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- Herausgeber: Wiley-VCH
- Kategorie: Fremdsprachen
- Sprache: Deutsch
Wenn es mehr als »Guten Tag« sein soll
»Deutsch für Englischsprechende« bietet einen leichten Einstieg in die deutsche Sprache. Das Buch ist in Englisch geschrieben. Hier lernen Sie alles Wissenswerte zur deutschen Grammatik und zur Konjugation der Verben. Und die Downloaddateien mit Dialogbeispielen aus dem richtigen Leben helfen Ihnen, die Aussprache zu erlernen.
»German for Dummies« offers an easy introduction to the German language for English speakers. You will learn the essentials you need to know about grammar and verb conjugation. And the download files with real-life dialog examples will help you learn the pronunciation.
Sie erfahren
- Wie Sie im Deutschen richtig betonen - How to emphasize German words correctly
- Wie Sie sich auf Deutsch zurechtfinden - How to find your way around in German
- Wie Sie deutsche Redewendungen richtig benutzen - How to use German idioms correctly
Sie lesen das E-Book in den Legimi-Apps auf:
Seitenzahl: 510
Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2025
Ähnliche
Deutsch für Englischsprechende für Dummies
Schummelseite
BASIC QUESTIONS IN GERMAN
If you travel to a German-speaking country and need to know the time or where something is located, or you just want to get some basic information, a few common questions can come in very handy.
English
German
Pronunciation
Do you speak English?
Sprechen Sie Englisch?
shprêH-en zee êng-lish?
How are you?
Wie geht es Ihnen?
vee geyt ês een-en?
Would you help me please?
Würden Sie mir bitte helfen?
vuer-den zee meer bi-te hêl-fen?
What's your name?
Wie heißen Sie?
vee hays-en zee?
What time is it?
Wie viel Uhr ist es?
vee feel oohr ist ês?
What's the weather like?
Wie ist das Wetter?
ee ist dâs vêt-er?
How much does… cost?
Wie viel kostet …?
vee feel kos-tet …?
Where do I find…?
Wo finde ich …?
voh fin-de iH …?
Where are the bathrooms?
Wo sind die Toiletten?
voh zint dee toy-lêt-en?
Do you have…?
Haben Sie …?
hah-ben zee …?
Where is…?
Wo ist …?
voh ist …?
Could you please talk more slowly?
Können Sie bitte langsamer sprechen?
kern-en zee bi-te lâng-zâm-er shprêH-en?
Could you repeat that, please?
Können Sie das bitte wiederholen?
kern-en zee dâs bi-te vee-der-hoh-len?
USEFUL GERMAN EXPRESSIONS AND GREETINGS
Practice these German greetings and expressions, which you'll use daily when you visit a German-speaking country. With these expressions, you can communicate politely, feel more confident, and travel more comfortably.
English
German
Pronunciation
Hello!
Hallo!
hâ-loh! (informal greeting)
Good day!
Guten Tag!
gooh-ten tahk!
Good evening!
Guten Abend!
gooh-ten ah-bent!
Good-bye!
Auf Wiedersehen!
ouf vee-der-zey-en!
Please./You're welcome.
Bitte.
bi-te.
Thank you.
Danke.
dân-ke.
Excuse me.
Entschuldigung.
ênt-shool-dee-goong.
My name is…
Ich heiße …
iH hays-e …
Pleased to meet you.
Freut mich.
froyt miH.
GERMAN PHRASES FOR EMERGENCIES
If you're traveling in a German-speaking country and find yourself in an urgent situation, you can get the assistance you need by memorizing these important German phrases.
English
German
Pronunciation
Help!
Hilfe!
hilf-e!
Police!
Polizei!
po-li-tsay!
Fire!
Feuer!
foy-er!
Get a doctor!
Holen Sie einen Arzt!
hohl-en zee ayn-en ârtst!
I am sick.
Ich bin krank.
iH bin krânk.
I don't know my way around here.
Ich kenne mich hier nicht aus.
iH kên-e miH heer niHt ous.
THE GERMAN CALENDAR
Getting to know the days and months of the German calendar helps you keep track of your travel plans, German holidays, and engagements.
Days of the Week in German
English
German
Pronunciaton
Monday
Montag
mohn-tahk
Tuesday
Dienstag
deens-tahk
Wednesday
Mittwoch
mit-voH
Thursday
Donnerstag
don-ers-tahk
Friday
Freitag
fray-tahk
Saturday
Samstag / Sonnabend
zâms-tahk / zon-ah-bent)
Sunday
Sonntag
zon-tahk
Deutsch für Englischsprechende für Dummies
Bibliografische Information der Deutschen Nationalbibliothek
Die Deutsche Nationalbibliothek verzeichnet diese Publikation in der Deutschen Nationalbibliografie; detaillierte bibliografische Daten sind im Internet über http://dnb.d-nb.de abrufbar.
1. Auflage 2025
© 2025 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim
Original English language edition © 2011 by Wiley Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form.
Copyright der englischsprachigen Originalausgabe © 2011 by Wiley Publishing, Inc. Alle Rechte vorbehalten inklusive des Rechtes auf Reproduktion im Ganzen oder in Teilen und in jeglicher Form.
Wiley, the Wiley logo, Für Dummies, the Dummies Man logo, and related trademarks and trade dress are trademarks or registered trademarks of John Wiley & Sons, Inc. and/or its affiliates, in the United States and other countries. Used by permission.
Wiley, die Bezeichnung »Für Dummies«, das Dummies-Mann-Logo und darauf bezogene Gestaltungen sind Marken oder eingetragene Marken von John Wiley & Sons, Inc., USA, Deutschland und in anderen Ländern.
Das vorliegende Werk wurde sorgfältig erarbeitet. Dennoch übernehmen Autoren und Verlag für die Richtigkeit von Angaben, Hinweisen und Ratschlägen sowie eventuelle Druckfehler keine Haftung.
Coverfoto: cirquedesprit - stock.adobe.com
Print ISBN: 978-3-527-72309-6ePub ISBN: 978-3-527-85182-9
About the Authors
Paulina Christensen has been working as a writer, editor, and translator for almost ten years. She holds a degree in English and German literature and has developed, written, and edited numerous German-language textbooks and teachers' handbooks. Her work as a translator ranges from new media art to science fiction (Starlog magazine). She occasionally works as a court interpreter and does consulting and interpreting at educational conferences, as well as voice-overs for educational videos and CD-ROMs. Dr. Christensen received her M.A. and Ph.D. from Düsseldorf University, Germany, and has taught at various language schools.
