German Grammar

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Grammar - Basics for Leaving Cert Nouns, articles and cases Nouns What is a noun? In simple terms a noun is a word for a person, place, animal, thing or concept. Unlike in English, in German all nouns begin with a capital letter, e.g. Lehrerin, Berlin, Hund, Tisch, Freundschaft.

Articles In German every noun is preceded by an article and this article is either definite or indefinite. In English the definite article is ‘the’ and the indefinite one is ‘a’ or ‘an’. In German the definite article is 'der’, ‘die' or 'das' and the indefinite one is 'ein’ or ‘eine'. In English the same article is used for all nouns, but in German the nouns are divided into three distinct groups known as 'Maskulinum’, ‘Femininum' and 'Neutrum'. The article is not directly related to the gender of the noun, but is used as a label to separate different types of nouns. The only way to ensure accurate use of the articles is to learn the gender of the noun with each new word. Learn 'der Mann' and not 'Mann' der Mann, die Frau, das Kind ein Mann, eine Frau, ein Kind

Cases German has four cases for nouns and they are referred to as 'Nominativ’, ‘Akkusativ’, ‘Dativ’, and ‘Genitiv'. All pronouns and articles change their forms according to the case that they identify. In brief, the four cases are used to describe the different role that a particular noun or pronoun plays in a sentence. 'Nominativ': The nominative case is used for words that refer to the do-er of the action or the subject of the sentece, zB: 'Der Mann isst den Apfel' – the man is the doer of the action. 'Akkusativ': This case is used for words that are the direct object of the verb. The object has something done to it, zB: 'Der Mann isst den Apfel' – The apple is being eaten. The accusative case also follows certain prepositions such as 'für’, ‘um’, ‘durch’, ‘gegen’, and ‘bis'(see page on prepositions), zB: 'ohne meinen Vater'. It is also applied when referring to a certain period in time, such as 'nächsten Sommer’, ‘letzten Samstag’, or ‘den dritten September'. ‘Dativ’: The dative case refers to the indirect object in the sentence. For example, in the following sentence, the direct object is the book and the indirect object is the father: 'Er schenkte seinem

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Vater ein Buch'. The dative also follows certain prepositions, such as 'aus’, ‘außer’, ‘bei’, ‘entgegen’, gegenüber': zB: 'außer meiner Familie'. Some verbs are followed by a dative object, such as 'begegnen’, ‘danken’, ‘folgen’, ‘gehören’, ‘geschehen’, ‘helfen’, ‘passieren’, ‘schmecken’, and ‘widerstehen', zB: 'Kann ich Ihnen helfen?’ ‘Genitiv’: The genitive case is generally used to convey ownership, zB: 'Das Haus meines Vaters liegt an der Grenze'. The genitive also follows certain prepositions, such as 'außerhalb’, ‘innerhalb’, ‘oberhalb’, and ‘unterhalb' (see page on prepositions), zB: 'Sie sind wegen des schlechten Wetters zu Hause geblieben'. Links http://german.about.com/homework/german/library/weekly/aa042098.htm This page contains a good introduction to learning about the rules associated with gender in German. There are excellent explanations and a self-scoring test at the end of the section. http://www2.gasou.edu/gsufl/german/grammar/gr-words.htm This site highlights the different categories of nouns. It suggests tips for recognising the gender of some common nouns and also deals with the plural of nouns. There is also a ‘practice’ feature where you can test your knowledge of the articles. http://www.mckinnonsc.vic.edu.au/la/lote/german/materials/grammar/derdieds.htm This is described as the ‘amazing table of cases’, and it is very good. All the endings are highlighted in red and the layout is very clear.

Verbs This section is important in order to understand the types of verbs and the way they are conjugated with the different pronouns. A thorough grasp of this is crucial if you are to acquire a good writing technique. This section highlights the different types of verbs that you need to be aware of and to use accurately in the Leaving Cert at both Higher and Ordinary Level.

Common regular verbs or weak verbs Different types of German verbs are treated differently depending on whether they are weak or strong verbs. They are categorised to enable learners of the language to see which way they are treated when they are conjugated. Regular verbs are easier to learn as they follow the regular pattern when forming tenses.

