Grammar A1 - Nico Weg

Question 1

Adjective declension (1)

Answer 1

Adjective usage

Adjectives are used to describe people and things. Their form does not change when they follow the noun or personal pronoun that they describe (nor when they are at the beginning of a sentence directly before the conjugated verb):

Nicos T-Shirt ist rot. (Or: Rot ist Nicos T-Shirt.)

An adjective can also come before the noun that it describes, in which case the adjective’s ending changes according to the noun following it:

Nico trägt ein rotes T-Shirt.

This change in the adjective’s form is known as adjective declension. There are three different declensions. Which of the three is used depends on the article before the noun: a definite article, indefinite article or no article.

Adjective declension after an indefinite article

The adjective is placed between the article and the noun:

Article Adjective Noun
ein rotes T-Shirt

In the nominative and the accusative cases, the adjective takes the ending of the definite article:

Diagram of the grammar problemDiagram of the grammar problem
Nominative
der Pullover:

ein roter Pullover

die Hose:

eine rote Hose

das T-Shirt:

ein rotes T-Shirt

die Turnschuhe: rote Turnschuhe

In the accusative case, the masculine article changes form, as does the adjective ending. The other forms stay the same.

Accusative
den Pullover:

einen roten Pullover

die Hose:

eine rote Hose

das T-Shirt:

ein rotes T-Shirt

die Turnschuhe: rote Turnschuhe

Nico, du brauchst einen neuen Pullover, eine neue Hose, ein neues T-Shirt und neue Turnschuhe!

Exceptions:

Adjectives that end in -el or -er usually lose the e before the adjective ending:
dunkel: Nico trägt einen dunklen Pullover.
teuer: Der teure Pullover ist schön.

A few adjectives are not declined (super, extra and some adjectives describing color):
super: Das ist ein super Film.
extra: Möchtest du einen extra Teller für den Salat?

Grammatical terms in German:

das Adjektiv: Adjectives are words used to describe people and things.

Question 2

Adjective declension (1)

Answer 2

Adjective usage

Adjectives are used to describe people and things. Their form does not change when they follow the noun or personal pronoun that they describe (nor when they are at the beginning of a sentence directly before the conjugated verb):

Nicos T-Shirt ist rot. (Or: Rot ist Nicos T-Shirt.)

An adjective can also come before the noun that it describes, in which case the adjective’s ending changes according to the noun following it:

Nico trägt ein rotes T-Shirt.

This change in the adjective’s form is known as adjective declension. There are three different declensions. Which of the three is used depends on the article before the noun: a definite article, indefinite article or no article.

Adjective declension after an indefinite article

The adjective is placed between the article and the noun:

Article Adjective Noun
ein rotes T-Shirt

In the nominative and the accusative cases, the adjective takes the ending of the definite article:

Diagram of the grammar problemDiagram of the grammar problem
Nominative
der Pullover:

ein roter Pullover

die Hose:

eine rote Hose

das T-Shirt:

ein rotes T-Shirt

die Turnschuhe: rote Turnschuhe

In the accusative case, the masculine article changes form, as does the adjective ending. The other forms stay the same.

Accusative
den Pullover:

einen roten Pullover

die Hose:

eine rote Hose

das T-Shirt:

ein rotes T-Shirt

die Turnschuhe: rote Turnschuhe

Nico, du brauchst einen neuen Pullover, eine neue Hose, ein neues T-Shirt und neue Turnschuhe!

Exceptions:

Adjectives that end in -el or -er usually lose the e before the adjective ending:
dunkel: Nico trägt einen dunklen Pullover.
teuer: Der teure Pullover ist schön.

A few adjectives are not declined (super, extra and some adjectives describing color):
super: Das ist ein super Film.
extra: Möchtest du einen extra Teller für den Salat?

Grammatical terms in German:

das Adjektiv: Adjectives are words used to describe people and things.

Question 3

Question words: welch-

Answer 3

Revision: the question word welch-

The question word welch- is used to ask about a particular person or thing, or to select one thing from a larger quantity.

A young woman holds up two dresses.A young woman holds up two dresses.
Welches Kleid findest du schöner?

The question word welch- comes before the noun and has the same ending as the definite article.

Nominative Accusative

Masculine (der) welcher welchen
Feminine (die) welche welche
Neuter (das) welches welches
Plural (die) welche welche

Question 4

Demonstrative: dies-

Answer 4

A demonstrative is used to signify a particular thing or to select an item from a larger group. Sometimes we might point at the object intended.

A young woman points at something and a young man looks in the same direction.A young woman points at something and a young man looks in the same direction.
Dieses Kleid finde ich schön.

Like the question word welch-, the demonstrative dies- takes the same ending as the definite article.

Nominative Accusative

Masculine (der) dieser diesen
Feminine (die) diese diese
Neuter (das) dieses dieses
Plural (die) diese diese

Welcher Pullover ist am teuersten? – Dieser Pullover ist am teuersten.

Welchen Pullover findest du am schönsten? – Diesen Pullover finde ich am schönsten.

