Bazele Gramaticii Germane PDF

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INDIAN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY MADRAS
GERMAN GRAMMAR
AND USAGE
BASICS OF GERMAN GRAMMAR
kripal singh
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING (BTECH AND MTECH) ,IIT MADRAS
2007
KRIPAL SINGH, DEPARTMENT OF CHEMICAL ENGINEERING ,

GANGA HOSTEL ,IIT MADRAS,CHENNAI-36,INDIA
www.che.iitm.ac.in/~kripal
GERMAN GRAMMAR LEARNING COURSE
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------COMPILED BY : KRIPAL SINGH
DEPARTMENT : CHEMICAL ENGINEERING
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Nouns and noun modifiers

Pronouns
Verbs, Present tense
Word order
Prepositions
Adjectives and adverbs
Conjunctions
Verbs, Other tenses
Verbs, Subjunctive mood
Verbs, Passive voice
Reference
Home | Grammar
Nouns and noun modifiers
A. Gender
B. Case
1. Nominative case
2. Accusative case
3. Dative case
4. Genitive case
C. Der-word noun modifiers
D. Ein-word noun modifiers
E. Plurals of nouns
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Practice
Gender :
The grammatical gender of a German noun, together with its case, determines the article, and
the endings on the modifiers and adjectives preceding the noun. German has three
grammatical genders: masculine, feminine, and neuter.
Masculine
People der Sohn
Objects der Stuhl
Feminine
die Tochter
die Tr
Neuter
das Kind
das Buch
meine Tochter
mein Kind
Possessives mein Sohn
Adjectives mein junger Sohn meine junge Tochter mein junges Kind
Definite and indefinite
articles
Summaries
der-word noun modifier
endings
ein-word noun modifier

endings
Case:
The function of a noun in a German sentence determines its case, which together with its
gender determines the article, and the endings on modifiers and adjectives preceding the noun
(or on the noun itself).
The young man is sitting here.
Nominative Der junge Mann sitzt hier.
Do you know the young man?
Accusative Kennen Sie den jungen Mann?
I give it to the young man.
Dative Ich gebe es dem jungen Mann.
Genitive Wie ist der Name des jungen Mannes? What is the young man's name?
Definite and indefinite
articles
Summaries
der-word noun modifier
endings
ein-word noun modifier

endings
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Practice
Nominative Case - Functions

Nouns and pronouns use the nominative case:
1. when they are the subject of the verb
2. when they are a predicate nominative, i.e., complete a linking verb (e.g., sein or
werden)
1) Der Mann bleibt hier. The man is staying here.
2) Das ist eine Bank.
That is a bank.

Nominative Case - Forms
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Practice
The definite and indefinite articles in the nominative case are:
Masculine Feminine Neuter
Plural
Definite der Mann die Frau das Kind die Leute
Indefinite ein Mann eine Frau ein Kind keine Leute
Other noun modifiers follow the same pattern:
Plural
der-words dieser Mann welche Frau jedes Kind manche Leute
ein-words mein Mann seine Frau ihr Kind deine Leute
Practice
Accusative Case - Functions

Nouns and pronouns use the accusative case:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
when they are the direct object of a verb

when they are the object of an accusative preposition
when they are the object of an accusative/dative preposition
when they are used in an expression of definite time
when they are used in conjunction with certain special expressions.
1) Ich sehe den Mann.
I see the man.
2) Wir gehen durch das Haus. We go through the house.
3) Sie geht in einen Laden. She goes into a store.
4) Er macht das jeden Abend. He does that every evening.
5) Wir sind ihn endlich los! We finally are rid of him!
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Practice
Accusative Case - Forms

The definite and indefinite articles in the accusative case are:
Plural
Definite den Mann die Frau das Kind die Leute
Indefinite einen Mann eine Frau ein Kind keine Leute
Other noun modifiers follow the same pattern:
Masculine
Feminine
Neuter
Plural
der-words diesen Mann welche Frau jedes Kind manche Leute
ein-words meinen Mann seine Frau ihr Kind deine Leute
Note that these articles differ from the nominative case articles only for masculine nouns.
Some masculine nouns, primarily those which denote a male person, add an -(e)n ending to
the noun itself in the accusative case. These are called masculine N-nouns. They are listed in
the dictionary as with an extra -en ending before the plural ending, e.g., der Mensch, -en, -en.
Dative Case - Functions

Nouns and pronouns use the dative case:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
when they are the indirect object of a verb

when they are the object of a dative preposition
when they are the object of an accusative/dative preposition
when they are the object of a verb which requires the dative
when they are used in conjunction with certain special expressions.
1) Er gibt ihr zehn Mark. He gives her ten marks.
2) Was hren Sie von ihm? What do you hear from him?
3) Das liegt auf dem Stuhl. That is lying on the chair.
4) Ich danke Ihnen sehr. I thank you very much.
5) Sei mir nicht bse!
Don't be angry with me!
Practice
Der-word noun modifiers
The following noun modifiers use the same endings as the definite article. (das= -es, die= -e
):
dieser (with singular and plural nouns) = this, these

mancher (primarily with plural nouns) = many
jeder (only with singular nouns) = every, each
solcher (primarily with plural nouns) = such
welcher (with singular and plural nouns) = which?
Mit welcher Gruppe fhrt er? With which group is he travelling?
Sie kennt diesen Mann.
She knows this man.
Ich habe jeden Film gesehen. I have seen every film.
Solche Leute machen mich irre. Such people drive me crazy.
Summary of der-word noun modifier endings

The endings on der-word noun modifiers for all genders and cases are as follows:
Masculine Feminine Neuter Plural
diese
dieses diese
Nominative dieser
diese
dieses diese
Accusative diesen
dieser
diesem diesen
Dative diesem
dieser
dieses dieser
Genitive dieses
Ein-word noun modifiers

The following noun modifiers use the same endings as the indefinite article:
Possessive adjectives
mein = my
uns(e)r = our
dein = your (from du) eu(e)r = your (from ihr)
sein = his, its
ihr = their
ihr = her, its
Ihr = your (from Sie)
and
kein = no, not any
Suchst du deine Handtasche?

Ja, ich brauche meinen Lippenstift.
Are you looking for your

purse?
Haben eure Eltern kein Auto?
Er hat seine Wsche gewaschen.
Yes, I need my lipstick.

Don't your parents have a
car?
He washed his laundry.
Summary of ein-word noun modifier endings

The endings on ein-word noun modifiers for all genders and cases are as follows:
meine
mein meine
Nominative mein
meinen
meine
mein meine
Accusative
Dative meinem meiner meinem meinen
meiner meines meiner
Genitive meines
These are the same endings as those on der-word noun modifiers, except for the three forms
with no ending.
Plurals of nouns
German noun plurals follow one of the following patterns:
- no ending (stem vowel may change to Umlaut form):
das Fenster, die Fenster
der Garten, die Grten
-e ending (stem vowel may change to Umlaut form):
der Tisch, die Tische
der Stuhl, die Sthle
-er ending (a , o , u , and au stem vowels change to Umlaut form):
das Kind, die Kinder
das Buch, die Bcher
-en , -n , or -nen ending (stem vowel does not change):
die Frau, die Frauen
die Studentin, die Studentinnen
-s ending (stem vowel does not change):
das Auto, die Autos
das Radio, die Radios
While some rules may help you predict how a specific noun forms its plural, you must
generally memorize the plural form with the noun and its gender.
Pronouns
A. Personal pronouns
1. du and ihr vs. Sie
2. Possible meanings of sie
3. Gender agreement
4. The non-specific pronoun man
B. Interrogative pronouns
C. Demonstrative pronouns
D. Relative pronouns
E. Reflexive pronouns
Personal pronouns - nominative case

The personal pronouns in the nominative case are:
Singular
Plural
Singular & Plural
ich = I
wir = we
du = you (informal) ihr = you (informal plural) Sie = you (formal)
er = he, it (masculine)
sie = she, it (feminine) sie = they
es = it (neuter)
du and ihr vs. Sie

The proper German pronoun for "you" depends upon your closeness to the person you are
addressing:
Sie and its related forms are used when addressing one or several persons whom you
would normally call by the last name.
Du and its related forms are used when addressing one person (ihr more than one
person) whom you normally would call by the first name.
Herr Schmidt, kennen Sie meine Frau? Mr. Schmidt, are you acquainted with my wife?
Robert, hast du meinen Hut?
Robert, do you have my hat?
Kinder, ihr seid zu laut!
Children, you are too loud!
Possible meanings of sie
Depending upon its context, the pronoun sie can have various meanings.
1. When it is capitalized and does not begin a sentence, it always means "you" (formal singular or plural).
2. When it is not capitalized and appears as the subject of a singular verb, it means "she" ("it" if
it refers to an object of feminine grammatical gender).
3. When it is not capitalized and appears as the subject of a plural verb, it means "they".
4. When it is used as the direct object of a verb, it can mean "her" ("it" if it refers to an object
of feminine grammatical gender), or "them".
1) Was meinen Sie dazu?
What do you think of that?
2) Was meint sie dazu?
What does she think of that?
3) Ich fahre sie durch die Stadt. I drive her (or them) through the town.
Gender agreement
In English, only pronouns referring to people show gender differentiation (the woman she/her, the man - he/him). In German, pronouns referring to objects also show gender
differentiation. Thus er / ihn / ihm are used to refer to masculine nouns, sie / sie / ihr to refer
to feminine nouns, and es / es / ihm to refer to neuter nouns. All translate into English as "it."
Ich mchte diese Jacke,
I would like this jacket, but I can't afford it.
aber ich kann sie mir nicht leisten.
Er braucht einen Wagen,
He needs a car, but he can't afford it.
aber er kann ihn sich nicht leisten.
The non-specific pronoun man
The pronoun man can be translated as "one, they, you (in an unspecified reference), people,
someone," etc. It is used for generalized assertions or questions, and in substitutes for passive
voice expressions. It only appears as the subject of a singular verb. The corresponding
accusative and dative forms are einen and einem.
Man lernt viel durch Lesen.
One learns a lot through reading.
Man sagt, es soll heiss werden. They say it's supposed to get hot.
Man hat das schon erklrt.
Someone already explained that.
Man tut, was einem gefllt.
People do whatever pleases them.
Interrogative pronouns
Interrogative pronouns introduce questions. In the various cases, their forms are as follows:
For persons
For things
Nominative wer = who

was = what
Accusative wen = whom
was (or wo-compound) = what
Dative wem = whom
was (or wo-compound) = what
Genitive wessen = whose
Wer hat das gesagt?
Who said that?
Was hast du gesagt?
What did you say?
Wem hast du das gesagt? To whom did you say that?
Demonstrative pronouns
Demonstrative pronouns emphasize the thing or person being referred to. In German, they
have the same form as the definite articles, except for the dative plural and genitive singular
and plural and plural forms.
Nominative der
Accusative den
Dative dem
Genitive dessen
die
die
der
deren
das
das
dem
dessen
die
die
denen
deren
Welchen Bleistift mchtest du?

