German Lessons

Lektion
Lesson
Thema - Grammatik
Audio Language Lab: Sound files for learning to pronounce German.
Lesson 1.1
Gre: Common greetings.
Lesson 1.2 Das ABC: With sound plus a pronunciation guide for German letters and words.
Lesson 2 Personal Pronouns: I, you (formal and familiar), we etc. With Quiz.
Lesson 3 Introduction to noun and gender: der, die, das. With German Gender Quiz.
Lesson 4.1
Two important verbs: haben (to have) and sein (to be)
Lesson 4.2
German verbs in the present tense
Lesson 5
Common adjectives and colors
Test 1
Review Test 1 (covers lessons 1-5)
Lesson 6
Land und Leute: Countries, nationalities and languages. With exercises and
quiz.
Lesson 7 German Numbers: 0-20. With exercises and audio.
Lesson 8 German Numbers: 21-100. With exercises and audio.
Lesson 9
Meine Familie und ich - Talking about your family and relations.
Lesson 10
Wie komme ich dorthin? - Directions and going places.
Test 2
Review Test 2 (covers lessons 6-10)

The following is an overview of essential German greetings (Gre) you
need to know when encountering a German speaker. Though the casual way
of addressing someone in German is included, these sayings should be
reserved only for close friends and family. As a general rule, always use the
more formal way of speaking when in Germany, namely
with Sie (formal you) instead of du (familiar you). See more in Lesson 2.
Hello. Hallo.
Gr dich! casual
Gr Gott! In southern Germany and Austria.
Guten Tag. Hello/Good Day.
Guten Morgen/Guten Abend. Good morning/evening.
Bye! Auf Wiedersehen.
Auf Wiederhren. Bye on the telephone.
Tschss! casual
Bis bald! See you soon!
Bis spter! See you later!
How are you? Wie geht es I hnen? formal
Wie geht es dir? casual
I'm fine.
I'm so-so.
I'm not doing well.
I'm doing better.
Es geht mir gut.
Es geht.
Es geht mir schlecht.
Es geht mir besser.
Excuse me! Entschuldigen Sie bitte! formal
Entschuldigung! casual
Pardon me? Wie bitte?
Please. Bitte. See more on Thank you and You're Welcome in German.
Thank you. Danke.
I'm sorry. Es tut mit leid.
Really? Wirklich?
Gladly! Gerne!
Nice to meet you. Sehr erfreut.
Take care Mach's gut.
Ad

German has often been viewed by non-Germans as a harsh sounding
language. That may be due in part to the more guttural pronunciation of
certain German alphabet sounds anddiphthongs and perhaps even a still
lingering effect of old WWII movie stereotypes. Once non-German speakers
familiarize themselves with Germans different sounds however, another
kind of poetic beauty will unfold before them that has been revered
worldwide in the works of many German greats, such as Goethe, Schiller
through prose and song.
How does the German alphabet differ from the English alphabet?

Unique Traits of the German Alphabet:

More than 26 letters in the alphabet - German has a so called extended latin alphabet

The extra letters are , , and
The pronunciation of some of these letters do not exist in the English language

Several letters are pronounced more from the back of the throat: g, ch, r (though in Austria the
r is trilled).

The W in German sounds like the V in English

The V in German sounds like the F in English

Most of the time the S in German sounds like Z in English when placed at the beginning of a
word followed by a vowel.
The letter is the only letter that will never be at the beginning of a word.

Click on the following letters to hear them pronounced. (Audio saved as .wav files.)

Das Deutsche Alphabet/ The German Alphabet
Buchstabe/
Letter
Aussprache des
Buchstabenamens/
Pronunciation of
letter name
Aussprache
des
Buchstaben -
wie in/ Sound
of Letter - as
in
Beispiele/ Examples
A a ah astronaut der Adler (eagle), Januar(January)
B b approximate: bay baby der Bruder (brother), aber (but)
C c approximate: tsay creative,
Celcius (soft c
der Chor, der Christkindlmarkt(south
German term for der
sound in
German
sounds likets)
Weihnachtsmarkt/ Christmas
market), Celcius
D d approximate: day dollar Dienstag (Tuesday), oder (or)
E e approximate: ay elegant essen (to eat), zuerst (first)
F f eff effort der Freund (friend), offen (open)
G g approximate: gay gorgeous gut (good), gemein (mean)
H h haa hammer der Hammer, dieMhle (mill)
I i eeh Igor der Igel (porcupine),
der Imbiss(snack), sieben (seven)
J j yot yellow das Jahr (year), jeder (each)
K k kah camel das Kamel, der Kuchen (cake)
L l ell love die Leute (people), das Land(land)
M m em man der Mann, die Ameise
N n en nice nicht (not), die Mnze (coin)
O o oh oven Ostern (Easter),rot (red)
P p approximate: pay party die Polizei (police), der Apfel
Q q koo coral das Quadrat (square),
die Quelle(source)
Note: All German words start
with qu (kw - sound)
R r approximate: er rich der Rcken (the back), der Stern(star)
S s es zoo, shine,
mouse
summen (to hum), schn (pretty,
nice), die Maus
T t approximate: tay tyrant der Tyrann, acht (eight)
U u ooh ou sound in
you
die Universitt (university),
derMund (mouth)
V v fow father der Vogel (bird), die Nerven(nerves)
W w approximate: vay van die Wange (cheek),
das Schwein(pig, wieviel (how much)
X x ix sounds like kz das Xylofon/ Xylophon,
die Hexe(witch)
Note: There are hardly any German
words that start with X
Y y uep-si-lohn yellow die Yucca, der Yeti
Note: There are hardly any German
words that start with Y.
Z z tset sounds like ts die Zeitung (newspaper),
derZigeuner (gypsy)

Umlaut +
Aussprache des Buchstaben/
Pronunciation of Letter
Beispiele/ Examples
sounds similar to the e in melon hnlich (similar), ghnen (to
yawn)
sounds similar to the i in girl sterreich (Austria),
der Lwe(lion)
no equivalent nor approximate sound in
English
ber (over),mde (tired)
(esszet) double s

Lesson 2
German Personal Pronouns
Plus the formal versus the familiar you
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The German personal pronouns (er, ich, sie, es, du, wir, etc.) work in
much the same way as their English equivalents (he, I, she, it, you, we,
etc.). When we get to verb conjugation later, these words will be a key
element that you should know very well. Even here we have included some
sample verb phrases for many of the pronouns.
The pronouns listed below are in the nominative (subject) case. We will
talk about their other forms and different cases in a later lesson. (Need help
with grammar terms? See our German Grammar Glossary.)
A special word about the "you" pronouns!
German, much more than English, makes a clear distinction between
formal you (Sie) and familiar you (first name, du) in social situations.
(Unlike English, most European and other languages also have both a formal
and a familiar you.) In this regard, Germans tend to be more formal than
English-speakers and use first names only after a long period of getting to
know each other (sometimes years). This is a good example of how language
and culture are intertwined, and you need to be aware of this to avoid
embarassing yourself and others. In the table below, the familiar you forms
(du, ihr) are marked with the abbreviation "fam." to distinguish them from
the formal you (Sie).

NOTE: German has three different forms of sie! Often the only way to tell
which one is meant is to notice the verb ending and/or the context in which
the pronoun is used. Even the capitalized Sie (you, formal) is tricky if it
appears at the beginning of a sentence. Lower-casesie can mean both "she"
and "they": sie ist (she is), sie sind (they are).
Also read the article and try our self-scoring quiz on du and Sie that is
included in You and thou, Sie und du.
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die deutschen Pronomina
German Pronouns
Nominative Singular
Pronomen Pronoun Sample Phrases
ich I Darf ich? (May I?)
Ich bin 16 Jahre alt. (I'm 16 years old.)
The pronoun ich is not capitalized except at the beginning of a
sentence.
du you
(fam.)
Kommst du mit? (Are you coming along?)
er he Ist er da? (Is he here?)
sie she Ist sie da? (Is she here?)
es it Hast du es? (Do you have it?)
Sie you Kommen Sie heute? (Are you coming today?)
The pronoun Sie always takes a plural conjugation, but is also used
for the formal "you" singular.
Nominative Plural
Pronomen Pronoun Sample Phrases
wir we Wir kommen am Dienstag. (We're coming on
Tuesday.)
ihr you
guys
(fam.)
Habt ihr das Geld? (Do you guys have the money?)
sie they Sie kommen heute. (They're coming today.)
The pronoun sie in this sentence could also mean "you" Sie. Only
the context makes it clear which of the two is meant.
Sie you
(plur.)
Kommen Sie heute? (Are you [all] coming today?)
The pronoun Sie always takes a plural conjugation, but is also used
for the formal "you" singular.
See the article and quiz You and thou, Sie und du for more about du and Sie.

German Nouns and Gender
der | die | das - ein | eine | ein
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Hren Sie zu! AUDIO in LESSON
German nouns (a person, place or thing, Substantive) are very easy to
spot: they always begin with a CAPITAL letter! German is the only world
language that capitalizes all nouns. Although there has been debate
over the years about doing away with this rather inefficient practice, for now
ALL German nouns must begin with a capital letter. Whether we are talking
about a simple tree (ein Baum) or Deutsche Bank, any noun is capitalized
in German. (MORE:Capitalization in German, an article by your Guide.)
The other important thing for English-speakers to understand about German
nouns is the matter of gender. Just as we learned about the pronouns in
the previous lesson, German nouns parallel he, she and it (er, sie, es) by also
being masculine (der - DARE), feminine (die - DEE) or neuter (das -
DAHSS). We can see the parallel very clearly by the ending letters for each
article/pronoun: der = er, die = sie, das = es.

Always learn German nouns with their genders! Although our Gender
Hints page tells you ways by which it is possible to know the gender
of some German nouns, there is no better way than to simply learn each
noun and its gender together. Don't just learnBaum (tree), learn der
Baum (the tree)!

Der, die and das are the same as "the" in English - the DEFINITE ARTICLE.
In German the definite article is much more important than it is in English.
For one thing, it is used more often. In English we might say: "Nature is
wonderful." In German, the article would be also be included: "Die Natur ist
wunderschn." So knowing which article to use becomes even more
important!
The INDEFINITE ARTICLE ("a" or "an" in English) is ein or eine in
German. Ein basically means "one" and like the definite article, it indicates
the gender of the noun it goes with (eine orein). For a feminine noun,
only eine can be used (in the nominative case). For masculine or neuter
nouns, only ein is correct. This is a very important concept to learn! It is
also reflected in the use of possessive adjectives such as sein(e) (his)
or mein(e) (my), which are also called "ein-words."
Gender is sometimes natural-der Mann/ein Mann (man, masc.), die
Frau/eine Frau (woman,fem.), but more often it is not: das
Mdchen (girl, neuter). Nor does noun gender carry over from one
language to another. The sun is feminine in German (die Sonne) but
masculine in Spanish (el sol). A table is masculine in German (der Tisch)
but feminine in French (la table). But it is the WORD, not the thing that has
gender, and it makes little sense to worry about the whys of gender. Just
concentrate on learning the genders. Memorization is key, but you can also
use little hints to help you remember a noun's gender. For example, to
remind yourself that die Natur, nature, is feminine, you might think of
"Mother Nature." As you continue your studies, always learn a new noun and
its gender together-as a unit. This important step will become increasingly
important as you advance in German.
To learn more about German nouns and gender, study the chart below
carefully, then read the article Gender Hints and try our self-scoring quiz on nouns
and gender. You can hear the pronunciation of the words (MP3 audio) in
each gender group by clicking on any noun.
NOUNS - Substantive
AUDIO Click on a linked word to hear it. (MP3)
NOMINATIVE SINGULAR
Arti
kel
Gen
der
Sample Nouns
der
ein
mas
c.
der Bahnhof (train
station), Sohn (son), Vater (father), Wagen(car), Zug (draft, parade,
train)
AUDIO: Hear All the Masculine Nouns
die
eine
fem. die Anlage (installation,
park), Dame (lady), Festung (fortress),Gesundheit (health), Luft (air)
AUDIO: Hear All the Feminine Nouns
das neut das Boot (boat), Dach (roof), Geld (money), Jahr (year), Kino(cinema,
ein . movie theater), Radio
AUDIO: Hear All the Neuter Nouns
NOMINATIVE PLURAL
Arti
kel
Gen
der
Sample Nouns (Plurals)
die
kein
e
mei
ne
plur
.
die
Bcher (books), Dcher (roofs), Fenster (windows), Jahre(years), Radios
, Shne (sons), Zeitungen (newspapers)
Note: All nouns, of any gender, become die in the plural. (Ein can't be
plural, but other so-called ein-words
can: keine [none], meine [my], seine [his], etc.) That's the good news.
The bad news is that there are about a dozen ways to form the plural of
German nouns, only one of which is to add an "s" - as in English. - See the
lesson and quiz Gender Hints for more.

Lesson 4.1
Two Important Verbs: haben and sein
To have and have not
Haben und nicht haben
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The two most important German verbs are haben (to have) and sein (to
be). As in most languages, the verb "to be" is one of the oldest verbs in
German, and therefore one of the most irregular. The verb "to have" is only
slightly less irregular, but no less vital to surviving in German.
We'll start with haben. Look at the following table for the conjugation
of haben (to have) in the present tense, along with sample sentences. Notice
the strong resemblance to English for many forms of this verb, with most
forms only one letter off from the English (habe/have, hat/has). In the case
of the familiar you (du), the German verb is identical to Old English: "thou
hast" = "du hast."
Haben is also used in some German expressions that are translated with "to
be" in English:Ich habe Hunger. = I'm hungry.

haben - to have
Deutsch English Sample Sentences
SINGULAR
ich habe I have Ich habe einen roten Wagen. (...a red car.)
du hast you (fam.)
have
Du hast mein Buch. (...my book.)
er hat he has Er hat ein blaues Auge. (...a black eye.)
sie hat she has Sie hat blaue Augen. (...blue eyes.)
es hat it has Es hat keine Fehler. (...no flaws.)
PLURAL
wir haben we have Wir haben keine Zeit. (...no time.)
ihr habt you (guys)
have
Habt ihr euer Geld? (...your money?)
sie haben they have Sie haben kein Geld. (They have no money.)
Sie haben you have Haben Sie das Geld? (Sie, formal "you," is
both singular and plural.)
See more verbs on our German Strong Verbs and
50 Common German Verbs pages.
To be or not to be...
Sein oder nicht sein...
Look at the following table for the conjugation of sein (to be) in the present
tense. Notice how similar the German and English forms are in the third
person (ist/is).
sein - to be
SINGULAR
ich bin I am Ich bin's. (It's me.)
du bist you (fam.)
are
Du bist mein Schatz. (...my darling/treasure.)
er ist he is Er ist ein netter Kerl. (...a nice guy.)
sie ist she is Ist sie da? (Is she here?)
es ist it is Es ist mein Buch. (...my book.)
PLURAL
wir sind we are "Wir sind das Volk!" ("We are the
people/nation!" - Slogan of 1989 East
German protests in Leipzig.)
ihr seid you (guys)
are
Seid ihr unsere Freunde? (..our friends.)
sie sind they are Sie sind unsere Freunde. (..our friends.)
Sie sind you are Sind Sie Herr Meier? (Sie, formal "you," is
See more verbs on our German Strong Verbs and
50 Common German Verbs pages.
In later lessons we'll go over the past tense forms of both of these key
verbs. In the meantime, if you want to look at these and other irregular
verbs in the simple past and present perfect, see our German Strong
Verbs pages.

German Verbs in the Present Tense
Continued from: Two Important Verbs (Lektion 4.1)
More verbs:
50 Common German Verbs
20 Most-Used German Verbs (ranked)
Unlike haben and sein, most German verbs follow a predictable pattern in
the present tense. Once you learn the pattern for one German verb, you
know how most German verbs are conjugated. (Yes, there are some irregular
verbs that don't always follow the rules, but even they will usually have the
same endings as other verbs.)
The Basics
Each verb has a basic "infinitive" ("to") form. This is the form of the verb
you find in a German dictionary. The verb "to play" in English is the infinitive
form. ("He plays" is a conjugated form.) The German equivalent of "to play"
is spielen. Each verb has a "stem" form, the basic part of the verb left after
you remove the -en ending. For spielen the stem is spiel- (spielen - en).
To conjugate the verbthat is, use it in a sentenceyou must add the
correct ending to the stem. If you want to say "I play" you add an -
e ending: "ich spiele" (which can also be translated into English as "I am
playing"). Each "person" (he, you, they, etc.) requires its own ending on the
verb. This is called "conjugating the verb." If you don't know how to
conjugate verbs correctly it means your German will sound strange to people
who understand the language. German verbs require more different endings
than English verbs. In English we use only an s ending or no ending for most
verbs: "I/they/we/you play" or "he/she plays." In the present tense, German
has a different ending for almost all of those verb situations: ich spiele, sie
spielen, du spielst, er spielt, etc. Observe that the verb spielen has a
different ending in each of the examples. If you want to sound intelligent in
German, you need to learn when to use which ending. That's why we have
this chart for you!
German has no present progressive tense ("am going"/"are
buying"). The GermanPrsens "ich kaufe" can be translated into
English as "I buy" or "I am buying," depending on the context.
The chart below lists two sample German verbsone an example of a
"normal" verb, the other an example of verbs that require a "connecting e"
in the 2nd person singular and plural, and the 3rd person singular
(du/ihr, er/sie/es)as in er arbeitet.
We have also included a helpful list of some representative common stem-
changing verbs. These are verbs that follow the normal pattern of endings,
but have a vowel change in their stem or base form (hence the name "stem-
changing"). In the chart below, the verb endings for each pronoun (person)
are indicated in bold type.
More verbs on our 50 Common German Verbs page.
Take the Present Tense Verb Quiz 1, a self-scoring quiz, after you've studied this
lesson.
spielen - to play
SINGULAR
ich spiele I play Ich spiele gern Basketball.
du spielst you (fam.)
play
Spielst du Schach? (chess)
er spielt he plays Er spielt mit mir. (with me)
sie spielt she plays Sie spielt Karten. (cards)
es spielt it plays Es spielt keine Rolle.
It doesn't matter.
PLURAL
wir spielen we play Wir spielen Basketball.
ihr spielt you (guys)
play
Spielt ihr Monopoly?
sie spielen they play Sie spielen Golf.
Sie spielen you play Spielen Sie heute? (Sie, formal "you," is both
singular and plural.)
See more verbs on our
50 Common German Verbs page.
Now let's look at another German verb. This one is only slightly different
from the others. The verb arbeiten (to work) belongs to a category of verbs
that add a "connecting" e in the 2nd person singular and plural, and the 3rd
person singular (du/ihr, er/sie/es) in the present tense: er arbeitet.
Verbs whose stem ends in d or t do this. The following are examples of
verbs in this
category: antworten (answer), bedeuten (mean), enden (end),senden (s
end). (The more common verbs in this group are included on our 50 Common
German Verbs page.) In the chart below we have marked the 2nd and 3rd
person conjugations with *.
arbeiten - to work
SINGULAR
ich arbeite I work Ich arbeite am Samstag.
du arbeitest * you (fam.)
work
Arbeitest du in der Stadt?
er arbeitet * he works Er arbeitet mit mir. (with me)
sie arbeitet * she works Sie arbeitet nicht.
es arbeitet * it works --
PLURAL
wir arbeiten we work Wir arbeiten zu viel.
ihr arbeitet * you (guys)
work
Arbeitet ihr am Montag?
sie arbeiten they work Sie arbeiten bei BMW.
Sie arbeiten you work Arbeiten Sie heute? (Sie, formal "you," is
See more verbs on our
50 Common German Verbs page.
Sample Stem-Changing Verbs
Deutsch English Sample Sentence
In the examples below, er stands for all three third-person pronouns
(er, sie, es). Stem-changing verbs only change in the singular (except
for ich). Their plural forms are completely regular.
fahren
er fhrt
du fhrst
to travel
he travels
you travel
Er fhrt nach Berlin.
He's traveling/going to Berlin.
Ich fahre nach Berlin.
I'm traveling/going to Berlin.
lesen to read Maria liest die Zeitung.
er liest
du liest
he reads
you read
Maria's reading the newspaper.
Wir lesen die Zeitung.
We read the newspaper.
nehmen
er nimmt
du nimmst
to take
he takes
you take
Karl nimmt sein Geld.
Karl's taking his money.
Ich nehme mein Geld.
I'm taking my money.
vergessen
er vergisst
du vergisst
to forget
he forgets
you forget
Er vergisst immer.
He always forgets.
Vergiss es! / Vergessen Sie es!
Forget it!
See more stem-changing verbs on our

A self-scoring quiz
Before taking this quiz, you should be familiar with the German verb endings
(verb conjugation) in the present tense. This quiz also includes some stem-
changing verbs. If you need to review the conjugation of the present tense,
see Lesson 4B of our German for Beginners course and our 50 Common German
Verbs conjugation chart.
To select the correct response, click the button next to the answer you want.
When you reach the end of the ten-item quiz you'll be able to get your
percentage score. The answers will be listed in the scroll box just below the
"Get Score" button, but you might want to avoid the answers if you got less
than 100%, and try again until you get it right. (You're the only one who will
know your score!) There's also a detailed answer key when you're done.
TIP: If you want to revise your answers after getting your score, don't use
the "Clear" button unless you want to re-mark all the answers. Just change
the answers you think need changing, then click on the "Get Score" button
again to see your new score. But no peeking at the answers!
Are you a beginner in German?
See our free German for Beginners online course.

1. Ich ___ gern Tennis.
spielen
spielt
spiele
2. Karl __ mir den Ball.
gebt
gibt
geben
3. Ihr ___ fast jeden Tag.
arbeitet
arbeite
arbeiten
4. ___ Karla Deutsch?
Sprichst
Sprecht
Spricht
5. Wann ___ Karl und Julia? Heute?
kommen
kommt
komme
6. Wo ___ du jetzt?

wohnt
wohne
wohnst
7. Wann ___ wir? Um zwei Uhr?
gehen
geht
gehe
8. Wie ___ Sie?
heit
heien
heie
9. Ich ___ keine Briefe mehr. Nur E-Mails.
schreiben
schreibt
schreibe
10. ___ ihr das Alphabet?
Lernen
Lernt
Lernst

Ans :
1. spiele
2. gibt
3. arbeitet
4. Spricht
5. kommen
6. wohnst
7. gehen
8. heissen
9. schreibe
10. Lernt

Lesson 5: Adjectives and Colors
With Audio
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Adjective Endings
German adjectives, like English ones, usually go in front of the noun they
modify: "der guteMann" (the good man), "das groe Haus" (the big
house/building), "die schne Dame" (the pretty lady). Unlike English
adjectives, a German adjective in front of a noun has to have an ending (-
e in the examples above). Just what that ending will be depends on several
factors, including gender (der, die, das) and case (nominative, accusative,
dative). But most of the time the ending is an -e or an -en (in the plural).
With ein-words, the ending varies according to the modified noun's gender
(see below).
Look at the following table for the adjective endings in the nominative
(subject) case:
With definite article (der, die, das) - Nominative case
AUDIO Click on a phrase to hear it spoken.
Masculine
der
Feminine
die
Neuter
das
Plural
die
der neue Wagen
the new car
die schne Stadt
the beautiful city
das alte Auto
the old car
die neuen Bcher
the new books
AUDIO: HEAR ALL FOUR PHRASES (MP3)

Hear all four phrases (MP3)

With indefinite article (eine, kein, mein) - Nom. case
AUDIO Click on a phrase to hear it spoken.
Masculine Feminine Neuter Plural
ein eine ein keine
ein neuer Wagen
a new car
eine schne Stadt
a beautiful city
ein altes Auto
an old car
keine neuen Bcher
no new books
AUDIO: HEAR ALL FOUR PHRASES (MP3)

Hear all four phrases (MP3)
Note that with ein-words, since the article may not tell us the gender of the
following noun, the adjective ending often does this instead (-es = das, -
er = der; see above).
As in English, a German adjective can also come after the verb (predicate
adjective): "Das Haus ist gro." (The house is large.) In such cases the
adjective will have NO ending.
For more about adjective endings in the nominative, accusative and dative
cases, see these extra lessons:
Adjective Endings (Nominative)
Adjective Endings (Accusative/Dative)
Adjective Endings: An Easier Way
The Nominative Case (The four German cases)
Test yourself > Self-Scoring Quiz on adjective endings

Colors - Farben
The German words for colors usually function as adjectives and take the
normal adjective endings (but see exceptions below). In certain situations,
colors can also be nouns and are thus capitalized: "eine Bluse in Blau" (a
blouse in blue); "das Blaue vom Himmel versprechen" (to promise heaven
and earth, lit., "the blue of the heavens").
The chart below shows some of the more common colors with sample
phrases. For many more colors, see our German Colors page (with audio). And
for more about colors and color idioms in German, see Farbenfroh: Colorful
Expressions. You'll learn that the colors in "feeling blue" or "seeing red" may
not mean the same thing in German. A black eye in German is "blau" (blue).
Farbe Color Color Phrases with Adjective Endings
See more German Colors - with sound!
rot red der rote Wagen (the red car), der Wagen ist rot
rosa pink die rosa Rosen (the pink roses)*
blau blue ein blaues Auge (a black eye), er ist blau (he's drunk)
hell-
blau
light
blue
die hellblaue Bluse (the light blue blouse)**
dunkel-
blau
dark
blue
die dunkelblaue Bluse (the dark blue blouse)
grn green der grne Hut (the green hat)
gelb yellow die gelben Seiten (yellow pages), ein gelbes Auto
wei white das weie Papier (the white paper)
schwarz black der schwarze Koffer (the black suitcase)
See more German Colors - with sound!
*Colors ending in -a (lila, rosa) do not take the normal adjective endings.
**Light or dark colors are preceded by hell- (light) or dunkel- (dark), as
in hellgrn (light green) or dunkelgrn (dark green).