Welche Hose ist am billigsten? – Diese Hose ist am billigsten.

Welches Kleid möchten Sie? – Ich möchte dieses Kleid, bitte.

Welche Turnschuhe nehmen Sie? – Ich nehme diese Turnschuhe hier.

Question 5

Verbs with a dative object (1)

Answer 5

Das Hemd passt dir nicht. Es ist zu groß.

Many German verbs need an object. The object is often in the accusative case. However, some German verbs are used with a dative object. The dative object is often at the receiving end of an action, and is therefore commonly a person. The verbs passen and stehen are examples of verbs used with a dative object.

Examples:

Das Hemd passt dem Mann nicht.
Die Hose steht der Frau nicht.
Der Pullover passt dem Kind nicht.
Die dunklen Jacken stehen den Kindern nicht.

We can use a personal pronoun as the dative object; in this case, the personal pronoun has to be in the dative case:

ich -> mir
du -> dir

Examples:

Das Hemd passt mir nicht.
Der Pullover steht dir nicht.

The dative object answers the questions who? (“Wem?”) or what? (“Was?”) (wem for people and was for objects).

Grammatical terms in German:

der Dativ: In German, there are four different forms or categories (cases) of noun, called Fälle or Kasus in German. As well as nominative and accusative, there is dative. Nouns take this case when they come after certain prepositions, for example, or are the object of a verb that takes the dative case. The articles take the following forms: dem/einem, der/einer, dem/einem, den/-. In the plural, an -n is often added to the end of the noun.

Question 6

zu + adjective (2)

Answer 6

When we use zu + adjective, we are expressing the view that the quantity, size or intensity of something is not good, or not quite right. It means that the person using the expression finds something inappropriate or unacceptable.

Das Hemd ist zu teuer.

This can mean:

1. The price of the shirt is unreasonably high.
2. The price is reasonable but I do not have enough money to pay for it, or I am not prepared to pay that much for it.

In the second instance, the subjective meaning being emphasized is: for me, personally, the shirt is too expensive. To express this even more clearly, the personal pronoun in the dative case can be used:

Das Hemd ist mir zu teuer.

When we are talking about clothing, the following construction is often used:

Das Kleid ist mir zu groß.
Die Schuhe sind mir zu klein.
Die Hose ist mir zu lang.
Der Rock ist mir zu kurz.

Question 7

Adjective declension (2)

Answer 7

An adjective can directly precede the noun it describes. In this case, the adjectival ending changes to match that of the noun it precedes. This is called adjective declension. There are three different declensions. The declension to use depends on the article that precedes the noun: the indefinite article, the definite article or no article.

Adjective declension after a definite article

Inge speaks with Nico who is wearing an old-fashioned shirt and sweater vest.Inge speaks with Nico who is wearing an old-fashioned shirt and sweater vest.
Inge schenkt Nico ein gestreiftes Hemd. – Nico findet das gestreifte Hemd nicht so schön.

If there is an indefinite article before the noun, then the adjective (in the nominative and accusative cases) takes the ending of the definite article.

But when there is a definite article before the noun, the adjective only takes the ending -e or -en.

Masculine:
der schicke Pullover (nominative)
den schicken Pullover (accusative)
Feminine:
die schicke Hose (nominative and accusative)
Neuter:
das schicke Hemd (nominative and accusative)
Plural:
die schicken Schuhe (nominative and accusative)

In the accusative case, the adjective before a masculine noun takes the ending -en.
Adjectives before plural nouns also take the ending -en.

Adjective declension after the possessive determiner or the negative article

Adjectives before a noun with a possessive determiner (i.e., mein, dein, sein …) or a negative article (kein) are declined as follows:

in the singular, the same as the adjective declension after an indefinite article.
in the plural, the same as the adjective declension after a definite article.

Masculine:
kein schicker Pullover (nominative)
keinen schicken Pullover (accusative)
Feminine:
keine schicke Hose (nominative and accusative)
Neuter:
kein schickes Hemd (nominative and accusative)
Plural:
keine schicken Schuhe (nominative and accusative)

Grammatical terms in German:

der bestimmte Artikel: The articles der, die, das are definite articles.

der unbestimmte Artikel: The articles ein, eine are indefinite articles.

Question 8

Two-case prepositions

Answer 8

Revision: two-case prepositions

There are nine prepositions that can take either the dative or the accusative case: in, an, unter, über, auf, vor, hinter, neben and zwischen.

These prepositions take the dative in answer to the question Wo …?

Wo ist Selmas Portemonnaie? – Selmas Portemonnaie ist …

Preposition + Dative
… auf dem Stuhl.
der Tasche.
dem Bett.
den Büchern.

Some prepositions and articles are contracted when used together:

in + dem = im
an + dem = am

Question 9

Prepositions: für

Answer 9

Ich habe ein Geschenk für dich. Hier, ein Notizbuch. Für alle neuen Wörter auf Deutsch.