Which pencil would you like?
Ich mchte den.
I would like that one.
Mit welchem Auto fhrst du am liebsten? In which car do you like best to ride?
Ich fahre am liebsten mit dem.
I like best to ride in that one.
Relative pronouns - function
Relative pronouns introduce relative clauses, which specify a fact about an object or a person.
The gender of the relative pronoun is determined by the gender of the word to which it refers,
and its case is determined by its function in the relative clause. Relative clauses use
dependent word order.
Der Mann, den wir heute getroffen haben, arbeitet in
Berlin.
Ich kenne seine Frau, die oft mit ihm reist.
The man whom we met today works in

Berlin.
I know his wife, who often travels with
him.
Reflexive pronouns - function
Reflexive pronouns refer back to the subject of the sentence. They are used most frequently
with reflexive verbs in either the accusative or dative case, depending upon the meaning of
the verb.
Ich ziehe mich schnell an.
I get (myself) dressed quickly.
Ich ziehe mir schnell Schuhe an. I put my shoes on quickly.
Sie wscht sich.
She washes (herself).
Sie wscht sich die Haare.
She washes her hair.
Verbs, present tense

A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
F.
G.
H.
I.
J.
K.
L.
M.
N.
Regular verbs
Verbs with stem vowel change
Present tense verb form - meanings
The verb sein (to be)
The verb haben (to have)
The verb werden (to become, get)
The verb lassen (to let, have done)
Verbs with separable prefixes
Modal auxiliary verbs
Command forms
Reflexive verbs
Verbs with special objects
The verb expressions for "like, not like, would like"
es gibt (there is, are)
Regular verbs
The regular verbs in the present tense follow the pattern: infinitive stem + personal ending
Personal pronouns
Singular
Plural
Singular & Plural
ich gehe wir gehen

du gehst ihr geht
Sie gehen
er geht
sie geht sie gehen
es geht
Verbs with stem vowel change
A number of verbs change their stem vowel in the du and er / sie / es forms of the present
tense. The stem vowel changes are a > , e > ie, and e > i.
Personal pronouns
Singular
Plural
Singular & Plural
ich sehe wir sehen

du siehst ihr seht
Sie sehen
er sieht
sie sieht sie sehen
es sieht
Present tense verb form - meanings

The one-word present tense form in German can correspond to one- or multi-word present
tense verb forms in English.
Er arbeitet bis zehn Uhr.
He is working until ten o'clock.
Hast du meinen Bleistift? Do you have my pencil?
Warum fragt sie ihn nicht? Why doesn't she ask him?
Sie glauben das, nicht?
You do believe that, don't you?
The verb sein (to be)
The present tense forms of the verb sein are:

Personal pronouns
Singular Plural Singular & Plural
ich bin wir sind
du bist ihr seid Sie sind
er ist
sie ist
es ist
sie sind
The verb haben (to have)
The present tense forms of the verb haben are:

Personal pronouns
Singular
Plural
Singular & Plural
ich habe wir haben

du hast ihr habt
er hat
sie hat
es hat
The verb werden (to become, get)
sie haben
Sie haben
The present tense forms of the verb werden are:
Personal pronouns
Singular
Plural
Singular & Plural
ich werde wir werden

du wirst ihr werdet Sie werden
er wird
sie wird
es wird
sie werden
The verb lassen (to let, have done)
The present tense forms of the verb lassen are:

Personal pronouns
Singular
Plural
Singular & Plural
ich lasse wir lassen

du lsst ihr lasst
Sie lassen
er lsst
sie lsst sie lassen
es lsst
Verbs with separable prefixes
Many German verbs have a prefix in their infinitive form, which separates from the verb in
certain sentence structures and appears at the end of the phrase. If the sentence structure
requires that the whole verb appear at the end of the phrase (e.g., in dependent clauses), the
two parts are unified; if not, they are separated.
List of separable prefix verbs
Erich macht das Fenster auf.
Eric is opening the window.
Eric hat das Fenster aufgemacht.
Eric has opened the window.
Eric, mach das Fenster auf!
Eric, open the window!
Eric will das Fenster aufmachen.
Eric wants to open the window.
Erich sagt, dass er das Fenster aufmacht. Erich says that he is opening the window.
Modal auxiliary verbs - function

Modal auxiliary verbs express relations (such as permission, obligation, ability, etc.) between
the doers of actions and the actions themselves. The singular forms of German modal
auxiliary verbs use special stems.
Infinitive Singular stem
Meaning
drfen
darf
to be permitted to, may
knnen kann
to be able to, can
mgen mag
to like to
mssen muss
to have to, must
sollen
soll
to be supposed to, should
wollen will
to want to
Modal auxiliary verbs - forms
The present tense forms of the modal auxiliary verbs use the special stem in the singular and
the infinitive stem in the plural. The ich- and er / sie / es-forms take no personal ending.
Personal pronouns
Singular
Plural
Singular & Plural
ich kann wir knnen

du kannst ihr knnt
er kann sie knnen
sie kann
Sie knnen
es kann
Command forms
The form of a command depends upon the speaker's relationship to the person(s) being
addressed. Three forms are possible:
1. the du form, for one person whom one calls by the first name,
2. the ihr form, for several people whom one calls by the first name,
3. the Sie form, for one or several people whom one calls by the last name.
1) Franz, komm herein!
2) Jens und Petra, kommt herein!
Come in!
3) Herr Braun, kommen Sie herein!
Herr und Frau Schmidt, kommen Sie herein!
The du command form
Commands to persons whom the speaker addresses with du use the verb stem associated with
du in statements and questions, but with no ending or with an optional -e ending. This means
that verbs with 1) an e > i or 2) an e > ie vowel change use the changed vowel in the
command form. Verbs with 3) an a > or au > u vowel change, however, use the original
vowel in the command form. 4) Some irregular forms occur.
1) Gib uns etwas Geld!
Give us some money!
2) Lies diesen Artikel!
Read this article!
3) Laufe nicht so schnell!
Don't run so fast!
4) Werde nicht bse auf mich! Don't get angry at me!
The ihr command form
Commands to a group of persons whom the speaker addresses individually with du use the
same verb form as that associated with ihr in statements and questions.
Freunde, helft mir!
Friends, help me!
Kinder, seid ruhig, bitte! Children, be quiet, please!
Macht das noch einmal! Do that once more!
The Sie command form
Commands to a person or group of persons whom the speaker addresses with Sie use the
same verb form as that associated with Sie in statements and questions. The pronoun Sie is
included in the command. The command form for sein (to be) uses an irregular form.
Bleiben Sie etwas lnger! Stay a little longer!
Fahren Sie mit uns!
Ride with us!
Seien Sie vorsichtig!
Be careful!
Reflexive verbs
A reflexive verb requires a reflexive pronoun when it refers to an action affecting the subject
of the sentence. Generally, the same verb can also be used non-reflexively, if it refers to an
action affecting someone or something other than the subject. The reflexive pronoun can be
either in the accusative or dative case, depending upon its function in the sentence.
List of reflexive verbs
Ich wasche mich schnell.
I wash (myself) quickly.
Ich wasche mir schnell das Gesicht. I wash my face quickly.
Ich wasche schnell das Auto.
I wash the car quickly.
Verbs with special objects
Some verbs take dative, rather than accusative objects. Even though they translate into direct
object expressions in English, they can often be interpreted as a giving of something to
somebody, and this implies that the object is really an indirect object.
Sie hilft mir mit meiner Arbeit. She helps (gives assistance to) me with my work.
Other German verbs take genitive objects. They belong more to a literary than a
conversational style, and usually translate into English expressions containing "of".
Ich entsinne mich dessen nicht. I don't remember (have no recollection of) that.
Expressions meaning "to like"

"To like doing something" is expressed by:
1. gern + verb
2. gefallen + zu + verb infinitive
1) Wir spielen gern Tennis.
We like to play tennis.
2) Es gefllt uns, Tennis zu spielen. We like playing tennis.
"To like somebody or something" is expressed by:
1. gern haben + object
2. subject + gefallen + dative object.
1) Wir haben Tennis gern. We like tennis.
2) Tennis gefllt uns.
We like tennis.
Expressions meaning "to not like"

"To not like doing something" is expressed by:
1. nicht gern + verb
2. nicht gefallen + zu + verb infinitive
1. Er spielt nicht gern Tennis.
He doesn't like to play tennis.
2. Es gefllt ihm nicht, Tennis zu spielen. He doesn't like to play tennis.
"To not like somebody or something" is expressed by:
1. nicht gern haben + object
2. subject + nicht gefallen + dative object
3. nicht mgen + object
1. Er hat Tennis nicht gern. He doesn't like tennis.
2. Tennis gefllt ihm nicht. He doesn't like tennis.
3. Er mag Tennis nicht.
He doesn't like tennis.
Expressions meaning "would like"

"Would like to do something" is expressed by: mchten + verb
Ich mchte Tennis spielen. I would like to play tennis.
Sie mchte Wein bestellen. She would like to order wine.
"Would like something" is expressed by:
1. mchten + object
2. htten gern + object
Ich mchte ein Glas Wein. I would like a glass of wine.
Ich htte gern ein Glas Wein. I would like a glass of wine.
Es gibt (there is, are)
To make a general statement or question about the existence of something, German uses the
expression es gibt. Since the thing referred to is the direct object of the verb geben, it appears
in the accusative case. The verb is always singular, because its subject is always es.
Es gibt viele Autos in den USA.
There are lots of cars in the U.S.
Gibt es eine Bckerei in der Nhe?
Is there a bakery in the vicinity?
Hier gibt es keinen Spielplatz fr die Kinder. There is no playground here for the children.
Word order
A. Statements
B. Questions
C.
D.
E.
F.
G.
H.
I.
Commands
Negation with nicht
Negation with kein
Dependent clauses
Direct and indirect objects of verbs
Time, manner and place expressions
Infinitive phrases with zu
Statements
In statements, the conjugated verb always constitutes the second component of the sentence.
1. The subject may precede it, as in English, or
2. some other component which normally follows the verb may precede it, in which case
the subject immediately follows the conjugated verb.
1) Das Wetter ist heute kalt. The weather is cold today.
2) Heute ist das Wetter kalt. Today the weather is cold.
Questions
In questions which ask for a specific piece of information, the word order follows the pattern:
Question word(QW) - verb(V) - subject(S) - predicate components(PC)
Was(QW) machen(V) Sie(S) heute abend(PC)? What are you doing this evening?
In questions which ask for a yes or no response, the word order follows the pattern:
Verb(V) - subject(S) - predicate components(PC)
Gehen(V) Sie(S) in die Stadt(PC)? Are you going into the city?
Commands
In commands, the verb is the first component.
1. In the Sie command form, it is followed by the subject pronoun.
2. The du and ihr command forms omit the subject pronoun.
1) Bleiben Sie noch ein paar Minuten, Frau Petersen! Stay a few minutes more, Mrs. Petersen!
2) Lass mich in Ruhe, Markus!
Leave me in peace, Markus!
Macht eure Hausaufgaben, Kinder!
Do your homework, children!
Negation with nicht

