chapter one survival german copyrighted material€¦ · hello. how are you? i’m fine, thanks....
TRANSCRIPT
Surviva
l germ
an
Chapter OneSurvival german
If you tire of toting around this phrasebook, tear out this chapter. You should be able to navigate your destination with only the terms found in the next 29 pages.
BaSiC greetingSFor a full list of greetings, see p99.Hello.
How are you?
I’m fine, thanks.
And you?
My name is ____.
And yours?
It’s a pleasure to meet you.
Please.
Thank you.
Yes.
No.
Okay.
�
Hallo.Hah-LOH.WiegehtesIhnen?Vee GHEHHT as eehnen?Mirgehtesgut,danke.Mere ghehht as GOOT, dunk-eh.UndIhnen?Oonnd EEHNEN?Ichheiße____.Ee[ch] HYE-sseh ____.WieheißenSie?Vee hye-ssenn ZEE?Freutmich,Siekennenzulernen.Froyd mi[ch], zee CANON tsoo lehr-nen.Bitte.BIT-eh.Danke.DUNK-eh.Ja.Yahh.Nein.Nine.OK.Okay.
GR_04_773301_ch01.indd 1 1/9/08 9:11:01 AM
COPYRIG
HTED M
ATERIAL
No problem.
I’m sorry, I don’tunderstand.
Would you speak slower please?
Would you speak louder please?
Do you speak English?
Do you speak any other languages?
I speak ____ better than German.
Would you spell that?
Would you please repeatthat?
Would you point that out in this dictionary?
� Survival german
KeinProblem.Kyne proh-BLEHM.Entschuldigung,ichversteheSienicht.Ennt-SHOOLL-dee-ghoong, ee[ch] fair-SHTEH-heh zee ni[ch]t.KönntenSiebitteetwaslangsamersprechen?K[oe]nn-ten zee bit-eh at-vahs LUNG-sah-mehr shpre-[ch]en?KönntenSiebitteetwaslautersprechen?K[oe]nn-ten zee bit-eh at-vahs LOU-tehr shpre-[ch]en?SprechenSieEnglisch?Shpre-[ch]en zee ENG-lish?SprechenSieirgendeineandereSprache?Shpre-[ch]en zee irr-ghend eye-ne UN-deh-reh shpra-[ch]eh?Ichsprechebesser____alsDeutsch.Ee[ch] shpre-[ch]eh bess-er ____ ahlls doytsh.KönntenSiedasbittebuchstabieren?K[oe]nn-ten zee dahs bit-eh bu[ch]-shtah-BEE-ren? KönntenSiedasbittewiederholen?K[oe]nn-ten zee dahs bit-eh veeder-HOH-len?KönntenSiemirdasbitteindiesemWörterbuchzeigen?K[oe]nn-ten zee mere dahs bit-eh in dee-sem V[OE]R-tehr-boo[ch] tsai-ghen?
GR_04_773301_ch01.indd 2 1/9/08 9:11:01 AM
Surviva
l germ
an
the key queStiOnSWith the right hand gestures, you can get a lot of mileage from the following list of single-word questions and answers.Who?
What?
When?
Where?
To where?
Why?
How?
Which?
How many? / How much?
the anSwerS: whOFor full coverage of pronouns, see p20.I
you
him
her
us
the key queStiOnS 3
Wer?Vehr?Was?Vahs?Wann?Vahnn?Wo?Voh?Wohin?Voh-HINN?Warum?Vah-ROOM?Wie?Vee?Welcher(m)/Welche(f)/Welches(n)?VELL-[ch]err / VELL-[ch]eh / VELL-[ch]ess?Wieviele?Vee FEE-leh?
IchEe[ch]Sie(formal,sing.+pl.)/du(informal,sing.)/ihr(informal,pl.)zee / doo / eehrerairsiezeewirveer
To where?
Wer?Vehr?Was?Vahs?Wann?Vahnn?Wo?Voh?Wohin?Voh-HINN?Warum?Vah-ROOM?Wie?Vee?Welcher(m)/Welche(f)/Welches(n)?VELL-[ch]err / VELL-[ch]eh / VELL-[ch]ess?