The preposition für is used, for example, to describe the recipient, goal or purpose of an activity. It takes the accusative. Pronouns or nouns that follow für are in the accusative.

Question 10

Personal pronouns: accusative

Answer 10

Personal pronouns in the accusative

Wo ist der Schlüssel von Yaras Geschäft? – Er ist bei Max und Tarek.

Haben Max und Tarek den Schlüssel von Yaras Geschäft? – Ja, sie haben ihn.

Every noun can be substituted with a pronoun. The personal pronoun can represent a person or thing. Every pronoun can take the nominative or any of the other cases. For example, when a personal pronoun comes after a preposition or a verb that takes the accusative, it will also be in the accusative.

Most personal pronouns in the accusative have a different form from the nominative, but some stay the same.

Nominative Accusative
ich mich
du dich
er ihn
sie sie
es es
wir uns
ihr euch
sie sie
Sie Sie

Question 11

Prepositions: für

Answer 11

Ich habe ein Geschenk für dich. Hier, ein Notizbuch. Für alle neuen Wörter auf Deutsch.

The preposition für is used, for example, to describe the recipient, goal or purpose of an activity. It takes the accusative. Pronouns or nouns that follow für are in the accusative.

Question 12

The possessive determiner

Answer 12

Revision: the possessive determiner

Ich habe meinen Bruder angerufen. Aber mein Bruder kann nicht kommen.

To express ownership or possession, we use the possessive determiner, rather than the indefinite article.

Here is an overview of the pronouns and their corresponding possessive determiners:

Pronoun Possessive
ich mein
du dein
er/es sein
sie ihr
wir unser
ihr euer
sie ihr
Sie Ihr

Revision: declension of the possessive determiner

The ending of the possessive determiner in the singular is identical to the ending of the indefinite article:

In the nominative and accusative, the possessive determiner takes the ending -e when it comes before a feminine noun or a plural noun.
In the accusative, the possessive determiner takes the ending -en when it comes before a masculine noun.

Personal pronoun: ich
Possessive determiner: mein

Nominative Accusative
mein Bruder
meine Schwester
mein Kind
meine Eltern meinen Bruder
meine Schwester
mein Kind
meine Eltern

masculine:
mein Bruder (Nominative)
meinen Bruder (Accusative)

feminine:
meine Schwester (Nominative and Accusative)

neuter:
mein Kind (Nominative and Accusative)

plural:
meine Eltern (Nominative and Accusative)

Personal pronoun: ihr
Possessive determiner: euer

Pay attention to the irregular form of euer and the ending:

Nominative Accusative
euer Bruder
eure Schwester
euer Kind
eure Eltern euren Bruder
eure Schwester
euer Kind
eure Eltern

masculine:
euer Bruder (Nominative)
euren Bruder (Accusative)

feminine:
eure Schwester (Nominative and Accusative)

neuter:
euer Kind (Nominative and Accusative)

plural:
eure Eltern (Nominative and Accusative)

Grammatical terms in German:

der Possessivartikel: The possessive determiner is an article that expresses ownership or possession.

Question 13

Modal verbs: sollen (1)

Answer 13

You already know the modal verbs müssen, können, wollen and möchten. Next you will learn the modal verb sollen. As with the other modal verbs, it refers to a second verb, the main verb.

We use sollen to report a request or an order to do something.

Nico’s mother says: Nico, räum dein Zimmer auf!

But Nico doesn’t want to tidy his room and stays where he is. So his brother says: Nico, hast du nicht gehört? Du sollst dein Zimmer aufräumen!

Conjugation

Unlike the other modal verbs, sollen does not have a vowel change in conjugation. The first and third person are the same.

Singular:
1st person ich soll
2nd person du sollst
3rd person er/sie/es/man soll
Plural:
1st person wir sollen
2nd person ihr sollt
3rd person sie sollen
Formal: Sie sollen

Grammatical terms in German:

das Modalverb: Modal verbs are verbs that often refer to a second verb and add information. They clarify, for example, whether it is possible or necessary to do something. In a sentence in the present tense, the modal verb is conjugated and the second verb remains in the infinitive.

Question 14

Sentence construction: sentence brackets

Answer 14

Summary: sentence brackets (Satzklammer)

If there is more than one verb or parts of verbs in a clause, the following rules apply:

A verb or part of the verb is in the second position and is conjugated.
The other verbs or parts of verbs are at the end of the sentence. Their form is not adapted to the subject but remains the same.
Examples for this sentence structure are clauses and sentences with modal verbs, sentences with separable verbs and sentences in the perfect tense.

Sentences with modal verbs:

Du sollst dein Zimmer aufräumen.
Nico soll sein Zimmer aufräumen.

Sentences with separable verbs:

Ich räume mein Zimmer auf.
Nico räumt sein Zimmer auf.

Sentences in the perfect tense:

Ich habe mein Zimmer aufgeräumt.
Nico hat sein Zimmer aufgeräumt.

