Introductory Concepts & Nouns

Question 1

Name 4 properties of words.

Answer 1

1. Meaning.
2. Part of speech.
3. Function.
4. Form.

Question 2

What are “cognate” words?

Answer 2

Cognates are words that have the same meaning and approximately the same spelling in different languages.

Question 3

What are idioms / idiomatic expressions?

Answer 3

Idioms are phrases or ways of expressing ideas that are unique to a given language. Such an expression must be considered as a whole, not just as individual words.

Question 4

What is the equivalent German idiomatic expression for “keep your fingers crossed”?

Answer 4

die Daumen drücken (“press your thumbs”)

Question 5

What are 8 grammatical parts of speech?

Answer 5

1. Nouns.
2. Verbs.
3. Adjectives.
4. Adverbs.
5. Articles.
6. Pronouns.
7. Prepositions.
8. Conjunctions.

Question 6

What is the function of a word?

Answer 6

The function of a word is the role it plays in a sentence. For example, a word that is a noun (part of speech) can function as a subject, a direct object, an indirect object or an object of a preposition.

Question 7

What is the form of a word?

Answer 7

A word can influence the form of another word, i.e., its spelling and pronunciation. This matching is called “agreement.” Typically, number and gender must agree, for example.

Question 8

What is a noun?

Answer 8

A noun is a word that names a person, place, animal, thing, event or idea.

Question 9

What are the 2 basic types of nouns?

Answer 9

1. Tangible.

2. Abstract.

Question 10

What are the 3 major classifications of nouns?

Answer 10

1. Proper – specific, always capitalized.
2. Common – non-specific.
3. Compound – two common nouns written as one word.

Question 11

What are 5 major attributes of German nouns?

Answer 11

1. ALWAYS capitalized.
2. Case.
3. Gender.
4. Number.
5. Function.

Question 12

To what does “case” refer in German nouns?

Answer 12

Case refers to the form the noun takes, depending on its function in the sentence.

Question 13

To what does “number” refer in German nouns?

Answer 13

Number refers to whether a noun is singular or plural.

Question 14

What are 3 major functions of German nouns?

Answer 14

1. Subject – performs the action of a verb.
2. Predicate Noun – a noun connected to the subject by a linking verb.
3. Objects – nouns (or pronouns) that receive the action of a verb, i.e., direct objects, indirect objects, and objects of prepositions.

Question 15

What are two ways to identify German nouns?

Answer 15

1. First letter is always capitalized.

2. Preceded by a definite or indefinite article.

Question 16

What are 4 key things to memorize when learning German nouns?

Answer 16

1. Meaning of the noun.
2. Gender of the noun.
3. Number forms of the noun (both singular and plural).
4. The nominative form of the noun is listed in the dictionary.