German Learning

greetings (Grüße)

Hello.

Hallo. Grüß dich! casual Grüß Gott! In southern Germany and Austria. Guten Tag. Hello/Good Day. Guten Morgen/Guten Abend. Good morning/evening.

Bye!

Auf Wiedersehen. Auf Wiederhören. Bye on the telephone. Tschüss! casual Bis bald! See you soon! Bis später! See you later!

How are you?

Wie geht es Ihnen? formal Wie geht es dir? casual

I'm fine. I'm so-so. I'm not doing well. I'm doing better.

Es geht mir gut. Es geht. Es geht mir schlecht. Es geht mir besser.

Excuse me!

Entschuldigen Sie bitte! formal Entschuldigung! casual

Pardon me?

Wie bitte?

Please.

Bitte. See more on Thank you and You're Welcome in German.

Thank you.

Danke.

I'm sorry.

Es tut mit leid.

Really?

Wirklich?

Gladly!

Gerne!

Nice to meet you.

Sehr erfreut.

Take care

Mach's gut.

Unique Traits of the German Alphabet:  More than 26 letters in the alphabet - German has a so called extended latin alphabet  The extra letters are ä, ö, ü and ß  The pronunciation of some of these letters do not exist in the English language  Several letters are pronounced more from the back of the throat: g, ch, r (though in Austria the r is trilled).  The W in German sounds like the V in English  The V in German sounds like the F in English  Most of the time the S in German sounds like Z in English when placed at the beginning of a word followed by a vowel.  The letter ß is the only letter that will never be at the beginning of a word.

Das Deutsche Alphabet/ The German Alphabet Buchstabe/ Letter

Aussprache des Buchstabenamens/ Pronunciation of letter name

Aussprache des Buchstaben - wie in/ Sound of Letter - as in

Beispiele/ Examples

Aa

ah

astronaut

der Adler (eagle), Januar (January)

Bb

approximate: bay

baby

der Bruder (brother), aber (but)

Cc

approximate: tsay

creative, Celcius (soft c sound in German sounds like ts)

der Chor, der Christkindlmarkt (south German term for der Weihnachtsmarkt/ Christmas market), Celcius

Dd

approximate: day

dollar

Dienstag (Tuesday), oder (or)

Ee

approximate: ay

elegant

essen (to eat), zuerst (first)

Ff

eff

effort

der Freund (friend), offen (open)

Gg

approximate: gay

gorgeous

gut (good), gemein (mean)

Hh

haa

hammer

der Hammer, dieMühle (mill)

Igor

der Igel (porcupine), der Imbiss (snack), sieben (seven)

Ii

eeh

Jj

yot

yellow

das Jahr (year), jeder (each)

Kk

kah

camel

das Kamel, der Kuchen (cake)

Ll

ell

love

die Leute (people), das Land (land)

Mm

em

man

der Mann, die Ameise

Nn

en

nice

nicht (not), die Münze (coin)

Oo

oh

oven

Ostern (Easter),rot (red)

Pp

approximate: pay

party

die Polizei (police), der Apfel

Qq

koo

coral

das Quadrat (square), die Quelle (source) Note: All German words start with qu (kw - sound)

Rr

approximate: er

rich

der Rücken (the back), der Stern (star)

Ss

es

zoo, shine, mouse

summen (to hum), schön (pretty, nice), die Maus

Tt

approximate: tay

tyrant

der Tyrann, acht (eight)

Uu

ooh

ou sound in you

die Universität (university), der Mund (mouth)

Vv

fow

father

der Vogel (bird), die Nerven (nerves)

Ww

approximate: vay

van

die Wange (cheek), das Schwein (pig, wieviel (how much)

sounds like kz

das Xylofon/ Xylophon, die Hexe (witch) Note: There are hardly any German words that start with X

yellow

die Yucca, der Yeti Note: There are hardly any German words that start with Y.

Xx

Yy

ix

uep-si-lohn

Zz

tset

sounds like ts

die Zeitung (newspaper), der Zigeuner (gypsy)

Umlaut + ß Aussprache des Buchstaben/ Pronunciation of Letter

Beispiele/ Examples

ä

sounds similar to the e in melon

ähnlich (similar), gähnen (to yawn)

ö

sounds similar to the i in girl

Österreich (Austria), der Löwe (lion)

ü

no equivalent nor approximate sound in English

über (over),müde (tired)

ß (esszet)

double s sound

heiß (hot),die Straße (street)

Diphthongs Diphthong Double Vowels

Aussprache Pronunciation

ai / ei

eye

bei (at, near), das Ei (egg), der Mai (May)

au

ow

auch (also), das Auge (eye), aus (out of)

eu / äu

oy

Häuser (houses), Europa (Europe), neu (new)

ie

eeh

bieten (offer), nie (never), Sie (you)

Beispiele / Examples

Grouped Consonants Buchstabe Consonant

Aussprache Pronunciation

ck

k

dick (fat, thick), der Schock (shock)

>>

After a, o, u and au, pronounced like the guttural ch in Scottish "loch" - das Buch (book), auch (also). Otherwise it is a palatal sound as in: mich (me), welche (which), wirklich (really). TIP: If no air is passing over your tongue when you say a ch-sound, you aren't saying it correctly. No true equivalent in English. - Although ch doesn't usually have a hard k sound, there are exceptions: Chor, Christoph, Chaos, Orchester, Wachs (wax)

pf

pf

Both letters are (quickly) pronounced as a combined puff-sound: das Pferd (horse), der Pfennig. If this is difficult for you, an f sound will work, but try to do it!

ph

f

das Alphabet, phonetisch - Some words formerly spelled with ph are now spelled with f: das Telefon, das Foto

qu

kv

die Qual (anguish, torture), die Quittung (receipt)

sh

schön (pretty), die Schule (school) - The German sch combination is never split, whereas sh usually is (Grashalme, Gras/Halme; but die Show, a foreign word).

shp / sht

At the start of a word, the s in sp/st has a sch sound as in English "show, she." sprechen (speak), stehen (stand)

ch

sch

sp / st

th

t

Beispiele / Examples

das Theater (tay-AHTER), das Thema (TAY-muh), topic - Always sounds like a t (TAY). NEVER has the English th sound!

PART 1b - From Essential German 2 Sprechen Sie Deutsch? - Sprechen Sie Englisch? Noch einmal, bittte. Wie bitte? Langsamer, bitte. Bitte Wiederholen Sie! Ich verstehe nicht. Ich habe eine Frage. Wie sagt man...? Ich weiß nicht. Ich weiß es nicht Doch! Wo ist...? Wo sind...? wann? - wer? - wie? warum? - was? Schon gut! Ich habe kein... Ich habe keine... Ich habe keinen... Ich habe kein Geld.

AUDIO SCRIPT 2 PART 1 - From Das Abc The words in bold type are the words you will hear. Letters as they are pronounced in German words:

A - der Apparat, der Vater, ab, aktiv, alles Ä - der Bär, der Jäger, die Fähre, die Ärzte, mächtig B - bei, das Buch, die Bibel, ob, halb C - der Computer, die City, das Café, C-Dur, die CD D - durch, dunkel, das Ende, der Freund, das Land E - elf, er, wer, eben, Englisch F - faul, Freunde, der Feind, das Fenster, der Fluss G - gleich, das Gehirn, gegeben, gern, das Image H - haben, die Hand, gehen (silent h), (G - das Glas, das Gewicht) I - der Igel, immer, der Fisch, innerhalb, gibt J - das Jahr, jung, jemand, der Joker, das Juwel K - kennen, der Koffer, der Spuk, die Lok, das Kilo L - langsam, die Leute, Griechenland, malen, locker M - mein, der Mann, die Lampe, Minuten, mal N - nein, die Nacht, die Nase, die Nuss, niemals O - das Ohr, die Oper, oft, das Obst, das Formular Ö - Österreich, öfters, schön, die Höhe, höchstens P - das Papier, positiv, der PC, der Papst, pur R - das Rathaus, rechts, unter, rund, die Reederei S - die Sache, so, das Salz, seit, der September ß/ss - groß, die Straße, muss, das, Wasser, dass T - der Tag, täglich, das Tier, die Tat, die Rente U - die U-Bahn, unser, der Rubel, um, der Jupiter Ü - über, die Tür, schwül, Düsseldorf, drücken V - der Vetter, vier, die Vase, aktiv, Nerven

W - wenn, die Woche, Treptow (silent w), das Wetter, wer X - x-mal, das Xylofon, Xanthen Y - der Yen, der Typ, typisch, das System, die Hypothek Z - zahlen, die Pizza, die Zeit, zwei, der Kranz

Long and Short Vowels long a/ä - Bahn, kam, Vater, Gas, kahl short a/ä - Bann, Kamm, Kraft, halb, Gärten long e - Beet, Meer, mehr, leer, Leben short e - Bett, Vetter, letzte long i - mich, dich, Kilo, Klima, Limo short i - gibt, Mittel, Kind, Mist, Lippe long o/ö - hohl, Boot, stören, Höhle, Ton short o/ö - (rot long o), Post, Hölle, Tonne, Koffer long u/ü - fühlen, Mut, Hut, Jugend, Kuh short u/ü - füllen, Mutter, Hütte, Nutte, Puppe

AUDIO SCRIPT for this audio file. PART 2 - From Diphthongs & Consonant Pairs Diphthongs ai/ei - bei (at, near), das Ei (egg), die Polizei, der Mai (May), der Kaiser au - auch (also), das Auge (eye), aus (out of), klauen (steal), tauchen (dive) äu/ eu - Häuser (houses), Europa (Europe), neu (new), heute (today), teuer (expensive) ie - bieten (offer), nie (never), Sie (you), bieten (offer), nie (never), Sie (you), mieten (rent), der Riese (giant)

Grouped Consonants ck - dick (fat, thick), der Schock (shock), drucken (print), picken, sickern The ch letter combination is pronounced several different ways in German: ch 1 - das Buch (book), auch (also), der Bauch (stomach), die Woche (week), noch (yet) ch 2 - ich, mich (me), welche (which), wirklich (really), nicht (not) ch 3 - das Mädchen, ein bisschen ch 4 - der Chor, das Chaos, der Chianti, der Charakter ch 5a (ch) - China, die Chemie - manchmal auch: (sometimes also) ch 5b (sh) - China, die Chemie - und auch: ch 5c (k) - China, die Chemie ch 6 - Chigago, der Chef, Chile -ig (-ich) - zwanzig, dreißig, mächtig -ig (-ik) - zwanzig, dreißig, mächtig chs - sechs, das Wachs, der Lachs, Sachsen, wechseln dt - die Stadt kn - der Knabe, das Knie, knusprig, der Knoblauch, die Kneipe pf - das Pferd, pflanzen, der Pfennig, der Napf, das Pflaster, die Pflege auch (also): das Pferd, der Pfennig, pflanzen, das Pflaster, die Pflege ph/f - das Alphabet, phonetisch, die Pharmaindustrie, die Phase, die Philatelie qu - die Qual, quer, die Quelle, die Quittung, der Quark - aber der Quai (also spelled Kai) sch - die Schule, schön, schade, der Schatz, schlafen The German sch combination is never split, whereas sh usually is: Grashalme, Gras/Halme; but die Show (foreign word) sp - sprechen, spalten, die Spannung, der Speck, die Speise st - stehen, die Stadt, der Standard, der Stein, stellen final st - der Mist, hast, bist, ist, willst th - das Theater, das Thema, Thomas, die Theke, das Thermometer

tz - der Witz, der Blitz, der Rotz, letzte, sitzen

PART 3 - From Pronunciation Hazards final b - das Lob (praise), der Job, der Lob (tennis) be- prefix - beobachten, der Beobachter final d - der Tod, der Feind, das Jod, der Wald ei vs ie - Wien/der Wein, Sie/sei, schiessen/scheissen, der Riese/die Reise final g - der Tag, genug, Berg, mag, lag silent h - ohne, sehen, die Uhr, leihen, das Vieh German ng - der Finger, der Hunger initial r - der Rabe, rund, Regular, regulär, der Ring, das Ross final r - vier, mehr, wunderbar, der Ring, der Ritter German th, as in Theorie, der Thron, die Therapie - der Thriller (English) German v - viel, bevor, negativ, der Vater, der Volkswagen In some foreign, non-Germanic words the v is pronounced as in English: Vase (vase), Villa (villa) German w - die Wahl, was, wieder, Wien, der Wind German z - schwarz, die Zeit, zum, der Geiz, zerbrechen, der Zimt umlauts - schon/schön, drucken/drücken, schwul/schwül, Mutter/Mütter, Bar/Bär

Similar Words with Pronunciation Pitfalls Words similar to English, but pronounced differently. die Bank (bank) - die Bombe (bomb) - die Distanz (distance) der Finger (finger) - das Genie (genius) - die Hand (hand) der Hunger (hunger) - die Nation (nation) olympisch (Olympic) - das Papier (paper) - die Pause (pause) die Pizza (pizza) - der Planet (planet)

das Restaurant (restaurant) - total (total)

Some more similar but different words. der Berg (mountain) - die Burg (castle) die Post (post office) das Sofa

die deutschen Pronomina German Pronouns Nominative Singular Pronomen ich

Pronoun I

Sample Phrases Darf ich? (May I?) Ich bin 16 Jahre alt. (I'm 16 years old.) The pronoun ich is not capitalized except at the beginning of a sentence.

du

you (fam.)

er

he

Ist er da? (Is he here?)

sie

she

Ist sie da? (Is she here?)

es

it

Sie

you

Kommst du mit? (Are you coming along?)

Hast du es? (Do you have it?) Kommen Sie heute? (Are you coming today?) The pronoun Sie always takes a plural conjugation, but is also used for the formal "you" singular.

Nominative Plural Pronomen

Pronoun

wir

we

ihr

you guys (fam.)

sie

they

Sie

you (plur.)

Sample Phrases Wir kommen am Dienstag. (We're coming on Tuesday.) Habt ihr das Geld? (Do you guys have the money?) Sie kommen heute. (They're coming today.) The pronoun sie in this sentence could also mean "you" Sie. Only the context makes it clear which of the two is meant.

Kommen Sie heute? (Are you [all] coming today?) The pronoun Sie always takes a plural conjugation, but is also used for the formal "you" singular.

German nouns (a person, place or thing, Substantive) are very easy to spot: they always begin with a CAPITAL letter! German is the only world language that capitalizes all nouns.

NOUNS - Substantive AUDIO

Click on a linked word to hear it. (MP3)

NOMINATIVE SINGULAR Artikel

Gender

der ein

masc.

Sample Nouns der Bahnhof (train station), Sohn (son), Vater (father), Wagen (car), Zug (draft, parade, train) AUDIO: Hear All the Masculine Nouns

die eine

fem.

die Anlage (installation, park), Dame (lady), Festung (fortress), Gesundheit (health), Luft (air) AUDIO: Hear All the Feminine Nouns

das ein

neut.

das Boot (boat), Dach (roof), Geld (money), Jahr (year), Kino (cinema, movie theater), Radio AUDIO: Hear All the Neuter Nouns NOMINATIVE PLURAL

Artikel

Gender

die keine meine

plur.

Sample Nouns (Plurals) die Bücher (books), Dächer (roofs), Fenster (windows), Jahre (years), Radios, Söhne (sons), Zeitungen (newspapers)

Note: All nouns, of any gender, become die in the plural. (Ein can't be plural, but other socalled ein-words can: keine [none], meine [my], seine [his], etc.) That's the good news. The bad news is that there are about a dozen ways to form the plural of German nouns, only one of which is to add an "s" - as in English. - See the lesson and quiz Gender Hints for more.

German Gender Hints German Noun Gender: Masculine - DER RULE NO. 1: When learning a German noun, always treat its article as an integral part of the word! Not Wasser, but das Wasser. Not Hund, but der Hund. However, it can be very helpful to know about the gender generalizations below. These German gender hints are divided into two main categories: "Always" (no or few exceptions to the rule) and "Usually" (some exceptions). One more important gender rule to remember: in compound nouns, the last word determines the gender (as in die Geburt + der Ort = der Geburtsort, birthplace).

MÄNNLICH - der Always MASCULINE (der/ein):  

   



Days, months, and seasons: Montag, Juli, Sommer (Monday, July, summer). The one exception is das Frühjahr, another word for der Frühling, spring. Points of the compass, map locations and winds: Nordwest(en) (northwest), Süd(en) (south), der Föhn (warm wind out of the Alps), der Scirocco (sirocco, a hot desert wind). Precipitation: Regen, Schnee, Nebel (rain, snow, fog/mist) - See Das Wetter (Lesson 20) Names of cars and trains: der VW, der ICE, der Mercedes. (But motorbikes and aircraft are feminine.) Words ending in -ismus: Journalismus, Kommunismus, Synchronismus (equal -ism words in English) Words ending in -ner: Rentner, Schaffner, Zentner, Zöllner (pensioner, [train] conductor, hundred-weight, customs collector). The feminine form adds -in (die Rentnerin). The basic "atmospheric" elements that end in -stoff: der Sauerstoff (oxygen), der Stickstoff (nitrogen), der Wasserstoff (hydrogen), plus carbon (der Kohlenstoff). The only other elements (out of 112) that are masculine are der Phosphor and der Schwefel (sulphur). Note: All of the other chemical elements are neuter (das Aluminium, Blei, Kupfer, Uran, Zink, usw.).

Usually MASCULINE (der/ein): 



Agents (people who do something), most occupations and nationalities: der Architekt, der Arzt, der Deutsche, der Fahrer, der Verkäufer, der Student, der Täter (architect, physician, German [person], driver, salesman, student, perpetrator). Note that the feminine form of these terms almost always ends in -in (die Architektin, die Ärztin, die Fahrerin, die Verkäuferin, die Studentin, Täterin, but die Deutsche). Nouns ending in -er, when referring to people (but die Jungfer, die Mutter, die Schwester, die Tochter, das Fenster) - See German Noun Suffixes and Gender for more

   

Names of alcoholic drinks: der Wein, der Wodka (but das Bier) Names of mountains and lakes: der Berg, der See (but Germany's highest peak, die Zugspitze follows the rule for the feminine ending -e, and die See is the sea). Most rivers outside of Europe: der Amazonas, der Kongo, der Mississippi (See World Rivers in German) Most nouns ending in -ich, -ling, -ist: Rettich, Sittich, Schädling, Frühling, Pazifist (radish, parakeet, pest/parasite, spring, pacifist)

German Gender Hints

German Noun Gender: Feminine - DIE

WEIBLICH - die (pron. DEE) Always FEMININE (die/eine): 

 

 



Nouns ending in the following suffixes: -heit, -keit, -tät, -ung, -schaft - Examples: die Freiheit, Schnelligkeit, Universität, Zeitung, Freundschaft (freedom, quickness, university, newspaper, friendship). Note that these suffixes usually have a corresponding English suffix, such as -ness (-heit, -keit), -ty (-tät), -ship (-schaft). Nouns ending in -ie: Drogerie, Geographie, Komödie, Industrie, Ironie (often equal to words ending in -y in English) Names of aircraft, ships and motorbikes: die Boeing 747, die Titanic, die BMW (motorbike only; the car is der BMW). The die comes from die Maschine, which can mean plane, motorbike and engine. - Helpful reminder: Ships are often referred to as "she" in English. Nouns ending in -ik: die Grammatik, Grafik, Klinik, Musik, Panik, Physik - But see German Noun Suffixes and Gender for some exceptions! Borrowed (foreign) nouns ending in: -ade, -age, -anz, -enz, -ette, -ine, -ion, -tur: Parade, Blamage (shame), Bilanz, Distanz, Frequenz, Serviette (napkin), Limonade, Nation, Konjunktur (economic trend). Note: Such words often resemble their English equivalent. A rare -ade exception: der Nomade. Cardinal numbers: eine Eins, eine Drei (a one, a three)

Usually FEMININE (die/eine): 



 

Nouns ending in -in that pertain to female people, occupations, nationalities: Amerikanerin, Studentin (female American, student), but der Harlekin and also many non-people words: das Benzin, der Urin (gasoline/petrol, urine). Most nouns ending in -e: Ecke, Ente, Grenze, Pistole, Seuche (corner, duck, border, pistol, epidemic), but der Deutsche, das Ensemble, der Friede, der Junge ([the] German, ensemble, peace, boy) Nouns ending in -ei: Partei, Schweinerei (party [political], dirty trick/mess), but das Ei, der Papagei (egg, parrot). Most types of flowers and trees: Birke, Chrysantheme, Eiche, Rose (birch, chrysanthemum, oak, rose), but der Ahorn, (maple), das Gänseblümchen (daisy), and the word for tree is der Baum



Borrowed (foreign) nouns ending in -isse, -itis, -ive: Hornisse, Initiative (hornet, initiative)

German Gender Hints German Noun Gender: Neuter - DAS SÄCHLICH - das Always NEUTER (das/ein):   

 

Nouns ending in -chen or -lein: Fräulein, Häuschen, Kaninchen, Mädchen (unmarried woman, cottage, rabbit, girl/maiden) Infinitives used as nouns (gerunds): das Essen, das Schreiben (eating/food, writing) Almost all of the 112 known chemical elements (das Aluminium, Blei, Kupfer, Uran, Zink, Zinn, Zirkonium, usw.) - except for six that are masculine: der Kohlenstoff (carbon), der Sauerstoff (oxygen), der Stickstoff (nitrogen), der Wasserstoff (hydrogen), der Phosphor and der Schwefel (sulphur). Note: Most of the elements end in -ium, a das ending. Names of hotels, cafés and theaters Names of colors used as nouns: das Blau, das Rot (blue, red)

Usually NEUTER (das/ein): 

  

 

  

Geographic place names (towns, countries, continents): das Berlin, Deutschland, Brasilien, Afrika (but learn non-das countries, such as: der Irak, der Jemen, die Schweiz, die Türkei, die USA [plur.]) - See: Land und Leute, a German-English chart of countries, nationalities and languages. Young animals and people: das Baby, das Küken (chick); but der Junge (boy). Most metals: Aluminium, Blei, Kupfer, Messing, Zinn (aluminium, lead, copper, brass, tin/pewter; but die Bronze, der Stahl - bronze, steel) Nouns ending in -o (often cognates from Latin): das Auto, Büro, Kasino, Konto (account), Radio, Veto, Video - Note: Exceptions: die Avocado, die Disko, der Euro, der Scirocco, etc. - See German Noun Suffixes and Gender for more exceptions! Fractions: das/ein Viertel (¼), das/ein Drittel (but die Hälfte, half) Most nouns starting with Ge-: Genick, Gerät, Geschirr, Geschlecht, Gesetz, Gespräch (back of the neck, device, dishes, sex/gender, law, conversation), but there are many exceptions, such as der Gebrauch, der Gedanke, die Gefahr, der Gefallen, der Genuss, der Geschmack, der Gewinn, die Gebühr, die Geburt, die Geduld, die Gemeinde, die Geschichte, and others) Most borrowed (foreign) nouns ending in -ment: Ressentiment, Supplement (but der Zement, der/das Moment [2 diff. meanings]) Most nouns ending in -nis: Versäumnis (neglect; but die Erlaubnis, die Erkenntnis, die Finsternis) Most nouns ending in -tum or -um: Christentum, Königtum (Christianity, kingship; but der Irrtum, der Reichtum - error, wealth)

Predicting German Noun Gender

Learning the gender of German nouns can be a problem for English-speakers. After all, we aren't used to nouns having any gender at all. ("She's a good ship" is a rare exception.) But as I explained previously in German Gender Hints, there are ways to predict the gender of a German noun. Not all nouns are truly predictable, but many are. But even when there is a rule to help determine the gender of a given noun category, there are almost always exceptions. For instance, certain noun endings or suffixes in German can tell you a noun's gender. Some, however, are more reliable than others. Take the example of German nouns ending in -o. Such words—often English cognates borrowed from Latin—are usually neuter: das Auto, Büro, Kasino, Konto, Radio, Veto, Video, usw. But in this o-suffix category about one in three of the nouns is an exception to the rule. Some of the exceptions are very common: die Avocado, der Euro, die Limo, der Zoo. A sharp observer will notice that most of the exceptions are either not from Latin (die Avocado) or are short forms of longer words that determine the gender (die Limo, short for die Limonade). German nouns ending in -ik are usually feminine: die Grammatik, Grafik, Klinik, Mathematik, Musik, Physik, Panik. This is a fairly reliable predictor, but again there are some common exceptions, including der Atlantik, der Pazifik, der Katholik, and das Pik (spade, cards). Most of the few -ik exceptions are logical, particularly the two oceans, since the German word for ocean is der Ozean. Another German feminine noun suffix that is very reliable for predicting gender is the -in ending. This suffix is the most common way to turn a German masculine "people" word or occupation into a feminine noun (der Architekt/die Architektin, der Lehrer/die Lehrerin). However, there are a few nouns ending in -in that are not feminine: das Aspirin, der Harlekin, das Benzin, der Urin. But you'll notice that the -in exceptions are usually nonpeople words. An -er ending usually indicates a masculine noun. Such nouns are usually agents (people who do things), nationalities, and professions. However, some common nouns ending in -er are not masculine: das Fenster, die Mutter, die Schwester, die Tochter, das Wetter.