Question 15

Comparison (3)

Answer 15

Regular comparatives

Regular comparatives are formed as follows:

Positive: basic form (e.g. billig)
Comparative: adjective + -er (e.g. billiger)
Superlative: am + adjective + -sten (e.g. am billigsten)

Die Fußbälle sind billig.
Die Basketbälle sind billiger.
Die Tennisbälle sind am billigsten.

Irregular comparatives: adjectives ending in -el and -er

All adjectives that end in -el and many adjectives that end in -er lose the e before the comparative ending. The superlative construction, however, is regular.

dunkel < dunkler < am dunkelsten
teuer < teurer < am teuersten

Der Tischtennisschläger ist nicht teuer.
Der Tennisschläger ist teurer.
Der Golfschläger ist am teuersten.

Grammatical terms in German:

der Positiv: The positive is the basic form of the adjective. We use it to describe qualities of people or things.

der Komparativ: The comparative is the ranking of an adjective that compares two things to express a difference, e.g. schneller, wärmer, besser.

der Superlativ: The superlative is the highest form of an adjective comparison. It describes the greatest degree of a particular quality, e.g. am schnellsten, am wärmsten, am besten.

Question 16

Time specification: Wann …?

Answer 16

Time is often designated in response to the question word wann:

Wann spielt ihr Fußball?

To answer with a particular hour of the day or specific time we use …

um, when we are talking about a point in time:

Das Fußballtraining beginnt um zwei Uhr.

von … bis …, when we are talking about a period of time:

Wir spielen von zwei bis vier Uhr Fußball.

With weekdays, we would answer with …

am, when speaking about a one-off event:

Am Freitag spielen wir Fußball.

With an adverb when speaking about a regular event:

Freitags spielen wir Fußball. (= Jeden Freitag spielen wir Fußball.)

von … bis …, to describe a period of time:

Ich muss von Montag bis Freitag arbeiten.

For months and seasons, we answer with …

im when we are talking about a point in time:

Im Januar fahre ich Ski.

Im Sommer gehe ich regelmäßig joggen.

von … bis …, when we are talking about a a period of time:

Von Oktober bis April hat das Schwimmbad geschlossen.

Question 17

Time specification: Wie oft …?

Answer 17

When asking about an event or activity that is repeated, we use wie oft:

Wie oft trainiert ihr?

We often answer with …

the article jeden/jede/jedes:

Wir trainieren jeden Tag/jeden Freitag. (der Tag -> jeder Tag -> accusative: jeden Tag)

Wir trainieren jede Woche. (die Woche -> jede Woche)

Wir trainieren jedes Wochenende. (das Wochenende -> jedes Wochenende)

a reference to the frequency (einmal, zweimal, dreimal …) followed by the preposition pro:

Wir trainieren zweimal pro Woche.

Question 18

Time specification: Wie lange …?

Answer 18

To ask about the length of time, we use wie lange:

Wie lange trainierst du?
or:
Wie lange dauert das Training?

Often, we answer with …

the length of time + lang:

Ich trainiere eine halbe Stunde lang.

(The word lang can be left out: Ich trainiere eine halbe Stunde.)

the verb dauern + the length of time:

Das Training dauert zwei Stunden.

Question 19

Comparison (4)

Answer 19

Irregular comparatives: nah/nahe* and hoch

The adjectives nah(e) and hoch have irregular forms:

nah(e) < näher < am nächsten

hoch < höher < am höchsten

Yanis springt hoch.

Tarek springt höher.

Max springt am höchsten.

• The adjectives nah and nahe have the same meaning. They are variants of the same word.

Question 20

Imperative: informal
(The informal imperative in the singular)

Answer 20

a) Forms without an ending

In the informal imperative, a distinction is made between the singular and the plural forms of a word. In the singular form, the verb in the second person forms the basis, with the -st ending removed. Verbs with a root that ends in -s, -ß, -z or -x only leave out the -t. In the singular, the informal imperative usually takes no ending.

(Du) mach(st) viel Sport. -> Imperativ: Mach viel Sport!

(Du) geh(st) oft spazieren. -> Imperativ: Geh oft spazieren!

(Du) putz(t) regelmäßig die Zähne. -> Imperativ: Putz regelmäßig die Zähne!

(Du) iss(t) mehr Obst. -> Imperativ: Iss mehr Obst!

Verbs with a vowel change from a to ä have no umlaut in the imperative.

(Du) fähr(st) mit dem Fahrrad zur Arbeit. -> Imperativ: Fahr mit dem Fahrrad zur Arbeit!

(Du) schläf(st) genug. -> Imperativ: Schlaf genug!

b) Special forms ending in -e

Many imperative forms can be formed with the ending -e. Often it is a matter of style whether we say:

Mach jeden Tag Sport!
or:
Mache jeden Tag Sport!

The first variant is more common in spoken language, whereas we usually find the second in written language. Some imperative forms sound old-fahioned or didactic when used with the ending -e.

When a verb ends in -est in the second person singular, in the imperative the -e remains.

(Du) arbeite(st) nicht zu viel. -> Imperativ: Arbeite nicht zu viel!

