studio, Ghetto, Foto, Echo, Piano,
always stressed on the last syllable.
Cello, Kasino
-enz: die Intelligenz (intelligence), die Konsequenz (consequence) -ie: die Philosophie (philosophy), die Melodie Exceptions:
(melody) -ik: die Musik (music), die Politik (politics) - masculine: Tango, Fango, Espresso, Embryo
ion: die Nation, die Qualikation (qualication) -ur: die Foreign words that end with -om:
Kultur (culture) -tt: Examples:
Examples:
Universitt, Majestt, Lokalitt, Piett, Integritt, QualSyndrom, Palindrom, Phantom, Polynom, Binom,
itt, Aktivitt, Prioritt, Nationalitt, Kapazitt -age: ExMonom, Atom, Axiom, Genom, Symptom, Diplom,
amples:
Kondom, Chromosom
Garage, Montage, Etage, Spionage, Persiage, Blamage
The following rule applies often.
-e: die Lampe (lamp), die Karte (card, map)
Exceptions:

Words With Certain Beginnings Nouns that begin


with Ge- are often neuter.

Examples:
Gedicht, Gericht, Gesicht, Gewicht,
semantic reasons: der Junge (boy), der Franzose (French Geheimnis, Gebirge, Geschirr, Gedchtnis, Gebiet,
man), der Lwe (Lion) others: der Kse (cheese)
Gespenst, Gewissen, Gesetz, Getrnk, Gewand, Gewit-

62.1. NOUNS
ter, Geschenk, Gesprch, Gebude, Gehuse, Gemse,
Geschft, Getreide, Gercht, Gewerbe
Exceptions:
masculine: Gedanke, Genuss, Geschmack, Gewinn,
Geruch, Gestank
feminine: Gewalt, Gestalt, Geschichte, Gemeinde,
Gefahr
Nouns Derived From Certain Verbclasses Verbs
used as noun (roughly corresponding to the gerund) das
Rauchen (Smoking), das Lesen (Reading)
Tips For Learning
As most German articles can not be attributed to certain
rule, it is best to always learn the article when learning
the noun. You may think of the article as necessary information belonging to every noun. You avoid a lot of
looking-up-time that way.
Looking Up Gender in Dictionaries
Most dictionaries do not give the article. Instead, you
nd dierent sets of abbreviations which tell you to which
class the noun in question belongs.
The most common sets of abbreviations are:
r, e, and s. r: der, masculine; e: die, feminine; s: das,
neuter. The abbreviations of this type are usually given
before the noun. m., f., and n..
m.: masculine; f.: feminine; n.: neuter. The abbreviations of this type are usually given after the noun. m., w.,
and s..
m.: mnnlich, masculine; w.: weiblich, feminine; s.:
schlich, neuter. The abbreviations of this type are usually given after the noun.

62.1.4

Contents

Adjectival Nouns
Weak Nouns
Mixed Nouns

111

Chapter 63

Gender

112

Chapter 64

Plurals

113

Chapter 65

Adjectival Nouns

114

Chapter 66

Weak Nouns

115

Chapter 67

Mixed Nouns

116

Chapter 68

Pronouns
68.1 Pronouns

The possessive pronouns (mein-, dein-, unser-, etc.) are


almost identical in form to the genitive pronouns and but
they directly modify their attribute and could be conNote: The possessive is not a case of the personal proceived of as adjectives, though they decline dierently.
noun, rather its a pronoun itself. This table shows the
Alternatively, one could think of possessive pronouns,
possessive pronouns stem, which is declined as an eine.g., mein-", as replacing the phrase, of me. Directly
word (like the indenite article).
translated, mein-" means my in English.
The genitive case indicates possession or association, and
Examples:
is equivalent to, and replaces, the English word of.
Des and der (do not confuse with masculine singu- I want the teachers book. Lets rewrite this as: I want the
lar nominative) mean of the"; eines and einer mean book of the teacher. -Ich will das Buch des Lehrers (der
of a/an"; and, der Sohn guten Weins means the son of Lehrerin).
good wine (no article, M, Gen strong adj). Strict replace- --The genitive case here is masculine (feminine) singular,
ment of the genitive case with the word of maintains the inecting the denite article (des/der) as well as the noun
word-order of the German nominal phrase: possessed - (Lehrer (+s), but not Lehrerin, which doesn't change bepossessor (in genitive). The genitive case also replaces cause it is feminine).
"'s in English, though reversing the word-order (in English: possessors possessed). German itself also uses an Without his friends car, we cannot go home. -Ohne
s (though without the apostrophe) to indicate posses- den Wagen seines Freundes knnen wir nicht nach Hause
sion, in the same word order as English. It is used mainly fahren.
with proper nouns, such as Goethes Heimat, as well as --Here, two possessive relationships are mentioned. The
for compounding words.
car belongs to the friend, and the friend belongs to him.
Standard genitive constructions are used with nouns and For illustrative purposes, one could conceivably re-write
modiers of nouns such as articles and adjectives, and the the prepositional phrase as without the car (accusitive
inection they receive implies possession. The rst noun case) of the friend of him. Germans rendering is far
may be in any case and may occur in any part of the sen- less awkward.
tence; the second noun, which possesses the rst noun,
immediately follows the rst noun, and is in the genitive
case. The noun in the genitive case need not have any
modiers - e.g., Heimat Goethes, Heimat Katerina, which
mean the homeland of Goethe and Katerina, respectively
- though such constructions can be cumbersome and ambiguous.
Proper treatment of the genitive case, including all of the
declensions, is found in another part of this book.

The wall of the building is old and brown. -Die Wand des
Gebudes ist alt und braun.
--As in the rst example, the genitive case here is in the
masculine singular, and inects the denite article and the
noun (M,N add +s/+es in the genitive case).

68.2 Comparison of Pronouns to


other Parts of Speech

German pronouns have genitive forms, but they are used


only rarely nowadays, mostly in archaic or formal German. In many cases, a preposition can be added to allow Despite the diculty many people have in learning Gera dierent case to be used.
man declensions, case-endings in German correspond to
Ich erinnere mich ihrer. (I remember her) Also possi- each other to a considerable degree. Specically, the proble: Ich erinnere mich an sie. Wir gedachten seiner. (We nouns bear an obvious resemblance to their parent direct
thought of him) Also possible: Wir dachten an ihn. Herr, articles. Learning the corresponding 3rd-person declenerbarme dich unser! (Lord, have mercy upon us) Also sions side-by-side allows some people to comprehend the
declension pattern more easily.
possible: Herr, erbarme dich ber uns.
117

118
As discussed above, possessive pronouns replace the genitive case for pronouns. In this table, they will be placed
where the genitive case is, so that their similiarities to
other parts of speech that actually are in the genitive case
can become clear.
German is very rigorous in its use of gender, and will use
the pronoun corresponding to the gender of the referential
noun, regardless of whether the noun being referenced is
a person (unlike English, which uses it for everything
not a person or other entities (animals, ships) in certain
contexts). Der Liberalismus will be referred to as er,
or he, whereas das Mdchen would be es, or it.
Many English speakers have trouble with this, especially
in spoken language. Mastery is nonetheless possible with
a proper understanding of German declension and a considerable amount of practice.
N.B.(1) The use of wessen is considered old-fashioned,
though most Germans would nd it endearing to hear a
non-native speaker use the word. One is encouraged to
use the gehren + dativ (wem?)" construction, which
means to belong to s.o. (whom?)".
N.B.(2) The dative plural. Except for words whose plural
form adds an "-s (mainly loan-words), and words whose
plural form already ends in "-n"/"-en, all nouns add an
"-n/-en in the dative plural. Like the ss added to masculine and neuter nouns in the genitive, this is a remnant
from when German inected all of its nouns, which other
languages based on declension, such as Russian and Latin,
retain. Sometimes one will notice an "-e after masculine
and neuter nouns in the dative case, such as the dedication on the Reichstag building - Dem deutschen Volke,
for the German People.
This nominal declension is reected in the dative plural
pronoun (to/for them), ihnen, instead of ihn (masculine, accusitive). For example,
Helga: Knnen Sie bitte meinen Brdern helfen? Olga:
Natrlich, aber ich kann ihnen leider nur nach zwei Tagen
helfen. Helga: Unsere Leben gehen trotzdem weiter.
Make a point of studying and getting used to the dative
plural.

CHAPTER 68. PRONOUNS

Chapter 69

Sentences
69.1 Sentences
69.1.1

Sentence Structure in Main clauses

Here is the ultimate syntax guide for a main clause. German allows a considerable amount of syntactical freedom
as parts of speech are indicated through case, rather than
syntax. Nonetheless, there are conventions to follow, especially ones that reduce the ambiguity of pronouns.

8) Beyond reducing/eliminating ambiguity, you actually


do have a fair amount of freedom. Time, Manner,
Place is more a suggestion than a commandment, and
most German textbooks tell you to learn the schema laid
out above, but then to speak and write your sentences with
items in ascending order of importance. Put the important stu at the end. Then you get to your verb, which
gives all of the words in the sentence meaning, resulting
in a crescendo of emotion and understanding. Or not. But
you see how that might work.

9) If you speak enough, your verbs start going to the right


places. It will seem perfectly natural that the verb is in
the second position, and that the other verbs are at the
end. Getting used to subordinate clauses takes more time,
but eventually your words go to the right place. Don't
worry about making mistakes, but also try not to forget
1) In terms of being placed in proper syntax, the pronouns which verb you have waiting in your head until the senare the most important, for they are the ones most liable tence ends.
to ambiguity (sie = which person, what part of speech,
10) Banish the terms, subject, direct object, and inwhich case? Put it in its correct position).
direct object from your head. Get used to explaining
2) It is not possible for a sentence to include all of the things in terms of nominative, accusative, dative,
listed items, but it is still good to be able to reproduce and genitive. Same goes for linking-" and helpingthat schema from memory.
verbs. Start talking about modal verbs, and modal-like
3) You must be able to recognize an element of a sen- verbs.
tence. For example, you must not split something like, In general, you have to learn how to talk about grammar
mit einem Buch, for that is a prepositional phrase, i.e., to be able to study German successfully.
one and only one sentence element. Many other sentence
elements are, however, only one word. You get a lot bet- 11) If you can do the declensions in your head, you can
do the syntax in your head. Syntax is easier.
ter at this as time goes on.
This is the ocially-sanctioned syntax of a main clause.
However, German syntax is not written in stone. One
has considerable latitude in the way one constructs ones
sentence. Before eshing out the topic, here are some
rules, conventions, and words of advice:

4) Two good mnemonics. Number one: pronouns before


nouns. always. even if it feels weird to put both your accusative and dative objects before your subject (a noun), 69.1.2 Position of the Verb
you must get used to it. It doesn't happen very often,
Clauses with one verb part - Stze mit nur einem
though.
Verbteil
5) The second one is ADDA (i.e., NOT DAAD, the
Deutsche Akademische Austausch Dienst). ADDA de- In a main clause (Hauptsatz), the conjugated verb is in
scribes, rst, the pronouns (Accusative, then Dative), and second position.
then the nouns (Dative, then Accusative). ADDA. think
Second position does not equal second word, as you can
ABBA, but with Ds instead of Bs.
see above. However, there is only one group of words
6) The rst position is usually your subject, but can also allowed before the conjugated verb. Such groups of
draw attention to something you want to discuss.
words are called phrases. While you can put very long
7) As will be explained below, prepositional phrases and phrases in front of the conjugated verb you mustn't use
adverbs follow the Time, Manner, Place format.
two. Therefore the sentence Heute Abend ich fahre mit
119

120

CHAPTER 69. SENTENCES

dem Auto nach Kln is wrong. This is a big dierence Often the word order for a neutral sentence can be debetween English and German syntax.
scribed like this:
Clauses with two verb parts - Stze mit zwei
Verbteilen

1. Time
2. Objects

3. Manner
Sometimes you have to use more than one verb part in
4. Place
a clause. This is true for Perfekt forms, separable verbs,
modals etc. Only one of these verbs is conjugated. The
conjugated verb stays in second position, the other part The mnemonic is STOMP where S is for subject. However, when looking at wild German sentences you will
goes to the end.
nd structures that do not follow these principles but are
nonetheless correct. This is very frequent in spoken lanClauses with three verb parts - Stze mit drei guage. Mostly the deviation from the neutral structure is
Verbteilen
caused by a special focus. While they are not wrong, it
would be inappropriate to use them all the time. ThereSometimes there are even three verbs in a sentence. fore it is best to learn the principles described here. If you
These usually involve modals and perfect tenses. The have mastered them and can use them without thinking
conjugated verb is in the second position. The remaining about it, you can try some of the deviations.
two verbs are at the end of the clause, building inwards
that is to mean, what would be the second verb in English
is placed at the end, and what would be the third verb is Time Time seems to be a very important concept for
German speaking people. It is mostly mentioned very
placed before the second verb.
early in the sentence, either at the very beginning in the
rst position which means that the subject goes directly
69.1.3 Order of phrases - Reihenfolge der after the conjugated verb (i.e.: Gestern war ich im Kino)
or early in the middle eld (i.e.: Ich war gestern im
Satzglieder
Kino). The sentence Ich war im Kino gestern is not
In English, you need the position of phrases to determine exactly wrong, but it would sound weird in most situawhether a noun phrase is a subject or an object. In Ger- tions. It could be used though in a casual conversation
man the cases tell you which role is assigned to a certain when putting special emphasis on im Kino, but its not
the regular sentence pattern.
noun phrase. Therefore, the word order is less strict.
First Position - erste Position
In neutral sentences the subject is most likely in the rst
position (Examples 1, 4, 5, 6).
However, you can put everything there you want to stress.
This is very common with phrases about time or place
(Examples 2, 3, 7). English speakers need to remember
that the rst position is restricted to exactly one phrase.

