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Verbs

Pronouns

Articles

Adverbs

Adjectives

Nouns

Prepositions

Miscellaneous

Syntax

Glossary

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Verbs

SUMMARY OF TENSES

SEIN, HABEN & WERDEN

PRESENT TENSE

PAST TENSE

PERFECT TENSE

PAST PERFECT TENSE

FUTURE TENSE

FUTURE PERFECT TENSE

PRESENT CONDITIONAL

PRESENT PERFECT CONDITIONAL

SUBJUNCTIVE I

SUBJUNCTIVE II

FUTURE SUBJUNCTIVE

FUTURE PERFECT SUBJUNCTIVE

PRESENT & PAST PERFECT SUBJUNCTIVES

INDIRECT SPEECH

PASSIVE VOICE

MODAL AUXILIARIES

REFLEXIVE VERBS

VERBS WITH SEPARABLE PREFIXES

VERBS WITH INSEPARABLE PREFIXES

PREFIXES THAT ARE EITHER SEPARABLE OR INSEPARABLE

VERBS TAKING THE GENITIVE CASE

VERBS TAKING THE DATIVE CASE

VERBS TAKING THE ACCUSATIVE CASE

IMPERATIVE FORM

THE IMPERSONAL "ES"

NEGATIVE STATEMENTS

INFINITIVE CONSTRUCTIONS

PARTICIPLES


Articles

THE DEFINITE ARTICLE

THE INDEFINITE ARTICLE


Nouns

GENDER AND DECLENSION

NOMINATIVE CASE

GENITIVE CASE

DATIVE CASE

ACCUSATIVE CASE

PLURAL FORMATION OF NOUNS


Pronouns

PERSONAL PRONOUNS

POSSESSIVE ADJECTIVES

DEMONSTRATIVE PRONOUNS

RELATIVE PRONOUNS

INTERROGATIVES

REFLEXIVE PRONOUNS


Adjectives

DECLENSION OF ADJECTIVES

COMPARATIVE AND SUPERLATIVE FORMS OF ADJECTIVES


Prepositions

PREPOSITIONS WITH GENITIVE CASE

PREPOSITIONS WITH DATIVE CASE

PREPOSITIONS WITH ACCUSATIVE CASE

PREPOSITIONS WITH EITHER ACCUSATIVE OR DATIVE CASE

DA- AND WO-COMPOUNDS


Miscellaneous

THE CLOCK AND THE CALENDAR

CARDINAL & ORDINAL NUMERALS

COMMONLY USED ABBREVIATIONS

Non-Grammatical Forms

Title Forms


SUMMARY OF TENSES

The following is a summary of the German tenses and their approximate English equivalents.  Each of these tenses is discussed separately in the sections that follow. Notes on usage are also included, as well as conjugations of "sein," "haben," and "werden."

German 	English

Present Tenses

Präsens:	Simple Present:	Present Continuous:

Er spielt.	He plays. 	He is playing.

Past Tenses

Imperfekt:	Simple Past:	Past Continuous:

Er spielte.	He played.	He was playing.

Perfect Tenses

Perfekt:	Present Perfect:	Present Perfect Continuous:

Er hat gespielt.	He has played.	He has been playing.

Past Perfect Tenses

Plusquamperfekt: 	Past Perfect:	Past Perfect Continuous:

Er hatte gespielt. 	He had played.	He had been playing.

Future Tenses

Futur I:	Future:	Future Continuous:

Er wird spielen.	He will play.	He will be playing.

 	He is going to play.

Future Perfect Tenses

Futur II:	Future Perfect:	Future Perfect Continuous:

Er wird gespielt haben.	He will have played. 	He will have been playing.

Present Conditional Tenses

Konditional I: 	Present Conditional:	Pres. Cond. Continuous:

Er würde spielen.	He would play.	He would be playing.

Present Perfect Conditional Tenses

Konditional II: 	Pres. Perf. Cond.: 	Pres. Perf. Cond. Cont.:

Er würde gespielt haben.	He would have played.	He would have been playing.

Subjunctive I

Konjunktiv I	Subjunctive I

Er spiele.	He plays.

Subjunctive II

Konjunktiv II	Subjunctive II

Er spielte.	He played.

Related Topics:

Contents

Verbs


Participles

Participles are infinite verb forms. English and German distinguish between present and past participles.

Present Participle

The present participle in German is built by adding the ending -end to the stem. The German present participle corresponds to the English gerund construction ending in -ing.

Inf. = kommen	to come

Pres. Part. = kommend 	coming

Inf. = singen	to sing

Pres. Part. = singend	singing

The present participle is used as an adjective that presents a state or action as continuing and incomplete. It can further be used to imply two states or actions taking place at the same time. Usually, the present participles have active meanings.

Das lachende Kind

The laughing child

Das lachende Kind läuft die Treppe herauf.

The laughing child runs up the stairs.

Das Kind läuft lachend die Treppe herauf.

The child runs laughing up the stairs.

NOTE:  Generally, the present participle is not used in predicative form. Thus, in contrast to English, a sentence such as the child is laughing  (present continuous)  does not exist in German. However, there is a number of present participle that can be used as predicative adjectives. These present participles either have a different meaning than the original stem word, or the original stem word is extinct.

spannen	to span, stretch

   but:	Das Buch ist spannend.	The book is exciting.

reizen	to irritate

   but:	Sie ist ganz reizend.	She is very charming.

The Past Participle

The past participle in German is built in different ways, depending on the infinitive, the prefix, and the verb conjugation.

Weak verbs  usually add a ge- to the beginning of the verb stem and a -t to the end.

Inf. = kaufen	to buy

Past Part. =  gekauft	bought

Verbs that end in -ieren and verbs with non-separable prefixes do not add ge-.

Inf. = studieren	to study

Past Part. =  studiert 	studied

Inf. = verkaufen	to sell

Past Part. = verkauft	sold

Strong verbs do add a ge-to the verb stem, but instead of adding a -t at the end, strong verbs add -en.  Another characteristic of strong verbs is that the stem vowel changes from present to past tense and to past participle. These vowel changes cannot be predicted by any rules, although in many cases the vowel of the past participle corresponds to the stem vowel of the infinitive.

Inf. = schwimmen	to swim

Past = schwamm	swam

Past Part. = geschwommen	swum

If strong verbs have inseparable prefixes, they do not add ge-.

Inf. = entgehen	to escape

Past = entging	escaped

Past Part. = entgangen	escaped

Irregular verbs  are hybrid forms of weak and strong  verbs. Thus, they have the characteristics of both weak and strong verbs. Irregular verbs change the stem vowel (a characteristic of strong verbs) and add a -t  (a characteristic of weak verbs ).

Inf. = bringen	to bring

Past = brachte	brought

Past Part. = gebracht	brought

USAGE: The past participle is used to build the Present Perfect

and the Past Perfect tenses as well as the passive forms.

The past participle is part of the Present Perfect and the Past Perfect tenses, which consist of a present and past tense form or haben or sein, respectively, and a past participle form.

Ich bin nach Hause gegangen.	I went home.

Er hat ihr das Buch gebracht.	He brought her the book.

The passive form of a verb consist of the conjugated form of  werden and the past participle of that verb.

Das Haus wird renoviert.	The house is being renovated.

Related Topics:

Passive Voice

Present Perfect

Past Perfect

Verbs With Separable Prefixes

Verbs With Inseparable Prefixes


SEIN, HABEN, & WERDEN

Conjugations

The German verbs "sein," "haben," and "werden" are irregular and are used to form various tenses. They are conjugated as follows:

SEIN (to be)

Present Tense (I am)	Simple Past Tense (I was)

Singular:	Singular:

1. ich bin	1. ich war

2. du bist 	2. du warst

3. er/sie/es ist	3. er/sie/es war

Plural:	Plural:

1. wir sind	1. wir waren

2. ihr seid	2. ihr wart

3. Sie, sie sind	3. Sie, sie waren

Perfect Tense (I was/have been)	Past Perfect Tense (I had been)

Singular:	Singular:

1. ich bin ... gewesen	1. ich war ... gewesen

2. du bist ... gewesen	2. du warst ... gewesen

3. er/sie/es ist ... gewesen	3. er/sie/es war ... gewesen

Plural:	Plural:

1. wir sind ... gewesen	1. wir waren ... gewesen

2. ihr seid ... gewesen	2. ihr wart ... gewesen

3. Sie, sie sind ... gewesen	3. Sie, sie waren ... gewesen

Future Tense (I will be/am going to be)	Future Perfect Tense (I will have been)

Singular:	Singular:

1. ich werde ... sein	1. ich werde ... gewesen sein

2. du wirst ... sein	2. du wirst ... gewesen sein

3. er/sie/es wird ... sein	3. er/sie/es wird ... gewesen sein

Plural:	Plural:

1. wir werden ... sein	1. wir werden ... gewesen sein

2. ihr werdet ... sein	2. ihr werdet ... gewesen sein

3. Sie, sie werden ... sein	3. Sie, sie werden ... gewesen sein

Present Conditional (I would be)	Present Perfect Conditional (I would have been)

Singular:	Singular:

1. ich würde ... sein	1. ich würde ... gewesen sein

2. du würdest ... sein	2. du würdest ... gewesen sein

3. er/sie/es würde ... sein	3. er/sie/es würde ... gewesen sein

Plural:	Plural:

1. wir würden ... sein	1. wir würden ... gewesen sein

2. ihr würdet ... sein	2. ihr würdet ... gewesen sein

3. Sie, sie würden ... sein	3. Sie, sie würden ... gewesen sein

Subjunctive I  (I am)

Singular:

1. ich sei

2. du seist

3. es/sie/es sei

Plural:

1. wir seien

2. ihr seid

3. sie seien

Subjunctive II

Present (I were)	Subjunctive II Past (I would have been)

Singular:	Singular:

1. ich wäre	1. ich wäre ... gewesen

2. du wärst	2. du wärst ... gewesen

3. er/sie/es wäre	3. er/sie/es wäre ... gewesen

Plural:	Plural:

1. wir wären	1. wir wären ... gewesen

2. ihr wärt	2. ihr wärt ... gewesen

3. sie wären	3. sie wären ... gewesen

HABEN (to have)

Present Tense (I have)	Simple Past Tense (I had)

Singular:	Singular:

1. ich habe	1. ich hatte

2. du hast 	2. du hattest

3. er/sie/es hat	3. er/sie/es hatte

Plural:	Plural:

1. wir haben	1. wir hatten

2. ihr habt	2. ihr hattet

3. Sie, sie haben	3. Sie, sie hatten

Perfect Tense (I had/I have had)	Past Perfect Tense (I had had)

Singular:	Singular:

1. ich habe ... gehabt	1. ich hatte ... gehabt

2. du hast ... gehabt	2. du hattest ... gehabt

3. er/sie/es hat ... gehabt	3. er/sie/es hatte ... gehabt

Plural:	Plural:

1. wir haben ... gehabt	1. wir hatten ... gehabt

2. ihr habt ... gehabt 	2. ihr hattet ... gehabt

3. Sie, sie haben ... gehabt	3. Sie, sie hatten ... gehabt

Future Tense (I will have/am going to have)	Future Perfect Tense (I will have had)

Singular:	Singular:

1. ich werde ... haben	1. ich werde ... gehabt haben

2. du wirst ... haben	2. du wirst ... gehabt haben

3. er/sie/es wird ... haben	3. er/sie/es wird ... gehabt haben

Plural:	Plural:

1. wir werden ... haben	1. wir werden ... gehabt haben

2. ihr werdet ... haben	2. ihr werdet ... gehabt haben

3. Sie, sie werden ... haben	3. Sie, sie werden ... gehabt haben

Present Conditional (I would have)	Present Perfect Conditional (I would have had)

Singular:	Singular:

1. ich würde ... haben	1. ich würde ... gehabt haben

2. du würdest ... haben	2. du würdest ... gehabt haben

3. er/sie/es würde ... haben	3. er/sie/es würde ... gehabt haben

Plural:	Plural:

1. wir würden ... haben	1. wir würden ... gehabt haben

2. ihr würdet ... haben	2. ihr würdet ... gehabt haben

3. Sie, sie würden ... haben	3. Sie, sie würden ... gehabt haben

SUBJUNCTIVE I  (I have)

Singular:

1. ich habe

2. du habest

3. es/sie/es habe

Plural:

1. wir hatten

2. ihr hattet

3. sie hatten

Subjunctive II  Present (I had)	Subjunctive II Past (I would have had)

Singular:	Singular:

1. ich hätte	1. ich hätte ... gehabt

2. du hättest	2. du hättest ... gehabt

3. er/sie/es hätte	3. er/sie/es hätte ... gehabt

Plural:	Plural:

1. wir hätten	1. wir hätten ... gehabt

2. ihr hättet	2. ihr hättet ... gehabt

3. sie hätten	3. sie hätten ... habt

WERDEN (to become)

Present Tense (I become/am becoming)	Simple Past Tense (I became/was becoming)

Singular:	Singular:

1. ich werde	1. ich wurde

2. du wirst 	2. du wurdest

3. er/sie/es wird	3. er/sie/es wurde

Plural:	Plural:

1. wir werden	1. wir wurden

2. ihr werdet	2. ihr wurdet

3. Sie, sie werden	3. Sie, sie wurden

Perfect Tense (I have become/became)	Past Perfect Tense (I had become)

Singular:	Singular:

1. ich bin ... geworden	1. ich war ... geworden

2. du bist ... geworden	2. du warst ... geworden

3. er/sie/es ist ... geworden	3. er/sie/es war ... geworden

Plural:	Plural:

1. wir sind ... geworden	1. wir waren ... geworden

2. ihr seid ... geworden	2. ihr wart ... geworden

3. Sie, sie sind ... geworden	3. Sie, sie waren ... geworden

Future Tense (I will/am going to become)	Future Perfect Tense (I will have become)

Singular:	Singular:

1. ich werde ... werden	1. ich werde ... geworden sein

2. du wirst ... werden	2. du wirst ... geworden sein

3. er/sie/es wird ... werden	3. er/sie/es wird ... geworden sein

Plural:	Plural:

1. wir werden ... werden	1. wir werden ... geworden sein

2. ihr werdet ... werden	2. ihr werdet ... geworden sein

3. Sie, sie werden ... werden	3. Sie, sie werden ... geworden sein

NOTE:	Oftentimes, this form is shortened

to "ich werde ..., etc."

Present Conditional (I would become)	Present Perfect Cond. (I would have become)

Singular:	Singular:

1. ich würde ... werden	1. ich würde ... geworden sein

2. du würdest ... werden	2. du würdest ... geworden sein

3. er/sie/es würde ... werden	3. er/sie/es würde ... geworden sein

Plural:	Plural:

1. wir würden ... werden	1. wir würden ... geworden sein

2. ihr würdet ... werden	2. ihr würdet ... geworden sein

3. Sie, sie würden ... werden	3. Sie, sie würden ... geworden sein

Related Topics:

Contents

Verbs


PRESENT TENSE

The German Present Tense (Präsens) is formed as follows:

Regular Verbs:	Vowel-Changing Verbs

Example: spielen	Example: fahren

Singular: 	Singular:

1. ich spiele	1. ich fahre

2. du spielst	2. du fährst

3. er/sie/es spielt	3. er/sie/es fährt

Plural:	Plural:

1. wir spielen	1. wir fahren

2. ihr spielt	2. ihr fahrt

3. Sie, sie spielen	3. Sie, sie fahren

USAGE:  The German Present Tense is equivalent to both the English Present Tenses (Simple Present and Present Continuous). It is used to talk about facts, or events that happen routinely, or about events that are in process at the moment. It is also used in colloquial language as a substitute for Future Tense, to talk about planned or upcoming events.

Related Topics:

Conjugations of "sein," "haben," and "werden"

Future Tense


PAST TENSE

The German Past Tense (Imperfekt) is characterized by either the "t" inserted after the stem ( weak verbs ) or by a change in the stem vowel

( strong verbs  ):

Weak Verbs:	Strong Verbs:

Example: spielen (to play)	Example: fahren  (to drive)

Singular: 	Singular:

1. ich spielte	1. ich fuhr

2. du spieltest	2. du fuhrst

3. er/sie/es spielte	3. er/sie/es fuhr

Plural:	Plural:

1. wir spielten	1. wir fuhren

2. ihr spieltet	2. ihr fuhrt

3. Sie, sie spielten	3. Sie, sie fuhren

A third group of verbs is characterized by both by the t inserted after the stem and by a change in the stem vowel ( irregular verbs  ).  Historical sound assimilations are responsible for possible additional changes in the stem consonants.

Irregular Verbs:

Example:  bringen (to bring)	rennen (to run)

Singular: 	Singular:

1. ich brachte	1. ich rannte

2. du brachtest	2. du ranntest

3. er/sie/es brachte	3. er/sie/es rannte

Plural:	Plural:

1. wir brachten	1. wir rannten

2. ihr brachtet	2. ihr ranntet

3. Sie, sie brachten	3. Sie, sie rannten

USAGE:  The German Past Tense is primarily used for narratives and historic or literary writing. It can, however, be used as the equivalent of both the English Simple Past (e.g., I played / I drove) and the Past Continuous Tense (e.g., I was playing / I was driving).

Related Topics:

Conjugations of "sein," "haben," and "werden"

Perfect Tense


PERFECT TENSE

The German Perfect Tense (Perfekt) is formed with the past participle of the verb + the Present Indicative form of its auxiliary. Only the auxiliary is conjugated.

Most past participles are formed with the "ge-" prefix. The past participles of weak verbs take a "-t" ending,  those of strong verbs often undergo a vowel change in the stem and take an "-en" ending, and those of

irregular verbs undergo a vowel change and take a -t ending.

Weak Verbs + "haben":	Strong Verbs + "haben":

Example: spielen (to play)	Example: singen (to sing)

Singular: 	Singular:

1. ich habe gespielt	1. ich habe gesungen

2. du hast gespielt	2. du hast gesungen

3. er/sie/es hat gespielt	3. er/sie/es hat gesungen

Plural:	Plural:

1. wir haben gespielt	1. wir haben gesungen

2. ihr habt gespielt	2. ihr habt gesungen

3. Sie, sie haben gespielt	3. Sie, sie haben gesungen

NOTE:	If a verb is intransitive and reflects a change of state or position, its Perfect Tense is formed with the auxiliary "sein" instead of "haben."

Weak Verbs + "sein"	Strong Verbs + "sein"

Example: wandern (to hike)	Example: fahren (to drive)

Singular: 	Singular:

1. ich bin gewandert	1. ich bin gefahren

2. du bist gewandert	2. du bist gefahren

3. er/sie/es ist gewandert	3. er/sie/es ist gefahren

Plural:	Plural:

1. wir sind gewandert	1. wir sind gefahren

2. ihr seid gewandert	2. ihr seid gefahren

3. Sie, sie sind gewandert	3. Sie, sie sind gefahren

NOTE:	Some German verbs taking "sein" as an auxiliary in the Perfect Tense include: "altern (to age), bleiben (to stay), eilen (to hurry), entstehen (to come into existence), fallen (to fall), gehen (to go), klettern (to climb), kommen (to come), laufen (to run), rasen (to speed), reisen (to travel), reiten (to ride), schwimmen (to swim), segeln (to sail), springen (to spring), steigen (to climb), sterben (to die), umziehen (to move), verschwinden (to disappear), wachsen (to grow)." In the Perfect Tense, "sein" and "werden" also take the auxiliary "sein."

NOTE:	Some German verbs do not form their past participles by adding the prefix "ge," but add only "t" to the stem. They are generally words of foreign origin, e.g. studieren / studiert, gratulieren / gratuliert, kalkulieren / kalkuliert.

NOTE:	For additional information on usage of past participles, see:

Passive Voice

Past Perfect Tense

Future Perfect Tense

Present Perfect Conditional

Future Perfect Subjunctive

Present and Past Perfect Subjunctives

USAGE:  The German Perfect Tense describes past events and is equivalent in meaning to the English Simple Past (for finished action, e.g., I played / I drove) and the English Present Perfect Tense (for unfinished action, e.g., I have played / I have driven).

Related Topics:

Contents

Modal Auxiliaries


PAST PERFECT TENSE

The German Past Perfect Tense (Plusquamperfekt) is formed with the past participle of the verb + Past Tense (Imperfekt) form of its auxiliary. Only the auxiliary is conjugated.