(Du) öffne(st) das Fenster. -> Imperativ: Öffne das Fenster!

When the vowel changes from e to i (i.e., essen -> Iss!) the ending -e cannot be used.

The informal imperative in the plural

When we use the imperative with more than one person, we use the plural form. This can be created using the second-person plural in the present tense. The personal pronoun is not used but the ending remains unchanged.

(Ihr) macht viel Sport. -> Imperativ: Macht viel Sport!

(Ihr) esst mehr Obst. -> Imperativ: Esst mehr Obst!

(Ihr) fahrt mit dem Fahrrad zur Arbeit. -> Imperativ: Fahrt mit dem Fahrrad zur Arbeit!

(Ihr) arbeitet nicht zu viel. -> Imperativ: Arbeitet nicht zu viel.

Overview: imperative

The regular forms of the imperative are as follows:

Informal (singular) Trink(e) viel Wasser!
Informal (plural) Trinkt viel Wasser!
Formal Trinken Sie viel Wasser!

The forms of the verb sein are irregular:

Informal (singular) Sei fair!
Informal (plural) Seid fair!
Formal Seien Sie fair!

Grammatical terms in German:

der Imperativ: The imperative is a verb form used to make a request, or give a command or instructions.

Question 21

Müssen or sollen?

(Summary: the modal verbs müssen and sollen)

Answer 21

The modal verbs müssen and sollen are used in similar ways, but they are slightly different in meaning.

The verb müssen expresses an objective necessity and sounds more urgent: If one does not do what is necessary, there will be serious consequences.

Example:

1) Nico muss zum Arzt gehen.

Nico has injured himself and needs medical help. If he does not go to the doctor, he may be in pain for some time or even suffer long-term health problems.

2) Nico muss Deutsch lernen.

Nico would like to stay in Germany for a long time. To be able to live in Germany, he needs to speak German. Without the language, life in Germany will be hard for him.

The verb sollen is generally used to report a request or an order given by someone else. What the person at whom the order is directed thinks of it is not relevant in the sentence.

Examples:

1) Nico soll den Fuß kühlen.

Another person (e.g. Tarek or a doctor) says that Nico should cool his foot with an ice pack.

2) Nico soll studieren.

Nico’s parents want Nico to study at university. Whether Nico himself would like to do this or finds it important is not in question.

Question 22

Modal verbs: dürfen

Answer 22

Hier darf man nicht rauchen.

In this lesson you will learn the last of the modal verbs, dürfen. You already know the others. We use dürfen to express that a person has permission or the right to do something. This permission is usually given by someone in a position of authority, like a parent, doctor, or official.

Sie dürfen Wasser oder Tee trinken.

Hier dürfen Sie zwei Stunden parken.

Similarly, the authorities can deny someone permission to do something, in which case dürfen would be used with negation.

Sie dürfen keinen Kaffee trinken.

Hier dürfen Sie nicht parken.

Conjugation:

As with most of the other modal verbs, the vowel changes in the singular form; the verb form is the same in the first- and third-person singular.

Singular:
1st person ich darf
2nd person du darfst
3rd person er/sie/es/man darf
Plural:
1st person wir dürfen
2nd person ihr dürft
3rd person sie dürfen
Formal: Sie dürfen

Revision: müssen

As a comparison, take another look at sentences that use the modal verb müssen:

The verb müssen expresses a necessity or requirement; a person is forced to do something:

Er muss arbeiten. (He has to work because he needs money in order to live.)

When the verb müssen is negated, it means there is neither pressure to do something, nor is it expressly forbidden. It means that it is not necessary for a person to do something, but they can do it if they like.

Er muss nicht arbeiten. (He is rich and has enough money to live on, but perhaps he chooses to work because he enjoys it.)

Question 23

Present perfect
(Revision: present perfect)

Answer 23

Ich habe gestern Fußball gespielt.

In spoken language, we often use the present perfect tense to talk about something that happened in the past.

The present perfect is formed from two parts:

a) In second position in the sentence is a simple clause with the auxiliary verb haben or sein. It is conjugated as in the present tense.

b) The activity described in the sentence is expressed using the second verb at the end of the sentence. This verb is in a special form, the past participle. Most past participles start with the prefix ge-. The past participle in the present perfect tense is an infinitive form, meaning it is not conjugated.

Grammatical terms in German:

das Perfekt: The present perfect is a verb tense that expresses an event in the past. It is formed using the conjugated form of the auxiliary verb (haben or sein) and the past participle.

Question 24

Present perfect: auxiliary verbs
(Revision: present perfect with haben or sein?)

Answer 24

Most verbs make the perfect with the auxiliary verb haben. Verbs that could take an accusative object always form the perfect tense with haben:

Max und Tarek haben mich zum Arzt gebracht.

Verbs that make the present perfect with sein are …

… verbs that express movement in a particular direction or signify a change of location, e.g. gehen, fahren, fliegen, schwimmen and reisen:
Wir sind sofort zum Arzt gefahren.