Nicht negates 1) verbs, 2) adjectives, 3) adverbs, 4) prepositional phrases, and 5) nouns
preceded by a definite article or 6) a possessive.
1) Die Sonne scheint nicht. The sun is not shining.
2) Der Winter war nicht kalt. The winter was not cold.
3) Wir fahren nicht schnell. We're not driving fast.
4) Ich gehe nicht ins Bro. I'm not going to the office.
5) Er ist nicht der Chef.
He is not the boss.
6) Sie ist nicht meine Frau. She is not my wife.
Position of nicht
The position of nicht in a negative sentence varies, but generally follows these rules:
Nicht follows 1) the verb in second position in a declarative statement, 2) the subject in a
question, 3) objects of the verb (especially pronoun objects), and 4) adverbs of specific time.
1) Ich kann nicht gehen.
I can't go.
2) Wollen Sie nicht gehen?
Don't you want to go?
3) Sie gibt ihm das Buch nicht. She won't give him the book.
4) Wir fahren heute abend nicht. We're not travelling this evening.
Nicht precedes 1) predicate adjectives (i.e., those which complete the meaning of a linking
verb, such as sein or bleiben), 2) predicate nouns (same definition as for predicate adjectives),
3) adverbs (except for those denoting specific time), 4) prepositional phrases.
1) Es bleibt nicht warm.
2) Ich bin nicht Herr Grn.
It won't stay warm.

I'm not Mr. Grn.
3) Er fhrt nicht zu schnell.
He isn't driving too fast.
4) Wir gehen nicht nach Hause. We won't go home.
Since there is considerable flexibility in the position of nicht, one should simply place it
where it sounds right after some practice.
Negation with kein
Kein negates nouns preceded by 1) an indefinite article, or 2) no article.

1) Kaufst du eine Batterie?
Are you buying a battery?
Nein, ich kaufe keine Batterie. No, I am not buying a battery.
2) Hat das Geschft Aspirin? Does the store have aspirin?
Nein, es hat kein Aspirin.
No, it has no aspirin.
The endings added to kein are determined by the gender and case of the noun following it.
Dependent clauses
Dependent clauses are sentence parts which contain the components of a complete sentence
(subject - verb - predicate), but require another (independent) clause to complete their
meaning. They can be introduced in a number of ways:
1. by a subordinating conjunction
2. by a relative pronoun.
1) Wir bleiben zu Hause, weil es regnet.
We are staying at home, because it is raining.
2) Der Mann, der dort sitzt, ist Amerikaner. The man who is sitting there is an American.
Dependent clauses - word order
In a dependent clause, the conjugated verb appears at the end of the clause. All other
elements of the clause remain in their normal position.
Ich weiss nicht, ob er schon zu Hause ist.
Das Auto, das vor der Bank steht, gehrt
meinem Vater.
I don't know if he is already at home.

The car that is standing in front of the bank
belongs to my father.
Dependent, independent clauses - word order

When a dependent clause precedes an independent clause, the conjugated verbs are the last
component of the first clause and the first component of the second clause. Thus the two
verbs always appear on either side of the comma which separates the clauses.
Wenn ich ihn sehe, grsse ich ihn von Ihnen. When I see him, I'll give him your greetings.
Dass sie das gesagt hat, berrascht mich.
That she said that, surprises me.
Direct and indirect objects of verbs

When a verb has a direct and an indirect object, the direct object is
1. the second of the two if it is a noun,
2. the first of the two if it is a pronoun.
1) Wir geben dem Mann das Buch. We give the man the book.
2) Wir geben es dem Mann.
We give it to the man.
Time, manner and place expressions
In sentences containing expressions relating to the time(T), manner(M), or place(P) of an
action, these expressions generally appear in that order. Also, more general time
expressions(GT) usually precede more specific ones(ST). Any of these expressions can be
emphasized by placing it first in a sentence.
Sie fhrt heute(T) mit dem Bus(M) in die Stadt(P). She is travelling by bus to the city today.
Sie fhrt morgen(GT) um zwei Uhr(ST) mit dem She is travelling by train to Frankfurt
Zug(M) nach Frankfurt(P).
tomorrow at two o'clock.
Infinitive phrases with zu

Many German expressions require an infinitive phrase with zu to complete them. The zu +
infinitive construction appears at the end of its phrase, rather than at the beginning.
Wir versuchen, das Auto zu reparieren. We are trying to repair the car.
Es gelingt uns aber nicht, das zu tun. But we are not successful in doing so.
Prepositions
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
F.
G.
Introduction to prepositions
Accusative prepositions
Dative prepositions
Accusative/dative prepositions
Genitive prepositions
Da- and wo-compounds
Introduction to prepositions
H. A prepositional phrase consists of a preposition, an object of the preposition (either a

noun or pronoun), and other words (such as articles and adjectives). German
prepositions may be classified according to the case of their object, Some take
accusative objects, some dative objects, some accusative or dative objects, and some
genitive objects. The following screens show which prepositions use which kinds of
objects.
I.
J.
Accusative prepositions
The accusative prepositions and their most common meanings are:

durch - through, by (with passive verb)
fr - for
gegen - against
ohne - without
um - around, at (in time expressions)
Sie kommen ohne die Kinder. They are coming without the children.
Er ist gegen den Plan.
He is against the plan.
Wir machen das fr dich.
We are doing that for you.
Ich fahre um die Stadt.
I drive around the city.
Dative prepositions
The dative prepositions and their most common meanings are:

aus - from, out of
ausser - besides
bei - near, at the home of
mit - with
nach - after (time), to (space)
seit - since (time)
von - from, of, by (with passive verb)
zu - to (space), to the place of
Er kommt aus dem Haus.
He is coming out of the house.
Sie wohnt bei ihrer Schwester. She is living at her sister's.
Ich spreche morgen mit ihm. I'll talk with him tomorrow.
Gehen Sie zu Ihrem Professor! Go to your professor!
Accusative/dative prepositions
The accusative / dative prepositions and their most common meanings are:
an - to, close by (something vertical)
auf - onto, on top of (something horizontal)
hinter - behind
in - into, inside of
neben - next to
ber - over, above
unter - below, under
vor - in front of
zwischen - between
Sein Bleistift liegt auf dem Tisch. His pencil is lying on the table.
Wir gehen in den Laden.
We are going into the store.
Du stehst hinter ihnen.
You are standing behind them.
Meine Mutter wohnt neben uns. My mother lives next to us.
Accusative/dative prepositions (cont.)

These prepositions use the accusative case to indicate:
1) Motion in a specific direction.
They use the dative case to indicate:
2) Position at a location
3) Undirected motion within an area.
1) Die Frau geht an die Tr.
The woman goes to the door.
2) Ein Mann steht vor ihr.
A man is standing in front of her.
3) Sie bummeln in der Stadt herum. They stroll around in the city.
Genitive prepositions
The most common genitive prepositions are:
statt, anstatt - instead of
trotz - in spite of
whrend - during, in the course of
wegen - because of
Er kommt statt seines Bruders.
He comes instead of his brother.
Wir spielen trotz des Wetters.
We play in spite of the weather.
Ich arbeite whrend der Woche.
I work during the week.
Sie schreiben wegen der Probleme. They write because of the problems.
Da- and wo-compounds

When a preposition has a pronoun object, and the pronoun does not refer to a person, the
prepositional phrase often takes the form of a da-compound (in statements) or a wocompound (in questions). Prepositions beginning with a vowel require an -r- in the middle of
the compound. Some prepositions do not form such compounds.
Worber sprechen Sie?
What are you talking about?
Ich denke nicht daran.
I don't think about it.
Womit schreibt er?
With what is he writing?
Ich kann ohne sie nicht leben. I can't live without her.

A. Form of Adjectives and Adverbs
B. Endings on adjectives
1. Significant (strong) endings
2. Non-significant (weak) endings
C. Special adjective and adverb expressions
D. Comparison of adjectives and adverbs
Form of Adjectives and Adverbs

Adjectives and adverbs have the same form in German. The context in which they are used
indicates how to interpret them.
Dieser Ksekuchen ist sehr gut. This cheesecake is very good.
Sie bckt den Kuchen sehr gut. She bakes the cake very well.
Ich fahre gern schnelle Autos
Ich fahre gern schnell.
I like to drive fast cars.

I like to drive fast.
Endings on adjectives
When an adjective precedes the noun it modifies, it takes an ending. The form of the ending
depends upon several factors: the gender and case of the noun, and the type of word which
precedes the adjective-noun combination.
Sie sehen das schne Haus an.
They look at the beautiful house.
Sie wollen ein schnes Haus haben. They want to have a beautiful house.
Sie bauen schne Huser.
They build beautiful houses.
Predicate adjectives do not take an ending.

Das Haus ist schn. The house is beautiful.
Significant (strong) endings
Significant or "strong" adjective endings correspond to those of the der-word noun modifiers.
These endings indicate the gender and case of the noun the adjective modifies.
Nominative -er
Accusative -en
Dative -em
Genitive -en
-e
-e
-er
-er
-es
-es
-em
-en
-e
-e
-en
-er
For the genitive masculine and neuter, the adjective ending is -en rather than -es, because the
noun carries a "strong" ending.
Significant (strong) endings (cont.)

These endings are used when the word preceding the adjective carries no ending, or the
adjective is unpreceded.
Sie trinken deutschen Wein.
They are drinking German wine.
Wir bauen ein neues Haus.
We are building a new house.
Mein kleiner Junge sitzt da.
My little boy is sitting there.
Der Geruch gebratener Bratwurst war berall. The smell of grilled sausage was everywhere.
They are also used after the words viele, mehrere and einige.
Wir sahen viele junge Leute. We saw many young people.
Ich kaufte einige gute Bcher. I bought some good books.
Non-significant (weak) endings
Non-significant, or "weak" endings are either -e or -en. They indicate nothing about the
gender or case of the noun the adjective modifies.
Masculine
Feminine
Neuter
Plural
Nominative -e
Accusative -en
Dative -en
Genitive -en
-e
-e
-en
-en
-e
-e
-en
-en
-en
-en
-en
-e
Non-significant (weak) endings (cont.)