Nouns Ending in -er - Usually masculine NOTE: Because there are so many masculine -er nouns, only exceptions are listed here. e Butter butter e Feder feather, quill, pen; spring s Fenster window s Futter feed, food, fodder s Gewitter thunderstorm e Jungfer spinster, old maid; virgin, young lady e Kiefer pine

but r Kiefer jawbone s Kupfer copper s Lager camp, storeroom e Leiter ladder but r Leiter leader, head, manager s Messer knife but r Messer gauge e Mutter mother s Poker poker (game) s Puder powder (also masc.) s Opfer victim, sacrifice e Schwester sister s Silber silver e Steuer tax s Steuer rudder, helm s Theater theater e Tochter daughter s Wasser water s Wetter weather s Wunder miracle, wonder s Zimmer room Nouns Ending in -ik - Usually feminine NOTE: Gender exceptions are marked * r Atlantik* the Atlantic e Belletristik fiction, belles-lettres e Dynamik dynamic(s) e Ethik ethic(s) e Fabrik factory e Grammatik grammar e Grafik graphic(s)

e Hektik hectic pace, hustle and bustle e Karibik Caribbean e Klassik classical (music, style, period) e Klinik hospital, clinic e Komik comic effect e Logik logic e Lyrik poetry e Mathematik math e Musik music e Mystik mysticism e Panik grammar r Pazifik* the Pacific e Physik physics s Pik* spade (cards) e Politik politics; policy e Romanik Romanesque (style, period) e Romantik Romantic (style, period) e Statistik statistics e Trafik smoke shop (Austria) e Tragik tragedy

Nouns Ending in -in - Usually feminine NOTE: Because there are so many feminine -in nouns, only exceptions are listed here. s Aspirin aspirin r Harlekin clown s Benzin gasoline, petrol r Urin urine

Nouns Ending in -o - Usually neuter NOTE: Gender exceptions are marked * s Abo subscription (short for s Abonnement) s Auto auto, car e Avocado* avocado

e Demo* (street) demo (short for e Demonstration) e Disco/Disko* disco (short for e Diskotheke) r Domino* domino (piece) s Domino (game) r Dynamo* dynamo r Eskimo* Eskimo r Euro* euro s Fiasko fiasco r Flamingo* flamingo s Foto photograph s Kilo kilogram s Kino cinema, movie theater s Klo toilet, loo r Kongo* the Congo (river) s Konto account e Kripo* cops, CID r Limbo limbo e Limo* soft drink, lemonade (short for e Limonade) s Logo logo s Lotto lottery s Manko deficit s Motto motto r Öko Green (party member), tree-hugger e Polio* polio, poliomyeltis s Polo polo r Popo* bottom, butt, heinie s Porto postage s Radio radio r Realo* political realist s Risiko risk, odds s Rokoko Rococo (style, period) r Saldo* balance (finan.) r Salto* somersault, turn (gymn.) r Scirocco* scirocco, a hot desert wind e Soko* special police commission/unit r Tacho* speedometer (short for r/s Tachometer) r Techno* techno (music) s Tempo speed s Tempo® Tempo® (tissue), Kleenex®

r/s Toto* soccer/football pool, sports book r Trafo* transformer (elec.) s Tremolo tremolo s Trio trio s Ufo UFO (unidentified flying object) e UNO* the UN (United Nations) s Veto veto s Video video r Voodoo* voodoo r Vopo* policeman (East Germany) r Zoo* zoo

Two Important Verbs: haben and sein haben - to have Deutsch

English

Sample Sentences SINGULAR Ich habe einen roten Wagen. (...a red car.)

ich habe

I have

du hast

you (fam.) have

er hat

he has

Er hat ein blaues Auge. (...a black eye.)

sie hat

she has

Sie hat blaue Augen. (...blue eyes.)

es hat

it has

Du hast mein Buch. (...my book.)

Es hat keine Fehler. (...no flaws.) PLURAL Wir haben keine Zeit. (...no time.)

wir haben

we have

ihr habt

you (guys) have

Habt ihr euer Geld? (...your money?)

sie haben

they have

Sie haben kein Geld. (They have no money.)

Sie haben

you have

Haben Sie das Geld? (Sie, formal "you," is both singular and plural.)

See more verbs on our German Strong Verbs and 50 Common German Verbs pages. To be or not to be... Sein oder nicht sein... sein - to be Deutsch

English

Sample Sentences SINGULAR Ich bin's. (It's me.)

ich bin

I am

du bist

you (fam.) are

er ist

he is

Er ist ein netter Kerl. (...a nice guy.)

sie ist

she is

Ist sie da? (Is she here?)

es ist

it is

Du bist mein Schatz. (...my darling/treasure.)

Es ist mein Buch. (...my book.) PLURAL

wir sind

we are

ihr seid

you (guys) are

"Wir sind das Volk!" ("We are the people/nation!" Slogan of 1989 East German protests in Leipzig.) Seid ihr unsere Freunde? (..our friends.)

sie sind

they are

Sie sind unsere Freunde. (..our friends.)

Sie sind

you are

Sind Sie Herr Meier? (Sie, formal "you," is both singular and plural.)

German Verbs in the Present Tense The Basics Each verb has a basic "infinitive" ("to") form. This is the form of the verb you find in a German dictionary. The verb "to play" in English is the infinitive form. ("He plays" is a conjugated form.) The German equivalent of "to play" is spielen. Each verb has a "stem" form, the basic part of the verb left after you remove the -en ending. For spielen the stem is spiel- (spielen - en). To conjugate the verb—that is, use it in a sentence—you must add the correct ending to the stem. If you want to say "I play" you add an -e ending: "ich spiele" (which can also be translated into English as "I am playing"). Each "person" (he, you, they, etc.) requires its own ending on the verb. This is called "conjugating the verb." If you don't know how to conjugate verbs correctly it means your German will sound strange to people who understand the language. German verbs require more different endings than English verbs. In English we use only an s ending or no ending for most verbs: "I/they/we/you play" or "he/she plays." In the present tense, German has a different ending for almost all of those verb situations: ich spiele, sie spielen, du spielst, er spielt, etc. Observe that the verb spielen has a different ending in each of the examples. If you want to sound intelligent in German, you need to learn when to use which ending. That's why we have this chart for you! German has no present progressive tense ("am going"/"are buying"). The German Präsens "ich kaufe" can be translated into English as "I buy" or "I am buying," depending on the context. The chart below lists two sample German verbs—one an example of a "normal" verb, the other an example of verbs that require a "connecting e" in the 2nd person singular and plural, and the 3rd person singular (du/ihr, er/sie/es)—as in er arbeitet. We have also included a helpful list of some representative common stem-changing verbs. These are verbs that follow the normal pattern of endings, but have a vowel change in their stem or base form (hence the name "stem-changing"). In the chart below, the verb endings for each pronoun (person) are indicated in bold type. spielen - to play Deutsch

English

Sample Sentences SINGULAR

ich spiele

I play

Ich spiele gern Basketball.

du spielst

you (fam.) play

Spielst du Schach? (chess)

er spielt

he plays

Er spielt mit mir. (with me)

sie spielt

she plays

es spielt

it plays

Sie spielt Karten. (cards) Es spielt keine Rolle. It doesn't matter. PLURAL

wir spielen ihr spielt

we play

Wir spielen Basketball.

you (guys) play Spielt ihr Monopoly?

sie spielen

they play

Sie spielen Golf.

Sie spielen

you play

Spielen Sie heute? (Sie, formal "you," is both singular and plural.)

Now let's look at another German verb. This one is only slightly different from the others. The verb arbeiten (to work) belongs to a category of verbs that add a "connecting" e in the 2nd person singular and plural, and the 3rd person singular (du/ihr, er/sie/es) in the present tense: er arbeitet. Verbs whose stem ends in d or t do this. The following are examples of verbs in this category: antworten (answer), bedeuten (mean), enden (end), senden (send). (The more common verbs in this group are included on our 50 Common German Verbs page.) In the chart below we have marked the 2nd and 3rd person conjugations with *. arbeiten - to work Deutsch

English

Sample Sentences SINGULAR

ich arbeite du arbeitest *

I work

Ich arbeite am Samstag.

you (fam.) work Arbeitest du in der Stadt?

er arbeitet *

he works

Er arbeitet mit mir. (with me)

sie arbeitet *

she works

Sie arbeitet nicht.

es arbeitet *

it works

-PLURAL

wir arbeiten ihr arbeitet *

we work

Wir arbeiten zu viel.

you (guys) work Arbeitet ihr am Montag?

sie arbeiten

they work

Sie arbeiten bei BMW.

Sie arbeiten

you work

Arbeiten Sie heute? (Sie, formal "you," is both singular and plural.)

Sample Stem-Changing Verbs Deutsch

English

Sample Sentence

In the examples below, er stands for all three third-person pronouns (er, sie, es). Stemchanging verbs only change in the singular (except for ich). Their plural forms are completely regular.

fahren er fährt du fährst

to travel he travels you travel

Er fährt nach Berlin. He's traveling/going to Berlin. Ich fahre nach Berlin. I'm traveling/going to Berlin.

lesen er liest du liest

to read he reads you read

Maria liest die Zeitung. Maria's reading the newspaper. Wir lesen die Zeitung. We read the newspaper.

nehmen er nimmt du nimmst

to take he takes you take

Karl nimmt sein Geld. Karl's taking his money. Ich nehme mein Geld. I'm taking my money.

vergessen er vergisst du vergisst

to forget he forgets you forget

Er vergisst immer. He always forgets. Vergiss es! / Vergessen Sie es! Forget it!

50 Common German Verbs Click on any linked verb for a full conjugation 2nd/3rd Per. Sing. Sample Sentence

Deutsch

English

antworten

to answer

arbeiten

to work

bedeuten

to mean, signify

beginnen

to begin

Wann beginnt der Film?

bekommen

to get, receive

Was bekommen Sie? What can I get for you?

bestellen

to order

Er bestellt es online.

besuchen

to visit

Wir besuchen meine Tante in Berlin.

bezahlen

to pay

Bezahlen wir jetzt?

bleiben

to stay, remain

bringen

to bring, take

Ich bringe Sie zum Flughafen. I'll take you to the airport.

danken

to thank

Ich danke Ihnen. (dative verb)

Er antwortet nicht. Er arbeitet heute. Was bedeutet dieses Wort?

Wir bleiben hier.

Danke! > 10 Ways to Say 'Thank You' in German denken

to think

essen

to eat

Was denken Sie darüber? What do you think about that? du/er isst

Wann isst du zu Mittag? When do you eat lunch? du fährst/er fährt Ich fahre morgen nach Dresden. I'm going/traveling to Dresden tomorrow.

fahren

to travel, drive, go

finden

to find

Wie finden Sie den Film? What do you think of the movie?

fliegen

to fly

Er fliegt nach Boston.

fragen

to ask

Fragst du mich?

geben

to give

du gibst/er gibt Wann gibst du ihm das Buch? es gibt = there is/there are

gehen

to go

helfen

to help

hören

to hear, listen

kaufen

to buy

Wir gehen ins Kino. du hilfst/er hilft Helfen Sie mir! (dative verb) Hörst du die Musik? Ich kaufe die Postkarte.

Also see: Present Tense Quiz 1 A self-scoring quiz on the German regular verbs. kommen

to come

Wann kommt er nach Hause?

kosten

to cost

Was kostet das Buch?

lesen

to read

du/er liest Ich lese die Zeitung.

lieben

to love

Ich liebe dich.

machen

to make, do

Was macht er?

nehmen

to take

du nimmst/er nimmt Nehmt ihr das Geld?

öffnen

to open

Sie öffnet die Tür.

MORE > Verb-Lexikon - 500+ German verbs probieren

to try (out)

regnen

to rain

reisen

to travel

sagen

to say, tell

schlafen

to sleep

schmecken

to taste, be tasty

schreiben

to write

Probieren geht über Studieren. (saying)The proof's in the pudding. Es regnet heute. Er reist nach Teneriffa. Er sagt nein. du schläfst/er schläft Wir schlafen gut. Das schmeckt! That tastes good! Er schreibt eine Mail.

schwimmen

to swim

Er schwimmt gern. He likes to swim.

sehen

to see

du siehst/er sieht Ich sehe ihn nicht.

senden

to send, transmit

setzen

to put, set

singen

to sing

Sie singt sehr schön.

spielen

to play, act

Hans spielt Fußball.

sprechen

to speak

suchen

to seek, search look for

trinken

to drink

Ich trinke lieber Kaffee. I'd rather drink coffee.

vergessen

to forget

du vergisst/er vergisst Ich vergesse den Namen.

verstehen

to understand

warten

to wait

wohnen

to reside, live (in)

Mein Vater wohnt in Hamburg.

zeigen

to show, indicate

Ich zeige Ihnen, wo das ist.

Er sendet eine E-Mail. Er setzt sich. He sits down.

du sprichst/er spricht Ich spreche Deutsch. Was suchst du? What are you looking for?

Er versteht Deutsch. Sie wartet auf den Bus. She's waiting for the bus.

The Top 20 Most-Used German Verbs

Ranked by Frequency of Use Infinitiv

Common Forms

Examples

ich bin I am du bist you are er war he was er ist gewesen he was/has been es wäre it would be

COMMANDS Sei still! Be quiet! Seien Sie bitte so freundlich! Would you be so kind! OTHER Ich bin's. It's me. Wie wär's mit einem Bier? How about a beer?

ich habe I have du hast you have er hat he has Sie haben gehabt You had/have had wir hätten we would have

COMMANDS Hab dich nicht so! Don't make such a fuss! OTHER Er hat keine Zeit. He has no time. Wenn ich nur das Geld hätte. If I only had the money.

ich werde I become du wirst you become er ist geworden he became es wurde it became es würde.. it would...

COMMANDS werde! become! werden Sie! become! OTHER Es wird dunkel. It's getting dark. Sie wird uns schreiben. She will write us. (future) Der Brief wurde geschrieben. The letter was written. (passive)

4 können to be able, can

ich kann I can du kannst you can er konnte he could Sie können you can

COMMANDS No imperative OTHER Er kann Deutsch. He knows German. Ich habe es nicht sagen können. I couldn't say it.

5 müssen to have to, must

ich muss I must/have to du musst you must er muss he must sie musste she had to wir müssen we have to

COMMANDS No imperative OTHER Ich muss nicht. I don't have to. Er muss nach Berlin. He has to go to

1 sein to be

2 haben to have

3 werden to become Also used to form the future tense and the passive voice.

Berlin.

6 wollen to want (to)

ich will I want (to) du willst you want (to) er will he wants (to) er wollte he wanted to sie hat gewollt she wanted to

COMMANDS Imperative rare OTHER Er will nichts trinken. He doesn't want to drink anything. Das habe ich nicht gewollt. I didn't mean to (do that). Wir wollen morgen abfahren. We want to leave tomorrow.

7 mögen to like (to)

ich mag I like ich möchte I would like du magst you like er mochte he liked Sie mögen you like

COMMANDS No imperative OTHER Er mag die Suppe. He likes the soup. Was möchten Sie? What would you like?

ich weiß I know du weißt you know wir wissen we know er wusste he knew ich habe gewusst I knew, have known

COMMANDS wisse! know! wisset! know! OTHER Er weiß es nicht. He doesn't know. Sie wusste weder ein noch aus. She didn't know which way was up. Wissen Sie, wann sie ankommen? Do you know when they arrive?

9 machen to make, do

ich mache I do, make du machst you make er macht he does wir machten we did, made er hat gemacht he did, has done ich werde machen I will do, make

COMMANDS Machen Sie sich keine Gedanken! Don't worry about it! OTHER Das macht nichts. It doesn't matter. Was macht das? What does it come to? (How much?) Was machen wir jetzt? Now what do we do?

10 sollen should, ought to,

ich soll I should du sollst you should er soll he should sie sollte she was supposed to

COMMANDS No imperative OTHER Ich sollte dort bleiben. I ought to stay there.

8 wissen to know

supposed to

Infinitiv

wir sollen we ought to

Common Forms

Es soll schön sein. It's said to be/supposed to be nice. Was soll das? What's that supposed to mean?

Examples COMMANDS N/A OTHER Wie heißen Sie? What's your name? (last name) Ich heiße Jones. My name is Jones. Er heißt Braun. His name is Braun. Wie heißt du? What's your name? (child) Ich heiße Karl. My name is Karl. (child) Was soll das heißen? What's that supposed to mean?/What do you mean by that?

11 Tie heißen to be called, named (my/his) name is

ich heiße my name is sie heißt her name is du heißt your name is er hieß his name was er hat geheißen he was named wir heißen our name is Heißen Sie…? Is your name…?

11 Tie sagen to say, tell

COMMANDS Sag das nicht! Don't say it! ich sage I say Sagen Sie mir! Tell me! du sagst you say OTHER er sagte he said Er sagt, was er denkt. He says what he er hat gesagt he said/has said means/thinks. wir sagen we say Das sagt mir nichts. That doesn't mean sagen Sie? do you say?/are you saying? anything to me. Du hast nichts zu sagen. You have no say (in the matter).

12 gehen to go

ich gehe I go, am going du gehst you go er geht he goes sie ist gegangen she went/has gone er ging he went

COMMANDS gehe! go! geht! go! gehen Sie! go! OTHER Das geht nicht. That won't do/work. Wie geht es Ihnen? How are you? Meine Uhr geht nach. My watch is slow. Sie geht zu Fuß She goes on foot./She walks.

13 sehen to see

14 geben to give

15 kommen to come

16 lassen to let, allow, leave

ich sehe I see du siehst you see er sieht he sees er hat gesehen he saw/has seen sie sah she saw wir sahen we saw

COMMANDS sehe! see! sehen Sie! see! OTHER Sie sieht nicht gut. She doesn't see well. Wo hast du ihn gesehen? Where did you see him?

ich gebe I give du gibst you give er gab he gave Sie geben you give es gibt there is/are

COMMANDS gebt! give! gib! give! geben Sie! give! OTHER Geben Sie mir den Bleistift! Give me the pencil. Es gibt kein Geld. There is no money. Ich gab ihr das Buch. I gave her the book. Er hat mir das Geld gegeben. He gave me the money.

ich komme I come, am coming du kommst you come er kam he came sie ist gekommen she came

COMMANDS komm! come! kommt! come! kommen Sie! come! OTHER Ich komme nicht nach Hause. I'm not coming home. Er ist nach Berlin gekommen. He came to Berlin.Woher kommt sie? Where does she come from?Es kam ganz anders, als erwartet. It turned out very differently than we expected.

ich lasse I let du lässt you let er lässt he lets Sie haben gelassen You have let er ließ he let

COMMANDS Lassen Sie das! Stop that! Leave that alone! OTHER Er ließ sich keine Zeit. He didn't allow himself any time. Das lasse ich mir nicht gefallen. I won't put up with that. Er lässt sich die Haare schneiden. He's

getting a haircut. COMMANDS finde! find! findet! find! finden Sie! find! OTHER Er fand die Suppe gut. He liked the soup. Wir finden keinen Platz. We can't find a seat.

17 finden to find

ich finde I find ich fand I found du findest you find er fand he found Sie haben gefunden you found/have found

18 bleiben to stay, remain

COMMANDS bleib! stay! bleibt! stay! ich bleibe I stay Bitte, bleiben Sie sitzen! Please remain du bleibst you stay seated! wir bleiben we stay OTHER er blieb he stayed Er bleibt in Köln. He's staying in ich bin geblieben I stayed, have stayed Cologne. Alles blieb beim Alten. Everything stayed the same./Nothing changed. Es bleibt dabei. Agreed. It's a deal.