Anne Fox has been working as a translator, editor, and writer for the past twelve years. She studied at Interpreters' School, Zurich, Switzerland, and holds a degree in translation. Her various assignments have taken her to outer space, hyperspace, and around the world. She has also taught at language schools and worked as a legal and technical proofreader in the editorial departments of several law firms. Most recently she has been developing, writing, and editing student textbooks and teacher handbooks.
Wendy Foster has been working as a teacher, writer, editor, and translator for longer than she can remember. She holds a degree in German from the Language and Interpreting Institute, Munich, Germany, an M.A. in French from Middlebury College, and a public school teaching certificate for German and French. She studied in France for two years, and then settled in Munich, Germany, where she worked in various teaching and writing capacities at various institutions. She recently returned to her New England roots, where she works from her home overlooking a spectacular salt marsh that constantly beckons her to go kayaking, swimming, walking, and bird watching.
Inhaltsverzeichnis
Cover
Titelseite
Impressum
About the Authors
Introduction
About This Book
Conventions Used in This Book
Foolish Assumptions
How This Book Is Organized
Icons Used in This Book
Where to Go from Here
Part I: Getting Started
Chapter 1: You Already Know a Little German
The German You Know
Using Popular Expressions
Chapter 2: The Nitty-Gritty: Basic German Grammar
Getting a Handle on Parts of Speech
Constructing Simple Sentences
The Tenses: Past, Present, and Future
Putting the Language in the Proper Case
A quick trip through the different cases
Chapter 3: Hallo! Pronunciation and Basic Expressions
Mouthing Off: Basic Pronunciation
Getting Formal or Informal
Saying »Hello«, »Goodbye«, and »How Are You?«
Introducing Yourself and Your Friends
Chapter 4: Getting Numbers, Time, and Measurements Straight
Juggling Numbers
Telling Time
Naming the Months
Measurements, Quantities, and Weights
Chapter 5: Talking about Home and Family
Living in an Apartment or House
Describing life within four walls
Talking about Your Family
Part II: German in Action
Chapter 6: Getting to Know You: Making Small Talk
Talking about Yourself
Conversing about Cities, Countries, and Nationalities
Making Small Talk about the Weather
Chapter 7: Asking for Directions
»Wo?« – Asking Where Something Is
»Wie weit?« How Far Is It?
Going Here and There
Asking »How Do I Get There?«
Describing a Position or Location in Relation to Some Other Place
Getting Your Bearings Straight with Left, Right, North, and South
Taking This or That Street
Using Ordinal Numbers: First, Second, Third, and More
Traveling by Car or Other Vehicle
Chapter 8: Guten Appetit! Dining Out and Going to the Market
Hast du Hunger? Hast du Durst?
All about Meals
Setting the Table for a Meal
Dining Out: Visiting a Restaurant
Shopping for Food
Chapter 9: Shopping Made Easy
Places to Shop around Town
Finding Out about Opening Hours
Navigating Your Way around a Store
Just Browsing: Taking a Look at Merchandise
Getting Assistance as You Shop
Shopping for Clothes
Paying for Your Shopping Items
Comparatively Speaking: Making Comparisons Among Objects
Chapter 10: Going Out on the Town
What Would You Like to Do?
Going to the Movies
What Was That? The Simple Past Tense of »Sein«
Going to the Museum
Talking about Action in the Past
Going Out for Entertainment
How Was It? Talking about Entertainment
Going to a Party
Chapter 11: Taking Care of Business and Telecommunications
Phoning Made Simple
Making Appointments
Leaving Messages
A Few Words about Dative Pronouns
Sending Written Correspondence
Getting to Know the Office
Chapter 12: Recreation and the Great Outdoors
Playing Sports
Using Reflexive Verbs to Talk about Plans
Exploring the Outdoors
Part III: German on the Go
Chapter 13: Planning a Trip
Getting Help from a Travel Agent
Planning Ahead: Using the Future Tense
Dealing with Passports and Visas
Chapter 14: Making Sense of Euros and Cents
Changing Currency
Heading to the ATM
Getting Imperative
Understanding the Euro and Other Currencies
Chapter 15: Getting Around: Planes, Trains, Taxis, and Buses
Using German at the Airport
Traveling by Car
Taking a Train
Knowing When to Separate Your Verbs
Navigating Buses, Subways, and Taxis
Chapter 16: Finding a Place to Stay
Finding a Hotel
Reserving Rooms
Checking In
Checking Out and Paying the Bill
Chapter 17: Handling Emergencies
Requesting Help
Getting Medical Attention
Talking to the Police
Part IV: The Part of Tens
Chapter 18: Ten Ways to Pick Up German Quickly
Labeling the World Around You
Organizing Useful Expressions
Writing Shopping Lists
Thinking in German
Using Language Downloads
Watching German TV and Listening to German Radio Online
Trying an Interactive German Program
Watching German Movies
Reading German Publications
Eating German Cuisine
Chapter 19: Ten Things Never to Say in German
Using the Right Form of Address
Addressing Service People Correctly
Hot or Cold?
I'm Not Loaded
Speaking of the Law with Respect
Using »Gymnasium« Correctly
Knowing the Appropriate Form of »Know«
Going to the Right Closet
Using Bekommen Properly
Using the Right Eating Verb
Chapter 20: Ten Favorite German Expressions
Alles klar!
Wirklich
Kein Problem
Vielleicht
Doch
Unglaublich!
Hoffentlich
Wie schön!
Genau!
Stimmt's?
Chapter 21: Ten Phrases That Make You Sound German
Schönes Wochenende!
Gehen wir!
Was ist los?
Das klingt gut!
Keine Ahnung
Es zieht!
Nicht zu fassen!
Du hast Recht!/Sie haben Recht!
Lass es!
Nicht schlecht!
Part V: Appendixes
A: German-English Mini-Dictionary
English-German Mini-Dictionary
B: Verb Tables
Regular Verbs (No Stem Vowel Change)
Special Conjugations
Irregular and Modal Verbs
C: The Audio Files
D: Answer Key
Index
End User License Agreement
Tabellenverzeichnis
Chapter 1
Table 1.1: Words Similar in Meaning, Slightly Different in Spelling
Chapter 2
Table 2.1: Personal Pronouns by Case
Table 2.2: Definite Articles by Case
Table 2.3: Endings of Ein by Case
Table 2.4: Possessive Endings by Case
Table 2.5: Examples of Adjective Endings Preceded by Indefinite Articles or Ein- Words
Table 2.6: Examples of Adjective Endings Preceded by Definite Articles
Chapter 3
Table 3.1: Pronouncing the German Alphabet
Table 3.2: Pronouncing German Vowels
Table 3.3: Pronouncing Vowels with Umlauts
Table 3.4: Pronouncing German Diphthongs
Table 3.5: Pronouncing Selected German Consonants
Table 3.6: Pronouncing ch, ck, sch, sp, st, and tsch
Chapter 6
Table 6.1: Forms of mein by Case
Table 6.2: Country Names, Nouns, and Adjectives
Chapter 7
Table 7.1: Prepositions that Express Locations
Table 7.2: Sample Cardinal and Ordinal Numbers
Table 7.3: Declining a Sample Ordinal Number: Erste (êrs-te) (first)
Chapter 10
Table 10.1: Verbs That Use Haben in the Perfect Tense
Table 10.2: Verbs That Use »sein« in the Perfect Tense
Chapter 12
Table 12.1: Accusative and Dative Reflexive Pronouns
Illustrationsverzeichnis
Chapter 5
Figure 5.1: Who's who in the family.