These endings are used when the word preceding the adjective carries a significant ending.
Kaufen Sie dieses interessante Buch?
Es gibt keine grossen Kaufhuser hier.
Welcher bekannte Mann hat das gesagt?
Mit solchen schlechten Mitarbeitern kann man
nichts erreichen.
Are you buying this interesting book?

There are no large department stores here.
What famous man said that?
With such bad colleagues, you can't
accomplish anything.
Special adjective and adverb expressions
Adjectives and adverbs often appear in conjunction with special 1) accusative, 2) dative or 3)
genitive expressions.
1) Ich bin solches Wetter nicht gewohnt. I am not accustomed to such weather.
2) Das ist mir bekannt.
That is familiar to me.
3) Es war nicht der Mhe wert.
It wasn't worth the effort.
Comparison of adjectives and adverbs

Adjectives and adverbs can express three levels of comparison:
1) Positive
2) Comparative
3) Superlative
Although German and English are somewhat similar in the way they form adjective and
adverb comparisons, there are a number of significant differences. For example, the German
forms add adjective endings where required.
1) Ich habe ein schnelles Auto.
I have a fast car.
2) Martin hat ein schnelleres Auto. Martin has a faster car.
3) Beate hat das schnellste Auto. Beate has the fastest car.
Positive forms of adjectives and adverbs

Positive comparisons in German use the expression so...wie (as...as), or genauso...wie (just
as...as) with the adjective or adverb.
Dieses Buch kostet genauso viel wie jenes.
This book costs just as much as that one.
Heute ist es nicht so warm wie gestern.
Today it is not as warm as yesterday.
Ich habe einen genauso schnen Mantel wie du. I have just as pretty a coat as you.
Comparative forms of adjectives and adverbs
In German, all adjectives and adverbs form their comparative by adding an -er to the positive
form. None use the equivalent of "more," as for multi-syllable English adjectives and
adverbs. Most one-syllable German adjectives and adverbs with stem vowel a, o, or u change
that vowel to its Umlaut equivalent.
Das Wetter wird immer heisser. The weather is getting hotter and hotter.
Die Menschen leben lnger.
People are living longer.
Er will ein neueres Auto haben. He wants to have a newer car.
Beate ist intelligenter als ich.
Beate is more intelligent than I.
As the last example shows, German uses als as the connecting word for comparisons ("than"
in English).
A number of irregular forms exist.
Superlative forms of adjectives and adverbs
German adjectives and adverbs form their superlative with -(e)st + adjective ending. The -eis used after a t, d, or an s sound.
The one-syllable adjectives and adverbs with stem vowel a, o, or u which change that vowel
to its Umlaut equivalent in the comparative do so in the superlative as well.
Adjectives preceding the nouns they modify use the form definite article + adjective +(e)st +
adjective ending. Adverbs and predicate adjectives use the form am + adjective +(e)st +
adjective ending.
Hans ist der intelligenteste Junge in der Klasse. Hans is the most intelligent boy in the class.
Wie heisst der lngste Fluss der Welt?
What is the name of the longest river in the world?
Ich finde diese Frage am schwierigsten.
I find this question to be the most difficult.
A number of irregular forms exist.
Verbs, other tenses

A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
F.
Simple past tense

Compound past tense
Past perfect tense
Principal parts of verbs
Future tense
Future perfect tense
Simple past tense

The simple past tense, sometimes called the narrative past, is used to relate a sequence of
events. It appears primarily in written German, e.g., in newspapers, novels, etc.
Ich kam, ich sah, ich siegte.
Der Morgen war schn, aber es regnete am
Nachmittag.
Der Politiker versprach viel, und machte
wenig.
I came, I saw, I conquered.

The morning was beautiful, but it rained in the
afternoon.
The politician promised a lot, but did little.
Simple past tense - regular verbs
Regular verbs form the simple past by inserting an -(e)t- tense marker between the verb stem
and the personal ending.
Personal pronouns
kaufen = to buy
Singular
Plural
Singular & Plural
ich kaufte wir kauften

du kauftest ihr kauftet Sie kauften
er kaufte
sie kaufte sie kauften
es kaufte
Verbs whose stem ends in -d, -t, or a consonant combination such as -gn use the -e- as part of
the tense marker. Example: ich arbeitete.
Simple past tense - regular verbs with altered stem
Some regular verbs form the simple past by inserting the -(e)t- tense marker between an
altered verb stem and the personal ending.
Personal pronouns
denken = to think
Singular
Plural
Singular & Plural
ich dachte wir dachten

du dachtest ihr dachtet Sie dachten
er dachte
sie dachte sie dachten
es dachte
The simple past forms for the regular verbs with altered stem may be found in the list of
principal parts of verbs.
Simple past tense - modal auxiliary verbs
The modal auxiliary verbs form their past tense by inserting the -t- tense marker between a
stem without an Umlaut and the personal ending.
Infinitive Simple past
drfen
knnen
mgen
mssen
sollen
wollen
Simple past tense - irregular verbs
durfte
konnte
mochte
musste
sollte
wollte
Meaning
was permitted to
was able to, could
liked to
had to
was supposed to
wanted to
Irregular verbs form the simple past by using a verb stem unique to each verb. The personal
endings differ slightly from those of the regular verbs in the simple past.
Personal pronouns
singen = to sing
Singular
Plural
Singular & Plural
ich sang wir sangen

du sangst ihr sangt
Sie sangen
er sang
sie sang sie sangen
es sang
The simple past forms for specific irregular verbs may be found in the list of principal parts
of verbs.
Compound past tense
The compound past tense, sometimes called the conversational past, is used to refer to
unconnected events, and is the most common past tense form in conversational German. It is
formed with a helping verb (haben or sein) and the past participle of the main verb.
Ich habe ihn nicht gesehen.
I haven't seen him.
Wir sind nach Berlin gefahren. We travelled to Berlin.
Haben Sie das Buch gekauft?
Did you buy the book?
Das Wetter ist warm geworden. The weather has become warm.
Notice from the translations that this tense can correspond either to the simple or the
compound past in English.
Compound past tense - sein as helping verb
Sein appears as the helping verb for any verb whose meaning designates a change of location,
1) if it does not have a direct object.
2) The same verb with a direct object uses haben as its helping verb.
1) Wir sind nach Frankfurt gefahren.
We drove to Frankfurt.
2) Wir haben das Auto nach Frankfurt gefahren. We drove the car to Frankfurt.
Sein also appears as the helping verb

1) for any verb whose meaning designates a process or development,
2) for two other verbs which fit neither category - sein and bleiben.
1) Wann ist das Wetter kalt geworden? When did the weather turn cold?
2) Er ist zu Hause geblieben.
He stayed at home.
The verbs which use sein as a helping verb may be found in the list of principal parts of
verbs.
Past participle - regular verbs

Regular verbs form their past participle according to the following pattern:
ge + stem + (e)t.
Ich habe das nicht gesagt. I didn't say that.
Haben Sie viel gearbeitet? Did you work a lot?
If the verb begins with an unaccented syllable the ge- prefix is not used.
Sie hat das schon erklrt. She has already explained that.
Past participle - regular verbs with altered stem
Some verbs form their past participles like a regular verb, but use the same altered stem as for
the simple past:
ge + altered stem + (e)t.
Er hat das schon gewusst. He knew that already.
Ich habe sie lange gekannt. I have been acquainted with her for a long time.
Hast du Wein gebracht? Did you bring wine?
Wir haben euch nicht erkannt. We didn't recognize you.
The past participle forms for the regular verbs with altered stem may be found in the list of
principal parts of verbs.
Past participle - modal auxiliary verbs
Modal auxiliary verbs form their past participle using the same stem as for the simple past:
ge + stem without Umlaut + t.
Unsere Kinder haben das nie gedurft. Our children were never permitted (to do) that.
This form of the past participle appears only when the modal auxiliary is used alone, which is
infrequent.
More often, the modal is used in conjunction with another verb, and the past participle
becomes part of a double infinitive construction.
Unsere Kinder haben nie fernsehen drfen. Our children were never permitted to watch television.
Past participle - irregular verbs
Irregular verbs form their past participles by using a verb stem unique to each verb, according
to the following pattern:
ge + verb stem + en
Wir haben den Film nicht gesehen. We haven't seen the film.
Du bist sehr schnell gelaufen.
You ran very fast.
Kurt hat gestern einen Brief bekommen. Kurt received a letter yesterday.
The past participle forms for specific irregular verbs may be found in the list of principal
parts of verbs.
Past perfect tense
The past perfect tense refers to a past event which occurred before another past event. It
consists of the simple past form of the helping verb (haben or sein) and the past participle of
the main verb.
Sie hatten uns schon gesehen. They had seen us already.
Wir waren bis acht geblieben. We had stayed until eight.
Principal parts of verbs
The principal parts of a verb are its infinitive form, present tense er / sie / es-form, simple
past form, and past participle with helping verb. For irregular verbs, these must be learned
individually.
Future tense
The future tense is formed with the helping verb werden and the infinitive of the main verb.
Wir werden bald abfahren.
We will leave soon.
Wird er seine Kinder mitbringen? Will he bring along his children?
Ich werde an Sie schreiben.
I will write to you.
If it is clear from the context (for example, through an adverb or prepositional phrase) that the
future is intended, German tends to use the present rather than the future tense.
Wir kommen morgen an.
We will arrive tomorrow.
Wir kommen in einer Stunde an. We will arrive in an hour.
Future perfect tense - function

The future perfect tense is used to refer to an event that will have happened before another
future event.
Bis Ende dieser Woche wird er sein Examen
bestanden haben.
By the end of this week, he will have

passed his exam.
With the adverbs wohl or schon, it refers to a probable event in the past.
Er wird sein Examen schon bestanden haben. He probably has already passed his exam.
Future perfect tense - form

The future perfect tense is formed with the future tense helping verb werden and the perfect
infinitive (past participle + infinitive of its compound past helping verb) of the main verb.
Du wirst das wohl gehrt haben.
Bis morgen werde ich alles gelernt haben.
Bis nchste Woche werden wir nach Italien
gefahren sein.
You have probably heard that.

