german notes for a1

Lesson 1 - Nouns & Gender Welcome to the first German Grammar lesson in this course. The first lesson will cover everything about German nouns and their gender.

Capital Letter for Nouns In German, all nouns must begin with a capital letter, regardless of their position within a sentence.



Wir sind 5 Leute im Haus, meine Eltern, meine Schwester und mein Bruder

In the above example, Leute (persons), Haus (house), Eltern (parents), Schwester (sister), and Bruder (brother) are all nouns; and thus must begin with a capital letter.

Gender of Nouns Unlike in English, each noun in German has its own gender; either masculine (der), feminine (die), or neuter (das). Plural nouns are always considered feminine

(die).

That gender is not necessarily the actual gender of the corresponding real-life object; instead it is purely grammatical. As gender is quite unpredictable, the best thing is to simply learn each noun along with its definite article (der, die, or das).

Nouns and Gender

der Mann

the man

der Vogel

the bird

die Frau

the woman

die Blume

the flower

das Kind

the child

das Obst

the fruit

Masculine

Feminine

Neuter

Make sure to check the grammar table associated with this lesson for many clues and hints on determining the gender of a noun.

Compound Nouns The German language contains many nouns that are composed from two or more words connected together (which makes German famous for having very long words). The combined words themselves don't have to be nouns, they could be adjectives, verb stems, and prepositions. However, the last element of the compound noun must be a noun; as the gender of the compound noun and its plural are determined by that last noun.

Compound Nouns

Noun + Noun

der Vater das Vaterland

fatherland / native country

der Schnellzug

express train

das Land

Adjective + Noun

schnell

der Zug

Verb Stem + Noun

trinken das Trinkwasser

drinking water

das Wasser

Definite & Indefinite Articles Definite articles refer to specific objects, they are similar to the article 'the' in English. All the previous examples shown in this lesson used the definite articles,

which

are

'der',

'die',

and

'das'.

The corresponding indefinite articles, which refer to unspecific objects, and are similar to the English articles 'a' and 'an', are 'ein' and 'eine', shown below. Noting that as in the English language, there is no indefinite article for plurals in German.

Definite & Indefinite Articles

Definite

Indefinite

Masculine

der

ein

Feminine

die

eine

Neuter

das

ein

Plural

die

-

This concludes the first lesson, make sure to check the grammar tables and the exercises for this lesson before proceeding to the next one.

Nouns & Gender - Grammar Table The

tables

below

show

many

hints

that

can

help

identify

the

gender

of

a

noun

in

German.

Note that these tables don't cover all German nouns, as there exists many nouns with different endings than the ones shown here, as well as many exceptions. Thus, it's always advisable when learning new nouns to study them along with their gender.



Hints for Masculine Nouns



Suffix

-el

der Vogel (bird)

-er

der Computer (computer)

-ig

der Käfig (cage)

-ismus

der Journalismus (journalism)

-ling

der Frühling (spring)

-or

der Professor (professor)

Rules



Male persons

der Sohn (son)

Days

der Sonntag (Sunday)

Months

der Januar (January)

Seasons

der Winter (winter)

Hints for Feminine Nouns



Suffix

-ei

die Partei (party)

-ie

die Batterie (battery)

-enz

die Konferenz (conference)

-heit

die Freiheit (freedom)

-keit

die Männlichkeit (manhood)

-ion

die Legion (legion)

-ik

die Akustik (acoustic)

-age

die Garage (garage)

-tät

die Universität (university)

-schaft

die Mannschaft (team/crew)

-ung

die Wohnung (flat)

-ur

die Karikatur (carucature)

Rules



Female persons

die Tochter (daughter)

Most trees

die Föhre (pine tree)

Most flowers

die Rose (rose)

Most fruits

die Banane (banana)

Hints for Neuter Nouns



Suffix

-chen

das Kätzchen (kitten)

-lein

das Fräulein (young lady)

-ma

das Drama (drama)

-ett

das Bett (bed)

-ment

das Experiment (experiment)

-o

das Foto (photo)

-um

das Kalzium (calcium)

Rules

Towns

das Frankfurt (Frankfurt)

Countries

das Ägypten (Egypt)

Colors

das Grün (Green)

Infinitives used as nouns

das Tanzen (dancing)

Nouns & Gender - Exercise 1 Identify the gender of the following nouns by supplying the missing definite article.

Nouns & Gender - Exercise 1

1) der Hund (masculine)

2) die Sonne (feminine)

3) das Haus (neuter)

4) die Elefanten (plural)

5) das Krankenhaus (compound noun)

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Grammar Lessons 

Unit 01 1.

Nouns & Gender a.

Grammar Table

b.

Exercise 1

c.



Exercise 2

2.

Plural of Nouns

3.

Subject Pronouns

4.

Verbs in the Present Tense

5.

Irregular Verbs

6.

To be & to have

7.

Separable Verbs

8.

Modal Verbs

9.

Imperatives

10.

Questions

Unit 02 1.

German Cases

2.

Nominative Case

3.

Accusative Case

4.

Dative Case

5.

Genitive Case

6.

Prepositions I

7.

Prepositions II

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Nouns & Gender - Exercise 2 Using the hints from the grammar table associated with this lesson, identify the gender of the following nouns by supplying the missing definite article.