Weak Verbs + "haben" :	Strong Verbs + "haben" :

Example: spielen (to play)	Example: singen (to sing)

Singular: 	Singular:

1. ich hatte gespielt	1. ich hatte gesungen

2. du hattest gespielt	2. du hattest gesungen

3. er/sie/es hatte gespielt	3. er/sie/es hatte gesungen

Plural:	Plural:

1. wir hatten gespielt	1. wir hatten gesungen

2. ihr hattet gespielt	2. ihr hattet gesungen

3. Sie, sie hatten gespielt	3. Sie, sie hatten gesungen

Weak Verbs + "sein"	Strong Verbs + "sein"

Example: wandern (to hike)	Example: fahren (to drive)

Singular: 	Singular:

1. ich war gewandert	1. ich war gefahren

2. du warst gewandert	2. du warst gefahren

3. er/sie/es war gewandert	3. er/sie/es war gefahren

Plural:	Plural:

1. wir waren gewandert	1. wir waren gefahren

2. ihr wart gewandert	2. ihr wart gefahren

3. Sie, sie waren gewandert	3. Sie, sie waren gefahren

USAGE:  Like the English Past Perfect Tense (e.g., he had played / he had driven), the German Past Perfect Tense describes an action in the remote past.

Sequentially Ordered Actions:

The Past Perfect Tense is also used to indicate that one action clearly preceded another or was interrupted when another began.

Er war gerade am Bahnhof angekommen, 	He had just arrived at the train station

als der Zug abfuhr. 	when the train pulled away.

Related Topics:

Conjugations of "sein," "haben," and "werden"

Perfect Tense


FUTURE TENSE

The German Future Tense (Futur I) is formed with the auxiliary "werden" + the verb in its infinitive form. Only "werden" is conjugated.

Weak Verbs + "werden"	Strong Verbs + "werden"

Example: spielen (to play)	Example: fahren (to drive)

Singular: 	Singular:

1. ich werde spielen	1. ich werde fahren

2. du wirst spielen	2. du wirst fahren

3. er/sie/es wird spielen	3. er/sie/es wird fahren

Plural:	Plural:

1. wir werden spielen	1. wir werden fahren

2. ihr werdet spielen	2. ihr werdet fahren

3. Sie, sie werden spielen	3. Sie, sie werden fahren

USAGE:  The German Future Tense is equivalent to both English future forms (I will play, I am going to play). It is therefore used to discuss future events that are either planned or inevitable.

NOTE:	In colloquial speech, German speakers often substitute Present Tense for Future Tense (Futur I) when they talk about upcoming events or actions.

Morgen werde ich spielen. (Future) (Futur I)  	I will play tomorrow.

Morgen spiele ich. (Present, understood as Future) (Futur I) 	I play tomorrow.

Related Topics:

Present Tense

Future Perfect Tense

Future Subjunctive

Future Perfect Subjunctive


FUTURE PERFECT TENSE

The German Future Perfect Tense (Futur II) is composed of "werden" + the Perfect Tense (past participle + auxiliary). Only "werden" is conjugated. The participles retain their appropriate auxiliary verbs and the auxiliary is placed at the end of the sentence.

Weak Verbs + "werden"	Strong Verbs + "werden"

Example: spielen (to play)	Example: fahren (to drive)

Singular: 	Singular:

1. ich werde gespielt haben	1. ich werde gefahren sein

2. du wirst gespielt haben	2. du wirst gefahren sein

3. er/sie/es wird gespielt haben	3. er/sie/es wird gefahren sein

Plural:	Plural:

1. wir werden gespielt haben 	1. wir werden gefahren sein

2. ihr werdet gespielt haben 	2. ihr werdet gefahren sein

3. Sie, sie werden gespielt haben 	3. Sie, sie werden gefahren sein

USAGE:  Like the English Future Perfect Tense, the German Future Perfect Tense describes an action that is projected to be completed in the future. (e.g., I will have played / I will have driven.)

Related Topics:

Future Tense

Future Subjunctive

Future Perfect Subjunctive


PRESENT CONDITIONAL

In German, Present Conditional (Konditional I) is formed using "würden" (conditional of "werden") + the infinitive of the main verb.

Weak Verbs	Strong Verbs

Example: spielen (to play)	Example: fahren (to drive)

Singular: 	Singular:

1. ich würde spielen 	1. ich würde fahren

2. du würdest spielen	2. du würdest fahren

3. er/sie/es würde spielen	3. er/sie/es würde fahren

Plural:	Plural:

1. wir würden spielen 	1. wir würden fahren

2. ihr würdet spielen 	2. ihr würdet fahren

3. Sie, sie würden spielen 	3. Sie, sie würden fahren

USAGE:  Present Conditional parallels the English construction "would" + infinitive. It is used to talk about hypothetical events, i.e. those that would happen if certain conditions prevailed, and therefore expresses improbability. It can also be used to qualify a claim or to express a wish, hope, intention, or speculation. The Present Conditional is basically interchangeable with the Subjunctive II , spoken German however prefers the Present Conditional. In conditional clauses, both, the Present Conditional and the Subjunctive II have to be used in order to be grammatically correct. But again, common usage tends to avoid the Subjunctive II forms, particularly those of strong verbs.

Wenn ich Zeit hätte (Subjunctive II), würde ich in die Berge fahren (Present Conditional).

If I had time, I would drive to the mountains.

Wenn es nicht regnete (Subjunctive II), würde ich gerne spazierengehen (Present Conditional).

If it didnt rain, I would like to go for a walk.

NOTE: The Present Conditional forms of haben and sein  are not used; instead, the Subjunctive II forms are used. The same is true for modal verbs and wissen, although the avoidance of the Present Conditional in these cases is not as strict, particularly in spoken German.

Wenn ich gestern die Lotterie gewonnen hätte, wäre ich jetzt reich und hätte viel Geld.

If I had had won the lottery yesterday, I would be rich now and would have lots of 	money.

Wenn ich mehr gelesen hätte, wüßte ich die Antworten für den Test.

If I had read more, I would know the answers for the test.

NOTE:	The Present Conditional with "würden" is also used colloquially to express polite requests, subjective speculations, hopes, or plans.

Ich würde sagen, daß wir bis morgen fertig sein können.

I would say that we can be done by tomorrow.

Ich würde vorschlagen, daß wir heute nach Hamburg fahren.

I would suggest that we drive to Hamburg today.

Ich würde gerne mitgehen.

I would like to come along.

Related Topics:

Conjugations of "sein," "haben," & "werden"

Present Tense

Present Perfect Conditional

Subjunctive II


PRESENT PERFECT CONDITIONAL

German employs Present Perfect Conditional (Konditional II) in contrary-to-fact statements. It is formed using "würden" + the past participle of the main verb + the infinitive of the auxiliary. Only "würden" is declined. When this conditional occurs in a subordinate clause, the auxiliary is placed at the end of the sentence. However, since the Conditional forms of haben, sein, wissen, and the modal verbs is generally avoided, the Present Perfect Conditional is hardly ever used and usually replaced by the Past Subjunctive II .

Weak Verbs	Strong Verbs

Example: spielen (to play)	Example: fahren (to drive)

Singular: 	Singular:

1. ich würde gespielt haben	1. ich würde gefahren sein

2. du würdest gespielt haben	2. du würdest gefahren sein

3. er/sie/es würde gespielt haben	3. er/sie/es würde gefahren sein

Plural:	Plural:

1. wir würden gespielt haben 	1. wir würden gefahren sein

2. ihr würdet gespielt haben 	2. ihr würdet gefahren sein

3. Sie, sie würden gespielt haben 	3. Sie, sie würden gefahren sein

USAGE:  Present Perfect Conditional refers to an action that would have been performed in the past if certain conditions had prevailed. It therefore denotes impossibility. The Present Perfect Conditional is basically interchangeable with the

Past  Subjunctive II; spoken German however prefers the Present Perfect Conditional. In conditional clauses, both, the Present Perfect Conditional and the Subjunctive II have to be used.

Wenn er den Vertrag gelesen hätte (Past Subjunctive II), würde er die Details begriffen haben (Present Perfect Conditional).

If he had read the contract, he would have understood the details.

Hätten Sie an die Fahrkarte gedacht (Past Subjunctive II), würden wir schon in Dortmund angekommen sein (Present Perfect Conditional).

Had you remembered the ticket, we would already have arrived in Dortmund.

Wenn wir Zeit gehabt hätten (Past Subjunctive II), würden wir ins Kino gegangen sein (Present Perfect Conditional).

If we had had time, we would have gone to the movie theater.

NOTE: In order to avoid the conditional forms of haben and sein, the Past Subjunctive II forms are usually preferred. Thus, the following sentences are much more common than the examples above:

Wenn er den Vertrag gelesen hätte, hätte er die Details begriffen.

If he had read the contract, he would have understood the details.

Hätten Sie an die Fahrkarte gedacht, wären wir schon in Dortmund angekommen.

Had you remembered the ticket, we would already have arrived in Dortmund.

Wenn wir Zeit gehabt hätten, wären wir ins Kino gegangen.

If we had had time, we would have gone to the movie theater.

Related Topics:

Conjugations of "sein," "haben," & "werden"

Perfect Tense

Present Conditional

Subjunctive II

Syntax


SUBJUNCTIVE I

Indirect Speech

German uses Subjunctive I (Konjunktiv I) for indirect or reported speech. It parallels the present tense indicative with the exception of the third person singular, in which the "t" is dropped. Irregular verbs may have stem changes in the third person as well.

Weak Verbs:	Strong Verbs:

Example: spielen  (to play)	Example: fahren (to drive)

Singular: 	Singular:

1. ich spiele	1. ich fahre

2. du spielst	2. du fährst

3. er/sie/es spiele	3. er/sie/es fahre

Plural:	Plural:

1. wir spielen	1. wir fahren

2. ihr spielt	2. ihr fahrt

3. Sie, sie spielen	3. Sie, sie fahren

USAGE:  Subjunctive I is used to discuss an event or action that the speaker does not witness or participate in, but only hears described. There is therefore some uncertainty as to the truth of what is happening or has happened. Since the plural forms are identical to the regular present tense verb forms, the Subjunctive II forms are used instead for plural.

Sie fragte: "Soll ich den Hund füttern?"  	She asked, Shall I feed the dog?

Sie fragte, ob sie den Hund füttern solle.	She asked whether she should feed the 	dog.

Er behauptet: "Ich habe nichts gestohlen."	He claimed, I havent stolen anything.

Er behauptet, daß er nichts gestohlen habe. 	He claimed that he didnt steal anything.

Er bestätigt: "Ja, ich treibe Sport." 	He confirms, Yes, I do sports.

Er bestätigt, daß er Sport treibe. 	He confirms that he does sports.

Er sagte: Sie haben den Hund gefüttert.

Er sagte, sie haben den Hund gefüttert. (Subjunctive I)

Er sagte, sie hätten den Hund gefüttert. (Subjunctive II)

Related Topics:

Present Tense

Indirect Speech

Subjunctive II


SUBJUNCTIVE II

Indirect Speech & Contrary-to-Fact Statements

German uses Subjunctive II (Konjunktiv II) for contrary-to-fact statements. It parallels the Past Tense (Imperfekt) except that irregular verbs add an umlaut to the stem.

Weak Verbs:	Strong Verbs:

Example: spielen (to play)	Example: fahren (to drive)

Singular: 	Singular:

1. ich spielte	1. ich führe

2. du spieltst	2. du führest

3. er/sie/es spielte	3. er/sie/es führe

Plural:	Plural:

1. wir spielten	1. wir führen

2. ihr spieltet	2. ihr führet

3. Sie, sie spielten	3. Sie, sie führen

Wenn er Sport triebe, sähe er anders aus.

If he did sports, he would look differently.

Wenn Sie nach Konstanz führen, könnten Sie von der Reise erzählen.

If you drove to Constance, you could tell about the trip.

USAGE:  Subjunctive II is also employed in polite requests.

Hätten Sie vielleicht etwas Kleingeld? 	Would you have any small change?

Könnten Sie mir bitte helfen? 	Could you help me please?

Related Topics:

Conjugations of "sein," "haben," & "werden"

Past Tense

Indirect Speech

Syntax


FUTURE SUBJUNCTIVE

The Future Subjunctive (Futur I Konjunktiv) is formed in German using "werden"+ infinitive. "Werden" is conjugated in the conjunctive mood.

Weak Verbs:	Strong Verbs:

Example: spielen (to play)	Example: fahren (to drive)

Singular: 	Singular:

1. ich werde spielen	1. ich werde fahren

2. du werdest spielen	2. du werdest fahren

3. er/sie/es werde spielen	3. er/sie/es werde fahren

Plural:	Plural:

1. wir werden spielen	1. wir werden fahren

2. ihr werdet spielen	2. ihr werdet fahren

3. Sie, sie werden spielen	3. Sie, sie werden fahren

USAGE:  Future Subjunctive is used where indirect speech is required and the actions discussed are projected to take place at some point in the future.

Sie sagten, daß sie Tennis spielen werden.

They said that they were going to play tennis.

Er meinte, er werde nach Göttingen fahren.

He said that he was going to drive to Göttingen.

Related Topics:

Conjugations of "sein," "haben," & "werden"

Future Tense

Future Perfect Tense

Subjunctive I

Subjunctive II

Future Perfect Subjunctive


FUTURE PERFECT SUBJUNCTIVE

The Future Perfect Subjunctive (Futur II Konjunktiv) is formed in German as follows:

Weak Verbs:	Strong Verbs:

Example: spielen (to play)	Example: fahren (to drive)

Singular: 	Singular:

1. ich werde gespielt haben	1. ich werde gefahren sein

2. du werdest gespielt haben	2. du werdest gefahren sein

3. er/sie/es werde gespielt haben	3. er/sie/es werde gefahren sein

Plural:	Plural:

1. wir werden gespielt haben	1. wir werden gefahren sein

2. ihr werdet gespielt haben	2. ihr werdet gefahren sein

3. Sie, sie werden gespielt haben	3. Sie, sie werden gefahren sein

USAGE:  The Future Perfect Subjunctive is used where indirect speech is required and the actions discussed are projected to be completed at some point in the future.

Er sagte, er werde bis Montag mindestens den ersten Teil des Buches gelesen haben.

He said he will have read at least the first part of the book by Monday.

Related Topics:

Conjugations of "sein," "haben," & "werden"

Future Tense

Future Perfect Tense

Subjunctive I

Subjunctive II

Future Subjunctive

Indirect Speech


PRESENT & PAST PERFECT SUBJUNCTIVES

Indirect speech

The German Present Perfect Subjunctive (Perfekt Konjunktiv) is formed using the past participle + auxiliary. "Haben" and "sein" are conjugated in their respective subjunctive forms. The Present Perfect Subjunctive corresponds to the past form of Subjunctive I, the Past Perfect Subjunctive corresponds to the past form of Subjunctive II (Subjunctive I and Subjunctive II actually have each only one form for present and one form for past).

Present Perfect Subjunctive (Past Subjuncitve I)

Transitive Verbs:	Intransitive Verbs:

Example: spielen (to play)	Example: fahren (to drive)

Singular: 	Singular:

1. ich habe gespielt 	1. ich sei gefahren

2. du habest gespielt	2. du seist gefahren

3. er/sie/es habe gespielt	3. er/sie/es sei gefahren

Plural:	Plural:

1. wir haben gespielt 	1. wir seien gefahren

2. ihr habt gespielt 	2. ihr seiet gefahren

3. Sie, sie haben gespielt 	3. Sie, sie seien gefahren

Past Perfect Subjunctive (Past Subjunctive II)

Transitive Verbs:	Intransitive Verbs:

Example: spielen (to play)	Example: fahren (to drive)

Singular: 	Singular:

1. ich hätte gespielt 	1. ich wäre gefahren

2. du hättest gespielt	2. du wärst gefahren

3. er/sie/es hätte gespielt	3. er/sie/es wäre gefahren

Plural:	Plural:

1. wir hätten gespielt 	1. wir wären gefahren

2. ihr hättet gespielt 	2. ihr wäret gefahren

3. Sie, sie hätten gespielt 	3. Sie, sie wären gefahren

USAGE:   Although the forms of Present Perfect Subjunctive and Past Perfect Subjunctive are closely related, they are used according to whether they are forms of

Subjunctive I (Present Perfect Subjunctive) or

Subjunctive II (Past Perfect Subjunctive).

Thus, the Present Perfect Subjunctive is used to express past tense in indirect speech:

Er sagt: Gestern bin ich nach München gefahren.

He said, yesterday, I drove to Munich.

Er sagt, er sei am Tag zuvor nach München gefahren.

He said that he had driven to Munich the day before.

The Past Perfect Subjunctive, on the other hand, is used to express past contrary-to-fact statements. Since the Present Conditional is interchangeable with the present tense forms of Subjunctive II, and the Present Perfect Conditional is hardly ever used and usually replaced by the past tense form of Subjunctive II (Past Perfect Subjunctive), the Past Perfect Subjunctive serves as the past tense form for both Conditional and Subjunctive II.

Hätte er das Auto repariert (Past Subjunctive II), dann wären wir längst unterwegs (Present Subjunctive II).

Had he repaired the cad, we would already be on the road.

Wenn Sie das Radio gekauft hätten (Past Subjunctive II), hätten wir uns das Konzert angehört (Past Subjunctive II).

If you had bought the radio, we would have listened  to the concert.

The following example contrasts the preferred usage of Past Perfect Subjunctive (Past Subjunctive II) with that of Present Perfect Conditional:

Er wäre gestern nach München gefahren (Past Subjunctive II), wenn sein Auto nicht kaputt gewesen wäre.

He would have driven to Munich yesterday, if his car had not been broken.

Er würde gestern nach München gefahren sein (Present Perfect Conditional), wenn sein Auto nicht kaputt gewesen wäre.

He would have driven to Munich yesterday, if his car had not been broken.

NOTE:  The Present Perfect Subjunctive and the Past Perfect Subjunctive of modal verbs use the double infinitve just as regular present and past perfect tenses of modal verbs.

Er sagt, er habe gestern nicht nach München fahren können, da sein Auto kaputt gewesen sei.

He said, he had not been able to drive to Munich yesterday since his car was broken.

Wenn er das Auto repariert hätte, hätten wir längst unterwegs sein können.

Ih he had repaired the car, we could already have been on the road.

Related Topics:

Indirect Speech

Modal Auxiliaries

Syntax


INDIRECT SPEECH

Introduction

When one speaker reports the words of another or recounts an event, German employs the Subjunctive I mood. Indirect or reported speech is used more frequently in German than in English, and it is particularly pervasive in media and journalistic writing where the writer can be held legally accountable for the correctness of stated facts.

Some verbs that are frequently used to intropduce indirect speech include:

sagen 	(to say)

erzählen	(to tell)

fragen	(to ask)

denken	(to think)

schreiben	(to write)

glauben	(to believe)

meinen	(to say)

mitteilen	(to inform)

NOTE:	These verbs are frequently followed by "daß" clauses, which require that the verb be placed at the end of the sentence.

Sie sagte, daß er nicht gekommen sei.

She said that he had not come.

Er meinte, daß sie nach Kanada gereist seien.

He said that they had traveled to Canada.

.

NOTE:	The tense of a statement made using indirect speech generally corresponds to that of the indicative statement made by the original speaker.

Er sagte: "Ich werde nach Hause kommen." (Future Tense)

He said, I will come home.

Er sagte, er werde nach Hause kommen. (Future Subj. I)

He said that he was going to come home.

Er sagte: Ich komme am Samstag zur Party.  (Present Tense)

He said, I come to the party on Saturday.

Er sagte, daß er am Samstag zur Party komme. (Present Subj. I)

He said that he was going to come to the party on Saturday.

Er sagte: "Ich kam nach Hause." (Past Tense)

He said, I came home.

Er sagte, daß er nach Hause gekommen sei. (Pres. Perf. Subj. I)

He said that he had come home.

NOTE:	Indirect Questions also take their verbs in the appropriate subjunctive forms. These questions are frequently introduced by such interrogatives as "ob," "was," "wie," "wo,"

"wann," etc.

Direct Question: 	"Wann spielt er?"  	When does he play?