Chapter 8
Figure 8.1: German restaurants typically post a menu near the door.
Chapter 9
Figure 9.1: Common clothing items
Guide
Cover
Inhaltsverzeichnis
Begin Reading
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E1
Introduction
We are the players in a fascinating era, one that interconnects us with others all around the world. With globalization and technology as the driving forces, we find ourselves getting in closer and closer contact with more and more people. As a result, knowing how to say at least a few words in a language such as German is becoming an ever-more-vital tool.
Our natural curiosity to find out about other cultures motivates us to hop on a plane and find out firsthand what everyday life is like in the German-speaking regions: Germany, Austria, Switzerland, South Tyrol in northern Italy, Luxembourg, and Liechtenstein. Conducting international business in an increasingly competitive market necessitates personal contact; hence, more businesspeople are traveling overseas to countries like Germany, which has the largest economy in the European Union. On a more personal level, you may have friends, relatives, and neighbors who speak German, or you may want to get in touch with your heritage by learning a little bit of the language that your ancestors spoke.
Whatever your reasons for wanting to learn some German, Deutsch für Englischsprechende für Dummies is a terrific choice because it gives you the skills you need for basic communication in German. We're not promising super fluency here, but if you want to know how to greet someone, purchase a train ticket, or order food from a menu in German, you need look no further than this book.
About This Book
Deutsch für Englischsprechende für Dummies is set up so that you can use it any way you want to — as a reference to dip into for specific questions you have about German, as a means of gaining knowledge of German in a systematic way, or just for the fun of getting the feel for another language. Perhaps your goal is to learn some words and phrases to help you get around when you travel to a German-speaking country. Maybe you simply want to be able to say »Hello, how are you?« to your German-speaking neighbor. At any rate, you can go through this book at your own pace, reading as much or as little at a time as you like. You don't need to plod through the chapters in order, either; you're welcome to read the sections that interest you most.
Conventions Used in This Book
To make this book easy for you to navigate, we've set up a few conventions:
German terms are set in
boldface
to make them stand out.
Pronunciation is set in parentheses following the German terms, and the stressed syllables are italicized.
English translations are italicized. You'll find them set in parentheses following the pronunciation of German terms or sentences.
In some cases, German speakers use the same pronunciation as English speakers for words, many of which are borrowed from English or other languages. When such words are pronounced the same way in German as in English, you'll see the English word in the pronunciation followed by the notation »as in English« rather than the usual phonetic pronunciation. Of course, if the pronunciation differs between the English and German, we include the German pronunciation as usual.
Verb conjugations (lists that show you the forms of a verb) are given in tables in this order:
The »I« form
The »you« (singular, informal [or sing. inf.]) form
The »you« (singular, formal [or sing. form.]) form
The »he, she, it« form
The »we« form
The »you« (plural, informal [or pl. inf.]) form
The »you« (plural, formal [or pl. form.]) form
The »they« form
Pronunciations follow in the second column. The example shown uses the verb »to be.« The conjugation starts with the German equivalent of »I am, you are,« and so on.
Conjugation
Pronunciation
ich bin
iH bin
du bist
dooh bist
Sie sind
zee zint
er, sie, es ist
êr, zee, ês ist
wir sind
veer zint
ihr seid
eer zayt
Sie sind
zee zint
sie sind
zee zint
To help you make fast progress in German, this book includes a few elements to help you along:
Talkin' the Talk dialogues:
The best way to learn a language is to see and hear how it's used in conversation, so we include dialogues throughout the book. The dialogues come under the heading »Talkin' the Talk« and show you the German words, their pronunciations, and the English translations.
Words to Know blackboards:
Acquiring key words and phrases is also important in language learning, so we collect these important words in sections that resemble chalkboards, with the heading »Words to Know.«
Note:
In the pronunciations given in these sections, the stressed syllables are underlined rather than italicized.
Fun & Games activities:
If you want to flex your new language muscles, you can use the Fun & Games activities to reinforce what you learn. These activities are fun ways to check your progress.
Also note that, because each language has its own ways of expressing ideas, the English translations that we provide for the German terms may not be exactly literal. We want you to know the essence of what's being said, not just the meanings of single words. For example, the phrase Es geht (ês geyt) can be translated literally as It goes, but the phrase is actually the equivalent of So, so, or Okay, which is what you see as the translation.
Foolish Assumptions
To write this book, we made some assumptions about who you are and what you hope to gain from this book:
You know no German — or if you took German somewhere in your deep, dark past, you don't remember much more than
Ja, Nein, Kindergarten, Guten Tag,
and
auf Wiedersehen
.
You're primarily interested in communicating verbally in German, not in reading or writing German.
You're definitely not looking for a ho-hum textbook that puts you to sleep, nor do you want to plod through monotonous language exercises that drill German into your brain. You just want to know some practical words, phrases, and sentence constructions so that you can communicate basic information in German — with confidence.
You have no interest in memorizing long lists of bookish-sounding vocabulary words or a bunch of boring grammar rules.
You're excited about German and are looking forward to having some fun as you pick up a bit of the language.
If any or all of these statements apply to you, you've found the right book!
How This Book Is Organized
This book is divided by topic: first into parts and then into chapters. The following sections tell you what types of information you can find in each part.
Part I: Getting Started
This part gets you acclimated by providing you with some German basics: how to pronounce words, how to form sentences, and so on. You find a wealth of basic survival-type expressions such as greetings and numbers. We even challenge you to boost your confidence by activating some German words that you probably already know. Finally, we outline the basics of German grammar that you may need to know when you work through later chapters in the book.
Part II: German in Action
In this part, you begin learning and using German. Instead of focusing on grammar points as many dull, dusty language textbooks do, this part focuses on communicating effectively in everyday situations, such as shopping, asking for directions, going to a museum, dining, phoning, and lots more.