Order of Objects The order of objects is dierent


for nouns and pronouns. Pronouns always come before
nouns, and reexive pronouns come before everything except nominative pronouns. ADDA, mentioned above, is
a good way to remember the prescribed order of cases for
pronouns and then nouns. As sentences can contain only
two objects, here are the three possible combinations deriving from ADDA:

Two pronouns: accusative before dative (AD)


You can even put objects in rst position (Example 8).
You do it mostly, if you want to emphasize the object or I II Acc. Dat. Ich habe sie ihm gegeben. Ich gab sie ihm
if you have to repeat the sentence because your partner .
has not understood this particular part of it.
One noun, one pronoun: The pronoun goes rst, regardIf the subject is not in rst position, it goes directly after less of the case
the conjugated verb (Examples 2, 3, 7, 8), unless pre- I II Pronoun Noun Ich habe ihm die Kleider gegeben. Ich
ceded by a reexive pronoun or an accusative or dative gab sie dem Jungen .
pronoun.
Two nouns: dative before accusative (DA)
I II Dat. Acc. Ich habe dem Jungen die Kleider gegeben.
Order of Phrases in the Middle of the clause - Rei- Ich gab dem Jungen die Kleider .
henfolge der Satzglieder im Mittelfeld
Introduction In the middle of the sentence - the part Manner This includes adverbs and prepositional
between the two parts of the verb - word order is quite phrases describing how, why, and by what methods the
exible.
event of the sentence has taken place.

69.1. SENTENCES

121

Place This includes adverbs and prepositional phrases Q: Warum hast du Fargo nie gesehen? (Why have you
describing location and direction
never seen Fargo"?) A: Ich hatte keine Lust. (I had no
interest.) Q: Wem hast du geholfen? (Wem = whom?" in
the dative case.) (Whom have you helped?) A: Ich habe
Satzglieder im Nachfeld
meiner Mutter geholfen. (I have helped my mother.) Q:
Bei wem hast du dich beworben? (From whom have you
In German grammar the term Nachfeld is used to de- applied [for a job]?) A: Beim Geschft meines Onkels
scribe parts of the sentence that come after the second habe ich mich beworben. (I applied at my uncles busipart of the verb. The Nachfeld is neglected in most ness.) Q: Worum hast du dich beworben? (For what did
learners grammars. It is mostly used in spoken lan- you apply?) A: Um eine Stelle habe ich mich beworben!
guage, when people add something to a sentence as an Bist du verrckt? (I applied for a job! Are you insane?)
afterthought or with special emphasis. In written language it is important for comparisons. You put them al- And so on.
most exclusively in the nachfeld.
Consider the example Peter verdient mehr Geld als Paul'
(Peter earns more money than Paul). Now try to convert the sentence to the perfect. If you follow the normal
sentence structure rules you would have to write: Peter
hat mehr Geld als Paul verdient, but this is almost never
done. The sentence best accepted by a majority of German speakers is: Peter hat mehr Geld verdient als Paul.
The comparison is put after the past participle.

Imperatives
Imperatives (commands) also slightly alter the aforementioned main-clause sentence structure. Imperatives
are formed in several ways:
Geh', bitte! (Please go, informal) Gehen Sie, bitte!
(Please go, formal) Gehen wir, bitte! (Lets go! Within a
group)

Note that the two items being compared must be in the


same case. Du verdienst mehr Geld als ich. This is also This sequence - verb in imperative form, perhaps folcorrect grammar in English, though it is now almost ob- lowed by the person to whom it is directed in the nominative case (depending on the kind of imperative used,
solete among native English speakers.
however) - is then followed by all of the other elements
of the sentence, in the aforementioned order.

69.1.4

Syntax of Interrogatives and Im- German-speakers, like English-speakers and the speakers
of many other languages, consider the use of the imperaperatives

I am putting this up here for the sake of completion.

tive mood to be rude, and, as in English, use a conditional


or subjunctive construction to convey requests. This will
be dealt with in a dierent section of this book.

Interrogatives

Both of these syntaxes are very easy to master once you


understand main-clause syntax.

Interrogatives (questions) change word order in the rst


two elds or so. There are two kinds. In a question based
on a verb, the conjugated verb comes rst. Following that
is the same string of pronouns rst and nouns thereafter
(and other sentence elements and nally the remaining
verbs) that was detailed above. The main dierence between questions and statements is that the freedom of the
rst position is eliminated; the item you wanted to emphasize must now nd a dierent position in the sentence. The ascending-order-of-importance convention
still holds.
Example:

69.1.5 Coordinating Conjunctions


Before moving on to subordinate and relative clauses, we
must address coordinating conjunctions and parallel
clauses. A coordinating conjunction is a conjunction that
connects two clauses that are able to stand alone, i.e., two
main clauses.
Here are some examples in English:
I am here and I am glad to see you. You are grateful for
this job, or you are a spoiled brat.

Q: Hast du schon Fargo gesehen? A: Fargo habe ich Commas are generally optional in English, whereas they
noch nicht gesehen.
used more often in German.
The second kind of question involves a question word or
wo-compound, which always comes at the beginning, and
is immediately followed by the conjugated verb. They
are then followed by the remaining parts of the sentence
in the order outlined above. Be mindful of the case of
the question word, and make sure never to use a wocompound when referring to a person.

Here are the common coordinating conjunctions one


would nd in German:
German English aber but, nevertheless, however denn
for, because (rarely used in spoken German; not to be
confused with weil) oder or sondern but rather und and
As coordinating conjunctions connect two independent

122

CHAPTER 69. SENTENCES

clauses, they do not aect word-order in the two clauses.


The rst clause is often separated from the second with a
comma - especially if it is a long or complicated clause after which follows the coordinating conjunction and the
second clause.
Here are some examples in German:

were talking to). God helps those who help themselves.


You are the person that got hit by the y-ball at the game
on Saturday.
Relative clauses relate one element of a clause to another
clause by way of a relative pronoun. The system of relative pronouns in German is considerably more extensive
than that of English.

Ich hasse und ich liebe, und ich wei nicht warum. (Odi
et amo - Catullus) Ich bin nicht jung, aber ich bin froh.
In German, both subordinate clauses and relative clauses
There are two more constructions to be aware of: en- aect syntax, in most cases by moving the conjugated
tweder/oder and weder/noch, which correspond to ei- verb to the end of the clause. Both subordinate clauses
and relative clauses are set o by a comma in German,
ther/or and neither/nor, respectively.
which can frequently be omitted in English. We should
Entweder bist du mit uns gemeinsam, oder du bist unser now examine the two types of clauses in greater detail,
Feind.
and then return to their syntax.
Entweder/oder and weder/noch can also be employed to
contrast two items as well as clauses. Note how entweder functions as an adverb.
Subordinate Clauses
English speakers should take note of the dierence between aber and sondern, both of which can be translated Subordinate clauses are always set o by a comma, and
directly as but. Aber means however. Sondern means begin with a subordinating conjunction. Here is a list of
all subordinating conjunctions in German. Note how all
rather. Many other languages make this distinction.
of them answer a question presumably introduced in the
Coordinating conjunctions are rather straightforward, and main clause:
the number of coordinating conjunctions is few.
Furthermore, all interrogative (question) words, such as
wie, wann, wer, and wo, and wo-compounds, may be
69.1.6 Dependent Clauses: Subordinate used as subordinating conjunctions. For example:

and Relative Clauses

Ich wei nicht, wohin er gegangen ist. (I don't know


where he went.) Ich wei nicht, wie das Fest sich enIntroduction
twickelt hat. (I don't know how the party turned out) Ich
wei nicht, warum er dir so bse ist. (I don't know why
Subordinate and relative clauses introduce information he is so mad at you.)
regarding the main clause that needs to be expressed as a Subordinate clauses provide information missing in the
separate clause. They are collectively called dependent main clause. Consider the previous two examples. In
clauses because they are unable to stand by themselves both cases, the subordinate clause answered the question,
as independent clauses. Usually, subordinate and relative what?", or what would have been the accusitive object.
clauses occupy a part of the main clause that was not fully Other subordinate clauses provide information that would
explained; subordinate clauses tend to fulll more abstract
otherwise have been provided by one of the several parts
missing sentence elements than relative clauses do. Here of speech.
are a few examples in English:
Er hat mich geschlagen, als meine Frau im Klo war. (He
Subordinate Clauses:
hit me when my wife was in the bathroom.)
I know that you are unhappy. We came because it was In this example, the subordinate clause, set o by the
your birthday. We came because we knew that you were conjunction, als, answers the question, when?", which
having a rough time.
would otherwise be answered adverbially.
This last example has two subordinate clauses: because
The syntax regarding subordinate clauses will be diswe knew and that you were having a rough time.
cussed later. At this point, a property of subordinate
Subordinate clauses are usually set o by a subordinating clauses that is not altogether shared with relative clauses
conjunction, such as that, because, when, if, and so on. In should be pointed out. Subordinate clauses are themEnglish, it is sometimes possible to omit the subordinat- selves parts of speech for the main clause, and to a limited
ing conjunction, specically that, resulting in sentences extent can be treated as such. Consider the following two
such as, I know you are unhappy, which is perfectly sentences, which are equivalent:
acceptable in English. Such an option does not exist in Ich darf in Kanada bleiben, solange wir noch verheiratet
German.
sind. Solange wir noch verheiratet sind, darf ich in
Relative Clauses:

Kanada bleiben.

I know the person to whom you were talking (who you

Note how, in the second sentence, the subordinate clause

69.1. SENTENCES
occupied the rst position, immediately followed by the
conjugated verb. In reality, the use of subordinate clauses
as parts of speech integrated into the main clause is limited; they are, for aesthetic reasons, restricted to the rst
position and to following the main clause. At both times
they are set o from the main clause by a comma.
Indem..., ist x passiert. This subordinating conjunction
accomplishes the same functions as the English construction, by [do]ing something..., x happened.
Indem er die Tr oen gelassen hat, hat er auch die Ruber ins Haus eingelassen. By leaving the door open, he
let the robbers into the house.

123
and that and who in English do not exist in German,
where everything is described with a standard set of relative pronouns with no regard to how integral the qualities
described in the relative clause are to the antecedent.
As relative clauses take one item from the main clause
and use it in some way in a dependent clause, it is important to consider how relative pronouns work to avoid
confusion. All words in German possess gender, number
(singular or plural), and case. The main clause, as it relates to the antecedent, determines the gender and number
of the relative pronoun; the relative clause determines its
case.

In order to use relative clauses successfully, it is critical that this point be understood. Gender and number
are inherent to the antecedent; no grammatical agent
could conceivably change those properties. The relative
pronouns case is determined by its role in the relative
clause, i.e., how it relates to the other parts of speech in
the clause. Consider the following examples, all based on
This section must make note of the dierences between the man, who is masculine and singular, and apparently
the words, als, wenn, and wann, all of which can mean not well-liked.
when in English.
In each of these examples, the gender and number of
Als refers to a single event or condition in the past, usually the relative pronoun were determined by the antecedent,
expressed using the preterite tense.
while the case of the relative pronoun was determined
Als du mich anriefst, war ich noch nicht zu Hause. (When by its role in the relative clause. Note particularly the
genitive example, wherein the relative pronoun, meaning
you called me, I was not yet home.)
whose, modied a feminine noun, without his gender beWann is the interrogative word for when. Its use as a ing aected.
subordinating conjunction is limited to indirect questions
Whenever you construct a relative clause, be mindful of
and immediate temporal events.
this rule. Don't confuse yourself with its complexity, esIch wei nicht, wann er nach Hause kommen wird.
pecially regarding the genitive case. As discussed in the
Wenn is the most versatile of the three, and has several chapter on personal pronouns, the word whose, as well
other meanings beyond its temporal meaning. In the tem- as other possessive pronouns such as my, your, and so
poral space wenn describes, events are less recognized, or forth, is a pronoun and not an adjective. The pronoun always expresses the characteristics of its antecedent, viz.,
focuses on a condition, rather than an event.
gender and number.
Finally, wenn has one other principal function. It also
means, if, and is used in conditional and subjunctive Relative pronouns oered within prepositional phrases
are perfectly acceptable:
statements.
By requiring a subject in the clause, the German construction is less susceptible to ambiguity than English is; consider the sentence, by leaving the door open, the robbers
were able to enter the house, which is lacking an agent
for the door being left open, even though such a construction is common in spoken English.

Wenn ich einmal reich wr', ... (If i were ever rich...)
We will return to syntax later.
Relative Clauses
In many ways, a relative clause is a lengthy description of
an item in the main clause. Minimally, a relative clause
takes a part of speech from the main clause, known as
the antecedent and uses it in the dependent clause. What
connects the two is a relative pronoun. As should already
be published in this book, the following declension table
is provided:

Der Mann, mit dem meine Mutter wieder gestritten hat,


... The man, with whom my mother argued again, ...
However, if the antecedent is not a person, and the relative pronoun falls within a prepositional phrase, a wocompound is frequently substituted:
Das Flugzeug, worin ich nach Seattle geogen bin, war
fast kaputt. The airplane, in which I ew to Seattle, was
almost broken.

Relative clauses almost invariably follow the item that


they are modifying or the main clause as a whole (with
the gender and number of the relative pronoun indicating
- to some extent - which potential antecedent it is referRelative pronouns are similar to the denite article, with ring to). Very rarely do they precede the main clause.
the exceptions of the dative plural and the genitive case Exceptions to this come in the form of aphorisms and
proverbs:
being marked in bold.
Note that the distinctions between that and which"; Der (oder Wer) heute abend ruhig einschlft, bekommt

124

CHAPTER 69. SENTENCES

morgen Eiskrem und Keks. (He who goes to bed quietly Verbs in Dependent Clauses The way the verbs are
tonight will get ice-cream and cookies tomorrow - some- arranged depends on the number of verbs in the verbthing a mother might say to her children.)
phrase, and the presence of a modal verb.
This usage is relatively unimportant.

Dependent Clauses with One Verb

One nal property of relative clauses should be discussed.


Relative clauses in some way describe their antecedent.
The rules governing attributes in German are considerably more exible than in English, because the German
case system reduces ambiguity. This allows the German
speaker to turn a relative clause into an extended attribute,
which is essentially a long adjective. Compare the following two sentences, which are equivalent:

This is the simplest case. Such a clause has one verb,


conjugated based on the person and number of the subject
of the sentence. This conjugated verb is placed at the end
of the clause.

Subordinate and relative clauses have similar syntax. Indeed, neglecting the verbs, they have a syntax similar to
main clauses. Recall the syntax described at the beginning of this chapter. That syntax will form the basis of
the Mittelfeld in dependent clauses.

The modal verb (or the modal-like verb) has to be at the


end of the verb phrase, regardless of whether it has been
conjugated. In cases where it has not, the conjugated verb
moves to the beginning of the verb phrase. Lets look at
our examples above.