GR_04_773301_ch01.indd 3 1/9/08 9:11:06 AM
them
the anSwerS: whenFor full coverage of time, see p11.now
later
in a minute
today
tomorrow
yesterday
in a week
next week
last week
next month
At ____
ten o’clock this morning.
two o’clock this afternoon.
seven o’clock this evening.
� Survival german
sie(pl.)zee
jetztyetstspäterSHP[AE]-tehrgleichglye[ch]heuteHOY-tehmorgenMORR-ghenngesternGHESS-tehrnineinerWochein eye-nehr VOH-[ch]ehnächsteWochen[ae][ch]s-teh VOH-[ch]ehletzteWochelets-teh VOH-[ch]ehnächstenMonatn[ae][ch]s-ten MOH-nahtUm____Oomm ____ zehnUhrheuteMorgen. TSEHN oohr hoy-teh MORR- ghenn. zweiUhrheuteNachmittag. TSVAIH oohr hoy-teh NAH[CH]- mitt-tahhg. siebenUhrheuteAbend. ZEE-ben oohr hoy-teh AHH- bend.
GR_04_773301_ch01.indd 4 1/9/08 9:11:06 AM
Surviva
l germ
an
the key queStiOnS �
For full coverage of numbers, see p7.
the anSwerS: wherehere
there
near
closer
closest
far
farther
farthest
across from
next to
behind
straight ahead
left
right
up
down
hierheardortdohrrtinderNähevonin dehr N[AE]H-heh fonnnäherN[AE]H-herramnächstenumm N[AE][CH]s-tenweitwegVYTE veggweiterwegVYE-tehr veggamweitestenwegumm VYE-tess-ten vegggegenübervonghe-ghenn-[UE]H-behr fonnnebenNEH-benhinterHINN-tehrgeradeausghe-rah-deh-OUSlinkslinksrechtsre[ch]tsaufwärtsOUF-v[ae]rtsabwärtsUPP-v[ae]rts
GR_04_773301_ch01.indd 5 1/9/08 9:11:07 AM
lower
higher
forward
back
around
across the street
down the street
on the corner
kitty-corner
____ blocks from here
For a full list of numbers, see the next page.
the anSwerS: whiChthis one
that (that one, close by) (that one, in the distance)
these
those (those there, close by)
� Survival german
niedriger(height)/geringer(price)NEE-drigger / ghe-RING-erhöherH[OE]-hehrvorwärtsFOHR-v[ae]rtszurücktsoo-R[UE]KKherumheh-ROOMMaufderanderenStraßenseiteouf dehr UN-deh-renn SHTRAH-ssen-sye-tehamEndederStraßeumm enn-deh dehr SHTRAH-ssehanderEckeunn dehr EKKEHschräggegenübershr[ae]gg gheh-ghenn-[UE]H-behr____StraßenvonhierSHTRAH-ssen fonn hear
dieser(m)/diese(f)/dieses(n)DEE-sehr / DEE-seh / DEE-sessdieser(m)/diese(f)/dieses(n)DEE-sehr / DEE-seh / DEE-sessjener(m)/jene(f)/jenes(n)YEH-nehr / YEH-neh / YEH-nessdieseDEE-sehdiese(pl.)DEE-seh
GR_04_773301_ch01.indd 6 1/9/08 9:11:07 AM
Surviva
l germ
an
numBerS & COunting �
numBerS & COuntingone
two
three
four
five
six
seven
eight
nine
ten
eleven
twelve
thirteen
fourteen
fifteen
sixteen
seventeen
eighteen
nineteen
twenty
twenty-one
thirty
forty
fifty
sixty
seventy
eighty
ninety
one hundred
two hundred
one thousand
EinsAihntsZweiTsvaihDreiDrryeVierFeerFünfF[ue]nffSechsZeksSiebenZEE-benAchtA[ch]tNeunNoynZehnTsehnElfEllfZwölfTsv[oe]llfDreizehnDRRYE-tshenVierzehnFEER-tsehnFünfzehnF[UE]NFF-tsehnSechzehnZE[CH]-tsehn