Part III: German on the Go
This part gives you the tools you need to take your German on the road, whether you're looking to change money, find a place to stay, plan a trip, or take public or private transportation. There's even a chapter on handling emergencies.
Part IV: The Part of Tens
If you're looking for small, easily digestible pieces of information about German, this part is for you. Here, you can find ten ways to learn German quickly, ten useful German expressions to know, and more.
Part V: Appendixes
This part of the book includes important information that you can use for reference. Appendix A is a handy mini-dictionary in both German-to-English and English-to-German formats. If you encounter a German word that you don't understand or you need to know a specific word in German, you can look it up here. Appendix B features verb tables that show you how to conjugate both regular verbs and those verbs that stubbornly don't fit the pattern. Appendix C gives you the answer keys to all of the Fun & Games activities that appear in the book. Finally, Appendix D provides a listing of the tracks that appear on the accompanying audio files provided for download on https://wiley-vch.de/ISBN9783527723096 so you can find out where in the book those dialogues are and follow along.
Icons Used in This Book
You may be looking for particular information while reading this book. To make certain types of information easier for you to find, the following icons have been placed in the left-hand margins throughout the book:
This icon highlights tips that can make learning German easier.
This icon points out interesting information that you won't want to forget.
Languages are full of quirks that may trip you up if you're not prepared for them. This icon points to discussions of important grammar points.
If you're looking for information and advice about culture and travel, look for these icons. They draw your attention to interesting tidbits about the countries in which German is spoken.
The audio files that comes with this book gives you the opportunity to listen to real German speakers so that you can get a better understanding of what German sounds like. This icon marks the Talkin' the Talk dialogues that you can listen to on the and that you can download from https://wiley-vch.de/ISBN9783527723096.
Where to Go from Here
Learning a language is all about jumping in and giving it a try (no matter how bad your pronunciation is at first). So take the plunge! Start at the beginning, pick a chapter that interests you, or download the files from https://wiley-vch.de/ISBN9783527723096. Before long, you'll be able to respond, »Ja!« (yah) (yes) when someone asks you Sprechen Sie Deutsch? (shprêH-en zee doych?) (Do you speak German?)
Note: If you've never been exposed to German before, you may want to read the chapters in Part I before you tackle the later chapters. Part I gives you some of the basics that you need to know about the language, such as how to pronounce the various sounds, some basic expressions and words, and the fundamentals of German sentence structure.
Part I
Getting Started
IN THIS PART …
You have to start somewhere, but we bet that you know a lot more German than you think. Don't think so? Then check out Chapter 1. Chapter 2 covers some nuts-and-bolts grammar info that, well, you need to absorb. But don't worry — we make it fun. The other chapters get you up to speed with some basic expressions and vocabulary you can use right away, such as saying hello and goodbye, expressing numbers, time, and measurements, or talking about your family. Jetzt geht's los! (yêtst geyts lohs!) (Here we go!)
Chapter 1
You Already Know a Little German
IN THIS CHAPTER
Recognizing the German you already know
Spotting words that aren't what they seem
Using German idioms
The best way to learn a new language is to jump right in — no pussyfooting around. In this chapter, you get a head start in German by seeing some of the language you're already familiar with. You also find out some popular German expressions, and you get the hang of why you need to be careful with what are called »false friends,« that is, words that seem to be the same in both languages but actually have different meanings.
The German You Know
Because both German and English belong to the group of Germanic languages, quite a few words are either identical or similar in both languages. Words that share a common source are called cognates. Another group of words common to German and English stem from Latin-based words that English speakers are familiar with. Many of these have direct equivalents in German, for example, nouns that end in »-tion.«
Friendly allies (perfect cognates)
The following words are spelled the same way and have the same meaning in German and in English. The only differences are the pronunciation, as shown in parentheses, as well as the fact that in German, nouns are always capitalized. In addition, German nouns have one of three genders, as seen on this list by the words der (masculine), die (feminine), and das (neuter) in front of each noun. See Chapter 2 for details on what gender is all about and go to Chapter 3 for information on the pronunciation key for each word presented in this book. In a few instances, the German and English pronunciation for the word is the same, so you'll see the English word in the pronunciation (followed by the notation »as in English.«)
der Arm
(dêr ârm)
der Bandit
(dêr bân-
deet
)
die Bank
(dee bânk)
die Basis
(dee
bah
-zis)
blind
(blint)
die Butter
(dee
boot
-er)
digital
(di-gi-
tâl
)
elegant
(êl-ê-
gânt
)
die Emotion
(dee ê-moh-tsee-
ohn
)
emotional
(ê-moh-tsee-oh-
nahl
)
der Finger
(dêr
fing
-er)
die Hand
(dee hânt)
das Hotel
(dâs hotel [as in English])
die Inspiration
(dee in-spi-râ-tsee-
ohn
)
international
(in-ter-nâ-tsee-oh-
nahl
)
irrational
(ir-râ-tsee-oh-
nahl
)
legal
(ley-
gahl
)
liberal
(lee-bêr-
ahl
)
der Mast
(dêr mast)
die Mine
(dee
meen-
e)
modern
(moh-
dêrn
)
der Moment
(dêr moh-
mênt
)
die Motivation
(dee moh-ti-vâ-tsee-
ohn
)
das Museum
(dâs mooh-
zey
-oohm)
der Name
(dêr
nah
-me)
die Nation
(dee nâ-tsee-
ohn
)
normal
(nor-
mahl
)
die Olive
(dee oh-
lee
-ve)
parallel
(pâr-â-
leyl
)
das Problem
(dâs proh-
bleym
)
der Professor
(dêr professor [as in English])
das Radio
(dâs
rah
-dee-oh)
die Religion
(dee rey-li-gee-
ohn
)
das Restaurant
(dâs rês-tuh-
ron
)
die Rose
(dee
roh
-ze)
der Service
(dêr
ser
-vis)
das Signal
(dâs zig-
nahl
)
der Sport
(dêr shport)
die Statue
(dee
shtah
-tooh-e)
der Stress
(dêr shtrês)
das System
(dâs zers-
teym
)
das Taxi
(dâs
tâx
-ee)
der Tiger
(dêr
tee
-ger)
tolerant
(to-lêr-
ânt
)
die Tradition
(dee trâ-di-tsee-
ohn
)
der Tunnel
(dêr
toohn
-el)
wild
(vilt)
der Wind
(dêr vint)
Kissing cousins (near cognates)
Many words, like the ones shown inTable 1.1, are spelled almost the same in German as in English and have the same meaning. Table 1.1 also shows you something about German spelling conventions, which include:
The English
c
is a
k
in most German words.