Quiz: German Adjective Endings
The self-grading, 20-item exercise below relates to our two previous
features on adjective endings: Part I (Nominative) and Part II (Accusative/Dative). If
you are not completely sure about the German adjective endings in the
nominative, accusative, and dative cases (with a definite or indefinite
article), then you should review those guidelines before attempting the
following exercises. In giving your answers to the 20 questions, remember
to pay attention to these three important factors: case, number,
and gender!
Click the button next to the answer you want. When you reach the bottom of
the exercise you'll be able to find out your percentage score. The answers
will be listed in the scroll box just below the "Get Score" button, but you
might want to avoid the answers if you got less than 100%, and try again
until you get it right. (You're the only one who will know your score, so it
doesn't make much sense to cheat.) Also see theannotated answer
key for this quiz (below).
HINT: If you want to revise your answers after getting your score, don't use the "Clear" button
unless you want to re-mark all the answers. Just change the answers you think need changing
then click on the "Get Score" button again. But no peeking at the answers!
Viel Glck! / Good luck!

1. Jeden Tag grt er seinen ______ Nachbarn.

alten
alte
alter
2. Die ______ Lehrer kommen am Dienstag.

neuer
neuen
neue
3. Gefllt Ihnen der ______ Anzug?

graue
grauen
grauer
4. Ja, ich sehe die ______ Mdchen!

schnen
schne
schnes

5. Sie schickt ihrer ______ Mutter in Hamburg eine Karte.

kranker
kranke
kranken

6. Die Nchte sind jetzt ______ geworden.

khler
khlere
khleren

7. Sie haben ein ______ Haus in Dresden.

groe
gro
groes

8. Das ist ein ______ Baum!

herrlicher
herrlichen
herrliche

9. Die Zugspitze ist der ______ Berg Deutschlands.

hchster
hchste
hchsten

10. Willst du der ______ Schlerin helfen?

neuen
neue
neuer

11. Hast du eine ______ Antwort?

besseren
bessere
besser

12. Der Hndler hat keine ______ Wagen.

blau
blaue
blauen

13. Der Film heit "Das ______ Mdchen".

schreckliches
schrecklichen
schreckliche

14. Mein Wagen ist ______.

blaue
blau
blauen
15. Gehst du denn mit deiner ______ Schwester?
lteren
ltere
lterer
The following 5 items require both the article and adjective.
16. ___ ___ Verkufer hat alles verkauft.
Die freundliche
Der freundliche
Die freundlichen
17. Ich habe ___ ___ Bruder alles wieder erklrt.
mein kluger
meinem klugen
meinen klugen
18. Das ist so ___ ___ Lied!

ein schnes
eines schnen
eine schne

19. Ich wollte aber ___ ___ Kaffee nicht trinken.

der kalte
den kalten
ein kalter
20. ___ ___ Kugelschreiber ist schon kaputt.
Seine neue
Seinen neuen
Sein neuer

ans
1. alten
2. neuen
3. graue
4. schoenen
5. kranken
6. kuehler
7. grosses
8. herrlicher
9. hoechste
10. neuen
11. bessere
12. blauen
13. schreckliche
14. blau
15. aelteren
16. Der freundliche
17. meinem klugen
18. ein schoenes
19. den kalten
20. Sein neuer

Land und Leute kennenlernen
Getting to know the country and the people
Hren Sie zu! LISTEN TO GERMAN!
Drei Personen - Three People
People from Three Different Countries
Let's look at three imaginary people from three different German-speaking
countries. We'll find out where they live (wohnen), what nationality they
are, and the language they speak (sprechen).
AUDIO Click on speaker icon below to hear the
German.
KARL

Karl wohnt in Berlin. Er ist
Deutscher. Er spricht Deutsch.
Karl lives in Berlin. He's German. He
speaks German.
INGE

Inge wohnt in Graz. Sie ist
sterreicherin. Sie spricht Deutsch.
Inge lives in Graz. She's Austrian.
She speaks German.
MARTIN

Martin wohnt in Genf. Er ist
Schweizer. Er spricht Franzsisch
und Deutsch.
Martin lives in Geneva. He's Swiss.
He speaks French and German.
If we want to get this information from the three people, here's what we
would ask (fragen) in German and what they would answer (antworten):
FRAGEN und ANTWORTEN
AUDIO Click on red speaker icon to hear
the questions & answers.
KARL

Wo wohnen Sie? - Ich wohne in
Berlin.
Welche Nationalitt haben Sie? - Ich
bin Deutscher.
Welche Sprache sprechen Sie? - Ich
spreche Deutsch.
INGE

Graz.
bin sterreicherin.
spreche Deutsch.
MARTIN

Genf.
bin Schweizer.
spreche Franzsisch und Deutsch.
YOU Wo wohnen Sie? - Ich wohne in ____.
Welche Nationalitt haben Sie?
- Ich bin Amerikaner/Amerikanerin.
- Ich bin Australier/Australierin.
- Ich bin Englnder/Englnderin.
Welche Sprache sprechen Sie?
- Ich spreche Englisch.
More countries: Nationality and Language
Most countries are neuter (das) in German, but do not use the article in
most cases: in Deutschland (in Germany), nach Deutschland (to
Germany). Some nations, such as die Schweiz and die Trkei (Turkey),
are feminine and a few are plural (die Vereinigten Staaten, USA). A very
few, mostly Islamic countries, are masculine: der Irak, der Iran. (See
more countries in Part 2 of this lesson.)
Now you can try out what you've learned. Here are two exercises
(bungen) to practice talking about where you live, nationality and
language. After you complete each exercise, you can check your answers in
the answer keys provided.

bung 6A (Exercise 6A)
How would you answer the same questions for yourself? Model your answers
on those shown above. If you need help with your nationality or language,
see our Nationality and Languagechart.
1. Wo wohnen Sie? - Ich ________________________
2. Welche Nationalitt haben Sie? - ______________________
3. Welche Sprache sprechen Sie? - _______________________
Answer Key for this exercise (6A).

bung 6B (Exercise 6B)
Identify the country and nationality of these 10 famous people. Note:
"kommt aus" means "comes from." If you need help with countries or
nationalities, see our Nationality and Language chart.
Wer hat welche Nationalitt?
1. Arnold Schwarzenegger kommt aus ______. Er ist _____.
2. Steffi Graf (Tennis) kommt aus ______. Sie ist _____.
3. Tom Cruise...
4. Prinz Charles...
5. Julia Roberts...
6. Wladimir Putin...
7. Mel Gibson...
8. Alex Trebek ('Jeopardy') ...
9. Catherine Deneuve...
10. Sean Connery...

1. Wo wohnen Sie?
ANTWORT (answer): Ich wohne in Chicago/London/Los Angeles. (your
city/town)
PRONUNCIATION: (eech voh-nah in...)
2. Welche Nationalitt haben Sie?
ANTWORT: Ich bin Amerikaner(in)/Englnder(in)/Kanadier(in). (your
nationality)
PRONUNCIATION: (eech bin...)
Note: Do not use "ein" or "eine" in your answer. Females should answer with
the fem. -inform (i.e., Englnderin or Amerikanerin).
3. Welche Sprache sprechen Sie?
ANTWORT: Ich spreche Englisch (Franzsisch, Spanisch).
PRONUNCIATION: (eech sprech-ah...)
Back to Lektion 6

bung 6B - KEY
Identify the country and nationality of the following famous people:
Wer hat welche Nationalitt?
1. Arnold Schwarzenegger kommt aus sterreich. Er ist sterreicher.
(ooster-RYCH-er)
2. Steffi Graf kommt aus Deutschland. Sie ist Deutsche. (DOYT-sha)
3. Tom Cruise kommt aus den USA (aus den Vereinigten Staaten). Er
ist Amerikaner.
4. Prinz Charles kommt aus England. Er ist Englnder. - or
...aus Grobritannien. Er ist Brite.
5. Julia Roberts kommt aus den USA (aus den Vereinigten Staaten). Sie
ist Amerikanerin.
6. Wladimir (Vladimir) Putin kommt aus Russland. Er ist Russe. (RUH-sa)
7. Mel Gibson kommt aus Australien. Er ist Australier. (ow-STRAHL-yer)
8. Alex Trebek ('Jeopardy') kommt aus Kanada. Er ist Kanadier.
9. Catherine Deneuve kommt aus Frankreich. Sie ist Franzsin. (frahn-
ZUU-zin)
10. Sean Connery kommt aus Schottland. Er ist Schotte. (SHOT-ah)
(Note that German is always gender-conscious, distinguishing between male
and female nationalities.)

German Numbers and Counting (1)
Die Zahlen und zhlen (0-20)
German Numbers: 0-20 > 21-100 > 101 and above
The numbers and counting in German are not difficult to learn, but...
true mastery of numbers, in any language, takes time. It is fairly easy to
learn to rattle off the numbers - "eins, zwei, drei..." and so forth. However,
most of the time numbers are used in more practical ways: in telephone
numbers, in math problems, in prices, for addresses, etc. Also, because you
have already internalized the numbers in English or another first language,
there can be the same kind of interference that happens with other
vocabulary.
So, do learn to say the numbers, but also try our exercises to see if you
really know how to deal with them. If someone tells you a phone number in
German, can you write it down? Can you do simple addition or subtraction in
German? - After you've learned the basic numbers from 0-20 (below and on
our more detailed German Numbers page), do the exercises below to check
your mastery.
AUDIO Hren Sie zu! Hear the numbers in German! (below)

Die Zahlen 0-10
0 null 6 sechs
1 eins 7 sieben
2 zwei * 8 acht
3 drei 9 neun
4 vier 10 zehn
5 fnf * Often zwo is used to
avoid
confusion with drei.
Hren Sie zu! LISTEN TO THE NUMBERS 0-10 in German! RealAudio.
Hren Sie zu! ALL Listening Exercises for Numbers

Die Zahlen 11-20
11 elf 16 sechzehn
12 zwlf 17 siebzehn
13 dreizehn 18 achtzehn
14 vierzehn 19 neunzehn
15 fnfzehn 20 zwanzig
Hren Sie zu! LISTEN TO THE NUMBERS 11-20 in German! RealAudio.
Hren Sie zu! ALL Listening Exercises for Numbers

Mathe - Write out the answer to the following math problems in German.
Note: + in German is "plus" (PLOOHS); - is "minus" (MEEN-OOS).
1. zwei + fnf = ________________
2. zwlf - zwei = ________________
3. drei + neun = _________________
4. vier - vier = _________________
5. eins + sechs = _________________
6. dreizehn - zwei = _________________
7. sieben + elf = _________________

Diktat (Dictation) - Write out the following phone numbers as
numerals. Example: null, vier; zwlf, vierzehn, zwanzig = 04 12 14 20
(German phone numbers are often printed/written in groups of two-number
pairs.)
1. null, zwo; zwlf, elf, zwanzig = ______________
2. neunzehn; null, fnf; sechzehn, = ______________
3. null, acht; zwlf, elf, zwanzig = ______________
4. null, drei; vier, sieben; achtzehn, zwanzig = ______________
5. dreizehn, zwlf, zehn, vierzehn = ______________
bung 7A - KEY
Correct answers:
1. zwei + fnf = sieben (2 + 5 = 7)
2. zwlf - zwei = zehn (12 - 2 = 10)
3. drei + neun = zwlf (3 + 9 = 12)
4. vier - vier = null (4 - 4 = 0)
5. eins + sechs = sieben (1 + 6 = 7)
6. dreizehn - zwei = elf (13 - 2 = 11)
7. sieben + elf = achtzehn (7 + 11 = 18)
Back to Lesson 7

bung 7B - KEY
Diktat (Dictation) - Write out the following phone numbers as
numerals. Example: null, vier; zwlf, vierzehn, zwanzig = 04 12 14 20
(German phone numbers are often printed/written in groups of two-number
pairs.)
1. null, zwo; zwlf, elf, zwanzig = 02 12 11 20
2. neunzehn; null, fnf; sechzehn = 19 05 16
3. null, acht; zwlf, elf, zwanzig = 08 12 11 20
4. null, drei; vier, sieben; achtzehn, zwanzig = 03 47 18 20
5. dreizehn, zwlf, zehn, vierzehn = 13 12 10 14

German Numbers: 0-20 > 21-100 > 101 and above
In our previous lesson, we introduced you to the German numbers from 0 to
20. Now it's time to expand to "higher" math from 21 (einundzwanzig)
to 100 (hundert). Once you have a grasp of the twenties, the rest of the
numbers up to 100 and beyond are similar and easy to learn. You'll also be
using many of the numbers you learned from zero (null) to 20.

Numbers are everywhere!
The author and his camera
are seen reflected in the
window of a German ICE
high-speed train in the
Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof.
Do you know what the
numbers on the right mean?
Foto Hyde Flippo
For the German numbers above 20, think of
the English nursery rhyme "Sing a Song of
Sixpence" and the line "four and twenty blackbirds" ("baked in a pie"). In
German you say one-and-twenty (einundzwanzig) rather than twenty-one.
All of the numbers over 20 work the same
way:zweiundzwanzig (22), einundreiig (31), dreiundvierzig (43), etc.
No matter how long they may be, German numbers are written as one word.

For numbers above (ein)hundert, the pattern just repeats itself. The
number 125 ishundertfnfundzwanzig. To say 215 in German, you simply
put zwei in front of hundert to make zweihundertfnfzehn. Three
hundred is dreihundert and so on. (For more about the numbers above
100, see our German Numbers page.)

Wie viel? / Wie viele?
To ask "how much" you say wie viel. To ask "how many" you say wie
viele. For example, a simple math problem would be: Wie viel ist drei und
vier? (How much is three and four?). To ask "how many cars" you would
say: Wie viele Autos?, as in Wie viele Autos hat Karl? (How many cars
does Karl have?).

After you go over the number charts below... If you hear a number above
20 in German, can you write it down? Can you do simple math in German?
After you've learned the numbers from 21-100, try the related number
exercises to check your mastery. You may particularly enjoy our
special Foto-bung for the numbers!

AUDIO Hren Sie zu! Listen to the numbers in German! (below)

Die Zahlen 20-100 (by tens)
20 zwanzig 70 siebzig
30 dreiig 80 achtzig
40 vierzig 90 neunzig
50 fnfzig 100 hundert *
60 sechzig * or einhundert
Note: The number sechzig (60) drops the s in sechs. The
number siebzig (70) drops the en insieben. The number dreiig (30) is
the only one of the tens that doesn't end with -zig. (dreiig = dreissig)

AUDIO Listen to the numbers above. RealAudio.

AUDIO ALL Listening Exercises for Numbers

Die Zahlen 21-30
21 einundzwanzig 26
sechsundzwanzig
22
zweiundzwanzig
27
siebenundzwanzig
23
dreiundzwanzig
28
achtundzwanzig
24 vierundzwanzig 29
neunundzwanzig
25
fnfundzwanzig
30 dreiig
Note: The number dreiig (30) is the only one of the tens that doesn't end
with -zig.

AUDIO Hren Sie zu! The numbers 21-30 in German! RealAudio.

AUDIO All Listening Exercises for the Numbers

Die Zahlen 31-40
31 einunddreiig 36
sechsunddreiig
32 zweiunddreiig 37
siebenunddreiig
33 dreiunddreiig 38 achtunddreiig
34 vierunddreiig 39
neununddreiig
35 fnfunddreiig 40 vierzig
Exercises - bungen (21-100)
Practice What You've Learned
Continued from Lesson 8.1 - Numbers 21-100

Rechnen / Wie viel ist... ? - Calculating / How much is...?
Write out the answer to the following math problems in German.
Note: + in German is "plus" (PLOOHS); - is "minus" (MEEN-OOS); x is "mal"
(MAHL).
The question and answer for item one would be said/written: "Wie viel ist
dreiundzwanzig plus fnf? - Dreiundzwanzig plus fnf ist ___."
1. dreiundzwanzig + fnf = ________________
2. fnfzig - zwei = ________________
3. vierundsechzig + drei = _________________
4. sechs x sechs = _________________
5. einunddreiig + sechsundzwanzig = _________________
6. achtundzwanzig + zweiundsechzig = _________________
7. siebenundneunzig - zweiundfnfzig = _________________
8. zehn x fnf = _________________
9. siebenundzwanzig + dreiundsechzig = _________________
10. achtzig - zweiundvierzig = _________________

Die nchste Nummer? (The next number?)
What's the next logical number in the series?
Example: fnfzig, vierzig, dreiig, 20
1. zweiundzwanzig, vierundzwanzig,
sechsundzwanzig, ______________
2. fnfundneunzig, neunzig, fnfundachtzig, ______________
3. dreiig, siebenundzwanzig, vierundzwanzig, ______________
4. einundachtzig, fnfundachtzig, neunundachtzig, ______________
5. zweiundfnfzig, fnfundfnfzig, achtundfnfzig, ______________
Answer Key for this exercise (8B).

Numbers and counting

bung 8A - KEY
Correct answers:
1. dreiundzwanzig + fnf = achtundzwanzig (23 + 5 = 28)
2. fnfzig - zwei = achtundvierzig (50 - 2 = 48)
3. vierundsechzig + drei = siebenundsechzig (64 + 3 = 67)
4. sechs x sechs = sechsunddreiig (6 x 6 = 36)
5. einunddreiig + sechsundzwanzig = siebenundfnfzig (31 + 26 =
57)
6. achtundzwanzig + zweiundsechzig = neunzig (28 + 62 = 90)
7. siebenundneunzig - zweiundfnfzig = fnfundvierzig (97 - 52 =
45)
8. zehn x fnf = fnfzig (10 x 5 = 50)
9. siebenundzwanzig + dreiundsechzig = neunzig (27 + 63 = 90)
10. achtzig - zweiundvierzig = achtunddreiig (80 - 42 = 38)
Back to Lesson 8

bung 8B - KEY
Die nchste Nummer? (Next number)
What's the next number in the series?
sechsundzwanzig, achtundzwanzig (22, 24, 26, 28)
2. fnfundneunzig, neunzig, fnfundachtzig, achtzig (95, 90, 85, 80)
3. dreiig, siebenundzwanzig, vierundzwanzig, einundzwanzig (30,
27, 24, 21)
4. einundachtzig, fnfundachtzig,
neunundachtzig, dreiundneunzig (81, 85, 89, 93)
5. zweiundfnfzig, fnfundfnfzig,
achtundfnfzig, einundsechzig (52, 55, 58, 61)

Lesson 9: Meine Familie und ich
Talking about family and relations
With audio
In this lesson we introduce vocabulary and grammar related to talking about
your family and yourself. You'll learn words and phrases that will let you talk
about your own family in German, as well as understand what someone else
says about his or her family. You can also listen to the vocabulary!
In addition to the members of a family (die Familie, dee fah-MILL-yah),
you'll learn how to ask someone's name (and answer), talk about family
relationships and give the ages of people. We will also discuss the difference
between the formal and informal "you" in German - a vital cultural and
language distinction that English-speakers need to understand!
Cognates
One of the first things you'll notice is that many of the German words for the
family are similar to the English terms. It is easy to see the close Germanic
language "family resemblance" between brother/Bruder, father/Vater,
or daughter/Tochter. We call these similar words in two
languages cognates. There are a lot of English-German cognates for the
family. Others are familiar because of common Latin or French
origins: family/Familie, uncle/Onkel, etc.
After you have studied this lesson, you will be able to read and understand a
short paragraph in German about your or someone else's family. You'll even
be able to draw your own family tree (Stammbaum) in German!
AUDIO Click on a German phrase to hear it (.wav)
> More Lesson 9 Audio: MP3 or wav

Familienmitglieder - Family Members
Notice in the phrases below that when you talk about a feminine (die)
person (or thing), the possessive pronoun mein ends in e. When talking
about a masculine (der) person (or thing),mein has no ending in the
nominative (subject) case. Other possessive forms (sein, his;dein, your,
etc.) work the same way. The final e in German is always pronounced:
(meine = MINE-ah)!
Deutsch Englisch
die Mutter - meine Mutter
mother - my mother
der Vater - mein Vater
father - my father
die Eltern - meine Eltern (pl.) parents - my parents
der Sohn - sein Sohn
son - his son
die Tochter - seine Tochter
daughter - his daughter
der Bruder - ihr Bruder
brother - her brother
die Schwester - seine Schwester
sister - his sister
AUDIO (mp3 or wav) for these words
die Geschwister - meine Geschwister (pl.) siblings / brothers & sisters - my
brothers and sisters
die Gromutter - meine Gromutter
grandmother - my grandmother
die Oma - meine Oma
grandma/granny - my grandma
der Grovater - dein Grovater
grandfather - your grandfather
der Opa - sein Opa
grandpa/gramps - his grandpa
der Enkelsohn - mein Enkelsohn
grandson - my grandson
die Enkelin - seine Enkelin
granddaughter - his granddaughter
More family words in our Family Glossary.
In the next part of this lesson you'll learn how to talk about your family and
ask/answer questions related to the family.

esson 9: Meine Familie und ich
Talking about family and relations - Part 2
With audio
German Lesson 9 > Part 1 > Part 2 > Part 3
How do you ask about someone's name or inquire about the family? Below
are some common questions and answers in German and English.
AUDIO Hear the words and phrases on this page!
Die Familie The Family
Continued
Fragen & Antworten - Questions & Answers
Wie ist Ihr Name? - What's your name?
Deutsch Englisch
Wie heien Sie? What's your name? (formal)
Ich heie Braun. My name is Braun. (formal, last
name)
AUDIO (mp3 or wav)
for these phrases
Wie heit du? What's your name? (familiar)
Ich heie Karla. My name is Karla. (familiar, first
name)
Wie heit er/sie? What's his/her name?
Er heit Jones. His name is Jones. (formal)
Geschwister? - Siblings?
Haben Sie Geschwister? Do you have any brothers or sisters?
Ja, ich habe einen Bruder und
eine Schwester.
Yes, I have a / one brother and a /
one sister.
Notice that you add -en to ein when you say you have a brother, and an -
e for a sister. We'll discuss the grammar for this in a future lesson. For now,
just learn this as vocabulary.
AUDIO (mp3 or wav) for these phrases
MORE FAMILY VOCABULARY > Family Glossary
Nein, ich habe keine Geschwister. No, I don't have any brothers or
sisters.
Ja, ich habe zwei Schwestern. Yes, I have two sisters.
Wie heit dein Bruder? What's your brother's name?
Er heit Jens. His name is Jens. (informal)
Wie alt? - How old?
Wie alt ist dein Bruder? How old is your brother?
Er ist zehn Jahre alt. He is ten years old.
AUDIO (mp3 or wav)
for these phrases
Wie alt bist du? How old are you? (fam.)
Ich bin zwanzig Jahre alt. I'm twenty years old.
MORE FAMILY WORDS > Family Glossary
YOU: du - Sie
As you study the vocabulary for this lesson, pay attention to the difference
between asking a FORMAL (Sie) and a FAMILIAR (du/ihr) question.
German-speakers tend to be much more formal than English-speakers.
While Americans in particular may use first names with people they have
just met or only know casually, German-speakers do not.
When a German-speaker is asked his or her name, the reply will be the last
or family name, not the first name. The more formal question, Wie ist Ihr
Name?, as well as the standard Wie heien Sie?, should be understood as
"what is your LAST name?"
Naturally, within the family and among good friends, the familiar "you"
pronouns du and ihrare used, and people are on a first-name basis. But
when in doubt, you should always err on the side of being too formal, rather
than too familiar. Keep this in mind when you do the exercises in Part 3 of
this lesson.
For more about this important cultural difference, see this article: You and
thou, Sie und du. The article includes a self-scoring quiz on the use of Sie und
du.
You can also review the personal pronouns in Lesson 2.

Kultur
KLEINE FAMILIEN
Families in the German-speaking countries tend to be small, with only one or
two children (or no children). The birthrate in Austria, Germany and
Switzerland is lower than in many modern industrialized nations, with fewer
births than deaths, i.e., less than zero population growth.
Part 3 - Exercises
With audio
bungen Exercises
Now that you have studied the vocabulary and grammar in Part 1 and Part 2 of
this lesson, try the following exercises related to die Familie.
If you need to review the pronouns (you, he, she, they, etc.), refer to Lesson
2.

Meine Familie und ich - bungen - Exercises
9A. DIE GANZE VERWANDTSCHAFT - Complete the sentences logically in
German as in the example.
BEISPIEL: Der Bruder von meinem Vater ist mein Onkel.
EXAMPLE: The brother of my father is my uncle.
1. Die Tochter von meiner Mutter ist meine __________________.
2. Der Ehemann von meiner Tante ist mein __________________.
3. Der Bruder von meiner Frau ist mein __________________.
4. Die Mutter von meinem Vater ist meine __________________.
5. Die Tochter von meinem Sohn ist meine __________________.
6. Der Sohn von meinem Vater ist mein __________________.
7. Der Vater von meiner Gromutter ist mein __________________.
Answer Key - Lektion 9

9B. Answer the following questions in German:
1. Wie heien Ihre Eltern? - ______________________
2. Haben Sie Geschwister? - _________________________
3. Wie alt ist Ihr Bruder/Ihre Schwester? - _________________________
4. Wie heit deine Schwester/dein Bruder? - _________________________
5. Wie alt ist Ihr Vater? - _________________________
6. Wie heit er? - _________________________
7. Haben Sie eine Tante oder einen Onkel? Wie heit sie/er? -
_________________________
8. Wie ist Ihr Name? - _________________________
9. Wie alt sind Sie? - _________________________
10. Wie heit du? - _________________________

9C. MEINE FAMILIE - EIN LESESTCK
Read and listen to the following paragraph for comprehension, then write a
similar one about your own family.
AUDIO Listen to this reading selection! (mp3)
Die Familie Mller (The Mller Family)
Meine Familie ist nicht sehr gro. Wir heien Mller. Meine Mutter heit
Ingrid und ist 46 Jahre alt. Mein Vater heit Ulrich oder Uli. Er ist 48 Jahre
alt. Ich habe einen jngeren Bruder. Er heit Markus und ist elf Jahre alt. Ich
heie Katrin und bin siebzehn Jahre alt.