Nouns & Gender - Exercise 2

1) der Tempel

2) die Krankheit

3) der Honig

4) das Schwimmen

5) die Übung

6) das Bisschen

7) der Journalismus

8) die Blamage

9) der Februar

10) das Dokument

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Grammar Lessons 

Unit 01 1.

Nouns & Gender

2.

Plural of Nouns a.



Exercise 1

3.

Subject Pronouns

4.

Verbs in the Present Tense

5.

Irregular Verbs

6.

To be & to have

7.

Separable Verbs

8.

Modal Verbs

9.

Imperatives

10.

Questions

Unit 02 1.

German Cases

2.

Nominative Case

3.

Accusative Case

4.

Dative Case

5.

Genitive Case

6.

Prepositions I

7.

Prepositions II

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Lesson 2 - Plural of Nouns Plural of nouns in the German language is much different than in English. In English, plurals are formed simply by adding '-s' to the end of the noun. In German, it's not that simple however; as there are several different ways of forming them. Thus, it's always recommended to learn a new word along with its plural.

This lesson will provide some common patterns for typical endings of nouns' plural based on the gender of the noun. However, these patterns should only be considered as guidelines rather than rules; as irregularities may always exist.

Masculine Nouns

Adding an '-e' Most of the German masculine nouns form their plurals by simply adding an '-e' at their end.

Masculine plurals: -e

der Beruf

die Berufe

professions

der Schuh

die Schuhe

shoes

der Stift

die Stifte

pencils

der Hund

die Hunde

dogs

Adding an umlaut and '-e' Sometimes when the stem of a masculine noun contains an 'a', 'o', or 'u', an umlaut is added to it, in addition to the '-e' at the end.

Masculine plurals: ¨-e

der Zahn

die Zähne

teeth

der Kopf

die Köpfe

heads

der Zug

die Züge

trains

Nouns ending in '-er', '-el', or '-en' Nouns ending in '-er', '-el', or '-en' are either left unchanged, or have an umlaut added to their stem.

Masculine plurals: -er, -el, -en endings

der Dichter

die Dichter

poets

der Mantel

die Mäntel

coats

der Laden

die Läden

shops/stores

Feminine Nouns

Adding a '-n' or an '-en' Most of the German feminine nouns form their plural by simply adding '-n' or '-en' at their end.

Feminine plurals: -n or -en

die Blume

die Blumen

flowers

die Stirn

die Stirnen

foreheads

die Nase

die Nasen

noses

die Wohnung

die Wohnungen

apartments

Adding an umlaut and '-e' Sometimes when the stem of a feminine noun contains an 'a', 'o', or 'u', an umlaut is added to it, in addition to an '-e' at the end.

Feminine plurals: ¨-e

die Wand

die Wände

walls

die Kuh

die Kühe

cows

die Hand

die Hände

hands

Neuter Nouns

Adding an '-e' Most of the German neuter nouns form their plural by simply adding an '-e' at their end.

Neuter plurals: -e

das Regal

die Regale

shelves

das Haar

die Haare

hair

das Schaf

die Schafe

sheep

Adding an umlaut and '-er' Sometimes when the stem of a neuter noun contains an 'a', 'o', or 'u', an umlaut is added to it, in addition to an '-er' at the end.

Neuter plurals: ¨-er

das Buch

die Bücher

books

das Huhn

die Hühner

chicken

das Loch

die Löcher

holes

Nouns ending in '-chen' Neuter nouns ending in '-chen' are kept unchanged in their plural forms.

Neuter plurals: -chen ending

das Mädchen

die Mädchen

girls

das Zeichen

die Zeichen

characters

That ends the most common patterns found in all three genders. Remember though, that these are just guidelines, and not strict language rules; thus exceptions exist.

To avoid any confusion, it's always recommended for new German language students to study each noun along with its gender and its plural. By time, you should develop a good sense of the language, and be able to form plurals without having to study them by heart.

Plural of Nouns - Exercise 1 Rewrite the following nouns as plural nouns.



All answers are case-sensitive.



If you can't figure out the answer of a certain question, press on the 'hint' button next to it.



German characters are found on the first row of the table, copy/paste them into your answers whenever needed.

Plural of Nouns - Exercise 1

1) der Gast → die Gäste

Gäste Tische

2) der Tisch → die Tische

Spiegel

3) der Spiegel → die Spiegel

4) der Falter → die Falter

5) die Tasse → die Tassen

Falter Tassen

6) die Zeitung → die Zeitungen

7) die Wurst → die Würste

8) das Bein → die Beine

9) das Wort → die Wörter

Zeitungen

Würste Beine

Wörter

10) das Entchen → die Entchen

Entchen

Lesson 3 - Subject Pronouns Before discussing verb forms in the German language, you'll have to know a bit about 'subjects'.

This lesson only discusses subject pronouns; pronouns as a whole will be discussed in detail in later lessons. The subject of a sentence is usually a noun that names a person or thing that performs the action. A pronoun is a word that takes the place of that noun.

First-person & Second-person Pronouns In

German,

there

are

two

ways

of

addressing

people,

either

formal

or

informal.