The
ou
in English words like
house
or
mouse
is often equivalent to
au
in German words.
Many English adjectives ending in
-ic
or -
ical
have an -
isch
ending in German.
Some English adjectives ending in -
y
are spelled with -
ig
in German.
Some English nouns ending in -
y
have an -
ie
ending in German.
German
English
das Mandat (dâs mân-daht)
mandate
der Mann (dêr mân)
man
die Maschine (dee mâ-sheen-e)
machine
die Maus (dee mouse [as in English])
mouse
die Methode (dee mê-toh-de)
method
die Mobilität (dee moh-bi-li-tait)
mobility
die Musik (dee mooh-zeek)
music
die Nationalität (dee nât-see-oh-nahl-i-tait)
nationality
die Natur (dee nâ-toohr)
nature
offiziell (oh-fits-ee-êl)
official (adjective)
der Ozean (dêr oh-tsê-ân)
ocean
das Papier (dâs pâ-peer)
paper
das Parlament (dâs pâr-lâ-mênt)
parliament
perfekt (pêr-fêkt)
perfect
politisch (poh-li-tish)
political
potenziell (po-tên-tsee-êl)
potential (adjective)
praktisch (prâk-tish)
practical
das Programm (dâs proh-grâm)
program
das Salz (dâs zâlts)
salt
der Scheck (dêr shêk)
check
sonnig (zon-iH)
sunny
der Supermarkt (dêr zooh-pêr-mârkt)
supermarket
das Telefon (dâs tê-le-fohn)
telephone
die Theorie (dee tey-ohr-ee)
theory
die Tragödie (dee trâ-ger-dee-e)
tragedy
die Walnuss (dee vahl-noohs)
walnut
Table 1.1: Words Similar in Meaning, Slightly Different in Spelling
False friends
As does every language, German contains some false friends — those words that look very similar to English but have a completely different meaning. As you read the following list, you can see why you should treat any new German word with kid gloves, especially if it looks like an English word, until, that is, you find out for sure what it means in English.
After
(
ahf
-ter
)
: If you want to avoid embarrassment, remember the meaning of this word. Its German meaning is
anus
and not
after
. The German word for
after
is
nach
(nahH) or
nachdem
(nahH-
deym)
.
aktuell
(âk-tooh-
êl
): This word means
up-to-date
and
current,
not
actual
. The German translation for
actual
is
tatsächlich
(tât-
sêH
-liH).
also
(
âl
-zoh): This one means
so, therefore,
or
thus;
not
also
. The German word for
also
is
auch
(ouH).
bald
(bâlt): This word means
soon
and is not a description for someone with little or no hair. The German word for
bald
is
kahl
(kahl) or
glatzköpfig
(
glâts-
kerpf-iH).
bekommen
(be-
kom
-en): This verb is an important one to remember. It means
to get
and not
to become
. The German word for
to become
is
werden
(
vêr
-den).
Boot
(boht): This is a
boat
and not a
boot,
which is
Stiefel
(
shteef
-el) in German. A
sailboat
is called a
Segelboot
(
zey-
gêl-boht).
brav
(brahf): This word means
well-behaved
and not
brave
. The German word for
brave
is
tapfer
(
tâp
-fer).
Brief
(breef): This is a noun and means
letter,
not
brief
. The German translation for the English adjective
brief
is
kurz
(koorts), and, for the English noun,
Auftrag
(
ouf
-trahk) or
Unterlagen
(
oon
-ter-lah-gen).
Chef
(shêf): This is the German word for a person you take orders from, your
boss
or
supervisor,
not someone who's in charge of the cooking. The German word for
chef
is
Küchenchef
(
kueH
-ên-shêf) or
Chefkoch
(
shêf
-koH). Otherwise, a plain
cook
is called a
Koch
(koH) in German.
eventuell
(ey-vên-tooh-
êl
): This one means
possible
or
possibly,
not
eventual
or
eventually,
both of which would be
schließlich
(
shlees
-liH) in German.
fast
(fâst): This is an adjective that means
almost
— not the speeds at which Formula One drivers race. The German word for
fast
is
schnell
(shnêl) or
rasch
(râsh).
genial
(gê-nee-
ahl
): This adjective describes an idea or person
of genius
and has nothing to do with
genial
. The German word for
genial
is
heiter
(
hay
-ter).
Gift
(gift [as in English]): The German meaning is
poison,
so when you're giving your German-speaking host a
present,
you should say you have a
Geschenk
(gê-
shênk
), that is, unless you really are giving something like weed killer or a green mamba.
Kind
(kint): This is the German word for
child
. It has nothing to do with the English
kind,
which is
nett
(nêt) or
liebenswürdig
(
lee
-bens-vuerd-iH) in German.
Komfort
(kom-
fohr
): This word means
amenity,
for example, the amenities you expect in a five-star hotel, not
comfort
. The German verb meaning
to comfort
[someone] is
trösten
(
trers
-ten).
kurios
(koohr-ee-
ohs
): This word means
strange
, not
curious
. The German word for
curious
is
neugierig
(
noy
-geer-iH).
Mist
(mist [as in English]): Be careful not to misuse this word that actually means
manure
in German! It doesn't describe heavy moisture resembling a fine rain, which is called
Nebel
(
ney-
bel) or
Dunst
(doonst).
Most
(most): This is the German word for unfermented fruit juice, and in southern German-speaking regions, a young fruit wine. The German word for the English
most
is
das meiste
(dâs
mays
-te); for example,
die meisten Leute
(die
mays
-ten
loy
-te) (
most people
).
ordinär
(or-di-
nair
): This word means
vulgar
rather than
ordinary
. The German word for
ordinary
is
normal
(nor-
mahl
) or
gewöhnlich
(ge-
vern
-liH).
pathetisch
(pâ-
tey
-tish): This one means
overly emotional
, not
pathetic,
which, in German, is
jämmerlich
(
yêm
-er-liH) or
armselig
(
ârm
-zey-liH).
plump
(ploomp): The German meaning is
clumsy
or
tactless,
not
roundish,
which in German is
rundlich
(
roont
-liH).
Präservativ
(prê-zêr-vah-
teef
): Another embarrassing moment can be avoided when you know that this word means
condom
in German. The German equivalent of
preservative
is
Konservierungsmittel
(kon-sêr-
yeer-
oongs-mit-el).
Provision
(proh-vi-zee-
ohn
): The meaning of this word is
commission,
not
provision
. The German word for
provision
is
Vorsorge
(
fohr
-zor-ge) or
Versorgung
(fêr-
zohr
-goong).