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Weak verbs usually end in ‘-en’ and the regular endings are added to the root. There is rarely a vowel change in the root and the past participle is easily formed by prefixing the root with’ge-‘ and suffixing it with ‘-(e)t’. zB: 'gearbeitet' If a weak verb root features a ‘d’ or a ‘t’ it is necessary to add an ‘e’ to the ending of the 2nd and 3rd person singular and the 2nd person plural. zB: 'du arbeitest, er/sie/man arbeitet, ihr arbeitet'

Common irregular verbs or strong verbs Approximately 170 irregular verbs exist and it is necessary to learn their forms and the way in which they change as they are conjugated. There is no regular pattern to the behaviour of strong verbs when forming tenses, so it is advisable to learn the new forms as you come across them.

In most cases a vowel change takes place in the root of the verb. This usually affects the 2nd and 3rd person singular in the conjugation of the verb. The endings remain identical to the regular verb endings. The past participle is generally formed by prefixing the root with ‘ge‘ and suffixing it with ‘-en’. The vowel changes also feature here. zB: 'geschwommen'

Separable verbs Some verbs in German are referred to as separable, meaning that when conjugated, the verb prefix is separated from the root. Different prefixes may be added to the root of one verb and the result is an entirely different verb. For example the verb 'kommen' – to come.

If the prefix 'be-' is added, the verb now means ‘to get’ or ‘to receive’. If the prefix 'an-' is added, the meaning is altered to mean ‘to arrive’. The prefix 'herein-' changes it once again, this time to the verb 'to appear'.

It is necessary to be aware of the different prefixes in German and how they can change the entire meaning of a commonly used verb. When looking up a verb in the dictionary always note the different meanings it can have. Separable verbs have many implications for the syntax of a German sentence:

In a main clause, using a simple tense (ie no auxiliaries), the prefix becomes detached from the main verb and goes to the end of the sentence, zB: 'Der Zug kommt um zwanzig Uhr an' (The train

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arrives at 8.00). If the tense is compound (ie formed using an auxiliary or modal verb) the prefix remains with the verb, zB: 'Der Zug sollte um zwanzig Uhr ankommen' (The train should arrive at 8.00). In the past tense which is also compound, the 'ge' part of the verb is sandwiched between the prefix and the main verb, zB: 'Der Zug ist um zwanzig Uhr angekommen' (The train arrived at 8.00).

Inseparable verbs Inseparable verbs have inseparable prefixes and they remain fixed to the root at all times. As in ‘separable verbs’, the prefixes added to the root can entirely change the meaning of the verb. However, they are never separated in forming the past participle or a simple tense.

Common inseparable prefixes are as follows: be-, emp-, er-, ge-, miss-, ver-, zer-' The following prefixes can be either separable or inseparable: 'durch-, hinter-, über-, um-, unter-, wieder-' Inseparable verb past participles are not formed by using ’ge-‘, zB: past participle of 'entstehen' is 'entstanden'.

Modal verbs What are modal verbs and why are they used? Modal verbs are sometimes referred to as auxiliary verbs as they are used in conjunction with other verbs. In using a modal verb, one implies a certain element of doubt. For example: 'Ich möchte nach Deutschland fahren' ('I would like to travel to Germany' – i.e: You are not necessarily travelling to Germany, but you would like to.) They also combine with infinitives to convey possibility, obligation and doubt. Similar modal verbs can also be found in the English language: can, could, may, might, ought, must, have to, etc. Here is a list of the German modals: 'mögen' to like to 'können' to be able to (can) 'wollen' to want to 'sollen' to ought to (should) 'müssen' to have to (must) 'dürfen' to be allowed to (may) Note that modal verbs alter the structure of a German sentence by sending the second verb in its infinitive form to the end of the sentence. In the example sentence 'fahren' is the second verb.

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Modal verbs are irregular in the singular form. Note too that other auxiliary verbs also exist and their structural behaviour within a sentence is the same as with the modal verbs. They are as follows: 'wissen' to know 'haben' to have 'sein' to be 'werden' to become