19 nehmen to take

20 bringen to bring

ich nehme I take du nimmst you take er nimmt he takes wir nehmen we take er hat genommen he took, has taken ich werde nehmen I will take

COMMANDS nimm! take! nehmt! take! nehmen Sie! take! Nehmen Sie Platz! Have a seat! OTHER Er nahm das Geld. He took the money. Sie nahm es auf sich, das zu machen. She took it upon herself to do that. Wir haben den Tag freigenommen. We took the day off.

ich bringe I bring du bringst you bring er brachte he brought sie hat gebracht she brought, has brought

COMMANDS bring! bring bringt! bring bringen Sie! bring OTHER Ich bringe Sie dorthin. I'll take you there. Er hat es weit gebracht. He has been very successful./He has come far. Was bringt das? What will that accomplish?

Das hat mich zum Lachen gebracht. That made me laugh.

Adjective Endings German adjectives, like English ones, usually go in front of the noun they modify: "der gute Mann" (the good man), "das große Haus" (the big house/building), "die schöne Dame" (the pretty lady). Unlike English adjectives, a German adjective in front of a noun has to have an ending (-e in the examples above). Just what that ending will be depends on several factors, including gender (der, die, das) and case (nominative, accusative, dative). But most of the time the ending is an -e or an -en (in the plural). With ein-words, the ending varies according to the modified noun's gender (see below). Look at the following table for the adjective endings in the nominative (subject) case: With definite article (der, die, das) - Nominative case AUDIO

Click on a phrase to hear it spoken.

Masculine der

Feminine die

Neuter das

Plural die

der neue Wagen

die schöne Stadt

das alte Auto

die neuen Bücher

the new car

the beautiful city

the old car

the new books

AUDIO: HEAR ALL FOUR PHRASES (MP3) Hear all four phrases (MP3)

With indefinite article (eine, kein, mein) - Nom. case AUDIO

Click on a phrase to hear it spoken.

Masculine ein

Feminine eine

Neuter ein

Plural keine

ein neuer Wagen

eine schöne Stadt

ein altes Auto

keine neuen Bücher

a new car

a beautiful city

an old car

no new books

AUDIO: HEAR ALL FOUR PHRASES (MP3) Hear all four phrases (MP3)

Note that with ein-words, since the article may not tell us the gender of the following noun, the adjective ending often does this instead (-es = das, -er = der; see above). As in English, a German adjective can also come after the verb (predicate adjective): "Das Haus ist groß." (The house is large.) In such cases the adjective will have NO ending.

German Verb Prefixes Separable and Inseparable Verb Prefixes Part 1: Inseparable Prefixes Verb Prefixes There are three kinds of verb prefixes in German: (1) separable (trennbar), (2) inseparable (untrennbar), and (3) dual prefixes (usually a preposition) that can be both. Separable prefixes are stressed (betont) in their pronunciation; inseparable prefixes are unstressed (unbetont). In this verb prefix chart, we have divided the prefixes into their three categories. By adding various prefixes to a base verb, German can produce new meanings: kommen > abkommen (digress), ankommen (arrive), bekommen (get), entkommen (escape). (English does the same thing, using Greek and Latin prefixes: form > deform, inform, perform, etc.) Knowing the basic meaning of a verb prefix can be helpful in learning German vocabulary, but not all prefixes have a specific meaning, nor does each prefix always have the same meaning. For instance, knowing the meaning of the prefix ver- may or may not help you understand the meaning of verbs like verschlafen (to oversleep) or versprechen (to promise). The prefix meanings can be interesting and helpful, but they are no substitute for learning vocabulary. If you are not already familiar with how separable and inseparable verbs are used in a sentence, see Lesson 19 and our Sample Sentences page for examples. Also see additional comments at the end of each section of the prefix chart.

Inseparable Prefixes Untrennbare Präfixe Prefix

Meaning like English be-

be-

emp-

makes verb take a direct object (acc.)

sense, receive

away from entEnglish de-/dis-

Examples s. befinden (be located) befolgen (follow) befreunden (befriend) begegnen (meet) bekommen (get) bemerken (notice, remark) empfangen (receive) empfehlen (recommend) empfinden (feel) entarten (degenerate) entbehren (miss, do without) entdecken (discover) entfallen (elude, slip) entfernen (remove, take out) entkalken (decalcify)

entkleiden (disrobe, undress) entkommen (escape, get away) entlassen (discharge, release) entstehen (originate, be formed/created) entwerten (devalue, cancel) fatal, dead

erhängen (hang, execute) erschiessen (shoot dead) ertrinken (drown)

like English re-

s. erinnern (remember) erkennen (recognize) erholen (recover, relax)

--

gebrauchen (use, make use of) gedenken (commemorate, intend) gefallen (like) gehören (belong to) gelangen (arrive at) geloben (vow) genesen (recover, recuperate) gestalten (shape, form) gestehen (confess) gewähren (grant, give, offer)

English mis-

missachten (disregard, disdain) missbrauchen (abuse, misuse) misstrauen (mistrust) missverstehen (misunderstand)

bad, awry English mis-

verachten (despise) verbilden (miseducate) verderben (go bad, spoil) s. verfahren (go astray, get lost) verkommen (go to ruin, become run down) verschlafen (oversleep)

lose, away/out

verdrängen (drive out) verduften (lose its aroma) verlassen (leave, abandon) verlieren (lose)

English for-

verbieten (forbid) vergeben (forgive) vergessen (forget)

???

verbinden (bandage, link, tie) vergrößern (enlarge) verhaften (arrest) versprechen (promise)

full, complete

vollenden (complete, finish) vollführen (execute, perform) vollstrecken (enforce, execute)

er-

ge-

miss-

ver-

voll-*

Separable Prefixes 1 Trennbare Präfixe 1 *NOTE: Some verbal expressions with voll treat voll as an adverb rather than a prefix, and are spelled with the adverb voll separated from the verb, even in the infinitive form. Examples include: voll dröhnen (dope/tank up), voll essen (gorge oneself), voll machen (fill [up]). zer-

collapse, shatter, shred

zerbrechen (shatter) zerreissen (rip up, shred) zerstören (destroy)

NOTE: Inseparable-prefix verbs do not add the normal past participle prefix ge- in the perfect tenses. See the examples below. Comments: Inseparable Prefix Verbs There are verbs in English that are constructed and used much like German inseparableprefix verbs: contend, extend, pretend, and intend are all based on the verb "tend." A similar example in German is the verb finden (find). By adding various inseparable prefixes, German alters the meaning of finden to create new meanings: sich befinden (be located), empfinden (feel), or erfinden (invent). As you can see, many common German verbs are inseparable-prefix verbs. German verbs with inseparable prefixes do not add the normal past participle prefix ge- in the perfect tenses. Examples: bekommen (to get) hat/hatte bekommen; erwarten (to expect, await) hat/hatte erwartet; verstehen (to understand) hat/hatte verstanden. For more about German verb tenses, see our German Verbs section.

Part 2: Separable Verb Prefixes Verbalpräfixe - Vorsilben bei Zeitwörtern This verb prefix guide, with a prefix chart, is part of Lesson 19 of our of free German for Beginners course. To learn more about German verbs, also see our German Verbs section and the Verb-Lexikon. Also see: Verb Prefixes and Rechtschreibreform

Separable Prefixes 1 Below we have listed the most common separable prefixes in German. For more of the separable prefixes, including less common ones (fehl-, statt-, etc.), see Separable Prefixes 2.

Verb Prefixes: Inseparable > Separable 1 > Separable 2 > Dual > Rechtschreibreform > Sample Sentences with verb prefixes

Prefix

ab-

an-

auf-

aus-

Meaning

Examples

from

abblenden (screen, fade out, dim [lights]) abdanken (abdicate, resign) abkommem (get away) abnehmen (pick up; decrease, reduce) abschaffen (abolish, do away with) abziehen (deduct, withdraw, print [photos])

at, to

anbauen (cultivate, grow, plant) anbringen (fasten, install, display) anfangen (begin, start) anhängen (attach) ankommen (arrive) anschauen (look at, examine)

on, out, up, un-

aufbauen (build up, put up, add on) aufdrehen (turn on, unscrew, wind up) auffallen (stand out, be noticeable) aufgeben (give up; check [luggage]) aufkommen (arise, spring up; bear [costs]) aufschließen (unlock; develop [land])

out, from

ausbilden (educate, train) ausbreiten (extend, spread out) ausfallen (fail, fall out, be canceled) ausgehen (go out) ausmachen (10 meanings!) aussehen (appear, look [like]) auswechseln (exchange, replace [parts])

See The 10 Meanings of the German Verb 'ausmachen'.

bei-

durch-*

along, with

beibringen (teach; inflict) beikommen (get hold of, deal with) beischlafen (have sexual relations with) beisetzen (bury, inter) beitragen (contribute [to]) beitreten (join)

through

durchhalten (withstand, endure; hold out) durchfahren (drive through)

*The prefix durch- is usually separable, but it can also be inseparable. See Dual Prefixes.

ein-

fort-

mit-

nach-

vor-

weg-

in, into, inward, down

einatmen (inhale) einberufen (conscript, draft; convene, summon) einbrechen (break in; break down/through, cave in) eindringen (force entry into, penetrate, besiege) einfallen (collapse; occur to, remind) eingehen (enter, sink in, be received)

away, forth, onward

fortbilden (continue education) fortbringen (take away [for repair], post) fortpflanzen (propagate, reproduce; be transmitted) fortsetzen (continue) forttreiben (drive away)

along, with, co-

mitarbeiten (cooperate, collaborate) mitbestimmen (co-determine, have a say in) mitbringen (bring along) mitfahren (go/travel with, get a lift) mitmachen (join in, go along with) mitteilen (inform, communicate)

after, copy, re-

nachahmen (imitate, emulate, copy) nachbessern (retouch) nachdrucken (reprint) nachfüllen (refill, top up/off) nachgehen (follow, go after; run slow [clock]) nachlassen (slacken, loosen)

before, forward, pre-, pro-

vorbereiten (prepare) vorbeugen (prevent; bend forward) vorbringen (propose, bring up; bring forward, produce) vorführen (present, perform) vorgehen (proceed, go on, go first) vorlegen (present, submit)

away, off

wegbleiben (stay away) wegfahren (leave, drive off, sail away) wegfallen (be discontinued, cease to apply, be omitted) weghaben (have got done, have got done) wegnehmen (take away) wegtauchen (disappear)

zu-

zurück-

shut/closed, to, towards, upon

zubringen (bring/take to) zudecken (cover up, tuck in) zuerkennen (bestow, confer [on]) zufahren (drive/ride towards) zufassen (make a grab for) zulassen (authorize, license) zunehmen (increase, gain, add weight)

back, re-

zurückblenden (flash back [to]) zurückgehen (go back, return) zurückschlagen (hit/strike back) zurückschrecken (shrink back/from, recoil, shy away) zurücksetzen (reverse, mark down, put back) zurückweisen (refuse, repulse, turn back/away)

zusammen- together

zusammenbauen (assemble) zusammenfassen (summarize) zusammenklappen (fold up, shut) zusammenkommen (meet, come together) zusammensetzen (seat/put together) zusammenstoßen (collide, clash)

NOTE: All of the separable verbs form their past participle with ge-, as in zurückgegangen (zurückgehen).

Comments: Separable Prefix Verbs German separable prefix verbs can be compared to English verbs like "call up," "clear out" or "fill in." While in English you can say either "Clear out your drawers" or "Clear your drawers out," in German the separable prefix is almost always at the end, as in the second English example. A German example with anrufen: Heute ruft er seine Freundin an. = Today he's calling his girlfriend (up). This applies to most "normal" German sentences, but in some cases (infinitive forms or in dependent clauses) the "separable" prefix does not separate. See Lesson 19 and the Sample Sentences page for more about this. In spoken German, separable verb prefixes are stressed. All of the separable-prefix verbs form their past participle with ge-. Examples: Sie hat gestern angerufen, She called/telephoned yesterday. Er war schon zurückgegangen, He had already gone back. - For more about German verb tenses, see our German Verbs section. Separable Prefixes 2 In Part 1 we listed the most common separable prefixes in German. For many other, less frequently used separable prefixes, see the chart below. While some of the separable prefixes below, such as fehl- or statt-, are used in only two or three German verbs, they often turn out to be important, useful verbs that one should know. Verb Prefixes > Inseparable | Separable 1 | Separable 2 | Dual > Sample Sentences with verb prefixes

Separable Prefixes 2 Trennbare Präfixe 2

Prefix

Meaning

Examples

da-

there

dableiben (stay behind) dalassen (leave there)

dabei-

there

dabeibleiben (stay/stick with it) dabeisitzen (sit in on)

daran-

on/to it

darangeben (sacrifice) daranmachen (set about it, get down to it)

empor-

up, upward, over

emporarbeiten (work one's way up) emporblicken (raise one's eyes up, look up) emporragen (tower, rise above/over)

entgegen-

against, towards

entgegenarbeiten (oppose, work against) entgegenkommen (approach, come towards)

along

entlanggehen (go/walk along) entlangschrammen (scrape by)

awry, wrong

fehlgehen (go astray, err) fehlschlagen (go wrong, come to nothing)

firm, fixed

festlaufen (run aground) festlegen (establish, fix) festsitzen (be stuck, cling)

across from, opposite, con-

gegenüberliegen (face, be opposite) gegenüberstellen (confront, compare)

equal

gleichkommen (equal, match) gleichsetzen (equate, treat as equivalent)

from, here

herfahren (come/get here) herstellen (manufacture, produce; establish)

entlang-

fehl-

fest-

gegenüber-

gleich-

her-

herauf-

up from, out of

heraufarbeiten (work one's way up) heraufbeschwören (evoke, give rise to)

heraus-

from, out of

herauskriegen (get out of, find out) herausfordern (challenge, provoke)

to, towards, there

hinarbeiten (work towards) hinfahren (go/drive there)

hinweg-

away, over

hinweggehen (disregard, pass over) hinwegkommen (dismiss, get over)

hinzu-

in addition

hinbekommen (get in addition) hinzufügen (add, enclose)

los-

away, start

losbellen (start barking) losfahren (set/drive off)

--

stattfinden (take place, be held [event]) stattgeben (grant)

together, to pieces

zusammenarbeiten (co-operate, collaborate) zusammengeben (mix [ingredients]) zusammenhauen (smash to pieces) zusammenheften (staple together) zusammenkrachen (crash [down]) zusammenreißen (pull oneself together)

between

zwischenblenden (blend in; insert [film, music]) zwischenlanden (stop over [flying])

hin-

statt-

zusammen-

zwischen-

NOTE: All of the separable verbs form their past participle with ge-, as in zurückgegangen (zurückgehen).

Part 3: Dual Prefixes Verbalpräfixe - Vorsilben bei Zeitwörtern This verb prefix guide, with a prefix chart, is part of Lesson 19 of our of free German for Beginners course. To learn more about German verbs, also see our German Verbs section .

Verb Prefixes > Inseparable | Separable | Dual > Rechtschreibreform > Sample Sentences with verb prefixes Dual or Variable Prefixes Separable/Inseparable Prefixes (Can be either one or the other) Prefix

Meaning

Examples

durch-

through

durchdringen (sep., penetrate) durchfahren (sep., drive through) durchfressen (insep., eat through [acid, rust, etc.])

hinter-

behind

hinterlassen (insep., leave; bequeath) hinterlassen (sep., allow s.o. to go behind)

over, across

überfahren (insep., run over) überfahren (sep., ferry across, cross over) überfallen (insep., attack, hold up [a bank]) übersetzen (insep., translate) übersetzen (sep., ferry across) überwinden (insep., overcome)

around

umarmen (insep., embrace, hug) umbauen (sep., renovate, convert) umbauen (insep., enclose, surround) umbinden (sep., tie on) umkehren (sep., turn back, turn inside out) umschreiben (sep., rewrite, transcribe) umschreiben (insep., paraphrase, outline; skate around [fig.]) umziehen (sep., move [to new residence], change [clothes])

down

unterbrechen (insep., interrupt, disconnect) unterbringen (sep., accomodate) unterdrücken (insep., oppress, repress, suppress) untergehen (sep., sink, perish)

über-

um-

unter-

unternehmen (insep., do, undertake) unterwerfen (insep., conquer, subjugate) unterzeichnen (insep., sign [a document])

wider-

against, re-

wieder- again

widerklingen (sep., resound) widerlegen (insep., refute, disprove) widerraten (insep., advise/counsel against) widersprechen (insep., contradict) widertönen (sep., echo) wiedergeben (insep., restore, give back; recite, perform; represent, reproduce, convey) wiederkehren (sep., return, repeat, recur) wiedersehen (sep., see/meet again)

Note: All of the dual verb prefixes are stressed when separable, unstressed when inseparable: übersetzen (ferry across) vs. übersetzen (translate).

Comments: Dual-Prefix (Variable-Prefix) Verbs In most cases, dual prefixes tend to be either mostly separable or inseparable. For example, the prefix durch- is usually separable. Its use as an inseparable prefix is limited to only a few instances, such as the verbs durchfressen, to eat through (chemically) or durchblitzen, to flash through (one's mind). On the other hand, the prefix über- is usually inseparable, as in übersetzen, to translate. Others, such as hinter-, are used in very few verbs at all. So it is best to concentrate on learning the few exceptions for the dual prefixes. Simply learn those exceptional dual-prefix verbs as vocabulary. Another helpful guideline concerns the meaning of verbs with dual prefixes. If the verb is used in its literal sense (übersetzen, carry across, transfer), the prefix is separable. If the prefix is used in a figurative sense (übersetzen, to translate), the prefix is inseparable. The same verb spelling can have different meanings. For instance, when separable, umbauen means "to renovate." When inseparable, umbauen means "to enclose, surround" (to build around). In spoken German, separable verb prefixes are stressed, while the inseparable prefixes are unstressed. This also applies to the dual prefixes, depending on whether they are separable or inseparable. The form of the past participle for dual-prefix verbs also depends on whether the prefix is separable or inseparable, as outlined on the previous pages. For more about German verb tenses, also see our German Verbs section.

Colors - Farben

The German words for colors usually function as adjectives and take the normal adjective endings (but see exceptions below). In certain situations, colors can also be nouns and are thus capitalized: "eine Bluse in Blau" (a blouse in blue); "das Blaue vom Himmel versprechen" (to promise heaven and earth, lit., "the blue of the heavens"). The chart below shows some of the more common colors with sample phrases. For many more colors, see our German Colors page (with audio). And for more about colors and color idioms in German, see Farbenfroh: Colorful Expressions. You'll learn that the colors in "feeling blue" or "seeing red" may not mean the same thing in German. A black eye in German is "blau" (blue).

Colors - Farben Click on Audio to hear a color and its sample phrases. Farbe

Color

"Colorful" Phrases (color adjectives)

rot

red

der rote Wagen (the red car), der Wagen ist rot > Audio

rosa

pink

die rosa Rose (the pink rose)* > Audio

blau

blue

ein blaues Auge (a black* eye), er ist blau (he's drunk) *In German, a black eye is blue. > Audio

hellblau

light blue

die hellblaue Bluse (the light blue blouse)** > Audio

dunkelblau

dark blue

die dunkelblaue Bluse (the dark blue blouse) > Audio

grün

green

der grüne Hut (the green hat) > Audio

gelb

yellow

ein gelbes Licht (a yellow light) > Audio

orange

orange

das orange Buch (the orange book) > Audio

braun

brown

die braunen Schuhe (the brown shoes) > Audio

beige

beige

der beige Kasten (the beige box) > Audio

violett

violet

der violette Hut (the violet hat) > Audio

lila

lilac/mauve der lila Hut (the lilac hat)* > Audio

weiß

white

das weiße Papier (the white paper) > Audio

schwarz

black

der schwarze Koffer (the black suitcase) > Audio

grau

gray

der graue Pulli (the gray sweater) > Audio

türkis

turquoise

silber

silver

eine silberne Münze (a silver coin) > Audio

gold

gold

eine goldene Münze (a gold coin), eine Goldmünze > Audio

eine türkise Karte (a turquoise card) > Audio

* Colors ending in -a (lila, rosa) or -e (beige, orange) do not take the normal adjective endings. ** Light or dark colors are preceded by hell- (light) or dunkel- (dark), as in hellgrün (light green) or dunkelgrün (dark green). Also see > Farbenfroh: Colorful Expressions in German

Farbenfroh: Colorful Expressions Color Meanings in German German Color Symbolism and Expressions

Every language has its own colorful expressions and symbolism, including German. But here we're talking about colorful (bunt, farbenfroh) in a literal sense: expressions that contain grün, rot, blau, schwarz, braun, and other colors. In English we can "feel blue," "be yellow," or "see red." In German these colors may or may not have the same meaning. In an earlier feature, Idioms: Talk like a German, I mentioned several blau idioms, because "blau" can have numerous meanings in German, including "drunk" or "black" (as in "black eye"). You may also want to look at our German Colors (Farben) page and its complete color chart. In Germany and Austria political parties are often identified by or associated with a specific color. Both the Austrian and German conservative parties are black (schwarz), while the

socialists are red (rot). Various other political parties in German-speaking Europe are identified by other colors, and one political coalition is even called a "traffic-light" coalition (Ampelkoalition, i.e., red, yellow, green - SPD, FDP, Grüne). Below, we expand on the color(ful) vocabulary theme to include a mix of several colors. This is a representative collection and is not meant to be exhaustive. It also leaves out expressions that are similar or the same in English, i.e., "rot sehen" (to see red), "die Welt durch eine rosa Brille sehen" (to see the world through rose colored glasses), etc. But it includes words that contain a color (eine Farbe), especially when the meaning varies from the English. Also see German Idioms for color expressions. Colorful Expressions Deutsch

English

BLAU

BLUE

blau anlaufen lassen

to temper (metal)

das Blaue vom Himmel versprechen

to promise the moon

blauer Montag

a Monday off (usually for personal reasons); "St. Monday"

das Blaulicht

(flashing) blue light (police)

BRAUN

BROWN

braun werden

to tan, get brown

der Braunkohl

(curly) kale

die Braunkohle

brown (bituminous) coal

GELB

YELLOW

die gelbe Partei

the "yellow party" (Free Democrats, FDP - Ger. political party)

die gelbe Post WEB > Deutsche Post AG

the "yellow post" (office); mail service, as opposed to banking, telephone, and telegraph; yellow is the color of German mail boxes and postal vehicles

die Gelben Seiten

the Yellow Pages

Yellow (gelb) has no association with cowardice in German, as it does in English. GRAU

GRAY/GREY

alles grau in grau malen

to paint everything black, be pessimistic

es graut; beim Grauen des Tages*

dawn is breaking; at day-break

in grauer Ferne

in the distant (indefinite) future

* "grauen" - as in "es graut mir" (it horrifies me) - is a different verb. GRÜN

GREEN

grüne Welle

green wave (synchronized traffic lights)

die Grünen

The Greens (Ger. political party)

im Grünen; bei Mutter Grün

outdoors, in the open air

ROT

RED

etwas rot anstreichen

to mark something in red (as a special day, a "red letter day," etc.)

die Roten (pl)

the Reds (socialists, SPD - Ger. political party)

roter Faden

leitmotiv, theme (novel, opera, play, etc.)

rote Welle

red wave (unsynchronized traffic lights - ironic humor)

SCHWARZ

BLACK

schwarz

Catholic, conservative (political); orthodox; illegal(ly)

schwarz

CDU/CSU (Ger. political party)

schwarzarbeiten

to work illegally (w/o paying taxes, etc.)

schwärzen; Schwärzer

to smuggle; smuggler

schwarzfahren

to ride without a ticket; stow away

ins Schwarze treffen

to hit the bull's eye; hit the nail on the head

WEISS

WHITE

weißbluten

to bleed (someone) dry (money)

weiße Woche

white sale (white week)

die Weißwurstgrenze (Mainlinie)**

Germany's "Mason-Dixon Line" (north-south border)

** "Weißwurstgrenze" refers to a type of Bavarian "white" sausage (Weißwurst)

Land und Leute kennenlernen Part 2: More countries and people Nations of the World: Index Staaten der Welt ENGLISH

DEUTSCH

Sprache/Language

Afghanistan

Afghanistan

Afghanisch/Afghan

Albania

Albanien

Albanisch/Albanian

Algeria

Algerien

Arabisch/Arabic Französisch/French

Argentina

Argentinien

Spanisch/Spanish

Armenia

Armenien

Armenisch/Armenian

Australia

Australien

Englisch/English

Austria

Österreich

Deutsch/German

Azerbaijan

Aserbaidschan

Aseri/Azeri

Bahamas Bahama Islands

Bahamas pl. Bahamainseln pl.