See
(zey): This word means
lake
or
sea
. In German, the verb
to see
is
sehen
(
zey
-en).
sensibel
(zen-
zee
-bel): The meaning of this word is
sensitive
rather than
sensible,
which translates as
vernünftig
(fêr-
nuenf
-tiH).
sympathisch
(zerm-
pah
-tish): This word means
likeable
or
congenial,
, not
sympathetic
. The German word for
sympathetic
is
mitfühlend
(
mit
-fuel-ent).
Lenders and borrowers
A few German words have been adopted by the English language and have retained their meaning, such as Kindergarten (kin-der-gâr-ten), Angst (ânkst), kaputt (kâ-poot), Ersatz (êr-zats), Sauerkraut (zou-er-krout), Zeitgeist (tsayt-gayst), and Wanderlust (vân-der-loost).
However, the number of these German words is minimal compared to the English words that have made their way into the German language. At times, the combination of English and German makes for somewhat curious linguistic oddities. For example, you may hear das ist total in/out (dâs ist toh-tahl in/out [as in English]) (that's totally in/out) or Sie können den File downloaden (zee kern-en deyn file [as in English] doun-lohd-en) (You can download the file).
The following is a list of German words that have been borrowed from the English language. Note that they all retain their English pronunciations, with a slight exception: The borrowed verbs are »germanified,« which simply means they combine the English verb, such as kill or jog, with -en, the German suffix that creates the infinitive form (to kill and to jog). Go to Chapter 2 for more on German infinitives:
der Boss
das Business
das Catering
die City
(German meaning:
downtown
)
der Computer
cool
das Design
das Event
Fashion
(used without article)
das Fast Food
das Feeling
flirten
(
to flirt
)
der Headhunter
Hi
hip
der Hit
das Hotel
das Internet
das Interview
der Jetlag
der Job
joggen
(
to jog
)
killen
(
to kill
)
managen
(
to manage
)
der Manager
das Marketing
das Meeting
Okay
online
outsourcen
(
to outsource
)
die Party
pink
das Shopping
die Shorts
die Show/Talkshow
das Steak
surfen
(
to surf waves or the Internet
)
das Team
der Thriller
der Tourist
das T-Shirt
der Workshop
Wow
Finally, a few English terms have different meanings in the German language. For example, the word Evergreen refers to a golden oldie,Handy means a cellphone,Mobbing means bullying or harassing,Oldtimer refers to a vintage car, and Wellness-Center means spa.
Talkin' the Talk
Read the following conversation with a grain of salt — and a smile. It gives you an idea of how many words have slid into German. However, you're not likely to overhear this many examples of mixed language in a single conversation. In this scenario, two friends, Claudia and Jana, meet on the street. Notice how some terms have a slightly different meaning in German.
Claudia:
Hi Jana, wie geht's? Wie ist der neue Job?
Hi [as in English] yâ-nâ, vee geyts? vee ist dêr noy-e job [as in English]?
Hi Jana, how are you? How's the new job?
Jana:
Super! Heute war meine erste Presentation vor meinem big Boss, und er war total cool.
super [as in English]! hoy-te vahr mayn-e êrs-te pre-zen-tât-see-ohn fohr mayn-êm big boss [as in English], oont êr vahr toh-tahl cool [as in English].
Super! Today was my first presentation in front of my big boss, and he was totally cool.
Claudia:
Wow! In meinem Office gibt es nur Stress. Mein Boss kann nichts managen. Mein Kollege checkt nichts, und denkt, er ist ein Sonnyboy, und alle anderen spinnen.
wow [as in English]! in mayn-êm office [as in English] gipt ês noohr shtrês. mayn boss kân niHts mân-â-gen [g as in English]. mayn kol-ey-ge checkt niHts oont dênkt êr ist ayn sonny boy [as in English], oont âl-e ân-der-en spin-en.
Wow! In my office there's nothing but stress. My boss can't manage anything. My colleague isn't »with it,« and thinks he's a hot shot, and all the others are crazy.
Jana:
Ich gehe shoppen. Kommst du mit?
iH gey-e shop-en. Komst dooh mit?
I'm going shopping. Do you want to come along?
Claudia:
Nein, danke. Gestern war ich in einem Outlet und habe ein T-Shirt in pink und eine Jeans im Boyfriend-Look gekauft. Ich gehe jetzt joggen. Bye-bye!
nayn, dân-ke. gês-têrn vahr iH in ayn-em outlet [as in English] oont hah-be ayn T-shirt [as in English] in pink [as in English] oont ayn-e jeans [as in English] im boyfriend-look [as in English] ge-kouft. iH gey-e yêtst jog-en [jog as in English]. bye-bye [as in English]!
No, thanks. Yesterday I went to an outlet and bought a pink T-shirt and a pair of jeans in boyfriend look. I'm going jogging now. Bye!
Jana:
Schade. Bye-bye!
shah-de. bye-bye!
Too bad. Bye!
Using Popular Expressions
Just like the English language, German has many idioms, which are expressions typical of a language and culture. If you translate these idioms word for word, they may sound obscure, silly, or just plain meaningless, so you definitely need to find out what they really mean in order to use them appropriately.
Some expressions may have an English equivalent that's recognizable, so it's easier to get the hang of using them. For example, the German idiom ein Fisch auf dem Trockenen (ayn fish ouf deym trok-ên-en) literally translates into a fish on the dry, which somewhat resembles the English a fish out of water. On the other hand, if you were to take apart the German expression Da liegt der Hund begraben (da leekt dêr hoont be-grah-ben) word for word, you'd probably feel sorry for the poor dog, because in essence, it means something like That's where the dog is buried. However, the English equivalent is That's the heart of the matter.
A few other typical German idioms are
Die Daumen drücken.
(dee
doum-
en
druek-
en.) (
Press the thumbs
). The English meaning is
Keep your fingers crossed
.
Wo sich Fuchs und Hase gute Nacht sagen
(voh ziH fooks oont
hah-
ze
gooh-
te nâHt
zah-
gen) (
where fox and hare say good night to one another
), which means
in the middle of nowhere
, or
in the sticks
.
Ich bin fix und fertig.
(iH bin fix oont
fêr-
tiH.) (
I'm quick and ready
.) This means
I'm wiped out,
or
I'm exhausted
.
Du nimmst mich auf den Arm!
(dooh nimst miH ouf deyn ârm!) (
You're taking me on your arm!
), meaning
You're pulling my leg!
Das ist ein Katzensprung.
(dâs ist ayn
kâts
-en-shproong.) (
That's a cat's jump
.) The English meaning is
It's a stone's throw away
.