Indirect Question: 	Sie fragte, wann er spiele. 	She asked when he would play.

"Hat er gespielt?"	Did he play?

Sie fragte, ob er gespielt habe. 	She asked whether he did play.

"Wohin sind Sie gefahren?" 	Where did you go?

Er fragte, wohin sie gefahren seien.

He asked where they had gone.

Since the plural forms of the Present Subjunctive I  are identical to the plural forms of the regular present tense, the plural forms of Present Subjunctive II are chosen instead to convey reported speech.

"Wie fahren sie?"  	How do they go?

Er fragte, wie sie führen.	He asked how they went.

Wann spielen wir?	When do we play?

Er fragte, wann sie spielten.	He asked when they played.

Related Topics:

Conjugations of "sein," "haben," & "werden"

Past Tense

Perfect Tense

Future Tense

Subjunctive I

Subjunctive II

Syntax


PASSIVE VOICE

Formation in Various Tenses

Passive Voice is used more frequently in German than it is in English, but their constructions are parallel.  It occurs in the active voice sentence when the order of subject and object are reversed, or when the performer of the action is omitted altogether. Passive Voice is formed using "werden" or "sein" (conjugated) + past participle.

Present Tense:

Active:

Wir wählen den Präsidenten.	We elect / are electing the President.

(Subj. Pred.Obj.)

Passive:

Der Präsident wird gewählt.	The President is elected / is being

(Subj. Predicate)	elected.

Future Tense:

Active:

Wir werden den Präsidenten wählen.	We will / are going to elect the

President.

Passive:

Der Präsident wird gewählt werden.	The President will / is going to be

elected.

Past Tense:

Active:

Wir wählten den Präsidenten.	We elected the President.

Passive:

Der Präsident wurde gewählt.	The President was elected.

Perfect Tense:

Active:

Wir haben den Präsidenten gewählt.	We have elected the President.

Passive:

Der Präsident ist gewählt worden.	The President has been elected.

Past Perfect Tense:

Active:

Wir hatten den Präsidenten gewählt.	We had elected the President.

Passive:

Der Präsident war gewählt worden.	The President had been elected.

Future Perfect Tense:

Active:

Wir werden den Präsidenten gewählt haben.	We will have elected the

President.

Passive:

Der Präsident wird gewählt worden sein.	The President will have been

elected.

Present Conditional

Active:

Wir würden den Präsidenten wählen.	We would elect the President.

Passive:

Der Präsident würde gewählt werden.	The President would be elected.

Present Perfect Conditional

Active:

Wir würden den Präsidenten gewählt haben.	We would have elected the

President.

Passive:

Der Präsident würde gewählt worden sein.	The President would have

been elected.

USAGE:  Passive voice creates a sense of objectivity and is therefore often employed in journalistic reporting and other factual or technical writing.

Related Topics:

Conjugations of "sein," "haben," & "werden"

Summary of Tenses

Gender and Declension


MODAL AUXILIARIES AND "WISSEN"

A modal verb can express capability, possibility, permissability of doing something, or an obligation or preference to do it.  German uses the following modal auxiliaries:

German Modal Verb 	English Meaning

dürfen	may,	to be allowed to

können	can,	to be able to

mögen	may,	to express possibility;

to like, care for

müssen	must,	to have to

sollen	shall,	to be supposed to

wollen	to want to

NOTE:	German modal verbs can also stand alone in a sentence.

Example:

Ich muß nach Hause.  	I must go home.

Ich soll nach Hause. 	I am supposed to go home.

Since modal auxiliaries combine with the infinitive, the Perfect Tense of modals require the combination of three verb forms: a conjugated form of haben or sein, the modal verb, and the infinitive. In this case, the modal verb is used in its infinitive form instead of the past participle  form. Both infinitives stand together at the end of the sentence, the modal verb infinitive in the last position. This is called the double infinitive.

 	Combining "haben" with a modal + infinitive. (double infinitive)

Example:	Ich habe es machen dürfen.   	  I was permitted to do it.

Related Topics:

Conjugations of "sein," "haben," & "werden"

Perfect Tense


REFLEXIVE VERBS

A reflexive verb is accompanied by a pronoun that refers back to the subject. The reflexive pronouns can be either in the Accusative or in the Dative case, depending on whether the reflexive pronound itself is the direct object or not. In many cases, German uses a reflexive verb when English does not.

Ich wasche mich. 	I wash myself.

Ich wasche mir die Hände. 	I wash my hands.

Some German reflexive verbs and their meanings are:

German Reflexive Verbs

with Accusative Reflexive Pronoun	English Meaning

sich aufhalten 	to stay, be detained

sich beeilen 	to hurry, hasten

sich befinden	to be, find oneself

sich bemühen 	to endeavor, make an effort

sich ereignen 	to happen, occur

sich erholen 	to recuperate, relax

sich erinnern 	to remember

sich erkälten 	to catch a cold

sich freuen 	to be glad, rejoice

sich fürchten 	to be afraid, to fear

sich irren 	to be mistaken

sich langweilen 	to be bored

sich setzen 	to sit down

sich verspäten 	to be late

sich wundern 	to be surprised, amazed

German Reflexive Verbs

with Dative Reflexive Pronoun	English Meaning

sich etwas abgewöhnen	to give up something

sich etwas anschaffen	to buy something for oneself

sich etwas ansehen	to look at something

sich etwas ausdenken	to come up with something

Related Topics:

Verbs with Separable Prefixes

Verbs with Inseparable Prefixes

Reflexive Pronouns

Personal Pronouns


VERBS WITH SEPARABLE PREFIXES

German uses separable prefixes (prepositions or adverbs of place) that, when added to a verb, alter its meaning. The most commonly used of these include:

ab-	fort-	hinein-	weg-

an-	her-	mit-	wieder-

auf-	heraus-	nach-	zu-

aus-	herein-	über-	zurück-

auseinander-	hin-	unter-	zusammen-

ein-	hinaus-	vor-

gehen - to go

ausgehen - to go out

nehmen - to take

mitnehmen - to take along

Prefixes are detached from their verbs in the Present Tense and the Past Tense (and in the Imperative). They then move to the end of the sentences.

Ich gehe aus.	(Present)	I go out

Ich ging aus.	(Past)	I went out.

Gehe aus!	(Imperative)	Go out!

In the Perfect Tense, the prefix is attached to the participle:

Ich bin ausgegangen.	I went / have gone out.

Ich habe es mitgenommen.	I took / have taken it along / with (me).

In the Infinitive Constructions with zu, the root infinitive, the prefix, and the zu form a single form:

Ich habe versucht, ihn anzurufen.  	I tried to call him.

Es ist schwierig, gleichzeitig dem

Professor zuzuhören und alles 	It is difficult to listen to the professor and write 	aufzuschreiben.	everything down at the same time

.

Related Topics:

Conjugations of "sein," "haben," & "werden"

Summary of Tenses

Verbs with Inseparable Prefixes


VERBS WITH INSEPARABLE PREFIXES

The inseparable prefixes in German are:  be-, ent-, emp-, er-, ge-, ver-, zer-, hinter-, miß, wider-. These verbs do not take "ge" in the past participle.

1.	The prefix "be" intensifies the meaning of the verb.

arbeiten - work	bearbeiten - work through, work over, put into final form

denken - think 	bedenken - consider, review, reflect upon

schreiben - write	beschreiben - describe, circumscribe

2.	The prefix "ent" (or "emp" as in "empfangen") denotes origin or separation

from something.

ehren - honor	entehren - dishonor, disgrace

kommen - come	entkommen - escape, come away

stehen - stand	entstehen - originate, come to be

3.	The prefix "er" denotes a change from a less to a more complete or thorough

state.

wachen - be awake	erwachen - awaken fully

lernen - learn 	erlernen - acquire full knowledge of, acquire skill at something

tragen - carry	ertragen - bear, be burdened with

4.	The prefix "ge" denotes a shift from an individual action, to participation in a larger,

collective action.

NOTE: "ge" verbs are not to be confused with past participles.

frieren - freeze 	gefrieren - congeal

fallen - fall, strike	gefallen - affect pleasantly, please someone

horchen - listen	gehorchen - obey, respond to orders

5.	The prefix "ver" can have the negative meaning of undoing or reversing the action

performed, or it can be an intensifier.

A)	Reversing the action of the verb:

führen - lead	verführen - mislead, seduce

kaufen - buy	verkaufen - sell

lernen - learn 	verlernen - unlearn, forget

B)	As an intensifier:

schlucken - swallow	verschlucken - swallow whole

schneiden - cut 	verschneiden - cut to pieces

mischen - mix	vermischen - mix up, meld

6.	The prefix "zer" denotes separation and carries the action to an extreme degree.

stören - disturb	zerstören - totally destroy

brechen - break	zerbrechen - break to pieces

schneiden - cut	zerschneiden - cut to pieces

Related Topics:

Conjugations of "sein," "haben," & "werden"

Prefixes That Are Either Separable or Inseparable


PREFIXES THAT ARE EITHER SEPARABLE OR INSEPARABLE

Some German verbs take prefixes that are either separable or inseparable, and their meanings change accordingly. They include, for example:

durch	through

über	over

unter	under

um	around

wieder	again

NOTE: The past participle of these verbs can be formed in two ways, only one of which uses the "ge" of the participle.

Separable:	Inseparable:

Der Hund holt den Ball wieder.	Er wiederholt das Gedicht.

The dog fetches the ball.	He repeats the poem.

Wir stellen die Möbel um.	Die Truppen umstellen die Stadt.

We move the furniture.	The troops surround the town.

Er lief die Schuhsohlen durch.	Die Entwicklung durchlief mehrere Stadien.

He wore the soles through.	The development passed through several

stages.

Past Participles:

Der Hund hat den Ball wiedergeholt.	Er hat das Gedicht wiederholt.

The dog has fetched the ball.	He has repeated the poem.

Wir haben die Möbel umgestellt. 	Die Truppen haben die Stadt umstellt.

We have moved the furniture.	The troops have surrounded the town.

Er hat die Schuhsohlen durchgelaufen.	Die Entwicklung hat mehrere Stadien durchlaufen.

He has worn the soles through.	The development has passed through several

stages.

Related Topics:

Perfect Tense

Prepositions with Accusative Case


VERBS TAKING THE GENITIVE CASE

The following is a partial list of German verbs that take the genitive case.

bedürfen	to need, require

sich erinnern	to remember

gedenken	to commemorate

sich bedienen	to make use of

sich bemächtigen	to seize

sich schämen	to be ashamed of

sich vergewissern	to assure oneself of

Wir gedenken seiner Leitungen.

 	         We commemorate his achievements.

Er bedient sich seiner hohen Stellung, um seine Ziele zu erreichen.

                                     He makes use of his high position to achieve his goals.

Sie schämt sich ihrer Herkunft.

She is ashamed of her origins.

Related Topics:

Reflexive Verbs

Verbs with Inseparable Prefixes

Prepositions with Genitive Case


VERBS TAKING THE DATIVE CASE

Some German verbs take their objects in the dative case. The following is a partial list:

antworten	to answer

begegnen	to meet

danken	to thank

dienen	to serve

drohen	to threaten

folgen	to follow

fehlen	to be missing, lacking

gefallen	to please

gehorchen	to obey

gehören	to belong

geschehen	to happen

glauben	to believe

helfen	to help

passen	to fit, suit

schaden	to harm, damage

schmeicheln	to flatter

vertrauen	to trust

Examples:

Das Kind antwortet seiner Mutter.	The child answers its mother.

Er begegnet seinem Freund.	He meets his friend.

Er glaubt ihrer Geschichte.	He believes her story.

Der Anzug paßt ihm ausgezeichnet.	The suit fits him perfectly.

Der Hund vertraut seinem Besitzer.	The dog trusts its owner.

Related Topics:

Verbs with Inseparable Prefixes

Verbs Taking the Accusative Case


VERBS TAKING THE ACCUSATIVE CASE

Many German verbs take their objects in the accusative case. They are called transitive verbs. Included in this group are:

machen	to make, do

bauen	to build

backen	to bake

essen	to eat

schreiben	to write

lesen	to read

schaffen	to do, create

stellen	to put

setzen	to set

trinken	to drink

legen	to lay

fallen	to fall

Related Topics:

Gender and Declension

Accusative Case


IMPERATIVE FORM

The German Imperative Form is used to give a command or make a suggestion. It occurs only in second person singular/plural and with the polite form of address, "Sie":

Example:	bringen 	to bring

Bringe ! 	Bring (it) ! (you, familiar, sing.)

Bringt !	Bring (it) ! (you, familiar, pl.)

Bringen Sie ! 	Bring (it) ! (you, formal, sing. or pl.)

Example:	fragen	to ask

Frage !	Ask ! (you, familiar, sing.)

Fragt ! 	Ask ! (you, familiar, pl.)

Fragen Sie ! 	Ask ! (you, formal, sing. or pl.)

The related expression in first person plural, let us do something,  translates as follows:

Lets go to the party! 	Gehen wir zur Party!

NOTE:	Some Imperative Forms are exceptions to this pattern in so far as they do not take a

final "e." They include:

(you, familiar, sing.)	(you, familiar, pl.)	(you, formal, sing.or pl.)

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

treten	Tritt !	Tretet !	Treten Sie !

geben	Gib !	Gebt !	Geben Sie !

sprechen	Sprich !	Sprecht !	Sprechen Sie !

sehen	Sieh !	Seht !	Sehen Sie !

nehmen	Nimm !	Nehmt !	Nehmen Sie !

essen	Iß !	Eßt !	Essen Sie !

NOTE: The Imperative Forms of the verb "sein" (to be) are:

Sei ! (you, familiar, sing.)

Seid ! (you, familiar, pl.)

Seien Sie ! (you, formal, sing. or pl.)

Related Topics:

Verbs

Conjugations of "sein," "haben," & "werden"


THE IMPERSONAL "ES"

German frequently uses the impersonal "es" + verb construction to describe conditions, emotional states, or natural events. The most commonly used expression with "es" is:

es gibt 	there is, there are

Es gibt viele Studenten an der Universität.

An alternate for this is:

es ist / es sind	there is, there are

Es sind viele Studenten an der Universität.

NOTE: Whereas es gibt expresses a more general condition, es sind tends to describe a momentary condition. Therefore, the implications are slightly different.

Es gibt viele Studenten an der Universität.     Many students are attending the university.

Es sind viele Studenten an der Universität.    At this moment, there are many students on campus (but at another time, the situation might be different).

Additional constructions with "es" include:

es geht mir gut	I am well

es gelingt mir 	I succeed at something

es gefällt mir 	I like it

es tut mir leid 	I am sorry

"Es" is also frequently used with Reflexive Pronouns:

es freut mich	I am glad

es wundert mich	I am surprised

And, in talking about natural events:

es schneit 	it is snowing

es regnet	it is raining

es donnert 	it is thundering

es blitzt 	it is lightening

es dämmert 	it is getting dark / light

Related Topics:

Contents

Pronouns

Reflexive Pronouns


NEGATIVE STATEMENTS

Negative sentences in German are formed using either "kein" (declined) (none / none of / not any) or "nicht" (not). The phrases "gar nicht," "gar nichts" (nothing at all), and "gar kein(e)" (none at all) are used for emphasis. "Kaum" (hardly), "wenig" (a few / little), and "nur wenig" (only a little) are additional negative qualifiers.

Negative Statements - Singular

German	English

Er hat kein Geld ausgegeben.	He spent no money.

He did not spend any money.

Er hat gar kein Geld ausgegeben.	He spent no money at all.

He did not spend money at all.

Er hat kaum Geld ausgegeben.	He spent hardly any money.

Er hat wenig Geld ausgegeben.	He spent little money.

Er hat nur wenig Geld ausgegeben.	He spent only little money.

Er hat das Geld nicht ausgegeben.	He did not spend the money.

Er hat das Geld gar nicht ausgegeben.	He did not spend any of the money.

Er hat gar nichts ausgegeben.	He spent nothing at all.

Negative Statements - Plural

German	English

Sie hat keine Fragen gestellt.	She did not ask any questions.

She asked no questions.

Sie hat gar keine Fragen gestellt.	She did not ask any questions at all.

She asked no questions at all.

Sie hat kaum Fragen gestellt.	She hardly asked any questions.

Sie hat wenige Fragen gestellt.	She asked few questions.

Sie hat nur wenige Fragen gestellt.	She asked only a few questions.

Sie hat die Fragen nicht gestellt.	She did not ask the questions.

Sie hat die Fragen gar nicht gestellt.	She did not ask the questions at all.

Sie hat gar nichts gefragt.	She did not ask anything at all.

Position of "nicht"

Er hat ihr gestern die Wahrheit nicht gesagt.	He did not tell her the truth yesterday. (Implying he used a different means of communication; he wrote a letter explaining the truth to her.)

Er hat ihr gestern nicht die Wahrheit gesagt.	He did not tell her the truth yesterday.

Er hat ihr nicht gestern die Wahrheit gesagt.	It was not yesterday that he told her the truth.

Er hat nicht ihr gestern die Wahrheit gesagt.	It was not her to whom he told the truth

yesterday.

Nicht er hat ihr gestern die Wahrheit gesagt.	It was not he who told her the truth yesterday.

Related Topics:

Perfect Tense

The Indefinite Article


INFINITIVE CONSTRUCTIONS

German uses infinitive constructions of several types. Some of them are:

1.	Infinitives used as nouns, which are equivalent to the English "ing" forms.

Schwimmen ist gesund.

Swimming is healthy.

Das Singen der Vögel weckt ihn auf.

The singing of the birds awakens him.

2.	The infinitive + "zu" can replace a subject:

Seine Rettung war unmöglich.

His rescue was impossible.

Es war unmöglich, ihn zu retten.

It was impossible to rescue him.

Selbstbeherrschung ist nicht leicht.

Self-control is not easy.

Es ist nicht leicht, sich zu beherrschen.

It is not easy to control oneself.

3.	The infinitive + "zu" can replace an object:

Er plante eine Reise nach Afrika.

He plans a trip to Africa.

Er plante, nach Afrika zu reisen.

He planned to travel to Africa.

Ich habe die Hausarbeit angefangen.

I have begun the homework.

Ich habe angefangen, die Hausarbeit zu machen.

I have begun doing the homework.

4.	German also uses each of the following constructions with an infinitive:

"um + zu" (in order to), "ohne zu" (without doing...), and

"anstatt zu" (instead of doing...):

Der Polizist stürzte sich ins Wasser, um das Kind zu retten.

The policeman threw himself into the water in order to save the child.

Er arbeitete viel, ohne Erfolge zu verzeichnen.

He worked a lot without achieving any success.

Ich nahm den Platz vorne, anstatt nach hinten zu gehen.

I took the seat in the front instead of going to the back.

5.	Infinitives can also be combined with "zu" after "sein" or "haben" in a

construction equivalent to the English "have to" or "must."

Der Wagen ist zu reinigen.

The car has to be cleaned.

Der Arbeiter hat den Wagen gut zu reinigen.

The worker must clean the car well.

NOTE:	In the case of verbs with separable prefixes, "zu" is inserted between the prefix and stem in an infinitive construction.

Man sollte das Formular einsenden.

One ought to mail in the form.

Das Formular ist einzusenden.

The form must be mailed in.

Related Topics:

Contents

Summary of Tenses


THE DEFINITE ARTICLE

The definite article in German (equivalent to the English "the") is declined as follows:

SINGULAR

Masculine	Feminine	Neuter

________________________________

Nom.: 	der	die	das

Gen.: 	des	der	des

Dat.: 	dem 	der	dem

Acc.: 	den	die	das

PLURAL

Masculine, Feminine, Neuter

_______________________

Nom.: 	die

Gen.: 	der

Dat.: 	den

Acc.: 	die

USAGE: Whereas the article is required in English, it is sometimes omitted altogether in German and vice-versa.

Er ist Arzt. 	He is a doctor.

Er ging zur Schule.	He went to school.

