1.

GRUNDLEGENDE GESPRCHIGE PHRASEN

(BASIC CONVERSATIONAL
PHRASES)

Guten Morgen
/goot-en mor-gen/
Good Morning

Guten Tag
/goot-en tahk/
Hello/Good Day

Guten Abend
/goot-en ah-bent/
Good Evening

Gute Nacht
/goot-eh nakht/
Good Night

Tag / Hallo / Servus

/tahk / hah-loh / sair-voohs/
Hi / Hello / Hi & Bye (Southern

Auf Wiedersehen
/owf vee-dair-zayn/
Goodbye

Gr dich / Gr Gott!
Hello! / Greetings! (Southern
Germany & Austria)

Tschs / Tschau
/tchews / chow/
Bye!

Gehen wir!
/geh-en veer/
Let's go!

Bis spter
/biss shpay-ter/
See you later

Bis bald
/biss bahlt/
See you soon

Bis morgen
/biss mohr-gen/
See you tomorrow

Bitte
/bih-tuh/
Please

Danke (schn / sehr)

/dahn-kuh shurn/zai/r
Thank you

Bitte schn
/bih-tuh shurn/
You're welcome

Es tut mir leid.

/ehs toot meer lite/
I'm sorry

Entschuldigen Sie
/ehnt-shool-dih-gun zee/
Excuse me

Verzeihung
Pardon me

Wie geht es Ihnen?

/vee gayt es ee-nen/
How are you? (formal)

Wie geht's?
/vee gayts/
How are you? (informal)

(Sehr) Gut / So lala

/zair goot / zo lahlah/
(Very) Good / OK

Schlecht / Nicht Gut

/shlekht / nisht goot/
Bad / Not good

Es geht.
/ess gate/
I'm ok. (informal)

Ja / Nein
/yah / nine/
Yes / No

Wie heien Sie?

/vee hie-ssen zee/
What's your name? (formal)

Wie heit du?

/vee hiesst doo/
What's your name? (informal)

Ich heie...
/ikh hie-ssuh/
My name is... [I am
called...]

Es freut mich.
/froyt mikh/
Pleased to meet you.

Gleichfalls.
/glykh-fals/
Likewise.

Herr / Frau / Frulein

/hair / frow / froi-line/
Mister / Misses / Miss

Woher kommen Sie?

/vo-hair koh-men zee/
Where are you from? (formal)

Woher kommst du?

/vo-hair kohmst doo/
Where are you from?
(informal)

Ich komme aus...

/ikh koh-muh ows./..
I'm from...

Germany & Austria)

Wo wohnen Sie?
vo voh-nen zee
Where do you live? (formal)

Wo wohnst du?
vo vohnst doo
Where do you live? (informal)

Ich wohne in...

ikh voh-nuh in
I live in...

Wie alt sind Sie?

/vee alt zint zee/
How old are you? (formal)

Wie alt bist du?

/vee alt bisst doo/
How old are you? (informal)

Ich bin ____ Jahre alt.

ikh bin ____ yaa-reh alt
I am ____ years old.

Sprechen Sie deutsch?

/shpreck-en zee doytch/
Do you speak German? (formal)

Sprichst du englisch?
/shprikhst doo eng-lish/
Do you speak English?
(informal)

Ich spreche (kein)...

/ikh shpreck-uh kine/
I (don't) speak...

Verstehen Sie? / Verstehst du?

/fehr-shtay-en zee / fehr-shtayst
doo/
Do you understand? (formal /
informal)

Ich verstehe (nicht).

/ikh fehr-shtay-eh nikht/
I (don't) understand.

Ich wei (nicht).

/ikh vise nikht/
I (don't) know.

Kannst du mir helfen?

/kahnst doo meer hell-fen/
Can you help me? (informal)

Natrlich / Gerne
/nah-tewr-likh / gairnuh/
Of course / Gladly

Kann ich Ihnen helfen?

/kahn ikh ee-nen hell-fen/
May I help you? (formal)

Kann ich dir helfen?

/kahn ikh deer hell-fen/
May I help you? (informal)

Wie bitte?
/vee bih-tuh/
What? Pardon me?

Wie heit ___ auf deutsch?

/vee heist ___ owf doytch/
How do you say ___ in German?

Wo ist / Wo sind... ?
/voh ist / voh zint/
Where is / Where are... ?

Es gibt...
/ess geept/
There is / are...

Was ist los?

/vahs ist lohs/
What's the matter?

Das macht nichts.

/dass makht nikhts/
It doesn't matter.

Das ist mir egal.

/dass ist meer eh-gahl
I don't care.

Keine Angst!
/ky-nuh ahngs/t
Don't worry!

Ich habe es vergessen.

/ikh hah-buh ess fehr-geh-sen/
I forgot.

Ich habe Hunger / Durst.

/ikh hah-buh hoong-er / dirs/t
I'm hungry / thirsty.

Ich bin krank / mde.

/ikh bin krahnk moo-duh/
I'm sick / tired.

Ich habe Langeweile.

/ikh hah-buh lahn-guhvy-luh/
I'm bored.

Ich mchte / Ich htte gern...

/ikh merkh-tuh / ikh heh-tuh
gairn/

Das gefllt mir.

/dahs geh-fehlt meer/
I like it.

Prima / Toll / Super!

/pree-mah / tohl / zoopair/

Knnen Sie mir helfen?