The informal is usually used when addressing friends & children, while the formal method is used with people whom you may not know well or who are older than you.

First-person & Second-person Pronouns

Singular Pronoun

Plural Pronoun

ich

I

wir

we

du

you - informal

ihr

you - informal

Sie

you - formal

Sie

you - formal

Third-person Pronouns In German, the subject pronoun must follow the gender of the noun it replaces. Since some German masculine nouns are inanimate objects, the German masculine pronoun can mean 'it' when referring to something inanimate, or it can mean 'he' when referring to something male. The same thing occurs with female and neuter pronouns.

Third-person Pronouns

Masculine Noun

Masculine Pronoun

der Arzt

doctor

er

he

der Tisch

table

er

it

Feminine Noun

Feminine Pronoun

die Mutter

mother

sie

she

die Wand

wall

sie

it

Neuter Noun

Neuter Pronoun

das Kind

child

es

he/she

das Mädchen

girl

es

she

das Papier

es

paper

Plural Noun

it

Plural Pronoun

die Kinder

children

sie

they

die Blumen

flowers

sie

they

die Stühle

chairs

sie

they

The German 'sie/Sie' might be very confusing for the beginner German learners. Don't worry though, you should be able to easily differentiate between their intended meanings in a sentence when you learn verb conjugation.

Now that you know the German subject pronouns, you're ready to learn about verbs

Subject Pronouns - Exercise 1 Give the pronoun that appropriately replaces the noun or phrase in bold.

Subject Pronouns - Exercise 1

1) Die Wohnung ist ziemlich klein. sie

2) Wo ist das Kind? es

3) Der Himmel ist sehr hoch. er

4) Anna und Peter trinken keinen Kaffee. sie pl.

5) Meine Schwester und ich spielen jetzt mit den Barbies. wir

6) Peter hat zwei Hunde. er

7) Meine Familie ist lustig. sie

Lesson 4 - Verbs in the Present Tense Now that you know the German subject pronouns, you're ready to learn about verbs.

In German, the verb must agree with the subject pronoun preceding it (grammatically speaking, that is, in person and number), that is called 'verb conjugation'. Thus, German has more endings for verbs than in English.

Verb Conjugation To conjugate a verb, you simply take its stem and then add the required ending. The stem is the form of the infinitive without -en or -n.

Verb Conjugation

kommen

hören

ich

komme

höre

du

kommst

hörst

er / sie / es

kommt

hört

wir

kommen

hören

ihr

kommt

hört

sie

kommen

hören

Sie

kommen

hören

In German, there is only one present tense, which corresponds both to the simple and to the continuous present:



Ich trinke Wasser - I drink water or I am drinking water



Sie kommt hier - She comes here or She is coming here

To end this lesson, here are a few examples:

Lesson 2 Examples

Example

Meaning

ich

ich lerne Deutsch

I am learning German

du

du spielst gut

You are playing good

er / sie / es

Sie kocht Spagetti

She is cooking spaghetti

wir

wir bleiben zwei Tage

We are staying two days

ihr

ihr singt ein Lied

You are singing a song

sie

sie trinken Bier

They are drinking beer

Sie

Sie wohnen in Berlin

You are living in Berlin

Verbs in the Present Tense - Exercise 1 Depending on the subject pronoun given, select the correct verb ending. Verbs in the Present Tense - Exercise 1

1) Ich gehe jetzt

2) Wir bleiben hier

3) Ihr trinkt Kaffee

4) Du lernst Deutsch

5) Er kommt aus Ägypten

Way to go! You've answered them all correctly !

Lesson 5 - Irregular Verbs Unfortunately, not all the German verbs follow the regular pattern shown in the previous lesson; there are some verbs with slight variations in their stem. These verbs are called 'Irregular Verbs'.

1. Stem ending with 'd' or 't': As it would be difficult to pronounce the 'st' ending for 'du' and the 't' ending for 'er/sie/es' & 'ihr', an 'e' is placed before the ending of these verbs. The extra 'e' is added only to the 'du', 'er/sie/es', and 'ihr' verb forms, other verb forms aren't affected.

Stem ending with 'd' or 't'

finden

leiden

du

findest

leidest

er/sie/es

findet

leidet

ihr

findet

leidet

2. Stem ending with 's', 'ss', 'ß', 'x', 'z', or 'tz': If

the

verb

stem

ends

with

any

of

the

following

endings,

then

the

Only the 'du' verb form is affected.

Stem ending with 's', 'ss', 'ß', 'x', 'z', or 'tz'

du

genesen

küssen

heißen

sitzen

genest

küsst

heißt

sitzt

3. Verbs with a vowel change

'du'

verb

ending

becomes

a

't'

instead

of

'st'.

Some verbs have the vowel in their stem change with the 'du' and 'er/sie/es' form of the verb. These verbs are best learnt by heart. The three most common vowel change patterns are:

'a' to 'ä'

backen

fahren

schlafen

waschen

du

bäckst

fährst

schläfst

wäschst

er/sie/es

bäckt

fährt

schläft

wäscht

'e' to 'i'

essen

geben

sprechen

weben

du

isst

gibst

sprichst

wibst

er/sie/es

isst

gibt

spricht

wibt

'e' to 'ie'

befehlen

lesen

sehen

stehlen

du

befiehlst

liest

siehst

stielst

er/sie/es

befiehlt

liest

sieht

stielt

concludes

our

This

lesson,

quite

simple,

eh

Make sure to check the grammar table associated with this lesson, it contains most of the irregular verbs that appear within the German language.