Englisch/English

Bahrain

Bahrein

Arabisch/Arabic

Bangladesh

Bangladesh Bangladesch

Bangla/Bangla

Belarus (White Russia)

Belarus Weißrussland

Russisch/Russian Weißrussisch/Belarusian

Belgium

Belgien

Flämisch/Flemish Französisch/French

Bolivia

Bolivien

Spanisch/Spanish

Brazil

Brasilien

Portugiesisch/Portuguese

Bulgaria

Bulgarien

Bulgarisch/Bulgarian

Canada

Kanada

Englisch/English Französisch/French

Chile

Chile

Spanisch/Spanish

China

China

Chinesisch/Chinese

Côte d'Ivoire Ivory Coast

Elfenbeinküste f.

Französisch/French

Cuba

Kuba

Spanisch/Spanish

Croatia

Kroatien

Kroatisch/Croatian

Czech Republic

Tschechien

Tschechisch/Czech

Denmark

Dänemark

Dänisch/Danish

Dominican Republic

Dominikanische Republik f.

Spanisch/Spanish

Egypt

Ägypten

Ägyptisch/Egyptian

England

England

Englisch/English

Estonia

Estland

Estisch/Estonian

Finland

Finnland

Finnisch/Finnish

France

Frankreich

Französisch/French

Germany

Deutschland

Deutsch/German

Ghana

Ghana

Englisch/English

Great Britain

Großbritannien

Englisch/English

Greece

Griechenland

Griechisch/Greek

Haiti

Haiti

Französisch/French

Holland

Holland See Netherlands

Holländisch/Dutch

Hungary

Ungarn

Ungarisch/Hungarian

Iceland

Island

Islandisch/Icelandic

India

Indien

Englisch/English

Indonesia

Indonesien

Malaiisch/Malay

Iran

Iran m.

Iranisch/Iranian

Iraq

Irak m.

Irakisch/Iraqi

Ireland

Irland

Englisch/English

Israel

Israel

Hebräisch/Hebrew

Italy

Italien

Italienisch/Italian

Mountains > World Mountains in English and German Rivers > World Rivers in English and German MORE > English-German Almanach - Facts in German

Ivory Coast Côte d'Ivoire

Elfenbeinküste f.

Französisch/French

Jamaica

Jamaika

Englisch/English

Japan

Japan

Japanisch/Japanese

Jordan

Jordan m.

Arabisch/Arabic

Kenya

Kenia

Swahili/Swahili Englisch/English

Korea

Korea See North, South K.

Koreanisch/Korean

Lebanon

Libanon m.

Arabisch/Arabic Französisch/French

Liberia

Liberien

Englisch/English

Libya

Libyen

Arabisch/Arabic

Liechtenstein

Liechtenstein

Deutsch/German

Lithuania

Litauen

Litauisch/Lithuanian

Luxembourg

Luxemburg

Französisch/French

Madagascar

Madagaskar

Madagassisch/Malagasy Französisch/French

Malta

Malta

Maltesisch/Maltese Englisch/English

Mexico

Mexiko

Spanisch/Spanish

Monaco

Monaco

Französisch/French

Morocco

Marokko

Arabisch/Arabic Französisch/French

Mozambique

Mosambik

Portugiesisch/Portuguese

Namibia

Namibia

Afrikaans/Afrikaans Deutsch/German Englisch/English

Netherlands

Niederlande pl.

Niederländisch/Dutch

New Zealand

Neuseeland

Englisch/English

North Korea

Nordkorea Also see South K.

Koreanisch/Korean

Norway

Norwegen

Norwegisch/Norwegian

Philippines

Philippinen pl.

Philippinisch/Pilipino

Poland

Polen

Polnisch/Polish

Portugal

Portugal

Portugiesisch/Portuguese

Romania

Rumänien

Rumänisch/Romanian

Russia

Russland

Russisch/Russian

Saudi Arabia

Saudi-Arabien

Arabisch/Arabic

Scotland

Schottland

Schottisch/Scottish

Slovakia

Slowakien

Slowakisch/Slovak

Slovenia

Slowenien

Slowenisch/Slovenian

Somalia

Somalia

Somalisch/Somali Arabisch/Arabic

South Africa

Südafrika

Afrikaans/Afrikaans Englisch/English

South Korea

Süddkorea Also see North K.

Koreanisch/Korean

Spain

Spanien

Spanisch/Spanish

Sudan

Sudan m.

Arabisch/Arabic

Sweden

Schweden

Schwedisch/Swedish

Switzerland

Schweiz f.

Deutsch/German Französisch/French

Syrian

Syrien

Arabisch/Arabic

Tunesia

Tunesien

Arabisch/Arabic

Turkey

Türkei f.

Türkisch/Turkish

Ukraine

Ukraine f. (ooh-KRA-eenuh)

Ukrainisch/Ukrainian

United Arab Emirates

Vereinigte Arabische Emirate pl.

Arabisch/Arabic

United Kingdom

Vereinigtes Königreich

Englisch/English

United States

Vereinigte Staaten pl.

Amerikanisch/American English

Vatican City

Vatikanstadt

Italienisch/Italian

Venezuela

Venezuela

Spanisch/Spanish

White Russia (Belarus)

Weißrussland Belarus

Russisch/Russian Weißrussisch/Belarusian

Yemen

Jemen m.

Arabisch/Arabic

Zambia

Sambia

Englisch/English Bantu/Bantu

Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe (tsim-BAHB-vay)

Englisch/English

Meine Familie und ich Talking about family and relations Familienmitglieder - Family Members Notice in the phrases below that when you talk about a feminine (die) person (or thing), the possessive pronoun mein ends in e. When talking about a masculine (der) person (or thing), mein has no ending in the nominative (subject) case. Other possessive forms (sein, his; dein, your, etc.) work the same way. The final e in German is always pronounced: (meine = MINE-ah)! Deutsch

Englisch

die Mutter - meine Mutter

mother - my mother

der Vater - mein Vater

father - my father

die Eltern - meine Eltern (pl.)

parents - my parents

der Sohn - sein Sohn

son - his son

die Tochter - seine Tochter

daughter - his daughter

der Bruder - ihr Bruder

brother - her brother

die Schwester - seine Schwester

sister - his sister

AUDIO (mp3 or wav) for these words

die Geschwister - meine Geschwister (pl.)

siblings / brothers & sisters - my brothers and sisters

die Großmutter - meine Großmutter

grandmother - my grandmother

die Oma - meine Oma

grandma/granny - my grandma

der Großvater - dein Großvater

grandfather - your grandfather

der Opa - sein Opa

grandpa/gramps - his grandpa

der Enkelsohn - mein Enkelsohn

grandson - my grandson

die Enkelin - seine Enkelin

granddaughter - his granddaughter

Die Familie - The Family Talking about family and relations The Family - die Familie

An annotated English-German glossary Englisch

Deutsch

A ancestor - ancestors

der Vorfahre/die Vorfahrin - die Vorfahren

aunt - aunts

die Tante - die Tanten

B baby - babies

das Baby - die Babys

blended family (-ies)

die Fortsetzungsfamilie (-n)

Blended family: i.e., a continuing family, serial family, a family with children from a previous marriage. boy - boys

der Junge - die Jungen

brother - brothers

der Bruder - die Brüder

brother-in-law - brothers-in-law

der Schwager - die Schwäger

C child - children

das Kind - die Kinder

"We have no children." = "Wir haben keine Kinder." "We have three children." = "Wir haben drei Kinder."

cousin (f.) - cousins

die Kusine - die Kusinen die Base (old-fashioned term)

cousin (m.) - cousins

der Cousin - die Cousins der Vetter - die Vettern

D dad - dads

der Vati - die Vatis

daughter - daughters

die Tochter - die Töchter

daughter-in-law - daughters-in-law

die Schwiegertochter - die Schwiegertöchter

F family - families

die Familie - die Familien

family tree - family trees

der Stammbaum - die Stammbäume die Stammtafel - die Stammtafeln die Ahnentafel - die Ahnentafeln

father - fathers

der Vater - die Väter

forefather - forefathers

der Vorfahre/die Vorfahrin - die Vorfahren

G

genealogy

die Genealogie die Ahnenforschung

Also see our Genealogy Glossary. This glossary is related to Lesson 9 of our free online course: German for Beginners girl - girls

das Mädchen - die Mädchen

Mädchen, like all German nouns ending in -chen or -lein, is neuter even though it means "girl." A similar example would das Fräulein, miss, unmarried woman. For more on noun gender, see German Gender Hints. grandchild - grandchildren

das Enkelkind - die Enkelkinder

granddaughter - granddaughters

die Enkelin - die Enkelinnen die Enkeltochter - die Enkeltöchter

grandfather - grandfathers

der Großvater - die Großväter

grandmother - grandmothers

die Großmutter - die Großmütter

grandma/granny - grandmas

die Oma - die Omas

grandpa/gramps - grandpas

der Opa - die Opas

grandparents

die Großeltern (Pl.)

grandson - grandsons

der Enkel - die Enkel der Enkelsohn - die Enkelsöhne

greatgrandfather(s)

der Urgroßvater (-väter)

great- (prefix)

Ur- (as in Urgroßmutter)

H half brother - half brothers

der Halbbruder - die Halbbrüder

half sister - half sisters

die Halbschwester - die Halbschwestern

husband

der Mann, Ehemann die (Ehe)Männer (Pl.) The Family - die Familie M-Z

An annotated English-German glossary Englisch

Deutsch

M Marital Status - der Familienstand bachelor

der Junggeselle

divorced (adj.)

geschieden

divorcee

der/die Geschiedene

married (adj.)

verheiratet

single, unmarried (adj.)

ledig, unverheiratet

widowed (adj.)

verwitwet

widow

die Witwe

widower

der Witwer

mom - moms

die Mutti - die Muttis

mother - mothers

die Mutter - die Mütter

N nephew - nephews

der Neffe - die Neffen

niece - nieces

die Nichte - die Nichten

P parents

die Eltern (Pl.)

partner (m.) - partners

der Partner - die Partner

partner (f.) - partners

die Partnerin - die Partnerinnen

R related

verwandt

to be related to someone

mit jemandem verwandt sein

the relations, relatives

die Verwandtschaft

relative - relatives

der/die Verwandte - die Verwandten

EXPRESSIONS: the relatives, the relations all my/our/the relatives

die ganze Verwandtschaft

to be one of the family

zur Verwandtschaft gehören

We're not related.

Wir sind nicht verwandt.

S siblings / brothers & sisters

die Geschwister (Pl.)

"Do you have any brothers or sisters? = "Haben Sie Geschwister?" significant other, life partner

der Lebensgefährte / die Lebensgefährtin

In addition to Lebensgefährte, another word for "significant other" or "life partner" is Partner (above). sister - sisters

die Schwester - die Schwestern

sister-in-law - sisters-in-law

die Schwägerin - die Schwägerinnen

son - sons

der Sohn - die Söhne

son-in-law - sons-in-law

der Schwiegersohn - die Schwiegersöhne

stepfather - stepfathers

der Stiefvater - die Stiefväter

stepdaughter - stepdaughters

die Stieftochter - die Stieftöchter

stepmother - stepmothers

die Stiefmutter - die Stiefmütter

stepson - stepsons

der Stiefsohn - die Stiefsöhne

step- (prefix)

Stief- (as in Stiefbruder, etc.)

U uncle - uncles

der Onkel - die Onkel

W wife - wives

die Frau, Ehefrau - die (Ehe)Frauen

Directions: How do I get there? Wie komme ich dorthin? Wann? • Adverbs of Time

In this lesson you'll learn vocabulary and grammar related to going places, asking for simple directions and receiving directions. You'll learn words and phrases that will let you talk about going places, as well as understand what someone else says when giving simple directions. How do I get there? Wie komme ich dorthin? What directions is this cluster of signs in Berlin giving us? Foto: © Hyde Flippo

One word of caution before we begin. Asking for directions is easy. Understanding the torrent of German you may get back is another story! Most German textbooks/courses teach you how to ask the questions, but fail to deal adequately with the understanding aspect. That's why we will also teach you some coping skills in this lesson to help in such situations. One example is to ask your question in such a way that it will elicit a simple ja or nein, or a simple "left," "straight ahead" or "right" answer. And don't forget those ever reliable hand signals that work in any language!

WO vs. WOHIN German has two question words for asking "where." One (wo?) is for asking the location of someone or something. The other (wohin?) is for asking about motion or direction ("where to").

For instance, in English you would use "where" to ask both "Where are the keys?" (location) and "Where are you going?" (motion/direction). In German these two questions require two different forms of "where": Wo sind die Schlüssel? ("Where are the keys?")

Wohin gehen Sie? ("Where are you going?") In English this can be compared to the difference between the location question "where's it at?" (poor English, but it gets the idea across) and the direction question "where to?" But in German you can only use wo? for "where's it at?" (location) and wohin? for "where to?" (direction). Sometimes wohin gets split in two, as in: "Wo gehen Sie hin?" But you can't use wo without hin to ask about motion or direction in German. - You must always use the correct form of "where" for location (wo?) or motion/direction (wohin?).

We'll cover this in more detail in Part 3, and test your understanding of this grammatical concept later in the exercises for this lesson. Now let's look at some common words and expressions related to directions and places we might go to. You need to memorize this vocabulary. DIRECTIONS - RICHTUNGEN Notice that in some of the phrases below, the gender (der/die/das) may affect the article, as in "in die Kirche" or "an den See". Notice that der sometimes changes to den, and so on. You'll learn more about the grammar for this in a future lesson. For now, just notice what's going on related to gender! Englisch

Deutsch

along/down Go along/down this street.

entlang Gehen Sie diese Straße entlang!

back Go back.

zurück Gehen Sie zurück!

in the direction of/towards... the train station the church the hotel

in Richtung auf... den Bahnhof die Kirche das Hotel

left - to the left

links - nach links

right - to the right

rechts - nach rechts

straight ahead Keep going straight ahead.

geradeaus (guh-RAH-duh-ouse) Gehen Sie immer geradeaus!

up to, until

bis zum (masc./neut.) bis zur (fem.) bis zur Ampel bis zum Kino

up to the traffic light up to the cinema

COMPASS DIRECTIONS HIMMELSRICHTUNGEN north - to the north north of (Leipzig)

der Nord(en) - nach Norden nördlich von (Leipzig)

south - to the south south of (Munich)

der Süd(en) - nach Süden südlich von (München)

east - to the east east of (Frankfurt)

der Ost(en) - nach Osten östlich von (Frankfurt)

west - to the west west of (Cologne)

der West(en) - nach Westen westlich von (Köln)

Note: More compass directions can be formed in German just as in English by combining more than one element. Northwest - Nordwesten, Northeast - Nordosten, Southwest Südwesten, etc. EIN STADTPLAN (City Map)

Wie komme ich zum Bahnhof? Graphic: © Hyde Flippo

In English we can say we're going to the bank, to Boston, or to Switzerland, but in German there is more than one way to say "to"—and each one of these "to" phrases would use a different German preposition! However, there are some rules and guidelines you can learn for these situations. Most geographic place names (countries, states, cities, etc.) use nach for "to." Only a few countries that are feminine, masculine or plural (rather than the normal neuter das) use in for "to." Notice the exceptions listed below. For more about countries, see the special Glossary of Nations and Lektion 6. When going to a location in town, such as to the bakery or a restaurant, the most common prepositions for "to" are in and zu (usually in a compound such as zum or zur). If you'd like more information about nach vs zu, see How to Say "to" in German. For now, observe the examples in the chart below. PLACES TO GO - 1 Town & Country Englisch

Deutsch IN DER STADT - IN TOWN

to the bakery

zur Bäckerei

to the restaurant

ins Restaurant

to the supermarket

zum Supermarkt

from (the bank) to (the hotel) from (the hotel) to (the bank)

von (der Bank) bis (zum Hotel) von (dem Hotel) bis (zur Bank) More places to go in the city in Part 3. LÄNDER/STÄDTE - COUNTRIES/CITIES

from (Frankfurt) to (Berlin)

von (Frankfurt) nach (Berlin)

to... (countries/cities) Germany France Australia Munich

nach... (Nationen/Städte) Deutschland Frankreich Australien München

Berlin

Berlin

to Switzerland

in die Schweiz

to the US

in die USA

to Iran (Iran and Irak can be der or das)

in den Iran (der) / nach Iran (das)

More countries and cities in Country Glossary.

Now here are some adverbs that tell us when we're going someplace—along with sample sentences. WANN? - WHEN? GRAMMATIK: Notice that in German, TIME comes before PLACE! In English, it's the other way around. See the sample sentences below. Englisch

Deutsch

yesterday - today - tomorrow We're going to the cinema tomorrow.

gestern - heute - morgen Wir gehen morgen ins Kino.

(the) day before yesterday (the) day after tomorrow We're driving to Vienna (the) day after tomorrow.

vorgestern übermorgen Wir fahren übermorgen nach Wien.

this morning/afternoon He's traveling to Hamburg this morning.

heute Morgen/Nachmittag Er fährt heute Morgen nach Hamburg.

now - later I'm going to work later.

jetzt - später Ich gehe später zur Arbeit.

at eight o'clock I'm going to the station at eight.

um acht Uhr Ich gehe um acht zum Bahnhof.

Also see Day by Day: Day Expressions in German.