/ker-nen zee meer hell-fen/
Can you help me? (formal)

Jetzt muss ich gehen.

/yetz mooss ikh geh-en/
I must go now.

I'd like...

Great / Fantastic!

Gesundheit!
.geh-soont-hyt/
Bless you!

Herzlichen Glckwunsch!
/herts-likh-en glewk-voonsh/
Congratulations!

Sei ruhig!
zy roo-hikh
Be quiet! (informal)

Willkommen!
/vil-koh-men/
Welcome!

Viel Glck!
/feel glewk/
Good luck!

Schauen Sie mal! /

Schau mal!
/show-en zee mal /
show ma/l
Look! (formal / informal)

Bitte schn?
Yes? / What would you like to
order?

Was darf's sein?

What can I get you? / How can
I help you?

Sonst noch etwas?

Anything else?

Bitte schn.
Here you go. (handing something
to someone)

Zahlen bitte!
The check, please!

Stimmt so.
Keep the change.

Ich bin satt.

I'm full.

Mir ist schlecht.

I feel sick.

Es tut mir weh.

It hurts.

Ich liebe dich.

/ikh leeb-uh dikh/
I love you. (informal)

Du fehlst mir.
I miss you. (informal)

Alles ist in Ordnung.

Everything is fine.

Wie wre es mit ... ?

How about...?

Was fr ein...?
What kind of (a)...?

Nicht wahr?
[general tag question]

Note: Ich is not actually pronounced ikh, unless you are speaking a northern dialect of
German. If you are speaking a southern dialect, then it is more like ish. There is no equivalent
sound in English. In standard German, It is somewhere between ish and ikh and somewhat
like a soft hiss of a cat. Technically it is a voiceless palatal fricative and its voiced counterpart is
the y sound in yes.

2. ALPHABET AND THEIR PRONUNCIATION

( ALPHABETE UND IHRE AUSSPRACHE )
a

/ah/

/yoht/

/ess/

/bay/

/kah/

/tay/

/tsay/

/el/

/oo/

/day/

m /em/

/fow/

/ay/

/en/

w /vay/

/eff/

/oh/

/eeks/

/gay/

/pay/

/irp-se-lon/

/hah/

/koo/

/ee/

/her/

/tset/
/es-zet/

There is another letter in written German, (es-zet ), pronounced like [s]. However, this letter is
only used after long vowels or diphthongs, and it is not used at all in Switzerland.

3. NOUNS & CASES ( SUBSTANTIVE & VERPACKT )

All nouns have a gender in German, masculine, feminine or neuter. There really isn't a lot of
logic to which nouns are which gender, so you must memorize the gender of each noun.
1. Male persons or animals, the seasons, months, and days are all masculine, as are nouns
ending in -ant, -ast, -ich, -ig, -ismus, -ling, -or and -us.
2. Female persons or animals, and numerals are all feminine, as are nouns ending in -a,
-anz, -ei, -enz, -heit, -ie, -ik, -in, -keit, -schaft, -sion, -sis, -tt, -tion, -ung and -ur.
3. Young persons or animals, metals, chemical elements, letters of the alphabet, hotels,
restaurants, cinemas, continents, countries and provinces are all neuter, as are nouns that
end in -chen, -icht, -il, -it, -lein, -ma, -ment, -tel, -tum, and -um. Nouns referring to things
that end in -al, -an, -ar, -t, -ent, -ett, -ier, -iv, -o and -on, as well as most words with the
prefix ge- and most nouns ending in -nis and -sal are also neuter.

All nouns in German are capitalized in writing.

All nouns (as well as pronouns and adjectives) have a case depending on what function they
serve in the sentence. These may seem strange, but remember that English uses cases also;
however, we would say direct object instead of accusative, or indirect object instead of dative.
Although these cases may make learning new words difficult, they actually help with word
order because the position of words in a sentence is not as fixed in German as it is in English.
And the reason for that is because words can occur in these four cases:
Nominative subject of the sentence

The girl is reading.

We see the mountain.
Accusative direct objects
I bought a gift.
We talk to the guide.
Dative
indirect objects
I gave my mom a gift.
The book of the girl.
Genitive
indicates possession or relationship
The dog's tail.
Note: The nouns you look up in a dictionary will be in the nominative case.

4. ARTICLES & DEMONSTRATIVES

( ARTIKEL UND DEMONSTRATIV )

Nominative
Accusative
Dative
Genitive

Definite Articles (The)

Masculine
Feminine Neuter
der (dare)
die (dee)
das (dahs)
den (dane)
die
das
dem (dame)
der
dem
des (dess)
der
des

Plural
die
die
den
der

Indefinite Articles (A, An)

Masculine
Feminine
Neuter
Nom. ein (ine)
eine (ine-uh)
ein
Acc.
einen (ine-en)
eine
ein
Dat.
einem (ine-em)
einer(ine-er)
einem
Gen.
eines (ine-es)
einer
eines
Demonstratives (This, That, These, Those)
This / These
That / Those
Masc. Fem. Neu.
Pl.
Masc. Fem. Neu. Pl.
Nom. dieser diese dieses diese der
die das die
Acc. diesen diese dieses diese den die das die
Dat. diesem dieser diesem diesen dem der dem den
Gen. dieses dieser dieses dieser des der des der
Jener is an older word found in written German that was used to mean that or those, but today
in spoken German the definite articles are used. Dort or da may accompany the definite
articles for emphasis. Das is also a universal demonstrative and therefore shows no
agreement. Notice the last letter of each of the words above. They correspond to the last
letters of the words for the definite articles. Words that are formed this same way are called
der-words because they follow the pattern of the der-die-das declension. Other der-words
are: jeder-every, and welcher-which. Mancher (many) and solcher (such) are also derwords, but they are used almost always in the plural.