Irregular Verbs - Exercise 1 Type the correct verb conjugations in the present tense.



All answers are case-sensitive.



If you can't figure out the answer of a certain question, press on the 'hint' button next to it.

?



German characters are found on the first row of the table, copy/paste them into your answers whenever needed.

Irregular Verbs - Exercise 1

isst 1) Du isst

(essen) zu viel Käse

schläft 2) Er schläft

(schlafen) drei Stunden

heißt 3) Du heißt

(heißen) Peter

spendet 4) Ihr spendet

(spenden) 5 Euro

sieht 5) Er sieht

(sehen) einen Film

tanzt 6) Du tanzt

(tanzen) allein

liest 7) Er liest

(lesen) viel

küsst 8) Du küsst

(küssen) mich

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Lesson 6 - To be & to have As

in

English,

the

two

verbs

'to

be'

(sein)

and

'to

have'

(haben)

Both verbs are also irregular, and don't follow any of the conjugation rules discussed in the previous lessons.

1. To be (sein): The verb 'sein' is completely irregular in all of its forms; and thus needs to be learned by heart.

Conjugation of 'sein'

ich

bin

du

bist

er / sie / es

ist

wir

sind

ihr

seid

sie

sind

Sie

sind

2. To have (haben):

are

quite

important

in

German.

The verb 'haben' is only irregular in its 'du' and 'er/sie/es' forms; as the letter 'b' is removed from its stem.

Conjugation of 'haben'

ich

habe

du

hast

er / sie / es

hat

wir

haben

ihr

habt

sie

haben

Sie

haben

Just like in the English language, both verbs are used to form tenses; and thus are very widely used within the German language.

To end this lesson, here are a few examples of both verbs in use:

Lesson 4 examples

ich bin aus Ägypten

I'm from Egypt

du bist sehr Hübsch

You're very pretty

er hat eine Katze

He has a cat

wir haben keine Zeit

We have no time

ihr seid niemals allein

You are never alone

sie haben eine neue Wohnung

They have a new apartment

Sie sind Willkommen

You’re Welcome

To be & to have - Exercise 1 Fill in the blanks using the correct conjugation of the verb given between brackets.



All answers are case-sensitive.



If you can't figure out the answer of a certain question, press on the 'hint' button next to it.



German characters are found on the first row of the table, copy/paste them into your answers whenever needed.

To be & to have - Exercise 1

bist 1) Du bist

(sein) sehr kurz

hat 2) Er hat

(haben) eine Schwester

bin 3) Ich bin

(sein) achtzehn Jahre alt

haben 4) Wir haben

(haben) Hunger

hast 5) Du hast

(haben) viel zu tun

seid 6) Ihr seid

(sein) so leise

habe 7) Ich habe

(haben) Durst

ist 8) Es ist

(sein) zu teuer

habt 9) Ihr habt

(haben) eine Tochter

Lesson 7 - Separable Verbs A characteristic feature of German is its ability to create verbs with new meanings through the addition of prefixes to nouns, adjectives, or other verbs. For example:



aus + gehen = ausgehen - to go out



ver + kaufen = verkaufen - to sell

German has two categories of prefixes: inseparable prefixes and separable prefixes. However, few prefixes exist that can be used in either catgory. Also, a verb could have more than one prefix, each giving a new verb with a different meaning than the others. Take the verb 'kommen' for example:

Same Verb with Different Prefixes

Verb

Meaning

kommen

to come

ankommen

to arrive

mitkommen

to come along

weiterkommen

to get on

hereinkommen

to come in

herauskommen

to come out

nachkommen

to come later

zurückkommen

to come back

Inseparable Prefixes These prefixes are always attached to the front end of a verb and are never removed from it no matter the tense or form of the verb. When pronouncing a verb

with

an

inseparable

prefix,

the

stress

The table below shows these prefixes, along with some examples:

Inseparable Prefixes

Prefix

Example Verb

Meaning

bekommen

to get/receive

besuchen

to visit/attend

empfehlen

to recommend

empfinden

to feel

entlassen

to discharge/fire

entscheiden

to decide/determine

erfinden

to invent/make-up

erwarten

to expect/anticipate

gehorchen

to obey

gestatten

to permit/allow

missachtest

to disobey/disregard

misstrauen

to mistrust/suspect

vergessen

to forget

verstehen

to understand

zerstören

to destroy

zerkratzen

to scratch

be-

emp-

ent-

er-

ge-

miss-

ver-

zer-

is

always

on

the

stem

of

the

verb.

The inseparable prefix remains attached to the verb when its conjugated. Notice the position of the inseparable prefix in the following examples:



Ich verstehe sehr gut Deutsch - I understant very good German



Ich besuche meine Eltern jeden Tag - I visit my parents everyday

Separable Prefixes Separable prefixes are adverbs and prepositions that are detached from the verb when it is conjugated. It would be completely impractical to list all of those prefixes;

as

there

are

many.