NOTE: The definite article is frequently combined with certain prepositions to yield the following contractions:

an	+	dem	=	am

an	+	das	=	ans

auf	+	das	=	aufs

bei	+	dem	=	beim

durch	+	das	=	durchs

für	+	das	=	fürs

in	+	dem	=	im

in	+	das	=	ins

unter	+	dem	=	unterm

von	+	dem	=	vom

vor	+	das	=	vors

zu	+	dem	=	zum

zu	+	der	=	zur

Related Topics:

The Indefinite Article

Gender and Declension


THE INDEFINITE ARTICLE

The indefinite article in German (equivalent to the English "a / an") is declined as follows:

SINGULAR

Masculine	Feminine	Neuter

________________________________

Nom.: 	ein	eine	ein

Gen.: 	eines	einer	eines

Dat.: 	einem	einer	einem

Acc.: 	einen	eine	ein

NOTE: The indefinite "ein" has no plural form, however, "keine" ("no / none of") is declined as follows:

SINGULAR

Masculine	Feminine	Neuter

________________________________

Nom.:	kein	keine	kein

Gen.:	keines	keiner	keines

Dat.:	keinem	keiner	keinem

Acc.:	keinen	keine	kein

PLURAL

Masculine, Feminine, Neuter

_______________________

Nom.:	keine

Gen.:	keiner

Dat.:	keinen

Acc.:	keine

USAGE: German usage of the definite and indefinite article varies slightly from English. Where the article is required in English, it is sometimes omitted altogether in German and vice-versa.

Er ist Arzt.	He is a doctor.

Er ging zur Schule.	He went to school.

Related Topics:

Negative Statements

The Definite Article

Gender and Declension


GENDER AND DECLENSION

The principal parts of German nouns are: Nominative (sing.), Genitive (sing.), and Nominative (pl.).

der Vater 	(m. nom. sing.)

des Vaters 	(m. gen. sing.)

die Väter 	(m. nom. pl.)

NOTE: In addition to capitalizing proper names and the first word in each sentence, German capitalizes all nouns. This also applies to adjectives and infinitives when they become nouns.

der blaue Wagen / die Fahrt ins Blaue

die neuesten Nachichten / das Neueste vom Tag

Sie sammeln Briefmarken / das Sammeln von Briefmarken

Sie lachen oft / sein Lachen nervt mich

All German nouns have grammatical gender. Unlike English, which classifies nouns by their natural gender, German does not determine grammatical gender by a rigid set of rules. Instead, it classifies nouns by their endings (with some exceptions). It is necessary to know the gender of a noun before it can be declined. The main groups of German nouns are:

MASCULINE NOUNS

1.	Nouns that are naturally of masculine gender, many of which contain one or two syllables

and /or end in "e":

der Mann	the man

der Junge	the boy

2.	Nouns ending in "er":

der Lehrer	the teacher

der Bäcker	the baker

3.	Nouns ending in "ich," "ig," and "ing":

der Teppich	the carpet

der König	the king

der Jüngling	the youth

4.	Nouns ending in "en":

der Boden	the ground

der Hafen 	the harbor

der Wagen	the car

5. Some nouns that begin with "Ge" and are collective concepts.

der Gewinn	the profit

der Gedanke	the thought

der Gebrauch	the use

SOME ADDITIONAL MASCULINE NOUNS include: names of days, months, seasons

(der Montag, der Februar, der Frühling), and times of day (der Morgen, der Abend--exception: die Nacht).

FEMININE NOUNS

1.	Nouns with endings "ei," "heit," "keit," "schaft," and "ung":

die Bäckerei	the bakery

die Freiheit	the liberty

die Heiterkeit	the cheerfulness

die Bekanntschaft	the acquaintance

die Sendung	the program

2.	Nearly all nouns ending in "e":

die Größe	the size

die Blume	the flower

3.	Nouns derived from masculine nouns by adding "in":

die Freundin	the girlfriend

die Lehrerin	the (woman) teacher

4.	Nouns of foreign origin ending in "ie," "ion," "ik," or "tät":

die Harmonie	the harmony

die Nation	the nation

die Technik	the technology

die Universität	the university

5.	Some nouns that begin with "Ge" and are collective concepts:

die Gestalt	the shape

die Gefahr	the danger

SOME ADDITIONAL FEMININE NOUNS include: names of German rivers (die Oder, die Weser, die Rhone) and names of numbers and numerals (die Eins, die Hundert). Exception:  der Rhein

NEUTER NOUNS

1.	Most nouns ending in "nis," "all," "sel," "tum," and "ium":

das Verständnis	the understanding

das Intervall	the interval

das Rätsel 	the riddle

das Eigentum	the property

das Gymnasium	the high school

2.	Some nouns of foreign origin:

das Auto	the car

das Konzert	the concert

das Produkt	the product

3.	Nouns formed from adjectives or infinitives:

das Gute 	the good (thing)

das Neue	the new (thing)

das Arbeiten	the working

das Trinken	the drinking

4.	Nouns taking the diminutive endings "chen" and "lein":

das Städtchen	the small town

das Häuslein	the small house

5.	Nouns describing people or animals that are not yet adults:

das Kind	the child

das Kalb	the calf

das Lamm	the lamb

das Fohlen	the foal

6.	Some nouns that begin with "Ge" and are collective concepts:

das Getreide	the cereal

das Gebiet	the region

das Gelächter	the laughter

NOTE:	The gender and number of the article preceding a compound noun is dictated by the gender and number of the last word of the compound.

Singular:	Plural:

das Schulzimmer	(das Zimmer)	die Schulzimmer	     classroom

der Konzertsaal	(der Saal)	die Konzertsäle	      	   concert hall

die Naturwissenschaft	(die Wissenschaft)	die Naturwissenschaften

         natural sciences

die Haustür	(die Tür)	die Haustüren	    house door

der Bekanntenkreis	(der Kreis)	die Bekanntenkreise

cirlce of aquaintances

das Weinglas	(das Glas)	die Weingläser	     wine glass

Related Topics:

The Definite Article

Plural Formation of Nouns


NOMINATIVE CASE

The nominative case is used to identify a noun or pronoun as the subject of a verb. It is also used in sentences using the verb "to be."

Das Auto fährt schnell. 	The car drives fast.

Das ist ein neues Auto. 	This is a new car.

Die Frau kennt die Schüler. 	The woman knows the student.

Sie ist eine alte Dame. 	She is an old lady.

Related Topics:

Gender and Declension

The Definite Article

The Indefinite Article


GENITIVE CASE

The genitive case is used to denote possession, or relation of origin.

Die Geschichte des Landes.

The history of the country.

Das Haus seiner Eltern.

The house of his parents.

Die Stimme des Mannes.

The man's voice.

Prepositions taking genitive case include:

abseits	bezüglich	jenseits	ungeachtet

angesichts	diesseits	kraft	unterhalb

(an)statt	hinsichtlich	längs	während

anstelle	infolge	oberhalb	wegen

aufgrund	inmitten	trotz	zeit

außerhalb	innerhalb	um ... willen	zugunsten

Anstatt des Autos kaufte er ein Motorrad.

Instead of a car he bought a motorcycle.

Die Kinder spielen außerhalb des Gartens.

The children played outside the backyard.

Der Markt liegt diesseits des Flusses.

The market is on this side of the river.

Er beendet das Studium innerhalb eines Jahres.

He finishes his studies within one year.

Die Kirche steht jenseits der Stadt.

The church is beyond the city.

Trotz der Technik leben wir einfach.

Inspite of the technology we lead a simple life.

Wegen des Wetters fahren wir nicht nach München.

Due to the weather we will not go to Munich.

Während des Vortrages denkt er an seine Familie.

During the lecture he is thinking of his family.

Related Topics:

Prepositions With Genitive Case

Verbs Taking the Genitive Case

Gender and Declension


DATIVE CASE

The dative case identifies a noun or pronoun as the indirect object of a sentence. It is also required with certain verbs and prepositions.

Wir schenken dem Kind das Buch.

We give the child the book.	 	 Or:  We give the book to the child.

Sie empfiehlt dem Mann einen Anzug.

She recommends the man a suit.  	 Or: She remmoments a suit to the man.

Er antwortet mir.

He answers me.

Ich danke dir.

I thank you.

Prepositions taking dative case include, for example:

aus 	out of, from

außer	except for

bei	at, with, near

binnen	within

entgegen	contrary to

entsprechend	according to

fern	far (away) from

gegenüber	opposite

gemäß	according to

mit	with

nach	after

seit	since

von	from, of

zu	to

zuliebe	for the sake of

Er geht aus dem Haus.

He goes out of the house.

Außer diesem Wagen besitze ich nichts.

Except for this car I dont own anything.

Ich wohne bei meinem Großvater.

I live with my grandfather.

Das Gebäude ist gegenüber der Bücherei.

The building is opposite the library.

Ich reise mit meiner Familie.

I travel with my family.

.

Related Topics:

Verbs Taking the Dative Case

Prepositions with Dative Case

Prepositions With Either Accusative or Dative Case


ACCUSATIVE CASE

The accusative case identifies the direct object of a sentence. It is also required with certain prepositions.

Der Junge kauft das Fahrrad.	The boy buys the bicylce.

Thomas findet den Schlüssel.	Thomas finds the key.

Das Mädchen spielt ein Lied.	The girl plays a song.

Prepositions taking accusative case include, for example:

durch	through

für	for

gegen	against

ohne	without

um	at, about, around

bis auf	except for

wider	against

Er fährt durch den Wald.

He drives through the forest.

Sie arbeitet für meine Eltern.

She works for my parents.

Er kämpfte gegen den Weltmeister.

He fights against the world champion.

Sie lernen sehr schnell ohne die Bücher.

They learn very fast without the books.

Ich wohne um die Ecke von hier.

I live around the corner from here.

Die Wohnung ist bis auf die Küche möbliert.

`	The apartment is furnished except for the kitchen.

Wider seinen Willen ging er hin.

He went there against his will.

Related Topics:

Verbs Taking the Accusative Case

Prepositions with Accusative Case

Prepositions with Either Accusative or Dative Case


PLURAL FORMATION OF NOUNS

Unlike English nouns, which generally add "s" or "es" to form the plural, German nouns form their plurals in several different ways. Although there are some exceptions, it is nearly impossible to establish rules for the formation of the plural. Plural forms are grouped as follows:

1)	Many nouns form their plurals by making the following changes:

Add ending -e :

One-syllable masculine and neuter nouns:

der Arm  	 the arm	das Brot	the bread

die Arme 	 the arms	die Brote	the breads

Two-syllable nouns ending in -ich, -ig, and -ing also form their plurals like this:

der Bottich	the tub	der Käfig	the cage

die Bottiche	the tubs	die Käfige	the cages

der Lehrling	the apprentice

die Lehrlinge	the apprentices

Multisyllable nouns with certain endings, such as -al, -ar, -at, -ier, -iv, may also fall into

this category:

der Aktionär	the share-holder	        der Apparat	the appliance

die Aktionäre	the share-holders	        die Apparate	the appliances

das Stative	the tripod

die Stative	the tripods

Add ending -e + umlaut to stem vowel:

der Fuß	the foot	die Stadt	the city

die Füße	the feet	die Städte	the cities

Add ending -er:

der Leib	the body	das Bild	the picture

die Leiber	the bodies	die Bilder	the pictures

Add ending -er + umlaut to stem vowel:

der Mann	the man	das Haus	the house

die Männer	the men	die Häuser	the houses

2)	Many masculine or neuter nouns ending in -er, -el, -en, or -ein do not take an additional

ending but may add an umlaut to the stem vowel.  Diminutives belong into the group of

plurals without any changes, as do some neuter nouns ending in -e.

No plural ending:

der Lehrer	the teacher	das Fenster	the window

die Lehrer	the teachers	die Fenster	the windows

der Schlüssel	the key	das Segel	the sail

die Schlüssel	the keys	die Segel	the sails

die Wagen	the car	die Mädchen	the girl

der Wagen	the cars	das Mädchen	the girls

das Blumchen	the little flower	das Vöglein	the little bird

die Blümchen	the little flowers	die Vöglein	the little birds

das Gehege	the preserve	das Gehäuse	the casing

die Gehege	the preserves	die Gehäuse	the casings

No plural ending + umlaut to stem vowel:

der Vater	the father	das Kloster	the convent

die Väter	the fathers	die Klöster	the convents

Two feminine nouns fall into this category:

die Mutter	the mother	die Tochter	the daughter

die Mütter	the mothers	die Töchter	the daughters

3)	Nouns of foreign origin, mostly English or French, and abbreviations form their

plural by adding an -s ending:

Add ending -s:

der Chef	die Bar	das Kino	the movie theater

die Chefs	die Bars	die Kinos	the movie theaters

der LKW  (Lastkraftwagen)	the truck

die LKWs	the trucks

4)	All nouns ending in -is take an -se ending in the plural:

Add ending -se:

die Kenntnis	the knowledge	das Gefängnis	the prison

die Kenntnisse	*the knowledges	die Gefängnisse	the prisons

5)	Many nouns with the singular ending -e form their plurals by adding an -n ending.

Also, some nouns ending in -er or -el, most of them feminine, fall into this category.

Add ending -n:

der See	the lake	der Junge	the boy

die Seen	the lakes	die Jungen	the boys

die Freude	the joy	das Auge	the eye

die Freuden	the joys	die Augen	the eyes

der Muskel	the muscle	die Leiter	the director

die Muskeln	the muscles	die Leitern	the directors

6)	Most feminine nouns form their plurals by adding -en. Included in this group are all

feminine nouns ending in: -ei, -heit, -keit, -schaft, -ung, -anz, -enz, -ion, -tät, and -ur.

In addition, masculine nouns ending in -and, -ant, -ent, -et, -ist, -it, and -or, and some

one-syllable nouns take this plural ending:

Add ending -en:

die Frau	the woman	die Brauerei	the brewery

die Frauen	the women	die Brauereien	the breweries

die Feinheit	the detail	die Freundschaft	the friendship

die Feinheiten	the details	die Freundschaften	the friendships

die Wanderung	the hike	die Nation	the nation

die Wanderungen	the hikes	die Nationen	the nations

die Rarität	the rarity	die Kultur	the culture

die Raritäten	*the rarities	die Kulturen	the cultures

der Konfirmand	the confirmand	der Dirigent	the director

die Konfirmanden	the confirmands	die Dirigenten	the director

der Polizist	the police officer	der Doktor	the doctor

die Polizisten	the police officers	die Doktoren	the doctors

der Meteorit	the meteorite	der Herr	the gentleman

die Meteoriten	the meteorites	die Herren	the gentlemen

7)	Feminine nouns ending in -in add the ending -nen to form the plural:

Add ending -nen:

die Lehrerin	the (woman) teacher

die Lehrerinnen	the (woman) teachers

die Freundin	the girlfriend

die Freundinnen	the girlfriends

8)	Nouns derived from Latin, Greek, and Italian often have irregular plural forms,

especially nouns ending in -a, -o, -um, -us. Their singular ending is replaced with

the plural ending -en.

Delete singular ending, replace with -en:

das Thema	the topic	das Konto	the account

die Themen	the topics	die Konten	the accounts

das Studium	the study	der Algorithmus	 the algorhythm

die Studien	the studies	die Algorithmen	 the algorhythms

NOTE:	The plural categories do not necessarily reflect categories of declension. Please refer to the chapter on Gender and Declension and to the Globalink Power Translator 6.0 Manual.

Related Topics:

Gender and Declension

Nominative Case

Genitive Case

Dative Case

Accusative Case


PERSONAL PRONOUNS

A Personal Pronoun is used to take the place of a noun. In German, the familiar forms, "du" and "ihr," are used when addressing family members, close friends, and children. Otherwise, the formal "Sie" is preferred. The German pronouns are:

Singular

I	you (fam.)	he	she	it

______________________________________________________________________________________________________

Nom.:	ich	du	er	sie	es

Gen.:	meiner	deiner	seiner	ihrer	seiner

Dat.:	mir	dir	ihm	ihr	ihm

Acc.:	mich	dich	ihn	sie	es

Plural

we	you	they (fam.)	you (formal)

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

Nom.:	wir	ihr	sie	Sie

Gen.:	unser	euer	ihrer	Ihrer

Dat.:	uns	euch	ihnen	Ihnen

Acc.:	uns	euch	sie	Sie

NOTE:	The informal personal and possessive pronouns in second person singular and plural are capitalized in letters as an indication of politeness.

Informal:

Ich danke Dir für Deinen Brief. 	     I thank you for your letter.

Wir danken Euch für Euren Brief. 	     We thank you for your letter.

Hast Du meinen Brief erhalten? 	     Did you receive my letter?

Habt Ihr meinen Brief erhalten? 	     Did you receive my letter?

Hoffentlich kann ich Dich bald besuchen.    Hopefully, I can visit you soon.

Hoffentlich kann ich Euch bald besuchen.   Hopefully, I can visit you soon.

Formal:

Auf Ihre Anfrage möchte ich Ihnen mitteilen, daß Sie uns gerne besuchen können.

In response to your question I would like to inform you that you are welcome to 	visit us.

Related Topics:

Possessive Adjectives

Reflexive Pronouns


POSSESSIVE ADJECTIVES

The German Possessive Adjectives are:

Singular:	Plural:

_________________________________________________________________________________

mein	my	unser	our

dein	your (fam.)	euer	your (fam.)

sein	his, its	ihr	their

ihr	her	Ihr	your (formal)

Possessive adjectives are declined in a pattern similar to that of "ein."

SINGULAR

Masculine	Feminine	Neuter

________________________________

Nom.:	mein	meine	mein

Gen.:	meines	meiner	meines

Dat.:	meinem	meiner	meinem

Acc.:	meinen	meine	mein

PLURAL

Masculine, Feminine, Neuter

_______________________

Nom.:	meine

Gen.:	meiner

Dat.:	meinen

Acc.:	meine

USAGE  German uses the definite article instead of the possessive adjective when speaking about parts of the body. Sometimes, reflexive constructions or dative pronouns are used to express the possessive relationship.

Er machte den Mund nicht auf.

He didn't open his mouth.

Ich wasche  mir die Hände.  	Ich wasche ihm das Gesicht.

I wash my hands.	I wash his face.

Related Topics:

Contents

The Indefinite Article


DEMONSTRATIVE PRONOUNS

The German Demonstrative Pronouns are:

der, die, das	the

jeder	every

mancher	some

welcher	which

dieser	this one

jener	that one

solcher	such

derjenige / diejenige / dasjenige / diejenigen	the one who/ those who

derselbe / dieselbe / dasselbe / dieselben	the same who

NOTE:	"Jeder," "jener," "mancher," "solcher," and "welcher" are declined like "dieser."

Declension of dieser

SINGULAR

Masculine	Feminine	Neuter

________________________________________________________________

Nom.:	dieser Mann	diese Frau	dieses Kind

Gen.:	dieses Mannes	dieser Frau	dieses Kindes

Dat.:	diesem Mann	dieser Frau	diesem Kind

Acc.:	diesen Mann	diese Frau	dieses Kind

PLURAL

Masculine, Feminine, Neuter

_______________________

Nom.:	diese Kinder

Gen.:	dieser Kinder

Dat.:	diesen Kindern

Acc.:	diese Kinder

Related Topics:

The Definite Article

Gender and Declension


RELATIVE PRONOUNS

There are two Relative Pronouns in German, "der" and "welcher." They are declined according to their function in the relative clause (subject, direct object, indirect object, object of a preposition,or possessive pronoun . They are:

Masculine	Feminine	Neuter	Plural

__________________________________________________________

Nom.:	der	die	das	die

Gen.:	dessen	deren	dessen	deren

Dat.:	dem	der	dem	denen

Acc.:	den 	die	das 	die

Der Mann, der das Buch geschrieben hat, wohnt in der Stadt.

The man who wrote that book lives in the city.

Das Haus, dessen Fenster kaputt sind, ist um die Ecke von hier.

The house, whose windows are broken, is located around the corner from here.

Der Junge, dem er hilft, lernt schnell.

The boy, whom he is helping, is learning fast.

Die Geschichte, die er erzählt, scheint wahr zu sein.

The story which he tells appears to be true.

Das Buch, das auf dem Tisch liegt, ist interessant.

The book, which is lying on the table, is interesting.

NOTE:	The declension of "Welcher" parallels that of "dieser," except it has no genitive forms. It is, however, used less frequently than "der, die, das" and their related forms.

Related Topics:

The Definite Article

Syntax


INTERROGATIVES

The German Interrogatives are:

wer	who	wann	when

wo	where	weswegen	on account of what

warum	why	weshalb	for what reason

was für ein	what kind of 	wie	how

was	what	wieviel	how much/many

welche(r)	which one

Wer spielt Fußball? 	Who plays soccer?