Dependent Clauses with Two Verbs

A clause with two verbs has one conjugated verb and one
verb in the innitive. Such examples are clauses in a perfect tense (wherein the conjugated verb is the auxiliary
Der Mann, der jede Woche auf Dienstreise nach Seattle verb, either haben or sein), the future tense (werfhrt, ist krank. The man, who drives to Seattle every
den), ones with modal verbs, and ones with modal-like
week on business, is sick. Der jede Woche nach Seattle verbs (sehen, hren, helfen, lassen).
auf Dienstreise fahrende Mann ist krank. The to-SeattleIn a main clause, the conjugated verb will be in the second
every-week-on-business driving man is sick.
position, and the innitive verb will be at the end of the
Such a construction is ludicrous in English, but not- clause.
uncommon in German. The experienced reader of German will, with practice, be able to read through such an In a dependent clause, both verbs will be at the end of the
clause, with the conjugated verb last. This supports the
item without diculty.
principle of building inwards.
It would be best to review what we have learned about
subordinate and relative pronouns before discussing their Dependent Clauses with Three Verbs
syntax. Dependent clauses - both subordinating and rel- Sentences with three verbs typically involve a modal verb,
ative clauses - modify or in some other way describe the whose presence complicates matters terribly. Let us think
antecedent clause upon which they are based. Subordi- of some examples in English.
nating clauses provide a variety of ways in which new information can relate to the main clause, many of which 1) I am not able to help you move your car. - knnen are adverbial in nature (e.g., weil/because, but not helfen - bewegen
dass/that, which, in the examples above, replaced the 2) I will be able to go to the store with you. - werden accusitive object). Relative clauses modify and describe knnen - gehen
entities already mentioned in the main clause. Generally
3) I have not been able to aord that. (haben + sich (dat)
speaking, only subordinate clauses have the ability to ocetw. leisten knnen = to be able to aord sth.)
cupy the rst position in a main clause.
4) I have not been able to reach you over the phone. Format:
haben - knnen - erreichen
Main clause, subordinating conjunction + subordinate
And so on. The problem is, after you've learned how
clause. Subordinating conjunction + subordinate clause,
to put your verb at the end of the sentence in a main
conjugated verb + main clause. Main clause including anclause, and after you've learned how to build inwards
tecedent, relative pronoun based on antecedent + relative
in dependent clauses, and after you've pulled your hair
clause.
out, night after night, sitting in a cafe in Seattle declining
relative pronouns, German grammar throws yet another
rule at you, this one so pointless and downright counterproductive, and it seems like German grammar is simply
making fun of you at this point, that you leap out of your
Syntax of Dependent Clauses
seat, scream woo hoo!", and then get back to work.

Once again, no dependent clause will contain each of Du weit, dass...


these elements. But understanding the position of pro- 1) ...ich dir dein Auto nicht bewegen helfen kann. This
nouns is critical. The same conventions listed under the one is straightforward, because the modal verb is the conmain clause schema apply.

69.1. SENTENCES

125

jugated verb, allowing the clause to follow the build in- Verbs (in the innitive form) always come at the end,
wards principle.
immediately preceded by the word zu. In the case of
2) ...ich zum Markt mit dir nicht werde gehen knnen. separable-prex verbs, such a verb is written as one
The modal verb must come last. No semantic or logical word, with the word zu between the prex and the main
verb; e.g. anzuschlagen, auszugehen, abzunehmen, and so
reason for this.
forth.
3) ...ich mir das nicht habe leisten knnen. The modal
The syntax of innitive clauses can thus be summarized
verb must come last. Note here that the modal verb does
not form a past participle when it has main verb to mod- as follows:
ify.
4) ...ich dich am Telefon nicht habe erreichen knnen.
Note the somewhat sensible placement of nicht.
And so...

69.1.7

Innitive Clauses

The reader is already familiar with several types of German verbs that require other verbs; these verbs are modal
verbs (knnen, drfen, wollen, etc.); modal-like verbs (sehen, hren, helfen, lassen); auxilliary verbs (sein, haben),
used for the perfect tenses; and werden, used for future
and passive constructions. Another verb that can take another verb without forming an innitive clause is bleiben
(e.g., stehenbleiben, to remain standing). These verbs
never form innitive clauses, and the verbs that are used
with them go at the end of the sentence.
Innitive clauses are another kind of clause found in
German, and are equivalent to innitive clauses in English. Consider the following examples in English:
I am here (in order) to help you clean your house. The
car is ready to be driven. I work to be able to aord my
car.
Innitive clauses are formed after verbs that do not regularly take other verbs. They indicate purpose, intent, and
meaning of the action in the main clause. As such, innitive clauses have no subject, or no nouns in the nominative
case. Here are the above examples in German:
Ich bin hier, um dir dein Haus putzen zu helfen. Das Auto
ist bereit, gefahren zu werden. Ich arbeite, um mir ein
Auto leisten zu knnen.
Innitive clauses are usually found after a main clause,
though it is possible for them to occupy the rst position
of a main clause. They are always set o by a comma.
Of particular interest is the construction, "um...zu..."",
which corresponds to the English construction, in order
to.... Um is placed at the beginning of the clause, after which follows a standard innitive clause. Whereas
in order is frequently omitted from English innitive
clauses of this sort, "um" is always included such clauses
in German.
The Mittelfeld follows the standard syntax of main
clauses, though without nominative nouns and pronouns.
At any rate, innitive tend to be rather short.

Chapter 70

Verbs
70.1 Verbs

70.1.4 Reexive Verbs

Reexive Verbs are verbs involving the reexive pronoun


sich and its conjugations that reect, or refer back, to
the performer of the action. There are only accusative
German verbs can be classied as weak or as strong. and dative reexive pronouns.
Weak verbs are very regular in their forms, whereas
Accusative reexive pronouns are used when there is no
strong verbs change the stem vowel.
direct object. Dative reexive pronouns are used when
Weak:
a direct object is present. However, when using a direct
object, the possessive is not used.
kaufen, kaufte, gekauft

70.1.1

Verbs

Examples:

Strong:
singen, sang, gesungen

Accusative: Ich verletze mich. I injure myself.

With its Anglo-Saxon origin, this notion is also present in


English.

Dative: Ich verletze mir die Hand. I injure my


hand.

ip, ipped, ipped sing, sang, sung


Some German verbs have weak and strong forms. This
may depend on meaning:

Accusative: Er hat sich verbrannt. He burned


himself.

Der Botschafter wurde nach Berlin gesandt. Der Sddeutsche Rundfunk sendete ein Konzert aus dem Gasteig.

Dative: Er hat sich den Daumen verbrannt. He


burned his thumb.

Or on transitive vs. intransitive use:


Das Hemd hing auf der Wscheleine. Sie hngte das Notice that all reexives are the same as the Akkusativ
and Dativ Pronoun Declensions except for 3rd Person
Hemd auf die Wscheleine.
and 2nd sg./pl. Person formal (man/sie/Sie), in which case
all reexives are sich.

70.1.2

Strong Verbs
70.1.5 Modals

Liste der starken und unregelmssigen Verben


Drfen

70.1.3

Drfen means to be allowed/permitted, may.

Separable Verbs

Sometimes you will run into verbs such as anrufen,


aufrumen, mitkommen. These verbs are examples of
Separable Prex Verbs. When you see these kinds of
verbs, it will have a preposition prex followed by a verb.
These verbs separate when they are the main verb of a
sentence.

Examples:
Darf ich einen Freund zum Fest bringen? May I bring
a friend to the party. Man darf hier nicht rauchen. One
is not allowed to smoke here. Niemand durfte die Stadt
verlassen. No one was allowed to leave the city.

EXAMPLES:

Knnen

I am calling the butcher. Ich rufe den Metzger an.

knnen means 'to be able, capable'. It is cognate with the


English word 'can'/'could'.

I am trying on the boots. Ich probiere die Stiefel an.

126

70.1. VERBS

127

Examples:

Ich habe das tun drfen - knnen - mgen - mssen Ich kann das nicht tun. I can't do it. Wir konnten sie sollen.
nicht erreichen. We could not reach them.
Wrong:
Mgen
mgen expresses a pleasure, or desire. In the present
tense, it is used transitively with people or food. e.g.
'Ich mag dich' 'I like you' or 'Ich mag Erdbeeren' 'I like
strawberries. The subjunctive (of the past) expresses
preference to perform the action of a subordinate clause
'Ich mchte nach Frankreich reisen' I would like to travel
to France'. 'mgen' is cognate with the English verb
'may'/'might'.

Ich habe das tun gedurft - gekonnt - gemocht - gemusst


- gesollt.
It holds also for the verbs sehen and hren:
Ich habe ihn kommen sehen - hren.
Use of modal verbs as full verbs
Modal verbs can be used as full verbs indicating motion.
Er muss nach Berlin He must go to Berlin.

Example:
Ich mchte nach Deutschland reisen. I would like to
travel to Germany.

70.1.6 Present Tense

(There is also a present subjunctive mge, which is very Use


formal:
Der Knig sagte: Er mge eintreten. - The king said: The Present Tense is used for..
He may enter.)
The Present Tense (="das Prsens) is used to describe situations that are happening and aren't the
Mssen
past.
mssen expresses something forced on you. It is etymologically related to 'must'.
Examples:

For Ongoing Action, like I'm swimming in the pool


now

Ich muss nicht arbeiten. ~ Ich brauche nicht zu arbeiten. I don't have to work. Ich darf nicht arbeiten.
I must not work.

Everyday Truths, like The moon and stars will come


at night.

Note that the negative nicht mssen is not the English


must not, but rather need not or don't have/need to.
must not translates to nicht drfen.

Future meaning, if explicitly stated, like I will run


tomorrow morning

There are however some northern German uses like:

Actions started in the past and still going on in the


present I've been cleaning the house all day

Du musst das nicht tun meaning Du solltest das nicht


tun.

Progressive Forms
Sollen
There is a present progressive tense in colloquial spoken
sollen expresses an obligation or duty. It is etymologically German. Its use is optional.
related to 'shall'.
Here is one example:
Ich bin am Fahren. (I am at the driving) I'm driving.
Wollen
wollen means to want.

The person to say this would be driving during the time


they say this and they would continue to drive after stating
this for some time.

Use in Perfect (and Pluperfect) Tense

You nominalize the verb (fahren (driving) becomes


das Fahren) and add a am. You can also do this with
forms of the past.

Although all these modals have a normal perfect:

Als er kam war ich gerade am Abwaschen. (When he arrived i was at the dishwashing) I was washing the dishes
in connection with other verbs, the innitive form is used: when he arrived.
gedurft gekonnt gemocht gemusst gesollt

128

CHAPTER 70. VERBS

So the verb sein (to be) includes the information what Note that irregular verbs can be combined with the same
tense he was doing what he did in.
prexes as described above. The same rules regarding the
Here the progressive meaning is also emphasized with prex ge- apply. Therefore the forms for schreiben, verthe word gerade meaning something like: I was JUST schreiben and aufschreiben are geschrieben, verschrieben
ABOUT to wash the dishes(not the same though because and aufgeschrieben respectively.
it means he is already doing it and not about to start).
Which verbs are irregular A lot of verbs that are irregular in English are irregular in German, too. Unfor70.1.7 Perfect Tense
tunately, this is not always true. It is most likely when
the German and the English verb are related (i.e. look
The Perfect Tense or das Perfekt of verbs is used to talk similar).
about things in the past which have already happened. It
is sometimes referred to as Present Perfect Tense. This Examples:
can cause confusion. While the formation is similar, the see: irregular sehen: irregular buy: irregular kaufen: regmeaning and usage diers.
ular get: irregular bekommen: irregular ;-)
Formation

Regular verbs are much more frequent than irregular


ones, but a lot of the irregular verbs are used very frequently, for instance haben, sein, gehen, kommen etc.

As in English, the perfect tense consists of two parts. An When in doubt whether a verb is irregular or not, it is best
auxiliary (Hilfsverb) and a past participle (Partizip Per- to look it up in a dictionary (See below).
fekt). Compare the examples given below with their English translations.
Haben or sein as auxiliaries
Past participle for regular verbs
The general rule is simple:

Whether a verb is irregular or not does not inuence


the choice of auxiliary.

Most verbs take haben as auxiliary.


There are some groups of regular verbs that slightly dier
A) Verbs which take an accusative object (transitive
from that pattern.
verbs)
Some verbs drop the prex ge-. Like the other regular B) Reexive verbs always take haben as auxiliary.
verbs they end in -t. These are:
Examples A:
1. Verbs with unseparable prexes (be-, ent-, er-, empf-,
trinken: Er hat ein Bier getrunken. lesen: Sie hat ein Buch
ge-, ver-, miss-, zer-)
gelesen kochen Sie haben gestern Spaghetti gekocht.
Examples:
Examples B:
2. Verbs ending in -ieren
Examples:
sich freuen Ich habe mich gefreut sich kmmen Er hat sich
3. Another group is formed by verbs with separable gekmmt sich rgern Wir haben uns schon lange nicht
mehr so gergert.
prexes
With separable verbs, the prex ge is placed between the The auxiliary sein is taken by verbs that describe
prex and the rest of the verb.
Examples:
Separable and inseparable verbs are distinguished by
the stressed syllable:
Er hat das Buch ins Chinesische bersetzt. Der Fhrmann
hat den Passagier bergesetzt (ber den Fluss gesetzt).

C) the relocation from one place to another or


D) the change of a state
and with
E) sein (be) and bleiben (stay)

Past Participle for Irregular Verbs

Note: none of the verbs from groups C-E is combined


Irregular verbs always end in -en. The vowel can be dif- with an accusative object.
ferent from the one in present tense. Look at some ex- Examples C: relocation verbs
amples:
verb aux. irregular sentence with perfect tense kommen
You have to learn these forms by heart. How you can ob- (come) sein yes Ich bin gekommen. reisen (travel) sein
tain the necessary information and how you should learn no Wir sind schon dreimal nach China gereist. fahren
(drive) sein yes Ich bin mit dem Auto nach Kalifornien
them is described in section tips for learning below.