When

pronouncing

a

verb

with

The table below shows the most common ones along with some examples:

Separable Prefixes

Prefix

Example Verb

Meaning

ankommen

to arrive

anrufen

to phone somebody

aufstehen

to wake up

aufhören

to stop/cease

ausgehen

to go out

aussprechen

to pronounce

beibringen

to teach

beitragen

to add/contribute

einkaufen

to go shopping

einladen

to invite

fortfahren

to continue/proceed

fortgehen

to go away

mitgehen

to go along

mitarbeiten

to collaborate

nachahmen

to imitate/copy

nacharbeiten

to rework/revise

vorstellen

to present/introduce

an-

auf-

aus-

bei-

ein-

fort-

mit-

nach-

vor-

a

separable

prefix,

the

stress

is

always

on

the

separable

prefix.

vorbereiten

to prepare/set up

wegfahren

to drive away

weglaufen

to run away

zuhören

to listen

zunehmen

to increase/grow

weg-

zu-

As already mentioned, when a verb with a separable prefix is conjugated in the present tense, the separable prefix is detached from it. The prefix is moved to the end of its clause. Notice the position of the inseparable prefix in the following examples:



Herr Bauer ruft seine Frau an - Mr Bauer is calling his wife



Ich gehe mit meinen Freunden jeden Tag aus - I go out with my friends everyday



Sie kauft im Supermarkt ein - She is shopping in the supermarket

Prefixes that can be Separable or Inseparable A few prefixes exist that can be either separable or inseparable, depending on the way the verb is pronounced. When the stress is on the prefix itself, the prefix is separable. But when the stress is on the stem of the verb, it's a strong signal that the prefix is an inseparable one. A few examples are shown in the next table:

Prefixes that can be Separable or Inseparable

Prefix

Separable Verb

Inseparable Verb

durch-

durchfallen

durchdringen

um-

umsteigen

umarmen

wieder-

wiedergeben

wiederholen

Of course, the verb conjugation depends on whether the prefix is separable or inseparable, as shown in the next example:



Wir steigen in Berlin um (umsteigen) - We change (busses) in Berlin



Wir umarmen uns (umarmen) - We embrace ourselves

That brings us to the end of this lesson. Make sure to solve the exercises associated with this lesson before proceeding to the next ones.

Lesson 8 - Modal Verbs Modal

verbs

are

verbs

used

to

modify

For example: You can eat, I must stay.

Use of Modal Verbs with Another Verb

or

change

other

verbs

to

show

such

things

as

ability,

permission,

or

necessity.

In German, modal verbs are very similar to those in English; as they are generally used together with a main verb in its infinitive form. However, there is one main difference between both languages. In English, the modal verb and the main verb stay together; whereas in German, the modal verb and the main verb are separated; as the main verb goes to the end of the sentence.



Wir müssen heute entscheiden - We must decide today

German Modal Verbs There are six modal verbs in German, all having conjugation that is different than regular German verbs (discussed in an earlier lesson). The six German modal verbs are: dürfen, können, mögen, müssen, sollen, and wollen.

Modal Verbs in Detail

Dürfen - may/to be allowed to Conjugation of dürfen

ich

darf

wir

dürfen

du

darfst

ihr

dürft

er/sie/es

darf

sie

dürfen

Sie

dürfen

Dürfen is used to express permission:



Ihr dürft hier rauchen - You are allowed to smoke here

When used with 'nicht', dürfen conveys the meaning of something one must not do.



Ihr dürft hier nicht rauchen - You must not smoke here

Können - can/to be able to Conjugation of können

ich

kann

wir

können

du

kannst

ihr

könnt

er/sie/es

kann

sie

können

Sie

können

Können means 'can' or 'to be able to':



Ich kann den Wecker nicht ausschalten - I can't turn off the alarm clock

It can also be used to express possibility:



Das kann nicht sein - That can't be true

Müssen - must/to have to/need to Conjugation of müssen

ich

muss

wir

müssen

du

musst

ihr

müsst

er/sie/es

muss

sie

müssen

Sie

müssen

Müssen means 'to have to' or 'must' or 'need to':



Du musst um sieben aufstehen - You must/have to wake up at seven.

When used with 'nicht', it doesn't convey the meaning of prohibition as in English, but means 'do not have to' (remember that dürfen + nicht is used to say 'must not').



Du musst nicht kommen - You don't have to come.

Sollen - to be supposed to/should/ought to Conjugation of sollen

ich

soll

wir

sollen

du

sollst

ihr

sollt

er/sie/es

soll

sie

sollen

Sie

sollen

Sollen means 'to be supposed to' or 'should' or 'ought to':



Wir sollen mehr arbeiten - We ought to work more



Du sollst deine Freunde einladen - You should invite your friends

Wollen - to want Conjugation of wollen

ich

will

wir

wollen

du

willst

ihr

wollt

er/sie/es

will

sie

wollen

Sie

wollen

Wollen usually expresses an intention or desire, equivilant to the English 'to want to':



Ich will etwas trinken - I want to drink something

Take note not to use the verb in the sense of the English verb 'will' to form the future tense. This requires another verb in German ('werden').