5. SUBJECT (NOMINATIVE ) PRONOUNS

Subject Pronouns
Ich

ikh

wir

veer

we

Du

doo

you (familiar)

ihr

eer

you (all)

er, sie, es, man

air, zee, ess, mahn

zee

they, you (formal)

he, she, it, one sie, Sie

Note: Man can be translated as one, we, they or the people in general. When referring to
nouns as it, you use er for masculine nouns, sie for feminine nouns and es for neuter nouns.
However, the definite articles der, die and das can be substituted for er, sie and es to show
more emphasis.

6. To Be, To Have, and To Become ( CONJUGATION )

( Prsens ) Present tense of sein - to be (zine)
I am
ich bin
ikh bin
we are
wir sind veer zint
You are (fam.) du bist
doo bihst
you are
ihr seid eer zide

He/she/it is

er/sie/es ist air/zee/ess isst they (you) are sie sind zee zint
Note: You must use the subject pronouns (ich, du, er...); however,
I will leave them out of future conjugations.

Present tense of haben - to have (hah-ben)

habe hah-buh
haben
hah-ben
hast
hahst
Habt
hahbt
hat
haht
haben
hah-ben

Present tense of werden - to become (vair-den)

werde
vair-duh
werden
vair-den
wirst
veerst
werdet
vair-det
wird
veert
werden
vair-den

Haben is frequently used in expressions that would normally take to be in English.

Ich habe Hunger. = I am hungry.
Ich habe Langeweile. = I am bored.
Ich habe Angst. = I am afraid.

7. USEFUL WORDS
and

und

/oont/
/ahber/

really

but

aber

very

sehr

zair

all

or

oder

here

together

wirklich

veerk-lish right!
tsoo-zahzusammen
anyway
men
alle

ahl-luh

oh-der now

jetzt

yetst

hier

here

so

also

al-zoh

also

auch

owkh

another

noch ein

both

beide

by-duh
ehtsome
etwas
vahss
only
nur
noor
veeagain
wieder
der
hohhopefully hoffentlich fentlikh
zvishbetween zwischen
en
destherefore deshalb
halp
a lot,
many

viel(e)

too bad

nohkh
ine
schon
shone
nikht vah
nicht wahr
r
schade
shah-duh

gladly

gern

already
isn't it?

immediately sofort
sure(ly)

sicher(lich)

but, rather sondern

feel(uh
finally
)

schlielich

stimmt

shtimt
oo-berberhaupt
howpt
guhenough
genug
nook
exact(ly) genau
guh-now
mahnchsometimes manchmal
mal
always

immer

im-er

never

nie

nee

often

oft

ohft

of course klar

klahr

gehrn

perhaps

vielleicht fee-likht

zoh-fort

a little

ein
ine bissbisschen khen

a little

ein wenig

not at all

gar nicht gar nikht

zikh-erlikh
zohndehrn

shleessnot a bit
likh

ine vaynikh

kine
kein
bissbisschen
khen

Es gibt is commonly used to mean there is/are and it is always followed by the accusative
case.
8.QUESTION WORDS
Who
Wer

vehr

Whom
(acc.)

Wen

vain

vahs

Whom
(dat.)

Wem

vaim

What

Was

Why

Warum vah-room

How come Wieso vee-zo

When

Wann

vahn

Where
from

Woher vo-hair

Where Wo

voh

Where to

Wohin vo-hin

How

vee

Which

Welch- Velsh

Wie

9. Numbers / Die Nummern

0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
30

null
eins
zwei
drei
vier
fnf
sechs
sieben
acht
neun
zehn
elf
zwlf
dreizehn
vierzehn
fnfzehn
sechzehn
siebzehn
achtzehn
neunzehn
zwanzig
einundzwanzig
zweiundzwanzig
dreiundzwanzig
vierundzwanzig
dreiig

nool
ines
tsvy
dry
feer
fewnf
zecks
zee-bun
ahkht
noyn
tsayn
elf
tsvurlf
dry-tsayn
feer-tsayn
fewnf-tsayn
zeck-tsayn
zeep-tsayn
ahkh-tsayn
noyn-tsayn
tsvahn-tsikh
ine-oont-tsvahn-tsikh
tsvy-oont-tsvahn-tsikh
dry-oont-tsvahn-tsikh
feer-oont-tsvahn-tsikh
dry-sikh

1st
2nd
3rd
4th
5th
6th
7th
8th
9th
10th
11th
12th
13th
14th
15th
16th
17th
18th
19th
20th
21st
22nd
23rd
24th
30th

Erste
Zweite
Dritte
Vierte
Fnfte
Sechste
Siebte
Achte
Neunte
Zehnte
Elfte
Zwlfte
dreizehnte
vierzehnte
fnfzehnte
sechzehnte
siebzehnte
achtzehnte
neunzehnte
zwanzigste
einundzwanzigste
zweiundzwanzigste
dreiundzwanzigste
vierundzwanzigste
dreiigste