Reflexive verbs What is a reflexive verb and why are they used? A reflexive verb is a verb that is conjugated with a reflexive pronoun and means something different if used without the reflexive pronoun. Have a look at the following sentences for example: 'Ich wasche mich jeden Tag'. (I wash myself every morning) 'Ich wasche den Wagen'. (I wash the car) In the first sentence the infinitive is 'sich waschen' and in the second case it is just 'waschen'. Reflexive verbs are used to indicate something being done to oneself, (e.g. to wash oneself) or to convey interaction between two people, e.g. 'Wir sehen uns ab und zu'. (' We see each other now and then'). Note that sometimes individual parts of the human body are objects within the reflexive verb. If this is the case then one must employ the dative of the reflexive pronoun. For example, 'Ich wasche mir die Füße'. (' I wash my feet') Here is a list of some commonly used reflexive verbs. 'sich ärgern' (to get angry) 'sich anstrengen' (to make an effort) 'sich aufregen' (to get excited) 'sich beeilen' (to hurry) 'sich befinden' (to be situated) 'sich erholen' (to recover) 'sich beruhigen' (to calm down) 'sich erkälten' (to get a cold)

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'sich unterhalten' (to chat) 'sich verspäten' (to be late) Links http://german.about.com/homework/german/library/blstrverbs.htm A comprehensive alphabetical list of German strong verbs. The verbs are displayed in a chart in the infinitive, preterite and past perfect forms. http://www2.gasou.edu/gsufl/german/grammar/gr-vbs-1.htm Alphabetical tables of the strong verbs. It is advisable that you learn the main changes in the strong verbs and then you will be able to work out the tenses. http://www.imsa.edu/edu/forlang/gr/exercises/reflexiveexercise.html Self-scoring test on using reflexive verbs. http://www.travlang.com/languages/german/ihgg/verbdef.html These pages thoroughly explain the different types of verbs in German and their common usage: It covers the modal verbs, auxiliary verbs, regular and irregular verbs.

Tenses As in English, there are many tenses in German. These notes provide an introduction to the main tenses and the context in which each of them is normally used. Unless otherwise stated, the notes refer throughout to regular verbs. To learn more about irregular verbs, check the Verbs page on this website.

Present Tense The present tense is generally used to express any action or state in the present moment. It is formed using the root of the infinitive with a number of endings: Verb = 'spielen'; Root = 'spiel'; Endings = '-e', '-st', '-t', '-en', '-t,' '-en'. The present tense is generally used as the continuous present, i.e. it expresses the idea of what is going on now and maybe has been for some time. One also uses the expressions 'seit' and 'schon' in conjunction with this. 'Ich lerne seit fünf Jahren Deutsch.'

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'Martin wartet schon eine Drei viertelstunde auf seine neue Freundin.'

The present tense can also be used to express the future. This is also common in English. Using the present tense to express the future usually implies that what is being expressed in the future will more that likely happen and it is a planned event.

'Morgen spiele ich Tennis' (I am playing tennis tomorrow). 'Nächste Woche fahre ich nach Berlin.'

Past tense The past tense in German is used to express any action or state that has occured in the past. There are two main forms of the past tense in German: Imperfect tense and Perfect tense.

Imperfect tense This tense, also known as the simple past tense, is usually used in the narrative form and in formal German. It is mainly used to describe a once-off action that has taken place in the past. It is formed using the root of the infinitive and adding the following endings: 'te', 'test', 'te', 'ten', 'tet', 'ten','ten'. zB: 'Martin wartete eine Drei viertelstunde auf seine Freundin', and ‘Ich lernte in der Schule Deutsch.' The German simple past tense can be translated in a number of ways in English. Translation of the last sentence above could read as follows: ‘I learned German in school’; ‘I was learning German in school’; ‘I did learn German in school’; and ‘I used to learn German in school’. The imperfect tense of 'haben', 'sein' and the modal verbs are more commonly used in conversation and in letter writing, while the perfect tense of all other verbs is used to express the past tense.

Perfect tense The perfect tense in German is used to describe an action that has taken place in the past and is no longer taking place. It is commonly used in conversation and in letter-writing to describe past events. It is formed using the present tense of the auxiliary verbs ‘haben’ or ‘sein’ plus the past participle of the verb. The past participle is formed by placing ‘ge' before the root and ‘-(e)t’ (weak verbs – regular) and ‘en’ (strong verbs – irregular) after it. There is, of course, no 'ge' when the verb contains the syllable 'ieren' or has an inseparable prefix. 'Ich habe in der Schule Deutsch gelernt.' 'Ich habe mich amüsiert.'