PLACES TO GO - 2 In der Stadt / In Town

This section is vocabulary for places in town. Both the basic word and the "to" phrase are given for each item. For example, die Bäckerei is the bakery, but if we want to say "to the bakery," it's zur Bäckerei (the short form of zu der Bäckerei). Some of the phrases below may have more than one way to say "to." We have listed the most common way. Note the following contractions: ins = in das, zum = zu dem, zur = zu der Englisch

Deutsch

bakery - to the bakery

die Bäckerei - zur Bäckerei

bank - to the bank

die Bank - zur Bank

bar/pub - to the bar/pub

die Kneipe - in die Kneipe

butcher to the butcher

der Fleischer/der Metzger zum Fleischer/zum Metzger

hotel - to the hotel

das Hotel - zum Hotel

market/fleamarket to the market

der Markt/der Flohmarkt zum Markt/zum Flohmarkt

cinema - to the movies/cinema

das Kino - ins/zum Kino

the post office - to the post office

die Post - zur Post

restaurant - to the restaurant

das Restaurant - ins/zum Restaurant

to a/the Chinese restaurant

zum Chinesen

to an/the Italian restaurant

zum Italiener

to a/the Greek restaurant

zum Griechen

school - to school

die Schule - zur Schule

the shopping center to the shopping center

das Einkaufszentrum zum Einkaufszentrum

the traffic light/signal (up) to the signal

die Ampel bis zur Ampel

the train station - to the station

der Bahnhof - zum Bahnhof

work - to work

die Arbeit - zur Arbeit

the youth hostel to the youth hostel

die Jugendherberge in die Jugendherberge ANDERSWO - ELSEWHERE

the lake - to the lake

der See - an den See

the sea - to the sea

die See/das Meer - ans Meer

the toilet/restroom to the toilet/restroom

die Toilette/das Klo/das WC zur Toilette/zum Klo/zum WC

Here are some sample questions and answers related to asking and giving directions. FRAGEN und ANTWORTEN Questions and Answers in German and English

In the sentences below, the TO-phrases are in bold type – both in German and English. There is some grammar here that we will ignore until a later lesson. For now, learn the patterns for the various articles (der/die/das) for each gender (masc./fem./neuter). NOTE: The sentences below are answers to the question in red (rot). Wohin fahren Sie? / Wohin fährst du? Where are you going? (driving/traveling) Ich fahre morgen an den See. I'm going to the lake tomorrow. Ich fahre morgen nach Dresden. I'm going to Dresden tomorrow. Wie komme ich... How do I get... ...zur Bank? - Gehen Sie zwei Straßen und dann rechts. ...to the bank? - Go two blocks (streets) and then right. ...zum Hotel? - Fahren Sie diese Straße entlang. ...to the hotel? - Drive down/along this street. ...zur Post? - Gehen Sie bis zur Ampel und dann links. ...to the post office? - Go up to the traffic light and then left. NOTE: For the items above, if you are walking, you use gehen; if you are driving, you use fahren. Extra-Ausdrücke Extra Expressions an der Kirche vorbei past the church am Kino vorbei past the cinema rechts/links an der Ampel right/left at the traffic light am Marktplatz at the market square an der Ecke at the corner die nächste Straße the next street über die Straße across/over the street über den Marktplatz across the market square vor dem Bahnhof in front of the train station vor der Kirche in front of the church

Give and Take - The Accusative Case Command Forms geben - nehmen

geben (give)/es gibt (there is/are) nehmen (take)/er nimmt (he takes) In this lesson you'll learn how to express in German the concepts of giving (geben) and taking (nehmen). This involves the grammatical elements known as the accusative case (the direct object case in German), irregular stem-changing verbs and the command forms (imperative). If that sort of grammar terminology scares you, don't worry. We'll introduce it all in such a way that you'll hardly feel a thing. The important thing is that after studying this lesson, you'll be able to express the important and useful concepts of giving and taking.

geben (give) - nehmen (take)

These two German verbs have something in common. See if you can find what it is by observing the following: geben ich gebe (I give), du gibst (you give) er gibt (he gives), sie gibt (she gives) wir geben (we give), sie geben (they give)

nehmen ich nehme (I take), du nimmst (you take) er nimmt (he takes), sie nimmt (she takes) wir nehmen (we take), sie nehmen (they take) Now can you tell what essential change these two verbs have in common? If you said that they both change from e to i in the same situations, then you're right! (The verb nehmen also changes its spelling slightly, but the e-to-i change is what these two verbs have in common.) Both of these verbs belong to a class of German verbs known as "stemchanging" verbs. In the infinitive form (ending in -en) they have an e in their stem, or base form. But when they are conjugated (used with a pronoun or noun in a sentence), the stem vowel changes under certain conditions from e to i: nehmen (infinitive) --> er nimmt (conjugated, 3rd person sing.); geben (infinitive) --> er gibt (conjugated, 3rd person sing.) All stem-changing verbs only change their stem vowel in the singular. Most only change when used with er, sie, es (3rd person) and du (2nd person, familiar). Other e-to-i stemchanging verbs include: helfen/hilft (help), treffen/trifft (meet) and sprechen/spricht

(speak). (For a detailed look at all the German irregular verbs, including geben and nehmen, see our Strong Verbs chart.) Now study the chart below. It shows all the forms of the two verbs in the present tense—in English and German. In the example sentences, observe also how direct objects (the things you give or take) that are masculine (der) change to den or einen when they function as direct objects (rather than the subject). In the accusative (direct object) case, der is the only gender that has this change. Neuter (das), feminine (die) and plural nouns are unaffected. The STEM-CHANGING Verbs geben - nehmen The words me, us, them (mir, uns, ihnen) and so on in the sentences with geben are indirect objects in the dative case. You will learn more about the dative in a future lesson. For now, just learn these words as vocabulary. Englisch

Deutsch geben

there is/there are Today there are no apples.

es gibt Heute gibt es keine Äpfel.

The expression es gibt (there is/are) always takes the accusative case: "Heute gibt es keinen Wind." = "There is no wind today." I give I give her the new ball.

ich gebe Ich gebe ihr den neuen Ball.

you (fam.) give Are you giving him the money?

du gibst Gibst du ihm das Geld?

he gives He gives me the green book.

er gibt Er gibt mir das grüne Buch.

she gives She gives us a book.

sie gibt Sie gibt uns ein Buch.

we give We aren't giving them any money.

wir geben Wir geben ihnen kein Geld.

you (pl.) give You (guys) give me a key.

ihr gebt Ihr gebt mir einen Schlüssel.

they give

sie geben

They give him no opportunity.

Sie geben ihm keine Gelegenheit.

you (formal) give Are you giving me the pencil?

Sie geben Geben Sie mir den Bleistift? nehmen

I take I take the ball.

ich nehme Ich nehme den Ball.

you (fam.) take Are you taking the money?

du nimmst Nimmst du das Geld?

he takes He's taking the green book.

er nimmt Er nimmt das grüne Buch.

she takes She takes a book.

sie nimmt Sie nimmt ein Buch.

we take We aren't taking any money.

wir nehmen Wir nehmen kein Geld.

you (pl.) take You (guys) take a key.

ihr nehmt Ihr nehmt einen Schlüssel.

they take They take everything.

sie nehmen Sie nehmen alles.

you (formal) take Are you taking the pencil?

Sie nehmen Nehmen Sie den Bleistift?

By their nature, these two verbs are often used in the imperative (command) form. Below you'll find how to say things like "Give me the pen!" or "Take the money!" If you are talking to one person, the command will be different than if you are addressing two or more people. Note that, as usual, German makes a distinction between a formal Sie (sing. & pl.) command and a familiar du (sing.) or ihr (pl.) command. If you tell a child to give you something, the command will not be the same as when you are addressing an adult formally (Sie). If you are telling more than one child (ihr) to do something, that will also be a different command than if you are only addressing one child (du). The du command form of most verbs is almost always the normal du form of the verb minus the -st ending. (Du nimmst das Buch. - Nimm das Buch!) Study the chart below. IMPERATIVE Command Forms for

geben - nehmen The German imperative verb forms vary according to whom you are commanding or telling to do something. Each form of YOU in German (du, ihr, Sie) has its own command form. Note that only the Sie command includes the pronoun in the command! The du and ihr commands do not usually include du or ihr. Englisch

Deutsch geben

Give me the (ballpoint) pen! (Sie)

Geben Sie mir den Kuli!

Give me the (ballpoint) pen! (du)

Gib mir den Kuli!

Give me the (ballpoint) pen! (ihr)

Gebt mir den Kuli! nehmen

Take the (ballpoint) pen! (Sie)

Nehmen Sie den Kuli!

Take the (ballpoint) pen! (du)

Nimm den Kuli!

Take the (ballpoint) pen! (ihr)

Nehmt den Kuli!

The Calendar and Appointments Days of the Week, Months, Dative Phrases

After studying this lesson, you'll be able to: (1) say the days and months in German, (2) express calendar dates, (3) talk about the seasons and (4) talk about dates and deadlines (Termine) in German. We'll also review some of the vocabulary for time and telling time that you learned in earlier lessons. Luckily, because they are based on Latin, the English and German words for the months are almost identical. The days in many cases are also similar because of a common Germanic heritage. Most of the days bear the names of Teutonic gods in both languages. For example, the Germanic god of war and thunder, Thor, lends his name to both English Thursday and German Donnerstag (thunder = Donner). Let's start with the days of the week (Tage der Woche). Most of the days in German end in the word (der) Tag, just as the English days end in "day." The German week (and calendar) starts with Monday (Montag) rather than Sunday. Each day is shown with its common twoletter abbreviation.

Druckversion - Printer version

Tage der Woche Days of the Week DEUTSCH

ENGLISCH

Montag (Mo) (Mond-Tag)

Monday "moon day"

Dienstag (Di) (Zies-Tag)

Tuesday

Mittwoch (Mi) (mid-week)

Wednesday (Wodan's day)

Donnerstag (Do) "thunder-day"

Thursday (Thor's day)

Freitag (Fr) (Freya-Tag)

Friday (Freya's day)

Samstag (Sa) Sonnabend (Sa) (used in No. Germany)

Saturday (Saturn's day)

Sonntag (So) (Sonne-Tag)

Sunday "sun day"

The seven days of the week are masculine gender (der) since they usually end in -tag (der Tag). The two exceptions, Mittwoch and Sonnabend, are also masculine. Note that there are two words for Saturday. Samstag is used in most of Germany, in Austria and in German Switzerland. Sonnabend ("Sunday eve") is used in eastern Germany and roughly north of the city of Münster in northern Germany. So, in Hamburg, Rostock, Leipzig or Berlin, it's Sonnabend; in Cologne, Frankfurt, Munich or Vienna "Saturday" is Samstag. Both words for "Saturday" are understood all over the German-speaking world, but you should try to use the one most common in the region you're in. Note the two-letter abbreviation for each of the days (Mo, Di, Mi, etc.). These are used on calendars, schedules and German/Swiss watches that indicate the day and date.

When you're ready, don't forget to try the Exercises for This Page

To say "on Monday" or "on Friday" you use the prepositional phrase am Montag or am Freitag. (The word am is actually a contraction of an and dem, the dative form of der. We'll explain more about that below.) Here are some commonly used phrases for the days of the week: Day Phrases Englisch

Deutsch

on Monday (on Tuesday, Wednesday, etc.)

am Montag (am Dienstag, Mittwoch, usw.)

(on) Mondays (on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, etc.)

montags (dienstags, mittwochs, usw.)

every Monday, Mondays (every Tuesday, Wednesday, etc.)

jeden Montag (jeden Dienstag, Mittwoch, usw.)

this Tuesday

(am) kommenden Dienstag

last Wednesday

letzten Mittwoch

the Thursday after next

übernächsten Donnerstag

every other Friday

jeden zweiten Freitag

Today is Tuesday.

Heute ist Dienstag.

Tomorrow is Wednesday.

Morgen ist Mittwoch.

Yesterday was Monday.

Gestern war Montag.

Also see > Day by Day: Day Expressions in German

A few words about the DATIVE case. In Lesson 11 we looked at the accusative (direct object) case. Below is a chart of what happens to the articles (der, die, das) in the three main cases (only the genitive is yet to come). The dative case is used as the object of certain prepositions (as with dates) and as the indirect object of a verb. Here we are concentrating on

the use of the accusative and dative in expressing dates. Here is a chart of those changes. (Items in the darker boxes do not change.) NOMINATIV-AKKUSATIV-DATIV GENDER

Nominativ

Akkusativ

Dativ

MASC.

der/jeder

den/jeden

dem

NEUT.

das

das

dem

FEM.

die

die

der

EXAMPLES: am Dienstag (on Tuesday, dative), jeden Tag (every day, accusative) NOTE: The masculine (der) and neuter (das) make the same changes (look the same) in the DATIV case. Adjectives or numbers used in the dative will have an -en ending: am sechsten April.

Now we want to apply the information in the chart above. When we use the prepositions an (on) and in (in) with days, months or dates, they take the dative case. Days and months are masculine, so we end up with a combination of an or in plus dem, which equals am or im. Additionally, some date expressions that do not use prepositions (jeden Dienstag, letzten Mittwoch) are in the accusative case. Don't worry if you haven't completely grasped the accusative/dative business. We'll go into more detail in later lessons. But for now, be sure to learn the basic phrases for days, dates and months. See Part Two of this lesson for the months, dates and the four seasons.

The Calendar and Appointments The Months, Dates and Seasons

In this section of Lesson 12 we look at the months, the seasons, and how to say a calendar date in German. In the list of months below, you can see that the English and German are either close or identical, but note the pronunication shown for some of the months. Die Monate - The Months DEUTSCH

ENGLISCH

Januar YAHN-oo-ahr

January

Februar

February

März MEHRZ

March

April

April

Mai MYE

May

Juni YOO-nee

June

Juli YOO-lee

July

August ow-GOOST

August

September

September

Oktober

October

November

November

Dezember

December

Months: Latin-Deutsch-English Time and Calendar Glossary English-German Glossaries

The months are all masculine gender (der). There are two words used for July. Juli (YOOLEE) is the standard form, but German-speakers often say Julei (YOO-LYE) to avoid confusion with Juni - in much the same way that zwo is used for zwei. Before we talk more about the months, let's also look at the four seasons, die vier Jahreszeiten. Die Jahreszeiten - The Seasons Jahreszeit

Monate

der Frühling das Frühjahr (Adj.) frühlingshaft

März, April, Mai im Frühling - in the spring

der Sommer (Adj.) sommerlich

Juni, Juli, August im Sommer - in the summer

der Herbst (Adj.) herbstlich

Sept., Okt., Nov. im Herbst - in the fall/autumn

der Winter (Adj.) winterlich

Dez., Jan., Feb. im Winter - in the winter

The seasons are all masculine gender (except for das Frühjahr, another word for spring). The months for each season above are, of course, for the northern hemisphere where Germany and the other German-speaking countries lie. When speaking of a season in general ("Autumn is my favorite season."), in German you almost always use the article: "Der Herbst ist meine Lieblingsjahreszeit." The adjectival forms shown above translate as "springlike, springy," "summerlike" or "autumnal, falllike" (sommerliche Temperaturen = "summerlike/summery temperatures"). In some cases, the noun form is used as a prefix, as in die Winterkleidung = "winter clothing" or die Sommermonate = "the summer months." The prepositional phrase im (in dem) is used for all the seasons when you want to say, for instance, "in (the) spring" (im Frühling). This is the same as for the months.

When you're ready, don't forget to try the Exercises for This Page

More on the Months To say "in May" or "in November" you use the prepositional phrase im Mai or im November. (The word im is a contraction of in and dem, the dative form of der.) To give a date, such as "on July 4th," you use am (as with the days) and the ordinal number (4th, 5th): am vierten Juli, usually written am 4. Juli. The period after the number represents the -ten ending on the number and is the same as the -th, -rd, or -nd ending used for English ordinal numbers. Note that numbered dates in German (and in all of the European languages) are always written in the order of day, month, year - rather than month, day, year. For example, in German the date 1/6/01 would be written 6.1.01 (which is Epiphany or Three Kings, the 6th of January 2001). This is the logical order, moving from the smallest unit (the day) to the largest (the year). To review the ordinal numbers, see our German Numbers page. Here are some commonly used phrases for the months and calendar dates: Calendar Date Phrases

Englisch

Deutsch

in August (in June, October, etc.)

im August (im Juni, Oktober, usw.)

on June 14th (spoken) on June 14, 2001 (written)

am vierzehnten Juni am 14. Juni 2001 - 14.7.01

on the first of May (spoken) on May 1, 2001 (written)

am ersten Mai am 1. Mai 2001 - 1.5.01

To review the cardinal numbers, see Lektion 7 and Lektion 8. For the ordinal numbers, see below and our German Numbers page.

The ordinal numbers are so-called because they express the order in a series, in this case for dates. But the same principle applies to the "first door" (die erste Tür) or the "fifth element" (das fünfte Element). In most cases, the ordinal number is the cardinal number with a -te or -ten ending. Just as in English, some German numbers have irregular ordinals: one/first (eins/erste) or three/third (drei/dritte). Below is a sample chart with ordinal numbers that would be required for dates. For all of the ordinal numbers in German, see our German Numbers page. (Audio for German Numbers) Sample Ordinal Numbers (Dates) Englisch

Deutsch

1 the first - on the first/1st

der erste - am ersten/1.

2 the second - on the second/2nd

der zweite - am zweiten/2.

3 the third - on the third/3rd

der dritte - am dritten/3.

4 the fourth - on the fourth/4th

der vierte - am vierten/4.

5 the fifth - on the fifth/5th

der fünfte - am fünften/5.

6 the sixth - on the sixth/6th

der sechste - am sechsten/6.

11 the eleventh on the eleventh/11th

der elfte - am elften/11.

21 the twenty-first

der einundzwanzigste

on the twenty-first/21st

am einundzwanzigsten/21.

31 the thirty-first on the thirty-first/31st

der einunddreißigste am einunddreißigsten/31.

Essen und Trinken - Eating and Drinking Lebensmittel - Groceries This lesson introduces: (1) food words and vocabulary for eating, drinking and grocery shopping, (2) expressions related to those topics and (3) related German grammar. A very important supplement to this lesson is our German-English Menu and Dining Guide. Read and study the following dialog. If you need help with the vocabulary or grammar, see the German-English version and the short glossary below. LERNTIPP: You will comprehend and learn this dialog better if you use this German-only version as much as possible, only turning to the dual-language version when you need to. You can easily switch between the two. Also see the glossary at the bottom of the dialog. Your goal is to get to the point where you can read this German dialog with full comprehension (no dictionary/help needed). Wo kaufe ich das? Useful words and expressions in English and German Lebensmittel - Groceries WO (where)

WAS (what)

der Supermarkt the supermarket im Supermarkt at the supermarket

fast alles almost everything die Lebensmittel groceries das Gemüse vegetables das Obst fruit die Milch milk der Käse cheese

der Bäcker the baker beim Bäcker at the baker's die Bäckerei bakery

das Brot bread das Brötchen roll die Semmeln rolls (So. Germany, Austria) die Torte cake der Kuchen cake

der Fleischer the butcher* die Fleischerei butcher shop beim Fleischer at the butcher's der Metzger the butcher die Metzgerei the butcher shop

der Fisch fish das Fleisch meat das Rindfleisch beef das Geflügel fowl das Kalbfleisch veal

beim Metzger at the butcher's

der Schinken ham das Schweinefleisch pork die Wurst sausage

*The German terms for "butcher" and "butcher shop" are regional. Metzger tends to be used more in southern Germany, while Fleischer is more common in the north. The official term for the trade is Fleischer. Older, rarely used terms are Fleischhacker, Fleischhauer and Schlachter. der Getränkemarkt beverage shop Here you buy beverages (beer, cola, mineral water, etc.) by the case. Supermarkets now usually have a similar department.

Getränke beverages das Getränk beverage, drink das Bier beer der Wein wine die Limonade soda, soft drink die Cola cola drink das Mineralwasser mineral water

der Markt the market der Tante-Emma-Laden corner market die Tankstelle gas station (market)

A growing trend in Germany is the gas station mini-mart, selling everything from groceries to videos and CDs. It offers shoppers an alternative to regular stores that by law are closed on Sundays and after 8pm, if not earlier.

Der gedeckte Tisch Useful words and expressions in English and German ENGLISH

DEUTSCH

CUTLERY, TABLEWARE

DAS BESTECK

fork

die Gabel

knife

das Messer

spoon

der Löffel

teaspoon

der Teelöffel

tablespoon

der Esslöffel

knife

das Messer

cake knife, slicer

der Tortenheber When you're ready,

don't forget to try the Photo Exercise for This Page DINNERWARE, CHINA, DISHES

DAS GESCHIRR

bowl

die Schale, die Schüssel

cup/mug

die Tasse/der Becher

saucer

die Untertasse

plate, salad plate

der Teller, der Salatteller CONTAINERS

BEHÄLTER

can - beer can, cola can

die Dose - Bierdose, Coladose

a can of beer/cola

eine Dose Bier/Cola

glass - beer glass, wine glass

das Glas - Bierglas, Weinglas

a glass of beer/wine/milk

ein Glas Bier/Wein/Milch

bottle - beer bottle, wine bottle

die Flasche - Bierflasche, Weinflasche

a bottle of beer/wine/milk

eine Flasche Bier/Wein/Milch

a cup of coffee/tea

eine Tasse Kaffee/Tee

a cup/dish of ice cream

ein(en) Becher Eis

dish, (serving) bowl

die Schale, die Schüssel

pitcher, jug

der Krug

tea pot (small) tea pot (large) coffee pot (small) coffee pot (large)

das Teekännchen die Teekanne das Kaffeekännchen die Kaffeekanne

(cooking) pot

der Topf OTHER THINGS

ANDERE SACHEN

coaster, beer coaster/mat

der Untersetzer, der Bierdeckel

napkin, serviette

die Serviette

place setting

das Gedeck

place mat

das Set

salt/pepper shaker

der Salzstreuer/Pfefferstreuer

Was sind Sie von Beruf? What’s your occupation? This lesson introduces: (1) vocabulary related to occupations and trades, (2) expressions related to that vocabulary and (3) the grammar of accusative prepositions. A recommended review for this lesson is Part 2 of Lesson 11 (accusative case). Print this page (without ads) CULTURAL NOTE: Although it is quite common for English-speakers to ask new acquaintances what their profession is, Germans are less likely to do so. Some Germans wouldn't mind, but others may consider it an invasion of their personal sphere. This is something you'll just have to play by ear. Below you'll find a list of common occupations and professions. Note that all professions in German have both a feminine and a masculine form. We have listed the feminine form only in cases where it is not just the standard -in ending (as in der Arzt/die Ärztin), when there is also a difference in English (waiter/waitress), or when a job is more likely to be feminine (nurse, secretary) or the German feminine form is very common (student). GRAMMAR NOTE: When you say "I'm a student." or "He's an architect." in German, you normally leave out the "a" or "an": Ich bin Student(in). - Er ist Architekt. (no "ein" or "eine"). Only if an adjective is added, do you use "ein/eine" — as in: Er ist ein guter Student. - Sie ist eine neue Architektin. See the examples in the chart below. Berufe - Professions Englisch

Deutsch

architect

der Architekt

auto mechanic

der Automechaniker

baker

der Bäcker

bank teller

der Bankangestellte, die Bankangestellte

bricklayer, stone mason

der Maurer

broker stock broker real estate agent/broker

der Makler der Börsenmakler der Immobilienmakler

bus driver

der Busfahrer

computer programer

der Programmierer, die Programmiererin

cook, chef

der Koch, der Chefkoch die Köchin, die Chefköchin

doctor, physician

der Arzt, die Ärztin

employee, white-collar worker

der Angestellte, die Angestellte

employee, blue-collar worker

der Arbeiter, die Arbeiterin

IT worker

Angestellte/Angestellter in der Informatik

joiner, cabinetmaker

der Tischler

journalist

der Journalist

musician

der Musiker

nurse

der Krankenpfleger, die Krankenschwester

photographer

der Fotograf, die Fotografin

secretary

der Sekretär, die Sekretärin

student, pupil (K-12)

der Schüler, die Schülerin

student (college, univ.)

der Student, die Studentin

Student: Note that German makes a distinction between a school student/pupil and a college-level student.

taxi driver

der Taxifahrer

teacher

der Lehrer, die Lehrerin

truck/lorry driver

der Lkw-Fahrer der Fernfahrer/Brummifahrer

waiter - waitress

der Kellner - die Kellnerin

worker, laborer

der Arbeiter Q & A - Fragen und Antworten Questions and Answers

Q: What's your occupation? Q: What do you do for a living? A: I'm a...

F: Was sind Sie von Beruf? F: Was machen Sie beruflich? A: Ich bin...

Q: What's your occupation? A: I'm in insurance. A: I work at a bank. A: I work at a bookstore.