40
50
60
70
80
90
100
1,000

vierzig
fnfzig
sechzig
siebzig
achtzig
neunzig
(ein)hundert
(ein)tausend

feer-tsikh
fewnf-tsikh
zekh-tsikh
zeep-tsikh
ahkh-tsikh
noyn-tsikh
ine-hoon-duhrt
ine-tow-zuhnt

40th
50th
60th
70th
80th
90th

Vierzigste
Fnfzigste
sechzigste
siebzigste
achtzigste
neunzigste

Note: Sometimes zwo (tsvoh) is used instead of zwei to avoid confusion with drei. The use of
commas and periods is switched in German, though a space is commonly used to separate
thousandths, i.e. 1,000 would be 1 000. When saying telephone numbers, you can either say
each number individually or group them in twos. For years, you use the hundreds: 1972 is
neunzehn hundert zweiundsiebzig; or the thousands: 2005 is zwei tausend fnf.
Wann sind Sie geboren? When were you born?
Ich bin in 1982 geboren. I was born in 1982.

10. Days of the Week / Die Tage

Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
(N & E Germany)
Sunday
day
morning
afternoon
evening
night
today
tomorrow
tonight
yesterday
last night
week
weekend
daily
weekly

Montag
Dienstag
Mittwoch
Donnerstag
Freitag

mohn-tahk
deens-tahk
mit-vock
don-ers-tahk
fry-tahk

Samstag

zahms-tahk

Sonntag
der Tag (-e)
der Morgen (-)
der Nachmittag (-e)
der Abend (-e)
die Nacht (, -e)
heute
morgen
heute Abend
gestern
gestern Abend
die Woche (-n)
das Wochenende (-n)
tglich
wchentlich

zon-tahk
dehr tahk
mawr-gun
nakh-mih-tahk
ah-bunt
Nahkt
hoy-tuh
mawr-gun
hoy-tuh ah-bunt
geh-stairn
geh-stairn ah-bunt
voh-kuh
voh-ken-en-duh
teh-glikh
wer-khent-likh

Sonnabend

zon-nah-bent

To say on a certain day or the weekend, use am. Add an -s to the day to express "on
Mondays, Tuesdays, etc." All days, months and seasons are masculine so they all use the
same form of these words: jeden - every, nchsten - next, letzten - last (as in the last of a
series), vorigen - previous. In der Woche is the expression for "during the week" in Northern
and Eastern Germany, while unter der Woche is used in Southern Germany, Austria and
Switzerland.

11. Months of the Year / Die Monate

January

Januar

yah-noo-ahr

(Austria)

Jnner

yeh-ner

February
(Austria)
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
month
year
monthly
yearly

Februar

fay-broo-ahr

Feber

fay-ber

Mrz
April
Mai
Juni
Juli
August
September
Oktober
November
Dezember
der Monat (-e)
das Jahr (-e)
monatlich
jhrlich

Mehrts
ah-pril
My
yoo-nee
yoo-lee
ow-goost
zehp-tehm-ber
ok-toh-ber
no-vehm-ber
deh-tsem-ber
moh-naht
Yaar
moh-naht-likh
jehr-likh

To say in a certain month, use im.

Wann hast du Geburtstag? When is your birthday?
Mein Geburtstag ist im Mai. My birthday is in May.

12. Seasons / Die Jahreszeiten + Months & Directions

Winter
Spring
Summer
Autumn

der Winter
der Frhling
der Sommer
der Herbst

dehr vin-ter
dehr frew-ling
dehr zom-mer
dehr hehrpst

To say in the + a season, use im.

13. Directions / Die Richtungen Months & Seasons

right
left
straight
North
South
East
West

rechts
links
geradeaus
der Norden
der Sden
der Osten
der Westen

im Norden = in the North

nach Osten = to the East
aus Westen = from the West

14. Colors & Shapes / Die Farben & Die Formen

Orange
Pink
Purple
Blue
Yellow
Red
Black
Brown
Gray
White
Green
turquoise
Beige(light brown)
Silver
Gold

orange
rosa
violett / lila
blau
gelb
rot
schwarz
braun
grau
wei
grn
trkis
beige
silber
gold

square
circle
triangle
rectangle
oval
octagon
cube
sphere
cone
cylinder

das Viereck
der Kreis
das Dreieck
das Rechteck
das Oval
das Achteck
der Wrfel
die Kugel
der Kegel
der Zylinder

Because colors are adjectives, they must agree in gender and number with the noun they
describe if they are placed before the noun. However, not all adjectives agree, such as colors
ending in -a or -e; nor do they agree when they are used as predicate adjectives. To say that a
color is light, put hell- before it, and to say that a color is dark, put dunkel- before it.
Das Viereck ist braun. The square is brown.
Das Rechteck ist hellblau. The rectange is light blue.

15. Time / Die Zeit

What time is it?

(It is) 2 AM
2 PM
6:20
half past 3
quarter past 4
quarter to 5
10 past 11
20 to 7
noon
midnight
in the morning
in the evening
It's exactly...
At 8.
early(ier)
late(r)

Wie spt ist es?