Answer Keys for Lesson 9 Exercises

bung 9A - DIE GANZE VERWANDTSCHAFT - KEY
Correct answers:
1. Die Tochter von meiner Mutter ist meine Schwester.
2. Der Ehemann von meiner Tante ist mein Onkel.
3. Der Bruder von meiner Frau ist mein Schwager.
4. Die Mutter von meinem Vater ist meine Gromutter.
5. Die Tochter von meinem Sohn ist meine Enkelin.
6. Der Sohn von meinem Vater ist mein Bruder.
7. Der Vater von meiner Gromutter ist mein Urgrovater.
To review or learn more family vocabulary in German, see our English-
German Family Glossaryand Lesson 9.
BACK > Lesson 9 Exercises

bung 9B - FRAGEN - KEY
Correct answers (suggested):
1. Wie heien Ihre Eltern?
Mein Vater heit Kevin. Meine Mutter heit Julie.
2. Haben Sie Geschwister?
Ja, ich habe eine Schwester. - Ja, ich habe einen Bruder.
Ja, ich habe zwei Schwestern und drei Brder.
(eine groe Familie! = a large family!)
Nein, ich habe keine Geschwister.
(Ich bin Einzelkind. = I'm an only child.)
3. Wie alt ist Ihr Bruder/Ihre Schwester? - Er/Sie ist 12 Jahre alt.
4. Wie heit deine Schwester/dein Bruder? - Er/Sie heit Eric/Jane.
5. Wie alt ist Ihr Vater? - Mein Vater (Er) ist 45 Jahre alt.
6. Wie heit er? - Er heit Bob.
7. Haben Sie eine Tante oder einen Onkel? Wie heit sie/er?
Ja, ich habe einen Onkel (eine Tante). Er (Sie) heit Onkel Hans
(Tante Luise).
8. Wie ist Ihr Name? - Ich heie Brown/Smith/McNeil. (formal, last
name)
8. Alternate answer Wie ist Ihr Name? - Mein Name ist
Brown/Smith/McNeil.
9. Wie alt sind Sie? - Ich bin 56 Jahre alt. (can you write out/say your age
in German?)
10. Wie heit du? - Ich heie Judy/Sam/Maria. (familiar, first name)
To review or learn more family vocabulary in German, see our English-
German Family Glossaryand Lesson 9.
BACK > Lesson 9 Exercises

9C. MEINE FAMILIE - EIN LESESTCK
English version of reading comprehension paragraph.
Die Familie Mller (The Mller Family)
My family isn't very big. We're the Mllers. My mother is named Ingrid and is
46 years old. My father's name is Ulrich or Uli. He is 48. I have a younger
brother. His name is Markus and he's eleven years old. My name is Katrin
and I'm seventeen years old.

German for Beginners
Lesson 10
Directions: How do I get there?
Wie komme ich dorthin?
Wann? Adverbs of Time
In this lesson you'll learn vocabulary and
grammar related to going places, asking for
simple directions and receiving directions. You'll
learn words and phrases that will let you talk
about going places, as well as understand what
someone else says when giving simple directions.
How do I get there?
Wie komme ich dorthin?
What directions is this cluster
of signs in Berlin giving us?
Foto: Hyde Flippo
One word of caution before we begin. Asking for
directions is easy. Understanding the torrent of German you may get back
is another story! Most German textbooks/courses teach you how to ask the
questions, but fail to deal adequately with the understanding aspect. That's
why we will also teach you some coping skills in this lesson to help in such
situations. One example is to ask your question in such a way that it will
elicit a simple ja or nein, or a simple "left," "straight ahead" or "right"
answer. And don't forget those ever reliable hand signals that work in any
language!

WO vs. WOHIN
German has two question words for asking "where." One (wo?) is for asking
the location of someone or something. The other (wohin?) is for asking
about motion or direction ("where to").
For instance, in English you would use "where" to ask both "Where are the
keys?" (location) and "Where are you going?" (motion/direction). In German
these two questions require two different forms of "where":
Wo sind die Schlssel? ("Where are the keys?")
Wohin gehen Sie? ("Where are you going?")
In English this can be compared to the difference between the location
question "where's it at?" (poor English, but it gets the idea across) and the
direction question "where to?" But in German you can only use wo? for
"where's it at?" (location) and wohin? for "where to?" (direction).
Sometimes wohin gets split in two, as in: "Wo gehen Sie hin?" But you
can't usewo without hin to ask about motion or direction in German. - You
must always use the correct form of "where" for location (wo?) or
motion/direction (wohin?).
We'll cover this in more detail in Part 3, and test your understanding of this
grammatical concept later in the exercises for this lesson.
Now let's look at some common words and expressions related to directions
and places we might go to. You need to memorize this vocabulary.
DIRECTIONS - RICHTUNGEN
Notice that in some of the phrases below, the gender (der/die/das) may
affect the article, as in "in die Kirche" or "an den See". Notice
that der sometimes changes to den, and so on. You'll learn more about the
grammar for this in a future lesson. For now, just notice what's going on
related to gender!
Englisch Deutsch
along/down
Go along/down this street.
entlang
Gehen Sie diese Strae entlang!
back
Go back.
zurck
Gehen Sie zurck!
in the direction of/towards...
the train station
the church
the hotel
in Richtung auf...
den Bahnhof
die Kirche
das Hotel
left - to the left links - nach links
right - to the right rechts - nach rechts
straight ahead
Keep going straight ahead.
geradeaus (guh-RAH-duh-ouse)
Gehen Sie immer geradeaus!
up to, until

up to the traffic light
up to the cinema
bis zum (masc./neut.)
bis zur (fem.)
bis zur Ampel
bis zum Kino
COMPASS DIRECTIONS
HIMMELSRICHTUNGEN
north - to the north
north of (Leipzig)
der Nord(en) - nach Norden
nrdlich von (Leipzig)
south - to the south
south of (Munich)
der Sd(en) - nach Sden
sdlich von (Mnchen)
east - to the east
east of (Frankfurt)
der Ost(en) - nach Osten
stlich von (Frankfurt)
west - to the west
west of (Cologne)
der West(en) - nach Westen
westlich von (Kln)
Note: More compass directions can be formed in German just as in English
by combining more than one element. Northwest - Nordwesten, Northeast
- Nordosten, Southwest -Sdwesten, etc.

Part 2 - Places to Go
Wann? Adverbs of time

LEKTION 10 > Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Exercises

EIN STADTPLAN (City Map)
Wie komme ich zum Bahnhof?
Graphic: Hyde Flippo

In English we can say we're going to the
bank, to Boston, orto Switzerland, but in German
there is more than one way to say "to"and each
one of these "to" phrases would use a different
German preposition! However, there are some
rules and guidelines you can learn for these situations.
Most geographic place names (countries, states, cities, etc.) use nach for
"to." Only a few countries that are feminine, masculine or plural (rather than
the normal neuter das) usein for "to." Notice the exceptions listed below.
For more about countries, see the specialGlossary of Nations and Lektion 6.
When going to a location in town, such as to the bakery or a restaurant, the
most common prepositions for "to" are in and zu (usually in a compound
such as zum or zur).
If you'd like more information about nach vs zu, see How to Say "to" in German.
For now, observe the examples in the chart below.
PLACES TO GO - 1
Town & Country
Englisch Deutsch
IN DER STADT - IN TOWN
to the bakery zur Bckerei
to the restaurant ins Restaurant
to the supermarket zum Supermarkt
from (the bank) to (the hotel)
from (the hotel) to (the bank)
von (der Bank) bis (zum Hotel)
von (dem Hotel) bis (zur Bank)
More places to go in the city in Part 3.
LNDER/STDTE - COUNTRIES/CITIES
from (Frankfurt) to (Berlin) von (Frankfurt) nach (Berlin)
to... (countries/cities) nach... (Nationen/Stdte)
Germany
France
Australia
Munich
Berlin
Deutschland
Frankreich
Australien
Mnchen
Berlin
to Switzerland in die Schweiz
to the US in die USA
to Iran
(Iran and Irak can be der or das)
in den Iran (der) / nach Iran (das)
More countries and cities in Country Glossary.
Now here are some adverbs that tell us when we're going someplacealong
with sample sentences.
WANN? - WHEN?
GRAMMATIK: Notice that in German, TIME comes before PLACE! In
English, it's the other way around. See the sample sentences below.
Englisch Deutsch
yesterday - today - tomorrow
We're going to the cinema tomorrow.
gestern - heute - morgen
Wir gehen morgen ins Kino.
(the) day before yesterday
(the) day after tomorrow
We're driving to Vienna (the) day
after tomorrow.
vorgestern
bermorgen
Wir fahren bermorgen nach
Wien.
this morning/afternoon
He's traveling to Hamburg
this morning.
heute Morgen/Nachmittag
Er fhrt heute Morgen
nach Hamburg.
now - later
I'm going to work later.
jetzt - spter
Ich gehe spter zur Arbeit.
at eight o'clock
I'm going to the station at eight.
um acht Uhr
Ich gehe um acht zum Bahnhof.
Also see Day by Day: Day Expressions in German.
HOW-TO: For more about TELLING TIME (die Uhrzeit) in German, see our
step-by-step How To Tell Time in German. To review the numbers in German
see Lektion 7 and Lektion 8.

Lektion 10 - Part 3

Wohin? - Where to?

Fragen und Antworten
In this section of Lektion 10 we'll look at some more vocabulary and look at
some relatedFragen und Antworten (questions and answers).
Picking up where we left offfor directions within townhere are some more
examples (below). But first, a quick comment about in vs zu. What is the
difference between saying Ich gehe ins Kino or Ich gehe zum Kino? -
Using ins Kino implies you are going inside (to see a movie), while zum
Kino implies you are going to that location (to meet someone out front,
etc.).
PLACES TO GO - 2
In der Stadt / In Town
This section is vocabulary for places in town. Both the basic word and the
"to" phrase are given for each item. For example, die Bckerei is the
bakery, but if we want to say "to the bakery," it's zur Bckerei (the short
form of zu der Bckerei).
Some of the phrases below may have more than one way to say "to." We
have listed the most common way. Note the following contractions: ins = in
das, zum = zu dem, zur = zu der
Englisch Deutsch
bakery - to the bakery die Bckerei - zur Bckerei
bank - to the bank die Bank - zur Bank
bar/pub - to the bar/pub die Kneipe - in die Kneipe
butcher
to the butcher
der Fleischer/der Metzger
zum Fleischer/zum Metzger
hotel - to the hotel das Hotel - zum Hotel
market/fleamarket
to the market
der Markt/der Flohmarkt
zum Markt/zum Flohmarkt
cinema - to the movies/cinema das Kino - ins/zum Kino
the post office - to the post office die Post - zur Post
restaurant - to the restaurant das Restaurant - ins/zum
Restaurant
to a/the Chinese restaurant zum Chinesen
to an/the Italian restaurant zum Italiener
to a/the Greek restaurant zum Griechen
school - to school die Schule - zur Schule
the shopping center
to the shopping center
das Einkaufszentrum
zum Einkaufszentrum
the traffic light/signal
(up) to the signal
die Ampel
bis zur Ampel
the train station - to the station der Bahnhof - zum Bahnhof
work - to work die Arbeit - zur Arbeit
the youth hostel
to the youth hostel
die Jugendherberge
in die Jugendherberge
ANDERSWO - ELSEWHERE
the lake - to the lake der See - an den See
the sea - to the sea die See/das Meer - ans Meer
the toilet/restroom
to the toilet/restroom
die Toilette/das Klo/das WC
zur Toilette/zum Klo/zum WC
Here are some sample questions and answers related to asking and giving
directions.
FRAGEN und ANTWORTEN
Questions and Answers in German and English
In the sentences below, the TO-phrases are in bold type both in German
and English. There is some grammar here that we will ignore until a later
lesson. For now, learn the patterns for the various articles (der/die/das) for
each gender (masc./fem./neuter). NOTE: The sentences below are answers
to the question in red (rot).
Wohin fahren Sie? / Wohin fhrst du?
Where are you going? (driving/traveling)
Ich fahre morgen an den See.
I'm going to the lake tomorrow.
Ich fahre morgen nach Dresden.
I'm going to Dresden tomorrow.
Wie komme ich...
How do I get...
...zur Bank? - Gehen Sie zwei Straen und dann rechts.
...to the bank? - Go two blocks (streets) and then right.
...zum Hotel? - Fahren Sie diese Strae entlang.
...to the hotel? - Drive down/along this street.
...zur Post? - Gehen Sie bis zur Ampel und dann links.
...to the post office? - Go up to the traffic light and then left.
NOTE: For the items above, if you are walking, you use gehen; if you
are driving, you usefahren.
Extra-Ausdrcke
Extra Expressions
an der Kirche vorbei past the church
am Kino vorbei past the cinema
rechts/links an der Ampel
right/left at the traffic light
am Marktplatz at the market square
an der Ecke at the corner
die nchste Strae the next street
ber die Strae across/over the street
ber den Marktplatz across the market square
vor dem Bahnhof
in front of the train station
vor der Kirche
in front of the church

Wie komme ich dorthin? - bungen/Exercises

Now that you have studied the vocabulary and grammar in Part 1, Part 2,
and Part 3 of this lesson, try the following exercises.
Druckversion
Printer version

10 Wie komme ich dorthin? - bungen/Exercises
10A. WOHIN? - Answer logically in German, using the English cue given.
Make sure to respond correctly according to the person being asked. See the
examples below:
BEISPIEL A: Wo gehst du hin? (cinema) - Ich gehe ins Kino.
BEISPIEL B: Wohin fahren wir? (Bonn) - Wir fahren nach Bonn.
1. Wohin gehen Sie jetzt? (toilet) __________________.
2. Wo fahren Sie hin? (post office) __________________.
3. Wohin geht Alex jetzt? (bakery) __________________.
4. Und wo gehst du denn hin? (pub) __________________.
5. Wohin gehen wir heute? (Italian restaurant) __________________.
6. Wo fahren Sie hin? (train station) __________________.
7. Wohin gehen Andrea und Brigitte jetzt? (shopping center)
__________________.
8. Wohin fahren Sie morgen? (London) __________________.
9. Wohin geht Herr Schmidt jetzt? (work) __________________.
10. Wohin fhrst du jetzt? (the lake) __________________.

10B. zur oder zum?
Decide if the sentence requires zur or zum and fill in the blank:
1. Wie komme ich ______ Kirche?
2. Karl geht jetzt ______ Bahnhof.
3. Gehen Sie hier links und dann bis ______ Ampel
4. Wann geht er ______ Arbeit?
5. Karl geht heute ______ Markt.

10C. Ein Stadtplan
Use the city map below to find the correct destination by following the
directions given in items 1-5. You should start at the red arrow unless told
otherwise in the directions.
1. Gehen Sie links am Marktplatz, dann immer geradeaus bis zur Ampel,
dann rechts. An der Ecke links finden Sie ___.
a. das Museum
b. die Bank
c. das Restaurant
d. das Kino
2. Sie sind am Bahnhof. Gehen Sie ber den
Marktplatz an der Kirche vorbei, dann rechts. Links
in die nchste Strae, dann geradeaus. Auf der
linken Seite sehen [see] Sie ___.
a. das Museum
b. die Bank
c. das Restaurant
d. das Kino
3. Gehen Sie links am Marktplatz, am Hotel vorbei und ber die Strae. An
der nchsten Ecke rechts ist ___.
a. das Restaurant
b. die Kirche
c. das Museum
d. das Hotel
4. Gehen Sie immer geradeaus. Rechts an der Ecke ist ___.
a. das Museum
b. die Kirche
c. der Bahnhof
d. das Hotel
5. Sie sind vor dem Museum und Sie sehen die Bank. Gehen Sie links um die
Ecke bis zur nchsten Strae, dann rechts. Auf der rechten Seite ist ___.
a. das Hotel
b. die Bank
c. das Restaurant
d. das Kino

10D. GEOGRAPHIE - Using the key below, fill in the correct answer in
German. The following items require a basic knowledge of European
geography. Please consult an atlas or map if you need to. (To review the
names of countries in German, see Lektion 6.)
KEY: a. nrdlich b. sdlich c. stlich d. westlich
1. Frankreich liegt ___ von Deutschland.
2. Hamburg liegt ___ von Frankfurt.
3. Berlin liegt ___ von Dresden.
4. sterreich liegt ___ von Deutschland.
5. sterreich liegt ___ von der Schweiz.

Here are the answers to the exercises in Lektion 10.

10 Wie komme ich dorthin?
BUNGEN - KEY
10A - KEY - WOHIN? - Answer logically in German, using the English que given. Make
sure to respond correctly according to the person being asked. See the examples.
SUGGESTED ANSWERS. SOME ANSWERS MAY VARY. KEY PHRASES in bold:
1. Wohin gehen Sie jetzt? (toilet) - Ich gehe jetzt zur Toilette.
(or: zum/aufs Klo / zum WC)
2. Wo fahren Sie hin? (post office) - Ich fahre zur Post.
3. Wohin geht Alex jetzt? (bakery) - Er geht jetzt zur Bckerei.
4. Und wo gehst du denn hin? (pub) - Ich gehe in die Kneipe.
5. Wohin gehen wir heute? (Italian restaurant) - Wir gehen heute zum
Italiener.
6. Wo fahren Sie hin? (train station) - Ich fahre zum Bahnhof.
7. Wohin gehen Andrea und Brigitte jetzt? (shopping center) - Sie [they]
gehen jetzt zum Einkaufszentrum.
8. Wohin fahren Sie morgen? (London) - Ich fahre morgen nach London.
9. Wohin geht Herr Schmidt jetzt? (work) - Er geht jetzt zur Arbeit.
10. Wohin fhrst du jetzt? (the lake) - Ich fahre an den See.
Back to Exercises 10

10B - KEY - zur oder zum?
Decide if the sentence requires zur or zum and fill in the blank:
1. Wie komme ich zur Kirche?
2. Karl geht jetzt zum Bahnhof.
3. Gehen Sie hier links und dann bis zur Ampel
4. Wann geht er zur Arbeit?
5. Karl geht heute zum Markt.

10C - KEY - Ein Stadtplan
Use the city map to find the correct destination by following the directions given in items
1-5. You should start at the red arrow unless told otherwise in the directions.
1. Gehen Sie links am Marktplatz, dann immer geradeaus bis zur Ampel,
dann rechts. An der Ecke links finden Sie ___.

b. die Bank
2. Sie sind am Bahnhof. Gehen Sie ber den Marktplatz an der Kirche vorbei,
dann rechts. Links in die nchste Strae, dann geradeaus. Auf der linken
Seite sehen [see] Sie ___.

b. die Bank
3. Gehen Sie links am Marktplatz, am Hotel vorbei und ber die Strae. An
der nchsten Ecke rechts ist ___.

c. das Museum
4. Gehen Sie immer geradeaus. Rechts an der Ecke ist ___.

c. der Bahnhof
5. Sie sind vor dem Museum und Sie sehen die Bank. Gehen Sie links um die
Ecke bis zur nchsten Strae, dann rechts. Auf der rechten Seite ist ___.

c. das Restaurant

10D - KEY - GEOGRAPHIE - Using the key below, fill in the correct answer in German.
The following items require a basic knowledge of European geography. Please consult
an atlas or map if you need to. (To review the names of countries in German,
see Lektion 6.)
KEY: a. nrdlich b. sdlich c. stlich d. westlich
1. Frankreich liegt westlich von Deutschland. (d, west of)
2. Hamburg liegt nrdlich von Frankfurt. (a, north of)
3. Bremen liegt nrdlich von Mnchen. (a, north of)
4. sterreich liegt sdlich von Deutschland. (b, south of)
5. sterreich liegt stlich von der Schweiz. (c, east of)

Review Test 2
Lektionen 6-10
This is the review test for Lessons 6 through 10. Before taking this test,
you should have already studied Lektionen 6-10 and done the exercises for
each of those lessons. (SeeLesson 6)
How is this test different from the lesson exercises?
First of all, there are no multiple-choice items as in some of the exercises.
This test uses mostly open-ended questions that require a free response. If
you are NOT totally familiar with the vocabulary and grammar in Lessons 6-
10, you should NOT attempt this test! The test will still be here after you
have done any necessary review.
Test Correction
Although your Guide used to do so, because of increased demand and time
constraints, he is no longer able to correct this test for you. However, you
can view the answer key after taking this test. See the instructions at the
end of the test.
Druckversion: For your convenience, you can print this page (without ads).

Teil I
A. Land und Leute I
For items 1-10, write a true statement in German that follows the examples
(Beispiele) below.
BEISPIELE:
Canada - In Kanada sprechen die Leute Englisch oder Franzsisch.
English - USA/AUS - Man spricht Englisch in den Vereinigten Staaten (von
Amerika) und in Australien.
1. Austria - ________________________________
2. Belgium - ________________________________
3. German - A/CH - ________________________________
4. Greece - ________________________________
5. Brazil - ________________________________
6. Turkey - ________________________________
7. French - F/CDN - ________________________________
8. Cuba - ________________________________
9. Russia - ________________________________
10. Italy - ________________________________
B. Land und Leute II
For items 11-15, answer the question or complete the statement correctly in
German.
11. In welchem europischen Land sprechen die Leute Deutsch, Franzsisch,
Italienisch und Romansch? - ____________________________.
12. Welche Sprache sprechen die Leute in Genf? - _______________
13. Ein Mann, der Glisch und Englisch spricht ist _____________________.
14. In diesem Land spricht man Hindi oder Englisch. Das Land heit
______________.
15. Eine Frau, die in Japan wohnt ist ______________________.

Teil II
A. Mathe/Zahlen
Write out the answers to the following math problems in German. Follow the
examples (Beispiele) below.
BEISPIELE:
zwei + vier = sechs
vierundzwanzig - zehn = vierzehn
1. zweiundzwanzig + fnf = ________________
2. zwlf - zwei = ________________
3. fnfzig - neun = _________________
4. vier - vier = _________________
5. einunddreiig + sechsundzwanzig = _________________
B. Zahlen-Diktat (Number Dictation)
Write out the following phone numbers as numerals. Example: null, vier;
zwlf, vierzehn, zwanzig = 04 12 14 20 (German phone numbers are often
printed/written in groups of two-number pairs.)
BEISPIEL:
null, vier; zwlf, vierzehn, zwanzig = 04 12 14 20
6. null, drei; vier, sieben; achtzehn, zwanzig = ______________
7. null, zwo; zwlf, elf, zwanzig = ______________
8. neunzehn; null, fnf; sechzehn = ______________
9. null, acht; zwlf, elf, zwanzig = ______________
10. dreizehn, zwlf, zehn, vierzehn = ______________
C. Die nchste Nummer? (Next number)
For items 11-15, write down the next number in the series.
Beispiel:
fnfzig, vierzig, dreiig, zwanzig (20)
11. zweiundzwanzig, vierundzwanzig, sechsundzwanzig, _________
12. fnfundneunzig, neunzig, fnfundachtzig, _________
13. dreiig, siebenundzwanzig, vierundzwanzig, _________
14. einundachtzig, fnfundachtzig, neunundachtzig, _________
15. zweiundfnfzig, fnfundfnfzig, achtundfnfzig, _________

Teil III
A. Die Verwandtschaft
Define the relative or family member in each item (1-5) in German, as in the
example.
Beispiel:
ONKEL: Mein Onkel ist der Bruder von meinem Vater.
MUTTER: Meine Mutter ist die Frau von meinem Vater.
1. SCHWESTER: _____________________________
2. GROSSMUTTER: _____________________________
3. NICHTE: _____________________________
4. BRUDER: _____________________________
5. URGROSSVATER: _____________________________
B. Familie-Fragen
Answer the following questions in German.
6. Wie heien Ihre Eltern? - ______________________
7. Haben Sie Geschwister? Wie heien sie? - _________________________
8. Wie alt ist Ihre Mutter? - _________________________
9. Wie heit sie? - _________________________
10. Haben Sie eine Tante oder einen Onkel? Wie heit sie/er? -
_________________________
11. Wie ist Ihr Name? - _________________________
12. Wie alt sind Sie? - _________________________
C. Meine Familie
Partly based on the answers you gave in Part B above, describe your own
family briefly in German. Your family summary should be about 50-75 words
in length and should tell something about three or more members of your
family. Include yourself and mention names and ages. Add any other related
information, but keep it simple!

Teil IV
A. In der Stadt
Use the Stadtplan on the right to give directions IN
GERMAN to the destinations given. Answer the
question in German, as if you were telling someone
how to get where they want to go. Your directions
should start at the red arrow unless the question
states otherwise.

1. Wie komme ich auf die Bank?
______________________________________
2. Wie komme ich vom Bahnhof zum Museum?
______________________________________
3. Wie komme ich zum Restaurant?
______________________________________
4. Wie komme ich von der Bank zum Hotel?
______________________________________
5. Wie komme ich zum Bahnhof?
______________________________________
B. Wohin?
Answer logically in German, using the English que given. Make sure to
respond correctly according to the person being asked. See the examples
below:
Beispiel A: Wo gehst du hin? (toilet) - Ich gehe aufs Klo / auf die Toilette.
Beispiel B: Wohin fahren wir? (Bonn) - Wir fahren nach Bonn.
6. Wohin geht Alex jetzt? (cinema) __________________.
7. Wohin gehen Andrea und Brigitte jetzt? (Greek restaurant)
__________________.
8. Wohin gehen Sie jetzt? (butcher) __________________.
9. Und wo gehst du denn hin? (pub) __________________.
10. Wohin fahren wir jetzt? (the lake) __________________.
11. Wo fahren Sie hin? (post office) __________________.
12. Wohin gehen wir heute? (shopping center) __________________.
13. Wo fahren Sie hin? (Berlin) __________________.
14. Wohin fahren Sie morgen? (Switzerland) __________________.
15. Wohin gehst du jetzt? (work) __________________.
C. Geographie
Answer each question in German by saying where (west of, north of, etc.)
the first geographic item is located in relation to the second one. In your
answer, translate each country or city into German and follow the example
(Beispiel) below.
Beispiel:
France / Germany - Frankreich liegt westlich von Deutschland.
16. Poland / Germany ___________________________________
17. Frankfurt / Munich ___________________________________
18. Italy / Austria ___________________________________
19. Austria / Switzerland ___________________________________
20. Luxembourg / Germany ___________________________________

Teil V
Fragen
Beantworten Sie die Fragen! - Answer the following questions in German.
You will be scored on (a) the logic of your answer and (b) your grammar.
Please write complete sentences for your answers. (In some cases you may
need to invent a logical answer if the question does not apply specifically to
you.)
1. Wie heien Sie?
2. Wo wohnen Sie?
3. Welche Nationalitt haben Sie?
4. Wann fahren Sie zur Arbeit oder zur Schule?
5. Haben Sie Geschwister? Wie heien sie?