Mögen/möchten - to like/would like Conjugation of mögen/möchten

ich

mag/möchte

wir

mögen/möchten

du

magst/möchtest

ihr

mögt/möchtet

er/sie/es

mag/möchte

sie

mögen/möchten

Sie

mögen/möchten

The modal verb mögen means 'to like' and is often used with reference to people, food, or places.



Ich mag Tennis - I like Tennis

However, the verb is most oftenly used in its subjunctive form, möchten, which means 'would like to'.



Er möchte das Auto fahren - He would like to drive the car

As with 'mögen', 'möchten' could also be used on its own, without a second verb.



Ich möchte ein Glas Wasser, bitte - I would like a glass of water, please

Modal and Separable Verbs When a modal verb is used with a separable one, the separable verb stays together and goes to the end of the sentance.



Ich will Morgen ausgehen - I want to go out tomorrow



Du sollst deine Mutter anrufen - You should call your mother

Now you nearly know everything about German verbs in the present tense, only reflexive verbs are left for another lesson in a later unit. Using very little vocabulary, you should be able to form complete German sentances by now.

Modal Verbs - Exercise 1 Fill in the blanks using the correct conjugation of the modal verbs given between brackets.



All answers are case-sensitive.



If you can't figure out the answer of a certain question, press on the 'hint' button next to it.



German characters are found on the first row of the table, copy/paste them into your answers whenever needed.

Modal Verbs - Exercise 1

kann 1) Ich kann

(können) morgen leider nicht kommen

müssen 2) Sie müssen

(müssen) langsam fahren

darfst 3) Du darfst

(dürfen) zu Hause bleiben

können 4) Wir können

(können) es nicht finden

sollt 5) Ihr sollt

(sollen) den Wagen schnell reparieren

möchte 6) Ich möchte

(möchten) einen Saft, bitte

mögen 7) Wir mögen

(mögen) die Musik

w ill 8) Er will

(wollen) eine reiche Braut heiraten

Imperatives - Exercise 1 Fill in the blanks using the correct imperative form of the verbs given between brackets.



All answers are case-sensitive.



If you can't figure out the answer of a certain question, press on the 'hint' button next to it.



German characters are found on the first row of the table, copy/paste them into your answers whenever needed.

Imperatives - Exercise 1

Bring 1) Bring

mir ein Bier! (bringen - du form)

seien 2) Bitte, seien

Sie ruhig. (sein)

Schlaf 3) Schlaf

gut! (schlafen - du form)

Fahrt 4) Fahrt

nicht nach Berlin! (fahren - ihr form)

Gib 5) Gib

es mir! (geben - du form)

Gehen 6) Gehen

Sie nach rechts. (gehen)

Bleibt 7) Bleibt

an der Ecke! (bleiben - ihr form)

Rufen

an

8) Rufen

Sie die Polizei an

. (anrufen)

Sprich 9) Sprich

Deutsch! (sprechen - du form)

spielt 10) Jungen, spielt

nicht im Garten! (spielen - ihr form)

Way to go! You've answered them all correctly !

Lesson 9 - Imperatives An imperative is a form of the verb used when giving orders or instructing people to do things. In English, the imperative works by using the infinitive form of the verb, for example: Come here!, Speak loudly!.

In German the imperative is a little more complicated though; as there exists three different imperative forms, depending on the number of persons being addressed, and whether addressed formally or informally.

'du' Form This

form

is

used

when

addressing

a

person

with

whom

you're

quite

familiar.

Also in this form, the 'du' pronoun is dropped from the sentance, and only the imperative form of the verb appears.

Regular Verbs

For regular verbs, the imperative is formed by using the stem of the verb without an ending.

Imperative of regular verbs

Verb

Imperative

Example

trinken

trink

Trink weniger!

kommen

komm

Komm jetzt!

bleiben

bleib

Bleib hier!

Irregular Verbs

Irregular verbs retain their irregularities in their imperative form as well. Verbs with a stem ending with '-d', '-t', or 'consonant + m/n', have an '-e' added to their

stem.

While verbs haveing a stem vowel change have the same stem vowel change in their imperative form, except for verbs having a vowel change from 'a' to 'ä', these don't change.

Imperative of irregular verbs

Stem ending with '-d', '-t', 'consonant + m/n'

Verb

Imperative

Example

warten

warte

Warte bis Morgen!

öffnen

öffne

Öffne die Tür!

atmen

atme

Atme schneller!

Stem with a vowel change

Verb

Imperative

Example

helfen

hilf

Hilf mir!

lesen

lies

Lies das Buch!

sprechen

sprich

Sprich leise!

Stem with 'a' to 'ä' vowel change

Verb

Imperative

Example

tragen

trag

Trag deine Uniform!

fahren

fahr

Fahr links!

haben & sein

Both verbs behave exactly like regular verbs, just use the stem of the verb.

Imperative of haben & sein

Verb

Imperative

Example

haben

hab

Hab Geduld!

sein

sei

Sei ruhig!

Separable Verbs

The prefix of these verbs splits off, and is placed at the end of its clause.

Imperative of separable verbs

Verb

Imperative

Example

zumachen

mach zu

Mach die Tür zu!

aufhören

hör auf

Hör aber endlich auf!

'ihr' Form

The

informal

plural

is

used

when

addressing

at

least

two

people

whom

you

are

familiar

with.

is

left.