… verbs that describe a change of condition or state that cannot be controlled, e.g. einschlafen, aufwachen and passieren.
Ich bin im Krankenhaus aufgewacht.

… the verbs sein, bleiben and werden.
Ich bin drei Tage im Krankenhaus geblieben.

Question 25

The past participle
(Revision: the past participle)

Answer 25

The past participle of regular verbs ends in -(e)t.

The past participle of irregular verbs usually ends in -en.

For most verbs, the past participle begins with ge-. Some verbs which make the past participle without ge- are:

Verbs that end in -ieren
Verbs with inseparable prefixes, i.e., be-, ent-, er-, ver-, zer-
In separable verbs, the -ge- comes between the prefix and the verb stem.

Examples: regular verbs

Infinitive Past participle
stürzen ge-stürz-t
passieren passier-t
aufwachen auf-ge-wach-t

Examples: irregular verbs

Infinitive Past participle
liegen ge-leg-en
verstehen verstand-en
mitnehmen mit-ge-nomm-en

Question 26

Prepositions of time: vor, nach

Answer 26

To describe a time sequence, we can use the prepositions vor and nach:

A timeline from 7 to 9 o‘clock with three times written in for showering, breakfast and “zum Sprachkurs gehen”A timeline from 7 to 9 o‘clock with three times written in for showering, breakfast and “zum Sprachkurs gehen”
Vor dem Frühstück duscht Nico.

Nach dem Frühstück geht er zum Sprachkurs.

When we use vor and nach to specify a time, the article and the noun that follow are always in the dative.

der Unterricht:
vor/nach dem Unterricht

die Pause:
vor/nach der Pause

das Frühstück:
vor/nach dem Frühstück

Question 27

Nominalization

Answer 27

Verbs usually describe an activity, a condition or an event. we can also nominalize verbs, which means converting a verb into a stand-alone noun by putting an article before the infinitive form of the verb. Nominalized infinitives always take a neuter article, and like other nouns are written with a capital letter and declined.

Example:

grillen -> das Grillen

Yanis findet das Grillen wichtiger als das Training.

essen -> das Essen

Nico soll die Tabletten nach dem Essen nehmen.

schlafen gehen -> das Schlafengehen

Nico soll die Salbe vor dem Schlafengehen benutzen.

Question 28

Modal verbs: meaning

(Summary: the meaning of the modal verbs)

Answer 28

Summary: the meaning of the modal verbs

Modal verbs generally refer to a second verb – the main verb in the sentence. They describe a relationship between the subject and the activity expressed with the main verb.

The following meanings are expressed using modal verbs:

können: ability/possibility

Nico kann Deutsch sprechen.

(He has learned the language and therefore has the ability to speak it.)

Nico kann bei Inge wohnen.

(It is possible for him to live with Inge.)

dürfen: permission

Emma darf eine Freundin besuchen.

(Her mother allowed her to do it.)

dürfen + negation: forbidden

Emma darf keinen Alkohol trinken.

(Her parents did not let her drink alcohol and it is illegal to drink alcohol if you are underage.)

müssen: responsibility/necessity

Emma muss die Hausaufgaben machen.

(Her teacher will punish her for not having done her homework.)

müssen + negation: not necessary

Wir müssen nicht mehr trainieren.

(We are fit enough and do not need to work out anymore.)

sollen: commands/requests

Nico soll studieren.

(His parents want him to study.)

wollen: (strong) wish or consideration

Lisa will heute Abend mit Nina ins Kino gehen.

(Lisa plans to go to the cinema with Nina.)

möchten: (politely formulated) desire

Selma möchte als Architektin arbeiten.

(She wants to work as an architect.)

Question 29

Modal verbs: conjugation
(Summary)

Answer 29

For most modal verbs the following is true:

In the singular, the vowel changes.
The first- and third-person singular forms of the verb are the same.
Take another look at how the various modal verbs are conjugated:

können

Singular
1st person ich kann
2nd person du kannst
3rd person er/sie/es/man kann
Plural
1st person wir können
2nd person ihr könnt
3rd person sie können
Formal Sie können

dürfen

Singular
1st person ich darf
2nd person du darfst
3rd person er/sie/es/man darf
Plural
1st person wir dürfen
2nd person ihr dürft
3rd person sie dürfen
Formal Sie dürfen

müssen

Singular
1st person ich muss
2nd person du musst
3rd person er/sie/es/man muss
Plural
1st person wir müssen
2nd person ihr müsst
3rd person sie müssen
formal Sie müssen

sollen

Singular
1st person ich soll
2nd person du sollst
3rd person er/sie/es/man soll
Plural
1st person wir sollen
2nd person ihr sollt
3rd person sie sollen
Formal Sie sollen

wollen

Singular
1st person ich will
2nd person du willst
3rd person er/sie/es will
Plural
1st person wir wollen
2nd person ihr wollt
3rd person sie wollen
Formal Sie wollen

möchten

Singular
1st person ich möchte
2nd person du möchtest
3rd person er/sie/es/man möchte
Plural
1st person wir möchten
2nd person ihr möchtet
3rd person sie möchten
Formal Sie möchten

Question 30

Adjective declension
(Revision: adjective declension)

Answer 30

An adjective can directly precede the noun it describes. In this case, the adjective ending changes to match that of the noun. This change is known as adjective declension; there are three different declensions. The correct declension to use depends on the article before the noun: the indefinite article, the definite article or no article?