By tomorrow, I will have learned
everything.
By next week, we will have travelled to
Italy.
Verbs, subjunctive mood

A. The general subjunctive
1. Present time
2. Past time
B. The conditional with wrde
C. The special subjunctive
The general subjunctive

The general subjunctive is used:
1) to make a conjecture or hypothetical statement,
2) to express a wish that is not likely to be fulfilled,
3) to make polite requests,
4) to quote indirectly what another person has said.
1) Sie shen diesen Film gern. You would like to see this movie.
2) Wenn ich nur mehr Zeit htte! If only I had more time!
3) Knnten Sie mir bitte helfen? Could you please help me?
4) Er sagte, er kme morgen.
He said he was coming tomorrow.
Present time subjunctive - regular verbs

The present time subjunctive of a regular verb has exactly the same form as the simple past
tense of that verb (1). Thus the conditional with wrde is generally used instead (2).
1) Ich lebte gern in Mnchen.
I liked living in Munich.

or
I would like to live in Munich.
I would like to live in Munich.
2) Ich wrde gern in Mnchen leben.
Present time subjunctive - regular verbs with altered stem

The present time subjunctive of a regular verb with altered stem uses the simple past tense
form of the verb, but with an Umlaut over the stem vowel. However, the verbs kennen,
nennen, and rennen use e rather than as their stem vowel.
Wenn er nur daran dchte!
If only he would think of it!
Wenn wir uns besser kennten, wrden wir mehr If we knew each other better, we would
Spass haben.
have more fun.
Present time subjunctive - modal auxiliary verbs
The present time subjunctive of a modal auxiliary verb uses the simple past tense form of the
verb, with an Umlaut over the stem vowel, except for sollen and wollen. Subjunctive modal
auxiliary verbs are especially important for making polite requests.
Ich mchte zwei Glas Bier.
I would like two glasses of beer.
Drfte ich eine Frage stellen? Might I ask a question?
Sollten wir sie einladen?
Shouldn't we invite them?
Knntest du mir helfen?
Could you help me?
Present time subjunctive - irregular verbs
The present time subjunctive of an irregular verb uses as its base the simple past tense verb
stem, but with an Umlaut over the stem vowel, if it is a, o, or u. The subjunctive also uses
different endings from the simple past for most forms. Thus even verbs with an i, e, or ie
stem vowel in the simple past, which can carry no Umlaut, are nevertheless nearly always
recognizable as subjunctive forms.
Ich fhre lieber nach Spanien.
I would rather travel to Spain.
Wenn sie nur schneller liefe!
If only she would run faster.
Wenn wir flgen, wrden wir frher ankommen. If we flew, we would arrive earlier.
Present time subjunctive - irregular verbs (cont.)
The pattern for the present time subjunctive of irregular verbs is:
subjunctive stem + subjunctive ending
Personal pronouns
Singular
Plural
Singular & Plural
ich snge wir sngen

du sngest ihr snget Sie sngen
er snge
sie snge sie sngen
es snge
Past time subjunctive
The past time subjunctive consists of the subjunctive form of haben or sein as the helping
verb, and the past participle of the main verb.
Ich htte Ihnen geholfen.
I would have helped you.
Wren Sie mitgekommen?
Would you have come along?
Wir htten euch besucht.
We would have visited you.
Sie wre gern nach Deutschland gereist. She would like to have travelled to Germany.
Past time subjunctive with modal auxiliaries
When a sentence contains a modal auxiliary verb in combination with a main verb, the past
time subjunctive consists of the subjunctive form of haben, and the modal auxiliary and main
verbs as a "double infinitive" at the end of the clause.
Ihr httet mich anrufen sollen.
You should have called me.
Ich htte ihm alles erklren knnen.
I could have explained everything to him.
Wir htten in London umsteigen mssen. We would have had to transfer in London.
The conditional with wrde

The subjunctive form of werden, in combination with the infinitive of the main verb, is often
used instead of the present time subjunctive of the main verb, particularly when the
subjunctive of the main verb looks the same as its simple past tense. This wrde construction
is also generally used in the "then" clause of an "if...then" statement.
Wrdest du mir bitte erklren, was das
Would you please explain to me, what that
bedeutet?
Wenn ich Sie wre, wrde ich das rote Kleid
kaufen.
means?
If I were you, I would buy the red dress.
The special subjunctive - function

The special subjunctive is used primarily in written and oral news reports for indirect quotes
(1). It also appears in directives or expressions of good will (2).
1) Der Politiker sagte, er sei nicht mit dem
Gesetz zufrieden, aber er habe doch dafr
gestimmt.
2) Lang lebe der Knig!
The politician said he wasn't satisfied with

the law, but he had voted for it anyway.
Long live the king!
The special subjunctive - form
The special subjunctive uses the infinitive stem of the verb for all of its forms, with the same
personal endings as those of the general subjunctive. Often it looks exactly the same as the
present tense, in which case the general subjunctive is used instead. Its er / sie / es form is
always distinctive, however, and thus appears most frequently.
Personal pronouns
Singular
Plural
Singular & Plural
ich spreche wir sprechen

du sprechest ihr sprechet Sie sprechen
er spreche
sie spreche sie sprechen
es spreche
The verb sein does not use an -e ending on the ich and er / sie / es forms.
Singular
ich sei
Plural Singular & Plural

wir seien
du seiest ihr seiet Sie seien

er sei
sie sei
es sei
sie seien
Verbs, passive voice

A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
Function of the passive voice

Present tense
Other tenses
The impersonal passive
Substitutes for the passive
1. The man construction
2. Reflexive constructions
3. The sich lassen construction
4. The sein...zu + infinitive constru
Function of the passive voice
In the passive voice, the subject of the sentence is the receiver rather than the doer of the
action expressed by the verb. In German, the passive voice is used primarily to describe
situations where the activity or process is emphasized, rather than the doer or cause of the
activity. If mentioned at all, the doer appears as the object of von (by), and the cause as the
object of durch (by means of).
Nur Deutsch wird von den Studenten gesprochen. Only German is being spoken by the students.
Das Haus wurde durch Feuer vllig zerstrt.
The house was completely destroyed by fire.
Passive voice, present tense

The present tense passive uses the present tense of the verb werden as a helping verb, with
the past participle of the main verb.
Heute wird alles ausgerumt.
Today everything is being cleared out.
Die Milch wird langsam gekocht.
The milk is boiled slowly.
Diese Probleme werden nicht leicht gelst. These problems are not easily solved.
Passive voice, other tenses

The other tenses in the passive voice use the tense forms of the helping verb werden, together
with the past participle of the main verb. The past participle form of werden in the passive
voice is worden, rather than geworden.
Simple past
Das Problem wurde schnell gelst.
The problem was quickly solved.
Compound past
Das Problem ist schnell gelst worden. The problem has been quickly solved.
Past perfect
Das Problem war schnell gelst worden. The problem had been quickly solved.
Future
Das Problem wird schnell gelst werden. The problem will be quickly solved
Passive modal auxiliary forms
Passive constructions with modal auxiliary verbs take the following form:
modal auxiliary + past participle of main verb + infinitive of werden
Das Badezimmer muss noch geputzt werden.
The bathroom must still be cleaned.
Diese Tatsache soll in Betracht gezogen werden. This fact should be taken into account.
The modal auxiliary verb itself changes tense to form the other tenses of these constructions.
Das Badezimmer musste noch geputzt werden.
The bathroom still had to be cleaned.
Das Badezimmer wird noch geputzt werden mssen. The bathroom will still have to be cleaned.
The impersonal passive

In German, the passive voice can appear without any subject of the verb, or with an
impersonal subject es. This grammatical structure places emphasis upon the action itself,
rather than upon the doer or receiver of the action. It is frequently used in official directives.
Hier wird nicht geparkt.
No parking here.
Im Gang wird nicht geraucht.
No smoking in the corridor.
Es wurde viel getanzt und gesungen. There was lots of dancing and singing.
Substitutes for the passive
In conversational German, the passive voice is not used as frequently as in English. Instead, a
number of substitute structures can be used:
1) man as a non-specific subject of an active verb
2) a reflexive verb construction
3) sich lassen + infinitive of the main verb
4) sein + zu + infinitive of the main verb.
1) Man lernt Deutsch leicht.
German is easily learned.
2) Deutsch lernt sich leicht.
German is easily learned.
3) Deutsch lsst sich leicht lernen. German can be easily learned.
4) Deutsch ist leicht zu lernen.
German can be easily learned.
The man construction
An active voice man construction can be used as a substitute for almost any passive verb
structure, with or without a modal auxiliary, in any tense.
Diese Themen werden oft diskutiert.
Man diskutiert diese Themen oft.
These topics are often discussed.
Die Arbeit muss gemacht werden.

Man muss die Arbeit machen.
The work must be done.
Der Bericht ist schon geschrieben worden.

The report has already been written.
Man hat den Bericht schon geschrieben.
Reflexive constructions
Many normally non-reflexive verbs can be used reflexively as a substitute for a passive
construction.
Diese Sache wird bald erklrt.
Diese Sache erklrt sich bald.
This matter will be cleared up soon.
Die Tore wurden geffnet.

Die Tore ffneten sich.
The gates were being opened.
Das wird schwer verstanden werden.

That will be hard to understand.
Das wird sich schwer verstehen.
Reflexive constructions
Many normally non-reflexive verbs can be used reflexively as a substitute for a passive
construction.
Diese Sache wird bald erklrt.
Diese Sache erklrt sich bald.
This matter will be cleared up soon.
Die Tore wurden geffnet.

Die Tore ffneten sich.
The gates were being opened.
Das wird schwer verstanden werden.

That will be hard to understand.
Das wird sich schwer verstehen.
The sein...zu + infinitive construction

sein (to be), used in conjunction with zu + the infinitive of a verb, translates literally as "is to
be" (done, understood, seen, etc.). Thus it can serve as a substitute for a passive construction
with knnen (can be), sollen (should be), or mssen (must be).
Das muss bis morgen gemacht werden.
Das ist bis morgen zu machen.
That must be done by tomorrow.
Dieses Buch kann schnell gelesen werden.
This book can be read quickly.
Dieses Buch ist schnell zu lesen.
Reference
List of masculine N-nouns

Summary of definite and indefinite articles
Summary of pronouns
Present tense verb forms
o Some common verbs with stem vowel change a >
o Some common verbs with stem vowel change e > ie
o Some common verbs with stem vowel change e > i
List of verbs with separable prefixes

List of verbs with dative objects
List of verbs with genitive objects
o Comparative and superlative adjectives/adverbs with Umlaut vowel
o Irregular comparative and superlative adjectives/adverbs
o Accusative adjective and adverb expressions
o Dative adjective and adverb expressions
o Genitive adjective and adverb expressions
Verbs - other tenses
o Principal parts of irregular verbs
List of masculine N-nouns