Review Test 2 (Lessons 6-10)
Quiz 2 Answer Key
This is the key for the German Review Test 2 for lessons 6 through 10. Before
taking this test, you should have already studied lessons 6-10 and done the
exercises for each of those lessons.
CORRECT ANSWERS are in bold type. Each section has a link to the
appropriate lesson(s).

Teil I: Land und Leute - KEY
For items 1-10, write a true statement in German that follows the examples
(Beispiele) below.
Beispiele:
Canada - In Kanada sprechen die Leute Englisch oder Franzsisch.
English - USA/AUS - Man spricht Englisch in den Vereinigten Staaten (von
Amerika) und in Australien.
1. Austria - In sterreich spricht man / sprechen die Leute Deutsch.
2. Belgium - In Belgien spricht man Franzsisch, Flemisch oder
Deutsch.
3. German - A/CH - Man spricht Deutsch in sterreich und in der
Schweiz. (Note: "in der S.")
4. Greece - In Griechenland spricht man Griechisch.
5. Brazil - In Brasilien spricht man Portugiesisch.
6. Turkey - In der Trkei spricht man Trkisch. (Note: "in der T")
7. French - F/CDN - In Frankreich und Kanada sprechen die Leute
Franzsisch.
also correct: Man spricht Franzsisch in Frankreich und Kanada.
8. Cuba - In Kuba sprechen die Leute Spanisch.
9. Russia - In Russland spricht man Russisch.
10. Italy - In Italien sprechen die Leute Italienisch.
B. Land und Leute II
For items 11-15, answer the question or complete the statement correctly in
German.
11. In welchem europischen Land sprechen die Leute Deutsch, Franzsisch,
Italienisch und Romansch? - In der Schweiz (sprechen die Leute...).
12. Welche Sprache sprechen die Leute in Genf? - Sie sprechen
Franzsisch.
13. Ein Mann, der Glisch und Englisch spricht, ist Ire. ("Irish" - not "Irre" =
madman)
14. In diesem Land spricht man Hindi oder Englisch. Das Land heit Indien.
15. Eine Frau, die in Japan wohnt ist Japanerin. (Note: "eine" is not used
here!)
REVIEW > Lesson 6 of German for Beginners
REVIEW > Countries Glossary
TEST > Review Test 2

Teil II: Gender and Pronouns - KEY
A. Mathe / Zahlen
Write out the answers to the following math problems in German. Follow the
examples (Beispiele) below.
Beispiele:
zwei + vier = sechs (2 + 4 = 6)
vierundzwanzig - zehn = vierzehn (24 - 10 = 14)
1. zweiundzwanzig + fnf = siebenundzwanzig (22 + 5 = 27)
2. zwlf - zwei = zehn (12 - 2 = 10)
3. fnfzig - neun = einundvierzig (50 - 9 = 41)
4. vier - vier = null (4 - 4 = 0)
5. einunddreiig + sechsundzwanzig = siebenundfnfzig (31 + 26 = 57)
B. Zahlen-Diktat (Phone Number Dictation)
Write out the following phone numbers as numerals. Example: null, vier;
zwlf, vierzehn, zwanzig = 04 12 14 20 (German phone numbers are often
printed/written in groups of two-number pairs.)
Beispiel:
null, vier; zwlf, vierzehn, zwanzig = 04 12 14 20
6. null, drei; vier, sieben; achtzehn, zwanzig = 06 47 18 20
7. null, zwo; zwlf, elf, zwanzig = 02 12 11 20
8. neunzehn; null, fnf; sechzehn = 19 05 16
9. null, acht; zwlf, elf, zwanzig = 08 12 11 20
10. dreizehn, zwlf, zehn, vierzehn = 13 12 10 14
C. Die nchste Nummer? (Next number)
For items 11-15, write down the next number in the series.
Beispiel:
fnfzig, vierzig, dreiig, zwanzig (50, 40, 30, 20)
sechsundzwanzig, achtundzwanzig (22, 24, 26, 28)
12. fnfundneunzig, neunzig, fnfundachtzig, achtzig (95, 90, 85, 80)
13. dreiig, siebenundzwanzig, vierundzwanzig, einundzwanzig (30, 27,
24, 21)
14. einundachtzig, fnfundachtzig, neunundachtzig, dreiundneunzig (81,
85, 89, 93)
15. zweiundfnfzig, fnfundfnfzig, achtundfnfzig, einundsechzig (52, 55,
58, 61)
REVIEW > Lesson 7 and Lesson 8 of German for Beginners

Teil III - KEY
A. Die Verwandtschaft (The relations)
Define the relative or family member in each item (1-5) in German, as in the
example.
Beispiel:
ONKEL: Mein Onkel ist der Bruder von meinem Vater.
MUTTER: Meine Mutter ist die Frau von meinem Vater.
1. SCHWESTER: Meine Schwester ist die Tochter von meiner
Mutter/von meinem Vater/von meinen Eltern.
2. GROSSMUTTER: Meine Gromutter ist die Mutter von meinem
Vater/von meiner Mutter.
3. NICHTE: Meine Nichte ist die Tochter von meinem Bruder/von
meiner Schwester.
4. BRUDER: Mein Bruder ist der Sohn von meinem Vater/meiner
Mutter.
5. URGROSSVATER: Mein Urgrovater ist der Vater von meiner
Gromutter/meinem Grovater.
B. Familie-Fragen
Answer the following questions in German. - Note: Suggested answers. Your
answers may vary:
6. Wie heien Ihre Eltern? - Mein Vater heit (John, Bill) und meine
Mutter heit (Mary, Anne).
7. Haben Sie Geschwister? Wie heien sie? - Ich habe einen Bruder und
eine Schwester. Mein Bruder heit Kevin und meine Schwester heit
Julie. - Ich habe keine Geschwister.
8. Wie alt ist Ihre Mutter? - Meine Mutter ist 47.
9. Wie heit sie? - Sie heit Mary.
10. Haben Sie eine Tante oder einen Onkel? Wie heit sie/er? - Ich habe
einen Onkel/eine Tante. Er/Sie heit ___.
11. Wie ist Ihr Name? - Ich heie Johnson/Smith/Miller. (LAST name!
This is a formal question to which you would not give your first name.)
12. Wie alt sind Sie? - Ich bin ___. (your age)
C. Meine Familie
Partly based on the answers you gave in Part B above, describe your own
family briefly in German. Your family summary should be about 50-75 words
in length and should tell something about three or more members of your
family. Include yourself and mention names and ages. Add any other related
information, but keep it simple!
Possible answer: "Die Familie Miller - Meine Familie ist nicht sehr gro.
Wir heien Miller. Meine Mutter heit Ingrid und ist 46 Jahre alt.
Mein Vater heit Ulrich oder Uli. Er ist 48 Jahre alt. Ich habe einen
jngeren Bruder. Er heit Markus und ist elf Jahre alt. Ich heie
Katrin und bin siebzehn Jahre alt. Wir wohnen in Chicago." (NOTE:
Your own summary should reflect the answers you gave in Part B.)
REVIEW > Lesson 9 of German for Beginners

Teil IV - KEY
A. In der Stadt (In the city)
Use the STADTPLAN (city map) on the right [not shown in this key] to give
directions IN GERMAN to the destinations given. Answer the question in
German, as if you were telling someone how to get where they want to go.
Your directions should start at the red arrow unless the question states
otherwise.
1. Wie komme ich auf die Bank? - Gehen Sie links am Marktplatz, dann
immer geradeaus bis zur Ampel, dann rechts. An der Ecke links
finden Sie DIE BANK.
2. Wie komme ich vom Bahnhof zum Museum? - Vom Bahnhof gehen Sie
ber den Marktplatz an der Kirche vorbei, dann rechts in die nchste
Strae, dann geradeaus bis zur Ampel. Auf der rechten Seite an der
Ecke sehen Sie DAS MUSEUM.
3. Wie komme ich zum Restaurant? - Gehen Sie links am Marktplatz, am
Hotel vorbei und ber die Strae. An der Ecke links ist DAS
RESTAURANT.
4. Wie komme ich von der Bank zum Hotel? - Gehen Sie die Strae
entlang bis zur Ampel. Dann links und geradeaus. ber die Strae
am Restaurant vorbei. An der Ecke rechts ist DAS HOTEL.
5. Wie komme ich zum Bahnhof? - Gehen Sie immer geradeaus.
Gegenber von der Kirche auf der rechten Seite steht DER BAHNHOF.
B. Wohin?
Answer logically in German, using the English que given. Make sure to
respond correctly according to the person being asked. See the examples
below:
Beispiel A: Wo gehst du hin? (toilet) - Ich gehe aufs Klo / auf die Toilette.
Beispiel B: Wohin fahren wir? (Bonn) - Wir fahren nach Bonn.
6. Wohin geht Alex jetzt? (cinema) - Er geht ins Kino.
7. Wohin gehen Andrea und Brigitte jetzt? (Greek restaurant) - Sie gehen
zum Griechen.
8. Wohin gehen Sie jetzt? (butcher) - Ich gehe zum Fleischer.
9. Und wo gehst du denn hin? (pub) - Dann gehe ich in die Kneipe.
10. Wohin fahren wir jetzt? (the lake) - Wir fahren an den See.
11. Wo fahren Sie hin? (post office) - Wir fahren zur Post/auf die Post.
12. Wohin gehen wir heute? (shopping center) - Wir gehen zum
Einkaufszentrum.
13. Wo fahren Sie hin? (Berlin) - Ich fahre nach Berlin.
14. Wohin fahren Sie morgen? (Switzerland) - Ich fahre morgen in die
Schweiz.
15. Wohin gehst du jetzt? (work) - Ich gehe zur Arbeit.
C. Geographie
Answer each question in German by saying where (west of, north of, etc.)
the first geographic item is located in relation to the second one. In your
answer, translate each country or city into German and follow the example
(Beispiel) below.
Beispiel:
France / Germany - Frankreich liegt westlich von Deutschland. (to the west
of Germany)
16. Poland / Germany - Polen liegt stlich von Deutschland. (east of)
17. Frankfurt / Munich - Frankfurt liegt nordwestlich von Mnchen.
18. Italy / Austria - Italien liegt sdlich von sterreich.
19. Austria / Switzerland - sterreich liegt stlich von der Schweiz.
20. Luxembourg / Germany - Luxemburg liegt nordwestlich von
Deutschland. (no "o" in Lux.)

German Lessons | Contents: Part 2
German Lessons - Level One (Part 2)
Contents Part 1 (Lessons 1-10)
Lektion
Lesson
Thema - Grammatik
Topic - Grammar
Lessons by Topic
Find lessons by subject!
AUDIO LANGUAGE LAB: Sound files for learning to pronounce
German.
Lesson 11 Giving and Taking - geben und nehmen - Stem-changing
verbs, accusative case, command forms
Lesson 12 The Calendar and Appointments - Dative phrases - The
days of the week, months and dates - Ordinal numbers
Lesson 13 Essen und Trinken - Eating and drinking, buying groceries.
The table setting in German.
Menu and
Dining
Essen und Trinken 2 - An annotated A-to-Z German-
English phrasebook related to Lektion 13
Lesson 14 Berufe - Occupations in German. More on the accusative
case and accusative prepositions.
Need a German grammar book?
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by Brigitte Dubiel
Lesson 15 Von Kopf bis Fu - From head to toe: Talking about the
body. Wo tut's weh? Where does it hurt? Dative reflexive.
Lesson 16 kennen/wissen - Knowing How to Say Know. The three
German verbs for "to know."
Lesson 17 Im Kaufhaus - At the Department Store - Shopping,
departments, floors. KaDeWe, Galeries Lafayette, Hertie, etc.
- Dative of interest
Lesson 18 Haus und Hof - House and Home - Apartments/flats,
houses, rooms and furniture. - Pres. perfect tense. More 2-
way prepositions
Lesson 19 Separable Prefix Verbs - How to conjugate verbs with a
separable prefix, plus inseparable-prefix verbs.
Lesson 20 Das Wetter - Talking about the weather - Dative
expressions

Lesson Topics / Lektion-Themen
TOPIC - Thema Lesson
Lektion
Accusative Case - The accusative (direct object) case (11),
accusative prepositions (14)
Lesson 11
Lesson 14
Adjectives and Colors (Farben): Common German
adjectives with sample sentences
Lesson 5
Adverbs of Time/Wann? - Today, tomorrow, later, now,
etc.
Lesson 10
Alphabet - Das Abc: The German alphabet (with sound)
plus aPronunciation Guide for German letters and words.
Lesson 1b
Audio: German Language Lab - Sound for our lessons Audio
Body Vocabulary - Von Kopf bis Fu - From head to toe:
Talking about the human body.
Lesson 15
Calendar and Appointments - Days of the week, months
and dates - Ordinal numbers
Lesson 12
Cases - The accusative, dative, genitive, and nominative cases in
German
Also see Adjective Endings and Lesson 5
Noun Cases
Colors and Adjectives (Farben): Common German colors
and adjectives with sample sentences
Lesson 5
Counting and Numbers: German numbers from 0-20 and
21-100. With exercises and audio.
Lesson 7
Lesson 8
Countries, Nationalities, and Languages - Land und Leute:
With exercises and a quiz.
Lesson 6
Dative of Interest - Shopping & Buying - Im Kaufhaus -
At the Department Store
Lesson 17
Dative Phrases with the calendar and appointments, days
of the week, months and dates
Lesson 12
Dative Reflexive - Verb phrases using the dative reflexive -
Wo tut's weh? Where does it hurt?
Lesson 15
Need a GRAMMAR BOOK? Order
Deutsch macht Spa
by Brigitte Dubiel
Days of the Week with the calendar, days of the week, Lesson 12
months, seasons, and dates
Directions and Going Places - Wie komme ich dorthin?:
How do I get there?
Lesson 10
Family: Meine Familie und ich - Talking about your family
and relations.
Lesson 9
Food and Drink - Essen und Trinken - Eating and
drinking, buying groceries, the table setting
Lesson 13
Gender and Nouns: der, die, das. With two German Gender
Quizzes.
Lesson 3
German Vocabulary: English-German Glossaries by topic - Specialized
dictionaries for topics ranging from "Abbreviations" to the "Zodiac."
German Word of the Day: Wort des Tages for beginners
Giving and Taking - geben und nehmen - Stem-changing
verbs, accusative case, command forms
Lesson 11
Greetings/Courtesies - Gre/Nettigkeiten: Common
greetings and courtesies.
Lesson 1a
haben (to have) - Two important verbs: To have and have
not (haben); to be or not to be! (sein)
Lesson 4a
House and Home - Haus und Hof - Apartments/flats,
houses, rooms and furniture. - Pres. perfect tense. More 2-
way prepositions
Lesson 18
Know: How to Say Know - kennen/wissen/knnen - The
three German verbs for "to know."
Lesson 16
Languages, Countries, and Nationalities - Land und Leute:
With exercises and a quiz.
Lesson 6
SPECIAL
German Grammar Glossary
German grammar terms explainedin plain English!
Modal Verbs - The six German modal verbs Lesson 16
Nouns and Gender: der, die, das. With two German Gender
Quizzes.
Lesson 3
Numbers and Counting: German numbers from 0-20 and
21-100. With exercises and audio.
Lesson 7
Lesson 8
Occupations - Berufe - Plus more on the accusative case
and accusative prepositions.
Lesson 14
Ordinal Numbers with the calendar, appointments, days of
the week, months and dates
Lesson 12
Present Tense: How to conjugate German verbs and form
sentences in the present tense.
Lesson 4b
Present Perfect Tense - House and Home - The German
present perfect tense, plus more two-way prepositions
Lesson 18
Prepositions: Accusative - The accusative prepositions in Lesson 14
German.
Prepositions: Two-Way - German two-way prepositions
can be either accusative or dative.
Lesson 18
Pronouns: I, he/she, Sie/du, we, they, etc. German
personal pronouns with related expressions.
Lesson 2
Pronunciation - Aussprache: How to pronounce German
letters andwords.
Lesson 1b
Review Tests - Two review tests covering lessons 1-5 and
6-10. Test yourself!

Seasons of the Year with the calendar, days, months, and
dates
Lesson 12b
sein (to be) - Two important verbs: To have and have not
(haben); to be or not to be! (sein)
Lesson 4a
Separable & Inseparable Verb Prefixes: How to
conjugate verbs in sentences with these prefixes.
Lesson 19
Shopping & Buying - Im Kaufhaus - At the department
store: departments, floors, etc.
Lesson 17
Verbs: Present Tense: How to conjugate German verbs
and form sentences in the present tense.
Lesson 4b
Verbs: Present Perfect: How to conjugate verbs and form
sentences in the present perfect tense.
Lesson 18
Verbs: Separable & Inseparable Prefixes: How to
conjugate verbs in sentences with these prefixes.
Lesson 19
Verbs: German Verbs - A guide to conjugating and using German verbs
Weather: How to talk about das
Wetter plus dative expressions.
Lesson 20

Lesson 11
Give and Take - The Accusative Case
Command Forms
geben - nehmen
geben (give)/es gibt (there is/are)
nehmen (take)/er nimmt (he takes)
In this lesson you'll learn how to express in German the concepts of giving
(geben) and taking (nehmen). This involves the grammatical elements
known as the accusative case (the direct object case in German),
irregular stem-changing verbs and the command forms (imperative). If
that sort of grammar terminology scares you, don't worry. We'll introduce it
all in such a way that you'll hardly feel a thing.
The important thing is that after studying this lesson, you'll be able to
express the important and useful concepts of giving and taking.

geben (give) - nehmen (take)
These two German verbs have something in common. See if you can find
what it is by observing the following:
geben
ich gebe (I give), du gibst (you give)
er gibt (he gives), sie gibt (she gives)
wir geben (we give), sie geben (they give)
nehmen
ich nehme (I take), du nimmst (you take)
er nimmt (he takes), sie nimmt (she takes)
wir nehmen (we take), sie nehmen (they take)
Now can you tell what essential change these two verbs have in common?
If you said that they both change from e to i in the same situations, then
you're right! (The verb nehmen also changes its spelling slightly, but the e-
to-i change is what these two verbs have in common.) Both of these verbs
belong to a class of German verbs known as "stem-changing" verbs. In the
infinitive form (ending in -en) they have an e in their stem, or base form.
But when they are conjugated (used with a pronoun or noun in a sentence),
the stem vowel changes under certain conditions
from e to i: nehmen (infinitive) --> er nimmt(conjugated, 3rd person
sing.); geben (infinitive) --> er gibt (conjugated, 3rd person sing.)
All stem-changing verbs only change their stem vowel in the singular. Most
only change when used with er, sie, es (3rd person) and du (2nd person,
familiar). Other e-to-i stem-changing verbs
include: helfen/hilft (help), treffen/trifft (meet)
and sprechen/spricht (speak). (For a detailed look at all the German
irregular verbs, including geben and nehmen, see our Strong Verbs chart.)
Now study the chart below. It shows all the forms of the two verbs in the
present tensein English and German. In the example sentences, observe
also how direct objects (the things you give or take) that are masculine
(der) change to den or einen when they function as direct objects (rather
than the subject). In the accusative (direct object) case, der is the only
gender that has this change. Neuter (das), feminine (die) and plural nouns
are unaffected.
The STEM-CHANGING Verbs
geben - nehmen
The words me, us, them (mir, uns, ihnen) and so on in the sentences
with geben are indirect objects in the dative case. You will learn more about
the dative in a future lesson. For now, just learn these words as vocabulary.
Englisch Deutsch
geben
there is/there are
Today there are no apples.
es gibt
Heute gibt es keine pfel.
The expression es gibt (there is/are) always takes the accusative case:
"Heute gibt es keinen Wind." = "There is no wind today."
I give
I give her the new ball.
ich gebe
Ich gebe ihr den neuen Ball.
you (fam.) give
Are you giving him the money?
du gibst
Gibst du ihm das Geld?
he gives
He gives me the green book.
er gibt
Er gibt mir das grne Buch.
she gives
She gives us a book.
sie gibt
Sie gibt uns ein Buch.
we give
We aren't giving them any money.
wir geben
Wir geben ihnen kein Geld.
you (pl.) give
You (guys) give me a key.
ihr gebt
Ihr gebt mir einen Schlssel.
they give
They give him no opportunity.
sie geben
Sie geben ihm keine Gelegenheit.
you (formal) give Sie geben
Are you giving me the pencil? Geben Sie mir den Bleistift?
nehmen
I take
I take the ball.
ich nehme
Ich nehme den Ball.
you (fam.) take
Are you taking the money?
du nimmst
Nimmst du das Geld?
he takes
He's taking the green book.
er nimmt
Er nimmt das grne Buch.
she takes
She takes a book.
sie nimmt
Sie nimmt ein Buch.
we take
We aren't taking any money.
wir nehmen
Wir nehmen kein Geld.
you (pl.) take
You (guys) take a key.
ihr nehmt
Ihr nehmt einen Schlssel.
they take
They take everything.
sie nehmen
Sie nehmen alles.
you (formal) take
Are you taking the pencil?
Sie nehmen
Nehmen Sie den Bleistift?
By their nature, these two verbs are often used in the imperative
(command) form. Below you'll find how to say things like "Give me the pen!"
or "Take the money!" If you are talking to one person, the command will be
different than if you are addressing two or more people. Note that, as usual,
German makes a distinction between a formal Sie (sing. & pl.) command
and a familiar du (sing.) or ihr (pl.) command. If you tell a child to give you
something, the command will not be the same as when you are addressing
an adult formally (Sie). If you are telling more than one child (ihr) to do
something, that will also be a different command than if you are only
addressing one child (du). The du command form of most verbs is almost
always the normal du form of the verb minus the -st ending. (Du nimmst
das Buch. - Nimm das Buch!) Study the chart below.
IMPERATIVE
Command Forms for
geben - nehmen
The German imperative verb forms vary according to whom you are
commanding or telling to do something. Each form of YOU in German
(du, ihr, Sie) has its own command form. Note that only the Sie command
includes the pronoun in the command! The du and ihr commands do not
usually include du or ihr.
Englisch Deutsch
geben
Give me the (ballpoint) pen! (Sie) Geben Sie mir den Kuli!
Give me the (ballpoint) pen! (du) Gib mir den Kuli!
Give me the (ballpoint) pen! (ihr) Gebt mir den Kuli!
nehmen
Take the (ballpoint) pen! (Sie) Nehmen Sie den Kuli!
Take the (ballpoint) pen! (du) Nimm den Kuli!
Take the (ballpoint) pen! (ihr) Nehmt den Kuli!
PRACTICE > Exercises for this Lesson
EXERCISES for Lesson 11
Try the following exercises to see if you have learned how to conjugate and
use the German verbs geben and nehmen in a sentence. Note that when
you use these two verbs, you often have a direct object in the accusative
case. Before you begin, study the following charta brief overview of the
accusative case:
AKKUSATIV (Der Wenfall)
Nominative
(Subject)
Accusative
(Object)
Beispiele (Examples)
der den Der Bleistift ist hier. (nom.)
Er gibt mir den Bleistift. (acc.)
ein (masc.)
kein
einen
keinen
Sein Wagen ist blau. (nom., der Wagen)
Nimmst du seinen blauen Wagen? (acc.)
er (he) ihn (him) Er ist hier. (nom.)
Nimmst du ihn? (acc.)
NOTE: The masculine gender (der/er) is the only one that changes in the
accusative case. Neither the plural nor the feminine (die) and neuter (das)
genders change in the accusative. But der becomes den, er becomes ihn,
and ein changes to einen (kein/keinen,mein/meinen, etc.).
See Lektion 14 - Part 2 for the accusative prepositions and more about the accusative case.
A. geben
Write a complete sentence in German using the elements shown. Follow the
examples. For items with a question mark, make the sentence a question.
Add any necessary endings and make any needed changes to form a
complete sentence.
Beispiel: wir / geben / ihm / ein Buch - Wir geben ihm ein Buch.
Beispiel: geben / du / ihm / der Kuli ? - Gibst du ihm den Kuli?
1. er / geben / mir / ein Radio
2. geben / wir / ihr / ein Auto ?
3. geben / du / mir / kein Bleistift ?
4. ihr / geben / uns / der Film
5. Maria / geben / ihm / ein Bier
Antworte (Answer Key)
B. nehmen
Write a complete sentence in German using the elements shown. Use the
following example as a model. For items with a question mark, make the
sentence a question. Add any necessary endings and make any needed
changes to form a complete sentence.
Beispiel: Sie / nehmen / der Wein - Sie nehmen den Wein.
6. nehmen / du / der Ball ?
7. ich / nehmen / kein Schlssel [key]
8. er / nehmen / der Bleistift
9. Sie / nehmen / ein Kuli
10. nehmen / Karl und Heike / ein Buch ?
C. es gibt
Translate the English into a German sentence using es gibt and the word
indicated. Follow the example. Some items will use kein (not any, none).
Beispiel: Is there a calendar? (der Kalender) - Gibt es einen Kalender?
11. Is there no money? (das Geld)
12. There's a difference. (der Unterschied)
13. There's no wind. (der Wind)
14. Is there time? (die Zeit)
15. There's no time. (die Zeit)
D. Befehlsform (command form)
Write a command in German using the verb and form indicated
(du, ihr, Sie commands). Follow the examples.
Beispiel: geben (du) / ihm / der Kuli - Gib ihm den Kuli!
Beispiel: nehmen (Sie) / der Kuli - Nehmen Sie den Kuli!
16. nehmen (ihr) / der Bleistift
17. geben (Sie) / mir / das Buch
18. nehmen (du) / der Wagen
19. geben (du) / ihm / der Wein
20. nehmen (Sie) / die Tasche [bag]

Exercises: Lektion 11
bungen
ANSWER KEY
A. geben
1. er / geben / mir / ein Radio = Er gibt mir ein Radio. (He's giving me a
radio.)
2. geben / wir / ihr / ein Auto ? = Geben wir ihr ein Auto? (Are we giving her
a car?)
3. geben / du / mir / kein Bleistift ? = Gibst du mir keinen Bleistift? (Aren't
you giving me a pencil?)
4. ihr / geben / uns / der Film = Ihr gebt uns den Film. (You guys are giving
us the film.)
5. Maria / geben / ihm / ein Bier = Maria gibt ihm ein Bier. (Maria's giving
him a beer.)
Back to Exercises (11)

B. nehmen
6. nehmen / du / der Ball ? = Nimmst du den Ball?
7. ich / nehmen / kein Schlssel = Ich nehme keinen Schlssel.
8. er / nehmen / der Belistift = Er nimmt den Bleistift.
9. Sie / nehmen / ein Kuli = Sie nehmen einen Kuli.
10. nehmen / Karl und Heike / ein Buch ? = Nehmen Karl und Heike ein
Buch?