Es ist zwei Uhr nachts
Es ist zwei Uhr nachmittags
Es ist sechs Uhr zwanzig
Es ist halb vier
Es ist Viertel nach vier
Es ist Viertel vor fnf
Es ist zehn nach elf
Es ist zwanzig vor sieben
Es ist mittags
Es ist mitternachts
morgens / frhs
abends
Es ist genau...
Um 8 Uhr.
frh(er)
spt(er)

vee shpayt isst ess

ess ist tsvy oor nahkts
tsvy oor nahk-mih-tahks
zex oor tsvahn-tsikh
hahlp feer
feer-tel nahk feer
feer-tel for fewnf
tsyan nahk elf
tsvahn-tsikh for zee-bun
mih-tahks
mih-ter-nahks
mawr-guns / frews
aah-bunts
ess ist guh-now
oom akht oor
frew(er)
shpayt(er)

Note: Official time, such as for bus and train schedules, always uses the 24 hour clock. Notice
that halb + number means half to, not half past, so you have to use the hour that comes next.

16. Weather / Das Wetter

How's the weather today?
It's hot
It's cold
It's beautiful
It's bad
It's clear
It's icy
It's warm
It's sunny
It's windy
It's cloudy
It's hazy
It's muggy
It's humid
It's foggy
It's snowing
It's raining
It's freezing
It looks like rain.
The weather is clearing

Wie ist das Wetter heute?

Es ist hei
Es ist kalt
Es ist schn
Es ist schlecht
Es ist klar
Es ist eisig
Es ist warm
Es ist sonnig
Es ist windig
Es ist bewlkt
Es ist dunstig
Es ist schwl
Es ist feucht
Es ist nebelig
Es schneit
Es regnet
Es friert
Es sieht nach Regen aus.
Das Wetter klrt sich auf.

vie ist dahs vet-ter hoy-tuh

ess isst hise
ess isst kahlt
ess isst shern
ess isst shlehkt
ess isst klahr
ess isst ise-ikh
ess isst varm
ess isst zohn-ikh
ess isst vin-dikh
ess isst beh-verlkt
ess isst doons-tikh
ess isst school
ess isst foikht
ess isst neh-beh-likh
ess schnite
ess rayg-net
ess freert
es seet nahkh ray-gen ows
dahs vett-er klairt sikh owf

17. Family / Die Familie

Parents
Mother
Father
Son
Daughter
Brother
Sister
Grandparents
Grandfather
Grandmother
Grandchildren
Grandson
Granddaughter
Niece
Nephew
Cousin (m)
Cousin (f)
Uncle
Aunt
Siblings
Baby
Godfather
Godmother
Step-in-law
Brother-in-law
Sister-in-law

die Eltern
die Mutter ()
der Vater ()
der Sohn (, -e)
die Tochter ()
der Bruder ()
die Schwester (-n)
die Groeltern
der Grovater ()
die Gromutter ()
die Enkelkinder
der Enkel (-)
die Enkelin (-nen)
die Nichte (-n)

Relative
Man
Sir / Mister
Woman / Ma'am / Mrs. / Ms.
Husband
Wife
Boy
Girl
Grandpa
Grandma
Dad
Mom
Friend (m)
Friend (f)
Partner / Significant Other
der Neffe (-n)
(m)
der Vetter (-n)
Partner / Significant Other (f)
die Kusine (-n)
Marital Status
der Onkel (-)
Single
die Tante (-n)
Married
die Geschwister
Divorced
das Baby (-s)
Male
der Pate (-n)
Female
die Patin (-nen)
Child
der/die StiefToddler
der/die SchwiegerTeenager
der Schwager ()
Adult
die Schwgerin (-nen) Twin

der/die Verwandte (-n)

der Mann (, -er)
der Herr (-en)
die Frau (-en)
der Ehemann (, -er)
die Ehefrau (-en)
der Junge (-n)
das Mdchen (-)
der Opa (-s)
die Oma (-s)
der Vati
die Mutti
der Freund (-e)
die Freundin (-nen)
der Partner (-)
die Partnerin (-nen)
der Familienstand
Ledig
Verheiratet
Geschieden
Mnnlich
Weiblich
das Kind (-er)
das Kleinkind (-er)
der Teenager (-)
der Erwachsene (-n)
der Zwilling (-e)

The letters in parentheses indicate the plural form of the noun. Notice that sometimes an
umlaut is placed over the main vowel of the word in the plural. For example, der Mann is
singular (the man) and die Mnner is plural (the men). For step- and -in-law relations, just add
Stief- or Schwieger- before the main person, except in the case of brother-in-law and sister-inlaw noted above. The plurals follow the pattern for the main person, i.e. die Schwiegermutter
(singular) and die Schwiegermtter (plural)

18. To Know People and Facts ( Conjugation )

kennen - to know people
wissen - to know facts
kenne ken-nuh kennen ken-nun wei vise wissen vih-sun
kennst Kenst
kennt kent
weit vist wisst vihst
kennt Kent
kennen ken-nun wei vise wissen vih-sun
Kennen is a regular verb, while wissen is irregular.