SiebzehnZEEB-tsehnAchtzehnA[CH]-tsehnNeunzehnNOYN-tsehnZwanzigTSVANN-tsiggEinundzwanzigAIHNN-oonnd-tsvann-tsiggDreißigDRRYE-siggVierzigFEER-tsiggFünfzigF[UE]NFF-tsiggSechzigZE[CH]-tsiggSiebzigZEEB-tsiggAchtzigA[CH]-tsiggNeunzigNOYN-tsiggEinhundertAIHN-hoonn-dehrtZweihundertTSVAIH-hoonn-dehrtEintausendaihn-TOWSEND
GR_04_773301_ch01.indd 7 1/9/08 9:11:07 AM
� Survival german
FraCtiOnS & deCimalSone eighth
one quarter
one third
one half
two thirds
three quarters
double
triple
one tenth
one hundredth
one thousandth
mathaddition
2 + 1
subtraction
2 - 1
multiplication
einAchtelaihn A[CH]-telleinViertelaihn FEER-telleinDrittelaihn DRITT-telldieHälftedee H[AE]LLF-tehzweiDritteltsvaih DRITT-telldreiVierteldrrye FEER-telldoppeltDOP-pelltdreifachDRRYE-fah[ch]einZehntelaihn TSEHN-telleinHundertstelaihn HOON-derts-telleinTausendstelaihn TOW-sends-tell
AdditionAH-dee-tsee-ohnzweipluseinstsvaih plooss aihntsSubtraktionZOOBB-trahkk-tsee-ohnzweiminuseinstsvaih mee-nooss aihntsMultiplikationMUHLL-tee-plee-kah-tsee-ohn
GR_04_773301_ch01.indd 8 1/9/08 9:11:08 AM
Surviva
l germ
an
numBerS & COunting �
2 x 3
division
6 ÷ 3
Ordinal numBerSfirst
second
third
fourth
fifth
sixth
seventh
eighth
ninth
tenth
last
zweimaldreitsvaih mahl dryeDivisionDEE-vee-see-ohnsechsgeteiltdurchdreizekks gheh-TYLET doorr[ch] drye
erster(m)/erste(f)/erstes(n)AIHRS-tehr / AIHRS-teh / AIHRS-tesszweiter(m)/zweite(f)/zweites(n)TSVAIH-tehr / TSVAIH-teh / TSVAIH-tessdritter(m)/dritte(f)/drittes(n)DRITT-ehr / DRITT-eh / DRITT-tessvierter(m)/vierte(f)/viertes(n)FEER-tehr / FEER-teh / FEER-tessfünfter(m)/fünfte(f)/fünftes(n)F[UE]NFF-tehr / F[UE]NFF-teh / F[UE]NFF-tesssechster(m)/sechste(f)/sechstes(n)ZEKS-tehr / ZEKS-teh / ZEKS-tesssiebter(m)/siebte(f)/siebtes(n)ZEEB-tehr / ZEEB-teh / ZEEB-tessachter(m)/achte(f)/achtes(n)A[CH]-tehr / A[CH]-teh / A[CH]-tessneunter(m)/neunte(f)/neuntes(n)NOYN-tehr / NOYN-teh / NOYN-tesszehnter(m)/zehnte(f)/zehntes(n)TSEHN-tehr / TSEHN-teh / TSEHN-tessletzter(m)/letzte(f)/letztes(n)LETS-tehr / LETS-teh / LETS-tess
GR_04_773301_ch01.indd 9 1/9/08 9:11:08 AM
meaSurementSmillimeter
centimeter
meter
kilometer
squared
short
long
vOlumemilliliters
liter
kilo
cup
quantitysome
none
all
many / much
�0 Survival german
MillimeterMIL-lee-meh-tehrZentimeterTSENN-tee-meh-tehrMeterMEH-tehrKilometerKEE-loh-meh-tehrquadriertkvah-DREEHRT kurzkoorrtslanglahng
MilliliterMIL-lee-lee-tehrLiterLEE-tehrKiloKEE-lohTasseTAHSS-eh
etwasAT-vahsnichtsni[ch]tsallesAHLL-ehsviele/vielFEEL-eh / feel
GR_04_773301_ch01.indd 10 1/9/08 9:11:08 AM
Surviva
l germ
an
a little bit (can be used forquantity or for time)dozen
Sizesmall
the smallest
medium
big
fat
wide
narrow
timeTime in German is referred to, literally, by the clock. “What time is it?” translates literally as “How much clock is it?”For full coverage of number terms, see p7.
hOurS OF the dayWhat time is it?