C. es gibt
11. Is there no money? (das Geld) = Gibt es kein Geld?
12. There's a difference. (der Unterschied) = Es gibt einen Unterschied.
13. There's no wind. (der Wind) = Es gibt keinen Wind.
14. Is there time? (die Zeit) = Gibt es Zeit?
15. There's no time. (die Zeit) = Es gibt keine Zeit.

D. Befehlsform
16. nehmen (ihr) / der Bleistift = Nehmt den Bleistift! (Take the pencil!)
17. geben (Sie) / mir / das Buch = Geben Sie mir das Buch! (Give me the
book!)
18. nehmen (du) / der Wagen = Nimm den Wagen! (Take the car!)
19. geben (du) / ihm / der Wein = Gib ihm den Wein! (Give him the wine!)
20. nehmen (Sie) / die Tasche = Nehmen Sie die Tasche! (Take the bag!)

Lesson 12
The Calendar and Appointments
Days of the Week, Months, Dative Phrases
After studying this lesson, you'll be able to: (1) say the days and months in
German, (2) express calendar dates, (3) talk about the seasons and (4) talk
about dates and deadlines (Termine) in German. We'll also review some of
the vocabulary for time and telling time that you learned in earlier lessons.
Luckily, because they are based on Latin, the English and German words for
the months are almost identical. The days in many cases are also similar
because of a common Germanic heritage. Most of the days bear the names
of Teutonic gods in both languages. For example, the Germanic god of war
and thunder, Thor, lends his name to both English Thursday and
German Donnerstag (thunder = Donner).
Let's start with the days of the week (Tage der Woche). Most of the days
in German end in the word (der) Tag, just as the English days end in "day."
The German week (and calendar) starts with Monday (Montag) rather than
Sunday. Each day is shown with its common two-letter abbreviation.

Tage der Woche
Days of the Week
DEUTSCH ENGLISCH
Montag (Mo)
(Mond-Tag)
Monday
"moon day"
Dienstag (Di)
(Zies-Tag)
Tuesday
Mittwoch (Mi)
(mid-week)
Wednesday
(Wodan's day)
Donnerstag (Do)
"thunder-day"
Thursday
(Thor's day)
Freitag (Fr)
(Freya-Tag)
Friday
(Freya's day)
Samstag (Sa) Saturday
Sonnabend (Sa)
(used in No. Germany)
(Saturn's day)
Sonntag (So)
(Sonne-Tag)
Sunday
"sun day"
The seven days of the week are masculine gender (der) since they usually
end in -tag (der Tag). The two exceptions, Mittwoch and Sonnabend, are
also masculine. Note that there are two words for Saturday. Samstag is
used in most of Germany, in Austria and in German
Switzerland. Sonnabend ("Sunday eve") is used in eastern Germany and
roughly north of the city of Mnster in northern Germany. So, in Hamburg,
Rostock, Leipzig or Berlin, it'sSonnabend; in Cologne, Frankfurt, Munich or
Vienna "Saturday" is Samstag. Both words for "Saturday" are understood
all over the German-speaking world, but you should try to use the one most
common in the region you're in. Note the two-letter abbreviation for each of
the days (Mo, Di, Mi, etc.). These are used on calendars, schedules and
German/Swiss watches that indicate the day and date.

When you're ready,
don't forget to try the
Exercises for This Page

To say "on Monday" or "on Friday" you use the prepositional phrase am
Montag or am Freitag. (The word am is actually a contraction
of an and dem, the dative form of der. We'll explain more about that
below.) Here are some commonly used phrases for the days of the week:
Day Phrases
Englisch Deutsch
on Monday
(on Tuesday, Wednesday, etc.)
am Montag
(am Dienstag, Mittwoch, usw.)
(on) Mondays
(on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, etc.)
montags
(dienstags, mittwochs, usw.)
every Monday, Mondays jeden Montag
(every Tuesday, Wednesday, etc.) (jeden Dienstag, Mittwoch, usw.)
this Tuesday (am) kommenden Dienstag
last Wednesday letzten Mittwoch
the Thursday after next bernchsten Donnerstag
every other Friday jeden zweiten Freitag
Today is Tuesday. Heute ist Dienstag.
Tomorrow is Wednesday. Morgen ist Mittwoch.
Yesterday was Monday. Gestern war Montag.
Also see > Day by Day: Day Expressions in German
A few words about the DATIVE case. In Lesson 11 we looked at
the accusative (direct object) case. Below is a chart of what happens to the
articles (der, die, das) in the three main cases (only the genitive is yet to
come). The dative case is used as the object of certain prepositions (as with
dates) and as the indirect object of a verb. Here we are concentrating on the
use of the accusative and dative in expressing dates. Here is a chart of those
changes. (Items in the darker boxes do not change.)
NOMINATIV-AKKUSATIV-DATIV
GENDER Nominativ Akkusativ Dativ
MASC. der/jeder den/jeden dem
NEUT. das das dem
FEM. die die der
EXAMPLES: am Dienstag (on Tuesday, dative), jeden Tag (every
day, accusative)
NOTE: The masculine (der) and neuter (das) make the same changes (look
the same) in the DATIV case. Adjectives or numbers used in the dative will
have an -en ending: am sechsten April.
Now we want to apply the information in the chart above. When we use the
prepositions an(on) and in (in) with days, months or dates, they take the
dative case. Days and months are masculine, so we end up with a
combination of an or in plus dem, which equals am or im. Additionally,
some date expressions that do not use prepositions (jeden
Dienstag, letzten Mittwoch) are in the accusative case.
Don't worry if you haven't completely grasped the accusative/dative
business. We'll go into more detail in later lessons. But for now, be sure to
learn the basic phrases for days, dates and months. See Part Two of this
lesson for the months, dates and the four seasons.

Exercises: Lektion 12
Die Tage der Woche - bungen
The following exercises test your knowledge of the days of the week in
German.

Druckversion - Printer version of this page

A. TAGE - Abkrzungen
Write out the full word for each of the following German
abbreviations (Abkrzungen) for the days of the week.
Then also write out the English word for that day.
1. Sa _____________________ = (Engl.) _____________________
2. Do _____________________ = ______________________
3. Fr _____________________ = ______________________
4. So _____________________ = ______________________
5. Mi _____________________ = ______________________
6. Mo _____________________ = ______________________
7. Di _____________________ = ______________________
Antworte (Answers)
Back to Lektion 12

B. WANN? An welchem Tag?
Write a complete sentence in German that says the same thing as the
English.
Beispiel: They're coming on Wednesday. - Sie kommen am Mittwoch.
8. Is he coming on Monday or (oder) Tuesday? -
9. The meeting (das Treffen) is this Friday. -
10. Tomorrow is Saturday. -
11. Yesterday was Thursday. -
12. Wasn't that last Monday? -
Antworte (Answers)
Back to Lektion 12

C. Tagesrtsel
Items 13-15 are a series of easy word puzzles. Write
in the missing day of the week for each item.
13. Heute ist Donnerstag. Morgen ist ___________________ .
14. Gestern war Sonnabend. Heute ist ____________________ .
15. Heute ist Montag. bermorgen ist ___________________ .
Antworte

A. TAGE - Abkrzungen
Write out the full word for each of the following German
abbreviations (Abkrzungen) for the days of the week.
Then also write out the English word for that day.
1. Sa Samstag = (Engl.) Saturday AND
Sa Sonnabend = Saturday
2. Do Donnerstag = Thursday
3. Fr Freitag = Friday
4. So Sonntag = Sunday
5. Mi Mittwoch = Wednesday
6. Mo Montag = Monday
7. Di Dienstag = Tuesday
Back to Exercise
Back to Lektion 12

B. WANN? An welchem Tag?
Write a complete sentence in German that says the same thing as the
English.
Beispiel: They're coming on Wednesday. - Sie kommen am Mittwoch.
8. Is he coming on Monday or (oder) Tuesday? - Kommt er am Montag
oder am Dienstag?
9. The meeting (das Treffen) is this Friday. - Das Treffen ist (am)
kommenden Freitag.
10. Tomorrow is Saturday. - Morgen ist Samstag/Sonnabend.
11. Yesterday was Thursday. - Gestern war Donnerstag.
12. Wasn't that last Monday? - War das nicht letzten Montag?
Back to Exercise
Back to Lektion 12

C. Tagesrtsel
Items 13-15 are a series of easy word puzzles. Write
in the missing day of the week for each item.
13. Heute ist Donnerstag. Morgen ist Freitag.
14. Gestern war Sonnabend. Heute ist Sonntag.
15. Heute ist Montag. bermorgen ist Mittwoch.

German for Beginners Lesson 13
Essen und Trinken - Eating and Drinking
Lebensmittel - Groceries
This lesson introduces: (1) food words and vocabulary for eating, drinking
and grocery shopping, (2) expressions related to those topics and (3) related
German grammar. A very important supplement to this lesson is our German-
English Menu and Dining Guide.
Read and study the following dialog. If you need help with the vocabulary or
grammar, see the German-English version and the short glossary
below. LERNTIPP: You will comprehend and learn this dialog better if you
use this German-only version as much as possible, only turning to the dual-
language version when you need to. You can easily switch between the two.
Also see the glossary at the bottom of the dialog.
Your goal is to get to the point where you can read this German dialog with
full comprehension (no dictionary/help needed).

Dialog 1: In der Kche
Dialog 1: In the Kitchen
Katrin: Mutti, was machst du denn da? Ist das Wienerschnitzel?
Katrin: Mom, what are you making there? Is that Wienerschnitzel? (breaded
veal cutlet)
Mutter: Ja, dein Lieblingsessen natrlich.
Mother: Yes, your favorite dish, of course.
Katrin: Toll!
Katrin: Great!
Mutti: Aber Katrin, ich hab' gerade entdeckt, dass wir keine Kartoffeln fr
die Pommes frites haben. Kannst du mir schnell Kartoffeln bei EDEKA holen?
Mother: But Katrin, I just discovered that we don't have any potatoes for
the French fries. Can you get me some potatoes at (the) EDEKA (market)
real quick?
Back to German-only version of this dialog
Katrin: Ja, das kann ich. Brauchst du sonst noch etwas?
Katrin: Yes, I can. Do you need anything else?
Mutter: Wenn es ein paar schne Gurken gibt, wre das auch gut.
Mother: If there are a few nice cucumbers, that would be good.
Katrin: Und Brtchen?
Lukas: And bread rolls?
Mutter: Nee, das haben wir schon.
Mother: No, we already have that.
Katrin: OK, dann bin ich gleich wieder da.
Katrin: OK, then I'll be right back.
Mutter: Hast du etwas Geld?
Mother: Do you have some money?
Katrin: Ja, genug, um ein paar Kartoffeln und Gurken zu kaufen.
Katrin: Yeah, enough to buy a few potatoes and cucumbers.
Mutter: Natrlich bekommst du das Geld von mir zurck.
Mother: Of course, you'll get the money back from me.
Katrin: Es geht schon, Mutti. Tschs!
Katrin: It's OK, mom. Bye!

GLOSSARY: wre would be, nee nein, e Gurke cucumber, genug enough
CULTURAL NOTE: EDEKA is a German co-op chain of over 10,000
neighborhood, independently-owned grocery stores that offer a wide variety
of items, sometimes including a small bakery. By using a centralized
distribution system from 12 regional centers in Germany, they are better
able to compete with larger supermarkets. For more information, see
theEDEKA Web site (in German).

Where else can you buy groceries? Below is a chart of various shopping
possibilities. Although supermarkets are popular, many Germans still prefer
to shop for meat, bread, pastry, fruit and vegetables in specialty shops: the
butcher, the baker, the green grocer and other specialized types of stores.
Wo kaufe ich das?
Useful words and expressions
in English and German
Lebensmittel - Groceries
WO (where) WAS (what)
der Supermarkt the supermarket
im Supermarkt at the supermarket
fast alles almost everything
die Lebensmittel groceries
das Gemse vegetables
das Obst fruit
die Milch milk
der Kse cheese
der Bcker the baker
beim Bcker at the baker's
die Bckerei bakery
das Brot bread
das Brtchen roll
die Semmeln rolls
(So. Germany, Austria)
die Torte cake
der Kuchen cake
der Fleischer the butcher*
die Fleischerei butcher shop
beim Fleischer at the butcher's
der Metzger the butcher
die Metzgerei the butcher shop
beim Metzger at the butcher's
der Fisch fish
das Fleisch meat
das Rindfleisch beef
das Geflgel fowl
das Kalbfleisch veal
der Schinken ham
das Schweinefleisch pork
die Wurst sausage
*The German terms for "butcher" and "butcher shop" are
regional. Metzger tends to be used more in southern Germany,
while Fleischer is more common in the north. The official term for the trade
is Fleischer. Older, rarely used terms
are Fleischhacker, Fleischhauerand Schlachter.
der Getrnkemarkt beverage shop
Here you buy beverages (beer, cola,
mineral water, etc.) by the case.
Supermarkets now usually have a
Getrnke beverages
das Getrnk beverage, drink
das Bier beer
der Wein wine
similar department. die Limonade soda, soft drink
die Cola cola drink
das Mineralwasser mineral water
der Markt the market
der Tante-Emma-Laden corner
market
die Tankstelle gas station (market)
A growing trend in Germany is the
gas station mini-mart, selling
everything from groceries to videos
and CDs. It offers shoppers an
alternative to regular stores that by
law are closed on Sundays and after
8pm, if not earlier.
Also see:
Menu and Dining Guide
A German-English guide to
vocabulary having to do with dining out.

Lesson 13.2
Der gedeckte Tisch
The Table Setting: Plates, cups, cutlery, etc.
What do we find on a table set for dining? Below is an English-German
chart of various items that might be found on a typical dining table.
Der gedeckte Tisch
Useful words and expressions
in English and German
ENGLISH DEUTSCH
CUTLERY, TABLEWARE DAS BESTECK
fork die Gabel
knife das Messer
spoon der Lffel
teaspoon der Teelffel
tablespoon der Esslffel
knife das Messer
cake knife, slicer der Tortenheber
When you're ready,
don't forget to try the
Photo Exercise for This Page
DINNERWARE, CHINA, DISHES DAS GESCHIRR
bowl die Schale, die Schssel
cup/mug die Tasse/der Becher
saucer die Untertasse
plate, salad plate der Teller, der Salatteller
CONTAINERS BEHLTER
can - beer can, cola can die Dose - Bierdose, Coladose
a can of beer/cola eine Dose Bier/Cola
glass - beer glass, wine glass das Glas - Bierglas, Weinglas
a glass of beer/wine/milk ein Glas Bier/Wein/Milch
bottle - beer bottle, wine bottle die Flasche -
Bierflasche, Weinflasche
a bottle of beer/wine/milk eine Flasche Bier/Wein/Milch
a cup of coffee/tea eine Tasse Kaffee/Tee
a cup/dish of ice cream ein(en) Becher Eis
dish, (serving) bowl die Schale, die Schssel
pitcher, jug der Krug
tea pot (small)
tea pot (large)
coffee pot (small)
coffee pot (large)
das Teeknnchen
die Teekanne
das Kaffeeknnchen
die Kaffeekanne
(cooking) pot der Topf
OTHER THINGS ANDERE SACHEN
coaster, beer coaster/mat der Untersetzer, der Bierdeckel
napkin, serviette die Serviette
place setting das Gedeck
place mat das Set
salt/pepper shaker der Salzstreuer/Pfefferstreuer
Lesson 13.3
Foto-bung - der Tisch
On the Table: A photo exercise
You are here:
Lesson 13.1 > Lesson 13.2 > Lesson 13.3
Can you identify (in German) the items that appear in the photo below?
The self-grading, 10-item quiz below relates to the vocabulary for Lektion 13.
If you are not completely sure about this vocabulary, then you should review
Lesson 13 before attempting the following quiz.
Click the JA button if the item appears in the photo below, the NEIN-button
if it does not. When you reach the end of the quiz you'll be able to find out
your percentage score. The correct answers will be listed in the scroll box
just below the "Get Score" button.
HINT: If you want to revise your answers after getting your score, don't use
the "Clear" button unless you want to re-mark all the answers. Just change
the answers you think need changing -- then click on the "Get Score" button
again. But no peeking at the answers!

1. eine Flasche Cola
JA
NEIN
2. eine Gabel
JA
NEIN
3. eine Kaffeekanne
JA
NEIN
4. eine Tasse Kaffee
JA
NEIN
5. ein Teller
JA
NEIN
6. ein Tortenheber
JA
NEIN
7. Untertassen
JA
NEIN
8. eine Flasche Wein
JA
NEIN
9. eine Torte
JA
NEIN
10. ein Messer
JA
NEIN
1. JA
2. JA
3. NEIN
4. JA
5. JA
6. JA
7. JA
8. JA
9. JA
10. NEIN

German for Beginners: Lesson 14
Was sind Sie von Beruf?
Whats your occupation?
This lesson introduces: (1) vocabulary related to occupations and trades,
(2) expressions related to that vocabulary and (3) the grammar of accusative
prepositions. A recommended review for this lesson is Part 2 of Lesson
11 (accusative case).
CULTURAL NOTE: Although it is quite common for English-speakers to ask
new acquaintances what their profession is, Germans are less likely to do so.
Some Germans wouldn't mind, but others may consider it an invasion of
their personal sphere. This is something you'll just have to play by ear.
Below you'll find a list of common occupations and professions. Note that all
professions in German have both a feminine and a masculine form. We have
listed the feminine form only in cases where it is not just the standard -
in ending (as in der Arzt/die rztin), when there is also a difference in
English (waiter/waitress), or when a job is more likely to be feminine (nurse,
secretary) or the German feminine form is very common (student).
GRAMMAR NOTE: When you say "I'm a student." or "He's an architect." in
German, you normally leave out the "a" or "an": Ich bin Student(in). - Er
ist Architekt. (no "ein" or "eine"). Only if an adjective is added, do you use
"ein/eine" as in: Er ist ein guter Student. - Sie ist eine neue
Architektin. See the examples in the chart below.
Berufe - Professions
Englisch Deutsch
architect der Architekt
auto mechanic der Automechaniker
baker der Bcker
bank teller der Bankangestellte, die
Bankangestellte
bricklayer, stone mason der Maurer
broker der Makler
stock broker
real estate agent/broker
der Brsenmakler
der Immobilienmakler
bus driver der Busfahrer
computer programer der Programmierer, die
Programmiererin
cook, chef der Koch, der Chefkoch
die Kchin, die Chefkchin
doctor, physician der Arzt, die rztin
employee, white-collar worker der Angestellte, die Angestellte
employee, blue-collar worker der Arbeiter, die Arbeiterin
IT worker Angestellte/Angestellter in der
Informatik
joiner, cabinetmaker der Tischler
journalist der Journalist
musician der Musiker
nurse der Krankenpfleger, die
Krankenschwester
photographer der Fotograf, die Fotografin
secretary der Sekretr, die Sekretrin
student, pupil (K-12) der Schler, die Schlerin
student (college, univ.) der Student, die Studentin
Student: Note that German makes a distinction between a school
student/pupil and a college-level student.
taxi driver der Taxifahrer
teacher der Lehrer, die Lehrerin
truck/lorry driver der Lkw-Fahrer
der Fernfahrer/Brummifahrer
waiter - waitress der Kellner - die Kellnerin
worker, laborer der Arbeiter
Q & A - Fragen und Antworten
Questions and Answers
Q: What's your occupation?
Q: What do you do for a living?
A: I'm a...
F: Was sind Sie von Beruf?
F: Was machen Sie beruflich?
A: Ich bin...
Q: What's your occupation?
A: I'm in insurance.
A: I work at a bank.
A: I work at a bookstore.
F: Was machen Sie beruflich?
A: Ich bin in der
Versicherungbranche.
A: Ich arbeite bei einer Bank.
A: Ich arbeite bei einer
Buchhandlung.
Q: What does he/she do for a
living?
A: He/She runs a small business.
F: Was macht er/sie beruflich?
A: Er/Sie fhrt einen kleinen Betrieb.
Q: What does an auto mechanic
do?
A: He repairs cars.
F: Was macht ein Automechaniker?
A: Er repariert Autos.
Q: Where do you work?
A: At McDonald's.
F: Wo arbeiten Sie?
A: Bei McDonald's.
Q: Where does a nurse work?
A: In a hospital.
F: Wo arbeitet eine
Krankenschwester?
A: Im Krankenhaus/im Spital.
Q: At which company does he
work?
A: He's with DaimlerChrysler.
F: Bei welcher Firma arbeitet er?
A: Er ist bei DaimlerChrysler.
Wo arbeiten Sie?
Where do you work?
at Deutsche Bank bei der Deutschen Bank
at home zu Hause
at McDonald's bei McDonald's
at the office im Bro
in a garage, auto repair shop in einer/in der Autowerkstatt
in a hospital in einem/im Krankenhaus/Spital
with a big/small company bei einem groen/kleinen
Unternehmen
Also see: German Stores and Businesses - English-German glossary
sich um eine Stelle bewerben
Applying for a Position
company, firm die Firma
employer der Arbeitgeber
employment office das Arbeitsamt (Web link)
interview das Interview
job application die Bewerbung
I'm applying for a job. Ich bewerbe mich um eine
Stelle/einen Job.
resume, CV der Lebenslauf

Lektion 14
Part 2
Was sind Sie von Beruf?
Accusative Prepositions
Pronouns in the Accusative
Druckversion (printer version) of this page.
Back to the Regular Version
From German Language @ About - http://german.about.com

Below is an overview of the German accusative prepositions. When studying
the prepositions, it is wise to remember that they don't always translate the
same way. For example (zum Beispiel), English "for" can be expressed in
German by the dative case or all of these prepositions:auf, fr, nach, um,
and zu. Of these, only fr and um are accusative prepositions. Prepositions
can be a dangerous minefield, so study them well, and carefully observe how
they are used. Notice also that some of the prepositions below (durch, um)
can mean more than one thing in English. (See our feature
entitled Prepositional Pitfalls for more about this.)
By "accusative prepositions" we mean those that always "govern" or "take"
the accusative case. An accusative preposition will always be followed by an
object (a noun or pronoun) in the accusative case. We will cover the dative
and genitive prepositions in later lessons.
Luckily, there are only five accusative prepositions you need to learn
and memorize. In the chart below, we have listed each preposition in
German and English (left column) with example prepositional phrases (right
column). Another thing that makes this group of prepositions easier is the
fact that only the masculine gender (der) changes in the accusative case. As
we already pointed out in Lektion 11, neither the plural nor the feminine
(die) and neuter (das) genders change in the accusative.
GRAMMAR NOTE: The pronoun er (he) follows the same pattern as the
definite article der (with which it rhymes!). Just as der changes
to den, er changes to ihn (also with an "n" at the end). Also keep in mind
that the pronoun er can mean "it" when it refers to a masculine non-
personal noun: der Wagen (the car) = er (it).
Like er, all of the German personal pronouns have an accusative form that is
different from the nominative (subject) form except forSie/sie and es.
This is similar to the case changes in English (he/him, I/me, she/her).
Accusative Prepositions
Prpositionen Beispiele
durch through, by durch die Stadt through
the city
durch den Wald through
the forest
durch den Wind (caused)
by the wind
fr for fr das Buch for the book
fr ihn for him
fr mich for me
gegen against, for gegen alle
Erwartungen against all
expectations
gegen die Mauer against
the wall
gegen
Kopfschmerzen(medicine)
for a headache
gegen mich against me
ohne without ohne den Wagen without
the car
ohne ihn without him
ohne mich without me
(count me out)
um around, for um den See around the
lake
um eine Stelle (apply) for
a job
Er bewirbt sich um eine
Stelle.He's applying for a
position.
NOTE: The German preposition bis is technically
an accusative preposition, but since it's almost
always used with a second preposition (bis zu,
bis auf, etc.) in a different case, it's not listed
above.
PERSONAL PRONOUNS
in the ACCUSATIVE
NOMINATIVE ACCUSATIVE
ich I mich me
du you (fam.) dich you
er he
sie she
es it
ihn him
sie her
es it
wir we uns us
ihr you (guys) euch you (guys)
sie they sie them
Sie you (formal) Sie you (formal)
da- Compounds
All of the accusative prepositions except "ohne"
and "bis" form what are called "da-compounds"
to express what would be a prepositional phrase
in English. Da-compounds are not used for
people (personal pronouns). Prepositions
beginning with a vowel add a connecting r. See
the examples below.
THING PERSON
dadurch through it,
by it
durch ihn/sie through
him/her
dafr for it fr ihn/sie for him/her
dagegen against it gegen ihn/sie against
him/her
darum for that
reason
um ihn/sie around
him/her
Also see:
Lektion 11 - Part 2
The Accusative Case

Part 3 - bungen (2)
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Below are exercises for practicing what you've learned in Lesson 14, Part II.
Each exercise is linked to an answer key.