19. Formation of Plural Nouns

Plural nouns in German are unpredictable, so it's best to memorize the plural form with the
singular. However, here are some rules that can help:
1. Feminine nouns usually add -n or -en. Nouns that end in -in (such as the female
equivalents of masculine nouns) add -nen.
eine Lampe
zwei Lampen
eine Tr
zwei Tren
eine Studentin zwei Studentinnen
2. Masculine and neuter nouns usually add -e or -er. Many masculine plural nouns ending in
-e add an umlaut as well, but neuter plural nouns ending in -e don't. Plurals that end in -er add
an umlaut when the stem vowel is a, o , u or au.
Masculine
Neuter
ein Rock zwei Rcke ein Heft zwei Hefte
ein Mann zwei Mnner ein Buch zwei Bcher
3. Masculine and neuter singular nouns that end in -er either add an umlaut or change nothing
at all. Many nouns with a stem vowel of a, o, u or au add an umlaut.
Masculine
Neuter
ein Bruder zwei Brder ein Fenster zwei Fenster
4. Nouns that end in a vowel other than an unstressed -e and nouns of foreign origin add -s.
ein Hobby zwei Hobbys
ein Hotel zwei Hotels

20. Possessive Adjectives

Masc.
Nom. mein
Acc. meinen
Dat. meinem
Gen. meines

Fem.
meine
meine
meiner
meiner

Neu.
mein
mein
meinem
meines

Pl.
meine
meine
meinen
meiner

Note: Other words that are formed like mein (my) are: ein - a/an, dein-your (du form), seinhis/its, ihr-her, unser-our, euer-your (ihr form), ihr-their, Ihr-your (Sie form), and kein-no/not
any.

21. Accusative Case

The accusative case corresponds to direct objects. Here are the accusative forms of the
definite and indefinite articles. Note that only the masculine changes in this case.
Definite and Indefinite Articles
Masc. Fem. Neuter Plural
Definite
den Die das
die
Indefinite einen Eine ein keine
Note: Some masculine nouns add an -(e)n to the accusative form, such as international nouns
ending in -t (Dirigent, Komponist, Patient, Polizist, Soldat, Student, Tourist, Journalist); nouns
ending in -e denoting male persons or animals (Drache, Junge, Kunde, Lwe, Neffe, Riese,
Vorfahre, Zeuge); and the following nouns: Elefant, Herr, Mensch, Nachbar. And wen (whom)
is the accusative of wer (who).
Personal Pronouns - Nominative & Accusative
ich I
mich me
Wir we
uns us
du you dich you Ihr you
euch you
er he
ihn him Sie they
sie them
sie she
sie her
Sie you
Sie you
es it
es it
German uses the case system to show the function of a word in a sentence, whereas English
relies mainly on word order. Take, for example, the following sentences: Ich esse den Apfel
translates into I eat the apple. In German, you can switch the word order around without
affecting the meaning. Den Apfel esse ich is also I eat the apple, but in English, if you were to
change word order, you would have to say the apple eats me. English does not accommodate
for the direct object to be placed before the subject and verb like German does. Usually, word
order reflects (subjective) focus: the noun having the speakers focus is usually put as much as
possible towards the beginning of a sentence.

22. Dative Case

The dative case corresponds to indirect objects. Usually in English, we use the words to or for
to indicate an indirect object. But German relies on the endings of the dative case. Here are
the dative forms of the definite and indefinite articles.
Definite and Indefinite Articles
Masc. Fem. Neuter Plural
Definite
dem der dem
den
Indefinite einem einer einem keinen
Note: Those same masculine nouns that added an -(e)n in the accusative form also add an (e)n in the dative form. And all plural nouns add an -(e)n in the dative plural, unless they
already end in an -n or -s. And wem (to/for whom) is the dative of wer (who).
Personal Pronouns
mir me
Uns us
dir you euch you
ihm him ihnen they

ihr her

Ihnen you

ihm it
In sentences with both a direct and indirect object, the noun in the dative case precedes the
accusative noun, unless the accusative case is a pronoun.
Ich schenke meinem Bruder eine Krawatte.
I give (to) my brother a tie.
Ich schenke sie meinem Bruder. I give it to my brother.

23. To Do or Make
Machen - to do or make
mache mock-uh machen mock-en
machst mockst macht mockt
macht mockt
machen mock-en

24. Work and School

( ARBEIT UND SCHULT

EIN )

male
worker
Arbeiter
architect Architekt (en)
Automechanike
mechanic
r
librarian Bibliothekar
TV
Fernsehreporte
reporter r
engineer Ingenieur
cook
Koch (, e)
pilot
Pilot (en)
police
Polizist (en)
officer

female
Arbeiterin
Architektin
Automechanikeri
n
Bibliothekarin
Fernsehreporteri
n
Ingenieurin
Kchin
Pilotin

president Prsident (en)

Prsidentin

priest
Priester
secretary Sekretr

Priesterin
Sekretrin

Polizistin

lawyer
doctor
bank
employee
conductor

male
Anwalt (, e)
Arzt (e)
Bankangestellt
e (n)
Dirigent

hairdresser Friseur
custodian
cashier
waiter
nurse
postal
worker
judge
writer

Hausmeister
Kassierer
Kellner

female
Anwltin
rztin
Bankangestellte
(n)
Dirigentin
Friseurin

Hausmeisterin
Kassiererin
Kellnerin
Krankenpflegeri
Krankenpfleger
n
Postangestellte Postangestellte
(n)
(n)
Richter
Richterin
Schriftsteller
Schriftstellerin

flight
Flugbegleiter
attendant
taxi
Taxifahrer
driver

Flugbegleiter (in)

salesperso
Verkufer
n

Verkuferin

Taxifahrerin

dentist

Zahnrztin

Zahnarzt (, e)