70.1. VERBS

129

gefahren. begegnen (meet) sein no Er ist ihm gestern im Urlaub.


begegnet. gehen (go) sein yes Du bist gegangen. starten (3) Anna: So? Wo warst du denn genau?
(take o) sein yes Das Flugzeug ist gestartet.
(4) Peter: Auf der Insel Elba, in einem fantastischen
In southern German (mostly Bavarian) use, also stehen, Hotel. Es gab jeden Abend ein Bet und man konnte
sitzen und schwimmen are treated like a (non-)movement: essen, so viel man wollte!
(5) Anna (lacht): Ich glaube dir sofort, dass dir das
Ich bin gestanden - gesessen - geschwommen. High Ger- gefallen hat. Du hast aber nicht nur gegessen, oder? Was
man is: Ich habe gestanden - gesessen - geschwommen. hast du denn den ganzen Tag gemacht?
Aber: Ich habe den See durchschwommen.
(6) Peter (lacht auch): Nein, natrlich nicht. Ich bin viel
geschwommen, ich habe mir die Insel angeguckt und am
Examples D: change of state verbs
Abend bin ich immer zum Tanzen in eine Disco gegangen.
verb aux. irr. sentence with perfect tense aufstehen (7) Anna: Aha... Und? Hast du jemanden kennen
(get up) sein yes Ich bin heute frh aufgestanden. ein- gelernt?
schlafen (fall asleep) sein yes Die Kinder sind endlich (8) Peter (grinst): Kein Kommentar.
eingeschlafen. verblhen (whither) sein no Die Blumen
sind schon verblht
Vocablary to help you understand the text:
Examples E: sein and bleiben
der Urlaub, -e vacation genau exactly, precisely die Insel, Er ist nicht lange geblieben. He didn't stay long. Er ist n island das Bet, -s buet gefallen like angucken to look
immer nett gewesen. He has always been nice.
at (colloquial) kennen lernen get to know grinsen grin
Exceptions to the rules Some of the verbs from group Used forms to talk about past events
A can be used with an object in accusative case. In this
Prteritum Perfekt du warst (1/3) habe gesehen (1) ich
case, they take haben as auxiliary.
war (2) es hat gefallen (5) es gab (4) du hast gegessen
Compare:
(5) konnte (4) du hast gemacht (5) wollte (4) ich bin
Ich bin nach Kalifornien gefahren. I drove to California. geschwommen (6) ich habe angeguckt (6) ich bin geganIch bin mit dem Auto nach Kalifornien gefahren. I drove gen (6) du hast kennen gelernt
to California by car (literally: with the car) Ich habe das
Auto (Akk.) nach Kalifornien gefahren. I drove the car
How to nd the forms in a dictionary
to California.
The same applies to iegen (y), starten and reiten (ride Unless you have a special dictionary for learners, not all
a horse).
the forms will be spelled out. Regular forms are often
omitted. The same goes for the auxiliary haben. If no
forms are indicated, you may assume that the verb is regUsage
ular and has the verb haben as an auxiliary. However,
if you nd the abbreviation itr or i. (for intransitive) beUnlike in English the dierence in meaning between Per- hind the verb, the auxiliary is often sein. Intransitve verbs
fekt and Prteritum is rather small. The main dierence don't have an accusative object and these are often used
between those two forms lies in usage. Perfekt is mostly with sein, while transitive verbs (tr. or t.) are always conused in spoken language, while Prteritum is mostly re- jugated with haben.
served for written texts. However, the modals, the verbs
haben and sein and the expression es gibt are almost ex- Sometimes not even the forms of irregular verbs are given
clusively used in Prteritum - even when speaking. One in the lexicon entry. Irregular verbs are often indicated by
reason might be the frequency of those verbs, the other irr. for irregular or a similar abbreviation. In that case,
reason is most likely the very complex perfect forms for look for a list of irregular verb forms in the index of your
dictionary.
modals.
(This is in southern German use; in northern German, To nd the past participle of separable verbs you often
have to cut the prex and look for the base form of the
you'll hear the preterite also in spoken language.)
verb. If you look for aufstehen (get up), you probably
On the other hand, the perfect tense is used in writing too. nd your answer in the entry of stehen. Remember: The
The more oral the text is, the more perfect tense you will prex ge goes in between the prex of the separable verb
nd (for example in personal letters etc.). If an action has and the verb itself: auf + ge + standen.
happened very recently, it tends to be in perfect tense too.
When working online, you might consider using Canoo.
Look at the following conversation and concentrate on the Enter an arbitrary form of the word you are interested in
distribution of Prteritum and Perfekt.
into the mask. Hit enter. On the results page, choose the
(1) Anna: Hallo Peter. Wo warst du denn? Ich habe dich link Flexion behind the appropriate entry (or inection in
the English version). You will get a table of all possible
schon lange nicht mehr gesehen.
(2) Peter: Hallo Anna. Ich war die letzen zwei Wochen verb forms.

130

CHAPTER 70. VERBS

Tips for learning

Second position does not equal second word, as you can


see above. However, there is only one group of words
Irregular forms are just that - irregular. Therefore you allowed before the conjugated verb (the auxiliary in this
have to learn them by heart. By learning four forms, you case). Such groups of words are called phrases. While
you can put very long phrases in front of the conjucan construct every verb form for a given verb.
gated verb, you must not use two. Therefore the sentence
The forms you should know are:
Gestern sein Vater hat ein fantastisches Essen gekocht
Innitiv Prsens Prteritum Hilfsverb + Partizip Perfekt is wrong.
innitiv 3rd person preterite auxiliary + past participle
gehen geht ging ist + gegangen nehmen nimmt nahm hat
+ genommen fahren fhrt fuhr ist + gefahren lesen liest las Subordinated Clauses
hat + gelesen essen isst a hat + gegessen kommen kommt
kam ist + gekommen bleiben bleibt blieb ist + geblieben Subordinated clauses begin with a subordinating conjuncsein ist war ist + gewesen anfangen fngt ... an ng ... an tion. Well known conjunctions of this kind are
hat + angefangen ...
weil dass wenn.
All forms - besides the innitive of course - should be in *In spoken language weil is often used like und or aber, which
3rd-person singular.
means that it is followed by a main clause. However, after weil,
A good way to learn those forms is to put them on small
cards. On one side you write the innitive and probably a sentence to illustrate the usage of the verb. On the
backside you put the rest of the forms and - if needed a translation of the verb. When learning, you look at the
innitve and try to remember the forms and the meaning.
You can easily verify your hypothesis by ipping the card.

speakers often pause for a little while. There is no pause after


either und or aber.
Weil + main clause is not allowed in written language. Therefore you may say: Ich gehe, weil - (little pause) - ich bin mde.
But you wouldn't use it in a letter. At least not yet.
The correct conjunction for a main clause is denn, which is
rarely used in spoken language.

If you encounter a verb you want to learn, look it up in a


dictionary. If it is irregular, learn the verb together with
its dening forms. Like that, you spare yourself a lot of
trouble later on.

In subordinated clauses the conjugated verb, i.e. the auxiliary, stands at the very end of the sentence. The past
participle stands directly in front of it. For example:

70.1.8

Sentence Structure

conj. aux. participle aux. Ich wei, dass du das gemacht


hast. Ich glaube dir, weil du bisher noch nie gelogen hast.
Ich glaube dir, denn du hast bisher noch nie gelogen. Ich
gehe, wenn du gegangen bist.

The perfect tense consists of two verb forms: an auxiliary


and a past participle. Together they form the so called 70.1.9 Past tense
predicate. The predicate consists of all verb parts in one
Regular verbs
clause.
The sentence structure in perfect behaves as with evRegular (or better, weak) verbs take the ending -te. The
ery two parts predicate (modals plus innitive, separable
person endings are added afterwards. Note that the forms
verbs etc.)
for 1st- and 3rd-person singular are the same.
Main Clauses

If the stem of a verb (innitive minus -en) ends in -t


(arbeit-en), -d (end-en) or consonant plus m or n (nen, rechn-en) you add an -e before the preterite endings.

In a main clause (Hauptsatz), the conjugated verb (the


auxiliary in this case) is in the second position and the
Irregular verbs
past participle stands at the end of the clause.
First Position (I) (II) 1) Sein Vater hat gestern ein fantastisches Essen gekocht. 2) Gestern hat sein Vater ein
fantastisches Essen gekocht. Both: Yesterday, his father
cooked a fantastic meal. 3) Ein fantastisches Essen hat
sein Vater gestern gekocht.* It was a fantastic meal that
his father cooked yesterday.
* The third example is correct, although not very frequent. You
might use it if you want to stress what exactly his father has prepared or if you have to repeat the sentence because your partner
has not understood this particular part of it.

Without -te The strong verbs belong to this group. The


endings are easy to memorize. It is harder to know which
vowel to use. The rule mentioned above for t/d, doubleconsonant + n/m applies also for irregular verbs.
gehen, ging, gegangen stehen, stand, gestanden
With -te Few irregular verbs take the -te ending. Examples are: nennen, rennen, kennen, bringen, denken and
the irregular modals (knnen, drfen and mssen).

70.1. VERBS

70.1.10

Future Tense

Talking about future with the present tense


German uses the Present Tense to talk about the future
whenever it is clear to both speaker and listener that the
future is meant. In the dialogue example:
Wenn du zu Hause bleibst, kommen wir dich besuchen.
If you stay at home, we shall come and visit you.
The whole conversation is about the future, so there is no
need to indicate it again in the tense of the verb.
Some more examples:
Ich schreibe den Brief heute Abend. I will write the letter
this evening. Wir gehen nchstes Jahr nach Spanien. We
will go to Spain next year.
Futur I
Where the meaning would not otherwise be clear, and in
more formal language, e.g. to express an intention, German talks about the future tense by using werden plus the
innitive at the end of the clause. The forms of werden
are:
ich werde du wirst er/sie/es/man wird wir werden ihr
werdet sie/Sie werden
Examples:
Ich werde ein Haus bauen. I shall build a house. (an
intention) Wir werden sehen. We will see.
The future can also express some inescapable fate:
Sie werden alle umkommen. They will all perish.
Future II
The Future II is formed with added sein oder haben
and expresses that one action will happen before another
one.
Wenn sie das Abendessen gekocht haben wird, werden
sie kommen. When she will have cooked the dinner, they
will come.
In the colloquial language, the perfect is often used for
that.
In the colloquial language expresses the Future II often a
speculation about the past.
Sie werden angekommen sein. literally they will have
arrived - meaning "(I gather) they have arrived (by now)"
Sie werden es gemacht haben. they will have done it
In the colloquial language, the Futur II is normally used
when speaking about something that should have happened already, but you are not sure or you can't prove
it.

131

Chapter 71

'''APPENDICES'''

132

Chapter 72

A.01 - Das Alphabet


72.1 Alphabet

Vokale ~ Vowels

72.1.1

German vowels are either long or short, but never drawled


as in some English dialects. A simple method of recognizing whether a vowel is likely to be long or short in a
German word is called the Rule of double consonants.
If a vowel is followed by a single consonant as in haben
(have), dir (you, dat.), Peter (Peter), and schon (already)
the vowel sound is usually long. If there are two
or more consonants following the vowel as in falsch
(false), elf (eleven), immer (always), and noch (still)
the vowel sound is usually short. There are some German words that are exceptions to the double consonant
rule: bin, bis, das, es, hat, and was all have short vowel
sounds. It is also the case that the silent 'h' does not count
as a consonant and the preceding vowel is always long.
Ihnen is an example.

The Alphabet

The German alphabet, like English, consists of 26 basic letters. However, there are also combined letters and
three umlauted forms (an umlaut is the pair of dots placed
over certain vowels; in German, Umlaut describes the
dotted letter, not just the dots.). The following table includes a listing of all these letters and a guide to their
pronunciation. As in English, letter sounds can dier depending upon where within a word the letter occurs. The
rst pronunciation given below (second column) is that
in English of the letter (or combination) itself. Reading
down this column and pronouncing the English words
will recite the alphabet auf Deutsch (in German). Note
that letter order is exactly the same as in English, but pronunciation is not for many of the letters. In the list of pro- This rule is applied to the use of 'ss vs. '' (see below),
nunciation notes, no entry means essentially pronounced in that '' is treated as 'hs. Thus, the vowel before '' in
der Fu (foot) is long, while that before 'ss in das Fass
as in English.
(cask) is short.
au 'Ah-oo' is pronounced like 'ow' in English 'cow'.
German examples are blau (blue) and auch (also see
below under ach ~ unique German sounds).

Unique German Letters


Umlaut Letters
Umlauts were originally written as 'ae', 'oe', and 'ue'.
The ss-Ligature,

eu 'Ay-oo' is pronounced like 'oi' in English word


'oil'. German examples are neun (nine) and heute
(today).

Combined Letters
Audio:
Das ABC

OGG (305KB) ~ Das Alphabet oder

Audio:

OGG (114KB) ~ Die Umlaute

72.1.2

u 'Ah-umlaut-oo' is pronounced like the German


eu (ay-oo; see next). In written and printed German,
'ae' can be an acceptable substitute for '' if the latter
is unavailable.

Deutsche Aussprache ~ German


Pronunciation Guide
133

ie and ei 'Ee-ay' has exactly the same sound as a


German long 'i'; that is, like the 'ee' in 'seen'. 'Ay-ee'
is pronounced like the 'ei' in 'height'. Note that this
appears to be the opposite for these two vowel combinations in English, where the rule is that the rst
vowel is long and the second is silent. Consider this
word: 'die' in German it is pronounced 'dee', in
English like 'dye'. The word mein in German is the
English 'mine'. In eect, 'ie' follows the same rule

134

CHAPTER 72. A.01 - DAS ALPHABET


as in English, with the rst vowel long (ee in German) and the second vowel silent; 'ei' is the equivalent sound in German to the English long 'i' as in
'mine'.

Konsonanten ~ Consonants

that before 'ss in das Fass (cask) is short. '' appears after diphthongs ('au', 'ei', 'eu') because they
are long. In written and printed German, 'ss can
be an acceptable substitute for '' if the letter is unavailable. The Greek letter, , is not to be used as
a substitute for ''. Note that in Switzerland, '' is
always written as 'ss.