At what time?
For how long?
It’s one o’clock.
time ��
etwasAT-vahsDutzendDUTT-send
kleinklyneder/die/dasKleinstedehr / dee / dahs KLYNES-tehmittelMITT-ellgroßgrohsdickdickbreitbrryteschmalshmahl
Wiespätistes?Vee SHP[AE]HT isst as?UmwievielUhr?Oomm VEE-feel oohr?Wielange?Vee LUNG-eh?EsisteinUhr.As isst AIHN oohr.
GR_04_773301_ch01.indd 11 1/9/08 9:11:09 AM
�� Survival german
It’s two o’clock.
It’s two thirty.
It’s two fifteen.
It’s a quarter to three.
It’s noon.
It’s midnight.
It’s early.
It’s late.
in the morning
in the afternoon
at night
dawn
dayS OF the weekSunday
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
EsistzweiUhr.As isst TSVAIH oohr.Esisthalbdrei.As isst hahllb DRRYE.EsistViertelnachzwei.As isst feer-tell nah[ch] TSVAIH.EsistViertelvordrei.As isst feer-tell fohr DRRYE.EsistMittag.As isst MITT-tahgg.EsistMitternacht.As isst MITT-ehr-na[ch]t.Esistfrüh.As isst FR[UE]HH.Esistspät.As isst SHP[AE]HT.morgensMORR-ghennsnachmittagsNA[CH]-mitt-tahggsnachtsna[ch]tsMorgendämmerungMORR-ghenn-d[ae]mm-eh-roong
SonntagZONN-tahggMontagMOHN-tahggDienstagDEENS-tahggMittwochMITT-voh[ch]DonnerstagDONN-airs-tahgg
GR_04_773301_ch01.indd 12 1/9/08 9:11:09 AM
Surviva
l germ
an
time �3
Friday
Saturday
today
tomorrow
yesterday
the day before yesterday
one week
next week
last week
mOnthS OF the year January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
FreitagFRYE-tahggSamstagZAMMS-tahggheuteHOY-tehmorgenMORR-ghenngesternGHESS-tehrnvorgesternFOHR-ghess-tehrneineWocheeye-neh VOH-[ch]ehnächsteWochen[ae][ch]s-teh VOH-[ch]ehletzteWochelets-teh VOH-[ch]eh
JanuarYAHNN-oo-ahrFebruarFEHH-broo-ahrMärzM[ae]rtsAprilah-PRILLMaiMaihJuniYOU-neeJuliYOU-leeAugustou-GHOOSST
GR_04_773301_ch01.indd 13 1/9/08 9:11:09 AM
�� Survival german
September
October
November
December
next month
last month
SeaSOnS OF the yearspring
summer
autumn
winter
Septemberzepp-TEMM-behrOktoberokk-TOH-behrNovemberno-FEMM-behrDezemberdeh-TSEMM-behrnächstenMonatn[ae][ch]s-ten MOH-nahtletztenMonatlets-ten MOH-naht
FrühlingFR[UE]H-linngSommerZOMM-ehrHerbstHerrbstWinterVINN-tehr
GR_04_773301_ch01.indd 14 1/9/08 9:11:09 AM
Surviva
l germ
an
Falsche Freunde
If you try winging it with Denglish, beware of false cognates, known as “falsche Freunde” (false friends)—German words that sound like English ones, but with different meanings. Here are some examples of false cognates.
bald soon kahl bald Menü today’s special Speisekarte menu Gift poison Geschenk gift Billion trillion Milliarde billion Puff bordello Hauch/Zug puff konsequent consistent(ly) folglich consequently Dom cathedral Kuppel dome aktuell current eigentlich,wirklich actual also thus, therefore auch also Art kind, type Kunst art Bad bath, spa schlecht bad blenden dazzle, blind mischen blend brav well behaved tapfer brave
FalSe COgnateS ��
GR_04_773301_ch01.indd 15 1/9/08 9:11:10 AM
�� Survival german
german grammar BaSiCSLike English, German is a Germanic language. Both languages have the same basic alphabet of 26 letters. German has three additional letters with the addition of the umlaut (the two dots over the a, o and u). German is a very phonetic language, meaning words are generally (though not always) pronounced the way they look.
the alphaBetGerman is a straightforward language with a simple alphabet. It has 29 letters: all of the same letters found in the English alphabet, plus three additional vowels formed by adding an umlaut (two dots) over a, o and u. The umlaut changes the pronunciation of these vowels in a small but important way.