Revision: adjective declension after an indefinite article

In the nominative and accusative cases, the adjective takes the ending of the definite article:

Nominative
der Garten: ein großer Garten
die Familie: eine große Familie
das Haus: ein großes Haus
die Geschäfte: große Geschäfte

In the accusative case, the masculine article – and along with it the adjective ending – changes. All other forms stay the same.

Accusative
den Garten: einen großen Garten
die Familie: eine große Familie
das Haus: ein großes Haus
die Geschäfte: große Geschäfte

Exceptions:

Adjectives that end in -el or -er often lose the e in front of the adjective ending:
teuer: Wir hatten ein teures Auto.
A few adjectives (super, extra and some adjectives describing color) are not declined:
super: Das war ein super Essen.

Question 31

Adjective declension
(Revision: Adjective declension after a definite article)

Answer 31

Revision: Adjective declension after a definite article

Inge schenkt Nico ein gestreiftes Hemd. – Nico findet das gestreifte Hemd nicht so schön.

If an indefinite article is before the noun and adjective, the adjective (in the nominative and accusative cases) takes on the ending of the definite article.

But when a definite article is before the noun and adjective, the adjective only takes on the ending -e or -en.

Nominative
der Garten: der große Garten
die Familie: die große Familie
das Haus: das große Haus
die Geschäfte: die großen Geschäfte

Accusative
den Garten: den großen Garten
die Familie: die große Familie
das Haus: das große Haus
die Geschäfte: die großen Geschäfte

In the accusative case, adjectives in front of masculine nouns take on the ending -en.

Adjectives in front of a plural noun also take on the ending -en.

Question 32

Adjective declension
(Revision: adjective declension after a possessive determiner or negative article(

Answer 32

For adjectives that come before a noun with a possessive determiner (e.g., mein, dein, sein …) or a negative article (kein), the declensions are as follows:

in the singular, the adjective declension follows that of the indefinite article.
In the plural, the adjective declension follows that of the definite article.
Masculine:
kein großer Garten (nominative)
keinen großen Garten (accusative)

Feminine:
keine große Familie (nominative and accusative)

Neuter:
kein großes Haus (nominative and accusative)

Plural:
keine großen Geschäfte (nominative and accusative)

Question 33

Personal pronouns: dative
Personal pronouns in the dative case

Answer 33

Personal pronouns can take the nominative case and other cases as well; for example a personal pronoun can be used after certain prepositions or verbs in the accusative. Other prepositions or verbs take the dative.

Nominative: Vermisst du spanisches Essen?

Accusative: Wir haben für dich Paella gekocht.

Dative: Schmeckt dir die Paella?

Nominative Accusative Dative
ich mich mir
du dich dir
er ihn ihm
sie sie ihr
es es ihm
wir uns uns
ihr euch euch
sie sie ihnen
Sie Sie Ihnen

Question 34

Verbs with a dative object (2)

Answer 34

A few German verbs are used with a dative object, often the recipient or goal of an action, and quite often a person.

Examples:

Der junge Mann hilft der alten Frau.
Er hilft ihr.

Subject: der junge Mann = er
Dative object: der alten Frau = ihr

Further examples:

Die Hose passt dem Mann.
Sie passt ihm.

Das Essen schmeckt den Kindern.
Es schmeckt ihnen.

Ihre Familie fehlt der Frau.
Sie fehlt ihr.

Das Zimmer gefällt der Studentin.
Es gefällt ihr.

Question 35

Prepositions + dative
Summary: Prepositions with the dative case

Answer 35

Some prepositions are always followed by the dative. You already know the following ones:

aus: Tarek kommt aus der Türkei.

nach: Nach dem Essen lerne ich Deutsch.

von: Das Haus ist in der Nähe vom Bahnhof. (vom = von + dem)

bei: Selma wohnt bei ihnen.

zu: Nico geht zum Deutschkurs. (zum = zu + dem)

mit: Nico fährt mit dem Bus.

ab: Tarek hat ab dem ersten Februar eine Woche Urlaub.

Two-case prepositions take the dative case when they are used to answer the question Wo …?:

Inge and Nico sit at a table in Marek, Tarek stands next to themInge and Nico sit at a table in Marek, Tarek stands next to them
in: Nico, Inge und Tarek sind im Restaurant. (im = in + dem)

an: Nico und Inge sitzen am Tisch. (am = an + dem)

unter: Nicos Füße sind unter dem Tisch.