Wo ist das Lebensmittelgeschäft? 	Where is the grocery store?

Warum antwortet er nicht? 	Why doesnt he answer?

Was für ein Lied ist das? 	What kind of a song is that?

Was haben Sie gestern gemacht? 	What did you do yesterday?

Wann fängt der Vortrag an? 	When does the lecture start?

Wie lernt man Spanisch? 	How does one learn Spanish?

Welche Blumen nehmen Sie? 	Which flowers do you take?

NOTE:	"Wer" refers to persons and is inflected:

Nom.: 	wer	who

Gen.: 	wessen	whose

Dat.: 	wem	to whom

Acc.: 	wen	whom

Wer kommt? 	Who is coming?

Wessen Buch ist dies? 	Whose book is this?

Wem hat er das Buch gegeben? 	To whom did he give the book?

Wen besuchen Sie? 	Whom are you visiting?

Welch- belongs to the group of  "der"-Words and is

inflected according to gender, case and number of the following noun.

Welcher neue Film hat dir am besten gefallen?

Which new film do you like best?

Mit welchem Stift schreibst du?

With which pen are you writing?

NOTE:	"Wo" can be combined with some prepositions to create additional interrogatives with specific meanings.

Woraus besteht es?	Of what does it consist?

Wofür arbeiten die Menschen? 	To what end do people work? / are they

working?

Wogegen kämpfen sie? 	Against what are they fighting?

Woher weiß man das? 	How do we know that?

Womit schreiben Sie? 	With what do you write?

Worüber reden sie? 	What are they talking about?

Worauf hat er geantwortet? 	To what did he answer?

Worin besteht die Lösung? 	Of what does the solution consist?

Wovon hat er das gemacht? 	From what did he make that?

Wozu brauchst Du das Buch? 	For what purpose do you need the book?

NOTE:	Questions without interrogatives begin with the verb.

Kauft er den Wagen?	Is he buying the car?

Trinkt er gelegentlich ein Glas Wein? 	Does he drink a glass of wine occasionally?

Related Topics:

The Definite Article

Nominative Case

Genitive Case

"Da"- and "Wo"-Compounds

Dative Case

Accusative Case

Syntax


REFLEXIVE PRONOUNS

A reflexive pronoun is one that refers the action back to the subject. Reflexive pronouns can also serve as intensifiers. German has reflexive pronouns for the accusative and dative cases respectively:

Accusative: 	mich	uns

dich	euch

sich	sich

Ich wasche mich.	I wash myself.

Du wächst dich.	You wash yourself

Er wäscht sich.	He washes himself.

Wir waschen uns.	We wash ourselves.

Ihr wascht euch.	You wash yourselves.

Sie waschen sich.	They wash themselves.

Dative: 	mir	uns

dir	euch

sich	sich

Ich kaufe mir ein Buch.	I buy myself a book.

Du kaufst dir ein Buch.	You buy yourself a book.

Er kauft sich ein Buch.	He buys himself a book.

Wir kaufen uns ein Buch.	We buy ourselves a book.

Ihr kauft euch ein Buch.	You buy yourselves a book.

 	Sie kaufen sich ein Buch.	They buy themselves a book.

Related Topics:

Contents

Reflexive Verbs


DECLENSION OF ADJECTIVES

In contrast to English, German adjectives take endings.  These endings are dependent on the gender and case of the noun modified.  Adjectives can be:  1) preceded by a definite article or "der" word, 2) preceded by an indefinite article or "ein" word, or 3) unpreceded.

1.	Adjectives preceded by a "der" word:

SINGULAR

Masculine	Feminine	Neuter

____________________________________________________________

Nom.:	der junge Mann	die junge Dame	das alte Haus

Gen.:	des jungen Mannes	der jungen Dame	des alten Hauses

Dat.:	dem jungen Mann	der jungen Dame	dem alten Haus

Acc.:	den jungen Mann	die junge Dame	das alte Haus

PLURAL

Masc., Fem., Neuter

________________________

Nom.: 	die jungen Männer

Gen.: 	der jungen Männer

Dat.: 	den jungen Männern

Acc.: 	die jungen Männer

2.	Preceded by an "ein" word:

SINGULAR

Masculine	Feminine	Neuter

____________________________________________________________

Nom.:	ein junger Mann	eine junge Dame	ein altes Haus

Gen.:	eines jungen Mannes	einer jungen Dame	eines alten Hauses

Dat.:	einem jungen Mann	einer jungen Dame	einem alten Haus

Acc.:	einen jungen Mann	eine junge Dame	ein altes Haus

PLURAL

Masc., Fem., Neuter

__________________________

Nom.:	keine jungen Männer

Gen.:	keiner jungen Männer

Dat.:	keinen jungen Männern

Acc.:	keine jungen Männer

3.	Unpreceded:

SINGULAR

Masculine	Feminine	Neuter

____________________________________________________________

Nom.:	junger Mann	junge Frau 	junges Mädchen

Gen.:	jungen Mannes	junger Frau	jungen Mädchens

Dat.:	jungem Mann	junger Frau	jungem Mädchen

Acc.:	jungen Mann	junge Frau	junges Mädchen

PLURAL

Masc., Fem., Neuter

_______________________

Nom.:	junge Männer

Gen.:	junger Männer

Dat.:	jungen Männern

Acc.:	junge Männer

NOTE:	Predicate adjectives remain undeclined.

Meine Eltern sind nett.

My parents are nice.

Das Motorrad meines Freundes ist blau.

My friends motorcycle is blue.

NOTE:	In German and English, participles can function like adjectives or nouns. They are declined like adjectives.

Present participles used as adjectives

die lachenden Kinder ... 	The laughing children...

das fließende Wasser... 	The flowing water...

Present participles used as nouns

Inf. = reisen

Pres. Part. = reisend

Der Reisende ging ins Hotel. 	The travelers go into the hotel.

Sie kannten den Reisenden.	They knew the traveler.

Inf. = feiern

Pres. Part. = feiernd

Die Feiernden liefen durch die Altstadt.

The celebrating people ran through Old Town.

Der Polizist verhaftete die Feiernden.

The police arrested the celebrating people.

ALSO:	Adjective constructions with a present participle + "zu" are common.

das zu reinigende Zimmer	the room to be cleaned

die zu erledigende Arbeit	the work to be done

Also:	das abzuschickende Paket	the package to be mailed

Past Participles used as adjectives

Der gestrickte Pullover ...	The knitted sweater ...

Ein verlorenes Spiel ...	A lost match ...

Past Participles used as nouns

Inf. = einmachen   	to preserve

Past Part. = eingemacht

Das Eingemachte meiner Mutter schmeckt gut.

My mothers preserves taste good.

Inf. = sich verloben	to become engaged

Past Part. = verlobt

Die Verlobten planen ihrer Hochzeitsfeier.

The engaged couple plans their wedding celebration.

NOTE:	In addition to using single adjectives, German frequently uses attributive phrases, which serve as adjectives. The nouns, articles, and adjectives embedded in them are declined. When translated into English, these expressions are frequently streamlined; sometimes they are rendered as relative clauses.

Die Technik des zwanzigsten Jahrhunderts...

Twentieth century technology...

Das neulich veröffentlichte Buch..

The newly published book...

Die schon längst geplante Party...

The party, which was planned long ago,...

Related Topics:

The Definite Article

The Indefinite Article

Gender and Declension

Syntax


COMPARATIVE AND SUPERLATIVE FORMS OF ADJECTIVES

German adjectives have comparative and superlative forms that approximately parallel those of English. They are:

klein, kleiner, am kleinsten	small, smaller, smallest

nett, netter, am nettesten	nice, nicer, nicest

hübsch, hübscher, am hübschesten 	pretty, prettier, prettiest

EXCEPTIONS include:

gut, besser, am besten	good, better, best

viel, mehr, am meisten	much, more, most

NOTE:	In some comparative and superlative forms, an umlaut is added:

groß, größer, am größten	big, bigger, biggest

alt, älter, am ältesten	old, older, oldest

jung, jünger, am jüngsten	young, younger, youngest

NOTE:	There is sometimes a slight variation in spelling of these forms.

hoch, höher, am höchsten	high, higher, highest

NOTE:	In contrast to English, multisyllable adjectives do not form their comparatives with "more" / "most." Instead they add "er" and "est."

schwierig, schwieriger, am schwierigsten

difficult, more difficult, most difficult

unzufrieden, unzufriedener, am unzufriedensten

dissatisfied, more dissatisfied, most dissatisfied

intensiv, intensiver, am intensivsten

intensive, more intensive, most intensive

Related Topics:

The Definite Article

The Indefinite Article

Declension of Adjectives

Adverbs


ADVERBS

Unlike English, which adds "ly" to many of its adjectives to produce adverbs, German does not use any special adverb endings.

Das ist ein schnelles Auto. (adj.)	This is a fst car.

Thomas fährt schnell. (adv.)	Thomas drives fast.

Das Restaurant ist besonders gut. (adj.)	The restaurant is especially good.

Es ist gut besucht. (adv.)	It is well-frequented.

Das ist ein langsames Lied. (adj.)	This is a slow song.

Er singt langsam. (adv.)	He sings slowly.

NOTE:	Some German words ending in "weise" can serve as adverbs:

Glücklicherweise ist er gut angekommen.

Fortunately, he arrived safely.

Seltsamerweise haben wir nichts von ihr gehört.

Oddly enough, we haven't heard anything from her.

NOTE:	German also uses adverbs of time and place that roughly parallel English:

Er fährt täglich nach Köln.

He drives to Cologne every day.

Sie waren wochenlang krank.

They were sick for weeks.

Mittags ging die Familie zum Restaurant.

Every midday, the family went to the restaurant.

NOTE:	Adverbs are frequently used to begin German sentences.

Leider konnte er nicht dabei sein.

Unfortunately, he couldn't be present.

Related Topics:

Contents

Declension of Adjectives


PREPOSITIONS WITH GENITIVE CASE

The following are the German prepositions that take the genitive case:

abseits	diesseits	seitens

angesichts	hinsichtlich	trotz

anhand	infolge	willen

anläßlich	innerhalb	ungeachtet

anstelle	jenseits	unterhalb

(an)statt	kraft	während

aufgrund	längs	wegen

außerhalb	laut	zeit

beiderseits	mangels	zugunsten

bezüglich	oberhalb	zwecks

Ich wohne abseits der Hauptstraße.

I live away from the main street.

Anstatt eines Konzerts gab es einen Vortrag.

Instead of a concert they gave a lecture.

Innerhalb der Stadtmauer sind viele alte Häuser.

Inside of the city walls are many old houses.

Jenseits des Feldes verläuft eine kleine Straße.

Beyond the field is a small road.

Trotz der Zeitknappheit schaffen wir es.

Inspite of the lack of time we made it.

Um Himmels willen!

`	For Christ sake!

Während des Films wurde viel gelacht.

During the film there was much laughter.

Wegen des Wetters gingen wir nicht einkaufen.

Because of the weather we didnt go shopping.

Related Topics:

Gender and Declension

Genitive Case


PREPOSITIONS WITH DATIVE CASE

The following are the German prepositions that take dative case:

aus 	gegenüber

außer	gemäß

bei	mit

binnen	nach

entgegen	seit

entsprechend	von

fern	zu

zuliebe

Sie kommen jetzt aus der Kirche.

They are coming out of the church.

Außer ihm ist niemand hier.

Except for him there is nobody here.

Er arbeitet bei einer großen Firma.

He works for a large company.

Wir tanzen mit der Gruppe.

We dance with the group.

Nach dem Film trinken wir ein Bier.

After the film we drink a beer.

Er studiert seit drei Jahren.

He has been studying for three years.

Von wem haben Sie den Regenschirm?

Who gave you the umbrella?

Sie muß heute zur Bücherei.

She has to go to the library today.

Related Topics:

Gender and Declension

Dative Case

Prepositions with Either Accusative or Dative Case


PREPOSITIONS WITH ACCUSATIVE CASE

The following are the German prepositions that take the accusative case:

durch

für

gegen

ohne

um

bis

wider

Wir laufen durch den Wald.

We run through the forest.

Sie spielt die Sonate für uns.

They played the sonata for us.

Gegen Husten nimmt man Zitronensaft.

For a cough you take lemon juice.

Ohne die Bücher kannst du auch lernen.

You can learn without the books as well.

Der Marktplatz liegt um die Ecke von hier.

The market square is around the corner from here.

Related Topics:

Gender and Declension

Accusative Case

Prepositions with Either Accusative or Dative Case


PREPOSITIONS WITH EITHER ACCUSATIVE OR DATIVE CASE

The following are the German prepositions that can take either accusative or dative case. If a preposition takes the accusative case, it is because the verb indicates motion or change of position. If a sentence with an accusative preposition is put into a question, the interrogative is wohin,(where to) in order to express the change of location. If the same preposition is followed by the dative case, it is because it indicates location. The interrogative in this case would be wo (where).

an

auf

hinter

in

neben

über

unter

vor

zwischen

Er stand an der Tür. (dat.)  Wo stand er?

He stood at the door.  Where did he stand?

Er ging an die Tafel. (acc.) Wohin ging er?

He went to the board. Where(to) did he go?

Auf der Straße sieht man keine Autos. (dat.)  Wo sieht man keine Autos?

There are no cars in the street. Where are no cars?

Wir sind nicht auf die Straße gegangen.(acc.) Wohin sind wir nicht gegangen?

We didnt go out to the street. Where(to) didnt we go?

Die Männer arbeiteten hinter der Kirche. (dat.)

The men work behind the curch.

Die Männer gingen hinter die Kirche. (acc.)

The men went behind the curch.

Wir sind im Fluß geschwommen. (dat.)

We swam in the river.

Wir sind in den Fluß gesprungen. (acc.)

We jumped into the river.

Neben der Stadtmauer ist ein Teich. (dat.)

Next to the city wall is a pond.

Sie sind neben die Stadtmauer gezogen.(acc.)

`	They moved next to the city wall.

Über dem Rathaus sieht man eine Fahne. (dat.)

Above the city hall one can see a flag.

Wir sind über das Rathaus geflogen.(acc.)

`	We flew across the city hall.

Unter der Brücke leben Frösche.(dat.)

Under the bridge, frogs live.

Er hat das Blatt unter die Tür gesteckt.(acc.)

He put the paper under the door.

Sie wohnen zwischen der Kirche und der Schule. (dat.)

They live between the church and the school.

Er ist zwischen die beiden Mauern gekrochen.(acc.)

He crawled between the two walls.

Related Topics:

Gender and Declension

Dative Case

Accusative Case

Prepositions with Dative Case

Prepositions with Accusative Case


"Da"- and "Wo"-Compounds

Da- and wo-compounds consist of da and wo, respectively, and a preposition.

Da- compounds are used in statements, wo-compounds in direct or indirect questions.

USAGE: A prepositional phrase consists of a preposition followed by an article, possibly an attribute, and a noun, e.g.

auf dem großen Tisch	on top of the big table

ohne meinen Bruder	without my brother

vor der Schule	in front of the school

All nouns can be replaced by personal pronouns. Dem großen Tisch becomes ihm; meinen Bruder becomes ihn; der Schule becomes ihr. However, if a preposition is followed by a personal pronoun and this pronoun represents an object or concept (i.e. not an animate noun), a da-compound has to be used. Therefore, auf dem großen Tisch becomes darauf; vor der Schule becomes davor. Ohne meinen Bruder becomes ohne ihn; personal pronouns that represent animate nouns are never combined in either da- or wo-compounds. If  a preposition  that starts with a vowel is part of the compound, an additional r is inserted. The original noun and the implied personal pronoun disappear completely. If used as an interrogative, the wo-compound is used.

Some common compounds:

darauf  (da + r + auf)	worauf (wo + r + auf)

darunter (da + r + unter)	orunter (wo + r + unter)

damit (da +  mit)	womit (wo + mit)

dafür (da + für)	ofür (wo + für)

    Worauf wartet ihr?

What are you waiting for?

    Das ist ein Bleistift. Man kann damit schreiben.

This is a pencil. You can write with it.

    Das ist mein Bruder. Ich warte auf ihn.

This is my brother. I wait for him.

Prepositions that take the Genitive case act very unpredictable. In general, the Genitive case is used much less than the other cases and many expressions using the Genitive are archaic. By now, the most commonly used Genetive prepositions (wegen, während, trotz, statt) are accepted as grammatically correct when followed by Datives.

trotz des schlechten Wetters  =  trotz dem schlechten Wetter

inspite of the bad weather

wegen des starken Verkehrs = wegen dem starken Verkehr

because of the heavy traffic

wegen seiner (obsolete) = wegen ihm

because of him

The forms of the da- and wo-compounds of this group of prepositions, therefore, vary considerebly--if they exist at all.

Some examples:

trotzdem

stattdessen

deswegen	weswegen

währenddessen

   Es ist heute schlechtes Wetter. Trotzdem gehen wir schwimmen.

Today is really bad weather. Inspite of it we go swimming.

   Ich bin krank. Deswegen kann ich nicht kommen.

I am sick. Because of it I cannot come.

   Mein Bruder ist hier. Wegen ihm kann ich nicht kommen.

My brother is here. Because of him I cannot come.

Some prepositions (dative, accusative, or genitive) do not form da- or wo-compounds at all. In that case, the personal pronoun is used whether it represents an animate noun or not.

Some examples:

ohne

außer

bis

seit

   Ohne mein Auto kann ich nicht leben. Was mache ich nur ohne es?

Without my car I cannot live. What am I going to do without it?

Related Topics:

Prepositions

Prounouns


SYNTAX

Declarative Sentences, Questions, Imperatives

The word order in German sentences, questions, and imperatives is variable and flexible.  Because of this, the scope of this section is limited to those aspects of German grammar that may be difficult for native English speakers.

I.	DECLARATIVE SENTENCES

A.	The Main Elements:

1.	Subject:

The subject of a sentence can be a noun or proper name, a noun
phrase, or a pronoun. It is always in the nominative case. In addition, a
(subordinate) clause may function as the subject of a sentence.

Der Bus fährt zum Bahnhof.	 The bus goes to the station.

Peter hat ein neues Fahrrad.	 Peter has a new bicycle.

Sie hat das große Los gewonnen.	 She hit the jackpot.

Daß er kommt, ist so gut wie sicher. That he will come is almost certain.

2.	Predicate:

The predicate can be either an inflected verb form or a combination of inflected auxiliary and infinitive verb forms (participle and/or infinitive). If the predicate consists of several parts,  the participle and/or infinitive  are in the final position of the sentence.

Der Briefträger kommt jeden Morgen gegen 10 Uhr.

The mail carrier comes every morning about 10 oclock.

Der Briefträger ist heute morgen nicht gekommen.

Today, the mail carrier did not come.

Wir haben den Briefträger heute morgen noch nicht gesehen.

This morning, we havent seen the mail carrier yet.

Gestern haben wir unsere Post schon früh bekommen.

Yesterday, we receiver our mail already early.

3.	Object:

The object of a sentence can be a noun or proper name, a noun phrase, or a pronoun. Most verbs take their objects in the accusative and/or the dative case. The accusative object is the direct object, whereas the dative object is generally the indirect object. Only a few verbs require the object in the genitive case.  A subordinate clause may also function as an object.

Verbs Taking the Accusative Case:

Er kauft den Computer.	He buys the computer.

Dein Vaster hat Klaus gerufen. 	Your father has called Klaus.

Wir sehen rapide Fortschritte in der Entwicklung der Technik.

We see rapid progress in the development of technology.

Ich weiß nicht, wann er kommt.	I dont know when he will come.

Verbs Taking the Dative Case:

Das kleine Mädchen hilft seinem Vater.

The little girl helps her father.

Sie hat Frau Kleinberger geschrieben.

She has written to Mrs. Kleinberger.

Dieses Buch gehört dem neuen Studenten.

This book belongs to the new student.

Der Anzug paßt ihm.

The suit fits him.

When both an accusative (direct) object and a dative (indirect) object follow the
verb, the sequence of the two objects generally depends on whether they are
nouns, pronouns, or one noun and one pronoun.

Der Junge gab dem Mann sein Geld.

(Two nouns: Dative precedes Accusative.)

The boy gave the man his money.