Letter Name Pronunciationa a ah (as in “fAther”)ä aeh aeh (as in “hEAven”)b beh b (as in “brave”)c tseh k (as in “caviar”);(“ch” at beginning of word: hard “k” sound (as in “character”), “ch” in the middle or at the end of a word: softer sound (as in Scottish pronunciation of “Loch”))d deh d (as in “day”)e ehh eh (as in “help”)f eff f (as in “friend”)g gheh gh (as in “ghost”)h hah h (as in “hand”)stresses all vowels; for combinations with “c” see letter “c”i eeh ee (as in “bee”)j yott y (as in “yellow”)k kah c (as in “can”)l ell l (as in “lake”)m emm m (as in “mother”)
GR_04_773301_ch01.indd 16 1/9/08 9:11:10 AM
prOnunCiatiOn guide ��
Letter Name Pronunciationn enn n (as in “name”)o ohh o (as in “often”)ö oeh u (as in “burger”)p peh p (as in “page”); the combination “ph” is pronounced as “f” (as in “philosophy”)q coo q (as in “quest”)r err r (as in “ERRor”; however, the German “r” has to be spoken as a rolling “r”s ess s (as in “stay”); the combination “st” at the beginning of a word is pronounced as “sh” (as in “shuttle”), while in the middle or at the end of a word it is pronounced as “st” (as in “stick”); the combination “sch” is pronounced as “sh” (as in “shelf”)t teh t (as in “tea”); the combination “tio” is pronounced as “tsee-yoh” (as in the German word “Aktion” - akk-tsee-YOHN)u ooh oohü ueh ueh (a slight variant of the “ooh” sound)v fauh f (as in “front”)w vehh v(as in “value”)x ikks x (as in “extra”)y YP-see-lohn ueh (see letter “ü”)z tsett ts (as in “iTS”)
prOnunCiatiOn guideVowelsa ahastheainfather:Vater (FAH-tehr)ä ehliketheeainheaven:hätte(hat-teh)au owasincow:Haus(hows)ai ayeasin“Allinfavor,sayaye”:Mai (my)e longastheaintame:zehn(tsayn)eu oyasintoy:euch(oy[ch])
GR_04_773301_ch01.indd 17 1/9/08 9:11:11 AM
�� german grammar BaSiCS
i eeasinfeedo ohasinboatö ewasinblueu ooasincooü liketheooincool
Consonantsb asinbean:Boot(boht)ch likethe“ch”inloch(asinLochNess)d asthedindayf asinfox:Feuer(FOY-er)g asinguy:Geist(guyst)h asinhay:hallo (HALL-oh)j pronouncedlikethe“y”asinyes:Ja(yahh)k asinEnglish:Kilometer(KEE-lo-may-ter)l asinEnglish:linksm asinEnglish:Mai(my)n asinEnglish:nein(nine)p asinEnglish:Pass(pahs)q quispronouncedaskv:Quittung(KVih-toong)r asinEnglishbutmorerolled:rot(rote)s atthebeginningofwords(followedbyavowel) pronouncedasz;inthemiddleandatornearthe endofwordsasinEnglish:selbst(ZELpst)st,sch likethe“sh”inshoe:Stein(shtine);Schule(SHOO-la)ß likeEnglish“s”:Straße(SHTRAH-sseh)t asinEnglish:Tee(tay)v likethe“f”infox,butmoreexplosive:verwirrt(fehr-VIRRT)w likethe“v”invase:weiss(vice)x likeEnglishx:extra(EX-tra)z like“ts”orthe“zz”inpizza:Zoo(tsoh)
GR_04_773301_ch01.indd 18 1/9/08 9:11:11 AM
prOnunCiatiOn guide ��
wOrd prOnunCiatiOnSyllables in words are also accented in a standard pattern. Generally, in words with two syllables the first syllable is stressed. For longer words, an accent mark is shown to indicate the stress.Endingin-ierenstudieren shtoo-DEE-ren LoanwordComputer com-PEW-terCompoundadjectivewithhin,her,daorwodamit da-MIT
gender, adjeCtiveS, mOdiFierSEach noun takes a masculine, feminine or neutral gender and is most often accompanied by a masculine, feminine or neutral definite article, like the English “the” (der, die or das), or by an indefinite article, like the English “a” or “an” (ein or eine). Definite articles (“the”), indefinite articles (“a,” “an”), and related adjectives change their endings depending on whether they are the subject, direct or indirect object, or possessive. For example, “Ich bin ein Mann” (I am a man) becomes “Ich sehe einen Mann” (I see a man) because “Mann” is the subject of the first sentence and the direct object of the second. (What is being seen? The man.)