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Most verbs use ‘haben’ as an auxiliary, while verbs that signal a change or arewithout an object (ie. Intransitive verbs) use ‘sein’. It is mostly verbs of motion that use ‘sein’. 'Ich bin nach Deutschland gefahren.' 'Der Zug ist endlich angekommen.' When the verb stem ends in ‘t’ or ‘d’ or a consonant cluster (three or more consonants in a series – e.g. 'öffnen') an ‘et’ is always added to the stem. 'arbeiten' = 'gearbeitet' 'öffnen' = 'geöffnet' No 'ge' is added if the verb begins with an inseparable prefix (i.e. 'be', 'ent', 'emp', 'er', 'ge', 'miss', 'ver', 'zer'), or when the verb contains the syllable 'ieren'. 'bezahlen' = 'bezahlt' 'erleben’ = 'erlebt' 'diskutieren = 'diskutiert' 'studieren' = 'studiert'

Future Tense The future tense is used to express an action that is going to take place in the future. It is used in a similar way in English (I am going to, I will, I shall). It is formed using the present tense of the verb 'werden' and the infinitive of the verb concerned. The infinitive always goes to the end of the sentence. 'Frank und Katja werden nächste Woche nach Spanien fliegen.' 'Nächste Woche wird Mark seine Oma besuchen.' It is important to note that the present tense is also used to express the future tense, particularly if the action is planned or regular or if there is an indication of time. zB: 'Morgen spielen wir Tischtennis'. (It has been planned and discussed and we are definitely playing table tennis). The future tense is also used to indicate an assumption about something or someone. In this instance it can refer to any tense. zB: 'Wo ist der Zug? Es wird sich wohl verspäten'! (There is probably a delay! – one is making an assumption that the train is delayed.)

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Note that it is easy to confuse ‘Ich will’ with ‘Ich werde’. ‘Ich will’ means ‘I want’ and not ‘I will’.

Conditional In German the conditional is mainly used in ‘If’ sentences, commonly known as ‘Wenn-Sätze’. If a certain condition was true, then this would happen. In German there are two conditionals: 'Konditional I' and 'Konditional II'. 'Konditional I': 'Konditional I' refers to what would happen, if something else happens first. It is used in relation to the present / future. It is formed using the imperfect subjunctive of 'werden 'and the infinitive of the verb concerned. Again, the infinitive always goes to the end of the sentence. 'Wenn ich genug Geld hätte, würde ich ein neues Auto kaufen.' 'Wenn ich gesund wäre, würde ich in Urlaub fahren.' 'Konditional II' 'Konditional II' refers to wished chages in the past that are not possible anymore. They refer to what you could have done to improve a situation. It is formed using the imperfect subjunctive of'werden', the past participle of the verb concerned and the infinitive of the auxiliary verbs 'haben / sein' or more commonly used is the imperfect subjunctive of 'haben / sein ' and the past participle. zB: 'Ich wäre früher angekommen, wenn es nicht geregnet hätte'.

Passive The passive tense is used when the action done to the subject of the sentence is what is important. The subject of the verb is not actually doing anything. Look at the following two English sentences: ‘The man drives the car’ and ‘The car is driven by the man’. In the first sentence the emphasis of the sentence is on the man (subject) and the fact that he performs the action; this is called the ‘active voice’. In the second sentence the emphasis is on the car and on the action that is done to it (being driven by the man); this is called the passive voice. The passive tense in German is constructed using the appropriate tense of the verb'werden' as an auxiliary verb and the past participle of the verb in question. 'Guinness wird in Irland hergestellt' (present) 'Guinness wurde in Irland hergestellt' (simple past) 'Guinness wird in Irland hergestellt werden' (future)

When there is a subject and object in the sentence, the object of the active sentence becomes

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the subject in the passive sentence. 'Der Hund beißt das Kind'. (Active) 'Das Kind wird von dem Hund gebissen'. (Passive)