Most German consonants are pronounced similar to the


way they are in English, with exceptions noted in column German Sounds not found in English
3 above. Details of certain consonant sounds and uses are
There are sounds in the German language that have no
discussed further here:
real equivalent in the English language. These are discussed here.
ch Pronounced like 'k' in many words of Greek
origin like Christ or Charakter, but like 'sh' in words
r German language has two pronunciations for r:
of French origin, and 'tch' in words of English oriThe more common is similiar to the French r, a gutgin. The German sechs (six) is pronounced very
tural sound resembling a fractionated g, as found in
much similar to the English 'sex', but with a voiced
Arabic or some pronunciations of modern Greek
's (so its more like 'zex'). See also the discussion
, as well as modern Hebrew ( the modern sound
of ich-sound below. The pronunciation of words
was aected by German). The second pronounciwith an initial 'ch' followed by e or i, as in China
ation is a rolled r as in Spanish or Scots. Its use
or Chemie varies: in High German the ich-sound
is limited to Switzerland and parts of Southern Geris the standard pronunciation, but in South German
many.
dialect and Austrian German 'k' is preferred.
d, t, l, and n These letters are pronounced similarly
in English and German. However, in pronouncing
these letters, the German extends his tongue up to
the back of the base of the teeth, creating a more
dental sound. As noted above, 'd' is a 'dental d' except at the end of a word, where it becomes a 'dental
t'.
sch in German 'Ess-tsay-hah' is pronounced like
'sh', not 'sk' as in English. German word example:
Schler (student).
sp and st Where the combinations 'ess-pay' or 'esstay' appear at the beginning of a word, the 'ess sound
becomes an 'sh' sound. German examples are spielen (play) and spt (late). An interesting exception
is a word like Bleistift (pencil), where the inside 'sti'
is pronounced 'shti' however, this is a compound
word from Blei (lead) and Stift (pen). Some local
dialects however pronounce all occurrences sharp
(with an 'ess sound -- typical for North German dialects, especially near Hamburg) or soft (with an
'sh' sound -- typical for the Swabian dialect).
The former ligature (of 'ss or 'sz'), 'ess-tset'
is widely used in German, but its use is somewhat
more restricted in very modern German (always pronounced like 's in 'sound'). '' is used for the sound
's in cases where 'ss or 's can't be used: this is especially after long vowels and diphthongs (cf. the
English usage of 'c' like in 'vice' or 'grocery'). Thus,
the vowel before '' in der Fu (foot) is long, while

(oh-umlaut) The word umlaut means change


in sound and an umlauted 'o' changes to a sound
with no equivalent in English. An easy way to get
this sound is to think of it as the 'u' in the British
word 'murder'. Commonly, the 'long ' is made by
rst sounding 'oo' as in moon, then pursing the lips
as if to whistle, and changing the sound to 'a' as in
'late'. An example word is schn (beautiful). The
'short ' sound is made by rst sounding 'oo', pursing the lips, and changing the sound to 'e' as in 'pet.
A 'short ' sounds actually very similar to the 'i' in
'sir'. An example word is zwlf (twelve). If you have
problems pronouncing , do not replace it by o but
by e (as in elf) like in many German dialects. In
written and printed German, 'oe' can be an acceptable substitute for '' if the latter is unavailable.
(oo-umlaut) As with '', 'oo-umlaut' is a rounded
vowel sound with no real English equivalent. The
'long ' is made by rst sounding 'oo' as in moon,
then pursing the lips as if to whistle, and changing
the sound to 'ee' as in 'seen'. A simpler approach is to
simply shape your lips as if you were to whistle, and
then put some voice. An example word is frh. The
'short ' sound is made by rst sounding 'oo', pursing
the lips, and changing the sound to 'i' as in 'pit. An
example word is fnf (ve). If you have problems
pronouncing , do not replace it by u but by i (as
in sh) like in many German dialects. In written and
printed German, 'ue' can be an acceptable substitute
for '' if the latter is unavailable.
ach The letter combination 'ch' as in auch (also)
is called the ach-sound and resembles a throat-

72.1. ALPHABET
clearing (guttural) sound. It is used after 'a', 'o', 'u',
and 'au'. It is pronounced somewhat like och in
Loch Ness (lock, not loke) in its original form. The
Hebrew letter and the Arabic letter as well as
continental Spanish j are pronounced the same as
the ach-sound.
ich The ich-sound in German is also somewhat
guttural, like a more forceful 'h' in English hue,
huge. Another approach is to say sh while (almost) touching the palpatine not with the tip but
with the middle of your tongue. In the word richtig
(correct) both the 'ich' and the nal 'ig' have this
sound. It is used after 'e', 'i', 'y', '', '', '', 'ei', 'eu',
'u', after consonant-letters and sometimes at the beginning of words (especially before 'e', 'i', 'y', '', '').
If you have problems pronouncing ich, replace with
the sound of 'hue' or by 'sh' but never by a hard 'k'
(never ick)! In some parts of Germany ich, as
well as the nal 'ig', is pronounced ish. In Austria and some local dialects of Germany the nal 'ig'
(as in richtig) is simply pronounced as in English
dig.
Audio: OGG (37KB) ~ ach, auch, ich, richtig
Syllable Stress
The general rule in German is that words are stressed
on the rst syllable. However, there are exceptions. Almost all exceptions are of Latin, French, or Greek origin.
Mostly these are words stressed on the last syllable, as
shown by the following:
Vo=`kal Kon=so=`nant Lek=ti=`on
These words (not stressed on the rst syllable) appear
in the (Level II and III) lesson vocabularies as Vokal,
Lektion (in some regions: Lektion), etc.
Words starting in common prexes (ge-, be-, ver-, etc.)
stress the syllable following said prex. Examples are
Gemse, Beamte, and Vereinigung.

72.1.3

Links

For very advanced Readers:


w:de:Vokal#Vokale_im_Deutschen
w:de:

135

Chapter 73

A.02 - Phrase Book


73.1 Phrasebook

understand me? Ich verstehe Sie nicht. I don't understand you. Ich wei nicht. I don't know Was haben Sie
gesagt? What was that? What have you said? Knnen Sie
73.1.1 German Phrases
das bitte wiederholen? Can you say that again, please!
Ich spreche kein deutsch. I don't speak German (literGreetings
ally: I speak no German) Ich spreche nur ein bisschen
Hallo! Hello! Guten Tag! Good day! Tag Day Guten deutsch. I speak only a little German Ich spreche nur
Morgen! Good morning! Guten Abend! Good evening- wenig deutsch. I speak a little German Ich spreche nur
ein paar Wrter auf deutsch. I only speak a few words of
this is for close friends and family
German. Sprechen Sie Deutsch? Do you speak German?
Wie geht es Ihnen? How are you (formal)? How are you Sprechen Sie Englisch? Do you speak English?
doing?
Nichten Brauhe eine Schlange. Dein Mutter ist ein Hund!
Wie gehts How are you (informal) Es geht mir gut I'm
doing ne, I'm well Prima!, Great! Spitze! Super! Gut!
Good! Sehr gut! Very good! Toll! Terric! Ganz gut 73.1.2 Positionen (Locations)
Pretty good So lala OK Es geht so Going ok Nicht gut
Not well Schlecht Bad Sehr schlecht Very bad Miserabel Wo ist die Apotheke? Where is the drug store? Wo ist
Miserable Und Ihnen? And you (formal)? Auf Wieder- das Geschft? Where is the shop? Wissen Sie, wo der
sehen! Good bye! Wiedersehen! Bye! Tschss! See you! Flughafen ist? Do you know where the airport is? Wie
Ciao! Ciao! (Italian for 'see you') Bis spter! Later! (un- gelangt man zur Bowlingbahn? How do you get to the
til later) Bis dann! Later! (until whenever) Wiederhren bowling alley?
(hear) again (used over the phone)
More commonly used is: (few people say gelangt)
Wie kommt man zur How does one get to? (for
feminine words) Wie kommt man zur Apotheke? How
does one get to the chemist / pharmacy? Wie kommt man
zum How does one get to? (for neuter or masculine
words) Wie kommt man zum Flughafen? How does one
get to the airport? Gehen Sie nach links. Go left Gehen
Sie nach rechts. Go right

Note: How are you? is not a typical query in


German greeting etiquette as it is in English,
where the standard answer is I'm Fine. A German speaker will consider this to be an earnest
question, and you may receive an honest answer
that is longer than you expected.
Note: Wiedersehen directly translates as to see
again.

73.1.3 Common phrases


Gesprche (conversations)
Danke (sehr)! Thanks, thank you Danke schn! Thanks
a lot! Bitte? Please? Bitte (sehr)! You're welcome!
(comes after danke) Entschuldigung! Excuse me! Vielen
Dank Much thanks Gern geschehen You are welcome
Verstehen (understanding)
Sprechen Sie bitte etwas langsamer. Please, speak somewhat slower. Bitte sprechen Sie langsamer. Please speak
more slowly. Knnen Sie mich verstehen? Can you
136

Chapter 74

A.03 - Grammar Reference Table I


74.1 Grammar I

Accusative case personal pronouns


The personal pronouns in the accusative case are used as
direct objects of transitve verbs and after the prepositions
durch, fr, gegen, ohne, um.

Beginning German | Basic German | Intermediate German

74.1.1 Der-word Case for German Nouns

* Polite form.

* The same regardless of singular noun gender

74.1.2

Personal Pronoun Tables: nominative, genitive, dative & accusative


cases

Nominative case personal pronouns


The nominative case is used as the subject of a verb.
*Polite form.

Genitive case personal pronouns


The genitive case corresponds to the possessive case in
English or to the English objective case preceded by 'of'
and denoting possession. The use of genitive personal
pronouns is very rare in German and many Germans are
unable to use them correctly.
*Polite form.
Examples:
Ich erbarme mich eurer.
you(rs).

~ I take pity on

meiner unbedeutenden Meinung nach. ~ in my


humble opinion (IMHO)

Dative case personal pronouns


The personal pronouns in the dative case are used as indirect objects of verbs and after the prepositions aus,
auer, bei, mit, nach, seit, von, zu.
*Polite form.
137

Chapter 75

A.04 - Grammar Reference Table II


75.1 Grammar II

tive.
-en

<< Beginning German | Basic German | Intermediate German

spielen - to play
machen - to make/do

75.1.1

Conjugating 'to be'

Ich bin gro. I am tall. Du bist sehr gro. You are very 75.1.3 Conjugating Irregular Verbs
tall. Sie ist klein. She is short. Sie sind gro. They are
tall.
Ich habe keine Zeit. I have no time. Gib mir das Buch!
In these cases, we use the correct form of sein for each Give me the book. Sie wandert gern. She likes to hike.
situation. Please notice the nal two sentences both use Er liest einen Roman. He is reading a novel.
'Sie', and we must look at the verb to determine the dif- In each of these sentences, we use an irregular verb.
ference between 'she' and 'they'.
Irregularity occurs in the ich-form or the du-form and
In German, the English innitive 'to be' is translated as er/sie/es-forms. There are three types of irregularity.
sein.
This is the table of the forms of 'sein', with rough English E in the rst syllable
translations. Note that in English, there are only three
forms (am, is, are) while German has ve (bin, bist, ist, One form of irregularity occurs sometimes when the verb
sind, seid).
contains an 'e' in the rst syllable. The change is simAlso, the verb conjugation of the two you-formals are al- ple: the du-form and er/sie/es forms both change the 'e'
to an 'i.e.' or an 'i'. Two common examples are shown.
ways the exact same.
Note that the er/sie/es-form and ihr-form are no longer
German
the same.
sein
sehen - to see
English
geben - to give
to be
Haben

75.1.2

Conjugating Normal Verbs

A similar, yet dierent, change occurs in the verb


Er spielt Volleyball. He plays volleyball. Ich mache haben. As in the irregularity above, the du-form and
Hausaufgaben. I do my homework. Wir kommen aus er/sie/es-form change.
Mnchen. We come from Munich. Was machst du? haben - to have
What are you doing?
In these sentences, dierent verbs and endings are used.
Verbs ending in Consonant-N
Note that the verb is always in second position.
When conjugating normal verbs, use the endings shown
below (a memory hook is the best ten endings). Note
that in normal verbs, such as spielen and machen, ihrform and er/sie/es-form are the same and the wir-form,
sie (pl)-form and the formal are all the same as the inni-

Some verbs change the ich-form for obvious reasons.


Wandern and basteln are two examples. Both drop
the rst e in the ich-form. wandern - to hike
basteln - to build

138

75.1. GRAMMAR II

75.1.4

Conjugating Modals

Ich will ins Kino gehen. I want to go to the movies. Drfen wir hier essen? May we eat here? Was kann ich fr
dich tun? What can I do for you? Er mag Romane lesen.
He likes to read books.
Modals are a new kind of verb. They are the equivalent to
helping verbs in English. There are seven basic modals:
knnen (can), mgen (like), drfen (may), wollen (want),
sollen (should), mssen (must), and mchten (would
like). Mchten isn't technically a modal, but it acts like
one in most aspects.
Modals are conjugated very dierently. The ich-form and
er/sie/es-form are always alike and singular has a dierent
verb in the rst syllable (except in sollen and mchten).
Below are the conjugations of the six basic modals and
mchten.
knnen - can
mgen - like
drfen - may
wollen - want
sollen - should
mssen - must
mchten - would like

75.1.5

Separable Verbs

Du siehst schn aus! You look good! Ich muss mein Zimmer aufrumen. I have to clean my room. Komm mit!
Come with! Probier diese Jeans an! Try these jeans on.
Some verbs in German are separable: they have a prex
that can be separated from the base. When the verb is
used with a modal, it regains the prex at the end of the
sentence. When it is the main verb of the sentence, the
prex is moved to the end of the sentence.
An example in English would be the word intake.
When it is used as a verb, it becomes take ... in. When
it is used as an adjective or a noun, it becomes intake
again.
Two easy examples of separable verbs are aussehen and
mitkommen. Note that aussehen is also irregular.
aussehen - to appear
mitkommen - to come along/with

139

Chapter 76

A.05 - Webseiten and other resources


76.1 Resources

76.1.2 ber die deutsche Sprache - about


German

Appendix 3 ~ Online Resources for German Language


Students

Ethnologue report for German


Verein Deutsche Sprache

76.1.1

Lists and directories to online re76.1.3 Online Wrterbcher - Dictionary


sources
Free Online Dictionary - Languages of the world

bab.la - Language Portal | Online Quizzes | Learn


Languages
German Flashcards - Flashcards with audioles and
dictionary

Deutsch-Englisch (German-English)

www.deutschlern.net - E-learning platform for beginning, intermediate and advanced students and
teachers of German. Exercises based on authentic
texts train reading comprehension, vocabulary, and
grammar. Monitor function for teachers. Free of
charge, requires free login.
Learn German Online - Free German lessons online.