BUNG 4 - Accusative A
Write out the German for each accusative prepositional phrase:
1. without the car _________________________
2. against me _________________________
3. for the printer (r Drucker) _________________________
4. (something) for a headache _________________________
5. along the street _________________________
6. "count me out" _________________________
7. around the lake _________________________
8. for it (thing) _________________________
9. through the woods _________________________
10. for you (fam.) _________________________
Answer
Write out the German for each accusative prepositional phrase:
1. without the car = ohne den Wagen/das Auto
2. against me = gegen mich
3. for the printer (r Drucker) = fr den Drucker
4. (something) for a headache = (etwas) gegen Kopfschmerzen
5. along the street = die Strae entlang
6. "count me out" = ohne mich
7. around the lake = um den See
8. for it (thing) = dafr (NOT "fr es"!)
9. through the woods = durch den Wald
10. for you (fam.) = fr dich (also: fr euch, plural)

BUNG 5 - Accusative B
Write the correct accusative form of the subject pronoun in ( ).
Example: Ist das fr ____? (ich) = Ist das fr mich?
1. Ist das fr ____? (du) _____________________
2. Ist das fr ____? (Sie) _____________________
3. Ist das fr ____? (er) _____________________
4. Ist das fr ____? (ihr) _____________________
5. Ist das fr ____? (wir) _____________________
Answer Key 5
Write the correct accusative form of the subject pronoun in ( ).
Example: Ist das fr ____? (ich) = Ist das fr mich?
1. Ist das fr ____? (du) - dich
2. Ist das fr ____? (Sie) - Sie
3. Ist das fr ____? (er) - ihn
4. Ist das fr ____? (ihr) - euch
5. Ist das fr ____? (wir) - uns

BUNG 6 - Accusative C
Write out the correct German phrase (some will be da-compounds) for each
English phrase:
1. around him _________________________
2. against it _________________________
3. against her _________________________
4. for you (formal) _________________________
5. "for that reason" _________________________
Answer Key 6
Write out the correct German phrase (some will be da-compounds) for each
English phrase:
1. around him = um ihn
2. against it = dagegen
3. against her = gegen sie
4. for you (formal) = fr Sie
5. "for that reason" = darum

Lesson 15 - Von Kopf bis Fu
From Head to Toe - Parts of the Body in German
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In this lesson we introduce: (1) vocabulary related to parts of the body
(Krperteile) and talking about your health (die Gesundheit) and how you
feel, (2) expressions related to that vocabulary and (3) the grammar of
the dative reflexive case.
The German words for many parts of the body are similar or identical to
English: der Arm, die Hand, der Finger, das Haar, das Kinn. (English is,
after all, a Germanic language.) But of course they're not all that easy, and
you still need to learn the genders of even the easy ones. (Don't ask me why
a hand is feminine but a finger is masculine. It's pointless to worry about
such things.)

Hals- und Beinbruch!
Break a leg! (Neck and leg break!)
(Although it adds the neck, the
German expression actually wishes
someone good luck, as in English.)

One element of this lesson relates to the way that German-speakers talk
about the body. In the classic film "Casablanca," Humphrey Bogart's
character says to Ingrid Bergman: "Here's lookin' at you, kid." In the
German version, that Americanism became "Ich schau dir in die Augen,
Kleines." Instead of saying "your eyes," German tends to be more like the
English expression "I'm looking you in the eye," using the definite article
with the dative to show personal possession. In Part 3 of this lesson we'll look
at that dative use and the dative reflexive. But first, let's learn the basic
vocabulary of Krperteile (parts of the body).
In this glossary, the plural form is given only for those items that usually
come in pairs or multiples (eyes, ears, fingers, etc.). You'll notice that our
glossary runs from the top of the body (head) to the bottom (foot, von Kopf
bis Fu).
der menschliche Krper
von Kopf bis Fu
The Human Body
from head to toe (foot)
Englisch Deutsch
hair* das Haar/die Haare (pl.)
*In German "hair" can be referred to as singular or plural, when it is only
singular in English: "my hair" = mein Haar (sing.) or meine Haare (pl.);
"her long hair" = ihr langes Haar (sing.) or ihre langen Haare (pl.)
head der Kopf
ear, ears das Ohr, die Ohren (pl.)
face das Gesicht
forehead die Stirn
eyebrow, eyebrows die Augenbraue, die Augenbrauen
eyelash, eyelashes die Wimper, die Wimpern
eye, eyes das Auge, die Augen
nose die Nase
lip, lips die Lippe, die Lippen
mouth* der Mund
*An animal's mouth is called das Maul. When used for people, it's
considered rude: "Halt's Maul!" = "Shut up!"
tooth, teeth der Zahn, die Zhne
chin das Kinn
neck der Hals
shoulder, shoulders die Schulter, die Schultern
back der Rcken
arm, arms der Arm, die Arme
elbow, elbows der Ell(en)bogen, die
Ell(en)bogen
wrist, wrists das Handgelenk, die Handgelenke
hand, hands die Hand, die Hnde
finger, fingers der Finger, die Finger
thumb, thumbs* der Daumen, die Daumen
*Instead of crossing your fingers, in German you "press your thumb" for
good luck:Daumen drcken! = "Cross your fingers!"
index finger der Zeigefinger
finger nail (nails) der Fingernagel (-ngel)
chest die Brust
breast, breasts (bosom) die Brust, die Brste (der Busen)
stomach, belly der Bauch

Lesson 15.2 - Wo tuts weh?
Where does it hurt?
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Contents | Lesson 15.1 > Lesson 15.2 > Lesson 15.3
Below is the continuation of vocabulary related to parts of the body, plus
phrases for talking about your health and how you feel. Also see Part One of
this lesson.
der menschliche Krper 2
von Kopf bis Fu
The Human Body
from head to toe (foot)
Englisch Deutsch
waist die Taille (pron. TYE-ya)
hip, hips die Hfte, die Hften
buttocks, posterior das Ges/das Hinterteil
leg, legs das Bein, die Beine
thigh, thighs der Oberschenkel, die
Oberschenkel
knee, knees das Knie, die Knie
calf, calves (of leg) die Wade, die Waden
ankle, ankles der Fuknchel, die Fuknchel
foot, feet der Fu, die Fe
heel, heels die Ferse, die Fersen
toe, toes* der Zeh, die Zehen
*Some German-speakers also say die Zehe for toe. The plural is
always die Zehen.
big toe der groe Zeh, groer Zeh
General Body Terms
bone der Knochen
skin die Haut
joint, joints das Gelenk, die Gelenke
muscle, muscles der Muskel, die Muskeln
Adjectives
long - short lang - kurz
healthy - sick gesund - krank
red, dark, blond (hair) rot, dunkel, blond
grey, brown (brunette) grau, braun
red hair rote Haare/rotes Haar
grey hair graue Haare/graues Haar
PREVIOUS > More Body Vocabulary (Part 1)
Verben/Dative (mit)
Verbs/Dative (with)
You see with your eyes.
I see with my eyes.
We see with our eyes.
Man sieht mit den Augen.
Ich sehe mit den Augen.
Wir sehen mit den Augen.
You write with your hand.
I write with my hand.
We write with our hand.
Man schreibt mit der Hand.
Ich schreibe mit der Hand.
Wir schreiben mit der Hand.
You speak with your mouth.
I speak with my mouth.
We speak with our mouth.
Man spricht mit dem Mund.
Ich spreche mit dem Mund.
Wir sprechen mit dem Mund.
You hear with your ears.
He hears with his ears.
Man hrt mit den Ohren.
Er hrt mit den Ohren.
You smell with your nose.
You (fam.) smell with your nose.
Man riecht mit der Nase.
Du riechst mit der Nase.
You chew with your teeth. Man kaut mit den Zhnen.
Note in the examples above that German uses the definite article
(der, dem) where English uses the possessive adjective (my, your, our).
The preposition mit takes the dative. (SeePart 3 of this lesson for more about
the dative case.)
Die Stirne khl,
die Fe warm,
das macht
den reichsten
Doktor arm.
The forehead cool,
the feet warm,
that makes
the richest
doctor poor.
Questions and Answers
Q: What color are her eyes?
A: Her eyes are blue.
A: She has green eyes.
F: Welche Farbe haben ihre
Augen?
A: Ihre Augen sind blau.
A: Sie hat grne Augen.
Q: What color is his hair?
A: His hair is brown.
A: He has brown hair.
F: Welche Farbe haben seine
Haare?
A: Seine Haare sind braun.
A: Er hat braune Haare.
Wehwehchen - Aches and Pains
Wo tut's weh? - Where does it hurt?
Also see: Medical Vocabulary - Talking to the doctor
Q: Where does it hurt?
A: Here's where it hurts.
F: Wo tut es weh?
A: Hier tut es weh.
Q: What's bothering you?
A: I have a headache.
A: I have a toothache.
A: I have a stomachache.
F: Was fehlt dir?
A: Ich habe
Kopfweh/Kopfschmerzen.
A: Ich habe Zahnschmerzen.
A: Ich habe Bauchschmerzen.
Q: What hurts? (1)
A: My head is aching.
A: His tooth hurts/aches.
A: Her feet hurt.
F: Was tut weh?
A: Mein Kopf tut weh.
A: Sein Zahn tut weh.
A: Ihre Fe tun weh.
Q: What's hurting you/him? (2)
A: My head is aching.
A: His tooth hurts/aches.
A: Her feet hurt.
F: Was tut dir/ihm weh?
A: Mir tut der Kopf weh.
A: Ihm tut der Zahn weh.
A: Ihr tun die Fe weh.
Notice the two different ways of saying that something hurts (above). In (1)
the German is similar to English, using possessive pronouns (mein, sein). In
(2) German uses the dative pronoun (mir, ihr) to indicate whose head or
feet hurt. The dative forms are generally used more often.
Also see Part 3 of this lesson for more on the dative case.

Lesson 15.3 - The Dative Reflexive
From Head to Toe (Part 3)
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Dative Reflexive
In this section we examine the dative reflexive, and particularly how it's
used with the vocabulary in this lesson. Since reflexive verb forms are used
frequently in German and have very practical, everyday applications, you
need to learn them. (Also see Reflexive Verbs and the other parts of this
lesson.) Note that only two pronouns (ich and du) show any difference from
the accusative reflexive forms in the dative reflexive. But since those two
pronouns are very often used in the dative reflexive, it is important to know
them.
Dativ/der Wemfall
The Dative Reflexive
Nom.
pronoun
Accusative
pronoun
Dative
pronoun
ich mich (myself) mir (myself)
du dich (yourself) dir (yourself)
wir uns (ourselves) uns (ourselves)
ihr euch (yourselves) euch (yourselves)
er
sie
es
sich
(himself/herself/itself)
sich
(himself/herself/itself)
Sie
sie
sich
(yourself/themselves)
sich
(yourself/themselves)
When talking about combing or washing your hair, washing your face or
brushing your teeth in German, you use the dative reflexive forms shown
above. German has two reflexive forms, accusative and dative. If you just
say, "I'm washing myself." (nothing specific) then you use the "normal"
accusative reflexive: "Ich wasche mich." But if you are washing your hair,
instead of expressing that as English would ("my hair" = "meine Haare"),
German uses the reflexive: "Ich wasche mir die Haare." (lit., "I wash myself
the hair." - no possessive "my") Look at the examples below and observe
how the dative reflexive functions with different pronouns (du/dir, wir/uns,
etc.).
Dative Reflexive
Sample sentences
I'm washing my hands. Ich wasche mir die Hnde.
I'm combing my hair. Ich kmme mir die Haare.
He's washing his hands. Er wscht sich die Hnde.
Are you washing your hands? Wscht du dir die Hnde?
We're brushing our teeth. Wir putzen uns die Zhne.
I'm washing my face. Ich wasche mir das Gesicht.
German uses the dative reflexive to express the English possessive forms
with personal toiletry verbs (comb, wash, brush, etc.). Note that only the
forms dir and mir are different from the accusative reflexive forms (dich,
mich). Contrast the sentences above with theaccusative reflexive forms
below:
I'm washing myself.
Are you washing yourself?
Ich wasche mich.
Wscht du dich?
I'm shaving (myself).
He's shaving (himself).
Ich rasiere mich.
Er rasiert sich.
I'm getting dressed.
He's getting dressed.
Ich ziehe mich an.
Er zieht sich an.
Note that with the accusative reflexive the reflexive pronoun is
the only object. (The English equivalent may not even be reflexive, i.e.,
there may be NO "yourself" or "myself" in the English sentence as in "I'm
shaving.") In accusative reflexive sentences the reflexive pronoun itself is
the direct object, while in dative reflexive sentences something else is the
direct object (hand, hair, face, etc.) The German accusative
reflexive forms are covered in more detail in the lesson on German Reflexive
Verbs.
Reflexive sentences can be in any tense. Reflexive verbs are conjugated
just like any other German verb. (See our German Verbs page for more.) Here
are a few examples:
Dative Reflexive
Sentences in Various Tenses
I washed my hands. (past) Ich habe mir die Hnde
gewaschen.
I'll comb my hair. (future) Ich werde mir die Haare kmmen.
Did you wash your hands? (past) Hast du dir die Hnde gewaschen?

Lektion 16 - Lesson 16
Just Say Know: kennen und wissen + knnen
The 3 German Verbs for to know
Plus German Modal Verbs in Part 3
Yes, there really are three German verbs that can be translated as "to
know" in English! But German-speakers don't really have to worry about it,
and you won't either after you've covered this lesson.
The two main German verbs that mean "to know" are kennen and wissen.
A third verb,knnen, is a modal verb that usually means "to be able" or "can"
but in certain situations can also mean "to know." (Learn more about
modals in Part 3 of this lesson.) Here are three different "know" examples,
with three different German verbs, that translate into English "know"
sentences...

Ich wei Bescheid.
I know about it.
Wir kennen ihn nicht.
We don't know him.
Er kann Deutsch.
He knows German.

Each example above represents a different meaning of "know." In fact, in
many other languages (including French, German, Italian and Spanish),
unlike English, there are usually two different verbs used to express English
"know." These other languages have one verb that means "to know a
person" or "to be acquainted with" (a person or something), and another
verb that means "to know a fact" or "to know about something."
In German, kennen means "to know, be familiar with" and wissen means
"to know a fact, know when/how." German-speakers always know (wissen)
when to use which one. If they are talking about knowing a person or being
familar with something, they will use kennen. If they are talking about
knowing a fact or knowing when something will happen, they'll usewissen.
In most cases, German uses knnen (can) to express the idea of knowing
how to do something. Often such sentences can also be translated using
"can" or "is able to." The German ich kann Franzsisch equals "I can (speak,
write, read, understand) French" or "I know French." Er kann schwimmen. =
"He knows how to swim." or "He can swim."
Knowing How to Say Know
The Three German "Know" Verbs
Englisch Deutsch
to know (someone) kennen
to know (a fact) wissen
to know (how) knnen
Click on a verb to see its conjugation.
NEXT > Part Two - Sample Sentences/Exercises
In the next part of our lesson we'll look at the various ways these verbs are
used to express "to know."
Lektion 16B
kennen und wissen
Knowing How to Say Know - Part 2


Now let's look at how the three German "know" verbs can be used. After
you've studied this section you can test yourself to see how well you've learned
this lesson.
Below is a chart that indicates the basic differences among the three German
"to know" verbs. Learn these key differences:

The Three 'Know' Verbs
ERKLRUNG / EXPLANATION
Verb 'Know' Conditions
kennen Knowing PEOPLE or being familiar with things
Possible 'thing' objects of kennen:
Ich kenne... das Buch, den Film, das Lied, die Gruppe, den
Schauspieler, die Stadt, usw.
I know (am familiar with)... the book, the movie, the song, the group, the
actor, the city, etc.
knnen Knowing HOW to do something
Usually used with languages, implying someone "can" speak, read, write and
understand it:Er kann Franzsisch. = He knows French. Otherwise limited
to "can" or "to be able."
wissen Knowing information, FACTS
Often used with interrogatives: wann, wie, wo, warum, usw.
Ich wei, wo er ist. = I know where he is. (information)
Here are some sample sentences that illustrate how German expresses "to
know" in various situations.
Knowing How to Say Know
SAMPLE SENTENCES
Deutsch Englisch
Ich kenne ihn nur vom Ansehen. I only know him by sight.
Sie kennt mich nur dem Namen
nach.
She only knows me by name.
Wer wei? Who knows?
Ich kenne Anna schon seit Jahren. I've known Anna for years.
Knnen Sie Englisch? Do you know English?
Wissen Sie, wie spt es ist? Do you know (have) the time?
Ich wei (es) nicht. I don't know.
Kennst du ihn/sie? Do you know him/her?
Weit du, wann der Zug abfhrt? Do you know when the train is
departing?
Den Film kenne ich nicht. I don't know that film.
IDIOMS/EXPRESSIONS
Sie wei immer alles besser. She always knows better.
Nicht, dass ich wsste. Not as far as I know.
Man kann nie wissen. You (just) never know.
Er will nichts von ihr wissen. He wants nothing to do with her.
Das kenne ich schon. I've heard that (all/one) before.
Das kennen wir hier nicht. We don't put up with that here.
Sie kennen keine Armut. They don't have/know any poverty.
Wir kannten kein Mass. We went too far. / We overdid it.
Ich kenne mich hier nicht aus.* I don't know my way around here.
* sich auskennen = to know one's way around
Was ich nicht wei, macht mich
nicht hei.
What I don't know won't hurt me.
Mein Name ist Hase, ich wei von
nichts.
(My name is rabbit and) I know
nothing.
Ich wei nichts davon. I don't know anything about it.
Ich wei Bescheid. I know about it. (I've been informed.)
Wir haben uns vor zwei Jahren
kennen gelernt.*
We became acquainted two years
ago.
Wir lernten uns in Berlin kennen.* We met in Berlin.
* kennen lernen = to become acquainted, get to know
NEXT > Part 3: Modal Verbs
QUIZ > Test Yourself ("to know")
In the next part of our lesson you'll learn more about German modal verbs.
If you want to see if you have learned the German verbs used to express "to
know," try the quiz for this lesson.
Lesson 16C: German Modal Verbs (3)
With self-scoring quiz
In the first part of this lesson we learned how the modal verb knnen can be
used to mean to know, but it has many other uses. In this part of Lesson
16 we'll take a closer look at the verb knnen and the other modal verbs in
German.
Modal verbs in German are used in much the same way as they are in
English. Notice the close resemblance between these English and German
sentence pairs, with the modal verb in red: Imust do it. / Ich muss es
tun. - Can you go? / Kannst du gehen?
Below is a chart with the six German modal verbs and their meanings. Note
that each modal verb has two basic forms, a singular form and a plural
form:

Modalverben
German Modal Verbs
To learn the conjugation of these verbs,
click on a verb for a detailed conjugation table.
English Deutsch
be permitted, may darf - drfen
be able, can, know kann - knnen
like, want, may mag - mgen
have to, must muss - mssen
should, ought/supposed to soll - sollen
want to will - wollen
Click on a modal verb to see its conjugation.
In the next part of our lesson you can learn more about the German modal
verbs using our complete verb conjugation charts along with sample sentences.

Part 1: drfen, knnen, mgen
This modal-verb guide is also part of
Lektion 16 of German for Beginners.
In the following charts you'll find the most common conjugations of the six
German modal verbs. The subjunctive mood and less commonly used tenses
(future, future perfect, past perfect, etc.) are found on our Modal Verb
Examples page, along with sample modal sentences. For an introduction to the
modals and a self-scoring quiz, see our Verb Review 2page. Also see the 20
Most-Used German Verbs, German Top 1000 (most frequently used words in
reading) and our free German for Beginners course for more about German
verbs and other topics.

Lesson 16 > Modals 1 > Modals 2 > Modal Examples


Modalverben 1 - Modal Verbs 1
PRSENS
(Present)
PRTERITUM
(Preterite/Past)
PERFEKT
(Pres. Perfect)
DRFEN - be allowed/permitted, may
ich darf
I may (am
permitted)
ich durfte
I was allowed
ich habe gedurft *
I was allowed
du darfst
you may
du durftest
you were allowed
du hast gedurft *
you were allowed
er/sie darf
he/she may
er/sie durfte
he/she was allowed
er/sie hat gedurft *
he/she was allowed
wir/Sie/sie
drfen
we/you/they may
wir/Sie/sie durften
we/you/they were
allowed
wir/Sie/sie haben gedurft *
we/you/they were allowed
ihr drft
you (pl.) may
ihr durftet
you (pl.) were allowed
ihr habt gedurft *
you (pl.) were allowed
* In the present perfect or past perfect tense with another verb, the double
infinitive construction is used, as in the following examples:
ihr habt sprechen drfen = you (pl.) were allowed to speak
ich hatte sprechen drfen = I had been allowed to speak
Sample Modal Sentences
The 20 Most-Used German Verbs
Copyright 2003-2005 german.about.com
KNNEN - be able, can
ich kann
I can, am able
ich konnte
I could
ich habe gekonnt *
I could
du kannst
you can
du konntest
you could
du hast gekonnt *
you could
er/sie kann
he/she can
er/sie konnte
he/she could
er/sie hat gekonnt *
he/she could
wir/Sie/sie
knnen
we/you/they can
wir/Sie/sie konnten
we/you/they could
wir/Sie/sie haben gekonnt *
we/you/they could
ihr knnt
you (pl.) can
ihr konntet
you (pl.) could
ihr habt gekonnt *
you (pl.) could
wir haben schwimmen knnen = we were able to swim
ich hatte schwimmen knnen = I had been able to swim
BACK > Lektion 16 of German for Beginners
MGEN - like, want, may
ich mag
I like
ich mochte
I liked
ich habe gemocht *
I liked
du magst
you like
du mochtest
you liked
du hast gemocht *
you liked
er/sie mag
he/she likes
er/sie mochte
he/she liked
er/sie hat gemocht *
he/she liked
wir/Sie/sie
mgen
we/you/they like
wir/Sie/sie
mochten
we/you/they liked
wir/Sie/sie haben gemocht *
we/you/they liked
ihr mgt
you (pl.) like
ihr mochtet
you (pl.) could
ihr habt gemocht *
you (pl.) could
wir haben schwimmen mgen = we liked to swim
ich hatte schwimmen mgen = I had liked to swim
mgen is often used in its subjunctive (mchte) "would like" form:
Ich mchte lieber Kaffee (haben). = I would rather have coffee.
Wir mchten ins Kino. = We'd like to go to the movies.

Part 2: mssen, sollen, wollen
This modal verb guide is also part of
Lektion 16 of German for Beginners.
In the following charts you'll find the most common conjugations of the six
German modal verbs. The subjunctive mood and less commonly used tenses
(future, future perfect, past perfect, etc.) are found on our Modal Verb
Examples page, along with sample modal sentences. For an introduction to the
modals and a self-scoring quiz, see our Verb Review 2page. Also see the 20
Most-Used German Verbs, German Top 1000 (most frequently used words in
reading) and our free German for Beginners course for more about German
verbs and other topics.



Modalverben 2 - Modal Verbs 2
PRSENS
(Present)
PRTERITUM
(Preterite/Past)
PERFEKT
(Pres. Perfect)
MSSEN - have to, must
ich muss
I must, have to
ich musste
I had to
ich habe gemusst *
I had to
du musst
you must, have to
du musstest
you had to
du hast gemusst *
you had to
er/sie muss
he/she must
er/sie musste
he/she had to
er/sie hat gemusst *
he/she had to
wir/Sie/sie wir/Sie/sie wir/Sie/sie haben gemusst *
mssen
we/you/they have
to
mussten
we/you/they had to
we/you/they had to
ihr msst
you (pl.) must
ihr musstet
you (pl.) had to
ihr habt gemusst *
you (pl.) had to
ihr habt sprechen mssen = you (pl.) had to speak
ich hatte sprechen mssen = I had had to speak
Note: The old spelling with , as in ich mu or gemut, is no longer used for forms ofmssen.
SOLLEN - should, ought to, supposed to
ich soll
I should
ich sollte
I should have
ich habe gesollt *
I should have
du sollst
you should
du solltest
you should have
du hast gesollt *
you should have
er/sie soll
he/she should
er/sie sollte
he/she should have
er/sie hat gesollt *
he/she should have
wir/Sie/sie
sollen
we/you/they
should
wir/Sie/sie sollten
we/you/they should
have
wir/Sie/sie haben gesollt *
we/you/they should have
ihr sollt
you (pl.) should
ihr solltet
you (pl.) should have
ihr habt gesollt *
you (pl.) should have
wir haben gehen sollen = we should have gone
ich hatte fahren sollen = I had been supposed to drive
WOLLEN - want to
ich will
I want to
ich wollte
I wanted to
ich habe gewollt *
I wanted to
du willst
you want to
du wolltest
you wanted to
du hast gewollt *
you wanted to
er/sie will
he/she wants to
er/sie wollte
he/she wanted to
er/sie hat gewollt *
he/she wanted to
wir/Sie/sie
wollen
we/you/they want
to
wir/Sie/sie wollten
we/you/they wanted
to
wir/Sie/sie haben gewollt *
we/you/they wanted to
ihr wollt
you (pl.) want to
ihr wolltet
you (pl.) wanted to
ihr habt gewollt *
you (pl.) wanted to
wir haben sprechen wollen = we wanted to speak
ich hatte gehen wollen = I had wanted to go

German Modal Verbs
Part 3: Sample Sentences
Modal Verbs in Various Tenses
With sample sentences
With the Subjunctive (Konjunktiv) mood
Also see: Modal Verbs 1 and Modal Verbs 2

1. drfen (to be permitted, may)
Present: Darf ich rauchen? May I smoke?
Past/Preterite: Er durfte das nicht. He wasn't permitted to do that.
Pres. Perfect/Perfekt: Er hat dort nicht parken drfen. He was not
permitted to park there.
Past Perfect/Plusquamperfekt: Wir hatten das damals machen
drfen. We had been allowed to do that back then.
Future/Futur: Wir werden das machen drfen. We will be allowed to do
that.
Subjunctive/Konjunktiv: Wenn ich drfte... If I were permitted...

NOTE: For all modals with umlauts, the simple past (preterite/Imperfekt)
has no umlaut, but the subjunctive form always has an umlaut!
Sample Idiomatic Expressions:
Was darf es sein? May I help you? (store clerk)
Wenn ich bitten darf. If you please.