Note that in the passive construction in German the word ‘by’ is translated as either 'von' plus dative or 'durch' plus accusative. Links http://german.about.com/homework/german/library/weekly/aa031599.htm This is the first of a three part feature which aims at ironing out common areas of possible verb confusion. The first part discusses the past tense in German and English. It also examines 'werden' and its use for the passive voice and the future tense. http://www2.gasou.edu/gsufl/german/grammar/gr-tense.htm This site features a brief overview of the most common tenses in German, with examples. You can check your knowledge of tenses in German by completing the practice section at the end of the page. http://www.al.lu/deutsch/grammatik/index.html Exercises in all aspects of the the German verb including active, passive voice and the different tenses. Most of the worksheets have solutions connected to the site. http://www.wm.edu/CAS/modlang/gasmit/grammar/verbmnu.htm This link is to the sub-menus of a clear and simple grammar site. It is necessary for you to go through the options in the sub-menus and check what areas interest you or where you need further clarification. A practice session is provided at the top of most sections and the exercise can be corrected instantly. http://www.mckinnonsc.vic.edu.au/la/lote/german/materials/grammar/perfect.htm This site was created by McKinnon secondary school, and it relates the complexities of German grammar in a straightforward and simple fashion. http://www.uwinnipeg.ca/~oberle/courses/review.html#Subjunctive 2 For a comprehensive analysis of the subjunctive have a look at this site. It reviews all aspects of this tense, including the ‘würde-construction’ and the subjunctive with ‘als ob’ and ‘als wenn’.

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Adjectives Adjectives in German have the same function as in English – they give you more information about the noun. In German, if the adjective comes after the verb it does not take the specific endings. However, if the adjective comes before the noun you must employ ‘adjectival endings’ that qualify the noun. 'Das Mädchen ist schön' (adjective after verb) 'Das schöne Mädchen ist…' (adjective with ending)

There are three basic types of adjective endings: 1. adjective endings after the definite article: der/die/das 2. adjective endings after the indefinite article: ein/eine/ein 3. adjectives used alone with noun (no article present)

The only way to ensure accuracy in the usage of adjectival endings is to learn and understand the tables and thoroughly practise composing sentences containing adjectival endings. This page is a guide to where and when to use the endings.

Adjective endings after the definite article: 'der/die/das':

Masculine

Feminine

Neuter Plural

Nominative

e

e

e

en

Accusative

en

e

e

en

Dative en

en

en

en

Genitive

en

en

en

en

Nominative Singular Masculine: 'Der schwarze Hund heisst Shabba'. Accusative Singular Masculine: 'Der grössere Hund beisst den schwarzen Hund'. Dative Singular Masculine: 'Ich gehe mit dem schwarzen Hund spazieren'.

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Nominative Plural Masculine: 'Die schwarzen Hunde bellen so laut'.

Adjective endings after the indefinite article: ein/eine/ein

Masculine

Feminine

Neuter Plural

Nominative

er

e

es

en

Accusative

en

e

es

en

Dative en

en

en

en

Genitive

en

en

en

en

Nominative Singular Masculine: 'Mein schwarzer Hund heißt Shabba'. Accusative Singular Masculine: 'Ich mag meinen schwarzen Hund' Dative Singular Masculine: 'Ich gehe mit meinem schwarzen Hund spazieren.' Nominative Plural Masculine: 'Meine schwarzen Hunde sind so freundlich'.

Adjectives used alone with noun (no article present).

Masculine

Feminine

Neuter Plural

Nominative

-er

-e

-es

-e

Accusative

-en

-e

-es

-e

Dative -em

-er

-em

-en

Genitive

-en

-er

-en

-er

Nominative Singular Masculine: 'Französischer Wein ist billig'. Accusative Singular Masculine: 'Ich trinke immer französischen Wein'.

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Dative Singular Masculine: 'Ich esse gern Käse mit französischem Wein'. Nominative Plural Masculine: 'Deutsche Bücher sind interessant'.

Links http://www2.gasou.edu/gsufl/german/grammar/gr-adj.htm This is a guide to the declension of adjectives. It covers the main issues and provides clear tables and methods of becoming familiar with the adjectival endings. There is also a practice feature where you can complete the sentences with the appropriate endings. http://carbon.cudenver.edu/~tphillip/adjective_endings.pdf These pages provide a very thorough explanation of why you need endings on German adjectives. It is clearly written in English with some very good examples. However, you need to have Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your computer to open the file. http://german.about.com/homework/german/library/weekly/aa030298.htm This site has very clear explanations regarding declining adjectives. This page deals with the nominative case and the related links section includes a link to accusative and dative endings. http://www.travlang.com/languages/german/ihgg/adjend.html These pages illustrate the declension of German adjectives in the three main cases and highlights the common usage of adjectival declension. The explanations and examples are very good.