This form is very similar to the 'du' imperative form

The

'ihr'

For

regular

Irregular

pronoun verbs,

verbs

is

the

which

dropped

imperative take

is

an

from formed

'-e'

the

by

ending

using in

the

sentance, the 'du'

stem

only of

form,

the

imperative

the

verb

and

adding

take

an

'-et'

ending

from

the

sentance

verb a in

'-t'

ending the

'ihr'

to

it. form.

Separable verbs split off their prefix.

Imperative of regular verbs

Verb

Imperative

Example

kommen

kommt

Kommt, bitte!

holen

holt

Holt es mir!

Imperative of irregular verbs

Verb

Imperative

Example

arbeiten

arbeitet

Arbeitet nicht so viel!

anworten

antwortet

Antwortet auf die Frage!

Imperative of separable verbs

Verb

Imperative

Example

ausziehen

zieht aus

Zieht den Pullover aus!

aufmachen

macht auf

Macht das Gepäck auf!

'Sie' Form The 'Sie' form is used when addressing one person or more in a formal manner.

Unlike The

the

'du'

imperative

& of

'ihr' regular

pronouns, &

irregular

the

'Sie'

verbs

pronoun is

simple

Separable verbs split off their prefix.

Imperative of regular & irregular verbs

Verb

Imperative

Example

geben

geben

Geben Sie mir das Buch, bitte.

fragen

fragen

Fragen Sie den Mann da.

Imperative of separable verbs

Verb

Imperative

Example

isn't formed

dropped by

using

the

present-tense

when 'Sie'

forming form

of

imperatives. the

verb.

anfangen

fangen an

Fangen Sie bitte an.

umsteigen

steigen um

Steigen Sie hier um.

Verb in First Position All imperative forms in German have one feature in common: the verb is placed at the start of the sentance. This structure is very similar to English.

Frequent Use The imperative is quite frequently used in the German language; as it's not considered impolite or rude to do so. Thus, be prepared to use them alot when using the language!

Imperatives - Exercise 1 Fill in the blanks using the correct imperative form of the verbs given between brackets.



All answers are case-sensitive.



If you can't figure out the answer of a certain question, press on the 'hint' button next to it.



German characters are found on the first row of the table, copy/paste them into your answers whenever needed.

Imperatives - Exercise 1

Bring 1) Bring

mir ein Bier! (bringen - du form)

seien 2) Bitte, seien

Sie ruhig. (sein)

Schlaf 3) Schlaf

gut! (schlafen - du form)

Fahrt 4) Fahrt

nicht nach Berlin! (fahren - ihr form)

Gib 5) Gib

es mir! (geben - du form)

Gehen 6) Gehen

Sie nach rechts. (gehen)

Bleibt 7) Bleibt

an der Ecke! (bleiben - ihr form)

Rufen

an

8) Rufen

Sie die Polizei an

. (anrufen)

Sprich 9) Sprich

Deutsch! (sprechen - du form)

spielt 10) Jungen, spielt

nicht im Garten! (spielen - ihr form)

Lesson 10 - Questions Just as in English, there are two types of questions in the German language: 'yes' or 'no' questions, and interrogative questions.

1) 'Yes' or 'No' Questions These questions are formed by changing the normal word order of the sentence. This is done by swapping round the position of the verb with the subject.

As mentioned in an earlier lesson, the German present tense is used for both the continuous and the simple present. Thus, a question like 'trinkst du Kaffee?" could either mean 'do you drink coffee?' or 'are you drinking coffee?'.

Examples of 'yes' or 'no' questions:



Bist du hungrig? - Are you hungry?



Spielen Sie mit mir? - Are you playing with me?



Geht ihr ins Kino? - Are you going to the cinema?

Questions with Modal & Seperable Verbs When used with a modal verb, the second verb's position is not affected, it remains at the end of the sentence. Same rule applies when using separable verbs,

the

prefix

remains

at

the

end

of

the

sentence.

This rule is also valid for interrogative questions.



Können Sie mich verstehen? - Can you understand me?



Gehst du mit deinen Freunden aus? - Are you going out with your friends?

2) Interrogative Questions An interrogative question is a question that begins with a question word, such as 'who', 'where' and 'what'. Unlike the 'yes' or 'no' questions, these questions could have a variety of answers. The table below shows some of the most common German question words.

Most common German question words

wie

how

was

what

wann

when

warum

why

welcher

which

wo

where

wer

who

Forming Interrogative Questions The rule used to form interrogative questions is very similar to the 'yes' or 'no' questions' rule. The verb precedes the subject of the sentence, and the interrogative word precedes the verb.

Some examples of interrogative questions:



Wann kommt sie? - When is she coming?



Wo arbeitest du? - Where do you work?



Was lernen die Kinder? - What are the children learning?



Wie schwimmen die Fische? - How does the fish swim?

Interrogative as Sentence Subject Certain interrogatives, such as 'wer', can be the subject of the sentence, in that case the interrogative word begins the sentence and is followed by the verb.



Wer spielt Schach? - Who plays chess?

Interrogative Combinations Several new interrogatives are formed by combining certain words, prepositions, and adverbs with the interrogatives 'wie' and 'wo'.