Wiktionary - English
Wiktionary - German
bab.la German-English - Translations, synonyms,
grammar, voice output, regional and colloquial expressions.
dicologos really this is a multilanguage dictionary
with ofer 7.000.000 lemmas in several languages.
Babylon Babylon Online Dictionary

Learn German for free - Free German language


lessons.

LEO - with audioles of most of the words and vocabulary trainer.

Deutsch als Fremdsprache - Useful links for German


language learners. Site in German.

Dict.cc

German Language and Culture Resources - Materials and resources for learning the German language
and about German-speaking culture.

Ding - Ding is a Dictionary lookup program for the


X window system (Linux, Unix - not for Mac or MS
Windows). It comes with a German-English Dictionary with approximately 180,000 entries.r.

Free Online German Tutorial - at ielanguages.com

Pons - Dictionary with vocabulary trainer.

Free resources for language students - Practice Nur Deutsch - German only
speaking German with audio forums.
DWDS- Das digitale Wrterbuch der deutschen
Sprache - German only dictionary for advanced
Learn-German - Learn German quickly with our
learners.
German tips, advice, and links.
Mango - Mango Languages has free German
Lessons for English speakers.
lernsoware.de Wiki German lessons online
140

Deutsche Wrterbcher von Wahrig - Orthography


and foreign words
Redensartenindex - German idioms and proverbs
with explanations

76.1. RESOURCES
Slideshows with pictures and pronuciations
Language courses German at the time of insertion there is
only one le about fruit - I will try to add new ones every
week-end.

76.1.4

141
DW: Slowly spoken news - suitable for B2, C1
Slow German: Podcast in slowly spoken German
across a variety of topics, ranging from absolute beginner to intermediate.

Deutsche
Grammatik
und 76.1.8 Tandem
Rechtschreibung- German GramTandem by E-Mail
mar and Spelling

The Mixxer Tandem via Skype

Canoo - extensive database about inection and


word formation
German Grammar Resource - Free German grammar lessons
Free online German course - new orthography,
grammar, exercises, tests, example sentences, jokes,
learning tips

76.1.5

Aussprache - Pronunciation

A Guide to German Pronunciation - Pronunciation


course for beginners.

76.1.6

Blogs

Deutschlernblog Tips for learning German. Site entirely in German.


DaF-Blog On German language and how to learn it.
Parts of the Site are in English, but most of it in
German.
Deutsch-Happen small, bite-sized snaps of German
language for the advancing learner

76.1.7

Podcasts

from learners
Speaken Sie Deutsch?: Podcast from Canadian
Hugh Gordon (Rss-Feed).
for learners
Guter Umgang: German language learning blog
about colloquial German (RSS-Feed).
Lets speak German: Jokes, poems, tonguetwisters
and more in German (RSS-Feed).
Podcasts of Deutsche Welle: Nachrichten, TopThema, Stichwort, Sprachbar and Alltagsdeutsch
are specically made for language learners. Most
of the texts can be found on the pages Deutsch
im Fokus (Sprachbar, Stichwort and Alltagsdeutsch)
and Didaktuelles (Nachrichten and Top-Thema).

Chapter 77

A.07 - Namen
77.1 Names
77.1.1

Boris
Berthold

Names

Benjamin

This is a list of common, modern German names. Please


add to it.

Clemens
Carlo, Karlo, Karl

First Names

Carsten

German names have undergone a drastic change in the


last 60 years. Older, typical German names like Hans,
Fritz, Heinrich, Karl or Wilhelm are now uncommon in
contemporary Germany. Today many parents give their
children names like (ten most popular names 2005):

Dieter, Dietrich

(Source: Gesellschaft fr deutsche Sprache)

Daniel
Domian, Damian
Detlev
Dirk
Erik

Boys Names

77.1.2

Erwin

Typical for young people

Emil

older names:

Eberhard

Al, Alfred

Eckart

Adolf

Edmund

Albert, Bert, Kunibert

Ernst

Anton

Ewald

Achim, Joachim

Franz, Frank

Adam

Fritz

Aaron

Fridolin

Armin

Fred, Frederik

Bjrn

Friedrich, Friedhelm

Bernard

Falko

Bennedikt

Gustav

Bruno

Gerhardt

Bodo

Gert
142

77.1. NAMES

143

Gnther

Peter

Gregor

Rudi, Rdiger, Rudolph

Gunnar

Roman

Hans, Hans-Jrgen, Hannes

Robert

Harald

Rex

Heinz

Reinhard, Rainer, Reiner

Heinrich, Heiner

Sren

Hugo

Siegfried

Hektor

Snke

Helge

Thomas

Heiko

Till

Hartmut

Torsten

Herbert

Ulf

Holger

Ulli

Ingo, Ingolf

Uwe

Jrgen, Jrg

Udo

Jens

Viktor

Janosch

Werner

Jakob

Wolfgang, Wolf, Welf

Johann

Wilhelm, Willi

Karl
Klaus

Girls Names young ones:

Knut

Anna, Anne, Annika

Kurt

Amelie

Konrad

Angelina

Kaspar

Bianca

Ludwig

Christina, Christine

Leif

Daniela

Manfred

Elea

Malte

Eva

Norbert

Elisa

Nils

Emma

Olaf

Emely, Emily

Oliver

Franziska

Otto, Ottfried

Finja

Paul

Hannah, Hanna

144

CHAPTER 77. A.07 - NAMEN

Isabell, Isabelle

Sarah

Julia, Jule, Juliane

Soe, Sophie, Sophia

Jana

Samantha

Janine, Janina

Stella

Johanna

Susie

Jasmin

Tabea

Klara

Tamara

Katharina

Vivien

Kim

Vanessa

Kira
Lena

older ones:

Lara

Angela

Luise, Luisa

Anita

Lea

Andschana

Lina

Antonia

Larissa

Birgit

Lisa

Brigitte

Lina

Berta

Leonie

Christa, Christel

Liv

Doris

Maike, Meike, Mareike

Diana

Melissa

Fanny

Merle

Frieda

Mercedes

Gerta

Marie

Gisela

Maja

Gutrun

Marlene, Marleen

Hannelore

Martina

Helga

Nina

Heidi, Heide

Nicole

Inga, Inge

Nora

Iris

Petra

Ilse

Paula

Ingrid

Pia

Josephine

Ronja

Karin, Karen

Svenja

Linda

77.1. NAMES

145

Lydia

13. Bauer

Marta

14. Richter

Monika

15. Klein

Nadja
Olivia
Roswitha

16. Wolf
17. Schrder
18. Neumann
19. Schwarz

Renate

20. Zimmermann

Susanne

21. Braun

Sabine

22. Krger

Sissi

23. Hofmann

Simone

24. Hartmann

Silke

25. Lange

Tina, Tine
Ursula

26. Schmitt
27. Werner
28. Schmitz

Ulla

29. Krause

Vera

30. Meier

Veronika

31. Lehmann

Winnifried

32. Schmid

Wanda

33. Schulze

Wilhelma

34. Maier
35. Khler

Last Names
The 51. most popular last names in Germany:

36. Herrmann
37. Knig
38. Walter

1. Mller

39. Mayer

2. Schmidt

40. Huber

3. Schneider

41. Kaiser

4. Fischer
5. Meyer
6. Weber
7. Wagner

42. Fuchs
43. Peters
44. Lang
45. Scholz
46. Mller

8. Becker

47. Wei

9. Schulz

48. Jung

10. Homann

49. Hahn

11. Schfer

50. Schubert

12. Koch

51. Zcher

Chapter 78

A.08 - False Friends


78.1 False friends
There are some words which are spelled the same in English and in German, but have completely dierent meanings. Even though the words are spelled the same, they are
usually pronounced completely dierently. It can sometimes be dangerous to use these words (for both native
English speakers and native German speakers.) Think
of that, next time someone wants to give you a "Gift" or
opens a door and says "After you!"
Note: This list contains some items of etymological interest. For example, the transformation of the consonant 't' in German to 'd' in English in word pairs like
Bart->Beard, Bett->Bed, Gut->Good, Hart->Hard, Rot>Red, and Not->Need.
Although not spelled identically in both languages, beginners are often confused by the similarity of the German
bekommen and English to become.
bekommen => to receive, to get
werden => to become

146

Chapter 79

A.09 - Level I Vocabulary


79.1 Vocabulary

Interrogative Adverbs

<< Beginning German | Basic German | Intermediate German

Who Wer What Was Where Wo When Wann Why


Warum How Wie

Appendix 9 ~ Vocabulary for Level One


Genders

79.1.1

Wie heit du?

Boy Der Junge Girl Das Mdchen Man Der Herr Woman
Die Frau Boys Die Jungen Girls Die Mdchen Men Die
Mnner Women Die Frauen

Subject Pronouns in Nominative Case

I Ich We Wir You Du Sie (formal) You All Ihr Sie (formal)
79.1.2
He Er She Sie It Es They Sie

Freizeit

Sports & Activities


Verbs

Sport(s) Sport Interests Hobbys/Interessant Soccer


Fuball USA Football Amerikan Football Volleyball
To Have Have Habe (1st Person, Singular) Hast (2nd Per- Volleyball Basketball Basketball Tennis Tennis Baseball
son, Singular) Haben (1st & 3rd Person, Plural) Habt (2nd Baseball 9-pin Bowling Kegeln Chess Schach Board
Person, Plural) Has Hat
Game Das Brettspiel Game Das Spiel Homework
Hausaufgaben Television Fernsehen Movie Der Film,
Filme
To Be Am Bin Are Bist (1st Person, Singular) Sind (1st
& 3rd Person, Plural) Seid (2nd Person, Plural) Is Ist
Conjunctions
And Und But Aber Or Oder

Greeting & Goodbyes


Hello! Hallo! Servus! (used in Bavaria and Austria) Moin!
or Moin Moin! (used in northern Germany) Grezi! (used in
Switzerland) Good morning! Guten Morgen! or Morgen!
Good day! Guten Tag! or Tag! Good evening! Guten
Abend! or N'Abend! Gr Gott! (used in southern Germany, Austria and South Tyrol) Goodbye! Auf Wiedersehen! or Wiedersehen Bye! Tschss! or Tschau! Servus!
(used in Bavaria, Austria) Later! Bis spter! or Bis dann!
Good night! Gute Nacht!

Verbs
To Have haben To Be sein To Be Called heien To
Play spielen To Do/Make machen To Read lesen To
Watch schauen To See sehen To Work arbeiten To Write
schreiben To Swim schwimmen
Numbers

One Eins Two Zwei Three Drei Four Vier Five Fnf
Six Sechs Seven Sieben Eight Acht Nine Neun Ten Zehn
How You Are
Eleven Elf Twelve Zwlf Thirteen Dreizehn Fourteen
Vierzehn Fifteen Fnfzehn Sixteen Sechzehn Seventeen
Good Gut Super! Spitze! Great! Prima! Very good! Siebzehn Eighteen Achtzehn Nineteen Neunzehn Twenty
Sehr gut! Bad Schlecht Miserable Miserabel
Zwanzig Thirty Dreiig Forty Vierzig Fifty Fnfzig Sixty
147

148

CHAPTER 79. A.09 - LEVEL I VOCABULARY

Sechzig Seventy Siebzig Eighty Achtzig Ninety Neunzig Die Pizzen Hamburger Der Hamburger Hamburgers Die
Hundred Hundert Thousand Tausend
Hamburger With Mit (ignore article) Without Ohne (ignore
article) Tomatoes Tomaten Lettuce Der Salat Cheese Der
Kse Pickles Die Gewrzgurken Onions Die Zwiebeln
How to Read Time
Ketchup Der Ketchup Mustard Der Senf Chicken Das
Hhnchen Chickens Die Hhnchen Seafood Die MeeresAfter Nach Till Vor Quarter Viertel Half Before Halb
frchte (plural) Fish Der Fisch Sides Die Beilage (singular),
die Beilagen (plural) Soup Die Suppe Soups Die Suppen
Noodle
Soup Die Nudelsuppe French Fries Die Pommes
Times in the Day
frites (plural) Fries Die Fritten (Informal and plural) Pasta
Day Tag Today Heute Tomorrow Morgen Yesterday Die Pasta or Die Nudeln Potato Die Kartoel PotaGestern Early Morning Morgen (use morgen frh for to- toes Die Kartoeln Corn Mais Bean Die Bohne Beans
morrow morning) Morning Vormittag Afternoon Nach- Die Bohnen Desserts Nachspeisen Gteau Die (Sahnemittag Evening Abend Night Nacht Noon Mittag Mid- )Torte Strudel Der Strudel Apple strudel Apfelstrudel
Cake Der Kuchen Piece of Cake Das Stck Kuchen Pie
night Mitternacht
Die Pastete Piece of Pie Das Stck Pastete Apple Pie Die
Apfelpastete Ice Cream Das Eis Pudding Der Pudding
Cookie Der Keks Cookies Die Kekse Fruit Das Obst The
Days
Meal Das Essen Lunch Mittagessen Dinner Abendessen
Monday Montag Tuesday Dienstag Wednesday Mittwoch Hunger Der Hunger Thirst Der Durst
Thursday Donnerstag Friday Freitag Saturday Samstag or
Sonnabend Sunday Sonntag
Verbs
Months

To Eat Essen To Drink Trinken To Receive Bekommen


To Want Wollen Would Like Mchten

January Januar Jnner (used in Austria) February Februar


March Mrz April April May Mai June Juni Juno (in
spoken word only) July Juli Julei (in spoken word only)
Polite Conversation
August August September September October Oktober
November November December Dezember
Danke Thank you Bitte Please & You're Welcome
Dankeschn Thank you very much Danke sehr Thanks
a lot Kein Problem! No problem
Seasons
Spring Frhling Summer Sommer Autumn Herbst WinRegional Foods
ter Winter
Chinese Food Chinesisch Essen Japanese Food Japanisch
Essen American Food Amerikanisch Essen Mexican
Food Mexikanisch Essen Arabic Food Arabisch Essen
Time Die Zeit Free Time Die Freizeit Always Immer Of- Italian Food Italienisch Essen Indian Food Indisch Essen
ten Oft Sometimes Manchmal Seldom Selten Never Nie French Food Franzsich Essen Greek Food Griechisch
Only Nur
Essen
Time