Der Junge gab es dem Mann.

Der Junge gab ihm das Geld.

(One noun, one pronoun: pronoun precedes noun)

The boy gave it to the man.

The boy gave him the money.

Der Junge gab es ihm.

(Two pronouns: Accusative precedes Dative)

The boy gave it to him.

Exceptions to this general rule include instances where the speaker wishes to emphasize a particular object or where a subordinate clause refers to the object.

Der Junge gab sein Geld dem Mann (und nicht der Frau).

The boy gave his money to the man.

Der Junge gab sein Geld dem Mann, der ihm das Radio verkaufen wollte.

The boy gave his money to the man who wanted to sell him the radio.

Verbs Taking the Genitive Case:

Sein Verhalten spottet jeder Beschreibung.

His behavior defies description.

Wir gedenken der Gefallenen aller Kriege.

We remember the dead of all wars.

Wir gedenken ihrer.

We remember her.

Subordinate clause:

Wir wissen nicht, ob sie morgen kommen.

We dont know whether she will come tomorrow.

Sie haben gesehen, wie der Mann verletzt wurde.

They have seen how the man was hurt.

4.	Other elements of a sentence:

A sentence may also contain prepositional objects, adverbial phrases or adverbs.

Prepositional Object:

Some German verbs can be connected to their objects by a preposition. In many cases, the English translations either do not use any preposition are a different one. These verbs include:

warten auf	to wait for

beginnen mit	to begin with

sprechen über	to talk about

sprechen von	to talk about

verhandeln mit	to negotiate with

nachdenken über	to think about

hoffen auf	to hope for

denken an	to think of

sorgen für	to look after

fragen nach	to ask for

Sie sprachen über die Installierung der neuen Anlage.

They talked about the installation of the new appliance.

Der junge Mann wartet auf seine Freundin.

The young man is waiting for his girlfriend.

Wir hoffen auf eine umgehende Antwort.

We are hoping for a speedy response.

Adverbs and adverbial phrases:

Adverbs and adverbial phrases modify either the verb or the whole sentence expressing time, place, reason or mode.

Abends geht Herr Schwarz gern mit seinem Hund spazieren.

In the evening, Mr Schwarz likes to walk his dog.

Wir haben in diesem überaus kalten Winter viel Öl verbraucht.

We have used up a lot of oil in this extremely cold winter.

Er mußte in Hamburg umsteigen.

He had to change trains in Hamburg.

Wegen des schlechten Wetters wurde das Endspiel verschoben.

Because of the bad weather the final had been postponed.

B.	Clauses:

A sentence may consist of a main clause containing, at a minimum, a subject and a predicate.

Er schläft. 	He is sleeping.

A sentence may also be a more complicated structure consisting of a main clause and one or more subordinate clauses.

Er schläft, nachdem er den ganzen Tag schwer gearbeitet hat, obwohl

das Telefon dauernd klingelt.

He is sleeping after having worked hard the whole day although the telephone is ringing constantly.

In German, the word order in main clauses differs from that found in subordinate
clauses.

1.	Main clauses:

A main clause may begin with the subject of the sentence, one of the objects, an adverb / adverbial phrase, or a subordinate clause.  The first position in the sentence is generally one of emphasis. For example, to emphasize an object, begin the sentence with that object.

Dem habe ich es aber gegeben. 	I showed him good.

Darauf freuen wir uns.	We are looking forward to it.

As a general rule, the inflected verb form is the second element in a main clause. It may be preceded by a subject, object, adverbial phrase, or even a subordinate clause.

Simple Tenses:

Er schläft. 	He is sleeping.

(Subject + predicate)

Die Besucher sehen die blühenden Bäume.

(Subject + predicate + accusative object)

The visitors see the blooming trees.

Den Söhnen hinterließ der alte Mann das Geschäft.

(Dative object + predicate + subject + accusative object)

To his sons, the old man left his business.

Jeden Morgen laufen wir dreimal um den Häuserblock.

(adverbial phrase + predicate + subject + adverb + adverbial phrase)

Every morning we run three times around the block.

Als du gestern anriefst, arbeitete ich an meinem Auto.

(Subordinate clause + predicate + subject + adverbial phrase)

When you called yesterday I was working on my car.

In compound tenses and constructions with modal auxiliaries, the inflected auxiliary is the second element of the sentence and the infinitive and / or participle part of the predicate moves to the end:

Compound Tenses:

Er hat geschlafen.	He has slept.

Die Besucher werden die blühenden Bäume sehen.

The visitors will see the blooming trees.

Den Söhnen würde der alte Mann das Geschäft hinterlassen.

To his sons, the old man would leave the business.

Jeden Morgen waren wir dreimal um den Häuserblock gelaufen.

Each morning, we had run three times around the block.

Constructions with modal auxiliaries:

Simple Tenses:

Er darf nicht schlafen.	 	He must not sleep.

Die Besucher können die blühenden Bäume sehen.

The visitors can see the blooming trees.

Den Söhnen will der alte Mann das Geschäft hinterlassen.

To his sons, the old man is going to leave the business.

Jeden Morgen sollten wir dreimal um den Häuserblock laufen.

Every morning, we should run around the block.

Als du gestern anriefst, mußte ich an meinem Auto arbeiten.

When you called yesterday, I had to work on my car.

Compound Tenses:

Er hat nicht schlafen dürfen.	He wasnt allowed to sleep.

Die Besucher werden die blühenden Bäume sehen können.

The visitors will be able to see the blooming trees.

Den Söhnen wird der alte Mann das Geschäft hinterlassen wollen.

To his sons, the old man is probably going to leave the business.

Jeden Morgen sollten wir dreimal um den Häuserblock gelaufen sein.

Every morning we should have run three times around the block.

Als du gestern anriefst, mußte ich an meinem Auto arbeiten lassen.

When you called yesterday, I had to have my car  worked on.

NOTE: In main clauses, separable prefixes get separated from the verb when the verb is in a Simple Tense. The prefix then goes to the end.

Er schläft ein.	He falls asleep.

Er schläft nicht ein.	He doesnt fall asleep.

Er gab viel Geld aus.	He spent a lot of money.

Er gab nicht viel Geld aus.	He didnt spent a lot of money.

BUT: In compound tenses and modal constructions, the verb with the separable prefix is either an infinitive or a past participle and the prefix is not separated.

Er kann nicht einschlafen.	He cannot go to sleep.

Er ist eingeschlafen.	He has fallen asleep.

Er hat viel Geld ausgegeben.	He has spent a lot of money.

Er will nicht viel Geld ausgeben. 	He doesnt want to spend a lot of money.

NOTE: Coordinating conjunctions join two clauses and give them equal weight. These conjunctions are not elements of the clause and therefore do not affect the word order.

The coordinating conjunctions are:

und	and

oder	or

bzw. (beziehungsweise),	respectively

aber	but

doch	however

jedoch	however

allein	however

sondern	but

denn	because

Er kann nicht kommen, denn er ist krank.

He cannot come because he is sick.

Der Arzt ist auf Urlaub, aber seine Vertreterin kann Ihnen helfen.

The doctor is on vacation but his substitute can help you.

Die Schüler haben kein Geld für diese Reise, und ihre Eltern wollen ihnen das Geld nicht geben.

The students dont have any money for this trip and their parents dont want to give it to them.

NOTE: Coordinate clauses are usually separated from each other by a comma. The only 	exception are clauses sharing the same subject and joint by und.

Gestern bin ich schwimmen gegangen und heute gehe ich tanzen.

Yesterday, I went swimming and today I go dancing.

A similar sentence with two different subjects, however, requires the separating comma.

Gestern ist mein Bruder schwimmen gegangen, und heute gehe ich schwimmen.

Yesterday, my brother went swimming, and today I go swimming.

2.	Subordinate clauses:

By definition, a subordinate clause cannot stand by itself and is always dependent on a main clause. The statement made in the subordinate clause does not have the same weight as that of the main clause.

There are different types of subordinate clauses:

1.	Clauses introduced by a subordinating conjuction

2.	Infinitive clauses

3.	Relative clauses

4.	Participle clauses

5.	Indirect questions

EXAMPLES:

1.	Nachdem er den Brief gelesen hatte, rief er den Kunden

sofort an.

After having read the letter, he immediately called the customer.

2.	Ich freue mich, Sie kennenzulernen.

I am pleased to meet you.

3.	Der Brief, der heute morgen ankam, enthielt gute

Nachrichten.

The letter that came this morning contained good news.

4.	Dem Beispiel seines Vaters folgend, wurde er Arzt.

Following his fathers example he became a doctor.

5.	Die Kinder konnten uns nicht sagen, wo wir die nächste

Tankstelle finden konnten.

The children couldnt tell us where we could find the nearest gas station.

Subordinate clauses can precede the main clause, they can be inserted into it, or they can follow it.  The predicate is always at the end of the subordinate clause, with the inflected verb form (if there is one) at the end. If the subordinate clause contains a double infintive construction, the inflected verb precedes the two infinitives.

Er wußte nicht, was er an ihrer Stelle hätte machen können.

He didnt know what he could have done in her place.

NOTE: Subordinate clauses are always separated from the main clause by commas.

Subordinating conjunctions are:

als	as

nachdem	after

bis	until

während	during

ehe	before

bevor	before

sobald	as soon as

solange	as long as

wenn	when

weil	because

da	since

zumal da	particularly since

damit	in order to

daß	that

falls	in case of

sofern	as long as

soweit	as far

obwohl	although

obgleich	althoug

obschon	although

wenn auch	even though

indem	by (+Gerund)

wie	as

als ob	as if

ohne daß	without (+Gerund)

ob	whether

Additional subordinating conjunctions include:

um zu	in order to

ohne zu	without (+Gerund)

statt zu	instead of

anstatt zu. 	instead of

These conjunctions introduce an infinitive clause. They take an infinitive at the end of the subordinate clause instead of an inflected verb form. Since the infinitve does not show person or number, both, the main clause and the subordinate clause must have the same subject.

Er studierte Sprachen, um im internationalen Wirtschaftsbereich arbeiten zu können.

He studied languages in order to be able to work in the area of international economy.

Sie spielten die ganze Spielzeit, ohne einen Verlust zu erleiden.

The played the whole season without suffering a loss.

NOTE: Subordinating conjunctions are sometimes omitted but understood.

a)	Conditional clauses may begin with the inflected verb form.

Hätte er gestern angerufen, hätte er das Neueste erfahren.

(Wenn er gestern angerufen hätte, ....)

Had he called yesterday, he would have learned the latest news.

Wärst Du gestern gekommen, hätten wir zusammen üben können.

(Wenn Du gestern gekommen wärst, ...)

Had you come yesterday, we could have practiced together.

Regnet es, gehen wir ins Kino.

(Falls es regnet, ... )

In case of rain we go to the movie theater.

b)	Subordinate clauses with the conjucntion daß  may be connected to the

 main clause  ommitting the conjunction "daß."  In this case, the subordinated 	clause has the same word order as a main clause.

Er sagte, er habe kein Geld.

( ......, daß er kein Geld habe.)

He said (that) he didnt have any money.

Sie weiß, wir haben uns ein neues Auto gekauft.

(........, daß wir uns ein neues Auto gekauft haben.)

She knows (that) we bought a new car.

Wir hoffen, es geht dir bald besser.

(........, daß es dir bald wieder besser geht.)

We hope (that) you are feeling better soon.

NOTE: In subordinate clauses, separable prefixes do not become detached from the verb, even in Simple Tenses:

Er weiß, daß er viel Geld ausgibt.

He knows that he spends a lot of money.

Sie war froh, als er endlich einschlief.

She was glad when he finally fell asleep.

II.	QUESTIONS:

A.	Questions that require a "Yes" or "No" answer begin with the inflected verb form.

The separable prefix, past participle, or infinitive goes to the end of the question.

Fahren Sie morgen nach Berlin?

Will you go to Berlin tomorrow?

Legst Du ein Paar Tage Urlaub ein?

Will you take a few days vacation?

Habt Ihr schon Eure Uhren umgestellt?

Did you already reset your watches?

Haben Sie das neue Buch über die Erschließung Sibiriens gelesen?

Did you read the new book on the development of Siberia?

Hast Du meine Schlüssel gesehen?

Did you see my keys?

Darf ich bitte Ihren Ausweis sehen?

May I see your ID?

B.	Questions beginning with an interrogative pronoun take the

inflected verb form in the second position and the past participle or

infinitive at the end.

Wer hat meine Autoschlüssel gesehen?

Who has seen my car keys?

Wen wirst Du wählen?

Who are you going to vote for?

Was hast Du ihm erzählt?

What did you tell him?

Warum kommt er erst morgen?

Why does he come only tomorrow?

Wie heißen Ihre Kinder?

What are your children called?

Wo ist die Post?

Where is the post office?

Worüber habt Ihr gesprochen?

What did you talk about?

Wann wollen wir ins Kino gehen?

When do we want to go to the movie theater?

A question can also begin with a preposition before the interrogative pronoun. The preposition governs the case of the following interrogative pronoun and is considered part of it, i.e. this combination is counted as the first element, with the inflected verb form following in the second place.

Über wen habt Ihr gesprochen?

About who did you talk?

Um was geht es hier eigentlich?

What is this all about?

Auf wen ist er so wütend?

At who is he so mad?

Bei wem hast Du angerufen?

Who did you call?

"Wessen" + noun (whose + noun) is also considered as one element and the inflected verb form immediately follows this combination.

Wessen Koffer steht noch bei der Gepäckausgabe?

Whose suitcase is still standing at the luggage claim?

Wessen Auto hat unsere Einfahrt blockiert?

Whose car is blocking our driveway?

III.	IMPERATIVES:

A.	Direct Commands:

In direct commands, one of the imperative forms of the verb begins the sentence.

Mach schnell!

Hurry up!

Gebt dem Hund den Knochen!

Give the bone to the dog!

Beantworten Sie unser Schreiben bitte so bald wie möglich!

Please answer our letter as soon as possible!

Sei vorsichtig!

Be careful!

Seid bitte nicht so laut!

Please dont be so noisy!

Seien Sie bitte so freundlich, mir das Buch einzuwickeln.

Please be so kind and wrap the book for me.

NOTE: The separable prefix of a compound verb is placed at the end in a command or request.

Komm bitte herein!

Please come in!

Stellt den Fernseher ab!

Turn off the TV!

Lesen Sie diesen Vertrag bitte sorgfältig durch!

Please read through this contract carefully!

B.	General Instructions:

In general instructions, the imperative is often replaced by the infinitive and the infinitive is placed at the end of the sentence:

Vor Gebrauch schütteln!

Shake well before use!

Kühl lagern!

Store in a cool place!

Nicht stürzen!

Do not throw!

Zuerst die Systemdiskette installieren.

First install the system disk.

Dann die Wörterbuchdisketten der Reihe nach kopieren.

Then copy the dictionary disks one after the other.

Related Topics:

Conjugations of "sein," "haben," & "werden"

Summary of Tenses

Perfect Tense

Indirect Speech

Modal Auxiliaries

Imperative Form

Gender and Declension

Interrogatives

Adverbs


Conjunctions

A Conjunction serves as a link between words, phrases, clauses or sentences.  Some German conjunctions are:  und (and), oder (or), aber (but), weil (because), and denn (because).

Coordinating Conjunctions link two independent clauses in a sentence.  Some coordinating conjunctions  in German are:  und (and), oder (or), sowohl (as well as), aber (but), sondern (rather), jedoch (nevertheless), and denn (because / for).

A Subordinating Conjunction signals an inversion in the word order of the clause it introduces.

EXAMPLE:	Er ging in die Stadt, weil er die Kunstausstellung besuchen wollte.

He went into town because he wanted to see the art exhibit.

Related Topics:

Contents

SYNTAX


THE CLOCK AND THE CALENDAR

Time of Day

Germany uses a 24-hour clock, so that any time after 12:00 noon will be a number higher than 12 (e.g. 4:00 p.m. = 16:00 Uhr).

American equivalent:

Er fängt bei der Arbeit um 7.00 Uhr an. 	7:00 a.m.

      He starts at work at 7:00 a.m.

Um zwölf Uhr mittags ißt er in der Kantine. 	12:00 noon

      At 12:00 noon he eats in the canteen.

Um zwanzig Uhr fünfzehn trinkt er ein Glas Wein. 	8:15 p.m.

      At 8:15 p.m. he drinks a glass of wine.

Um Mitternacht herum schläft er ein. 	12:00 midnight

      At about 12:00 midnight he falls asleep.

Days of the Week

Sonntag	Sunday

Montag	Monday

Dienstag	Tuesday

Mittwoch	Wednesday

Donnerstag	Thursday

Freitag	Friday

Samstag 	Saturday

Months

Januar	January

Februar	February

März	March

April	April

Mai	May

Juni 	 	June

Juli	July

August	August

September	September

Oktober	October

November	November

Dezember	December

Seasons

der Frühling  	Spring

der Sommer	Summer

der Herbst	Fall, Autumn

der Winter	Winter

Related Topics:

Contents

Miscellaneous


CARDINAL & ORDINAL NUMERALS

Cardinal Numbers:

0 = null	10 = zehn

1 = ein(s)	11 = elf

2 = zwei	12 = zwölf

3 = drei	13 = dreizehn

4 = vier	14 = vierzehn

5 = fünf	15 = fünfzehn

6 = sechs	16 = sechzehn

7 = sieben	17 = siebzehn

8 = acht	18 = achtzehn

9 = neun	19 = neunzehn

NOTE:	Beyond the number "20" the numerals are read in German, literally as "one and twenty," "two and twenty," "four and fifty," etc.

20 = zwanzig

21 = einundzwanzig

22 = zweiundzwanzig

40 = vierzig

50 = fünfzig

60 = sechzig

70 = siebzig

80 = achtzig

90 = neunzig

100 = (ein)hundert

101 = (ein)hunderteins

121 = (ein)hunderteinundzwanzig

1000 =(ein)tausend

1 000 000 = eine Million

1 000 000 000 = eine Milliarde

1 000 000 000 000 = eine Billion

Ordinal numbers:

Up to twenty, the ordinal numbers are formed from the cardinals by adding "t". Ordinal numbers are inflected like adjectives:

vier / viert- (4th)	der vierte Juli; am fünften August

zehn / zehnt- (10th)

achtzehn / achtzehnt- (18th)

From twenty onwards, they are formed by adding "st":

zwanzig / zwanzigst- (20th) 	sein zwanzigster Geburtstag

einundzwanzig / einundzwanzigst- (21st)

(ein)hundert / (ein)hundertst- (100th)

Exceptions:  erst- (1st), dritt- (3rd), siebt- or siebent- (7th), acht- (8th)

der erste Tag	the first day

beim dritten Versuch	with the third attempt

der siebte Wochentag	the seventh day of the week

im achten Stock	at the eighth floor

Fractions:

German fractions are expressed by adding "el" or "stel" to the names of the ordinal numbers:

ein Drittel (1/3)

ein Viertel (1/4)

ein Achtel (1/8)

ein Zwanzigstel (1/20)

Numerical Notation:

German uses commas instead of periods to indicate decimals.

$20.25 = 20,25 Dollar

$50.95 = 50,95 Dollar

NOTE: German does not insert a comma but a period as a place marker in numbers of more than four digits.

English	German

  15,575	  15.575

200,000	200.000

Related Topics:

Non-Grammatical Forms

Miscellaneous


Non-Grammatical Forms

Many common, small words and interjections are employed in a way that doesnt fit into any pre-existing lexical category.  These are classified in the dictionary with the NonGrammatical part of speech.  Non-Grammatical words and expressions do not inflect.

Related Topics:

Contents

COMMONLY USED ABBREVIATIONS


Title Forms

Common German titles applied to persons are Herr (Mr.), Frau (Mrs./Ms.), Doktor, and their associated abbreviations.  These words typically occur before proper nouns and have certain restrictions concerning co-occurance with articles.

Related Topics:

Contents

COMMONLY USED ABBREVIATIONS

Non-Grammatical Forms


COMMONLY USED ABBREVIATIONS

a. = auch

a. = 1. aus; 2. an, am (before names of rivers)

A. A. = Auswärtiges Amt

a. a. O. = 1. am angeführten Orte (= loc.cit.); 2. an andern Orten

Abb. = Abbildung

abds. = abends

Abf. = Abfahrt

Abg. = Abgeordnete(r)

Abh. = Abhandlung

abh. = abhängig

Abk. = Abkürzung

Abs. = 1. Absatz; 2. Absender

Abschn. = Abschnitt

Abt. = Abteilung

a. d. = an der (before names of rivers)

a. D = außer Dienst (Mil.)