Prepositions What is a preposition? When do you use them? What are the basic rules associated with them? It is important to be able to answer these questions if you wish to have a thorough grasp of written and spoken German. A preposition is a word that goes before a noun or a pronoun and provides you with additional information about the noun such as information about time, manner and place. Time: 'seit letzter Woche' – since last week Manner: 'ohne Milch' – without milk Place: 'zwischen Ranelagh und Rathmines' – between Ranelagh and Rathmines

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Rules associated with using prepositions The main rule to remember about using prepositions is that different prepositions govern different cases. That is to say that after some prepositions the noun will be in the accusative case, after others it will be in the dative case and after still others it will be in the genitive case.

Prepositions that always take the Accusative case: 'für'

for

'entlang'

'um'

at, for, round

'bis'

'durch'

through, by

'ohne'

'gegen'

against, towards

along as far as, till, to without

'wider'

against

Prepositions that always take the Dative case: 'aus'

out of

'bei'

at, near

'mit'

with

'nach'

towards, after, according to

'gegenüber'

'seit' 'von' 'zu'

since from to

opposite

Prepositions that take either Dative or Accusative: 'an'

at, on, to, by

'auf'

on (someting flat)

'hinter'

behind

'in' 'neben'

in, into

'vor' 'über' 'unter' 'zwischen'

in front of, before over under, among between

near, beside

After the prepositions above, the accusative case is used to show movement to a place, while the dative case is used to show rest or movement at a place.

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Prepositions that take the Genitive case: 'an(statt)'

instead of

'wegen'

'diesseits'

this side of

'trotz'

'jenseits'

the other side of

'während'

during

on account of in spite of

'außerhalb' 'innerhalb'

outside of inside of

Prepositions that follow adjectives: 'ärgerlich über' 'böse auf'

annoyed at angry at

'eifersüchtig auf'

jealous of

'erfreut über'

delighted at

'enttäuscht über'

disappointed about

'stolz auf' 'überrascht über'

proud of surprised at

Links http://www2.gasou.edu/gsufl/german/grammar/gr-prep.htm This page contains a comprehensive list of German prepositions and the cases which follow them. http://german.about.com/homework/german/library/weekly/aa050498.htm The Prepositional Pitfalls feature aims at highlighting the potential difficulties in using prepositions in a second language. It addresses the issue under the headings: Grammar, Idioms and English Interference. http://www.wm.edu/CAS/modlang/gasmit/grammar/prepmnu.htm This is a very good guide through the major areas of prepositions in German. It also features a practice section where you can check your knowledge of prepositional usage in context.

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Conjunctions What are conjunctions and when do you use them? In German, as in English you use conjunctions to join together clauses and parts of clauses. In English we use such words as ‘and', 'but', 'when', 'if,' because.’ Equivalent words in German include ‘und', 'aber', 'als', 'wenn and 'weil’ to join clauses. There are various kinds of conjunctions; the main ones are coordinating conjunctions, subordinating conjunctions and adverbial conjunctions.

Coordinating conjunctions Coordinating conjunctions will join two main clauses together without interfering with the word order of either of the clauses. The five main coordinating conjunctions in German are as follows:

und – and (zB: 'Ich esse ein Brötchen und ich trinke ein Glas Milch') aber – but (zB: 'ch trinke gern Apfelsaft aber ich trinke lieber Orangensaft') denn – because, for (zB: 'Ich bringe meinen Regenschirm mit, denn es wird wahrscheinlich später regnen'). Oder – or Sondern – but rather Note: You can see quite clearly that the two clauses the conjunction joins can also exist independently. The first idea and the verb remain in their usual positions.

Subordinating conjunctions The role of the subordinating conjunction is to join a main clause and subordinate clause. In German the subordinating conjunction sends the main verb to the end of the sentence. For example: 'Ich esse ein Brötchen, weil ich Hunger habe'.

The main subordinating conjunctions are as follows:

'als'

when 'obgleich'

although

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'als ob' as if

'obwohl'

although

'bevor' before 'ohne dass'

without

'bis'

until

'seit (dem)'

since

'da'

since

'sobald '

as soon as

'damit' in order that 'dass'

that

'falls'

in case that

'während'

'indem' by ...ing 'nachdem' 'ob'

'so dass'

'weil'

so that

while, during because

'wenn' if after

'wie'

as

whether

Adverbial conjunctions An adverb usually gives you more information about a verb. In German, when you use adverbial conjunctions the verb comes immediately after the conjunction, even before the pronoun. 'Die Sonne scheint, trotzdem können wir nicht draußen spazieren gehen'.