Affe -n, -n
Agent, -en, -en
Akrobat, -en, -en
Alchimist, -en, -en
Analphabet, -en, -en
Anarchist, -en, -en
Architekt, -en, -en
Aristokrat, -en, -en
Asiat, -en, -en
Asket, -en, -en
Assistent, -en, -en
Astronaut, -en, -en
Astronom, -en, -en
Atheist, -en, -en
Athlet, -en, -en
Automat, -en, -en
Br, -en, -en
Barbar, -en, -en
Beamte,- n, -n *
Bhme, -n, -n
Bote, -n, -n
Brite, -n, -n
Bube, -n, -n
Buchstabe, -n, -n @
Bulle, -n, -n
Brge, -n, -n
Bursche, -n, -n
Cellist, -en, -en
Chinese, -n, -n
Chirurg, -en, -en
Christ, -en, -en
Demagoge, -n, -n
Despot, -en, -en
Dilettant, -en, -en
Diplomat, -en, -en
Drache, -n, -n
Egoist, -en, -en
Ehegatte, -en, -en
Eidgenosse, -n, -n
Eilbote, -n, -n
Elefant, -en, -en
Enthusiast, -en, -en
Erbe, -n, -n
Evangelist, -en, -en
Fabrikant, -en, -en
Faschist, -en, -en
Fels, -en, -en
Franzose, -n, -n
Frst, -en, -en
Gatte, -en, -en
Geck, -en, -en
Gefhrte, -n, -n
Gehilfe, -en, -en
Geograph, -en, -en
Germane, -n, -n
Geselle, -n, -n
Gespiele, -n, -n
Girant, -en, -en
Girat, -en, -en
Gtze, -n, -n
Graf. -en, -en
Grieche, -n, -n
Hase, -n, -n
Heide, -n, -n
Held, -en, -en
Herr, -n, -en
Hirt, -en, -en
Hirte, -n, -n
Humanist, -en, -en
Humorist, -en, -en
Hydrant, -en, -en
Idiot, -en, -en
Industrielle, -n, -n
Infanterist, -en, -en
Inserent, -en, -en
Internist, -en, -en
Invalide, -n, -n
Ire, -n, -n
Isolationist, -en, -en
Israelit, -en, -en
Jesuit, -en, -en
Journalist, -en, -en
Jude, -n, -n
Jugoslawe, -n, -n
Junge, -n, -n
Junggeselle, -n, -n
Jurist, -en, -en
Kadett, -en, -en
Kamerad, -en, -en
Kandidat, -en, -en
Kannibale, -n, -n
Katholik, -en, -en
Klassenkamerad, -en, -en
Klient, -en, -en
Knabe, -n, -n
Kollege, -n, -n
Komet, -en, -en
Kommandant, -en, -en
Kommunikat, -en, -en
Kommunist, -en, -en
Komdiant, -en, -en
Komplize, -n, -n
Komponist, -en, -en
Konkurrent, -en, -en
Konsonant, -en, -en
Konsument, -en, -en
Kontorist, -en, -en
Korrespondent, -en, -en
Kronprinz, -en, -en
Kunde, -n, -n
Laie, -n, -n
Leopard, -en, -en
Lieferant, -en, -en
Linguist, -en, -en
Lotse, -en, -en
Lwe, -n, -n
Luftpirat, -en, -en
Lump, -en, -en
Magnat, -en, -en
Magnet, -en, -en #
Maschinist, -en, -en
Matrose, -n, -n
Maure, -n, -n
Mensch, -en, -en
Mitmensch, -en, -en
Mohr, -en, -en
Monarch, -en, -en
Moralist, -en, -en
Musikant, -en, -en
Nachbar, (-n), -n
Nachkomme, -n, -n
Narr. -en, -en
Naturalist, -en, -en
Neffe, -n, -n
Nomade, -n, -n
Ochse, -n, -n
konom, -en, -en
Page, -n, -n
Papagei, -en, -en
Paragraph, -en, -en
Parteigenosse, -n, -n
Partisan, -en, -en %
Passant, -en, -en
Pate, n, -n
Patient, -en, -en
Patriot, -en, -en
Pazifist, -en, -en
Pedant, -en, -en
Philosoph, -en, -en
Photograph, -en, -en
Pianist, -en, -en
Pilot, -en, -en
Planet, -en, -en
Plutokrat, -en, -en
Poet, -en, -en
Pole, -n, -n
Polizeiprsident, -en, -en
Polizist, -en, -en
Portugiese, -n, -n
Postbote, -n, -n
Prsident, -en, -en
Preue, -n, -n
Prinz, -en, -en
Produzent, -en, -en
Prokurist, -en, -en
Prophet, -en, -en
Protestant, -en, -en
Psychologe, -n, -n
Rabauke, n, -n
Rabe, -n, -n
Realist, -en, -en
Rekrut, -en, -en
Reprsentant, -en, -en
Riese, -n, -n
Satellit, -en, -en
Schimpanse, -n, -n
Schotte, -n, -n
Schurke, -n, -n
Schtze, -n, -n
Schwede, -n, -n
Sekundant, -en, -en
Semit, -en, -en
Siamese, -n, -n
Sklave, -n, -n
Slawe, - n, -n
Slowake, -n, -n
Soldat, -en, -en
Sozialist, -en, -en
Spatz, -en, -en
Spezialist, -en, -en
Spielgefhrte, -n, -n
Statist, -en, -en
Student, -en, -en
Telegraph, -en, -en
Theologe, -n, -n
Tor, -en, -en
Tourist, -en, -en
Trabant, -en, -en
Transvestit, -en, -en
Tschechoslawake, -n, -n
Trke, -n, -n
Tyrann, -en, -en
bermensch, -en, -en
Ungar, -n, -n
Unmensch, -en, -en
Vagabund, -en, -en
Violinist, -en, -en
Virtuose, -n, -n
Volksgenosse, -n, -n
Vorfahr, -en, -en
Zar, -en, -en
Zeuge, -n, -n
Zivilist, -en, -en
Masculine N-nouns with
-ens ending in genitive case
Friede
Gedanke
Wille
Funke
Glaube
Name
Note also:
das Herz, das Herz, dem Herzen, des Herzens and pl die Herzen
Summary of definite and indefinite articles
The endings of definite and indefinite articles are the same, except for those indicated by ,
where the indefinite article takes no ending. The indefinite article examples for the plural use
the ein-word kein, since ein appears only with singular nouns.
Definite articles
Nominative der
Accusative den
Dative dem
Genitive des
die
die
der
der
das
das
dem
des
die
die
den
der
Indefinite articles
Nominative ein
Accusative einen
Dative einem
Genitive eines
eine
eine
einer
einer
ein
ein
einem
eines
keine
keine
keinen
keiner
Summary of personal pronouns

Nominative Accusative Dative Genitive
(rarely used)
ich
I, me
you (informal) du
he, him, it er
she, her, it sie
es
it
mich
dich
ihn
sie
es
mir
dir
ihm
ihr
ihm
meiner
deiner
seiner
ihrer
seiner
wir
we, us
you (informal) ihr
uns
euch
uns
euch
unsrer
eurer
sie
sie
ihnen ihrer
you (formal) Sie
Sie
Ihnen Ihrer
they, them
Some common verbs with stem vowel change a >

du
er/sie/es
anfangen fngst an fngt an to begin
backen bckst bckt to bake
einladen ldst ein ldt ein to invite
fahren fhrst
fhrt
to travel, drive
gefallen gefllst gefllt to please
halten hltst
hlt
to stop, hold
lassen lsst
lsst
to let, leave
laufen lufst
luft
to walk, run
schlafen schlfst schlft to sleep
tragen trgst
trgt
to wear, carry
wachsen wchst wchst to grow
waschen wschst wscht to wash
Some common verbs with stem vowel change e > ie

du er/sie/es
lesen liest liest
to read
sehen siehst sieht
to see
Some common verbs with stem vowel change e > i

du er/sie/es
brechen brichst bricht to break
essen
isst
isst
to eat
geben
gibst gibt
to give
helfen
hilfst hilft
to help
nehmen nimmst nimmt
sprechen sprichst spricht
treffen
triffst trifft
vergessen vergisst vergisst
werden wirst wird
to take
to speak
to meet
to forget
to become
List of verbs with separable prefixes

Principal parts
Infinitive
(if irregular)
abbiegen
bog ab, ist abgebogen
abbrechen
bricht ab; brach ab, hat abgebrochen
abfahren
fhrt ab; fuhr ab, ist abgefahren
abfallen
fllt ab; fiel ab, ist abgefallen
abfliegen
flog ab, ist abgeflogen
abflieen
flo ab, ist abgeflossen
abgeben
gibt ab; gab ab, hat abgegeben
abgehen
ging ab, ist abgegangen
abholen
abhngen
hing ab, hat abgehangen von
ablaufen
luft ab; lief ab, ist abgelaufen
abschaffen
abschicken
abschlieen
schlo ab, hat abgeschlossen
abschneiden
schnitt ab, hat abgeschnitten
abtrocknen
abwaschen
wscht ab; wusch ab, hat abgewaschen
abwischen
abziehen
zog ab, hat abgezogen
anbieten
bot an, hat angeboten
anerkennen
erkannte an, hat anerkannt
anfangen
fngt an; fing an, hat angefangen mit
anfassen
angeben
anhaben
anhalten
gibt an; gab an, hat angegeben

hlt an; hielt an, hat angehalten
English
to turn (in a vehicle)
to break off
to depart; to drive off
to fall off
to take off
to flow away
to deliver; to give up
to depart, leave
to fetch; to pick up
to depend upon
to run off; to drain
to get rid of; abolish
to send off
to close; to conclude
to cut off
to dry off; to dry dishes
to wash dishes
to wipe off
to take off, deduct
to offer
to recognize; to
acknowledge
to start, begin with
to touch; to take a hold of,
seize
to indicate; to provide
to be wearing, to have on
to stop in a vehicle
anklagen
anklopfen
ankommen
anmalen
kam an, ist angekommen
anmelden
annehmen
anrufen
anschaffen
anschauen
anschlieen
ansehen
nimmt an; nahm an, hat angenommen

rief an, hat angerufen (bei)
ansprechen
spricht an; sprach an, hat angesprochen
anstarren
anstellen
anziehen
anznden
schlo an, hat angeschlossen

sieht an; sah an, hat angesehen
zog an, hat angezogen
aufbauen
auffallen
auffordern
auffhren
aufgeben
aufheben
aufhren
aufmachen
aufnehmen
aufpassen
aufschlieen
aufschreiben
aufstehen
aufsteigen
aufstellen
aufteilen
aufwachen
aufwachsen
ausbilden
ausbreiten
ausdenken
ausdrcken
fllt auf; fiel auf, ist aufgefallen
gibt auf; gab auf, hat aufgegeben

hob auf, hat aufgehoben
nimmt auf; nahm auf, hat aufgenommen

pat auf; pate auf; hat aufgepat
schlo auf, hat aufgeschlossen
schrieb auf, hat aufgeschrieben
stand auf, ist aufgestanden
stieg auf, ist aufgestiegen
ist aufgewacht
wchst auf, wuchs auf, ist aufgewachsen
dachte, hat gedacht
to accuse
to knock
to arrive
to paint
to announce; to notify; to
register
to accept; to assume
to call up, telephone
to purchase, acquire
to look at, contemplate
to connect, attach
to look at
to speak; to please; to
address
to stare at
to turn on (e.g., the radio)
to put on; to attract
to light, set on fire
to erect; to set up; to build
up
to be noticeable, attract
attention
to order, command
to perform; to stage
to give up
to pick up; to cancel
to stop, quit
to open
to take a picture
to pay attention
to open; to unlock
to write down
to get out of bed, to rise
to rise
to put up; to arrange
to divide up
to wake up
to grow up
to educate, train
to spread out
to imagine, to think up
to express, utter
ausfhren
ausfllen
ausgeben
aushelfen
gibt aus; gab aus, hat ausgegeben

hilft aus, half aus, hat ausgeholfen
ausmachen
ausnutzen
ausreichen
ausrufen
ausschlieen
aussehen
aussetzen
aussteigen
austauschen
ausverkaufen
auswhlen
ausziehen
rief aus, hat ausgerufen

schlo, hat geschlossen
sieht aus; sah aus, hat ausgesehen
stieg, ist gestiegen
zog aus, ist ausgezogen
ausben
dabeisein
darstellen
durchfhren
durchlassen
durchlesen
durchsehen
durchsetzen
einbauen
einfallen
einkaufen
einladen
einschalten
einschenken
einschlafen
einsehen
einsteigen
einzahlen
fernsehen
festlegen
feststellen
lt durch; lie durch, hat durchgelassen

liest durch; las durch, hat durchgelesen
sieht durch; sah durch, hat durchgesehen
fllt ein; fiel ein, ist eingefallen