ADGB. = Allgemeiner Deutscher Gewerkschaftsbund

Adj. = Adjektiv

Adv. = Adverb

AEG = Allgemeine Elekrizitäts-Gesellschaft

a. G. = auf Gegenseitigkeit

A. G. = 1. Aktiengesellschaft; 2. Atomgewicht

ahd. = althochdeutsch

Akk. = Akkusativ

a./L. = an der Lahn; e.g. Marburg a./L.

allg. = allgemein

a./M. = am Main; e.g. Frankfurt a./M.

amerik. = amerikanisch

amtl. = amtlich

anerk. = anerkannt

Ang., Angeb. = Angebot

Angekl. = Angeklagte(r)

Anh. = Anhang

Ank. = Ankunft

Anl. = Anlage

Anm. = 1. Anmerkung; 2. Anmeldung

Anz. = Anzeigen or Anzeiger

a./O. = an der Oder; e.g. Frankfurt a./O.

AOK = Allgemeine Ortskrankenkasse

Arch. = Architektur

a./Rh. = am Rhein; e.g. Bonn a./Rh.

Art. = Artikel

a./S. = an der Saale; e.g. Halle a./S.

A. T. = Altes Testament

attr. = attributiv

Aufl. = Auflage

Ausl. = Ausland

ausschl. = ausschließlich

Bankw. = Bankwesen

Bauw. = Bauwesen

bayr. = bayrisch

Bd. = 1. Band; 2. Bund; pl. Bde. = Bände

Bearb. = Bearbeiter or Bearbeitung

Beibl. = Beiblatt

Beih. = Beiheft

beil. = beiliegend

Bem. = Bemerkung

Ber. = Bericht

bes. = besonders

betr. = betreffend, betreffs

bev. = bevollmächtigt

bez. = 1. bezahlt; 2. bezüglich; 3. beziehungsweise

Bez. = Bezeichnung

Bgb. = Bergbau

BGB = Bürgerliches Gesetzbuch

Bhf. = Bahnhof

Bibliotheksw. = Bibliothekswesen

BMW = Bayerische Motorenwerke

Buchw. = Buchwesen

b. w. = bitte wenden (= P.T.O.)

bzw. = beziehungsweise

CDU = Christlich-Demokratische Union

Chir. = Chirurgie

d. = der, des, dem, den, die, das

dass. = dasselbe

Dat. = Dativ

DB = Deutsche Bundesbahn

DBP = Deutsche Bundespost

ders. = derselbe

D.G.B. = Deutscher Gewerkschaftsbund

dgl. = dergleichen, desgleichen; u. dgl. = und dergleichen

d. h. = das heißt

d. i. = das ist (= i.e.)

DIN = Deutsche Industrie-Norm.

Dipl.-Ing. = Diplomingenieur

Dipl.-Kaufm. = Diplomkaufmann

d. J. = 1. dieses Jahres; 2. der Jüngere

d. M. = dieses Monats (= inst.)

Dm. = Durchmesser

DM = Deutsche Mark

DNB = Deutsches Nachrichtenbüro

d. O. = der Obige (often in place of a signature)

DPA = Deutsche Presse-Agentur

Dr. Ing. = Doktor der Ingenieurwissenschaft

Dr. jur. = doctor juris utriusque (= LL.D.)

Dr. med. = doctor medicinae (= M.D.)

DSG = Deutsche Schlafwagen-Gesellschaft

dt. = deutsch

Dtschld. = Deutschland

Dtzd. = Dutzend

d.u. = dienstuntauglich (Mil.)

d. Vf. = der Verfasser

dz. = 1. derzeit; 2. Doppelzentner

D-Zug = Durchgangszug

ebd. = ebenda

ehem. = ehemalig

eigtl. = eigentlich

Einl. = Einleitung

einschl. = einschließlich

Eisenb. = Eisenbahn

El. = Elektrizität

Entschl. = Entschließung

entspr. = entsprechend

entw. = entweder

erg. = ergänze

etw. = etwas

europ. = europäisch

ev. = 1. evangelisch; 2. eventuell

E. V. = Eingetragener Verein

evang. = evangelisch

evtl. = eventuell

EWG = Europäische Wirtschaftsgemeinschaft (= EEC, Common Market)

exkl. = exklusive

Expl. = Exemplar

E-Zug = Eilzug

FDP = Freie Demokratische Partei

FD-Zug = Fern-D-Zug

ff. = folgende

F. f. = Fortsetzung folgt

Fem. = Femininum

fig. = figürlich

Fil. = Filiale

Finanzw. = Finanzwesen

Flugw. = Flugwesen

folg. = folgend

Forstw. = Forstwirtschaft

Forts. = Fortsetzung

Forts. f. = Fortsetzung folgt

fr. = franko, frei

Fr. = Frau

Frh., Frhr. = Freiherr

Frl. = Fräulein

frz. = französisch

Funkw. = Funkwesen

geb. = 1. geboren; 2. gebunden

gebr. = gebräuchlich, gebraucht

Gebr. = Gebrüder

gegr. = gegründet

gem. = 1. gemäß; 2. gemischt

Gen. = Genitiv

germ. = germanisch

Gesch. = Geschichte

geschr. = geschrieben

gest. = gestorben

gew. = gewöhnlich

gez. = gezeichnet

Ggs. = Gegensatz

GmbH = Gessellschaft mit beschränkter Haftung

Gramm. = Grammatik

H. = Haben (Guthaben)

Handb. = Handbuch

Hausw. = Hauswirtschaft

Hbf. = Hauptbahnhof

H(d)b = Handbuch

Hdl. = Handel

herg. = hergestellt

hg. = herausgegeben

HGB. = Handelsgesetzbuch

HO = Handelsorganisation

Hpt. = Haupt

Hr. - Herr; pl. HH. = Herren

hrsg. = herausgegeben

Hrsg. = Herausgeber

Hs. = Handschrift (= MS.); pl. Hss. (= MSS.)

I. A. A. = Internationales Arbeitsamt

i. allg. = im allgemeinen

i. b. = im besonderen

i. D. = 1. inklusive Dividende; 2. im Dienst; 3. im Durchschnitt

i. e. S. = im engeren Sinne

I. G. = Industriegewerkschaft

i. J. = im Jahre

Ind. = Industrie

Inf. = Infinitiv

Ing. = Ingenieur

Inh. = Inhalt

inkl. = inklusive

insb. = insbesondere

insbes. = insbesondere

Inst. = Institut

Int. = Interjektion

intr. = intransitiv

i. Sa. = in Sachsen

i. V. = in Vertretung

i. W. = 1. in Westfalen; 2. in Worten; 3. innere Weite

i. w. S. = im weiteren Sinne

Jg. = Jahrgang (of a periodical)

Jh. = Jahrhundert

jmd. = jemand

jmdm. = jemandem

jmdn. = jemanden

jmds. = jemandes

Jur. = Jura, Rechtswesen

Kap. = Kapitel

kath. = katholisch

kaufm. = kaufmännisch

K.-G. (a.A.) = Kommanditgesellschaft (auf Aktien)

kHz = Kilohertz (Rad.)

Kl. = Klasse

km = Kilometer

KO = Konkursordnung

Koeff., Koeffiz. = Koeffizient

Konj. = Konjunktion

konst. = konstant

KPD = Kommunistische Partei Deutschlands

Kunstgew. = Kunstgewerbe

Kunstw. = Kunstwort or Kunstwerk

Kurzw. = Kurzwort

kW, kw = Kilowatt

kWh = Kilowattstunde

Kyb. = Kybernetik

KZ = Konzentrationslager

K. Z. = Kurszettel

l = Liter

L.A.G. = Lastenausgleichgesetz

Landw. = Landwirtschaft

lat. = lateinisch

Lfg., Lfrg. = Lieferung

LKW., Lkw. = Lastkraftwagen

LPG = Landwirtschaftliche Produktionsgenossenschaft

Luftf. = Luftfahrt

m = Meter

m. = mit

MA = Mittelalter

m. A. n. = meiner Ansicht nach

Mar. = Marine

Mask. = Maskulinum

Math. = Mathematik

m. a. W. = mit anderen Worten

m. b. H. = mit beschränkter Haftung

M. d. B. = Mitglied des Bundestags

M. d. L. = Mitglied des Landtags

mdt. = mitteldeutsch

m. E. = meines Erachtens

Met. = Metallurgie

MEZ = Mitteleuropäische Zeit (one hour in advance of Greenwich time, but

corresponding to the English summer time)

mg = Milligramm

mhd. = mittelhochdeutsch

Mil.= Militärwesen

Mitt. = Mitteilung(en)

Mitw. - Mitwirkung

mm = Millimeter

möbl. = möbliert

Ms., Mskr. = Manuskript

Mss. = Manuskripte

Münzk. = Münzkunde

Münzw. = Münzwesen

m. W. = meines Wissens

n. = neutral, sächlich

nachm. = nachmittags

Naturw. = Naturwissenschaft

n. Chr. = nach Christo, nach Christi Geburt (= A.D.)

NDR = Norddeutscher Rundfunk

neb. = neben

Neutr. = Neutrum

nhd. = neuhochdeutsch

no., ntto. = netto

Nom. = Nominativ

Norm. = Normen

Nr. = Nummer (= No.)

N. T. = Neues Testament

Num. = Numerale, Zahlwort

NWDR = Nordwestdeutscher Rundfunk

o. = 1. oben; 2. ohne; 3. oder

o. ä. = oder ähnliches

Obb. = Oberbayern

obh. = oberhalb

Obj. = Objekt

od. = oder

o. D(b). = ohne Dividende(nbogen)

o. dgl., o. drgl. = oder dergleichen

OEZ = osteuropäische Zeit

österr. = österreichisch

Ostpr. = Ostpreußen

p. = pro

Päd. = Pädagogik, Erziehungswesen

Parapsych. = Parapsychologie

Part. = Partizip

Parteiw. = Parteiwesen

Path. = Pathologie, Krankheitslehre

Perf.= Perfekt

Pf. = Pfennig

Pfd. = Pfund

Pfd. St. = Pfund Sterling

Pharm. = Pharmazie, Arzneikunde

Pharmakol. = Pharmakologie, Arzneimittelkunde

Pkt. = 1. Punkt; 2. Paket

PKW = Personenkraftwagen

Pl. = Plural

Pr. = 1. Presse; 2. preußisch

Progr. = Programm

Pron. = Pronomen

Proz. = Prozent; proz. = prozentig

PS = Pferdestärke (= H.P.)

p. t. = pro tempore

r. = rund

RA = Rechtsanwalt

rd. = rund, etwa

Rechtsw. = Rechtswesen

Ref. = 1. Referent; 2. Referate

refl. = reflexiv

Reg.-Bez. = Regierungsbezirk

Rh. = Rhein, rheinisch

s. = siehe

S. = Seite (= p.)

s. a. = Siehe auch

s. a. S. = Siehe auch Seite

Sammelbez. = Sammelbezeichnung

SBB = Schweizer Bundesbahnen

Schulw. = Schulwesen

Sek. = Sekunde

Ser. = Serie

Sg., Sing. = Singular

Skt. = Sankt

sm = Seemeile

s. o. = siehe oben

sog., sogen. = sogenannt

soz. = sozialistisch

Sp. = Spalte

Sp. = Sport

Spr. = Sprache

Sprw. = Sprichwort

S. S. = Sommersemester

St. = 1. Stück; 2. Stunde

Std. = Stunde(n)

StGB = Strafgesetzbuch

Str. = Straße

s. u. = siehe unten

süddt. = süddeutsch

s. Z. = seinerzeit

Tech. = Technik

teilw. = teilweise

Tel. = Telegraphie u. Telephonie / Fernmeldewesen

term. techn. = terminus technicus

Text. = Textilwesen

T. H. = Technische Hochschule

Tl. = Teil

Typ. = Typographie, Buchdruck

u. = 1. und; 2. unter; 3. unten

U. = 1. Uhr; 2. Umdrehung

u. a. = unter anderem / und anderes

u. ä. = und ähnliches

u. A. w. g. = um Antwort wird gebeten (= R.S.V.P.)

übers. = übersetzt

übl. = üblich

u. dgl. = und dergleichen

u. E. = unseres Erachtens

u.e.a. = und einige andere

Uffz. = Unteroffizier (= N.C.O.)

u. ff. = und folgende

UKW = Ultra-Kurzwellen (Rad.)

U./M. = Umdrehungen in der Minute

umg. = umgangssprachlich

Umg. = Umgebung

unbest. = unbestimmt

ung. = ungefähr

unz. = unzählbar or unzulänglich

ursp. = ursprünglich

urspr. = ursprünglich

usf. = und so fort (= etc.)

usw. = und so weiter (= etc.)

u. U. = unter Umständen

u. v. a. = und viele andere

u. zw. = und zwar

V. = Verb

v. Chr. (G.) = vor Christi (Geburt) (= B.C.)

VEB = Volkseigener Betrieb

Verf. = Verfasser

Vergl. = Vergleich

verk. = verkürzt

Verk. = Verkehrswesen

verl. = verlängert

Verl. = Verleger, Verlag

verw. = verwandt

vgl. = vergleiche (= cp.)

vgl. o. = vergleiche oben

v. H. = vom Hundert

V. i. = intransitives Verb

v. o. = von oben

VO = Verordnung

Volksk. = Volkskunde

vollst. = vollständig

Vorgesch. = Vorgeschichte

vorm. = vormittags (= a.m.)

Vors. = Vorsitzende(r)

Vors. = Vorsilbe

V. refl. = reflexives Verb

v. R. w. = von Rechts wegen

V. t. = transitives Verb

v. u. = von unten

W = Watt

Westf. = Westfalen

WEZ = westeuropäische Zeit (= G.M.T.)

Wirtsch. = Wirtschaft

wiss. = wissenschaftlich

W. S. = Wintersemester

z. = zu, zum, zur

Z. = Zeile

zahlb. = zahlbar

zahlr. = zahlreich

z. B. = zum Beispiel

z. E. = zum Exempel (= e.g.)

zgl. = zugleich

z. H. = zu Händen, zuhänden

Zszg. = Zusammensetzung

Zt. = Zeit

z. T. = zum Teil

Ztg. = Zeitung

Ztgsw. = Zeitungswesen

zus. = zusammen

Zus. = Zusammensetzung(en)

Zusschr. = Zusammenschreibung

zw. = 1. zwischen; 2. zwar

z. Z., z. Zt. = zur Zeit

Related Topics:

Contents

Non-Grammatical Forms


Prefix

A prefix is a syllable or group of syllables placed before a base word or another prefix to alter the meaning of a word.  In German, modified noun or verb forms often function as prefixes in the creation of compound nouns.

Examples:

miß:  verstehen -> mißverstehen

un:  glücklich -> unglücklich

Wohn (wohnen): Zimmer -> Wohnzimmer

Related Topics:

"Da"- and "Wo"-Compounds

VERBS WITH INSEPARABLE PREFIXES

VERBS WITH SEPARABLE PREFIXES

PREFIXES THAT ARE EITHER SEPARABLE OR INSEPARABLE


GLOSSARY

Accusative Case	Contrary-To-Fact-Statement	Infinitive Clause	Predicate Noun

Adjectives	Coordinating Conjunctions	Inflected Noun	Principle Parts of a Noun

Adverb	"Daß" Clauses	Inflected Verb	Principle Parts of a Verb

Adverbial Phrases	Dative Case	Intransitive Verb	Pronoun

Attributive Phrases	Declension	Main Clause	Relative Clause

Auxiliary Verbs	"Der" Words	Modal Auxiliary	Relative Pronouns

Case	Diminutive Endings	Nominative Case	Simple Tenses

Clause	Direct Object	Noun	Subject

Compound Nouns	"Du," "Dir," "Dich"	Object of a Preposition	Subjunctive Mood

Compound Tenses	"Ein" Words	Passive Voice	Subordinate Clause

Conditional Clause	Genitive Case	Past Participle	Subordinating Conjunction

Conditional Mood	Imperative Form	Possessive Pronoun	Syntax

Conjugation	Indirect Object	Predicate	Transitive Verb

Conjunction	Indirect Speech	Predicate Adjective	Verb

Continuous Tenses	InfinitiveWeak Verbs 	Strong Verbs 	Irregular Verbs 	Vowel-Changing Verbs

ACCUSATIVE CASE denotes the direct object.

EXAMPLE: 	Er hat das Auto geparkt.	He parked the car.

When a preposition takes the accusative case, it can indicate that something or someone is directly affected or acted upon.

ADJECTIVES describe or qualify nouns.  They answer the question "What sort of...?".  German adjectives take case endings differing from those of nouns, and their declensions change slightly depending on whether or not they are preceded by an article.

An ADVERB describes or qualifies a verb, adjective, or another adverb and answers the question "How...?" or "In what manner...?".  There are no special forms or endings for German adverbs.

ADVERBIAL PHRASES are descriptive phrases answering the questions, "How...?", "In what manner...?",

"When...?", "Where...?", or "Why...?".  German makes frequent use of them, often at the beginning or end of a sentence.

EXAMPLE:	Wegen des schlechten Wetters sind wir nicht nach Dortmund gefahren.

On account of the bad weather, we didn't go to the Dortmund.

ATTRIBUTIVE PHRASES are descriptive phrases that answer the question "What sort of...?".  They contain most or all of the elements of a full sentence and are usually translated into English as relative clauses.

EXAMPLE:	Er hat das neulich von ihr gekaufte Auto geparkt.

He parked the car which she recently bought.

AUXILIARY VERBS are the helping verbs "sein" (to be), "haben" (to have), and "werden" (to become).  They are used to form the various tenses.

CASE classifies a noun according to the role it plays in a sentence.  There are four German noun cases:  nominative (subject), genitive (possession or relation of origin), dative (indirect object), and accusative (direct object).

A CLAUSE is a phrase or group of words that includes at least a subject and a verb and forms part of a larger sentence.

EXAMPLE:	Wir sahen den Mann, der sein Haus verkauft hat.

We saw the man who sold his house.

COMPOUND NOUNS consist of two or more nouns combined into a single word.  They are used frequently in German, oftentimes to achieve specificity.  The last element of the compound dictates the gender of the entire word.

EXAMPLES:	das Glas 	the glass

das Weinglas 	the wine glass

die Wissenschaft 	science

die Naturwissenschaft	natural science

COMPOUND TENSES consist of a main verb + auxiliary (conjugated).  They can occur in the Present, Past, and Future Perfect.

EXAMPLES:	Er hat gespielt... 	He played...

Er hatte gespielt... 	He had played...

Er wird gespielt haben... 	He will have played

A CONDITIONAL CLAUSE is the phrase or group of words that states the condition for realization of the action described by the main clause of a sentence.

EXAMPLE:	Wenn er ein Auto hätte, könnte er nach Holland fahren.

If he had a car, he could drive to Holland.

The CONDITIONAL MOOD is used when an action or event is hypothetical or unreal.  German uses conditional to express speculation about events or actions, or for indirect speech.

The CONJUGATION of a verb is its listing according to person (1st, 2nd, 3rd), number (singular/plural), tense (present, past, future, etc.), and/or conditional or subjunctive mood.

A CONJUNCTION serves as a link between words, phrases, clauses or sentences.  Some German conjunctions are:  und (and), oder (or), aber (but), weil (because), and denn (because).

CONTINUOUS TENSES are used in English to indicate that an action is progressive or ongoing.

A CONTRARY-TO-FACT STATEMENT describes a condition or set of conditions that do not actually exist or are impossible.  It is accompanied by a second clause that describes what would happen if the condition(s) were fulfilled.

EXAMPLE:	Wenn das Auto nicht so teuer wäre, könnten wir es kaufen.

If the automobile were not so expensive, we could buy it.

COORDINATING CONJUNCTIONS link two independent clauses in a sentence.  Some coordinating conjunctions
in German are:  und (and), oder (or), sowohl (as well as), aber (but), sondern (rather), jedoch (nevertheless), and
denn (because / for).