über: Die Lampe hängt nicht über dem Tisch von Nico und Inge.

auf: Das Essen steht auf dem Tisch.

vor: Die Blumenvase steht vor dem Teller von Inge.

hinter: Das Kuchenregal steht hinter dem Stuhl von Inge.

neben: Nicos Messer liegt neben dem Teller.

zwischen: Der Orangensaft steht zwischen dem Teller und der Blumenvase.

Question 36

Subjunctive: Wishes (1)

Answer 36

When we are talking about a situation that is not real, we use a special form of the verb known as the subjunctive. We use this form, for example, to express wishes.

real: Ich habe keinen eigenen Fahrradladen.

wish: Ich hätte gern einen eigenen Fahrradladen.

The past subjunctive of “haben” is conjugated as follows:

Nico with closed eyes and a thought bubble that shows the bike shop with the text “Nicos Fahrradladen” Nico with closed eyes and a thought bubble that shows the bike shop with the text “Nicos Fahrradladen”
Singular
1st person ich hätte
2nd person du hättest
3rd person er/sie/es/man hätte
Plural
1st person wir hätten
2nd person ihr hättet
3rd person sie hätten
Formal Sie hätten

Grammatical terms in German:

der Konjunktiv II: The subjunctive is a verb form that is used to express something that is not real but is a fantastical proposition. It is used, for example, to express a wish or a requirement that is unrealistic. It is also used to ask a favor of someone or to make a proposal in a polite manner.

Question 37

Subjunctive: Wishes (2)

Answer 37

In order to express who, what, or how someone wants something, we use a form of the verb sein called the subjunctive.

real: Ich bin nicht verheiratet.

wish: Ich wäre gern verheiratet.

The past subjunctive of “sein” is conjugated as follows:

Inge with a happy expression and a thought bubble that shows a man putting a ring on a woman‘s ring finger.Inge with a happy expression and a thought bubble that shows a man putting a ring on a woman‘s ring finger.
Singular
1st person ich wäre
2nd person du wärst (du wärest)*
3rd person er/sie/es/man wäre
Plural
1st person wir wären
2nd person ihr wärt (ihr wäret)*
3rd person sie wären
Formal Sie wären
*Two forms exist here; the form in the brackets is rarely used.

Question 38

Subjunctive: Wishes (3)

Answer 38

We can make a form of the subjunctive from any verb. However, in everyday language we only make the subjunctives of haben, sein and the modal verbs. With other verbs, we use the form würde + the infinitive.

real: Selma besucht ihre Großeltern nicht.

wish: Selma würde gern ihre Großeltern besuchen.

real: Emma isst kein Eis.

wish: Emma würde gern ein Eis essen.

The subjunctive würde is conjugated but the second verb does not change:

Singular
1st person ich würde
2nd person du würdest
3rd person er/sie/es/man würde
Plural
1st person wir würden
2nd person ihr würdet
3rd person sie würden
Formal Sie würden

Question 39

Simple past: sein, haben
Revision: simple past

Answer 39

Yara war in der Schweiz.
Nico hatte Probleme.

The simple past is a verb form used to express the past tense. It is predominantly used in written form, e.g. in newspaper articles and literature. The simple past forms of sein, haben and modal verbs are also used in spoken language.

Here again are the simple past forms of sein and haben.

sein:

Singular
1st person ich war
2nd person du warst
3rd person er/sie/es war
Plural
1st person wir waren
2nd person ihr wart
3rd person sie waren
Formal Sie waren

haben:

Singular:
1st person ich hatte
2nd person du hattest
3rd person er/sie/es hatte
Plural:
1st person wir hatten
2nd person ihr hattet
3rd person sie hatten
Formal: Sie hatten

Question 40

Prepositions of time: vor, seit

Answer 40

The preposition of time vor

Nico ist vor einem Monat nach Deutschland gekommen.

The preposition of time vor is used to describe past events or actions that have been completed. The preposition vor is followed by an expression of time in the dative. This expression of time states how much time has elapsed since the event or action.

vor + dative

der Monat vor einem Monat
die Woche vor einer Woche
das Jahr vor einem Jahr
die Monate vor drei Monaten
die Wochen vor drei Wochen
die Jahre vor drei Jahren

As the action or event has been completed, a past tense form is used:

Present perfect: Nawin ist vor zwei Wochen nach Frankreich gezogen.

Simple past: Lisa hatte vor drei Wochen Urlaub.

The preposition of time seit

Nico lernt seit einem Monat Deutsch.

The preposition seit signifies an event, an action or a status that began in the past but has not yet finished. The preposition seit is followed by an expression of time in the dative. This expression of time gives information about how long the action, event or condition has been ongoing.

seit + dative

der Monat seit einem Monat
die Woche seit einer Woche
das Jahr seit einem Jahr
die Monate seit drei Monaten
die Wochen seit drei Wochen
die Jahre seit drei Jahren

Since the action/event/condition has not yet finished, the present tense is normally used in a sentence with seit.

Nico wohnt seit drei Wochen bei Inge.

Grammatical terms in German:

die Präposition: Prepositions are mostly short words that connect words or groups of words to each other. They describe the relationships between people or things.