Some example combinations:

'Wie' combinations

wie alt

how old

wie viel

how much

wie groß

how big

wie lange

how long

wie oft

how often

wie spät

how late

'Wo' combinations

wohin

where to

woher

where from

wobei

at what

womit

with what

Some example questions:



Wie alt bist du? - How old are you?



Wie lange bleiben Sie in Berlin? - How long are you staying in Berlin?



Woher kommen Sie? - Where do you come from?



Wohin fährt er am Wochenende? - Where is he travelling to this weekend?

Interrogatives Depending on the Case Although the four German cases haven't been discussed yet, this topic is worth mentioning here for the sake of completeness.

The German interrogatives 'wer' and 'welcher' have other forms depending on the case. The interrogative 'wer' has only one form for each case, while 'welcher' has different forms within each case, depending on gender and number. The table below shows the different forms of the interrogative 'wer'.

Forms of 'wer'

Nominative

wer

who

Accusative

wen

whom

Dative

wem

whom

Genitive

wessen

whose

This brings an end to this lesson and the unit as a whole. Make sure you've understood all the lessons and concepts covered in this unit before proceeding to the next one!

Lesson 10 - Questions Just as in English, there are two types of questions in the German language: 'yes' or 'no' questions, and interrogative questions.

1) 'Yes' or 'No' Questions These questions are formed by changing the normal word order of the sentence. This is done by swapping round the position of the verb with the subject.

As mentioned in an earlier lesson, the German present tense is used for both the continuous and the simple present. Thus, a question like 'trinkst du Kaffee?" could either mean 'do you drink coffee?' or 'are you drinking coffee?'.

Examples of 'yes' or 'no' questions:



Bist du hungrig? - Are you hungry?



Spielen Sie mit mir? - Are you playing with me?



Geht ihr ins Kino? - Are you going to the cinema?

Questions with Modal & Seperable Verbs When used with a modal verb, the second verb's position is not affected, it remains at the end of the sentence. Same rule applies when using separable verbs,

the

prefix

remains

at

the

end

of

the

sentence.

This rule is also valid for interrogative questions.



Können Sie mich verstehen? - Can you understand me?



Gehst du mit deinen Freunden aus? - Are you going out with your friends?

2) Interrogative Questions An interrogative question is a question that begins with a question word, such as 'who', 'where' and 'what'. Unlike the 'yes' or 'no' questions, these questions could have a variety of answers. The table below shows some of the most common German question words.

Most common German question words

wie

how

was

what

wann

when

warum

why

welcher

which

wo

where

wer

who

Forming Interrogative Questions The rule used to form interrogative questions is very similar to the 'yes' or 'no' questions' rule. The verb precedes the subject of the sentence, and the interrogative word precedes the verb.

Some examples of interrogative questions:



Wann kommt sie? - When is she coming?



Wo arbeitest du? - Where do you work?



Was lernen die Kinder? - What are the children learning?



Wie schwimmen die Fische? - How does the fish swim?

Interrogative as Sentence Subject Certain interrogatives, such as 'wer', can be the subject of the sentence, in that case the interrogative word begins the sentence and is followed by the verb.



Wer spielt Schach? - Who plays chess?

Interrogative Combinations Several new interrogatives are formed by combining certain words, prepositions, and adverbs with the interrogatives 'wie' and 'wo'.

Some example combinations:

'Wie' combinations

wie alt

how old

wie viel

how much

wie groß

how big

wie lange

how long

wie oft

how often

wie spät

how late

'Wo' combinations

wohin

where to

woher

where from

wobei

at what

womit

with what

Some example questions:



Wie alt bist du? - How old are you?



Wie lange bleiben Sie in Berlin? - How long are you staying in Berlin?



Woher kommen Sie? - Where do you come from?



Wohin fährt er am Wochenende? - Where is he travelling to this weekend?

Interrogatives Depending on the Case Although the four German cases haven't been discussed yet, this topic is worth mentioning here for the sake of completeness.

The German interrogatives 'wer' and 'welcher' have other forms depending on the case. The interrogative 'wer' has only one form for each case, while 'welcher' has different forms within each case, depending on gender and number. The table below shows the different forms of the interrogative 'wer'.

Forms of 'wer'

Nominative

wer

who

Accusative

wen

whom

Dative

wem

whom

Genitive

wessen

whose

This brings an end to this lesson and the unit as a whole. Make sure you've understood all the lessons and concepts covered in this unit before proceeding to the next one!

Questions - Exercise 1 Determine the correct interrogative according to the answer given to each questions.

Questions - Exercise 1

1) Wann kommt Ihr? Wir kommen nächste Woche. We come next week.

2) Was machst du jetzt? Ich lerne Deutsch. I am learning German.

3) Wer kann es machen? Peter kann es machen. Peter can make it.

4) Wie oft besucht er uns? Er besucht uns dreimal die Woche. He visits us three times a week.

5) Wie ist er? Er ist krank. He is sick.

6) Wie lange bleibst du dort? Ich bleibe einen Monat dort. I am staying for a month there.

7) Wo sind Sie? Ich bin in der Küche. I am in the kitchen.

8) Wohin fahrt ihr?

Wir fahren nach Deutschland. We are travelling to Germany.