(+ dat.)
ldt ein; lud ein, hat eingeladen
schlft ein; schlief ein, ist eingeschlafen

sieht ein; sah ein, hat eingesehen
stieg, ist eingestiegen
sieht fern; sah fern, hat ferngesehen
to take out; to carry out; to

execute
to fill out
to spend; to give out
to help out
to settle; to agree; to
amount to
to exploit
to suffice
to exclaim; to call out
to exclude
to look, appear
to expose; to abandon
to get out/off of a vehicle
to exchange
to sell out
to choose, select
to move out
to practice; to pursue; to
carry on
to be there, participate
to represent; to depict,
portray
to execute, carry out
to let through
to read through, peruse
to see through
to prevail, succeed
to build in
to occur to
to shop
to invite
to turn on
to pour
to fall asleep
to understand
to get into a vehicle
to deposit
to watch television
to establish; to determine
to find out; to declare; to
determine
fortfahren
fhrt fort; fuhr fort, ist fortgefahren
to continue; to drive away
herausfinden
fand heraus, hat herausgefunden
to find out
to come here; to come
herkommen
kam her, ist hergekommen
from
herstellen
to produce; to establish
hervorbringen
brachte hervor, hat hervorgebracht
to bring out; to produce
hervorrufen
rief hervor, hat hervorgerufen
to call forth
hinfallen
fllt hin; fiel hin, ist hingefallen
to fall down
hinwegsehen
sieht hinweg; sah hinweg, hat hinweggesehen to look away
hinzufgen
to add
to meet; to become
kennenlernen
acquainted with
mitarbeiten
to cooperate
mithelfen
hilft; half, hat geholfen
to assist
mitkommen
kam mit, ist mitgekommen
to come along
mitmachen
(bei)
to participate in
mitteilen
to communicate; to inform
nachdenken
dachte nach, hat nachgedacht ber (+ acc.)
to think about, to reflect
schlgt nach; schlug nach, hat
nachschlagen
to look up
nachgeschlagen
radfahren
fhrt rad; fuhr rad, ist radgefahren
to ride a bike
saubermachen
to clean up
sich dat. einbilden
to imagine
sich dat. vorstellen
to imagine
sich anhren
to listen
sich anpassen
(+ dat.)
to conform; adapt to
sich anziehen
to get dressed
to get excited; to get
sich aufregen
alarmed
sich ausziehen
zog aus, hat ausgezogen
to undress
sich hinsetzen
to sit down
sich umziehen
zog sich um, hat sich umgezogen
to change clothes
sich zusammentun tat zusammen, hat zusammengetan
to get together
spazierengehen
ging spazieren, ist spazierengegangen
to go for a walk
stattfinden
fand statt, hat stattgefunden
to take place, happen
staubsaugen
to vacuum
staubwischen
to dust
stehenbleiben
blieb stehen, ist stehengeblieben
to stop; to remain standing
nimmt teil; nahm teil, hat teilgenommen an (+
teilnehmen
to take part in
dat.)
umkehren
to turn around, reverse
umsteigen
stieg um, ist umgestiegen
umziehen
voraussehen
vorbeigehen
vorbereiten
vorhaben
zog um, ist umgezogen

sieht voraus; sah voraus, hat vorausgesehen
ging vorbei, ist vorbeigegangen
vorkommen
kam vor, ist vorgekommen
vorlesen
vorschlagen
vorstellen
vortragen
vorwrtskommen
vorziehen
wegfahren
weggehen
weglaufen
wegnehmen
wegwerfen
weiterfahren
wiederfinden
wiederkommen
zugeben
zuhren
zulaufen
zumachen
zunehmen
zurckbleiben
zurckkehren
zurcklassen
zurckrufen
zusammenarbeiten
zusammenbringen
liest vor; las vor, hat vorgelesen

schlgt vor; schlug vor, hat vorgeschlagen
zusammenfallen
zusammenfassen
zusammentun
trgt vor; trug vor, hat vorgetragen

kam vorwrts, ist vorwrtsgekommen
zog vor, hat vorgezogen
fhrt weg; fuhr weg, ist weggefahren
ging weg, ist weggegangen
luft weg; lief weg, ist weggelaufen
nimmt weg; nahm weg, hat weggenommen
wirft weg; warf weg, hat weggeworfen
fhrt weiter; fuhr weiter, ist weitergefahren
fand wieder, hat wiedergefunden
kam wieder, ist wiedergekommen
gibt zu; gab zu, hat zugegeben
luft zu; lief zu, ist zugelaufen auf (+ acc).
nimmt zu; nahm zu, hat zugenommen
blieb zurck, ist zurckgeblieben
ist zurckgekehrt
lt zurck; lie zurck, hat zurckgelassen
rief zurck, hat zurckgerufen
brachte zusammen, hat zusammengebracht
fllt zusammen; fiel zusammen, ist
zusammengefallen
tat zusammen, hat zusammengetan

wchst zusammen; wuchs zusammen, ist
zusammenwachsen
zusammengewachsen
zuschauen
zustimmen
(+ dat.)
to change, switch bus,

train
to move, change residence
to foresee
to go by
to prepare
to intend
to occur, happen often
unexpectedly
to read aloud; to lecture
to propose, suggest
to introduce
to lecture
to get ahead
to prefer
to drive; go away
to go away
to run away
to take away
to throw away
to drive on
to find again
to come back
to admit; to confess
to listen to
to run toward
to close
to increase, gain
to stay behind
to return
to leave behind
to call back
to cooperate
to bring together
to collapse
to summarize
to put together
to grow together
to watch
to agree
zutreffen
bereinstimmen
trifft; traf, getroffen
to be correct
to agree with a person

Infinitive
sich amsieren
sich (dat.) anhren
sich anpassen
sich anziehen
sich aufregen
sich ausziehen
sich bedanken
sich beeilen
sich befinden
sich beklagen
sich bemhen
sich benehmen
sich beruhigen
sich beschweren
sich bewegen
sich bewerben
sich beziehen
sich eignen
sich (dat.) einbilden
sich entschlieen
sich entschuldigen
sich entspannen
sich ereignen
sich ergeben
sich erholen
sich erinnern an
sich erkundigen
sich erklten
sich etwas
Principle parts (if irregular)

+ other information
English
to have a good time

to listen
(+ dat.)
to conform; adapt (to)
to get dressed
to get excited; to get alarmed
zog aus, hat ausgezogen
to undress
to thank
to hurry
befand, hat befunden
to be located; to feel (health)
(ber + acc.)
to complain (about)
to exert oneself
benimmt; benahm, hat benommen to behave
to calm down
to complain
to move
bewirbt; bewarb, hat beworben
to apply
bezog, hat bezogen (auf + acc.) to relate (to), refer (to)
to be suitable, qualify
to imagine
entschlo, entschlossen
to make up one's mind, decide
to excuse oneself
to relax
to take place
ergibt; ergab, hat ergeben
to result in
to take a rest, recover
(+ acc.)
to remember
to inquire
to catch a cold
to purchase something
anschaffen
sich festhalten
sich freuen
sich freuen auf
sich freuen ber
sich frchten
sich gewhnen
sich hinsetzen
sich interessieren
sich irren
sich konzentrieren
sich kmmern
sich langweilen
sich leisten
hlt fest; hielt fest, hat

festgehalten
(+ acc.)
(+ acc.)
(an + acc.)
(fr)
(um)
sich lohnen
sich nhern
sich rasieren
sich setzen
sich um (etwas)
handeln
sich umziehen
sich unterhalten
sich unterscheiden
sich verabreden
sich verabschieden
sich verbessern
sich verfahren
sich verhalten
sich verlassen
sich verlaufen
sich verlieben
sich verloben
sich versprechen
to hold fast
to rejoice, be glad
to look forward to
to be happy about
to be afraid
to get used to
to sit down
to be interested (in)
to lose one's way
to concentrate
to be concerned about, care
to be bored
to afford
to pay off, be worth the trouble, be
worthwhile
to approach
to shave
to sit down
to concern (something)
zog um, hat umgezogen

unterhlt; unterhielt, hat
unterhalten
unterschied, hat unterschieden
verfhrt; verfuhr, hat verfahren

verhlt; verhielt, hat verhalten
verlt; verlie, hat verlassen (auf
+ acc.)
verluft; verlief, hat verlaufen
(in + acc.)
(mit)
verspricht; versprach, hat
versprochen
sich verspten
sich (dat.) vorstellen
sich wenden
sich wundern
(ber + acc.)
to change clothes
to have a conversation
to differ
to make an appointment
to take one's leave
to improve
to get lost
to behave; to conduct oneself
to depend (upon)
to get lost
to fall in love (with)
to become engaged to
to misspeak oneself
to be late
to imagine
to turn around
to be surprised (at); to wonder
sich zusammentun
sich berlegen
sich rgern
tat zusammen, hat

zusammengetan
to get together
to think over
to be angry, become angry
List of verbs with dative objects