Note: Besides the plural forms shown above, the rest of the male professions are the same
(they do not add anything) in the plural, while all the feminine add -nen in the plural. Also,
German does not use articles before professions. You would only say Ich bin Kellner if you
mean I am a waiter.
Was sind Sie von Beruf? What do you do for a living?
Ich bin Arzt. I'm a doctor (male).
School
University
College / University
Subject
Literature
Social Studies
Biology
Philosophy
Earth science
Math
Geometry
Mechanical
Engineering
Management
Marketing
Physics
Music
Drawing
Test
Lunchtime
Cafeteria
Dictionary
Scissors
Eraser
Book
Pencil
Schoolbag
Pen
Girl
Friend (m)
Pupil/Student (m)
Student (m)

die Schule (n)

die Universitt (en)
die Hochschule (n)
das Fach (, er)
Literatur
Sozialkunde
Biologie
Philosophie
Erdkunde
Mathematik
Geometrie

Elementary School
Secondary School
High School
Foreign languages
Linguistics
History
Natural Science
Psychology
Sociology
Geography
Computer science

die Grundschule (n)

das Gymnasium
die Oberschule (n)
Fremdsprachen
Linguistik
Geschichte
Naturwissenschaft
Psychologie
Soziologie
Geographie
Informatik

Maschinenbau

Economics

Wirtschaft

Betriebswirtschaft
Marketing
Physik
Musik
Zeichnen
die Prfung (en)
die Mittagspause
die Mensa
das Wrterbuch (, er)
die Schere (n)
das Radiergummi (s)
das Buch (, er)
der Bleistift (e)
die Schultasche (n)
der Kugelschreiber / der
Kuli
das Mdchen (-)
der Freund (e)
der Schler (-)
der Student (en)

Chemistry
Media Studies
Political Science
Art
Band
Class
Lunch
School Supplies
Stapler
Ruler
Chalk
Notebook
Sheet of Paper
Calculator

Chemie
Medienwissenschaft
Politik
Kunst
Musikkapelle
die Klasse (n)
das Mittagessen
die Schulsachen
die Heftmaschine (n)
das Lineal (e)
die Kreide
das Heft (e)
das Blatt Papier
der Taschenrechner (-)

Homework

die Hausaufgaben

Boy
Friend (f)
Pupil/Student (f)
Student (f)

der Junge (n)

die Freundin (nen)
die Schlerin (nen)
die Studentin (nen)

Teacher (m)
Professor (m)
Grades
Course
Semester
Schedule

der Lehrer (-)

der Professor
die Noten
der Kurs (e)
das Semester (-)
der Stundenplan (, e)

Teacher (f)
Professor (f)
hard
easy
Vacation
Assignment

die Lehrerin (nen)

die Professorin (nen)
schwer
leicht
die Ferien (pl.)
die Aufgabe (n)

In Germany, students must pass das Abitur in order to graduate from high school. In Austria,
this final exam is called die Matura. Notice that there are two words for student: Schler is
used for students in primary and secondary schools, while Student is only used for university
students.
The verb studieren is used for university study or to state your major. The verb lernen should
be used for studying in general, and especially for learning a language.
Er studiert in Freiburg. He studies (goes to university) in Freiburg.
Ich studiere Franzsisch. I study French (in college). / French is my major.
Ich lerne Spanisch und Italienisch. I'm studying/learning Spanish and Italian.

29. Countries and Nationalities

Germany
England
France
USA
Russia
Switzerland
Italy
Spain
Japan
China
Austria
Australia
Belgium
Canada
Denmark
Finland
Greece
Holland
Netherlands
Ireland
Korea
Mexico
Norway
Portugal
Sweden

Country
Deutschland
England
Frankreich
die USA
Russland
die Schweiz
Italien
Spanien
Japan
China
sterreich
Australien
Belgien
Kanada
Dnemark
Finnland
Griechenland
Holland
die Niederlande
Irland
Korea
Mexiko
Norwegen
Portugal
Schweden

Masc. Nationality
Deutsche
Englnder
Franzose
Amerikaner
Russe
Schweizer
Italiener
Spanier
Japaner
Chinese
sterreicher
Australier
Belgier
Kanadier
Dne
Finnlnder
Grieche
Hollnder
Niederlnder
Ire
Koreaner
Mexikaner
Norweger
Portugiese
Schwede

Fem. Nationality
Deutsche
Englnderin
Franzsin
Amerikanerin
Russin
Schweizerin
Italienerin
Spanierin
Japanerin
Chinesin
sterreicherin
Australierin
Belgierin
Kandierin
Dnin
Finnlnderin
Griechin
Hollnderin
Niederlnderin
Irin
Koreanerin
Mexikanerin
Norwegerin
Portugiesin
Schwedin

Adjective
deutsch
englisch
franzsisch
amerikanisch
russisch
schweizerisch
italienisch
spanisch
japanisch
chinesisch
sterreichisch
australisch
belgisch
kanadisch
dnisch
finnisch
griechisch
hollndisch
niederlndisch
irisch
koreanisch
mexikanisch
norwegisch
portugiesisch
schwedisch

Poland
Egypt

Polen
gypten

Pole
gypter

Polin
gypterin

polnisch
gyptisch, arabisch

The adjectives can also refer to the language, but then the word must be capitalized, i.e.
deutsch is the adjective that is usually followed by a noun, whereas Deutsch is the German
language.