F: Was machen Sie beruflich? A: Ich bin in der Versicherungbranche. A: Ich arbeite bei einer Bank. A: Ich arbeite bei einer Buchhandlung.

Q: What does he/she do for a living? A: He/She runs a small business.

F: Was macht er/sie beruflich? A: Er/Sie führt einen kleinen Betrieb.

Q: What does an auto mechanic do? A: He repairs cars.

F: Was macht ein Automechaniker? A: Er repariert Autos.

Q: Where do you work? A: At McDonald's.

F: Wo arbeiten Sie? A: Bei McDonald's.

Q: Where does a nurse work? A: In a hospital.

F: Wo arbeitet eine Krankenschwester? A: Im Krankenhaus/im Spital.

Q: At which company does he work? A: He's with DaimlerChrysler.

F: Bei welcher Firma arbeitet er? A: Er ist bei DaimlerChrysler. Wo arbeiten Sie? Where do you work?

at Deutsche Bank

bei der Deutschen Bank

at home

zu Hause

at McDonald's

bei McDonald's

at the office

im Büro

in a garage, auto repair shop

in einer/in der Autowerkstatt

in a hospital

in einem/im Krankenhaus/Spital

with a big/small company

bei einem großen/kleinen Unternehmen

Also see: German Stores and Businesses - English-German glossary sich um eine Stelle bewerben Applying for a Position company, firm

die Firma

employer

der Arbeitgeber

employment office

das Arbeitsamt (Web link)

interview

das Interview

job application

die Bewerbung

I'm applying for a job.

Ich bewerbe mich um eine Stelle/einen Job.

resume, CV

der Lebenslauf

Accusative Case in German Accusative Prepositions Pronouns in the Accusative

Lesson 14: Part 1 > Part 2 > Exercises 1 > Exercises 2 Druckversion - Printer version

Below is an overview of the German accusative prepositions. When studying the prepositions, it is wise to remember that they don't always translate the same way in English and German. For example (zum Beispiel), English "for" can be expressed in German by the dative case or all of these prepositions: auf, für, nach, um, and zu. Of these, only für and um are accusative prepositions. Prepositions can be a dangerous minefield, so study them well, and carefully observe how they are used. Notice also that some of the prepositions below (durch, um) can mean more than one thing in English. (See our feature entitled Prepositional Pitfalls for more about this.) By "accusative prepositions" we mean those that always "govern" or "take" the accusative case. An accusative preposition will always be followed by an object (a noun or pronoun) in the accusative case. We will cover the dative and genitive prepositions in later lessons. Luckily, there are only five accusative prepositions you need to learn and memorize. In the chart below, we have listed each preposition in German and English (left column) with example prepositional phrases (right column). Another thing that makes this group of prepositions easier is the fact that only the masculine gender (der) changes in the accusative case. As we already pointed out in Lektion 11, neither the plural nor the feminine (die) and neuter (das) genders change in the accusative. GRAMMAR NOTE: The pronoun er (he) follows the same pattern as the definite article der (with which it rhymes!). Just as der changes to den, er changes to ihn (also with an "n" at the end). Also keep in mind that the pronoun er can mean "it" when it refers to a masculine nonpersonal noun: der Wagen (the car) = er (it). Like er, all of the German personal pronouns have an accusative form that is different from the nominative (subject) form — except for Sie/sie and es. This is similar to the case changes in English (he/him, I/me, she/her). Accusative Prepositions Präpositionen

durch through, by

Beispiele - Examples durch die Stadt through the city durch den Wald through the forest durch den Wind (caused) by the wind

entlang along, down

die Straße entlang down the street den Fluss entlang along the river Gehen Sie diesen Weg entlang. Go down this path.

NOTE: The accusative preposition entlang, unlike the others, usually goes after its object, as shown above.

für for

für das Buch for the book für ihn for him für mich for me

gegen against, for

gegen alle Erwartungen against all expectations gegen die Mauer against the wall gegen Kopfschmerzen (medicine) for a headache gegen mich against me

ohne without

ohne den Wagen without the car ohne ihn without him ohne mich without me (count me out)

um around, for, at

um den See around the lake um eine Stelle (apply) for a job Er bewirbt sich um eine Stelle. He's applying for a position. um zehn Uhr at ten o'clock

NOTE: The German preposition bis (until, to, by) is technically an accusative preposition, but since it's almost always used with a second preposition (bis zu, bis auf, etc.) in a different case, or without an article (bis April, bis Montag), it's not listed above. PERSONAL PRONOUNS in the ACCUSATIVE NOMINATIVE

ACCUSATIVE

ich I

mich me

du you (fam.)

dich you

er he sie she es it

ihn him sie her es it

wir we

uns us

ihr you (guys)

euch you (guys)

sie they

sie them

Sie you (formal)

Sie you (formal) da- Compounds

All of the accusative prepositions except "entlang," "ohne" and "bis" form what are called "dacompounds" to express what would be a prepositional phrase in English. Da-compounds are not used for people (personal pronouns). Prepositions beginning with a vowel add a connecting r. See the examples below. THING

PERSON

dadurch through it, by it

durch ihn/sie through him/her

dafür for it

für ihn/sie for him/her

dagegen against it

gegen ihn/sie against him/her

darum for that reason

um ihn/sie around him/her

From Head to Toe - Parts of the Body in German

You are here: Contents | Lesson 14 > Lesson 15 > Lesson 16 In this lesson we introduce: (1) vocabulary related to parts of the body (Körperteile) and talking about your health (die Gesundheit) and how you feel, (2) expressions related to that vocabulary and (3) the grammar of the dative reflexive case. The German words for many parts of the body are similar or identical to English: der Arm, die Hand, der Finger, das Haar, das Kinn. (English is, after all, a Germanic language.) But of course they're not all that easy, and you still need to learn the genders of even the easy ones. (Don't ask me why a hand is feminine but a finger is masculine. It's pointless to worry about such things.)

Hals- und Beinbruch! Break a leg! (Neck and leg break!) (Although it adds the neck, the German expression actually wishes someone good luck, as in English.)

One element of this lesson relates to the way that German-speakers talk about the body. In the classic film "Casablanca," Humphrey Bogart's character says to Ingrid Bergman: "Here's lookin' at you, kid." In the German version, that Americanism became "Ich schau dir in die Augen, Kleines." Instead of saying "your eyes," German tends to be more like the English expression "I'm looking you in the eye," using the definite article with the dative to show personal possession. In Part 3 of this lesson we'll look at that dative use and the dative reflexive. But first, let's learn the basic vocabulary of Körperteile (parts of the body). In this glossary, the plural form is given only for those items that usually come in pairs or multiples (eyes, ears, fingers, etc.). You'll notice that our glossary runs from the top of the body (head) to the bottom (foot, von Kopf bis Fuß). der menschliche Körper von Kopf bis Fuß The Human Body from head to toe (foot) Englisch hair*

Deutsch das Haar/die Haare (pl.)

*In German "hair" can be referred to as singular or plural, when it is only singular in English: "my hair" = mein Haar (sing.) or meine Haare (pl.); "her long hair" = ihr langes Haar (sing.) or ihre langen Haare (pl.) head

der Kopf

ear, ears

das Ohr, die Ohren (pl.)

face

das Gesicht

forehead

die Stirn

eyebrow, eyebrows

die Augenbraue, die Augenbrauen

eyelash, eyelashes

die Wimper, die Wimpern

eye, eyes

das Auge, die Augen

nose

die Nase

lip, lips

die Lippe, die Lippen

mouth*

der Mund

*An animal's mouth is called das Maul. When used for people, it's considered rude: "Halt's Maul!" = "Shut up!" tooth, teeth

der Zahn, die Zähne

chin

das Kinn

neck

der Hals

shoulder, shoulders

die Schulter, die Schultern

back

der Rücken

arm, arms

der Arm, die Arme

elbow, elbows

der Ell(en)bogen, die Ell(en)bogen

wrist, wrists

das Handgelenk, die Handgelenke

hand, hands

die Hand, die Hände

finger, fingers

der Finger, die Finger

thumb, thumbs*

der Daumen, die Daumen

*Instead of crossing your fingers, in German you "press your thumb" for good luck: Daumen drücken! = "Cross your fingers!" index finger

der Zeigefinger

finger nail (nails)

der Fingernagel (-nägel)

chest

die Brust

breast, breasts (bosom)

die Brust, die Brüste (der Busen)

stomach, belly

der Bauch

der menschliche Körper 2 von Kopf bis Fuß The Human Body from head to toe (foot) Englisch

Deutsch

waist

die Taille (pron. TYE-ya)

hip, hips

die Hüfte, die Hüften

buttocks, posterior

das Gesäß/das Hinterteil

leg, legs

das Bein, die Beine

thigh, thighs

der Oberschenkel, die Oberschenkel

knee, knees

das Knie, die Knie

calf, calves (of leg)

die Wade, die Waden

ankle, ankles

der Fußknöchel, die Fußknöchel

foot, feet

der Fuß, die Füße

heel, heels

die Ferse, die Fersen

toe, toes*

der Zeh, die Zehen

*Some German-speakers also say die Zehe for toe. The plural is always die Zehen. big toe

der große Zeh, großer Zeh General Body Terms

bone

der Knochen

skin

die Haut

joint, joints

das Gelenk, die Gelenke

muscle, muscles

der Muskel, die Muskeln Adjectives

long - short

lang - kurz

healthy - sick

gesund - krank

red, dark, blond (hair)

rot, dunkel, blond

grey, brown (brunette)

grau, braun

red hair

rote Haare/rotes Haar

grey hair

graue Haare/graues Haar PREVIOUS > More Body Vocabulary (Part 1) Verben/Dative (mit) Verbs/Dative (with)

You see with your eyes. I see with my eyes. We see with our eyes.

Man sieht mit den Augen. Ich sehe mit den Augen. Wir sehen mit den Augen.

You write with your hand. I write with my hand. We write with our hand.

Man schreibt mit der Hand. Ich schreibe mit der Hand. Wir schreiben mit der Hand.

You speak with your mouth. I speak with my mouth. We speak with our mouth.

Man spricht mit dem Mund. Ich spreche mit dem Mund. Wir sprechen mit dem Mund.

You hear with your ears. He hears with his ears.

Man hört mit den Ohren. Er hört mit den Ohren.

You smell with your nose. You (fam.) smell with your nose.

Man riecht mit der Nase. Du riechst mit der Nase.

You chew with your teeth.

Man kaut mit den Zähnen.

Note in the examples above that German uses the definite article (der, dem) where English uses the possessive adjective (my, your, our). The preposition mit takes the dative. (See Part 3 of this lesson for more about the dative case.)

Die Stirne kühl, die Füße warm, das macht den reichsten Doktor arm. The forehead cool, the feet warm, that makes the richest doctor poor. Fragen und Antworten Questions and Answers Q: What color are her eyes? A: Her eyes are blue. A: She has green eyes.

F: Welche Farbe haben ihre Augen? A: Ihre Augen sind blau. A: Sie hat grüne Augen.

Q: What color is his hair? A: His hair is brown. A: He has brown hair.

F: Welche Farbe haben seine Haare? A: Seine Haare sind braun. A: Er hat braune Haare.

Wehwehchen - Aches and Pains Wo tut's weh? - Where does it hurt? Also see: Medical Vocabulary - Talking to the doctor Q: Where does it hurt? A: Here's where it hurts.

F: Wo tut es weh? A: Hier tut es weh.

Q: What's bothering you? A: I have a headache. A: I have a toothache. A: I have a stomachache.

F: Was fehlt dir? A: Ich habe Kopfweh/Kopfschmerzen. A: Ich habe Zahnschmerzen. A: Ich habe Bauchschmerzen.

Q: What hurts? (1) A: My head is aching. A: His tooth hurts/aches.

F: Was tut weh? A: Mein Kopf tut weh. A: Sein Zahn tut weh.

A: Her feet hurt.

A: Ihre Füße tun weh.

Q: What's hurting you/him? (2) A: My head is aching. A: His tooth hurts/aches. A: Her feet hurt.

F: Was tut dir/ihm weh? A: Mir tut der Kopf weh. A: Ihm tut der Zahn weh. A: Ihr tun die Füße weh.

Notice the two different ways of saying that something hurts (above). In (1) the German is similar to English, using possessive pronouns (mein, sein). In (2) German uses the dative pronoun (mir, ihr) to indicate whose head or feet hurt. The dative forms are generally used more often.

Dative Reflexive In this section we examine the dative reflexive, and particularly how it's used with the vocabulary in this lesson. Since reflexive verb forms are used frequently in German and have very practical, everyday applications, you need to learn them. (Also see Reflexive Verbs and the other parts of this lesson.) Note that only two pronouns (ich and du) show any difference from the accusative reflexive forms in the dative reflexive. But since those two pronouns are very often used in the dative reflexive, it is important to know them. Dativ/der Wemfall The Dative Reflexive Nom. pronoun

Accusative pronoun

Dative pronoun

ich

mich (myself)

mir (myself)

du

dich (yourself)

dir (yourself)

wir

uns (ourselves)

uns (ourselves)

ihr

euch (yourselves)

euch (yourselves)

er sie es

sich (himself/herself/itself)

sich (himself/herself/itself)

Sie sie

sich (yourself/themselves)

sich (yourself/themselves)

When talking about combing or washing your hair, washing your face or brushing your teeth in German, you use the dative reflexive forms shown above. German has two reflexive forms, accusative and dative. If you just say, "I'm washing myself." (nothing specific) then you use the "normal" accusative reflexive: "Ich wasche mich." But if you are washing your hair, instead of expressing that as English would ("my hair" = "meine Haare"), German uses the reflexive: "Ich wasche mir die Haare." (lit., "I wash myself the hair." - no possessive "my") Look at the examples below and observe how the dative reflexive functions with different pronouns (du/dir, wir/uns, etc.). Dative Reflexive Sample sentences I'm washing my hands.

Ich wasche mir die Hände.

I'm combing my hair.

Ich kämme mir die Haare.

He's washing his hands.

Er wäscht sich die Hände.

Are you washing your hands?

Wäscht du dir die Hände?

We're brushing our teeth.

Wir putzen uns die Zähne.

I'm washing my face.

Ich wasche mir das Gesicht.

German uses the dative reflexive to express the English possessive forms with personal toiletry verbs (comb, wash, brush, etc.). Note that only the forms dir and mir are different from the accusative reflexive forms (dich, mich). Contrast the sentences above with the accusative reflexive forms below: I'm washing myself. Are you washing yourself?

Ich wasche mich. Wäscht du dich?

I'm shaving (myself). He's shaving (himself).

Ich rasiere mich. Er rasiert sich.

I'm getting dressed. He's getting dressed.

Ich ziehe mich an. Er zieht sich an.

Note that with the accusative reflexive the reflexive pronoun is the only object. (The English equivalent may not even be reflexive, i.e., there may be NO "yourself" or "myself" in the English sentence – as in "I'm shaving.") In accusative reflexive sentences the reflexive pronoun itself is the direct object, while in dative reflexive sentences something else is the direct object (hand, hair, face, etc.) The German accusative reflexive forms are covered in more detail in the lesson on German Reflexive Verbs.

Reflexive sentences can be in any tense. Reflexive verbs are conjugated just like any other German verb. (See our German Verbs page for more.) Here are a few examples: Dative Reflexive Sentences in Various Tenses I washed my hands. (past)

Ich habe mir die Hände gewaschen.

I'll comb my hair. (future)

Ich werde mir die Haare kämmen.

Did you wash your hands? (past)

Hast du dir die Hände gewaschen?

ust Say “Know”: kennen und wissen + können The 3 German Verbs for “to know” Plus German Modal Verbs in Part 3

Print this page (without ads) Yes, there really are three German verbs that can be translated as "to know" in English! But German-speakers don't really have to worry about it, and you won't either after you've covered this lesson. The two main German verbs that mean "to know" are kennen and wissen. A third verb, können, is a modal verb that usually means "to be able" or "can" — but in certain situations can also mean "to know." (Learn more about modals in Part 3 of this lesson.) Here are three different "know" examples, with three different German verbs, that translate into English "know" sentences...

Ich weiß Bescheid. I know about it. Wir kennen ihn nicht. We don't know him. Er kann Deutsch. He knows German.

Each example above represents a different meaning of "know." In fact, in many other languages (including French, German, Italian and Spanish), unlike English, there are usually two different verbs used to express English "know." These other languages have one verb

that means "to know a person" or "to be acquainted with" (a person or something), and another verb that means "to know a fact" or "to know about something." In German, kennen means "to know, be familiar with" and wissen means "to know a fact, know when/how." German-speakers always know (wissen) when to use which one. If they are talking about knowing a person or being familar with something, they will use kennen. If they are talking about knowing a fact or knowing when something will happen, they'll use wissen. In most cases, German uses können (can) to express the idea of knowing how to do something. Often such sentences can also be translated using "can" or "is able to." The German ich kann Französisch equals "I can (speak, write, read, understand) French" or "I know French." Er kann schwimmen. = "He knows how to swim." or "He can swim." Knowing How to Say Know The Three German "Know" Verbs Englisch

Deutsch

to know (someone)

kennen

to know (a fact)

wissen

to know (how)

können

?

Do you know English?

Wissen Sie, wie spät es ist?

Do you know (have) the time?

Ich weiß (es) nicht.

I don't know.

Kennst du ihn/sie?

Do you know him/her?

Weißt du, wann der Zug abfährt?

Do you know when the train is departing?

Den Film kenne ich nicht.

I don't know that film. IDIOMS/EXPRESSIONS

Sie weiß immer alles besser.

She always knows better.

Nicht, dass ich wüsste.

Not as far as I know.

Man kann nie wissen.

You (just) never know.

Er will nichts von ihr wissen.

He wants nothing to do with her.

Das kenne ich schon.

I've heard that (all/one) before.

Das kennen wir hier nicht.

We don't put up with that here.

Sie kennen keine Armut.

They don't have/know any poverty.

Wir kannten kein Mass.

We went too far. / We overdid it.

Ich kenne mich hier nicht aus.*

I don't know my way around here.

* sich auskennen = to know one's way around Was ich nicht weiß, macht mich nicht heiß.

What I don't know won't hurt me.

Mein Name ist Hase, ich weiß von nichts.

(My name is rabbit and) I know nothing.

Ich weiß nichts davon.

I don't know anything about it.

Ich weiß Bescheid.

I know about it. (I've been informed.)

Wir haben uns vor zwei Jahren kennen gelernt.*

We became acquainted two years ago.

Wir lernten uns in Berlin kennen.*

We met in Berlin.

* kennen lernen = to become acquainted, get to know

In the first part of this lesson we learned how the modal verb können can be used to mean ―to know,‖ but it has many other uses. In this part of Lesson 16 we'll take a closer look at the verb können and the other modal verbs in German. Modal verbs in German are used in much the same way as they are in English. Notice the close resemblance between these English and German sentence pairs, with the modal verb in red: I must do it. / Ich muss es tun. - Can you go? / Kannst du gehen? Below is a chart with the six German modal verbs and their meanings. Note that each modal verb has two basic forms, a singular form and a plural form:

Modalverben

German Modal Verbs To learn the conjugation of these verbs, click on a verb for a detailed conjugation table. English

Deutsch

be permitted, may

darf - dürfen

be able, can, know

kann - können

like, want, may

mag - mögen

have to, must

muss - müssen

should, ought/supposed to

soll - sollen

want to

will - wollen

Im Kaufhaus - KaDeWe At the Department Store

A German lesson about shopping in Germany Print this page (without ads) You'll find department stores all over the world, but that doesn't mean they're all the same. Although it is common to find a grocery section (Lebensmittelabteilung) in a German or British department store, it is rare in America. Just like Harrod's in London, Berlin's famous KaDeWe (kah-day-vay) department store, the largest on the European continent, has an entire floor devoted to its gourmet food section. KaDeWe's legendary Feinschmecker-Etage is on the sixth floor (which would be the seventh floor in the U.S.). But most larger German department stores have a supermarket or grocery department (usually in the basement) and a good restaurant (often on the top floor), in addition to the usual departments found in most Kaufhäuser. In this lesson you'll learn not only vocabulary related to shopping in a German department store (das Kaufhaus/Warenhaus) but also important and practical cultural background information concerning things such as das Ladenschlussgesetz (Germany's store hours law), Etagen/Stockwerke (floors, stories), the Mehrwertsteuer (German sales tax/VAT) and even the seasons (Jahreszeiten). Since many German department stores have Web sites, we will also link to some online department stores for vocabulary and cultural practice. Additional vocabulary for this lesson can be found in the following English-German glossaries: Clothing/Fashion, Colors/Farben, Euro & Money, Flashcards, Travel and more. Grammatik - The grammar in this lesson will include prepositional phrases for floor and time expressions, the ―dative of interest‖ and a few other related items. Also see: Im Kaufhaus - Lesestück A reading selection for this lesson. With AUDIO and questions. Schilder im Kaufhaus Dept. Store Signs Abteilung department (die) Aufzug elevator, lift (der)

Das KaDeWe in Zahlen Before we get started, let's look at some interesting facts and figures concerning Germany's (and Europe's) largest department store, according to KaDeWe's own Web site. By the way, “KaDeWe” is short for Kaufhaus des Westens, the “department store of the west.” Most people use the short form. It has been said that there is almost nothing that can't be bought at KaDeWe. Among many other services, Berlin's famous KaDeWe offers: shoe repair, vacation planning, pet shampooing, a currency exchange and a first aid station.      

Etagen: 8 floors/acht Etagen (pron: ay-taj-zhen) Produkte: Over 380,000 items for sale Aufzüge: 26 elevators/lifts Fahrtreppen: 64 escalators (also called Rolltreppen) Mitarbeiter: 2400 employees Besucher: durchschnittlich 80.000 pro Tag (avg. 80,000 visitors a day)

Berlin's KaDeWe first opened for business in 1907 on Tauentzienstraße across from the Wittenbergplatz and not far from the zoo station and the Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gedächtniskirche. The building, constantly remodeled over the years, was heavily damaged during the Second World War by a U.S. bomber that crashed into it. Only two floors were re-opened for business by 1950. Today KaDeWe has reclaimed its former glory and then some. If you get a chance, don't miss a visit to the amazing gourmet section and its 33,000 food items on sale! Ladenschluss Just be sure not to go to KaDeWe or other German stores on Sunday! Germany's strict store closing law, das Ladenschlussgesetz, sets specific hours and days when German retailers and shops can be open for business. Not that many years ago, all German stores were required to close by 6:00 or 6:30 pm (18.00 oder 18.30 Uhr) Monday-Friday. Most stores closed by 2:00 pm (or earlier) on Saturday. Although the store hours law has been liberalized in the last few years, no shops can remain open after 8:00 pm (20.00 Uhr) on weekdays. Stores must close by 4:00 pm on Saturdays. Sunday is still a day of rest. Only restaurants, gas stations and stores serving travelers can be open on Sunday. During the Christmas shopping season and once a month during the rest of the year, some stores stay open until 6:00 pm on Saturday. But many smaller shops still have more limited business hours.