Adjective/Adverb
English
Example
antworten
to answer
Sie antwortet mir nicht.
befehlen
to command, order Ich befehle Ihnen, sofort zu kommen.
danken
to thank
Wir danken euch.
fehlen
to be missing, lacking Uns fehlt nichts.
gefallen
to be pleasing, to like Es gefllt mir, das zu hren.
gehren
to belong to
Der Wagen gehrt ihr nicht.
glauben
to believe
Ich glaube dir.
helfen
to help
Bitte, helfen Sie mir!
leid tun
to be sorry
Das tut ihm leid.
passen
to fit
Das Kleid passt der Frau gut.
passieren
to happen, take place Etwas Schreckliches ist uns passiert.
schmecken
to taste (good or bad) Diese Suppe schmeckt dem Gast nicht.
weh tun
to hurt
Mir tut der Kopf weh.
Adjectives and adverbs:
Comparative and superlative adjectives/adverbs with Umlaut vowel
stark, strker, strkststrong, stronger, strongest
kalt, klter, kltestcold, colder, coldest
warm, wrmer, wrmst- warm, warmer, warmest
arm, rmer, rmstpoor, poorer, poorest
lang, lnger, lngstlong, longer, longest
oft, fter, ftestoften, more often, most often
dumm, dmmer, dmmst- dumb, dumber, dumbest
jung, jnger, jngstyoung, younger, youngest
kurz, krzer, krzestshort, shorter, shortest
klug, klger, klgstsmart, smarter, smartest
Irregular comparative and superlative adjectives / adverbs

gut, besser, bestgood, better, best
hoch, hher, hchst- high, higher, highest
gern, lieber, liebst- like, like better, like best
viel, mehr, meistmuch, more, most
nahe, nher, nchst- near, nearer, nearest
gross, grsser, grsst- large, larger, larges
Special accusative adjective and adverb expressions

This page not yet prepared.
Dative adjective and adverb expressions

Adjective/Adverb
English
hnlich
like, similar (to)
angenehm
pleasant (for)
bekannt
familiar (to)
bse
angry (at)
dankbar
grateful (to)
Example
Das Haus ist unserem Haus hnlich.
Das Wetter ist ihm angenehm.
Diese Gegend ist mir bekannt.
Ich bin dir wirklich bse.
Sie ist dem Professor dankbar.
gleich
gleichgltig
klar
lstig
lieb
mglich
ntzlich
peinlich
recht
all the same (to), of no

consequence (to)
equal (to), like
indifferent (to)
clear (to)
bothersome (to)
dear (to)
possible (for)
useful (to)
embarassing (for)
OK (with)
unangenehm
unpleasant (for)
unbegreiflich
incomprehensible (to)
unbequem
unpleasant (for)
unerklrlich
unexplainable (to)
unklar
unclear (to)
unmglich
impossible (for)
unntz
useless (to)
unverstndlich
incomprehensible (to)
wichtig
important (to)
egal
Das ist unseren Freunden egal.

Du bist ihm gleich.
Alles ist uns gleichgltig.
Jetzt ist mir das Problem klar.
Er ist ihr lstig.
Mein Hund ist mir lieb.
Das ist ihnen mglich.
Aspirin ist einem oft ntzlich.
Das war mir wirklich peinlich.
Es ist ihm recht.
Diese Situation ist mir sehr
unangenehm.
Es ist uns unbegreiflich, was du
machst.
Das Wetter heute ist ihr sehr
unbequem.
Seine Handlungen sind uns
unerklrlich.
Es ist uns vllig unklar, was du damit
meinst.
Das Ruhen ist ihm unmglich.
Dieses Werkzeug ist ihnen total
unntz.
Was er sagte, war uns unverstndlich.
Die Antwort auf diese Frage ist ihr
sehr wichtig.
Genitive adjective and adverb expressions

Adjective/Adverb
English
bedrftig
in need of
bewut
conscious of
fhig
capable of
Example
frei
gewi
mchtig
mde
sicher
voll
unbewut
unfhig
unmchtig
unsicher
unwrdig
wrdig
free of
certain of
capable of, skilled in
tired of
certain of
full of
unconscious of
incapable of
not in control of
uncertain of
unworthy of
worthy of
Verbs - other tenses:
Principal parts of irregular verbs

Irregular
Infinitive
present
backen
beien
bieten
binden
bitten (um)
bleiben
braten
brt
brechen
bricht
brennen
bringen
denken
eilen
essen
it
fahren (mit)
fhrt
fallen
fllt
fangen
fngt
finden
fliegen
Simple
past
backte
bi
bot
band
bat
blieb
briet
brach
brannte
brachte
dachte
a
fuhr
fiel
fing
fand
flog
Present perfect
hat gebacken
hat gebissen
hat geboten
hat gebunden
hat gebeten
ist geblieben
hat gebraten
hat gebrochen
hat gebrannt
hat gebracht
hat gedacht
ist geeilt
hat gegessen
ist gefahren
ist gefallen
hat gefangen
hat gefunden
ist geflogen
English
to bake
to bite
to offer, to show
to bind, tie
to beg, to ask for
to stay, remain
to fry, to roast
to break
to burn
to bring
to think
to hurry
to eat
to drive a vehicle, to go by
to fall
to catch
to find
to fly
fliehen
flieen
folgen (+ dat.)
fressen
frieren
geben
gehen
frit
gelten
gilt
gleichen (+ dat.)
greifen
halten
heben
heien
helfen (+ dat.)
hinterlassen
floh
flo
gibt
hlt
hilft
hinterlt
kennen
klingen
kommen
knnen
landen
lassen
laufen
leiden
leihen
lesen
liegen
lgen
mssen
nehmen
nennen
passieren (+ dat.)
raten
reisen
reiten
rennen
riechen
rufen
saufen
scheinen
kann
lt
luft
liest
mu
nimmt
rt
suft
ist geflohen
ist geflossen
ist gefolgt
hat gefressen
hat/ist gefroren
hat gegeben
ist gegangen
to flee
to flow
to follow, to obey
fra
to eat (used for animals)
fror
to freeze, to be cold
gab
to give
ging
to go
to be of value, to be valid, to
galt
hat gegolten
be in effect
glich
hat geglichen
to be equal, to be like
griff
hat gegriffen
to seize, grasp
hielt
hat gehalten
to hold, to stop
hob
hat gehoben
to lift
hie
hat geheien
to be called, mean
half
hat geholfen
to help
hinterlie hat hinterlassen to leave behind
to know, to be acquainted
kannte
hat gekannt
with
klang
hat geklungen to sound
kam
ist gekommen to come
konnte
hat gekonnt
can, to be able to
ist gelandet
to land
lie
hat gelassen
to let; to leave
lief
ist gelaufen
to run
litt
hat gelitten
to suffer
lieh
hat geliehen
to lend, to borrow, to rent
las
hat gelesen
to read
lag
hat gelegen
to lie, to be located
log
hat gelogen
to tell a lie
mute
hat gemut
must, to have to
nahm
hat genommen to take
nannte
hat genannt
to call
ist passiert
to happen to, take place
riet
hat geraten
to advise, to guess
ist gereist
to travel
ritt
ist geritten
to ride a horse
rannte
ist gerannt
to run, to race
roch
hat gerochen
to smell
rief
hat gerufen
to call
soff
hat gesoffen
to drink excessively
schien
hat geschienen to shine, to seem
schieben
schieen
schlafen
schlagen
schlieen
schneiden
schreiben
schreien
schlft
schlgt
schweigen
schwimmen
segeln
sehen
sein
senden
singen
sinken
sitzen
sprechen
springen
stehen
stehlen
steigen
sterben
stoen
streichen
sieht
ist
spricht
stiehlt
stirbt
stt
sich streiten
strzen
tragen
sich treffen
trgt
trifft
treiben
treten
treten
trinken
tun
wachsen
wandern
waschen
wenden
tritt
tritt
wchst
wscht
schob
scho
schlief
schlug
schlo
schnitt
schrieb
schrie
hat geschoben
hat geschossen
hat geschlafen
hat geschlagen
hat geschlossen
hat geschnitten
hat geschrieben
hat geschrieen
hat
schwieg
geschwiegen
ist
schwamm
geschwommen
ist gesegelt
sah
hat gesehen
war
ist gewesen
sandte
hat gesandt
sang
hat gesungen
sank
ist gesunken
sa
hat gesessen
sprach
hat gesprochen
sprang
ist gesprungen
stand
hat gestanden
stahl
hat gestohlen
stieg
ist gestiegen
starb
ist gestorben
stie
hat gestossen
strich
hat gestrichen
stritt
hat gestritten
trug
traf
ist gestrzt
hat getragen
hat getroffen
trieb
hat getrieben
trat
trat
trank
tat
wuchs
hat getreten
ist getreten
hat getrunken
hat getan
ist gewachsen
ist gewandert
hat gewaschen
hat gewandt
wusch
wandte
to push
to shoot
to sleep
to hit, to beat
to shut
to cut
to write
to scream, to shout
to be silent
to swim
to sail
to see
to be
to send
to sing
to sink
to sit
to speak
to jump, to leap
to stand, to be situated
to steal
to climb
to die
to push, to hit
to cancel, delete
to dispute, to litigate, to
quarrel
to fall, plunge
to carry, to bear, to wear
to meet with somebody
to push, set in motion, to
occupy oneself with
to kick
to step
to drink
to do
to grow
to hike, go on foot
to wash
to turn
werden
wird
werfen
wirft
wiegen
wissen (ber + acc.
wei
or von)
ziehen
zwingen
wurde
warf
wog
ist geworden
hat geworfen
hat gewogen
to become
to throw
to weigh
wute
hat gewut
to know about
zog
zwang
hat gezogen
to pull
hat gezwungen to compel, force
END OF THE GRAMMER COURSE

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Nouns and noun modifiers

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ein-word noun modifier

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ein-word noun modifier

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Nominative Case - Functions

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Accusative Case - Functions

when they are the direct object of a verb

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Accusative Case - Forms

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Dative Case - Functions

when they are the indirect object of a verb

dieser (with singular and plural nouns) = this, these

Summary of der-word noun modifier endings

Ein-word noun modifiers

Suchst du deine Handtasche?

Are you looking for your

Yes, I need my lipstick.

Summary of ein-word noun modifier endings

Personal pronouns - nominative case

Singular & Plural

du and ihr vs. Sie

Possible meanings of sie

The non-specific pronoun man

People do whatever pleases them.

Nominative wer = who

Welchen Bleistift mchtest du?

Relative pronouns - function

The man whom we met today works in

Reflexive pronouns - function

Verbs, present tense

Singular & Plural

ich gehe wir gehen

Verbs with stem vowel change

Singular & Plural

ich sehe wir sehen

Present tense verb form - meanings

He is working until ten o'clock.

The verb sein (to be)

The present tense forms of the verb sein are:

The verb haben (to have)

The present tense forms of the verb haben are:

Singular & Plural

ich habe wir haben

The verb werden (to become, get)

Singular & Plural

ich werde wir werden

The verb lassen (to let, have done)

The present tense forms of the verb lassen are:

Singular & Plural

ich lasse wir lassen

Verbs with separable prefixes

Modal auxiliary verbs - function

Modal auxiliary verbs - forms