The Definite Article (“the”) Masculine Feminine Neutral
Singular derHund(the dog) dieKatze(the cat) dasTier(the animal)
Plural dieHunde(the dogs) dieKatzen(the cats) dieTiere(the animals)
The Indefinite Article (“a” or “an”) Masculine Feminine Neutral
Singular einHund(a dog) eineKatze(a cat) einTier(an animal)
GR_04_773301_ch01.indd 19 1/9/08 9:11:11 AM
�0 german grammar BaSiCS
perSOnal prOnOunS LIEBEN:“tolove”
Ilove. Ichliebe. LEE-beh
You (singular familiar) Duliebst. leebst love.
He/She/Itloves.You Er / Sie / Es leebt/LEE-ben (singular formal) love. liebt.Sielieben.
Welove. Wirlieben. LEE-ben
You (plural familiar) Ihr leebt love. liebt.
They/You (plural Sie / Sie LEE-ben formal) love. lieben.
hey, you!
German has two words for “you”— du, spoken among friends and familiars, and Sie, used among strangers or as a sign of respect toward authority figures. When speaking with a stranger, expect to use Sie, unless you are invited to do otherwise. The second-person familiar plural form (ihr) is used among friends and family. The second-person formal plural is the same as the second-person formal singular: Sie. Both the singular and plural forms of the second-person formal are always written with an upper-case S: “Sie.”
regular verB COnjugatiOnSMost German verbs end in “-en” (lieben, gehen, kommen, etc.). To conjugate the present tense of regular verbs, drop the -en and add the following endings:
GR_04_773301_ch01.indd 20 1/9/08 9:11:12 AM
regular verB COnjugatiOnS ��
Present TenseRegularverbs GEHEN“togo”
Igo. Ichgehe. GHEH-heh
You(singular Dugehst. ghehst familiar)go.
He/She/Itgoes. Er/Sie(singular gheht feminine)/Esgeht.
You(singular Sie(singularformal) GHEH-hen formal) go. gehen.
Wego. Wirgehen. GHEH-hen
You(plural familiar) Siegehen. GHEH-hen go.
They/You(plural Sie/Siegehen. GHEH-hen formal) go.
Simple Past TenseThese are the simple past tense conjugations for regular verbs.Regularverbs LIEBEN“ToLive”
Ilived. Ichlebte. LEHB-te
You(singular Dulebtest. LAYb-test familiar)lived.
He/She/Itlived. Er/Sie/Eslebte. LAYb-tah
Youlived. Sielebten. LAYb-tahn (singular formal)
Welived. Wirlebten. LAYb-ten
You(plural Ihrlebtet. LAYb-tet familiar) lived.
They/You(plural Sie/Sielebten. LAYb-ten formal) lived.
GR_04_773301_ch01.indd 21 1/9/08 9:11:12 AM
�� german grammar BaSiCS
The FutureFor novice German speakers, the easiest way to express the future is to conjugate the verb WERDEN (to go) + any infinitive (“I am going to speak”, “you are going to speak”, etc.).
Iamgoingto Ichwerdereden. VER-de speak.
You(singular Duwirstreden. Virrst familiar) are goingtospeak.
He/She/Itis Er/Sie/Eswird Virrd goingtospeak. reden.
