Profiency Exam Flashcards
I
ich / mich / mir / meiner
You
du / dich / dir / deiner
He
er / ihn / ihm / seiner
She
sie / sie / ihr / ihrer
It
es / es / ihm / seiner
We
wir / uns / uns / unserer
You (pl.)
ihr / euch / euch / eurer
They
sie / sie / ihnen / ihrer
You (formal)
Sie / Sie / Ihnen / Ihrer
Dative prepositions
Used for time and location
Accusative prepositions
Used for directionality and motion
Verb infinitives used as nouns
Always neuter; English gerund (verb + ing)
Comparative + als
… than …
Immer + comparative
repeat the comparative in the sense of progression (e.g. immer wider: again and again)
Je + comparative … desto / je / umso + comparative
comparative dependent and main clause (“je” marks the independent variable)
Gern + verb
to like to do something
Gern with haben + person / thing
to like [person / thing]
Future tense
werden + infinitive
Future perfect tense
werden (finite verb) + [participle + haben / sein]
Selbst / selber after noun or pronoun
emphasis function; translate as personal pronoun
Selbst before noun or pronoun
even + noun / pronoun
Passive voice
werden + past participle
Present and past perfect in passive voice
sein (finite verb) + past participle + worden
Future tense in passive voice
werden (finite verb) + past participle + werden (infinitive)
Modal in passive voice
modal (finite verb) + past participle + werden (infinitive)
Sondern / vielmehr
but rather (follows a negative to propose an alternative)
Dependent clause
subject and verb forming an incomplete thought; introduced by subordinating conjunction with the conjugated verb moved to the end of the clause; always set off by commas
Während
subordinating conjunction: “while”
genitive preposition: “during”
Wenn auch (in any order)
even if / even when / even though
Indem
subordinating conjunction: “while” / “in the process” / “by [verb] + ing”
Da
subordinating conjunction: “since” / “because”
adverb: “there” (location) / “then” (time)
Damit
subordinating conjunction: “so that”
adverbial preposition: “as a result of that”
Reflexive constructions where subject is an inanimate object
substitute for passive voice
Reflexive construction with “lassen,” an inanimate object or idea as subject, and no object
passive voice: “can be / could be / is able to be [verb]”
Reflexive construction with “lassen,” subject, and object
“to have (something) done (by someone for oneself)”
Relative clauses
always set off by commas; verbs moved to the end
- nominative: followed by verb that agrees in number and gender
- accusative: often another subject is introduced
- dative: often paired with a preposition
- genitive: often paired with another noun that is the possession of the antecedent
Was (relative pronoun)
- for neuter entities in generalized sense (alles, vieles, nicht, etwas, etc.)
- for neuter superlatives used as a noun
- for an unspecified antecedent (what)
- for whole sentence as antecedent (something, the fact that…)
Perfect tense with modal verbs
haben (finite verb) … verb infinitive + modal infinitive (where the modal infinitive functions as the past participle)
Dürfen
Objective: may
Subjective: cannot (negative only; sense of disbelief)
Können
Objective: to be able to
Subjective: fairly certain assumption
Mögen
Objective: like (preference)
Subjective: may, could (uncertainty; possibility)
Müssen
Objective: must, have to (compulsion)
Subjective: must (evidence-based conclusion)
Sollen
Objective: should / shalt (moral duty)
Subjective: supposed to, said to (common assumption)
Wollen
Objective: want (wish; intention)
Subjective: claim to (purported)
“Dessen” and “deren” as demonstrative adjectives
used in combination with another noun to refer to possession by the last-mentioned noun (translate as possessive pronouns)
Dies- and jen-
“this and that …”; “dies” as a substitute for an entire clause or unspecified antecedent; “dieser… jener…” can mean “the former… the latter…”
Der-word + jenige
“the …”; often followed by relative clause to specify the relevance of the demonstrative pronoun
Der-word + selbe
“the same…”
“Wer” as demonstrative pronoun
he who… / whoever… / anyone who…
“Was” as demonstrative pronoun
what… / whatever … / that which …
Verb + “wir” (in verb-first constructions)
let us…
“um … zu” construction
in order to (purpose, consequence, or effect of the main clause)
“ohne … zu” construction
without … [verb] -ing
“(An)staat….zu” construction
instead of [verb] -ing
Ist / war + zu + inifinitive
can be / could be / must be / had to be / should be / is to be + participle
Dabei
in the process
Dagegen
on the other hand / however
Daher
therefore / for that reason
Damit
so that / in order that
Darauf
thereupon / after that
Dazu
in addition
Hier-compounds
preposition + “this”
Wenn nur
if only
Als ob / als wenn
as if / as though
Present subjunctive I
translate in the same tense as the introductory statement
Past subjunctive I
translate in the tense before that of the introductory statement (unless the reported discourse remains regarded as true)