"DAß" CLAUSES require that the verb be placed at the end of the sentence.

The DATIVE CASE identifies a noun as an indirect object, or as the dative object of a verb.

EXAMPLES:	Er gab mir eine Zigarette.	He gave me a cigarette.

Antworte ihm!	Answer him!

When a preposition takes the dative case, it indicates location, an indirect effect, or relationship.

The DECLENSION of a noun or a pronoun is its listing by number, gender, and case.

"DER" WORDS are adjectives (demonstrative and other types) that are declined like the German definite article "der" (the).  They include: "dieser" (this one), "mancher" (many), "jeder" (each one), "jener" (every one), "solcher" (such a...), and "welcher" (which one).

DIMINUTIVE ENDINGS on nouns imply smaller form or lesser quality.  They can also express affection or endearment.

EXAMPLES:	das Kind / das Kindlein

das Kind / das Kindchen

The DIRECT OBJECT is the person, place, or thing that is the direct recipient of the action described by a verb.

EXAMPLE:	Er hat das Auto geparkt.	He parked the car.

"DU," "DIR," "DICH:"  German capitalizes "Du," "Dir," "Dich" in correspondence as a polite form of address.

"EIN" WORDS are possessive adjectives that are declined like "ein."  They include "mein," "dein," "sein," and "kein."

GENITIVE CASE denotes possession or relation of origin.  When a preposition takes the genitive case, it indicates separation, division of a whole, or a causal relation.

EXAMPLES:	anläßlich	on the occasion of

mangels	in the absence of

während	in the course of

wegen	on account of

The IMPERATIVE FORM of a verb is used to give a command or make a suggestion.  These forms are short and derived from the verb stem.

EXAMPLES:	Geh in die Stadt!	Go into town!

Gib mir das Heft!	Give me the notebook!

An INDIRECT OBJECT is the person or thing "to whom" or "for whom" an action is performed.  It is indicated by the dative case.

INDIRECT SPEECH is reported speech, in contrast to speech quoted verbatim.  German uses a special set of verb forms (Konjunktiv I and II) to indicate that there is some doubt as to the accuracy of the report.

An INFINITIVE is the most basic form of a verb.  It has no person, number, or tense.  German infinitives end in "en."

EXAMPLE:	spielen	to play

fahren	to drive

An INFINITIVE CLAUSE with "um + zu" (in order to) indicates purpose or intent.

EXAMPLE:	Er ging in die Diskothek, um zu tanzen.

An INFLECTED NOUN is one that is given in its proper case (Gen., Dat., Acc.), and identified by number and gender.

EXAMPLE:	des Hauses (neut., sing., genitive)

An INFLECTED VERB is one which has been identified as singular/plural and assigned endings for 1st, 2nd, or 3rd person.

EXAMPLE:	fährt (sing., 3rd person, pres.)

An INTRANSITIVE VERB is a verb that does not describe an action, but merely expresses state of affairs, change, or natural process.  It therefore does not take an object.

Irregular verbs have the characteristics of both weak and strong verbs. They change their stem vowel and add -t in past tense and for the past participle. The past participle of irregular verbs ends in -t.

EXAMPLE:	bringen - (ich/er) brachte - gebracht

wissen - (ich/er) wußte - gewußt

A MAIN CLAUSE is the independent or principal clause in a sentence.  It does not depend on another clause for its meaning and can stand on its own as a full sentence.

EXAMPLES:	Ich werde ihm Bescheid sagen.

I will let him know.

Es ist klar, daß ich ihm Bescheid sagen werde.

It is obvious that I'll let him know.

A MODAL AUXILIARY is used with an infinitive to modify an action or indicate that it occurs in some manner other than as a simple fact or event.

EXAMPLE:	Wir Können schnell denken.

We can think quickly.

NOMINATIVE CASE is used for the subject of a sentence.

A NOUN names a person, place, or thing.

The OBJECT OF A PREPOSITION is a noun that follows a preposition.  Certain German prepositions take their objects in the dative case, others require the accusative (some can take either dative or accusative), and others require the genitive.

PASSIVE VOICE occurs when the positions of the subject and object in the active voice sentence are reversed, or when the performer of the action is omitted altogether.  It is used frequently in German and conveys a sense of anonymity or objectivity.

A PAST PARTICIPLE is most often formed by adding "ge" to the present perfect stem of the verb and is used in the compound tenses.  Note that many words of foreign origin form their participles without "ge."

EXAMPLES:	gefahren 	driven

gespielt	played

studiert 	studied

gratuliert 	congratulated

A POSSESSIVE PRONOUN answers the question "Whose...?".  The German possessive pronouns are:  mein (my), dein (your), sein (his/its), ihr (hers), unser (our), euer (your, inf.), ihr (their), Ihr (your, form.).

A PREDICATE is a verb or linking verb ["sein" (to be)].

A PREDICATE ADJECTIVE describes the subject of a predicate.

EXAMPLE:	Er ist charmant.	He is charming.

A PREDICATE NOUN is equivalent in meaning to the subject and is linked to it by a predicate.

EXAMPLE:	Er ist Ingenieur.	He is an engineer.

The PRINCIPAL PARTS OF A NOUN serve as a guide to its declension.

EXAMPLE:	das Haus / des Hauses / die Häuser

The PRINCIPAL PARTS OF A VERB serve as a guide to formation of its various tenses.

EXAMPLE:	fahren / fährt / fuhr / gefahren

A PRONOUN can substitute for a noun.  Like German nouns, pronouns have gender, number, and case.

A RELATIVE CLAUSE refers back to a noun or pronoun that precedes it. It is introduced by a relative pronoun, which may be inflected, depending on its function in the relative clause.

EXAMPLE:	Der Mann, der nebenan wohnt, hat sein Haus verkauft.

The man who lives next door has sold his house.

RELATIVE PRONOUNS introduce German relative clauses.  They are declined according to the role they play in the relative clause in which they occur.

The SIMPLE TENSES are those consisting of only a main verb, e.g., the Present and Simple Past (Imperfekt) Tenses, and/or the Conditional and Subjunctive forms derived from these.

Strong verbs change their stem vowel in past tense and for the past participle. The past participle of strong verbs ends in -en.

EXAMPLE:	gehen - (ich/er) ging - gegangen

schimmen - (ich/er) schwamm - geschwommen

The SUBJECT of a sentence performs the action (active voice) or receives the action (passive voice) expressed by the verb.

The SUBJUNCTIVE MOOD indicates that a situation is hypothetical, unreal, wished or hoped for, or somehow speculative in nature.  German uses special verb forms to indicate this (Konjunktiv I and II).

A SUBORDINATE CLAUSE is a secondary clause.  Its meaning depends on the independent or main clause.

A SUBORDINATING CONJUNCTION signals an inversion in the word order of the clause it introduces.

EXAMPLE:	Er ging in die Stadt, weil er die Kunstausstellung besuchen wollte.

He went into town because he wanted to see the art exhibit.

SYNTAX is the way in which words are put together to form phrases, clauses, or sentences.

A TRANSITIVE VERB describes an action that directly affects someone or something.  Transitive verbs therefore take a direct object.

A VERB is a word that expresses an action.

Vowel-changing verbs change their stem vowel in second and third person singular in present tense. The other verb forms follow the regular pattern.

EXAMPLE:	ich fahre	ich lese	ich helfe

du fährst	du liest	du hilfst

er/sie/es fährt	er/sie/es liest	er/sie/es hilft

wir fahren	wir lesen	wir helfen

ihr fahrt 	ihr lest	ihr helf

sie fahren	sie lesen	sie helfen

Weak verbs add -t to the stem in the past tense and for the past participle. The past participle of weak verbs ends in -t.

EXAMPLE:	kaufen - (ich/er) kaufte - gekauft


Accusative Case

ACCUSATIVE CASE denotes the direct object.

EXAMPLE: 	Er hat das Auto geparkt.	He parked the car.

When a preposition takes the accusative case, it can indicate that something or someone is directly affected or acted upon.


Adjectives

ADJECTIVES describe or qualify nouns.  They answer the question "What sort of...?".  German adjectives take case endings differing from those of nouns, and their declensions change slightly depending on whether or not they are preceded by an article.


Adverbs

ADVERBS describe or qualify a verb, adjective, or another adverb and answer the question "How...?" or "In what manner...?".  There are no special forms or endings for German adverbs.


Adverbial Phrases

ADVERBIAL PHRASES are descriptive phrases answering the questions, "How...?", "In what manner...?",

"When...?", "Where...?", or "Why...?".  German makes frequent use of them, often at the beginning or end of a sentence.

EXAMPLE:	Wegen des schlechten Wetters sind wir nicht nach Dortmund gefahren.

On account of the bad weather, we didn't go to the Dortmund.


Attributive Phrases

ATTRIBUTIVE PHRASES are descriptive phrases that answer the question "What sort of...?".  They contain most or all of the elements of a full sentence and are usually translated into English as relative clauses.

EXAMPLE:	Er hat das neulich von ihr gekaufte Auto geparkt.

He parked the car which she recently bought.


Auxiliary Verbs

AUXILIARY VERBS are the helping verbs "sein" (to be), "haben" (to have), and "werden" (to become).  They are used to form the various tenses.


Case

CASE classifies a noun according to the role it plays in a sentence.  There are four German noun cases:  nominative (subject), genitive (possession or relation of origin), dative (indirect object), and accusative (direct object).


Clause

A CLAUSE is a phrase or group of words that includes at least a subject and a verb and forms part of a larger sentence.

EXAMPLE:	Wir sahen den Mann, der sein Haus verkauft hat.

We saw the man who sold his house.


Conditional Clause

A CONDITIONAL CLAUSE is the phrase or group of words that states the condition for realization of the action described by the main clause of a sentence.

EXAMPLE:	Wenn er ein Auto hätte, könnte er nach Holland fahren.

If he had a car, he could drive to Holland.


Conditional Mood

The CONDITIONAL MOOD is used when an action or event is hypothetical or unreal.  German uses conditional to express speculation about events or actions, or for indirect speech.


Continuous Tenses

CONTINUOUS TENSES are used in English to indicate that an action is progressive or ongoing.


Contrary-to-Fact-Statement

A CONTRARY-TO-FACT STATEMENT describes a condition or set of conditions that do not actually exist or are impossible.  It is accompanied by a second clause that describes what would happen if the condition(s) were fulfilled.

EXAMPLE:	Wenn das Auto nicht so teuer wäre, könnten wir es kaufen.

If the automobile were not so expensive, we could buy it.


Compound Nouns

COMPOUND NOUNS consist of two or more nouns combined into a single word.  They are used frequently in German, oftentimes to achieve specificity.  The last element of the compound dictates the gender of the entire word.

EXAMPLES:	das Glas 	the glass

das Weinglas 	the wine glass

die Wissenschaft 	science

die Naturwissenschaft	natural science


Compound Tenses

COMPOUND TENSES consist of a main verb + auxiliary (conjugated).  They can occur in the Present, Past, and Future Perfect.

EXAMPLES:	Er hat gespielt... 	He played...

Er hatte gespielt... 	He had played...

Er wird gespielt haben... 	He will have played


Conjugation

The CONJUGATION of a verb is its listing according to person (1st, 2nd, 3rd), number (singular/plural), tense (present, past, future, etc.), and/or conditional or subjunctive mood.


Conjunction

A CONJUNCTION serves as a link between words, phrases, clauses or sentences.  Some German conjunctions are:  und (and), oder (or), aber (but), weil (because), and denn (because).


Coordinating Conjunctions

COORDINATING CONJUNCTIONS link two independent clauses in a sentence.  Some coordinating conjunctions
in German are:  und (and), oder (or), sowohl (as well as), aber (but), sondern (rather), jedoch (nevertheless), and
denn (because / for).


"Daß" Clauses

"DAß" CLAUSES require that the verb be placed at the end of the sentence.


Dative Case

The DATIVE CASE identifies a noun as an indirect object, or as the dative object of a verb.

EXAMPLES:	Er gab mir eine Zigarette.	He gave me a cigarette.

Antworte ihm!	Answer him!

When a preposition takes the dative case, it indicates location, an indirect effect, or relationship.


Declension

The DECLENSION of a noun or a pronoun is its listing by number, gender, and case.


"Der" Words

"DER" WORDS are adjectives (demonstrative and other types) that are declined like the German definite article "der" (the).  They include: "dieser" (this one), "mancher" (many), "jeder" (each one), "jener" (every one), "solcher" (such a...), and "welcher" (which one).


Diminutive Endings

DIMINUTIVE ENDINGS on nouns imply smaller form or lesser quality.  They can also express affection or endearment.

EXAMPLES:	das Kind / das Kindlein

das Kind / das Kindchen


Direct Object

The DIRECT OBJECT is the person, place, or thing that is the direct recipient of the action described by a verb.

EXAMPLE:	Er hat das Auto geparkt.	He parked the car.


"Du" and "Dich"
"Du," "Dir," "Dich"

"DU" AND "DICH:"  German capitalizes "Du," "Dir," "Dich" in correspondence as a polite form of address.


"Ein" Words

"EIN" WORDS are possessive adjectives that are declined like "ein."  They include "mein," "dein," "sein," and "kein."


Genitive Case

GENITIVE CASE denotes possession or relation of origin.  When a preposition takes the genitive case, it indicates separation, division of a whole, or a causal relation.

EXAMPLES:	anläßlich	on the occasion of

mangels	in the absence of

während	in the course of

wegen	on account of


Imperative Form

The IMPERATIVE FORM of a verb is used to give a command or make a suggestion.  These forms are short and derived from the verb stem.

EXAMPLES:	Geh in die Stadt!	Go into town!

Gib mir das Heft!	Give me the notebook!


Indirect Speech

INDIRECT SPEECH is reported speech, in contrast to speech quoted verbatim.  German uses a special set of verb forms (Konjunktiv I and II) to indicate that there is some doubt as to the accuracy of the report.


Indirect Object

An INDIRECT OBJECT is the person or thing "to whom" or "for whom" an action is performed.  It is indicated by the dative case.


def Infinitive
Infinitive

An INFINITIVE is the most basic form of a verb.  It has no person, number, or tense.  German infinitives end in "en."

EXAMPLES:	spielen	to play

fahren	to drive


Infinitive Clause

An INFINITIVE CLAUSE with "um + zu" (in order to) indicates purpose or intent.

EXAMPLE:	Er ging in die Diskothek, um zu tanzen.


Inflected Noun

An INFLECTED NOUN is one that is given in its proper case (Gen., Dat., Acc.), and identified by number and gender.

EXAMPLE:	des Hauses (neut., sing., genitive)


Inflected Verb

An INFLECTED VERB is one which has been identified as singular/plural and assigned endings for 1st, 2nd, or 3rd person.

EXAMPLE:	fährt (sing., 3rd person, pres.)


Intransitive Verb

An INTRANSITIVE VERB is a verb that does not describe an action, but merely expresses state of affairs, change, or natural process.  It therefore does not take an object.


Main Clause

A MAIN CLAUSE is the independent or principal clause in a sentence.  It does not depend on another clause for its meaning and can stand on its own as a full sentence.

EXAMPLE:	Ich werde ihm Bescheid sagen.

I will let him know.

Es ist klar, daß ich ihm Bescheid sagen werde.

It is obvious that I'll let him know.


Modal Auxiliary

A MODAL AUXILIARY is used with an infinitive to modify an action or indicate that it occurs in some manner other than as a simple fact or event.

EXAMPLE:	Wir Können schnell denken.

We can think quickly.


Nominative Case

NOMINATIVE CASE is used for the subject of a sentence.


Noun

A NOUN names a person, place, or thing.


Object of a Preposition

The OBJECT OF A PREPOSITION is a noun that follows a preposition.  Certain German prepositions take their objects in the dative case, others require the accusative (some can take either dative or accusative), and others require the genitive.


Passive Voice

PASSIVE VOICE occurs when the positions of the subject and object in the active voice sentence are reversed, or when the performer of the action is omitted altogether.  It is used frequently in German and conveys a sense of anonymity or objectivity.


Past Participle

A PAST PARTICIPLE is most often formed by adding "ge" to the present perfect stem of the verb and is used in the compound tenses.  Note that many words of foreign origin form their participles without "ge."

EXAMPLES:	gefahren 	driven

gespielt	played

studiert	studied

gratuliert 	congratulated


Possessive Pronouns

A POSSESSIVE PRONOUN answers the question "Whose...?".  The German possessive pronouns are:  mein (my), dein (your), sein (his/its), ihr (hers), unser (our), euer (your, inf.), ihr (their), Ihr (your, form.).


Predicate

A PREDICATE is a verb or linking verb ["sein" (to be)].


Predicate Adjective

A PREDICATE ADJECTIVE describes the subject of a predicate.

EXAMPLE:	Er ist charmant.	He is charming.


Predicate Noun

A PREDICATE NOUN is equivalent in meaning to the subject and is linked to it by a predicate.

EXAMPLE:	Er ist Ingenieur.	He is an engineer.


Principal Parts of a Noun

The PRINCIPAL PARTS OF A NOUN serve as a guide to its declension.

EXAMPLE:	das Haus / des Hauses / die Häuser


Principal Parts of a Verb

The PRINCIPAL PARTS OF A VERB serve as a guide to formation of its various tenses.

EXAMPLE:	fahren / fährt / fuhr / gefahren


Pronoun

A PRONOUN can substitute for a noun.  Like German nouns, pronouns have gender, number, and case.


Relative Clause

A RELATIVE CLAUSE refers back to a noun or a pronoun that precedes it.  It is introduced by a relative pronoun, which may be inflected, depending on its function in the relative clause.

EXAMPLE:	Der Mann, der nebenan wohnt, hat sein Haus verkauft.

The man who lives next door has sold his house.


Relative Pronouns

RELATIVE PRONOUNS introduce German relative clauses.  They are declined according to the role they play in the relative clause in which they occur.


Syntax

SYNTAX is the way in which words are put together to form phrases, clauses, or sentences.


Subjunctive Mood

The SUBJUNCTIVE MOOD indicates that a situation is hypothetical, unreal, wished or hoped for, or somehow speculative in nature.  German uses special verb forms to indicate this (Konjunktiv I and II).


Subject

The SUBJECT of a sentence performs the action (active voice) or receives the action (passive voice) expressed by the verb.


Simple Tenses

The SIMPLE TENSES are those consisting of only a main verb, e.g., the Present and Simple Past (Imperfekt) Tenses, and/or the Conditional and Subjunctive forms derived from these.


Subordinate Clause

A SUBORDINATE CLAUSE is a secondary clause.  Its meaning depends on the independent or main clause.


Subordinating Conjunction

A SUBORDINATING CONJUNCTION signals an inversion in the word order of the clause it introduces.

EXAMPLE:	Er ging in die Stadt, weil er die Kunstausstellung besuchen wollte.

He went into town because he wanted to see the art exhibit.


Transitive Verb

A TRANSITIVE VERB describes an action that directly affects someone or something.  Transitive verbs therefore take a direct object.


Verb

A VERB is a word that expresses an action.


Weak Verbs

Verbs are characterized by the way they build their past tense forms and past participles.

Weak verbs add -t to the stem in the past tense and for the past participle. The past participle of weak verbs ends in -t.

kaufen - (ich/er) kaufte - gekauft


Strong Verbs

Verbs are characterized by the way they build their past tense forms and past participles.

Strong verbs change their stem vowel in past tense and for the past participle. The past participle of strong verbs ends in -en.

gehen - (ich/er) ging - gegangen

schwimmen - (ich/er) schwamm - geschwommen


Irregular Verbs

Verbs are characterized by the way they build their past tense forms and past participles.

Irregular verbs have the characteristics of both weak and strong verbs. They change their stem vowel and add -t  in past tense and for the past participle. The past participle of irregular verbs ends in -t.

bringen - (ich/er) brachte - gebracht

wissen - (ich/er) wußte - gewußt


Vowel-Changing Verbs

Some German verbs change their stem vowel in second and third person singular in present tense. The other verb forms follow the regular pattern.

ich fahre	ich lese	ich helfe

du fährst	du liest	du hilfst

er/sie/es fährt	er/sie/es liest	er/sie/es hilft

wir fahren	wir lesen	wir helfen

ihr fahrt 	ihr lest	ihr helf

sie fahren	sie lesen	sie helfen