Ausgang exit (der) Ausverkauf sale (der) Etage floor (die) Kasse cashier (die) Kundendienst customer service (der) Öffnungszeiten opening hours (pl.) Parkhaus car park, parking garage (das) Parterre ground floor (das) Rolltreppe escalator (die) Selbstbedienung self-service (die) Sommerschlussverkauf end-of-summer sale (der) Sonderangebot special (sale) (das) Stockwerk floor (das) Winterschlussverkauf end-of-winter sale (der) Zutritt nur für Befugte authorized personnel only (der Zutritt)

Also see: Abteilungen in Part Two

The intention of Germany's strict shopping hours law is to give employees and shoppers more time with their families, but German consumers have grown increasingly frustrated with shopping hours that are much more restricted than those in neighboring countries such as France. Austria and Switzerland have Ladenschluss laws that are similar to Germany's.

KaDeWe advertises these store hours: Montag - Freitag: durchgehend von 9.30 - 20.00 Uhr - Samstag: durchgehend von 9.00 - 16.00 Uhr. The term "durchgehend" (continuously) means they don't close for lunch, as many smaller German businesses and even some banks do. If you need to review the 24-hour time used in daily life throughout Europe, see Lektion 8. On the next page, we look at a typical German department store. You can click on some departments to see what you can buy there - auf Deutsch of course.

Im Kaufhaus - Abteilungen At the Department Store

A German lesson about shopping in Germany Print this page (without ads)

Galeries Lafayette: Ein Kaufhaus in Berlin. Foto: Hyde Flippo Now let's look at some typical departments or sections (Abteilungen) you would find in a German Kaufhaus. But first, a little background on German department stores. Some well-known German department store names include Galeria Kaufhof, Hertie (short for founder Hermann Tietz, her-tie), Karstadt, Peek & Cloppenburg and Wertheim. (But Karstadt AG owns KaDeWe and also operates stores under the names Hertie, Karstadt and Wertheim.) The French Galeries Lafayette has a large, modern department store in Berlin and the British Marks & Spencer recently opened its first department store in Germany, in Cologne (Köln). The now defunct American chain Woolworth is still a well-known brand in Germany, with stores all across the country. The American discount chain Wal-Mart has also established a presence in Germany over the last few years. Most historians claim the Magasin au Bon Marché in Paris was the world's first department store (1852). But US department stores such as Macy's in New York (1858) and Marshall Field in Chicago (1865) were also early pioneers. By 1900 there were department stores in every large US and Canadian city. The first German Kaufhäuser appeared in Berlin and Hamburg around 1904, although the stores they elvolved from were founded earlier than that. The two German words for "department store" - das Kaufhaus and das Warenhaus - are interchangeable, but Kaufhaus is used more. Do not confuse the English word "warehouse" with Warenhaus! A warehouse is das Lagerhaus or die Lagerhalle in German.

You should study this page and its related content (pop-ups, glossaries), as well as try the exercises on the next page (17.3). Abteilungen Departments/Sections Typical departments found in a German Kaufhaus Click on a department to see typical items. Deutsch

Englisch

Bett- und Tischwäsche

Bed and Table Linen

Bettwaren und Matratzen

Beds and Mattresses

Bücher

Books

Bürobedarf/Schreibwaren

Office Supplies/Stationery

For related vocabulary: Im Büro Babyartikel/Babymode

Baby Things - Baby Fashions

Computer & Software

Computer & Software

For related vocabulary: Computer & Internet Glossary Damenmode

Ladies' Fashions

For related vocabulary: Clothing/Fashion Eltekro-Großgeräte

Large Electrical Appliances

Elektro-Kleingeräte

Small Electrical Appliances

Foto - Filme

Photo - Film

Haushaltswaren - Glas, Porzellan

Household - Glass, Porcelain

Herrenmode

Men's Clothing

For related vocabulary: Clothing/Fashion

Kindermode

Children's Clothing

Lebensmittel

Groceries

Restaurant

Restaurant For related vocabulary: Food & Drink

Schuhe

Shoes

Spielwaren

Toys

Sportswear

Sportswear

Tonträger - CD - DVD/Video

Recordings - CDs - DVD/Video

TV - Video - Hifi

TV - Video - Hi-Fi

Uhren/Schmuck

Watches/Jewelry

Click on a department to see typical items. Other Departments not listed above: Autozubehör (auto accessories), Bademoden (swimwear), Geschenkartikel (gifts), Lederwaren (leather apparel), Lampen/Glühbirnen (lamps, lightbulbs), Parfümerie (perfumes), Tabakwaren (tobacco shop), Gardinen und Zubehör (curtains and fixtures), Berufskleidung (work clothes, uniforms), Süßwaren (confectionery), Telekommunikation (telecommunication)

Below is a graphic of an imaginary Kaufhaus showing various floors and eine Abteilung located on each floor. The diagram also indicates the German floor numbering system (DE) compared to the US. (The letter E stands for das Erdgeschoss, the ground floor, also called das Parterre.) There are two common words for "floor" or "story" in German: the Frenchbased die Etage (like das Parterre) and the Germanic der Stock/das Stockwerk. Most German department stores seem to prefer the French version. In the examples, notice how German says phrases like ―on the fifth floor‖ or ―to the second floor.‖ Another term used for floors is das Obergeschoss. The second floor, for example, is sometimes called das zweite Obergeschoss. Any floor above the Erdgeschoss is an Obergeschoss. A basement floor below the Erdgeschoss is called an Untergeschoss (subfloor). To say "on the second subfloor" you would say "im zweiten Untergeschoss." Study the sample questions and answers (in German and English) next to the diagram, so that you can answer similar questions in the exercises that follow. If you need to review your ordinal numbers (first, second, etc. for the floors), see Lektion 12. All answers are based on

the diagram and use the German floor system.

Frage: In welcher Etage befindet sich die SpielwarenAbteilung? Antwort: Die Spielwaren-Abteilung ist in der 3. (dritten) Etage. Q: On which floor is the Toy Department located? A: The Toy Department is on the third floor. F: In welche Etage muss ich hingehen, um eine Bluse zu kaufen? A: Gehen Sie in die 1. (erste) Etage. Dort finden Sie Damenmode. Q: Which floor do I have to go to in order to buy a blouse? A: Go to the first floor. That's where you'll find Ladies' Clothing. (Note that this would be called the 2nd floor in the US!) F: Wo kann ich einen Rechner kaufen? A: Die Computer-Abteilung ist in der 6. (sechsten) Etage/im 6. Stock. Q: Where can I buy a computer? A: The Computer Department is on the sixth floor. F: Wo ist das Restaurant? A: Es ist ist ganz oben in der 7. (siebten) Etage/im 7. Stock. Q: Where is the restaurant? A: It's all the way at the top on the seventh floor. F: Wo kauft man Parfum/Parfüm? A: Das findet man im Erdgeschoss. Q: Where can one buy perfume? A: That's on the ground floor. (First floor in the US.) Although our graphic doesn't show it, German department stores often have one or more floors below the ground. Sometimes the English/French word Basement is used, but more often the floors below the ground level are referred to as...   

1. Untergeschoss (erstes/1.U) = first subfloor 2. Untergeschoss (zweites/2.U) = 2nd subfloor 3. Untergeschoss (drittes/3.U) = 3rd subfloor

...in which the ground level (Erdgeschoss) is "zero" and each floor below that is 1, 2, 3, etc., with 3 below 2. This floor naming system is also used in parking garages (Parkhäuser) that have levels below ground.

The Dative of Interest German has a dative construction that is similar to the English ―I'm going to buy myself a computer.‖ - In German, the dative reflexive form can be used with the verbs kaufen (buy) and anschaffen (acquire, get) to indicate for whom something is being bought: myself, himself, themselves, etc. Here are some examples: Er kauft sich einen Hut. - He's buying himself a hat. Wir wollen uns ein neues Auto anschaffen. - We want to get ourselves a new car. Ich kaufe mir eine Krawatte. - I'm buying myself a tie. Habt ihr euch einen neuen Kühlschrank gekauft? - Did you guys buy yourselves a new refrigerator? Kaufst du dir ein Buch? - Are you buying yourself a book? Dative Reflexive Prounouns ich - mir du - dir er - sich sie - sich es - sich wir - uns ihr - euch sie - sich Sie - sich

Haus und Hof House and Home

A German lesson about housing and real estate in Germany Talking about the house, rooms, and furniture Because Germany's rate of home ownership is the lowest in Europe, most Germans live in a rented apartment or flat (die Wohnung) rather than in their own single-family house (das Einfamilienhaus). For various reasons, including high costs, only about 42 percent of German families own the home they live in, compared to a rate of about 70 percent in the U.S. and Britain. Ein Wohnblock in Berlin. Foto © H. Flippo

Even if they own their home, the typical German family often lives in a condominium (die Eigentumswohnung) or row house (das Reihenhaus) rather than in a detached single-

family house. Despite a high standard of living, the costs of land and home financing in Germany, especially in larger cities, keep the German dream home (das Traumhaus) beyond the means of most people. In this lesson you'll learn vocabulary related to a German house or apartment and the furniture (die Möbel) found in a typical home. You'll also learn how to talk about where things are located in the home, and where typical activities might be likely to occur (bathing, sleeping, cooking, watching TV, etc.). We will also link to the Web sites of some online German furniture outlets. We'll also introduce you to the basics of looking for a home and reading classified ads for housing. Additional vocabulary on that topic can be found in the English-German or German-English versions of our Real Estate Glossary and in our special Real Estate Ad Abbreviatons glossary. Die Zimmer in einem Haus oder in einer Wohnung Rooms in an Apartment or House Full Glossary der Abstellraum storage room das Arbeitszimmer office, workroom das Badezimmer das Bad bathroom/bath der Balkon balcony das Büro office der Dachboden attic das Esszimmer dining room der Flur hall, entry die Garage garage der Keller cellar, basement das Kinderzimmer

Die Zimmer (Rooms) On the right is an alphabetical list of the various rooms found in a house or flat. As part of this lesson, you'll learn the words for these rooms and the furniture or appliances usually found in each one. Review these words before reading “Dirks Wohnung” below. Also note the genders for each room, since you'll need to know that when we start talking about what is "in" each room. In the next paragraph, Dirk tells us about the apartment where he lives. If you need vocabulary help, see the extra vocabulary in the reading selection and on the right.

DIRKS WOHNUNG

children's room die Küche kitchen das Schlafzimmer bedroom die Toilette/das WC toilet (room) das Treppenhaus stairwell die Waschküche laundry room

DIRK: Unsere Wohnung ist im zweiten Stock eines 7-stöckigen Wohnblocks. Obwohl es einen Aufzug gibt, benutze ich meistens die Treppe, weil es schneller und gesünder ist. im zweiten Stock on the 3rd floor (US) eines Wohnblocks of an apartment building (der Wohnblock) der Aufzug elevator renoviert remodeled damit with it zufrieden satisfied die Badewanne bath tub die Handdusche handheld shower attachment hätte gern would like

das Wohnzimmer living room

In meiner Familie sind vier Leute: meine Eltern, meine kleine Schwester und ich. Wir haben drei Schlafzimmer, aber nur ein Bad (mit WC).

Das Wohnzimmer und das Esszimmer sind zusammen in einem Raum mit einem kleinen Balkon. Natürlich ist die Küche neben dem Esszimmer. Die Küche haben wir vor einem Monat total renoviert, und meine Mutter ist damit sehr zufrieden. Der Flur ist im Zentrum der Wohnung. An einem Ende ist die Eingangstür und am anderen gibt es einen kleinen Abstellraum. Wenn man in die Wohnung kommt, sind die Schlafzimmer und ein Arbeitszimmer rechts und das Badezimmer links. Die Tür zum Wohnzimmer ist auch auf der linken Seite. Im Badezimmer ist ein Waschbecken, die Toilette, eine Badewanne (mit Handdusche) und auch die Waschmaschine. (Meine Mutter hätte gern eine echte Waschküche, aber dafür haben wir keinen Platz.) Unser Fernseher ist im Wohnzimmer. Dort spielen meine Schwester und ich Videospiele. Mein Vater hat sein „Büro― mit einem Computer in seinem Arbeitszimmer.

echt genuine, real

Dirk and his family live in a Wohnung in a Wohnblock or Mietshaus, but there are other kinds of residences. A Reihenhaus is a row house or attached house, with each house attached to the other (see photo on the next page). A singlefamily house is an Einfamilienhaus, while a duplex is a Zweifamilienhaus. The German word Appartement or Apartment is a false cognate that actually means a studio apartment

or what the British call a "bed sit" or an "appartement." For even more types of housing in German, see our Wohnungssuche und Immobilien glossary. A German lesson about housing and real estate in Germany You are here: Lesson 18: Part 1 > Part 2 > Part 3 > Web Links Ein Reihenhaus in Frankfurt am Main. Foto © H. Flippo

Before we move on to furniture and appliances in German, let's talk about what is outside the house. The front yard (Brit., front garden) is called der Vorgarten or just der Garten. The back yard is der Hintergarten. German-speakers often use the word Garten in a general way to refer to a lawn (der Rasen) or yard, a flower garden (der Blumengarten) or a vegetable garden (der Gemüsegarten), just as the word Haus can refer to a house or a building. If they have a yard or garden, they may also have einen englischen Rasen, a well-trimmed lawn. Although the adjective englisch means "rare" when talking about a steak, it means "well manicured" when referring to a lawn or garden. (The Englischer Garten in Munich got its name from the fact that it is an artificial park made to look like nature.) Many Germans prefer a more German lawn, that is, one that looks more like a natural meadow. (Most Americans would want to get rid of the dandelions right away!) They use their Rasenmäher (lawn mower) less frequently than someone who has einen englischen Rasen. Möbel und Haushaltsgeräte Furniture and Household Appliances der Anrufbeantworter answering machine der Backofen oven das Bett bed das Bücherregal bookshelf der Computer der Rechner computer

die Couch couch der Fernseher das Fernsehgerät TV set die Geschirrspülmaschine dish washer der Herd range, stove die Kaffeemaschine coffee maker der Kleiderschrank clothes closet/cabinet die Kommode chest of drawers der Kühlschrank refrigerator die Lampe lamp, light der Nachttisch night stand der Schreibtisch desk der Sessel easy chair das Sofa sofa die Stehlampe floor lamp der Staubsauger vacuum cleaner der Stuhl chair das Telefon telephone der Trockner drier die Waschmaschine

washer

Andere Wörter Other Words das Bild (-er) picture das Dach (Dächer) roof das Fenster (-) window der Spiegel (-) mirror

Big-city apartment dwellers in Germany sometimes have a Schrebergarten or Kleingarten. This is a small garden plot in a group of such mini-gardens located away from the apartment complex, often alongside a railway. They are regulated in size and may have a small shed for part-time use. Some people turn their Kleingarten into a miniature vacation spot for weekends and holidays. It is just another way that Germans cope with their densely populated country.

The Germans are great believers in the adage ―good fences make good neighbors.‖ A yard or garden without a fence (der Zaun) is rare. Sometimes a trimmed hedge (die Hecke) stands in for a fence. But we'll have to save gardening and lawn care for another lesson. Time to go back inside. Print this Page

die Treppe (-n) stairway, stairs die Tür (-en) door die Wand (Wände) wall (inside)

WAS IST WO? On the left is an alphabetical list of items found in a typical home. Study these words for furniture and appliances, since we'll be using them in this part of the lesson. You may also want to review the vocabulary for rooms in Part One, because we'll be using those, too.

This exercise also requires the use of the two-way preposition in, for which we'll offer a brief overview. (If you need to, see more detailed info in the article The Two-Way Prepositions and the grammar section on Accusative Prepositions.) Wo findet man das? - We'll start by asking in which room you might find a particular item. Since the German preposition in is a two-way preposition, remember that when you answer the question wo, you'll need a dative phrase. For example, if something is ―in the kitchen,‖ it's in der Küche because the dative of die Küche is der Küche. All die nouns will change to der in the dative. If we're talking about a room that is not feminine (das or der), the dative phrase will be im, as in im Wohnzimmer (in the living room). Here are two more examples before we start: • Wo ist der Fernseher? Er ist im Wohnzimmer. (Where is the TV set? - It's in the living room.) • Wo finde ich die Kaffeemaschine? Sie ist in der Küche. (Where will I find the coffeemaker? - It's in the kitchen.) Now, see if you can answer these 8 questions in German. Give a logical answer following the model above. 1. Wo ist der Trockner? _____________

2. Wo ist der Staubsauger? _____________ 3. Wo finde ich den Rechner? _____________ 4. Wo ist der Sessel? _____________ 5. Wo finde ich die Kommode? _____________ 6. Wo ist der Kleiderschrank? _____________ 7. Wo finde ich den Anrufbeantworter? _____________ 8. Wo ist der Herd? _____________ > Antworten (Answer Key) German Verbs: The Present Perfect Tense

You are here: Lesson 18: Part 1 > Part 2 > Part 3 > Web Links > Lesson 19 Weil das Wetter schön war, haben wir im Garten gesessen. Foto © H. Flippo

In this section of Lesson 18, we'll look at household activities and the German present perfect tense. If we did some baking (backen) in the kitchen or watched TV (fernsehen) in the living room, then how do we express that? Although we will present a brief overview of the present perfect tense here, if you need to study or review the present perfect, see our Verb Review 3 on that tense and our German Verbs section. The Conversational Past - When Germans talk about what they have done in the past, they use the present perfect tense, also known as the ―conversational past‖ because it is used more in spoken form than in writing. (The other past tense, the ―simple past‖ or Imperfekt is used more in writing, but neither form is used exclusively in written or spoken German.) The present perfect tense is a compound tense that gets its name from the fact that it combines two verb forms (making a compound) to express an action or condition in the past. The present is the present tense of the helping verb (haben or sein) that is combined with the past participle of the verb being used to form the Perfekt, and thus the present perfect tense. For example, to say ―I worked on the computer‖ in German, you would say: ―Ich habe am Computer gearbeitet.‖ The helping verb haben is in the present tense (conjugated to agree with ich) and combined with the past participle of arbeiten to form the present perfect.

Was haben wir gemacht? What did we do? abräumen abgeräumt to clear out, remove aufräumen aufgeräumt to put in order, straighten up backen gebacken to bake hängen gehängt* to hang *also gehangen when at rest kochen gekocht to cook mähen gemäht to mow öffnen geöffnet to open putzen geputzt to clean schlafen geschlafen to sleep sitzen gesessen to sit waschen gewaschen to wash

Verbs of Contrast Motion vs. At Rest Transitive and Intransitive

legen/liegen gelegt/gelegen lay (put)/lie stellen/stehen gestellt/gestanden to put, place/stand hängen/hängen gehängt/gehangen hang/be hanging

WAS HABEN WIR GEMACHT? On the left is an alphabetical list of verbs related to household activities. Each verb is shown in its infinitive form and with its past participle (backen/gebacken). Study these verbs, since we'll be using them in this activity. You may also want to review some of the previous vocabulary in parts One and Two, because we'll be using some of those terms as well. Übung 2 - Wo hast du das gemacht? (Where'd you do that?)

• Wo? (I - watch TV) Ich habe im Wohnzimmer ferngesehen. (I watched TV in the living room.) • Wo? (she - bake) Sie hat in der Küche gebacken. (She baked in the kitchen.) Now, follow the examples above to complete this exercise. 1. Wo? (we - sit) _____________ 2. Wo? (he - mow lawn) _____________ 3. Wo? (I - wash) _____________ 4. Wo? (they - sleep) _____________ 5. Wo? (du - clean) _____________ 6. Wo? (we - open window) _____________ 7. Wo? (she - clear out) _____________ > Antworten (Answer Key)

Übung 3 - Wohin hast du das gestellt? (Where'd you put that?) • Wohin? (put - mirror - table) Ich habe den Spiegel auf den Tisch gestellt. (I put the mirror on the table.) • Wohin? (hang - picture - wall) Ich habe das Bild an die Wand gehängt. (I hung the picture on the wall.) Now, follow the examples above to complete this exercise. 1. Wohin? (put - chair - office) _____________ 2. Wohin? (hang - mirror - wall) _____________

3. Wohin? (put - computer - desk) _____________ 4. Wohin? (put - vacuum - garage) _____________ 5. Wohin? (lay - book - table) _____________

Das Wetter | The Weather Wie ist das Wetter heute?

Talking about the weather With dative expressions Die Wettervorhersage im Fernsehen. The weather forecast on TV. Foto: ARD/Das Erste

We all like to talk about the weather. In this lesson you'll learn how to do so in German, which means you'll also have to adjust to how most of the world outside the U.S. measures things like barometric pressure and temperatures. There are even a few hidden vocabulary dangers in talking about how warm or cold you are! (We'll tell you how to avoid that problem.) In this lesson we'll also introduce you to reading or listening to a weather forecast in German. When you're in German-speaking Europe, you need to know how to understand a typical weather forecast. Will you need an umbrella (einen Regenschirm) today, or not? You'll also find some exercises for practicing what you learn. Let's start with some common weather phrases and vocabulary. Review the chart below for many common weather expressions. Also see: Weather Glossary > Weather Forecasts & Exercises Print this Page DAS WETTER - THE WEATHER Useful Phrases DEUTSCH

ENGLISH Fragen - Questions

Wie ist das Wetter heute?

What's the weather like today?

Ist es warm/kalt/kühl?

Is it warm/cold/cool?

Wie viel Grad sind es?

What's the temperature? "How many degrees is it?"

Scheint die Sonne?

Is the sun shining?

Wo ist mein Regenschirm?

Where's my umbrella? PHRASES 1 - ES + VERB

Es regnet.

It's raining.

Es blitzt.

There's lightning.

Es donnert.

It's thundering.

Es schneit.