79.1.3

Essen

Subject Pronouns in the Accusative Case


Me Mich Us Uns You Dich You All Euch Him Ihn Her
Sie It Es Them Sie

Prepositions in the Accusative Case


Durch Through Fr For Gegen Against Ohne Without
Um At, Around

Tastes
Food
Appetizers Vorspeisen Salad Der Salat Bread Das Brot
Breadstick Die Scheibe Brot Main Dishes Hauptgerichte
Sausage Die Wurst Sausages Die Wrste Bratwurst Die
Bratwurst Hot Dog Das Hot Dog Pizza Die Pizza Pizzas

Delicious Lecker Tasty Schmackhaft Juicy Saftig


Crunchy Knackig Crispy Knusprig Spicy Wrzig Stale
Fade Fad (used in Austria) Salty Salzig Sweet S Bitter
Bitter Sour Sauer Creamy Cremig Hot Hei Burnt
Angebrannt Cold Kalt Disgusting Schrecklich

79.1. VOCABULARY

149

Paying at a Restaurant

Money

To Pay Zahlen The Bill Die Rechnung Waiter Der Ober

Price Preis Note Der Schein Coin Die Mnze 1 Euro Coin
Das Eurostck 2 Euro Coin Das Zweieurostck 5 Euro
Note Der Fnfeuroschein 10 Euro Note Der Zehneuroschein 100 Euro Note Der Hunderteuroschein 1 Cent
Coin Das Centstck 2 Cent Coin Das Zweicentstck 5
Cent Coin Das Fnfcentstck 10 Cent Coin Das Zehncentstck 20 Cent Coin Das Zwanzigcentstck 50 Cent
Coin Das Fnfcentstck

79.1.4

Kleidung

Shopping
Babywear Die Babyartikel (plural) Childrens Wear Die
Kinderbekleidung Clearance Sale Der Rumungsverkauf
Closed Geschlossen Clothing Die Kleidung Computer
Section Der Computershop Cosmetics Die Kosmetik
Customer Der Kunde Customer Service Der Kundendienst Electrical Appliance Das Elektrogert Escalator
Die Rolltreppe Fashion Die Mode Furniture Das Mbel (no plural) Gift Der Geschenkartikel Good Value
(Adj.) Preiswert Groceries Die Lebensmittel (plural) Jewellery Damenschuhe (plural) Leather Goods Die Lederwaren (plural) Open Genet Opening Hours Die nungszeiten (plural) Present Das Geschenk Reduced Reduziert Sales Receipt Der Kassenbon Souvenir Das
Andenken Special Oer Das Sonderangebot Sports
Goods Sportartikel (plural) Stationery Schreibwaren (plural) Summer Sale Der Sommerschlussverkauf (abbr. SSV)
Video Store Die Videothek Winter Sale Der Winterschlussverkauf (abbr. WSV)

Shopping 2
Department Store Warenhaus Retail Store Einzelhandelsgeschft The Mall Einkaufszentrum Boutique Boutique
Store Geschft Manager Manager Employee Angestellter Sales Clerk Verkufer Cashier Kassierer Dressing Room Umkleidekabine Mens Section Mnnerabteilung Womens Section Frauenabteilung First Floor
Erstes Stockwerk Menswear Mnnerkleidung Second
Floor Zweiter Stock Womenswear Frauenkleidung Third
Floor Dritte Stock Kids Section Kinderabteilung Fourth
Floor Vierter Stock Electronics Elektronik Kitchenware Kchenbedarf Fifth Floor Fnfter Stock Lighting
Beleuchtung Bedding Bettwsche Toys Spielwaren Six
Floor Sechster Stock Food Lebensmittel

Clothes
Skirt Der Rock Pullover Der Pullover Scarf Das Tuch
Coat Der Mantel Shirt Das Hemd Sweater Der Pullover
Necktie Der Schlips Jacket Die Jacke Pants Die Hose
Hat Der Hut Shoe Der Schuh Sock Die Socke Glove Der
Handschuh Blouse Die Bluse
Sizes
Size Die Gre Color Die Farbe Cotton Die Baumwolle
Leather Das Leder Rayon Die Kuntseide Small Klein
Medium Mittel Large Gro Extra-Large Extragro
Words That Describe
Cheap Billig Expensive Teuer Pretty Schn Ugly Hsslich
Soft Weich New Neu Broad Breit Wide Weit Tight Eng
Comfortable Bequem
Colors
Red Rot Blue Blau Green Grn Orange Orange Violet
Veilchen Yellow Gelb Brown Braun Indigo Indigo Gray
Grau Black Schwarz White Wei
Verbs
To Look Aussehen To Try On Anprobieren To Put On
Anziehen To Take Nehmen To Buy Kaufen To Have
On/Wear Anhaben or Tragen

79.1.5 Volk und Familie


Items to Buy
Electronics Elektronik Television Fernsehen Digital
Camera Digitalkamera Telephone Telefon Cell phone
Mobiltelefon, Handy Computer Computer, Rechner
Speakers Lautsprecher DVDs DVD CDs CD DVD
Player DVD-Player CD Player CD-Player Bedding Bettwsche Blankets Decken Pillow Kopfkissen Pillow Case
Kopfkissenbezug Sheets Bltter Bed Skirt Bett-Rock

Family
Sohn Son Tochter Daughter Vater Father Mutter
Mother Grovater Grandfather Gromutter Grandmother Opa Grandpa Oma Grandma Schwester
Sister Bruder Brother Geschwister Brothers & Sisters Enkel Grandson Enkelin Granddaughter Frau
Wife Mann Husband Schwiegervater Father-in-Law
Schwiegertochter Daughter-in-Law Schwager Brotherin-Law Schwgerin Sister-in-Law Schwiegermutter

150

CHAPTER 79. A.09 - LEVEL I VOCABULARY

Mother-in-Law Schwiegersohn Son-in-Law Onkel Uncle Schauspieler Artist Knstler Author Schriftsteller Bank
Tante Aunt Geschenk Present
Clerk Bankangestellter Car Mechanic Automechaniker
Chemist Chemiker Civil Servant Beamter Engineer Ingenieur Farmer Landwirt Hairdresser Friseur Journalist
79.1.6 Schule
Journalist Lawyer Rechtsanwalt Lecturer Dozent Nurse
Krankenpeger Pensioner Rentner Photographer FoVerbs
tograf Politician Politiker Postman Brieftrger Professor
Professor Salesperson Verkufer Secretary Sekretr StuNimmt To Take Away Lesen To Read Schreiben To dent Student Taxi Driver Taxifahrer Waiter Kellner
Write Studieren To Study Lernen To Learn Zeichnen To
Paint
Tasks
Classes

Cleaning Reinigung Cooking Kochen Homework


Hausaufgaben Tasks Aufgaben

Deutsch German Englisch English Russisch Russian


Franzsisch French Latein Latin Mathematik Mathematics Sport PE or Gym Kunst or Zeichnen Arts Musik Mu- Locations
sic Geschichte History Biologie Biology Geograe Geography Religion RE or Religion Chemie Chemistry Physik Germany Deutschland Hamburg Hamburg Berlin
Berlin Frankfurt Frankfurt Colonge Kln Munich
Physics Informatik Computer Science
Mnchen
School Supplies and Ect.
der Radiergummi Eraser/Rubber der Bleistift Pencil
der Kuli/Kugelschreiber Pen das Fach Subject die
Klasse Class der Lehrer Teacher (male) die Lehrerin
Teacher (female) die Schule School der Schler Student (High/Secondary School and Lower) der Student Student (College/University) die Stunde/Schulstunde Lesson
die Pause Break die Schultasche Backpack

79.1.7

Die Fete

Gifts
das Spiel Game das Videospiel Video Game
Parties
der Spa Fun die Feier PartyFormal die Party Party die
Musik Music die Torte Cake das Fass Keg das Bier Beer
der Schnaps Hard Liquor der Wein Wine der Weiwein
White Wine der Rotwein Red Wine Feiern To Party
Trinken Drinking Saufen To Get Drunk sich Erbrechen
To Throw Up Kotzen To Puke (slang) Tanzen To Dance
der Geburtstag Birthday Weihnachten Christmas Ostern
Easter das Jubilum Anniversary

79.1.8

Privileg und Verantwortung

Careers
Work Arbeit Doctor Arzt Buniness Man Geschftsmann
Buniness Woman Geschftsfrau Teacher Lehrer Police
Ocer Polizeibeamte Fireman Feuerwehrmann Actor

79.1.9 Wetter
Weather
Weather Wetter Rain Regen Snow Schnee Snow Showers Schneesch Showers Schauer Thunder Donner Storm
Sturm Thunderstorm Gewitter Cloudy Bewlkt Overcast
Bedeckt Hail Hagel Drizzle Nieseln Thaw Tauen Frost
Frost
Transportion
Car Auto Train Zug Trainstation Bahnhof Airplane
Flugzeug Boat Boot Highway Landstrae Road Strae

Chapter 80

Text and image sources, contributors, and


licenses
80.1 Text
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Marshman~enwikibooks, Berni~enwikibooks, SamE, Michi cc, Panic2k4, ManuelGR, MaTrIx~enwikibooks, Thomas G.
Graf~enwikibooks, DouglasGreen~enwikibooks, Derbeth, Stuckinkiel~enwikibooks, German Men92, Jguk, Hagindaz, Tubobuz,
Jngers88, MichaelFrey, Sultanzahir, Herbythyme, Mike.lifeguard, Adrignola, Avicennasis and Anonymous: 37
German/Level I/Introduction Source: https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/German/Level_I/Introduction?oldid=2696809 Contributors: Marshman~enwikibooks, SamE, Ivlarx, Derbeth, German Men92, Hagindaz, Thamane, Junesun, JHunterJ, Langec, Herbythyme, Martin Kraus,
QuiteUnusual, Adrignola, Addihockey10, Harrybrowne1986, Addihockey10 (automated), Jessebaker and Anonymous: 12
German/Level I/Wie heit du? Source: https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/German/Level_I/Wie_hei%C3%9Ft_du%3F?oldid=2978531
Contributors:
ThomasStrohmann, Marshman~enwikibooks, Berni~enwikibooks, SamE, WeiNix, Denisoliver~enwikibooks,
SabineCretella, Cost, Martin Beesk, Shdwninja8, Aleron235~enwikibooks, Epsilon, Derbeth, WolfgangThaller, Emortal, Celestianpower, Rca~enwikibooks, Malafaya, Eddy264~enwikibooks, Jomegat, Janno~enwikibooks, Endymi0n, German Men92, Oenbacher~enwikibooks, Hagindaz, Human Robot, MichaelFrey, 879(CoDe)~enwikibooks, Alton, Kaylor~enwikibooks, Swift, Sultanzahir,
Az1568, Xania, Sundance Raphael, Cheonhajangsa, TheSun, Storeye, Eramz3~enwikibooks, Recent Runes, Nkocharh, Martin Kraus,
Adrignola, RaveDog, SSilent, Silvorte, Jassi virk, Derpascalsch, Daniel-Brown, Fihalhohi, Pelzorian, Soprah123 and Anonymous: 127
German/Level I/Freizeit Source: https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/German/Level_I/Freizeit?oldid=2739157 Contributors: SamE, DavidCary, Wereon, Mgloede, Thomas G. Graf~enwikibooks, Epsilon, Bielenberg, Eddy264~enwikibooks, Endymi0n, German Men92, MasterSheep, Baryonic Being, Human Robot, Bpogi92, Langec, MichaelFrey, Chazz, SvonHalenbach, CQuinton~enwikibooks, Sultanzahir, TheSun, Christoph~enwikibooks, Recent Runes, Heuler06, Nkocharh, Martin Kraus, Adrignola, Silvius Graecus, Harrybrowne1986, Tanidebo,
Daniel-Brown, Pelzorian, Akkad waleed and Anonymous: 71
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SamE,
Guido~enwikibooks, Sma, Shdwninja8, Thomas G. Graf~enwikibooks, Guanabot~enwikibooks, Joghurt~enwikibooks,
Xeon~enwikibooks, Mastercpp~enwikibooks, Eddy264~enwikibooks, Janno~enwikibooks, Endymi0n, German Men92, MasterSheep, Thamane, Webaware, BiT, Schneelocke, Xania, Herbythyme, TheSun, CommonsDelinker, Martin Kraus, Neet, Adrignola, Mctpyt,
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Eddy264~enwikibooks, Jomegat, German Men92, HolgiDE, Recent Runes, Martin Kraus, Adrignola, Fihalhohi and Anonymous:
8
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Guido.Bockamp, Avicennasis, Barboh47~enwikibooks, Jarik, Wpollard, Fryebd, Maths314 and Anonymous: 35
German/Level I/Volk und Familie Source: https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/German/Level_I/Volk_und_Familie?oldid=2979936 Contributors: Mgloede, Sma, Shdwninja8, Acerperi, Mastercpp~enwikibooks, German Men92, Fitchguy20, HolgiDE, Thamane, Rappo, SvonHalenbach, Az1568, Cheonhajangsa, TheSun, Heuler06, Waugsberg, Martin Kraus, Adrignola, Avicennasis and Anonymous: 35
German/Level I/Schule Source: https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/German/Level_I/Schule?oldid=2622330 Contributors: Boit, Alsocal, Shdwninja8, Aleron235~enwikibooks, German Men92, MasterSheep, Thamane, Rappo, MichaelFrey, Recent Runes, Martin Kraus, Omnipaedista, Adrignola, Avicennasis and Anonymous: 23
German/Level I/Review 2 Source: https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/German/Level_I/Review_2?oldid=2350968 Contributors: German
Men92, Gronau~enwikibooks, Martin Kraus, Avicennasis and Anonymous: 3
German/Level I/Das Fest Source: https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/German/Level_I/Das_Fest?oldid=2967092 Contributors: Panic2k4,
Derbeth, German Men92, EricNau~enwikibooks, Thamane, Windu~enwikibooks, Martin Kraus, Adrignola, RaveDog, Carolinet, Collingwood and Anonymous: 20
German/Level I/Privileg und Verantwortung Source: https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/German/Level_I/Privileg_und_Verantwortung?
oldid=2835807 Contributors: German Men92, EricNau~enwikibooks, Rappo, Martin Kraus, J36miles and Anonymous: 7