30. Negative Sentences

Nicht and kein are forms of negation, but nicht means not and kein means no, not a, or not
any. Kein is used to negate nouns that either have no articles or are preceded by the indefinite
article. Kein precedes the nouns in sentences. It is declined as an ein-word.
Ist das eine Katze?
Is that a cat?
Nein, das ist keine Katze. No, that's not a cat.
Nicht negates nouns preceded by a definite article or a possessive adjective; or it could negate
any part (verb, noun, adjective) or all of a sentence. Nicht always follows the verb, but usually
precedes the part of the sentence to be negated. It you want to negate an entire sentence,
nicht comes last. Nicht also follows expressions of time.
Das ist meine Frau.
Das ist nicht meine Frau.
Heute ist es kalt.
Heute ist es nicht kalt.

That's my wife.
That's not my wife.
It is cold today.
It is not cold today.

31. To and From Countries and Cities

To
nach
From aus
In
in
Note: In also means to when it is used before a country that has a definite article (feminine
and plural countries.) Ich fliege in die Schweiz - I'm flying to Switzerland. Ich fliege nach
Deutschland - I'm flying to Germany. And when aus is used with feminine or plural countries,
the definite article must also be used. Ich bin aus der Schweiz - I am from Switzerland. Ich
bin aus Deutschland - I am from Germany.

32. To Come and to Go

kommen - to come
gehen - to go
komme koh-muh kommen koh-men gehe geh-uh gehen geh-in
kommst kohmst kommt kohmt
gehst gehst geht gate
kommt kohmt
kommen koh-men geht gate
gehen geh-in

33. Modal Verbs

German has six modal verbs that you should memorize. They express an attitude about an
action or condition described by the main verb. The modal auxiliary is conjugated and placed
where the verb should be. The main verb is in the infinitive form and at the end of the clause
or sentence.
Ich kann eine Fahrkarte kaufen. (I can buy a ticket.) Kann is the conjugated auxiliary verb
and kaufen is the main verb in infinitive form.
knnen - to be able to, can
kann
kannst
kann

knnen
knnt
knnen

mssen - to have to,

must
mu mssen
mut msst
mu mssen

drfen - to be allowed to
darf drfen
darfst drft
darf drfen

Note: Nicht mssen translates to do not have to or do not need to. Nicht drfen translates
to must not. Du mut es nicht machen is you don't have to do it. Du darfst es nicht
machen is you must not (or are not allowed) to do it.
sollen - to be supposed to wollen - to want (to)
soll
sollen
will
wollen
sollst
sollt
willst
wollt
soll
sollen
will
wollen
Subjunctive of mgen
mchte
mchten
mchtest
mchtet
mchte
mchten

mgen - to like
mag
mgen
magst mgt
mag
mgen

Note: This subjunctive of mgen expresses would like to and is used more often than the
indicative of mgen. Ich mchte eine Fahrkarte kaufen means I would like to buy a ticket.
Sometimes the infinitive is not required with modal verbs, if the meaning is clear enough
without them. For example, you can often omit sprechen and tun after knnen and you can
omit verbs of motion if there is an adverb of place.
Ich kann Spanisch. I can/know how to speak Spanish.
Er will nach Hause. He wants to go home.

34. Conjugating Regular verbs

To conjugate means to give the different forms of a verb depending on the subject. English
only has two regular conjugations in the present tense, no ending and -s ending (I, you, we,
they run vs. he/she/it runs). Refer back to the subject pronouns and the conjugations of to be
and to have. The following table is in the same format. To form regular verbs in German, take
off the -en ending and add these endings:

kaufen-to buy
sitzen-to sit

-e -en
-st -t
-t -en
Regular Verbs
arbeiten-to work
besuchen-to visit
helfen-to help
bleiben-to remain,

passieren-to happen
verdienen-to earn

stehen -to stand

sagen-to say
liegen-to lay
gehen-to go
fragen-to ask
machen-to make
kommen-to come
schwimmen-to
swim
tanzen-to dance
beginnen-to begin
reisen-to travel
studieren-to study
rauchen-to smoke
erzhlen-to tell
bekommen-to get

stay
lernen-to learn
brauchen-to need
rufen-to call
fliegen-to fly
lehren-to teach
suchen-to look for
stecken-to put
schreiben-to write
finden-to find
laufen-to run
denken-to think
lieben-to love
glauben-to believe, think dauern-to last
wnschen-to wish,
antworten-to answer
desire
essen-to eat
bezahlen-to pay for
entdecken-to
trinken-to drink
discover
singen-to sing
erfinden-to invent
fischen-to fish
ergnzen-to complete
sparen-to save (money) warten-to wait
trennen-to separate
wischen-to wipe
versprechen-to promise winken-to wave

(money)
verstehen-to understand
gewinnen-to win
verlieren-to lose
benutzen-to use
erlauben-to permit
rennen-to run
schlafen-to sleep
treffen-to meet
ziehen-to move
sehen-to see
vergessen-to forget
waschen-to wash
kennen-to know (people)

English has three ways of expressing the present tense, such as I run, I am running, I do run.
All three of these tenses are translated as one tense in German (ich laufe.) However, you can
add gerade after the verb to indicate the progressive form.
Ich mache meine Hausaufgaben can be translated as I do my homework or I'm doing my
homework.
Ich mache gerade meine Hausaufgaben is translated as I'm doing my homework.