It's snowing.

Es hagelt.

It's hailing. PHRASES 2 - ES IST + ADJECTIVE

Es ist schön.

It's nice.

Es ist bewölkt.

It's cloudy.

Es ist heiß.

It's hot.

Es ist kalt.

It's cold.

Es ist windig.

It's windy.

Es ist schwül.

It's muggy/humid.

So ein Sauwetter!

Such lousy weather! DATIVE PHRASES - MIR + IST

Mir ist kalt.

I feel cold./I'm cold.

Ist es dir zu heiß?

Do you feel too hot?/Are you too hot?

DATIVE PHRASES: Although it is okay to say "I'm hot/cold" in English, this is not the case in German. To express that you feel hot or cold in German, you use a dative pronoun (dir and mir in the examples above). The German says "to me it is hot" rather than "I am hot" — which means something like you are "in heat"!

The Four German Cases Part 1: Summary Summary | Nominative | Accusative | Dative | Genitive Werfall | Wenfall | Wemfall | Wesfall Nominativ | Akkusativ | Dativ | Genitiv English also has cases, but they are only apparent with pronouns, not with nouns, as in German. When "he" changes to "him" in English, that's exactly the same thing that happens when der changes to den in German (and er changes to ihn). This allows German to have more flexibility in word order, as in the examples below, in which the nominative (subject) case is red: Der Hund beißt den Mann. The dog bites the man. Den Mann beißt der Hund. The dog bites the man. Beißt der Hund den Mann? Is the dog biting the man? Beißt den Mann der Hund? Is the dog biting the man? Since English does not have the same case markers (der/den), it must depend on word order. If you say "Man bites dog" in English, rather than "Dog bites man," you change the meaning. In German the word order can be changed for emphasis (as above)—without altering the basic meaning.

The following charts show the four cases with the definite article (der, die, das), the indefinite article and the third-person pronouns (er, sie, es). Changes from the nominative (subject) case are indicated in red. For more about each case, see the links below.

Definite Articles (the) Fall Case

Männlich Masculine

Weiblich Feminine

Sächlich Neuter

Mehrzahl Plural

Nom

der

die

das

die

Akk

den

die

das

die

Dat

dem

der

dem

den

Gen

des

der

des

der

Indefinite Articles (a/an) Fall Case

Männlich Masculine

Weiblich Feminine

Sächlich Neuter

Mehrzahl Plural

Nom

ein

eine

ein

keine*

Akk

einen

eine

ein

keine*

Dat

einem

einer

einem

keinen*

Gen

eines

einer

eines

keiner*

*Note: keine is the negative of eine, which has no plural form. But keine (no/none) can be used in the plural: "Er hat keine Bücher." (He has no books.) - "In Venedig gibt es keine Autos." (In Venice there are no cars.) The Germanic word for each case reflects how that case functions in the use of forms of wer (who): der Werfall (nom.), der Wenfall (acc.), der Wemfall (dat.) and der Wesfall (gen.). For more details about each case and to read articles related to the cases, see the links below.

The Nominative Case Summary | Nominative | Accusative | Dative | Genitive Werfall | Wenfall | Wemfall | Wesfall Nominativ | Akkusativ | Dativ | Genitiv Der Nominativ • Der Werfall

The nominative case—in German and in English—is the subject of a sentence. The term nominative is from Latin and means to name (think of "nominate"). All German nouns have one of three possible genders: masculine (der), feminine (die) or neuter (das). The nominative plural of any gender is always die (pron. DEE). These gender words are also called definite articles ("the"). The most common gender in German is the masculine. (Keep that in mind the next time you're guessing.). These gender forms—der, die, das—are the nominative forms. They are the article or gender that is found in a German dictionary, but they may change form (be "declined") when in one of the other three German cases. In English, only persons and personal pronouns have gender, with rare exceptions ("she's a good ship"). In German, every noun (person, place or thing), whether it refers to a tree, a thought, a planet, a car or a man (all masculine nouns in German), has a gender. However, it is the word (das Wort), not the object or concept itself, that has gender. For more about German gender, see the article Gender Hints and Lektion 3 of German for Beginners - Nouns and Gender. In the examples below, the nominative word or expression is in red: Der Hund beißt den Mann. The dog bites the man. Dieser Gedanke ist blöd. This thought is stupid. Meine Mutter ist Architektin. My mother is an architect.

The nominative case can also be found in the predicate, as in the last example. The verb "is" acts like an equal sign (my mother = architect). But the nominative is most often the subject of a sentence. Print this page (without ads)

Definite Articles (the) Fall Case

Masc.

Fem.

Neu.

Plur.

Nom

der the

die the

das the

die the

Third Person Pronouns (he, she, it, they)

Nom

er he

sie she

es it

sie they

Notice that each pronoun ends in the same letter as its corresponding definite article? (der/er, r/e/s/e) Interrogative Pronouns (questions) Nom (people)

wer? who?

wer?

wer?

wer?

Nom (things)

was? what?

was?

was?

was?

Indefinite Articles (a, an) Fall Case

Masc.

Fem.

Neu.

Plur.

Nom

ein a/an

eine a/an

ein a/an

keine* no/none

*Note: keine is the negative of eine, which has no plural form. But keine (no/none) can be used in the plural: "Keine Autos dürfen hier fahren." (No cars can be used here.)

The Germanic word for the nominative case, der Werfall, reflects the der gender and the question word wer (who): Wer hat mich gestern gesehen? (Who saw me yesterday?)

The Accusative Case

Summary | Nominative | Accusative | Dative | Genitive Werfall | Wenfall | Wemfall | Wesfall Nominativ | Akkusativ | Dativ | Genitiv Der Akkusativ • Der Wenfall

ALSO > The accusative case with prepositions If you misuse the accusative case in German, it could be very similar to saying something like "him has the book" or "her saw he yesterday" in English. With the confusion this might cause, you can see this is not something to take lightly! It's not just some esoteric grammar point; it impacts whether people will understand your German or not (and whether you'll understand them). In English the accusative case is known as the objective case (direct object). In German you can tell that a noun is in the accusative case by the masculine article, which changes from der/ein to den/einen. (Since the accusative only changes in the masculine gender, you don't need to worry about the feminine, neuter or plural.) The masculine pronoun er (he) changes to ihn (him), in much the same way as English. In the examples below, the accusative (direct object) word is in red: Der Hund beißt den Mann. The dog bites the man. Er beißt ihn. He (the dog) bites him (the man). Den Mann beißt der Hund. The dog bites the man. Beißt der Hund den Mann? Is the dog biting the man? Beißt den Mann der Hund? Is the dog biting the man?

The direct object (accusative) functions as the receiver of the action of a transitive verb. In the examples above, the man is acted upon by the dog, i.e., receives the action of the subject ("dog"). To give a few more transitive verb examples, when you buy (kaufen) something or have (haben) something, the "something" is a direct object. The subject (the person buying or having) is acting on some object.

Definite Article (the) Fall Case

Masc.

Fem.

Neu.

Plur.

Nom

der

die

das

die

die

das

die

den

Akk

den Bleistift den Mann den Wagen den Präsidenten* den Jungen*

*Note: Some masc. nouns add an -en or -n ending in the accusative and in all other cases besides the nominative. Interrogative Pronoun (who? - whom?) Nom (people)

wer? who?

wer? who?

wer? who?

wer? who?

Acc (people)

wen? whom?

wen? whom?

wen? whom?

wen? whom?

Indefinite Article (a/an) Fall Case

Masc.

Fem.

Neu.

Plur.

Nom

ein

eine

ein

keine*

eine

ein

keine*

einen

Akk

einen Bleistift einen Mann einen Wagen einen Präsidenten**

einen Jungen** *Note: keine is the negative of eine, which has no plural form. But keine (no/none) can be used in the plural: "In Venedig gibt es keine Autos." (In Venice there are no cars.) **Note: Some masc. nouns add -en or -n in the accusative and in all other cases except the nominative.

You can test for a transitive verb by saying it without an object. If it sounds odd, and seems to need an object to sound right, then it is probably a transitive verb. Example: I have... / Ich habe...; He bought... / Er kaufte... - Both of these phrases answer the implied question "what?" What do you have? What did he buy? And whatever that is, is the direct object and in the accusative case in German. On the other hand if you do this with an intransitive verb, such as "to sleep," "to die," or "to wait," no direct-object completion is needed. You can't "sleep," "die" or "wait" something. (Two apparent exceptions to this test, become and be, are actually not exceptions, since they are intransitive verbs that act like an equal sign, and can not take an object.) A good additional clue in German: all verbs that take the helping verb sein (to be) are intransitive. (See our German Verbs page for verbs that take sein.) Some verbs in English and German can be either transitive or intransitive, but the key is to remember that if you have a direct object, you'll have the accusative case in German. The Germanic word for the accusative case, der Wenfall, reflects the der-to-den change. The question word in the accusative is, naturally enough, wen (whom): Wen hast du gestern gesehen?, Whom did you see yesterday? Accusative Time Expressions

The accusative is used in some standard time and distance expressions. Das Hotel liegt einen Kilometer von hier. The hotel lies a kilometer from here. Er verbrachte einen Monat in Paris. He spent a month in Paris. Accusative Prepositions

Präpositionen mit Akkusativ Certain German prepositions are governed by the accusative case. That is, they take an object in the accusative case. The accusative prepositions tend to be used a lot and it is important to learn them early in your study of German. In English, prepositions take the objective case (object of the preposition) and all prepositions take the same case. In German, prepositions come in several "flavors," only one of which is accusative.

There are two kinds of accusative prepositions: (1) those that are always accusative and never anything else, and (2) certain "two-way" prepositions that can be either accusative or dative – depending on how they are used. See the chart below for a complete list of each type. In the German-English examples below, the accusative preposition is red. The object of the preposition is blue: Ohne Geld geht's nicht. Without money it won't work. Sie geht den Fluss entlang. She walking along the river. Er arbeitet für eine große Firma. He works for a big company. Wir fahren durch die Stadt. We're driving through the city. Schreibst du einen Brief an deinen Vater? Are you writing a letter to your father? Notice in the second example above that the object (Fluss) comes before the preposition (entlang). Some German prepositions use this reverse word order, but the object must still be in the correct case.

Here is a list of the accusative-only prepositions. The most common, important ones are in red. You should memorize them with their meanings. Accusative Prepositions Deutsch

Englisch

bis*

until, to, by

durch

through, by

entlang

along, down

NOTE: The accusative preposition entlang, unlike the others, usually goes after its object, as in the example above. für

for

gegen

against, for

ohne

without

um

around, for; at (time)

*NOTE: The German preposition bis is technically an accusative preposition, but it is almost always used with a second preposition (bis zu, bis auf, etc.) in a different case, or without an article (bis April, bis Montag, bis Bonn).

For more on the accusative-only prepositions, with examples, see German for Beginners Lektion 14B - The Acccusative Prepositions. Two-Way Prepositions Accusative/Dative NOTE: The meaning of a two-way preposition often depends on whether it is used with the accusative or dative case. See below for the grammar rules. Deutsch

Englisch

an

at, on, to

auf

at, to, on, upon

hinter

behind

in

in, into

neben

beside, near, next to

über

about, above, across, over

unter

under, among

vor

in front of, before; ago (time)

zwischen

between

The basic rule for determining whether a two-way preposition should have an object in the accusative or dative case is motion versus location. If there is motion towards something or to a specific location (wohin?, where to?), then usually that is accusative. If there is no motion at all or random motion going nowhere in particular (wo?, where (at)?), then that is usually dative. This rule applies only to the so-called "two-way" or "dual" prepositions in German. (For example, a dative-only preposition like nach is always dative, whether there is motion or not.) Here are two sets of examples:

Wir gehen ins Kino. (in das, accus.) We're going to the movies/cinema. (motion towards) Wir sind im Kino. (in dem, dat.) We're at the movies/cinema. (location)

Legen Sie das Buch auf den Tisch. (accusative) Put/Lay the book on the table. (motion towards) Das Buch liegt auf dem Tisch. (dative) The book's lying on the table. (location) A single German two-way preposition—such as in or auf—may have more than one English translation, as you can see above. In addition, you'll find many of these prepositions have yet another meaning in common everyday idioms and expressions: auf dem Lande (in the country), um drei Uhr (at three o'clock), unter uns (among us), am Mittwoch (on Wednesday), vor einer Woche (a week ago), etc. Such expressions can be learned as vocabulary without worrying about the grammar involved.

For more on the accusative/dative (two-way) prepositions, see the article The Two-Way Prepositions in German, which includes a self-scoring quiz on the use of the two-way prepositions. Be sure to also look at Lektion 14B of German for Beginners for more on the accusative-only prepositions. Dative - Der Wemfall

Summary | Nominative | Accusative | Dative | Genitive Werfall | Wenfall | Wemfall | Wesfall Nominativ | Akkusativ | Dativ | Genitiv The Dative Case Used with Nouns

ALSO > The dative case with Prepositions The dative case in German is a vital element of communicating in German. In English the dative case is known as the indirect object. Unlike the accusative, which only changes in the masculine gender, the dative changes in all genders and in the plural. The pronouns also change correspondingly. In addition to its function as the indirect object, the dative is also used after certain dative verbs and with dative prepositions. In the examples below, the dative word or expression is in red: Der Polizist gibt dem Fahrer einen Strafzettel. The policeman is giving the driver a ticket. Ich danke Ihnen. I thank you. Wir machen das mit einem Computer. We do that with a computer.

The indirect object (dative) is usually the receiver of the direct object (accusative). In the first example above, the driver got the ticket. Often the dative can be translated with "to"-"the policeman gives the ticket to the driver." The following color-coded chart shows how the dative forms are used in various situations. Definite Article (the) Fall Case

Masc.

Fem.

Nom

der

die

dem

Dat

dem Bleistift dem Mann dem Wagen

der der Frau der Verkäuferin

dem Präsidenten* dem Jungen* *Note: Some masc. nouns add an -en or -n ending in the dative and in all other cases besides the nominative. Fall Case

Neu.

Plur.

Nom

das

die

Dat

dem dem Mädchen dem Haus

den den Leuten den Autos

Note: In the dative, plural nouns add an -en or -n if the plural does not already end in -n, except for plurals ending in -s. Indefinite Article (ein, eine, keine) Fall Case

Masc.

Fem.

Nom

ein

eine

einem einem Bleistift einem Mann einem Wagen

Dat

einer einer Frau einer Verkäuferin

einem Präsidenten* einem Jungen* *Note: Some masc. nouns add an -en or -n ending in the dative and in all other cases besides the nominative. Fall Case

Neu.

Plur.

Nom

ein

keine

Dat

einem einem Mädchen einem Haus

keinen keinen Leuten keinen Autos

Note: In the dative, plural nouns add an -en or -n if the plural does not already end in -n, except for plurals ending in -s.

The Germanic word for the dative case, der Wemfall, reflects the der-to-dem change. The question word in the dative is, naturally enough, wem ([to] whom): Wem hast du das Buch gegeben?, Whom did you give book? (Who'd you give the book to?) Some German verbs do not take an accusative object. For more about these exceptions, see Dative Verbs (including genitive verbs).

Dative Prepositions

The Dative Case with Prepositions Dative Prepositions + Dual Prepositions (Acc/Dat) Summary | Nominative | Accusative | Dative | Genitive Werfall | Wenfall | Wemfall | Wesfall Nominativ | Akkusativ | Dativ | Genitiv Also see: The Dative Case (Part 1)

Präpositionen mit Dativ Certain German prepositions are governed by the dative case. That is, they take an object in the dative case. Many dative prepositions tend to be very common vocabulary in German: nach (after, to), von (by, of) and mit (with). In English, prepositions take the objective case (object of the preposition) and all prepositions take the same case. In German, prepositions come in several "flavors," only one of which is dative. There are two kinds of dative prepositions: (1) those that are always dative and never anything else, and (2) certain "two-way" or "dual" prepositions that can be either dative or accusative—depending on how they are used. See the chart below for a complete list of each type. In the German-English examples below, the dative preposition is red. The object of the preposition is blue: Mit der Bahn fahren wir. We're going by train. Meiner Meinung nach ist es zu teuer. In my opinion it's too expensive. Das Hotel ist dem Bahnhof gegenüber. The hotel is across from the train station. Er arbeitet bei einer großen Firma. He works at a big company. Wir verbringen eine Woche am See. We're spending a week at the lake. Notice in the second and third examples above that the object comes before the preposition. (With gegenüber this is optional.) Some German prepositions use this reverse word order, but the object must still be in the correct case.

Here is a list of the dative-only prepositions. You should memorize them with their meanings. Dative Prepositions Deutsch

Englisch

aus

from, out of

außer

except for, besides

bei

at, near

gegenüber

across from, opposite

Gegenüber can go before or after its object. mit

with, by

nach

after, to

seit

since (time), for

von

by, from

zu

at, to

NOTE: The genitive prepositions statt (instead of), trotz (in spite of), während (during) and wegen (because of) are often used with the dative in spoken German, particularly in certain regions. If you want to "blend in" and not sound too stuffy, you can use them in the dative also. Two-Way Prepositions Dative/Accusative NOTE: The meaning of a two-way preposition also depends on whether it is in the accusative or dative. See below for the grammar rules. Deutsch

Englisch

an

at, on, to

auf

at, to, on, upon

hinter

behind

in

in, into

neben

beside, near, next to

über

about, above, across, over

unter

under, among

vor

in front of, before; ago (time)

zwischen

between

The basic rule for determining whether a two-way preposition should have an object in the accusative or dative case is motion (wohin?, where to?) versus location (wo?, where?, at rest). If there is motion towards something or a specific location, then usually that is accusative. If there is no motion at all or random motion going nowhere in particular, then that is usually dative. Remember, this applies only to the two-way prepositions! Here are two sets of examples: Wir gehen ins Kino. (in das, accus.) We're going to the movies/cinema. (motion towards) Wir sind im Kino. (in dem, dat.) We're at the movies/cinema. (location)

Legen Sie das Buch auf den Tisch. (accusative) Put/Lay the book on the table. (motion towards) Das Buch liegt auf dem Tisch. (dative) The book's lying on the table. (location) A single German two-way preposition – such as in or auf – may have more than one English translation, as you can see above. In addition, you'll find many of these prepositions have yet another meaning in common everyday idioms and expressions: auf dem Lande (in the country), um drei Uhr (at three o'clock), unter uns (among us), am Mittwoch (on Wednesday), vor einer Woche (a week ago), etc. Such expressions can be learned as vocabulary without worrying about the grammar involved.

The Genitive Case Summary | Nominative | Accusative | Genitive Werfall | Wenfall | Wemfall | Wesfall Nominativ | Akkusativ | Dativ | Genitiv Der Genitiv • Der Wesfall

Also see: The genitive case with prepositions The genitive case in German shows possession and is expressed in English by the possessive "of" or an apostrophe-s ('s). The genitive case is also used with some verb idioms and with the genitive prepositions. The genitive is used more in written German than in spoken form. In spoken, everyday German, von plus the dative often replaces the genitive: Das Auto von meinem Bruder = My brother's car. You can tell that a noun is in the genitive case by the article, which changes to des/eines (masculine and neuter) or der/einer (feminine and plural). Since the genitive only has two forms (des or der), you only need to learn those two. However, in the masculine and neuter, there is also an additional noun ending, either -es or -s:

das Auto meines Bruders my brother's car (the car of my brother) die Bluse des Mädchens the girl's blouse (the blouse of the girl) der Titel des Filmes (Films) the title of the film Feminine and plural nouns do not add an ending in the genitive. The feminine genitive (der/einer) is identical to the feminine dative. The one-word genitive article usually translates as two words (of the / of a/an) in English. Print this page (without ads) Definite Articles (the) Fall Case

Masc.

Neu.

Fem.

Plur.

Nom

der

das

die

die

Gen

des (-es/s)*

der

Indefinite Article (a/an) Nom Gen

ein

ein eines (-es/s)*

eine

keine (k)einer

*Note: Some masc. nouns add an -en or -n ending in the genitive and in all other cases besides the nominative. Adjective endings: In the genitive case, adjectives almost always have an -en ending. Examples: des neuen Autos, der hohen Kosten

The Germanic word for the genitive case is der Wesfall. The question word in the genitive is wessen (whose): Wessen Buch hast du? (Whose book do you have?) When showing possession with the names of people, countries or cities, German adds an s (without an apostrophe): Karls Haus, Marias Buch, die Geschichte Deutschlands (Germany's history). Unfortunately, many German-speakers have adopted the English practice of using an apostrophe (Karl's Auto) for the possessive forms, but it is still considered to be substandard German. Genitive Expressions The genitive is used in some idiomatic expressions.

Ende der Woche gehen wir. At the end of the week we're going. Ich muss das Anfang des Monats bezahlen. I have to pay that at the start of the month.

For more examples, see A Closer Look at the Genitive Case, an article by your Guide. Genitive Prepositions

Präpositionen mit Genitiv ALSO > The Genitive Case (1) and A Closer Look A few German prepositions are governed by the genitive case. That is, they take an object in the genitive case. There are only a few common genitive prepositions* in German, including: (an)statt (instead of), außerhalb/innerhalb (outside/inside of), trotz (in spite of), während (during) and wegen (because of). Notice that most of the time the genitive prepositions can be translated with "of" in English. Even während can be rendered as "in the course of" as well as "during." * Other genitive prepositions in addition to those listed above include: angesichts (in view of), beiderseits (on both sides of), diesseits (this side of), jenseits (on the other side of), and laut (according to).

The genitive prepositions are often used with the dative in spoken German, particularly in certain regions. If you want to "blend in" and not sound too stuffy, you can use them in the dative also, but purists will want to learn the genitive forms. In the German-English examples below, the genitive preposition is red. The object of the preposition is blue: Während der Woche arbeiten wir. During the week we work. Trotz des Wetters fahren wir heute nach Hause. In spite of the weather we're driving home today.

Here is a list of common genitive prepositions. You should memorize them with their meanings. Genitive Prepositions Deutsch

Englisch

anstatt statt

instead of

außerhalb

outside of

innerhalb

inside of

trotz

despite, in spite of

während

during, in the course of

wegen

because of

NOTE: The genitive prepositions listed above are often used with the dative in spoken German, particularly in certain regions. Examples: trotz dem Wetter - in spite of the weather während der Woche - during the week (same as genitive) wegen den Kosten - because of the costs