151

152

CHAPTER 80. TEXT AND IMAGE SOURCES, CONTRIBUTORS, AND LICENSES

German/Level I/Wetter Source: https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/German/Level_I/Wetter?oldid=2835829 Contributors: German Men92,


EricNau~enwikibooks, MasterSheep, Tlustulimu, SvonHalenbach, Julie22193~enwikibooks, Martin Kraus, RaveDog, Sloyment, Avicennasis, Daniel-Brown and Anonymous: 18
German/Level I/Review 3 Source: https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/German/Level_I/Review_3?oldid=2066154 Contributors: German
Men92, Sotakeit, Martin Kraus, Avicennasis and Anonymous: 1
German/Level I/Zu Hause Essen Source: https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/German/Level_I/Zu_Hause_essen?oldid=2151385 Contributors:
German Men92, Hagindaz, Martin Kraus, Sloyment and J36miles
German/Level I/Filme Source: https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/German/Level_I/Filme?oldid=2074179 Contributors: German Men92,
Martin Kraus, J36miles and Anonymous: 1
German/Level I/Das Haus Source: https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/German/Level_I/Das_Haus?oldid=2834386 Contributors: Jomegat,
German Men92, Julie22193~enwikibooks, Dposte46, Martin Kraus, J36miles and Anonymous: 3
German/Level I/Review 4 Source: https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/German/Level_I/Review_4?oldid=1873900 Contributors: Martin Kraus
German/Lesson 1 Source: https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/German/Lesson_1?oldid=2653640 Contributors: Dysprosia~enwikibooks,
Patrick, ThomasStrohmann, Marshman~enwikibooks, Etothex, Nerd~enwikibooks, Vulture, Hansm, Thomas Arnhold~enwikibooks, Derbeth, Dragontamer, German Men92, Jguk, Fitchguy20, Swift, Sundance Raphael, Omnipaedista, Adrignola, Harrybrowne1986, Tonylattke
and Anonymous: 28
German/Lesson 2 Source: https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/German/Lesson_2?oldid=2653642 Contributors: Dysprosia~enwikibooks,
ThomasStrohmann, Marshman~enwikibooks, Vulture, El~enwikibooks, Thomas Arnhold~enwikibooks, Floei6~enwikibooks, Guanaco,
Mgloede, Iamunknown, Shdwninja8, Guanabot~enwikibooks, Janno~enwikibooks, German Men92, Jguk, Fitchguy20, Nick.anderegg, Van
der Hoorn, Adrignola, Avicennasis, Harrybrowne1986 and Anonymous: 12
German/Lesson 3 Source: https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/German/Lesson_3?oldid=2653643 Contributors: Dysprosia~enwikibooks,
ThomasStrohmann, Marshman~enwikibooks, Etothex, Vulture, El~enwikibooks, Sblive~enwikibooks, Guanabot~enwikibooks,
Messi~enwikibooks, Xeon~enwikibooks, German Men92, Jguk, Fitchguy20, Adrignola, Avicennasis, Harrybrowne1986 and Anonymous:
12
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ThomasStrohmann, Marshman~enwikibooks, Etothex, Lord Emsworth~enwikibooks, Vulture, Berni~enwikibooks, SamE, MartinR~enwikibooks, Guanabot~enwikibooks, Messi~enwikibooks, German Men92, Jguk, SBJohnny, Fitchguy20, Swift, Sundance Raphael,
Ananth126, Adrignola, Harrybrowne1986 and Anonymous: 16
German/Lesson 5 Source: https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/German/Lesson_5?oldid=2653647 Contributors: Marshman~enwikibooks, MartinR~enwikibooks, German Men92, Jguk, Adrignola, Harrybrowne1986 and Anonymous: 1
German/Lesson 6 Source: https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/German/Lesson_6?oldid=2653648 Contributors: Marshman~enwikibooks, Guanabot~enwikibooks, German Men92, Dor~enwikibooks, Jguk, Fitchguy20, Grigri72, Adrignola, Avicennasis, Harrybrowne1986 and
Anonymous: 13
German/Lesson 7 Source: https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/German/Lesson_7?oldid=2955539 Contributors: Marshman~enwikibooks,
SamE, Thomas Arnhold~enwikibooks, MartinR~enwikibooks, Guanabot~enwikibooks, Jguk, Fitchguy20, Adrignola, Harrybrowne1986
and Anonymous: 5
German/Lesson 8 Source: https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/German/Lesson_8?oldid=2653653 Contributors: Marshman~enwikibooks, Guanabot~enwikibooks, Jguk, Adrignola, Harrybrowne1986 and Anonymous: 4
German/Lesson 9 Source: https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/German/Lesson_9?oldid=2691001 Contributors: Marshman~enwikibooks,
SamE, Geocachernemesis, Guanabot~enwikibooks, Messi~enwikibooks, Steeler fan, Fluythemonkey~enwikibooks, Jguk, Fitchguy20,
Adrignola, Harrybrowne1986 and Anonymous: 16
German/Lesson 10 Source: https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/German/Lesson_10?oldid=2653655 Contributors: Marshman~enwikibooks,
Jguk, Adrignola, Harrybrowne1986 and Anonymous: 2
German/Lesson 11 Source: https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/German/Lesson_11?oldid=2653638 Contributors: Marshman~enwikibooks,
Spizzer2~enwikibooks, Jguk, Fitchguy20, Adrignola, Avicennasis, Harrybrowne1986 and Anonymous: 12
German/Lesson 12 Source: https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/German/Lesson_12?oldid=2968680 Contributors: Jguk, Fitchguy20, Waugsberg, Adrignola, Avicennasis, Harrybrowne1986 and Anonymous: 3
German/Lesson 13 Source: https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/German/Lesson_13?oldid=2970904 Contributors: Jcwf, Harrybrowne1986,
Junge schuler062, Mamdooh66mohammed and Anonymous: 1
German/Lesson 14 Source: https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/German/Lesson_14?oldid=2968674 Contributors: Waugsberg and Junge
schuler062
German/Lesson 15 Source: https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/German/Lesson_15?oldid=2970749 Contributors: Harrybrowne1986, Junge
schuler062, Mamdooh66mohammed and Anonymous: 1
German/Level III/Gesprche Unter Geschftsmnnern Source: https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/German/Level_III/Gespr%C3%
A4che_Unter_Gesch%C3%A4ftsm%C3%A4nnern?oldid=2116253 Contributors: Marshman~enwikibooks, Guanabot~enwikibooks,
Janno~enwikibooks, German Men92, Jguk, Adrignola, TobyDZ and Anonymous: 11
German/Level III/Mach Dir Keine Sorgen! Source: https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/German/Level_III/Mach_Dir_Keine_Sorgen!
?oldid=1967861 Contributors: ThomasStrohmann, Marshman~enwikibooks, Vulture, Floei6~enwikibooks, Guido~enwikibooks, Mastercpp~enwikibooks, German Men92, Jguk, Delfman, Adrignola and Anonymous: 7
German/Level III/Die Geschftsleute Source: https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/German/Level_III/Die_Gesch%C3%A4ftsleute?oldid=
2247215 Contributors: ThomasStrohmann, Marshman~enwikibooks, Guanabot~enwikibooks, German Men92, Jguk, Adrignola, DickHuuhn, MrPalpatine and Anonymous: 7
German/Level III/Der Englnder in sterreich Source: https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/German/Level_III/Der_Engl%C3%A4nder_
in_%C3%96sterreich?oldid=1709709 Contributors: Marshman~enwikibooks, Vulture, Sma, Iamunknown, German Men92, Jguk,
Mike.lifeguard, Adrignola and Anonymous: 6

80.2. IMAGES

153

German/Level III/Tour de France Source: https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/German/Level_III/Tour_de_France?oldid=1709721 Contributors: Marshman~enwikibooks, Vulture, Sma, German Men92, Jguk, QuiteUnusual, Adrignola and Anonymous: 3
German/Grammar/Adjectives and Adverbs Source: https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/German/Grammar/Adjectives_and_Adverbs?oldid=
2760028 Contributors: Cost, WhirlWind, German Men92, BimBot, Jguk, Hagindaz, Zweifel, Jameshsher, Delfman, Neet, Adrignola,
Bepp, Junge schuler062 and Anonymous: 12
German/Grammar/Nouns Source: https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/German/Grammar/Nouns?oldid=2949153 Contributors: Boit, Furrykef, Cost, German Men92, Jguk, Hagindaz, Zweifel, Mjchael, Teethpath, Demoeconomist, Ananth126, Adrignola, Mabdul, Avicennasis,
Atcovi, DJWolfy and Anonymous: 9
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German/Grammar/Sentences Source:
https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/German/Grammar/Sentences?oldid=2966655 Contributors:
Jomegat, German Men92, Jguk, Zweifel, Recent Runes, , QuiteUnusual, Van der Hoorn, Adrignola, Pedrovitorh2, Avicennasis, Savh,
Hommedeterre1, Timdownie and Anonymous: 29
German/Grammar/Verbs Source: https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/German/Grammar/Verbs?oldid=2738708 Contributors: German
Men92, Jguk, BD2412, Zweifel, Rcmc2020, Xania, Recent Runes, Red4tribe, CarsracBot, Neet, Adrignola, Avicennasis, Apesteilen,
Drusus 0, Harrybrowne1986, Futachimaru and Anonymous: 21
German/Appendices/Alphabet Source: https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/German/Grammar/Alphabet_and_Pronunciation?oldid=2602036
Contributors: ThomasStrohmann, Marshman~enwikibooks, Vulture, Yacht, SamE, Sumo~enwikibooks, Guido~enwikibooks, Martin
Beesk, Karthick, Derbeth, WolfgangThaller, Messi~enwikibooks, Joghurt~enwikibooks, Jomegat, Endymi0n, German Men92, Hagindaz, Jade Knight, TheSun, CarsracBot, JackPotte, SkyBon, Martin Kraus, Avicennasis, Herr Beethoven, Feeela, Royd, Futachimaru and
Anonymous: 43
German/Appendices/Phrasebook Source: https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/German/Appendices/Phrasebook?oldid=2740631 Contributors:
Marshman~enwikibooks, SamE, Spizzer2~enwikibooks, Everlong, Ivlarx, Cost, Stuckinkiel~enwikibooks, German Men92, Hagindaz,
Erkan Yilmaz, Xania, CommonsDelinker, Mike.lifeguard, Arsenalfan, Feeela and Anonymous: 21
German/Appendices/Grammar I Source: https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/German/Appendices/Grammar_I?oldid=2950096 Contributors:
Marshman~enwikibooks, Vulture, Hansm, SamE, Spizzer2~enwikibooks, Guanabot~enwikibooks, German Men92, Jguk, Adrignola,
Floongle and Anonymous: 3
German/Appendices/Grammar II Source: https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/German/Appendices/Grammar_II?oldid=2066180 Contributors: Dysprosia~enwikibooks, ThomasStrohmann, Marshman~enwikibooks, Etothex, SamE, Esenco, Lanceant~enwikibooks, Guanabot~enwikibooks, German Men92, Jguk, Adrignola, Avicennasis and Anonymous: 4
German/Appendices/Resources Source: https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/German/Appendices/Resources?oldid=2837272 Contributors:
ThomasStrohmann, Marshman~enwikibooks, SabineCretella, Cost, German Men92, Hagindaz, Gn wendy, TomFitzhenry~enwikibooks
and Anonymous: 25
German/Appendices/Names Source: https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/German/Appendices/Names?oldid=2658887 Contributors: Marshman~enwikibooks, SamE, Guido~enwikibooks, Guanabot~enwikibooks, Cspurrier, German Men92, Hagindaz, Katharos24, Adrignola
and Anonymous: 27
German/Appendices/False friends Source: https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/German/Appendices/False_friends?oldid=2601596 Contributors: Dragontamer, Stuckinkiel~enwikibooks, Orangehatbrune~enwikibooks, German Men92, Buncic, Hagindaz, John Gunther~enwikibooks, Webaware, Adrignola, Avicennasis, Feeela, Futachimaru and Anonymous: 12
German/Level I/Vocabulary Source: https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/German/Level_I/Vocabulary?oldid=2066152 Contributors: German
Men92, Jguk, Adrignola, Avicennasis and Anonymous: 4

80.2 Images
File:00%.svg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d6/00%25.svg License: Public domain Contributors: Based on
the XML code of Image:25%.svg Original artist: Siebrand
File:100%.svg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c7/100_percents.svg License: CC0 Contributors: File:100%
.svg Original artist: Siebrand
File:100_percents.svg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c7/100_percents.svg License: CC0 Contributors: File:
100%.svg Original artist: Siebrand
File:20030805121140!IMG_3161_2_web.jpg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikibooks/en/1/1b/20030805121140%21IMG_
3161_2_web.jpg License: GFDL Contributors:
German-language Wikipedia (see w:de:Image:IMG 3161 2 web.jpg). Original artist:
w:de:User:Cronus
File:25%.svg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/34/25%25.svg License: Public domain Contributors: Image:
25%.png redone in svg. Original artist: Karl Wick
File:50%.svg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c2/50%25.svg License: Public domain Contributors: Based on
the XML code of Image:25%.svg Original artist: Siebrand
File:50_percents.svg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/62/50_percents.svg License: CC0 Contributors: File:
50%.svg Original artist: Ftiercel
File:75%.svg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/49/75%25.svg License: Public domain Contributors: Based on
the XML code of Image:25%.svg Original artist: Siebrand

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File:75_percents.svg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/62/75_percent.svg License: CC0 Contributors: File:


75%.svg Original artist: Ftiercel
File:Brandenburger_Tor_Blaue_Stunde.jpg Source:
Blaue_Stunde.jpg License: CC-BY-SA-3.0 Contributors:

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1f/Brandenburger_Tor_

Transferred from de.wikipedia to Commons. Original artist: AlterVista (talk contribs)


File:Crystal_Clear_app_kaboodle.png Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cf/Crystal_Clear_app_kaboodle.
png License: LGPL Contributors: All Crystal Clear icons were posted by the author as LGPL on kde-look; Original artist: Everaldo Coelho
and YellowIcon;
File:Dialogue_franz_greta_1.ogg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikibooks/en/2/20/Dialogue_franz_greta_1.ogg License: Public domain Contributors: ? Original artist: ?
File:English_language.svg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0b/English_language.svg License: Public domain Contributors:
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Original artist: Rei-artur and Kjoonlee
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