Schlafen wie ein Murmeltier
(
shlâf
-en vee ayn
moor
-mel-teer) (
sleep like a woodchuck [marmot]
). In English, you say
sleep like a log
.
Apart from such idioms, many handy and frequently used German expressions are easy to learn. Here are some of them:
Prima!/Klasse!/Toll!
(
pree
-mah!/
klâs
-e!/tôl!) (
Great!
)
Fertig.
(
fêrt-
iH.) (
Ready./Finished
.) This can be either a question or a statement.
Quatsch! (
qvâch!) (
Nonsense!/How silly of me!
)
Einverstanden.
(
ayn
-fêr-shtând-en.) (
Agreed./Okay
.)
Vielleicht.
(fee-
layHt
.) (
Maybe./Perhaps
.)
Mach's gut.
(vîrt ge-
mâHt
.) (
Take it easy
.) This is a casual way of saying
good-bye
.
Wie, bitte?
(vee
bi-
te?) (
[I beg your] pardon?/What did you say?
)
Macht nichts.
(mâHt niHts.) (
Never mind./That's okay
.)
Nicht der Rede wert.
(niHt dêr
rey
-de vêrt.) (
Don't mention it
.)
Schade!
(
shah
-de!) (
Too bad!/What a pity!
)
So ein Pech!
(zoh ayn pêH!) (
Bad luck!
)
Viel Glück!
(feel gluek!) (
Good luck!
)
Oder?
(
oh-
der?) (
Isn't that true?/Don't you think so?
)
Bis dann!
(bis dân!) (
See you then!
)
Bis bald!
(bis bâlt!) (
See you soon!
)
Chapter 2
The Nitty-Gritty: Basic German Grammar
IN THIS CHAPTER
Identifying parts of speech
Combining words to create sentences
Talking in terms of the past, present, and future
Making a case for cases
When you think about grammar, imagine a big dresser with lots of drawers. Instead of being filled with all kinds of clothing, these drawers contain different types of words, called parts of speech: nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, and so on. Each part of speech is in a separate drawer.
Now imagine it's early morning and you're about to utter your first German sentence of the day. To begin, you reach into the noun drawer and pull out the word Socken (zok-en) (socks). Next, to describe your socks, you reach into the adjective drawer and pull out two words, neu (noy) (new) and schwarz (shvârts) (black). To indicate what you do with your new black socks, you fish through the verb drawer and pull out the verb anziehen (ân-tsee-en) (to put on). And because you're running late, you dive straight into the adverb drawer and grab the word schnell (shnêl) (quickly). Now, to construct a whole sentence, you need another item, this one from the pronoun drawer: ich (iH) (I). Before you know it, you've pulled a complete sentence out of the dresser: Ich ziehe schnell meine neuen schwarzen Socken an (iH tsee-he shnêl mayn-e noy-en shvârts-en zok-en ân) (I quickly put my new black socks on).
To construct a correct sentence, you need to know how to string all these words together, and that's what grammar is all about. This chapter makes using grammar as easy as getting dressed in the morning. With a few basic rules in your back pocket, you'll be using grammar with confidence in no time. So arrange your thoughts, grab the words you need, and before you know it, you'll be out the door and speaking — auf Deutsch (ouf doych) (in German).
Getting a Handle on Parts of Speech
To construct a simple sentence, you need a certain number of building blocks, the parts of speech. The most essential of these are nouns, articles, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs. The following sections give you the lowdown on each of these.
Nouns
A rose is a rose is a rose, right? Well, a rose is also a noun, and nouns aren't exactly the same in German and English. Although nouns in both languages name things (people, places, objects, concepts, and so on), the difference is that all German nouns are capitalized and have one of three genders: masculine, feminine, or neuter. The following sections go into more detail on gender and how to make singular German nouns plural.
Understanding a noun's gender
As mentioned previously, German nouns have gender. That is, they are one of the following: masculine, feminine, or neuter. Unfortunately, the meaning of a noun isn't usually much help in predicting its grammatical gender. You need to keep in mind that in German, grammatical gender is an element of German grammar, and it's not related to the meaning of the noun. Instead, it's a kind of marker that identifies how the noun fits into a sentence. Sorry, no easy way out. You simply have to memorize the gender that belongs with each noun. However, a few guidelines can get you started:
Nouns for male persons, cars, nationalities, occupations, seasons, days, and months are usually masculine.
Nouns for most female persons, many flowers, and trees are feminine.
Nouns beginning with
Ge-
are usually neuter.
Nouns ending in
-ist
,
-ich
,
-ismus
, and
-ner
are usually masculine.
Nouns ending in
-heit
,
-keit
,
-ik
,
-schaft
,
-ei
,
-tät
, and
-ung
are usually feminine.
Nouns ending in
-chen
,
-lein
,
-ium
,
-um
, and
-tum
are usually neuter.
Knowing a noun's gender becomes even more important when the noun is plopped into a sentence. How's that? Well, depending on the role the noun plays in the sentence, the three definite articles der (dêr), die (dee), and das (dâs), all of which translate to the English the, can go through all kinds of spelling gyrations, and sometimes even the noun's spelling is altered. Same with the indefinite articles ein (ayn), eine (ayn-e), and ein (ayn), which correspond to the English a and an. In fact, because you can't really talk about German nouns without talking about the articles that accompany them, we devote a whole section to the topic. The key to all this morphing is what's known as case. Read the section »Putting the Language in the Proper Case« later in this chapter to shed more light on how to put German nouns and articles into sentences.
Making singular nouns plural
Throughout this book, you encounter nouns in their singular and/or plural forms. You may notice that in German, there are several ways to change a singular noun to its plural form.
Two groups of words are easy to deal with:
The group of nouns that are the same in both the singular and plural forms, like the English noun »sheep.«
Many of the nouns in this group are masculine- and neuter-gender words ending in
-er
, like
das Fenster/die Fenster
(dâs
fens
-ter/dee
fens
-ter) (
window
/
windows
), and
der Amerikaner/die Amerikaner
(dêr â-mey-ree-
kah
-ner/dee â-mey-ree-
kah
-ner) (
American
/
Americans
).
The group of nouns that are mostly of foreign origin:
The plural form of these nouns has an
-s
ending, for example
das Radio/die Radios
(dâs
rah-
dee-oh/dee
rah-
dee-ohs) (
radio
/
radios
) and
das Café/die Cafés
(dâs café [as in English]
/
dee cafes) (
café
/
cafés
).