The main adverbial conjunctions are as follows: 'so'

therefore, so

'auch' also, too

'zwar' while it is true 'deshalb'

therefore, so

'darum'

therefore, so

'auch nicht'

not either

'außerdem'

besides

'jedoch'

however, yet

'da'

then, as

'dennoch '

'kaum' hardly 'also' 'trotzdem'

therefore, so

in spite of that 'sonst' otherwise

'daher' therefore, so

Links

yet, nevertheless

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http://www2.gasou.edu/gsufl/german/grammar/gr-konj.htm This site lists the main coordinate and subordinate conjunctions and illustrates their main function and common usage. If you click on the 'practice' button you can complete the exercises on conjunctions. http://www.wm.edu/CAS/modlang/gasmit/grammar/conjncts/coord1.htm An explanation of the different conjunctions in German. If you select the practice button you can do the on-line exercises and also get your answers checked. http://www.skolinternet.telia.se/TIS/tyska/gr_ubung/grammati.htm These exercises in conjunctions are divided into a number of different categories to target specific groups of conjunctions. It is possible to correct them online.

Word Order At many points in the Leaving Cert exam, your knowledge of syntax and word order rules is being tested. However, a good grasp of some basic rules should help you to be accurate at all times. The main thing to remember is that sentences are composed of clauses – main clauses and subordinate clauses – and different rules govern each of these.

Clauses Main clauses: in a main clause the finite verb is always the second idea: 'Frank geht heute abend ins Bett.' 'Heute abend geht Frank ins Bett.' 'Ins Bett ging gestern abend Frank.' An exception to this rule is that when the sentence is a question or an order, the verb is the first idea. 'Geht Frank heute abend ins Bett? Geh sofort ins Bett!' It should be noted, though, that if there is a verb is in the second position, all other verbs must go to the end of the clause.

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'Frank ist um 10.00 Uhr ins Bett gegangen.' 'Frank muß um 10.00 Uhr ins Bett gehen.' 'Frank wird heute Abend um 9.00 Uhr ins Bett gehen'

Subordinate Clauses: in a subordinate clause the finite verb is always the last word. 'Wenn Frank ins Bett geht, liest er sein Buch.' 'Ich trinke zwei Flaschen Cola, weil ich Durst habe.'

Conjunctions and word order The following conjunctions do not affect the position of the verb, but join together two main clauses: 'aber,' 'oder', 'und', 'sondern', 'denn' 'Ich esse Vanilleeis, aber ich esse lieber Erdbeereis'. All other conjunctions introduce a subordinate clause in which the finite verb is sent to the end of the sentence. They include: 'als', 'bevor', 'da', 'dass', 'indem', 'bis', 'damit', 'ehe', 'nachdem', 'ob', 'obgleich', 'seit', 'während', 'weil', 'wenn'. ' Wenn ich ein Erdbeereis esse, fühle ich mich gut!’

Word order within a clause If both direct and indirect objects within a sentence are pronouns, then the accusative precedes the dative – zB: 'Sie gab es ihm'. If both objects are nouns, then the dative precedes the accusative – zB: 'Sie gab dem Jungen den Roman.' If you have a noun and pronoun combination, then the pronoun is always in the first position – zB: 'Sie gab ihm den Fotoapparat'. If adverbs and adverbial phrases appear in the sentence, the normal word order is Time, Manner, Place – zB: 'Frank fährt nächste Woche mit dem Flugzeug nach Dresden.' Generally speaking the adverb comes after the pronoun, unless it starts the sentence – zB: 'Letztes Jahr ist Frank nach New York gefahren'

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Links http://german.about.com/homework/german/library/weekly/aa032700a.htm Word order in German is far more varied and complex than in English. A few of the basic rules of thumb of word order are explained here and they are clearly illustrated. http://www2.gasou.edu/gsufl/german/grammar/gr-wo.htm This German Grammar Review focuses on the general rules of German word order. It covers main clause structures, basic declarative statements, commands and questions. http://www.wm.edu/CAS/modlang/gasmit/grammar/ordrmnu.htm These pages deal effectively with the following issues in Word Order: statements, questions, commands, negation with 'nicht' and with 'kein', dependent clauses, direct and indirect objects of verbs, time, manner and place expressions, and infinitive phrases with 'zu'. Here the explanations are kept to a minimum, but the practice exercises that follow are very well done.