You (singular Siewerdenreden. Verr-den formal) are goingtospeak.
Wearegoing Wirwerden Verr-den tospeak. reden.
You(plural Ihrwerdet Verr-det familiar) are reden. goingtospeak.
They/You(plural Sie/Sie Vehrr-den formal) are werden reden. goingtospeak.
GR_04_773301_ch01.indd 22 1/9/08 9:11:12 AM
tO Be Or nOt tO Be (Sein) �3
tO Be Or nOt tO Be (Sein)The German verb for “to be,” SEIN, is irregular. It is conjugated as follows:
Present Tense SEIN“ToBe”
Iam. Ichbin. bin
You(singular, Dubist. bist familiar)are.
He/She/Itis. Er/Sie/Esist. ist
You (singular Siesind. zint formal) are.
Weare. Wirsind. zint
You (plural Ihrseid. zeit familiar) are.
They/You(plural Siesind. zint formal) are.
Simple Past Tense SEIN“ToBe”
Iwas. Ichwar. vahr
Youwere. Duwarst. vahrst
He/She/Itwas. Er/Sie/Eswar vahr
You (formal) Siewaren. VAHR-en were.
Wewere. Wirwaren. VAHR-en
Youwere. Ihrwart. vahrt
They/You(plural Siewaren. VAHR-en formal) were.
GR_04_773301_ch01.indd 23 1/9/08 9:11:13 AM
�� german grammar BaSiCS
irregular verBSGerman has numerous irregular verbs that stray from the standard -EN conjugations. Rather than bog you down with too much grammar, we’re providing the present tense conjugations for the most commonly used irregular verbs.
HABEN“ToHave”
Ihave. Ichhabe. HAH-beh
You (singular Duhast. hahsst familiar) have.
He/She/Ithas. Er/Sie/Eshat. haht
You (singular Siehaben. HAH-ben formal) have.
Wehave. Wirhaben. HAH-ben
You (plural Ihrhabt. hahbt familiar) have.
They/You Sie/Sie HAH-ben (plural formal) haben. have.
haben
Haben means “to have,” but it’s also used to describe conditions such as hunger and thirst. For example:IchhabeHunger. I’m hungry. (Literally: I have hunger.) IchhabeDurst. I'm thirsty.(Literally: I have thirst.)
GR_04_773301_ch01.indd 24 1/9/08 9:11:13 AM
irregular verBS ��
SPRECHEN"ToSpeak,ToTalk"
Ispeak. Ichspreche. SHPRE[CH]-eh
You (singular Dusprichst. shpri[ch]st familiar) speak.
He/She/Itspeaks. Er/Sie/Esspricht. shpri[ch]t
You(singular formal) Siesprechen. SHPRE[CH]-en speak.
Wespeak. Wirsprechen. SHPRE[CH]-en
You (plural familiar) Ihrsprecht. shpre[ch]t speak.
They/You(plural Sie/Sie SHPRE[CH]-en formal) speak. sprechen.
WOLLEN”ToWant“
Iwant. Ichwill. vill
You (singular Duwillst. villsst familiar) want.
He/She/Itwants. Er/Sie/Eswill. vill
You(singular formal) Siewollen. VOHLL-en want.
Wewant. Wirwollen. VOHLL-en
You (plural Ihrwollt. vohllt familiar) want.
They/You plural Sie/Sie VOHLL-en formal) want. wollen.
GR_04_773301_ch01.indd 25 1/9/08 9:11:13 AM
�� german grammar BaSiCS
KOENNEN“ToBeAble”
Ican. Ichkann. KHANN
You(singular Dukannst. khannst familiar) can.
He/She/Itcan. Er/Sie/Eskann. khann
You(singular formal) Siekönnen. KH[OE]NN-en can.
Wecan. Wirkönnen. KH[OE]NN-en
You (plural Ihrkönnt. kh[oe]nnt familiar) can.
They/You(plural Sie/Siekönnen. KH[OE]NN-en formal) can.
KENNEN vs. WISSEN: There are two ways to say “To Know” in German: kennen and wissen. Kennen is to know someone or something, while wissen is to know a fact. For example, “Ich kenne Peter.” (I know Peter.) BUT “Ich weiß, wo das Restaurant ist.” (I know where the restaurant is.)