2. knnen (to be able, can, know)
Present: Er kann gut fahren. He can drive well.
Past/Preterite: Er konnte sie nicht leiden. He couldn't stand her.
Pres. Perfect/Perfekt: Er hat sie nicht leiden knnen. He couldn't stand
her.
Past Perfect/Plusquamperfekt: Er hatte sie nicht leiden knnen. He had
not been able to stand her.
Future/Futur: Er wird sie nicht leiden knnen. He won't be able to stand
her.
Subjunctive/Konjunktiv: Wenn ich ihn nur leiden knnte... If I could only
stand him...

Sie knnten sich irren. You could be mistaken.
Das kann man wohl sagen. You can say that again.
Er kann Deutsch. He knows German. ("can German")
Er kann Sie jetzt sprechen. He can see you now. (doctor, dentist)

3. mssen (to have to, must)
Present: Ich muss dort Deutsch sprechen. I have to speak German
there.
Past/Preterite: Er musste es nicht tun. He didn't have to do it.
Pres. Perfect/Perfekt: Wir haben mit der Bahn fahren mssen. We had
to go by train.
Future/Futur: Sie wird morgen abfahren mssen. She will have to depart
tomorrow.
Subjunctive/Konjunktiv: Wenn ich msste... If I had to...

Ich muss nach Hause. I have to go home.
Muss das sein? Is that really necessary?
So msste es immer sein. That's how it should be all the time.

4. mgen (to like)
Present: Er mag die Suppe. He likes the soup.
Past/Preterite: Er mochte die Stadt nicht. He didn't like the city.
Pres. Perfect/Perfekt: Er hat das Essen nicht gemocht. He didn't like the
food.
Future/Futur: Er wird das schon mgen. He'll like that.
Subjunctive/Konjunktiv: Ja, er mchte Wein. Yes, he'd like (some) wine.
Subjunctive/Konjunktiv: Ich mchte... I would like...

Das mag wohl sein. That well may be. / That may be so.
Das mag der Himmel verhtten! Heaven forbid!
Er mag/mochte etwa 1,3 Meter gro sein. He must be/must have been about 1.3 meters tall.

5. sollen (to be supposed to, should/ought to)
Present: Er soll reich sein. He's supposed to be rich. / It's said that he's
rich.
Past/Preterite: Er sollte gestern ankommen. He was supposed to arrive
yesterday.
Pres. Perfect/Perfekt: Du hast ihn anrufen sollen. You should have called
him.
Future (in sense of): Er soll das morgen haben. He'll have that tomorrow.
Subjunctive/Konjunktiv: Das httest du nicht tun sollen. You shouldn't
have done that.
Subjunctive/Konjunktiv: Wenn ich sollte... If I should...
Subjunctive/Konjunktiv: Sollte sie anrufen... If she should (happen to)
call...
Das Buch soll sehr gut sein. The book is said to be very good.
Du sollst damit sofort aufhren! You're to stop that right now!
Was soll das (heien)? What's that supposed to mean? What's the idea?
Es soll nicht wieder vorkommen. It won't happen again.

6. wollen (to want to, said to be)
Present: Sie will nicht gehen. She doesn't want to go.
Past/Preterite: Ich wollte das Buch lesen. I wanted to read the book.
Pres. Perfect/Perfekt: Sie haben den Film immer sehen wollen. They
have always wanted to see the movie.
Past Perfect/Plusquamperfekt: Wir hatten den Film immer sehen
wollen. We had always wanted to see the movie.
Future/Futur: Er wird gehen wollen. He will want to go.
Subjunctive/Konjunktiv: Wenn ich wollte... If I wanted to...
Das will nicht viel sagen. That's of little consequence. That doesn't mean much.
Er will es nicht gesehen haben. He claims not to have seen it.
Das hat er nicht gewollt. That's not what he intended.

Lektion 17
Im Kaufhaus - KaDeWe
A German lesson about shopping in Germany
You'll find department stores all over the world, but that doesn't mean
they're all the same. Although it is common to find a grocery section
(Lebensmittelabteilung) in a German or British department store, it is
rare in America. Just like Harrod's in London, Berlin's famous KaDeWe(kah-
day-vay) department store, the largest on the European continent, has an
entire floor devoted to its gourmet food section. KaDeWe's
legendary Feinschmecker-Etage is on the sixth floor (which would be the
seventh floor in the U.S.). But most larger German department stores have
a supermarket or grocery department (usually in the basement) and a good
restaurant (often on the top floor), in addition to the usual departments
found in mostKaufhuser.

Das KaDeWe in Berlin ist das grte Kaufhaus Europas.
Photo Hyde Flippo
In this lesson you'll learn not only vocabulary related to shopping in a
German department store (das Kaufhaus/Warenhaus) but also important
and practical cultural background information concerning things such as das
Ladenschlussgesetz (Germany's store hours
law),Etagen/Stockwerke (floors, stories), the Mehrwertsteuer (German
sales tax/VAT) and even the seasons (Jahreszeiten). Since many German
department stores have Web sites, we will also link to some online department
stores for vocabulary and cultural practice.
Additional vocabulary for this lesson can be found in the following English-
German glossaries:Clothing/Fashion, Colors/Farben, Euro &
Money, Flashcards, Travel and more.
Grammatik - The grammar in this lesson will include prepositional phrases
for floor and time expressions, the dative of interest and a few other related
items.
Also see:
Im Kaufhaus - Lesestck
A reading selection for this lesson. With AUDIO and questions.
Schilder im
Kaufhaus
Dept. Store Signs
Abteilung
department (die)
Aufzug
elevator, lift (der)
Ausgang
exit (der)
Ausverkauf
sale (der)
Etage
floor (die)
Kasse
cashier (die)
Kundendienst
customer service (der)
ffnungszeiten
opening hours (pl.)
Parkhaus
car park, parking
garage (das)
Parterre
ground floor (das)
Rolltreppe
escalator (die)
Selbstbedienung
self-service (die)
Sommerschlussverkauf
end-of-summer
sale (der)
Sonderangebot
special (sale) (das)
Stockwerk
floor (das)
Das KaDeWe in Zahlen
Before we get started, let's look at some
interesting facts and figures concerning
Germany's (and Europe's) largest department
store, according to KaDeWe's own Web site. By
the way, KaDeWe is short for Kaufhaus des
Westens, the department store of the west.
Most people use the short form. It has been said
that there is almost nothing that can't be bought
at KaDeWe. Among many other services, Berlin's famous KaDeWe offers:
shoe repair, vacation planning, pet shampooing, a currency exchange and a
first aid station.
Etagen: 8 floors/acht Etagen (pron: ay-taj-zhen)
Produkte: Over 380,000 items for sale
Aufzge: 26 elevators/lifts
Fahrtreppen: 64 escalators (also called Rolltreppen)
Mitarbeiter: 2400 employees
Besucher: durchschnittlich 80.000 pro Tag (avg. 80,000 visitors a day)
Berlin's KaDeWe first opened for business in 1907 on Tauentzienstrae
across from the Wittenbergplatz and not far from the zoo station and the
Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gedchtniskirche. The building, constantly remodeled over
the years, was heavily damaged during the Second World War by a U.S.
bomber that crashed into it. Only two floors were re-opened for business by
1950. Today KaDeWe has reclaimed its former glory and then some. If you
get a chance, don't miss a visit to the amazing gourmet section and its
33,000 food items on sale!
Ladenschluss
Just be sure not to go to KaDeWe or other German stores on Sunday!
Germany's strict store closing law, das Ladenschlussgesetz, sets specific
hours and days when German retailers and shops can be open for business.
Not that many years ago, all German stores were required to close by 6:00
or 6:30 pm (18.00 oder 18.30 Uhr) Monday-Friday. Most stores closed by
2:00 pm (or earlier) on Saturday. Although the store hours law has been
liberalized in the last few years, no shops can remain open after 8:00 pm
(20.00 Uhr) on weekdays. Stores must close by 4:00 pm on Saturdays.
Sunday is still a day of rest. Only restaurants, gas stations and stores
serving travelers can be open on Sunday. During the Christmas shopping
season and once a month during the rest of the year, some stores stay open
until 6:00 pm on Saturday. But many smaller shops still have more limited
business hours.
Winterschlussverkauf
end-of-winter
sale (der)
Zutritt nur fr Befugte
authorized personnel
only (der Zutritt)
Also see: Abteilungen
in Part Two
The intention of Germany's strict shopping hours law is to give employees
and shoppers more time with their families, but German consumers have
grown increasingly frustrated with shopping hours that are much more
restricted than those in neighboring countries such as France. Austria and
Switzerland have Ladenschluss laws that are similar to Germany's.
KaDeWe advertises these store hours: Montag - Freitag: durchgehend
von 9.30 - 20.00 Uhr - Samstag: durchgehend von 9.00 - 16.00 Uhr.
The term "durchgehend" (continuously) means they don't close for lunch, as
many smaller German businesses and even some banks do. If you need to
review the 24-hour time used in daily life throughout Europe, see Lektion 8.
On the next page, we look at a typical German department store. You can
click on some departments to see what you can buy there - auf Deutsch of
course.
Lektion 17.2
Im Kaufhaus - Abteilungen

Galeries Lafayette:
Ein Kaufhaus in Berlin.
Foto: Hyde Flippo
Now let's look at some
typical departments or sections(Abteilungen
) you would find in a German Kaufhaus. But
first, a little background on German
department stores.
Some well-known German department store
names include Galeria Kaufhof, Hertie (short
for founder Hermann Tietz, her-
tie), Karstadt, Peek &
Cloppenburgand Wertheim. (But Karstadt AG owns KaDeWe and also
operates stores under the names Hertie, Karstadt and Wertheim.) The
French Galeries Lafayette has a large, modern department store in Berlin
and the BritishMarks & Spencer recently opened its first department store
in Germany, in Cologne (Kln). The now defunct American chain Woolworth
is still a well-known brand in Germany, with stores all across the country.
The American discount chain Wal-Mart has also established a presence in
Germany over the last few years.
Most historians claim the Magasin au Bon March in Paris was the world's
first department store (1852). But US department stores such as Macy's in
New York (1858) and Marshall Field in Chicago (1865) were also early
pioneers. By 1900 there were department stores in every large US and
Canadian city. The first German Kaufhuser appeared in Berlin and Hamburg
around 1904, although the stores they elvolved from were founded earlier
than that.
The two German words for "department store" - das Kaufhaus and das
Warenhaus - are interchangeable, but Kaufhaus is used more. Do not
confuse the English word "warehouse" with Warenhaus! A warehouse
is das Lagerhaus or die Lagerhalle in German.
You should study this page and its related content (pop-ups, glossaries), as
well as try the exercises on the next page (17.3).
Abteilungen
Departments/Sections
Typical departments found
in a German Kaufhaus
Click on a department to see typical items.
Deutsch Englisch
Bett- und Tischwsche Bed and Table Linen
Bettwaren und Matratzen Beds and Mattresses
Bcher Books
Brobedarf/Schreibwaren Office Supplies/Stationery
For related vocabulary: Im Bro
Babyartikel/Babymode Baby Things - Baby Fashions
Computer & Software Computer & Software
For related vocabulary: Computer & Internet Glossary
Damenmode Ladies' Fashions
For related vocabulary: Clothing/Fashion
Eltekro-Grogerte Large Electrical Appliances
Elektro-Kleingerte Small Electrical Appliances
Foto - Filme Photo - Film
Haushaltswaren - Glas, Porzellan Household - Glass, Porcelain
Herrenmode Men's Clothing
For related vocabulary: Clothing/Fashion
Kindermode Children's Clothing
Lebensmittel Groceries
Restaurant Restaurant
For related vocabulary: Food & Drink
Schuhe Shoes
Spielwaren Toys
Sportswear Sportswear
Tontrger - CD - DVD/Video Recordings - CDs - DVD/Video
TV - Video - Hifi TV - Video - Hi-Fi
Uhren/Schmuck Watches/Jewelry
Click on a department to see typical items.
Other Departments not listed above: Autozubehr (auto
accessories), Bademoden(swimwear), Geschenkartikel (gifts), Lederwar
en (leather apparel), Lampen/Glhbirnen(lamps,
lightbulbs), Parfmerie (perfumes), Tabakwaren (tobacco
shop), Gardinen und Zubehr (curtains and
fixtures), Berufskleidung (work clothes,
uniforms), Swaren(confectionery), Telekommunikation (telecommunic
ation)

Lektion 17c
Im Kaufhaus - Etagen
At the Department Store (3)



Below is a graphic of an imaginary Kaufhaus showing various floors
and eine Abteilunglocated on each floor. The diagram also indicates the
German floor numbering system (DE) compared to the US. (The letter E
stands for das Erdgeschoss, the ground floor, also calleddas Parterre.)
There are two common words for "floor" or "story" in German: the French-
based die Etage (like das Parterre) and the Germanic der Stock/das
Stockwerk. Most German department stores seem to prefer the French
version. In the examples, notice how German says phrases like on the fifth
floor or to the second floor.
Another term used for floors is das Obergeschoss. The second floor, for
example, is sometimes called das zweite Obergeschoss. Any floor above
the Erdgeschoss is anObergeschoss. A basement floor below
the Erdgeschoss is called an Untergeschoss (subfloor). To say "on the
second subfloor" you would say "im zweiten Untergeschoss."
Study the sample questions and answers (in
German and English) next to the diagram, so
that you can answer similar questions in the
exercises that follow. If you need to review
your ordinal numbers (first, second, etc. for
the floors), see Lektion 12. All answers are
based on the diagram and use the German
floor system.

Frage: In welcher Etage befindet sich die
Spielwaren-Abteilung?
Antwort: Die Spielwaren-Abteilung ist in der
3. (dritten) Etage.
Q: On which floor is the Toy Department
located?
A: The Toy Department is on the third floor.
F: In welche Etage muss ich hingehen, um eine Bluse zu kaufen?
A: Gehen Sie in die 1. (erste) Etage. Dort finden Sie Damenmode.
Q: Which floor do I have to go to in order to buy a blouse?
A: Go to the first floor. That's where you'll find Ladies' Clothing.
(Note that this would be called the 2nd floor in the US!)
F: Wo kann ich einen Rechner kaufen?
A: Die Computer-Abteilung ist in der 6. (sechsten) Etage/im 6. Stock.
Q: Where can I buy a computer?
A: The Computer Department is on the sixth floor.
F: Wo ist das Restaurant?
A: Es ist ist ganz oben in der 7. (siebten) Etage/im 7. Stock.
Q: Where is the restaurant?
A: It's all the way at the top on the seventh floor.
F: Wo kauft man Parfum/Parfm?
A: Das findet man im Erdgeschoss.
Q: Where can one buy perfume?
A: That's on the ground floor. (First floor in the US.)
Although our graphic doesn't show it, German department stores often have
one or more floors below the ground. Sometimes the English/French
word Basement is used, but more often the floors below the ground level
are referred to as...
1. Untergeschoss (erstes/1.U) = first subfloor
2. Untergeschoss (zweites/2.U) = 2nd subfloor
3. Untergeschoss (drittes/3.U) = 3rd subfloor
...in which the ground level (Erdgeschoss) is "zero" and each floor below
that is 1, 2, 3, etc., with 3 below 2. This floor naming system is also used in
parking garages (Parkhuser) that have levels below ground.

The Dative of Interest
German has a dative construction that is similar to the English I'm going to
buy myself a computer. - In German, the dative reflexive form can be used
with the verbs kaufen (buy) and anschaffen (acquire, get) to indicate for
whom something is being bought: myself, himself, themselves, etc. Here are
some examples:
Er kauft sich einen Hut. - He's buying himself a hat.
Wir wollen uns ein neues Auto anschaffen. - We want to get ourselves a
new car.
Ich kaufe mir eine Krawatte. - I'm buying myself a tie.
Habt ihr euch einen neuen Khlschrank gekauft? - Did you guys buy
yourselves a new refrigerator?
Kaufst du dir ein Buch? - Are you buying yourself a book?
Dative Reflexive Prounouns

ich - mir
du - dir
er - sich
sie - sich
es - sich

wir - uns
ihr - euch
sie - sich
Sie - sich
For more about the dative and reflexive verbs, see: The Dative Case and German
Reflexive Verbs.
Lektion 17d
Im Kaufhaus - bungen
At the Department Store (4)



bungen/Exercises
Before attempting these exercises, you should have already studied the
previous parts of this lesson. It is also assumed that you know basic
clothing, shopping, number and other related vocabulary.
Also see:
Im Kaufhaus - Lesestck
A reading selection for this lesson. With questions.

bung 1 - Kaufhaus-Etagen
Pay attention! These questions look like the previous examples, but they are
not the same. All your answers should be based on the graphic and the
German/European floor numbering system. Answer in complete sentences.

1. In welcher Etage kann ich mir ein paar
Kopfkissen kaufen?

Antwort: ______________
2. Wo kannst du einen Roman kaufen?

A: __________________________
3. Wo ist die Parfmerie?

A: __________________________
4. Wo knnen wir zu Mittag essen?

A: __________________________
5. In welche Etage muss ich hingehen, um Krawatten zu kaufen?

A: __________________________
ANSWERS > 17 - Answer Key

bung 2 - ffnungszeiten
This exercise is based on the following KaDeWe information:
ffnungszeiten - Immer fr Sie da!
Montag - Freitag: durchgehend von 9.30 - 20.00 Uhr
Samstag: durchgehend von 9.00 - 16.00 Uhr
KaDeWe needs an English translation of their opening hours for an English-
language brochure. You are the translator. Write an accurate, complete
English translation of all three lines below:
_____________________________________
_____________________________________
_____________________________________
WEB EXERCISES > 17 - Web Links/Exercises

ANSWERS > 17 - Answer Key

bungen - Answer Key
Before attempting these exercises, you should have already studied the
previous parts of this lesson. It is also assumed that you know basic
clothing, shopping and other related vocabulary.

bung 1 - Kaufhaus-Etagen
Answer Key 1 - Suggested answers. Other answers may be possible.
1. In welcher Etage kann ich mir ein paar Kopfkissen kaufen?
Antwort: Sie knnen sich/Du kannst dir Kopfkissen in der 4. (vierten) Etage kaufen. Dort
sind Bettwaren.
2.: Wo kannst du einen Roman kaufen?
A: Ich kann einen Roman in der 5. (fnften) Etage kaufen. Dort ist die Bcher-Abteilung.
3.: Wo ist die Parfmerie?
A: Die Parfmerie ist im Erdgeschoss.
4.: Wo knnen wir zu Mittag essen?
A: Wir knnen/Ihr knnt im Restaurant in der 7. (siebten) Etage essen.
5.: In welche Etage muss ich hingehen, um Krawatten zu kaufen?
A1: Du musst in die 2. (zweite) Etage hingehen, um Krawatten zu kaufen. Dort findest du
die Herrenmode-Abteilung.
A2: Sie mssen in die 2. (zweite) Etage hingehen, um Krawatten zu kaufen. Dort finden Sie
die Herrenmode-Abteilung.
A3: Gehen Sie in die 2. (zweite) Etage (hin), um Krawatten zu kaufen.

bung 2 - ffnungszeiten
Your 3-line English translation for KaDeWe should read:
Opening Hours - Always here for you!
Monday - Friday: continuously from 9:30 am to 8:00 pm
Saturday: continuously from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm
Note: You might want to add: Closed on Sundays

Lesson 18
Haus und Hof
House and Home
A German lesson about housing and real estate in Germany
Talking about the house, rooms, and furniture
Because Germany's rate of home ownership is the lowest in Europe, most
Germans live in a rented apartment or flat (die Wohnung) rather than in
their own single-family house (das Einfamilienhaus). For various reasons,
including high costs, only about 42 percent of German families own the
home they live in, compared to a rate of about 70 percent in the U.S. and
Britain.

Ein Wohnblock in Berlin.
Foto H. Flippo
Even if they own their home, the typical German
family often lives in a condominium (die
Eigentumswohnung) or row house (das
Reihenhaus) rather than in a detached single-
family house. Despite a high standard of living, the
costs of land and home financing in Germany,
especially in larger cities, keep the German dream
home (das Traumhaus) beyond the means of most
people.
In this lesson you'll learn vocabulary related to a German house or
apartment and the furniture (die Mbel) found in a typical home. You'll also
learn how to talk about where things are located in the home, and where
typical activities might be likely to occur (bathing, sleeping, cooking,
watching TV, etc.). We will also link to the Web sites of some online German
furniture outlets. We'll also introduce you to the basics of looking for a home
and reading classified ads for housing. Additional vocabulary on that topic
can be found in the English-German or German-English versions of our Real
Estate Glossary and in our special Real Estate Ad
Abbreviatons glossary.
Die Zimmer in
einem Haus
oder
in einer
Wohnung
Rooms in an
Apartment or
House
Full Glossary
der Abstellraum
storage room
das
Arbeitszimmer
office, workroom
das
Badezimmer
das Bad
bathroom/bath
der Balkon
balcony
das Bro
office
der Dachboden
attic
das Esszimmer
dining room
der Flur
hall, entry
die Garage
garage
der Keller
cellar, basement
das
Kinderzimmer
children's room
die Kche
kitchen
Die Zimmer (Rooms)
On the right is an alphabetical list of the various rooms
found in a house or flat. As part of this lesson, you'll learn
the words for these rooms and the furniture or appliances
usually found in each one. Review these words before
reading Dirks Wohnung below. Also note the genders for
each room, since you'll need to know that when we start
talking about what is "in" each room. In the next
paragraph, Dirk tells us about the apartment where he
lives. If you need vocabulary help, see the extra
vocabulary in the reading selection and on the right.
D I R K S W O H N U N G

DIRK: Unsere Wohnung ist im zweiten Stock eines 7-stckigen Wohnblocks.
Obwohl es einen Aufzug gibt, benutze ich meistens die Treppe, weil es
schneller und gesnder ist.
das
Schlafzimmer
bedroom
die Toilette/das
WC
toilet (room)
das
Treppenhaus
stairwell
die Waschkche
laundry room
das
Wohnzimmer
living room
im zweiten
Stock
on the 3rd
floor (US)

eines
Wohnblocks
of an
apartment
building (der
Wohnblock)

der Aufzug
elevator

renoviert
remodeled

damit
with it
In meiner Familie sind vier Leute: meine Eltern, meine kleine
Schwester und ich. Wir haben drei Schlafzimmer, aber nur
ein Bad (mit WC).
Das Wohnzimmer und das Esszimmer sind zusammen in einem Raum mit
einem kleinen Balkon. Natrlich ist die Kche neben dem Esszimmer. Die
Kche haben wir vor einem Monat total renoviert, und meine Mutter ist
damit sehr zufrieden.
Der Flur ist im Zentrum der Wohnung. An einem Ende ist die Eingangstr
und am anderen gibt es einen kleinen Abstellraum. Wenn man in die
Wohnung kommt, sind die Schlafzimmer und ein Arbeitszimmer rechts und
das Badezimmer links. Die Tr zum Wohnzimmer ist auch auf der linken
Seite.
Im Badezimmer ist ein Waschbecken, die Toilette, eine Badewanne (mit
Handdusche) und auch die Waschmaschine. (Meine Mutter htte gern eine
echte Waschkche, aber dafr haben wir keinen Platz.)
Unser Fernseher ist im Wohnzimmer. Dort spielen meine
Schwester und ich Videospiele. Mein Vater hat sein Bro
mit einem Computer in seinem Arbeitszimmer.

Dirk and his family live in a Wohnung in a Wohnblock or Mietshaus, but
there are other kinds of residences. A Reihenhaus is a row house or
attached house, with each house attached to the other (see photo on the
next page). A single-family house is an Einfamilienhaus, while a duplex is
a Zweifamilienhaus. The German word Appartement or Apartment is a
false cognate that actually means a studio apartment or what the British call
a "bed sit" or an "appartement." For even more types of housing in German,
see our Wohnungssuche und Immobilien glossary.

bung 3 - Dative of Interest
Note: This exercise requires a Java-enabled browser.

zufrieden
satisfied

die
Badewanne
bath tub

die
Handdusche
handheld
shower
attachment

htte gern
would like

echt
genuine, real

Each of the people below wants to buy an item for himself or herselfnot for
anyone else. Select the one correct dative reflexive answer for each item:
1. Frau Meier will ___ heute einen Rock kaufen.

ihr
sich
sie
2. Heute kaufe ich ___ einen neuen Computer.

mich
mir
sich
3. Kaufst du ___ ein T-Shirt?

dich
dir
sich
4. Wir wollen ___ ein Buch kaufen.

sich
uns
euch
5. Karl und Julia wollen ___ einen neuen Khlschrank kaufen.

sich
uns
euch

Ans:
1. sich
2. mir
3. dir
4. uns
5. sich

Lesson 18.2
Haus und Hof: Mbel
House and Home: Furniture
A German lesson about housing and real estate in Germany
You are here:
Lesson 18: Part 1 > Part 2 > Part
3 > Web Links

Ein Reihenhaus in
Frankfurt am Main.
Foto H. Flippo
Before we move on to furniture and
appliances in German, let's talk about
what is outside the house. The front
yard (Brit., front garden) is called der Vorgarten or justder Garten. The
back yard is der Hintergarten. German-speakers often use the
word Garten in a general way to refer to a lawn (der Rasen) or yard, a
flower garden (der Blumengarten) or a vegetable garden (der
Gemsegarten), just as the wordHaus can refer to a house or a building.
If they have a yard or garden, they may also have einen englischen
Rasen, a well-trimmed lawn. Although the adjective englisch means "rare"
when talking about a steak, it means "well manicured" when referring to a
lawn or garden. (The Englischer Garten in Munich got its name from the
fact that it is an artificial park made to look like nature.) Many Germans
prefer a more German lawn, that is, one that looks more like a natural
meadow. (Most Americans would want to get rid of the dandelions right
away!) They use their Rasenmher (lawn mower) less frequently than
someone who has einen englischen Rasen.
Mbel und
Haushaltsgerte
Furniture and
Household Appliances

der Anrufbeantworter
answering machine
der Backofen
oven
das Bett
bed
das Bcherregal
bookshelf
der Computer
der Rechner
computer
die Couch
couch
der Fernseher
das Fernsehgert
TV set
die
Geschirrsplmaschine
dish washer
der Herd
range, stove
die Kaffeemaschine
coffee maker
der Kleiderschrank
clothes closet/cabinet
die Kommode
chest of drawers
der Khlschrank
refrigerator
die Lampe
lamp, light
der Nachttisch
night stand
der Schreibtisch
desk
Big-city apartment dwellers in Germany
sometimes have
aSchrebergarten or Kleingarten. This is a small
garden plot in a group of such mini-gardens
located away from the apartment complex, often
alongside a railway. They are regulated in size and
may have a small shed for part-time use. Some
people turn their Kleingarten into a miniature
vacation spot for weekends and holidays. It is just
another way that Germans cope with their densely
populated country.
The Germans are great believers in the adage
good fences make good neighbors. A yard or
garden without a fence (der Zaun) is rare.
Sometimes a trimmed hedge (die Hecke) stands
in for a fence. But we'll have to save gardening
and lawn care for another lesson. Time to go back
inside.
Print this Page

WAS IST WO?