Other plural form patterns include nouns that add -e, -er, or –en; nouns that add an umlaut (represented by two dots over a vowel, as in ä, ö, and ü); or a combination of both. Following are three examples: der Vater/die Väter (dêr fah-ter/dee fai-ter) (father/fathers), die Lampe/die Lampen (dee lâm-pe/dee lâm-pen) (lamp/lamps), and das Buch/die Bücher (das booH/dee bueH-er) (book/books). Sound complicated? You're right, so do try to make a point of remembering the plural form of a noun (and its gender!) when you first incorporate it into your active vocabulary.
Articles
Nouns often appear in the company of a sidekick: a definite article (der, die, and das, which correspond to the English the) or an indefinite article (ein, eine, and ein, which correspond to a or an). Read on for more.
The definite articles (»der«, »die«, and »das«)
Here's where German gets sticky. While the definite article the has only one form in English, in German, it has three forms: der (dêr) (masculine), die (dee) (feminine), and das (dâs) (neuter). Which form you use depends on the gender of the German noun. Der is the definite article used with masculine nouns, die is used with feminine nouns, and das is used with neuter nouns.
When meeting a new noun, find out whether its definite article is der, die, or das — in other words, determine the gender of the noun. For example, memorize der Garten (dêr gâr-ten) (the garden) rather than just Garten (gâr-ten) (garden), die Tür (dee tuer) (the door) rather than Tür (tuer) (door), and das Haus (dâs house [as in English]) (the house) rather than Haus (house) (house).
For plural nouns, things are comparatively easy. The definite article for all plural nouns, regardless of gender, is die (dee). And, as in English, the indefinite article a just vanishes in the plural: a garden becomes gardens. (The next section explains indefinite articles in more detail.)
The indefinite articles (»ein«, »eine«, and »ein«)
In English, you use the indefinite article a or an when you want to specify one of a particular thing. Because you're dealing with three different genders in German, you also have to use three different indefinite articles. Luckily, the indefinite article for masculine and neuter nouns is the same:
For masculine nouns:
You use
ein
(ayn), for example,
ein Name
(ayn
nah
-me) (
a name
),
ein Mann
(ayn mân) (
a man
), and
ein Berg
(ayn bêrg) (
a mountain
).
For neuter nouns:
You use
ein
(ayn)
,
for example,
ein Problem
(ayn pro-
bleym
) (
a problem
),
ein Museum
(ayn moo-
zey
-oom) (
a museum
),
ein Bier
(ayn beer) (
a beer
).
For feminine nouns:
You add an
e
to
ein
, making
eine
(
ayn
-e), for example,
eine Nacht
(
ayn
-e nâHt) (
a night
),
eine Adresse
(
ayn
-e ah-
drês
-e) (
an address
), and
eine Cousine
(
ayn-
e kooh-
zeen-
e) (
a female cousin
).
Not too difficult, right? But things can get a little more complicated. You know that the gender of a noun determines the articles that are used with it. But the endings of the articles also change depending on whether the noun they're attached to is in the nominative, genitive, dative, or accusative case. The endings specified in the preceding list are those of the nominative case. For more information about case and how it affects both definite and indefinite articles, head to the later section »Why all these cases matter.«
Pronouns
Pronouns are the handy group of words that can punt for nouns so you don't sound redundant. In German, pronouns change form depending on their role in a sentence. For example, ich (iH) (I) can change into mich (miH) (me) or mir (mir) (me). For more on pronouns and case, see »Putting the Language in the Proper Case« later in this chapter.
Adjectives
Adjectives describe nouns. In German, adjectives have different endings depending on the gender, case (more about that later in this chapter), and number (singular or plural) of the noun they accompany. Adjective endings also depend on whether the adjective is accompanied by a definite article, an indefinite article, or no article at all.
The following list shows the endings for adjectives accompanied by a definite article in the nominative case (for more on case, see »Putting the Language in the Proper Case« later in this chapter). This list includes the adjectivesschön (shern) (beautiful), weiß (vays) (white), groß (grohs) (large), and klein (klayn) (small). The adjective endings appear in italics:
der schön
e
Garten
(dêr
sher
-ne
gâr
-ten) (
the beautiful garden
)
die weiß
e
Tür
(dee
vays
-e tuer) (
the white door
)
das klein
e
Haus
(dâs
klayn
-e hous) (
the small house
)
die groß
en
Häuser
(dee
grohs
-en
hoy-
zer) (
the large houses
)
Following are the nominative case endings for adjectives used alone (that is, without an accompanying article) or adjectives accompanied by an indefinite article:
(
ein) schön
er
Garten
([ayn]
sher
-ner
gâr
-ten) ([
a
]
beautiful garden
)
(
eine) weiß
e
Tür
([
ayn
-e]
vays
-e tuer) ([
a
]
white door
)
(
ein) klein
es
Haus
([ayn]
klayn
-es hous) ([
a
]
small house
)
groß
e
Häus
er
(
grohs
-e
hoy
-zer) (
large houses
)
All the adjectives (and their corresponding endings) in the preceding examples are in the subject case (that is, the nominative case). The endings for the other cases follow a little later in this chapter.
Verbs
Verbs express actions or states of being. The person doing the action is the verb's subject, and the verb always adjusts its ending to the subject. For example, you say I open the door and the cat opens the door. In the present tense in English, most verbs have two different forms, or spellings, for example, open and opens. Most German verbs, on the other hand, have four different forms. (For further information on tenses, check out the section later in this chapter, »The Tenses: Past, Present, and Future.«)
The verb form in its basic, static state is called the infinitive. It's what you see in the mini-dictionary at the back of this book, or in any dictionary for that matter. In English, the infinitive verb form looks like the following examples: to play, to think, or to ride, and you can put it into a sentence like this: I know how to ride a camel. German infinitives, however, usually have the ending -en, as in lachen (lâH-en) (to laugh), stuck onto what's called the stem. For example, the stem of lachen is lach-. A small number of verbs have the infinitive ending -n.
The stems of most verbs don't change, and the endings of such verbs are always the same. The following table shows the endings of the verb sagen (zah-gen) (to say). You tack the appropriate ending onto the stem sag-, depending on how you're expressing the verb.
Conjugation
Pronunciation
ich sag-e
iH zah-ge
du sag-st
dooh zâgst
Sie sag-en
zee zah-gen
er, sie, es sag-t
êr, zee, ês zâgt
wir sag-en
veer zah-gen
ihr sag-t
eer zâgt
Sie sag-en
zee zah-gen
sie sag-en
zee zah-gen
Seems easy, doesn't it? But – as usual – some exceptions to the rule do exist. When the stem of the verb ends in -m, -n, -d, or -t, you need to insert an -e before the ending in the du, er/sie/es, and ihr constructions, as shown in the following examples:
du atm-e-st
(
ât-
mêst) (
you