KENNEN“ToKnow”(someone)
Iknow. Ichkenne. KHENN-eh
You (singular Dukennst. khennstfamiliar) know.
He/She/Itknows. Er/Sie/Es khennt kennt.
You(singular formal) Siekennen. KHENN-en know.
Weknow. Wirkennen. KHENN-en
You (plural Ihrkennt. khennt familiar) know.
They/You Sie/Sie KHENN-en (plural formal) know. kennen.
GR_04_773301_ch01.indd 26 1/9/08 9:11:14 AM
kennen vS. wiSSen ��
WISSEN“ToKnow”(something)
Iknow. Ichweiß. vice
You(singular Duweißt. vyesst familiar)know.
He/She/Itknows. Er/Sie/Es vice weiß.
You(singular formal) Siewissen. VISS-en know.
Weknow. Wirwissen. VISS-en
You(plural familiar) Ihrwisst. visst know.
They/You (plural Sie/Sie VISS-en formal)know. wissen.
Stem-changing verbs
Some irregular verbs change their stem in addition to their ending. For example:
ESSEN (To Eat)Ichesse (I eat)Duisst (You eat)Er/Sie/Esisst (He / She / It eats)Wiressen (We eat)Ihresst (You eat) (informal)Sie/Sieessen (You eat / They eat) (formal / pl.)
Notice that the stem only changes in the first three conjugations (I, you, and he/she/it). All of the plural forms are conjugated like regular verbs by adding the correct ending to the stem.
GR_04_773301_ch01.indd 27 1/9/08 9:11:14 AM
�� german grammar BaSiCS
GEFALLEN“ToLike”
IlikeGermany. Mir gefällt geh-FELT Deutschland.
You(informal singular) Dir gefällt geh-FELT likeGermany. Deutschland.
He/She/ItlikesGermany. Ihm / Ihr / Ihm geh-FELT gefälltDeutschland.
You(formalsingular) Ihnengefällt geh-FELT likeGermany. Deutschland.
WelikeGermany. Uns gefällt geh-FELT Deutschland.
You (informal plural) Euch gefällt geh-FELT likeGermany. Deutschland.
They/You (formal Ihnen gefällt geh-FELT plural) likeGermany. Deutschland.
gefallen
To say you like something, use the verb gefallen. Gefallen is different from other verbs because the person doing the liking is the subject of the sentence, not the object. For example, to say you like music, you would say:
MirgefälltMusik. I like music.(Literally: Music is pleasing to me.)
When what is liked is plural, the verb is plural:
MirgefallendieBlumen. I like the flowers.(Literally: The flowers are pleasing to me.)
The person doing the liking is represented by an indirect object pronoun placed in front of the verb, as illustrated below. Remember, gefallen can only be conjugated in two ways: gefällt (for singular things that are liked) and gefallen (for plural things that are liked). The pronoun changes to reflect who is doing the liking.
GR_04_773301_ch01.indd 28 1/9/08 9:11:14 AM
reFlexive verBS ��
reFlexive verBSGerman has many reflexive verbs (when the subject and object both refer to the same person or thing). The following common verbs are used reflexively: sich anziehen (to get dressed, literally to dress oneself), sich rasieren (to shave, literally to shave oneself), sich duschen (to shower, literally to shower oneself), and sich treffen (to meet, literally to meet one another).
SICHANZIEHEN“ToDress”
Igetdressed. Ichziehemichan. tsee-hemee[ch]UN
You(singular Duziehstdichan. tseeh-stdi[ch]UN familiar) getdressed.
He/She/Itgetsdressed. Er/Sie/Es tseetsi[ch]UN ziehtsichan.
You(singular formal) Sieziehensichan. tsee-hensi[ch]UN getdressed.
Wegetdressed. Wirziehen tsee-hen oonns UN -unsan.
You(plural familiar) Ihrzieht tseet oy[ch] UN getdressed. euchan.
They/You(plural Sie/Sieziehen tsee-hensi[ch]UN formal)getdressed. sichan.
GR_04_773301_ch01.indd 29 1/9/08 9:11:15 AM