On the left is an alphabetical list of items found in
a typical home. Study these words for furniture
and appliances, since we'll be using them in this
part of the lesson. You may also want to review
the vocabulary for rooms in Part One, because we'll
be using those, too.
This exercise also requires the use of the two-
way preposition in, for which we'll offer a brief
overview. (If you need to, see more detailed info
in the article The Two-Way Prepositions and the
grammar section on Accusative Prepositions.)
Wo findet man das? - We'll start by asking in
which room you might find a particular item. Since
the German preposition in is a two-way
preposition, remember that when you answer the question wo, you'll need
der Sessel
easy chair
das Sofa
sofa
die Stehlampe
floor lamp
der Staubsauger
vacuum cleaner
der Stuhl
chair
das Telefon
telephone
der Trockner
drier
die Waschmaschine
washer

Andere Wrter
Other Words
das Bild (-er)
picture
das Dach (Dcher)
roof
das Fenster (-)
window
der Spiegel (-)
mirror
die Treppe (-n)
stairway, stairs
die Tr (-en)
door
die Wand (Wnde)
wall (inside)
a dative phrase. For example, if something is in the kitchen, it's in der
Kche because the dative of die Kche is der Kche. All dienouns will
change to der in the dative. If we're talking about a room that is not
feminine (das or der), the dative phrase will be im, as in im
Wohnzimmer (in the living room).
Here are two more examples before we start:
Wo ist der Fernseher? Er ist im Wohnzimmer.
(Where is the TV set? - It's in the living room.)

Wo finde ich die Kaffeemaschine? Sie ist in der Kche.
(Where will I find the coffeemaker? - It's in the kitchen.)
Now, see if you can answer these 8 questions in German. Give a logical
answer following the model above.
1. Wo ist der Trockner? _____________
2. Wo ist der Staubsauger? _____________
3. Wo finde ich den Rechner? _____________
4. Wo ist der Sessel? _____________
5. Wo finde ich die Kommode? _____________
6. Wo ist der Kleiderschrank? _____________
7. Wo finde ich den Anrufbeantworter? _____________
8. Wo ist der Herd? _____________
> Antworten (Answer Key)

On the next page, we'll discuss activities and the present perfect tense.
You are here:

Lesson 18.3
Haus und Hof: zu Hause
German Verbs: The Present Perfect Tense
You are here:
Lesson 18: Part 1 > Part 2 > Part 3 > Web
Links > Lesson 19

Weil das Wetter schn
war, haben wir im
Garten gesessen.
Foto H. Flippo
In this section of Lesson 18, we'll look at
household activities and the German
present perfect tense. If we did some
baking (backen) in the kitchen or
watched TV (fernsehen) in the living
room, then how do we express that?
Although we will present a brief overview of thepresent perfect
tense here, if you need to study or review the present perfect, see ourVerb
Review 3 on that tense and our German Verbs section.
The Conversational Past - When Germans talk about what they have done
in the past, they use the present perfect tense, also known as the
conversational past because it is used more in spoken form than in writing.
(The other past tense, the simple past or Imperfekt is used more in
writing, but neither form is used exclusively in written or spoken German.)
The present perfect tense is a compound tense that gets its name from the
fact that it combines two verb forms (making a compound) to express an
action or condition in the past. The present is the present tense of the
helping verb (haben or sein) that is combined with the past participle of the
verb being used to form the Perfekt, and thus the present perfecttense.
For example, to say I worked on the computer in German, you would say:
Ich habeam Computer gearbeitet. The helping verb haben is in the
present tense (conjugated to agree with ich) and combined with the past
participle of arbeiten to form the present perfect.
Now let's try it out with some typical household activities.
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Was haben wir
gemacht?
What did we do?

abrumen
abgerumt
to clear out, remove
aufrumen
aufgerumt
to put in order,
straighten up
backen
gebacken
to bake
hngen
gehngt*
to hang
*also gehangen
when at rest
kochen
gekocht
to cook
mhen
gemht
to mow
ffnen
geffnet
to open
putzen
geputzt
to clean
schlafen
geschlafen
WAS HABEN WIR GEMACHT?
On the left is an alphabetical list of verbs related to
household activities. Each verb is shown in its
infinitive form and with its past participle
(backen/gebacken). Study these verbs, since we'll
be using them in this activity. You may also want to
review some of the previous vocabulary in
parts One and Two, because we'll be using some of
those terms as well.
bung 2 - Wo hast du das gemacht? (Where'd you
do that?)
Wo? (I - watch TV) Ich habe im Wohnzimmer
ferngesehen.
(I watched TV in the living room.)

Wo? (she - bake) Sie hat in der Kche gebacken.
(She baked in the kitchen.)
Now, follow the examples above to complete this
exercise.
1. Wo? (we - sit) _____________
2. Wo? (he - mow lawn) _____________
3. Wo? (I - wash) _____________
4. Wo? (they - sleep) _____________
5. Wo? (du - clean) _____________
6. Wo? (we - open window) _____________
7. Wo? (she - clear out) _____________
BUNG 2
to sleep
sitzen
gesessen
to sit
waschen
gewaschen
to wash

Verbs of Contrast
Motion vs. At Rest
Transitive and
Intransitive
legen/liegen
gelegt/gelegen
lay (put)/lie
stellen/stehen
gestellt/gestanden
to put, place/stand
hngen/hngen
gehngt/gehangen
hang/be hanging
Answers for items 1-7:
NOTE: These are suggested answers. Other rooms or locations are also possible in some cases.
1. Wo? (we - sit) Wir haben im Garten gesessen.
(We sat in the garden/yard.)
2. Wo? (he - mow lawn) Er hat den Rasen im Hintergarten gemht.
(He mowed the lawn in the back yard.)
3. Wo? (I - wash) Ich habe in der Waschkche gewaschen.
(I washed in the laundry room.)
4. Wo? (they - sleep) Sie haben im Schlafzimmer geschlafen.
(They slept in the bedroom.)
5. Wo? (du - clean) Du hast im Badezimmer geputzt.
(You cleaned in the bathroom.)
6. Wo? (we - open window) Wir haben das Fenster im Wohnzimmer geffnet.
(We opened the window in the living room.)
7. Wo? (she - clear out) Sie hat das Arbeitszimmer abgerumt.
(She cleared out the work room.)

bung 3 - Wohin hast du das gestellt? (Where'd you put that?)
Wohin? (put - mirror - table) Ich habe den Spiegel auf den Tisch gestellt.
(I put the mirror on the table.)

Wohin? (hang - picture - wall) Ich habe das Bild an die Wand gehngt.
(I hung the picture on the wall.)
Now, follow the examples above to complete this exercise.
1. Wohin? (put - chair - office) _____________
2. Wohin? (hang - mirror - wall) _____________
3. Wohin? (put - computer - desk) _____________
4. Wohin? (put - vacuum - garage) _____________
5. Wohin? (lay - book - table) _____________
BUNG 3
Answers for items 1-5:
1. Wohin? (put - chair - office)
Ich habe den Stuhl ins Bro gestellt.
(I put the chair in the office.)
2. Wohin? (hang - mirror - wall)
Ich habe den Spiegel an die Wand gestellt.
(I hung the mirror on the wall.)
3. Wohin? (put - computer - desk)
Ich habe den Computer auf den Schreibtisch gestellt.
(I put the computer on the desk.)
4. Wohin? (put - vacuum - garage)
Ich habe den Staubsauger in die Garage gestellt.
(I put the vacuum in the garage.)
5. Wohin? (lay - book - table)
Ich habe das Buch auf den Tisch gelegt.
(I put/laid the book on the table.)

Lesson 19
German Verbs:
Separable and Inseparable Prefixes
Verben: Trennbare und untrennbare
Prfixe

Wann fngt man an,
das Haus zu sanieren?
When are they going to
start renovating the building?
Foto H. Flippo
Many common verbs in German belong to
a category called separable-prefix
verbs orinseparable-prefix verbs. In
general, they are conjugated just like all
other German verbs, but you need to know what happens to the prefix when
you use these verbs.
Separable prefixes, as the name implies, usually (but not always) separate
from the basic verb stem. German separable-prefix verbs can be compared
to English verbs like "call up," "clear out" or "fill in." While in English you can
say either "Clear out your drawers" or "Clear your drawers out," in German
the separable prefix is almost always at the end, as in the second English
example. A German example with anrufen: Heute ruft er seine
Freundin an. = Today he's calling his girlfriend (up).
Commonly used separable prefixes include: ab-, an-, auf-, aus-, ein-, vor-
and zusammen-. Many common verbs use separable
prefixes: abdrehen (to turn/switch off), anerkennen (to recognize
[officially]), aufleuchten (to light up), ausgehen (to go out),
sich einarbeiten (to get used to the work), vorlesen (to read
aloud), zusammenfassen (to summarize).
There are three situations in which the "separable" prefix doesn't separate:
(1) in the infinitive form (i.e., with modals and in the future tense), (2) in
dependent clauses, and (3) in the past participle (with ge-). An example of a
dependent clause situation would be: "Ich wei nicht, wann er ankommt."
(I don't know when he's arriving.) See below for more about past participles
with separable prefixes.
In spoken German, separable verb prefixes are stressed (betont): AN-
kommen.
All of the separable-prefix verbs form the past participle with ge-, with the
prefix located in front of and attached to the past participle. Examples: Sie
hat gestern angerufen, She called/telephoned yesterday. Er war
schon zurckgefahren, He had already gone back.
For more about the separable-prefix verbs, see our Separable Verb
Prefixes page. For more about German verb tenses in general, see our German
Verbs section. Here are some sample sentences in various tenses with the
verb anfangen, with the separable prefix in red:
Print this Page
Sample Sentences
with the separable-prefix verb
anfangen, to begin, start
D E U T S C H E N G L I S H
P r e s e n t T e n s e
Wann fangen Sie an? When do you begin?
Ich fange heute an. I start today.
P r e s . P e r f e c t T e n s e
Wann haben sie angefangen? When did they begin?
P a s t P e r f e c t T e n s e
Wann hatten Sie angefangen? When had you begun?
P a s t T e n s e
Wann fingen wir an? When did we begin?
F u t u r e T e n s e
Wir werden wieder anfangen. We will begin again.
W i t h M o d a l s
Knnen wir heute anfangen? Can we begin today?
Inseparable prefixes include be-, emp-, ent-, er-, ver- and zer-. Many
common German verbs use such prefixes: beantworten (to
answer), empfinden (to sense, feel), entlaufen (to get/run
away), errten (to blush), verdrngen (to oust, replace), zerstreuen (to
disperse, scatter). The inseparable verb prefixes remain attached to the
stem verb in all situations: "Ichverspreche nichts." - "Ich kann
nichts versprechen." In spoken German, inseparable verb prefixes are
unstressed (unbetont). Their past participles do not use ge- ("Ich habe
nichtsversprochen."). For more about the inseparable-prefix verbs, see
our Inseparable Verb Prefixes page.
For a more detailed look at both separable and inseparable-prefix verbs in
German (as well as the "variable" or "dual" prefixes), see our Verb Prefixes
Guide with prefix charts and sample sentences.

Part 1: Inseparable Prefixes
Verb Prefixes
There are three kinds of verb prefixes in German: (1) separable (trennbar),
(2) inseparable(untrennbar), and (3) dual prefixes (usually a preposition)
that can be both. Separable prefixes are stressed (betont) in their
pronunciation; inseparable prefixes are unstressed (unbetont). In this verb
prefix chart, we have divided the prefixes into their three categories.
By adding various prefixes to a base verb, German can produce new
meanings: kommen >abkommen (digress), ankommen (arrive), bekom
men (get), entkommen (escape). (English does the same thing, using
Greek and Latin prefixes: form > deform, inform, perform, etc.) Knowing the
basic meaning of a verb prefix can be helpful in learning German vocabulary,
but not all prefixes have a specific meaning, nor does each prefix always
have the same meaning. For instance, knowing the meaning of the
prefix ver- may or may not help you understand the meaning of verbs
like verschlafen (to oversleep) or versprechen (to promise). The prefix
meanings can be interesting and helpful, but they are no substitute for
learning vocabulary.
If you are not already familiar with how separable and inseparable verbs are
used in a sentence, see Lesson 19 and our Sample Sentences page for examples.
Also see additional comments at the end of each section of the prefix chart.

Verb Prefixes: Inseparable > Separable > Dual >
Rechtschreibreform > Sample Sentences with verb prefixes
Inseparable Prefixes
Untrennbare Prfixe
Prefix Meaning Examples
be- like English be-

makes verb take a
direct object (acc.)
s. befinden (be located)
befolgen (follow)
befreunden (befriend)
begegnen (meet)
bekommen (get)
bemerken (notice, remark)
emp- sense, receive empfangen (receive)
empfehlen (recommend)
empfinden (feel)
ent- away from

English de-/dis-
entarten (degenerate)
entbehren (miss, do without)
entdecken (discover)
entfallen (elude, slip)
entfernen (remove, take out)
entkalken (decalcify)
entkleiden (disrobe, undress)
entkommen (escape, get away)
entlassen (discharge, release)
entstehen (originate, be formed/created)
entwerten (devalue, cancel)
er- fatal, dead erhngen (hang, execute)
erschiessen (shoot dead)
ertrinken (drown)
like English re- s. erinnern (remember)
erkennen (recognize)
erholen (recover, relax)
ge- - - gebrauchen (use, make use of)
gedenken (commemorate, intend)
gefallen (like)
gehren (belong to)
gelangen (arrive at)
geloben (vow)
genesen (recover, recuperate)
gestalten (shape, form)
gestehen (confess)
gewhren (grant, give, offer)
miss- English mis- missachten (disregard, disdain)
missbrauchen (abuse, misuse)
misstrauen (mistrust)
missverstehen (misunderstand)
ver- bad, awry
English mis-
verachten (despise)
verbilden (miseducate)
verderben (go bad, spoil)
s. verfahren (go astray, get lost)
verkommen (go to ruin, become run down)
verschlafen (oversleep)
lose, away/out verdrngen (drive out)
verduften (lose its aroma)
verlassen (leave, abandon)
verlieren (lose)
English for- verbieten (forbid)
vergeben (forgive)
vergessen (forget)
??? verbinden (bandage, link, tie)
vergrern (enlarge)
verhaften (arrest)
versprechen (promise)
voll-* full, complete vollenden (complete, finish)
vollfhren (execute, perform)
vollstrecken (enforce, execute)
*NOTE: Some verbal expressions with voll treat voll as an adverb rather
than a prefix, and are spelled with the adverb voll separated from the verb,
even in the infinitive form. Examples include: voll drhnen (dope/tank
up), voll essen (gorge oneself), voll machen (fill [up]).
zer- collapse, shatter,
shred
zerbrechen (shatter)
zerreissen (rip up, shred)
zerstren (destroy)
NOTE: Inseparable-prefix verbs do not add the normal past participle
prefix ge- in the perfect tenses. See the examples below.
NEXT > Separable Prefixes | Dual Prefixes
Also see: Verb Prefixes and Rechtschreibreform
Comments: Inseparable Prefix Verbs
There are verbs in English that are constructed and used much like German
inseparable-prefix verbs: contend, extend, pretend, and intend are all based
on the verb "tend." A similar example in German is the verb finden (find).
By adding various inseparable prefixes, German alters the meaning
of finden to create new meanings: sich befinden (be
located), empfinden (feel), orerfinden (invent). As you can see, many
common German verbs are inseparable-prefix verbs.
German verbs with inseparable prefixes do not add the normal past
participle prefix ge- in the perfect tenses. Examples: bekommen (to get)
hat/hatte bekommen; erwarten (to expect, await)
hat/hatte erwartet; verstehen (to understand) hat/hatte verstanden. For
more about German verb tenses, see our German Verbs section.
Part 2: Separable Verb Prefixes
Verbalprfixe - Vorsilben bei Zeitwrtern
This verb prefix guide, with a prefix chart, is part of Lesson 19 of our of
free German for Beginners course. To learn more about German verbs, also see
our German Verbs section and the Verb-Lexikon.

Separable Prefixes 1
Below we have listed the most common separable prefixes in German. For
more of the separable prefixes, including less common ones (fehl-, statt-,
etc.), see Separable Prefixes 2.
Verb Prefixes: Inseparable > Separable 1 > Separable 2 > Dual >
Rechtschreibreform > Sample Sentences with verb prefixes
Separable Prefixes 1
Trennbare Prfixe 1
Prefix Meaning Examples
ab- from abblenden (screen, fade out, dim [lights])
abdanken (abdicate, resign)
abkommem (get away)
abnehmen (pick up; decrease, reduce)
abschaffen (abolish, do away with)
abziehen (deduct, withdraw, print [photos])
an- at, to anbauen (cultivate, grow, plant)
anbringen (fasten, install, display)
anfangen (begin, start)
anhngen (attach)
ankommen (arrive)
anschauen (look at, examine)
auf- on, out, up, un- aufbauen (build up, put up, add on)
aufdrehen (turn on, unscrew, wind up)
auffallen (stand out, be noticeable)
aufgeben (give up; check [luggage])
aufkommen (arise, spring up; bear [costs])
aufschlieen (unlock; develop [land])
aus- out, from ausbilden (educate, train)
ausbreiten (extend, spread out)
ausfallen (fail, fall out, be canceled)
ausgehen (go out)
ausmachen (10 meanings!)
aussehen (appear, look [like])
auswechseln (exchange, replace [parts])
See The 10 Meanings of the German Verb 'ausmachen'.
bei- along, with beibringen (teach; inflict)
beikommen (get hold of, deal with)
beischlafen (have sexual relations with)
beisetzen (bury, inter)
beitragen (contribute [to])
beitreten (join)
durch-* through durchhalten (withstand, endure; hold out)
durchfahren (drive through)
*The prefix durch- is usually separable, but it can also be inseparable.
See Dual Prefixes.
ein- in, into, inward,
down
einatmen (inhale)
einberufen (conscript, draft; convene,
summon)
einbrechen (break in; break down/through,
cave in)
eindringen (force entry into, penetrate,
besiege)
einfallen (collapse; occur to, remind)
eingehen (enter, sink in, be received)
fort- away, forth,
onward
fortbilden (continue education)
fortbringen (take away [for repair], post)
fortpflanzen (propagate, reproduce; be
transmitted)
fortsetzen (continue)
forttreiben (drive away)
mit- along, with, co- mitarbeiten (cooperate, collaborate)
mitbestimmen (co-determine, have a say
in)
mitbringen (bring along)
mitfahren (go/travel with, get a lift)
mitmachen (join in, go along with)
mitteilen (inform, communicate)
nach- after, copy, re- nachahmen (imitate, emulate, copy)
nachbessern (retouch)
nachdrucken (reprint)
nachfllen (refill, top up/off)
nachgehen (follow, go after; run slow
[clock])
nachlassen (slacken, loosen)
vor- before, forward,
pre-, pro-
vorbereiten (prepare)
vorbeugen (prevent; bend forward)
vorbringen (propose, bring up; bring
forward, produce)
vorfhren (present, perform)
vorgehen (proceed, go on, go first)
vorlegen (present, submit)
weg- away, off wegbleiben (stay away)
wegfahren (leave, drive off, sail away)
wegfallen (be discontinued, cease to apply,
be omitted)
weghaben (have got done, have got done)
wegnehmen (take away)
wegtauchen (disappear)
zu- shut/closed, to,
towards, upon
zubringen (bring/take to)
zudecken (cover up, tuck in)
zuerkennen (bestow, confer [on])
zufahren (drive/ride towards)
zufassen (make a grab for)
zulassen (authorize, license)
zunehmen (increase, gain, add weight)
zurck- back, re- zurckblenden (flash back [to])
zurckgehen (go back, return)
zurckschlagen (hit/strike back)
zurckschrecken (shrink back/from, recoil,
shy away)
zurcksetzen (reverse, mark down, put
back)
zurckweisen (refuse, repulse, turn
back/away)
zusammen- together zusammenbauen (assemble)
zusammenfassen (summarize)
zusammenklappen (fold up, shut)
zusammenkommen (meet, come together)
zusammensetzen (seat/put together)
zusammenstoen (collide, clash)
NOTE: All of the separable verbs form their past participle with ge-, as
in zurckgegangen(zurckgehen).
NEXT > Separable Prefixes 2 | Dual Prefixes (Separable/Inseparable)
Comments: Separable Prefix Verbs
German separable prefix verbs can be compared to English verbs like "call
up," "clear out" or "fill in." While in English you can say either "Clear out
your drawers" or "Clear your drawers out," in German the separable prefix is
almost always at the end, as in the second English example. A German
example with anrufen: Heute ruft er seine Freundin an. = Today
he'scalling his girlfriend (up). This applies to most "normal" German
sentences, but in some cases (infinitive forms or in dependent clauses) the
"separable" prefix does not separate. SeeLesson 19 and the Sample
Sentences page for more about this.
In spoken German, separable verb prefixes are stressed.
All of the separable-prefix verbs form their past participle with ge-.
Examples: Sie hat gestern angerufen, She called/telephoned
yesterday. Er war schon zurckgegangen, He had already gone back. -
For more about German verb tenses, see our German Verbs section.

German Verb Prefixes
Verbalprfixe - Vorsilben bei Zeitwrtern
This verb prefix guide, with a prefix chart, is part of Lesson 19 of our of free German for
Beginners course. To learn more about German verbs, also see our German Verbs section .

SAMPLE SENTENCES
Below are sample sentences with separable (trennbar) and inseparable (untrennbar) prefixes.
In the examples below, the separable or inseparable prefix is shown in red, as inanfangen (to
begin, sep.) or versprechen (to promise, insep.). Each verb is shown with various
pronouns/persons and in various tenses.

Verb Prefixes > Inseparable | Separable | Dual
> Sample Sentences with verb prefixes
Separable Prefix Verbs
Verb Deutsch
English


anfangen Wann fangen wir an?
When do we begin?
anfangen Wann fngt sie an?
When does she begin?
einatmen Bitte atmen Sie tief ein.
Please take a deep breath.

NOTE: Separable-prefix verbs use the normal past participle prefix ge- in the perfect tenses. See
the examples below.
anfangen Wann haben sie angefangen?
When did they begin?
P a s t P e r f e c t T e n s e

anfangen Wann hatten Sie angefangen?
When had you begun?
P a s t T e n s e

anfangen Wann fingen wir an?
When did we begin?
anfangen Wann fing sie an?
When did she begin?
W i t h M o d a l s

anfangen Knnen wir heute anfangen?
Can we begin today?
anfangen Ich muss jetzt anfangen.
I have to begin now.
Inseparable Prefix Verbs
Verb Deutsch
English


versprechen Ich verspreche nichts.
I'm not promising anything.
versprechen Was versprichst du mir?
What are you promising me?

NOTE: Inseparable-prefix verbs do not use the normal past participle prefix ge- in the perfect
tenses. See the examples below.
versprechen Was hast du mir versprochen?
What did you promise me?

Lesson 20
Das Wetter | The Weather
Wie ist das Wetter heute?
Talking about the weather
With dative expressions

Die Wettervorhersage im Fernsehen.
The weather forecast on TV.
Foto: ARD/Das Erste
We all like to talk about the weather. In this lesson you'll
learn how to do so in German, which means you'll also have to adjust to how
most of the world outside the U.S. measures things like barometric pressure
and temperatures. There are even a few hidden vocabulary dangers in
talking about how warm or cold you are! (We'll tell you how to avoid that
problem.)
In this lesson we'll also introduce you to reading or listening to a weather
forecast in German. When you're in German-speaking Europe, you need to
know how to understand a typical weather forecast. Will you need an
umbrella (einen Regenschirm) today, or not? You'll also find some
exercises for practicing what you learn.
Let's start with some common weather phrases and vocabulary. Review the
chart below for many common weather expressions.
Also see: Weather Glossary > Weather Forecasts & Exercises
Print this Page
DAS WETTER - THE WEATHER
Useful Phrases
D E U T S C H E N G L I S H
Fragen - Questions
Wie ist das Wetter heute? What's the weather like today?
Ist es warm/kalt/khl? Is it warm/cold/cool?
Wie viel Grad sind es? What's the temperature?
"How many degrees is it?"
Scheint die Sonne? Is the sun shining?
Wo ist mein Regenschirm? Where's my umbrella?
PHRASES 1 - ES + VERB
Es regnet. It's raining.
Es blitzt. There's lightning.
Es donnert. It's thundering.
Es schneit. It's snowing.
Es hagelt. It's hailing.
PHRASES 2 - ES IST + ADJECTIVE
Es ist schn. It's nice.
Es ist bewlkt. It's cloudy.
Es ist hei. It's hot.
Es ist kalt. It's cold.
Es ist windig. It's windy.
Es ist schwl. It's muggy/humid.
So ein Sauwetter! Such lousy weather!
DATIVE PHRASES - MIR + IST
Mir ist kalt. I feel cold./I'm cold.
Ist es dir zu hei? Do you feel too hot?/Are you too hot?
DATIVE PHRASES: Although it is okay to say "I'm hot/cold" in English,
this is not the case in German. To express that you feel hot or cold in
German, you use a dative pronoun (dirand mir in the examples above). The
German says "to me it is hot" rather than "I am hot" which means
something like you are "in heat"!
More Weather - To learn more about talking about the weather in German,
see the following pages and resources:

German Lessons

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