A1 German Grammar — 74 Topics & Common Mistakes

Present Tense - Regular Weak Verbs

Präsens - Regelmäßige Verben

German verbs change their ending to match the subject. Regular verbs all follow one pattern in the Präsens (the present tense): remove -en from the infinitive to get the stem (lernen → lern-) and add ich -e, du -st, er / sie / es -t, wir -en, ihr -t, sie / Sie -en: ich lerne, du lernst, er lernt, wir lernen, ihr lernt, sie lernen. The wir, sie (they) and Sie (polite you) forms look exactly like the infinitive. Two spelling rules: (1) stems ending in -t or -d, or in m / n after another consonant sound (arbeiten, finden, öffnen, regnen), add an extra -e- before -st and -t: du arbeitest, er findet, es regnet. There is no extra -e- after l or r or after a double mm / nn: du lernst, du kommst. (2) Stems ending in s, ß, z or x add only -t for du: du heißt, du tanzt. German has no helper verb 'do' and no '-ing' form: 'Lernst du Deutsch?' means 'Do you learn German?' or 'Are you learning German?'.

Present Tense - Stem-Changing e→i Verbs (geben, nehmen, essen)

Präsens - Vokalwechsel e→i

Some common verbs change their stem vowel in the Präsens (the present tense), but only in the du and er / sie / es forms. In this group e becomes i: geben (to give) → ich gebe, du gibst, er gibt, but wir geben, ihr gebt, sie geben. Other verbs like this: sprechen (du sprichst, er spricht), helfen (du hilfst, er hilft), essen (du isst, er isst) and nehmen, which also changes its consonants (du nimmst, er nimmt). The endings are the normal ones. You cannot tell from the infinitive whether a verb changes (gehen does not: er geht), so learn each verb with its er form: geben, gibt. The du command uses the changed stem with no ending: Gib!, Sprich!, Iss!

Present Tense - Stem-Changing e→ie Verbs (sehen, lesen, empfehlen)

Präsens - Vokalwechsel e→ie

Some common verbs change e to a long ie in the du and er / sie / es forms of the Präsens (the present tense): sehen (to see) → du siehst, er sieht; lesen (to read) → du liest, er liest; empfehlen (to recommend) → du empfiehlst, er empfiehlt. ich, wir, ihr and sie / Sie keep the e (ich sehe, wir lesen, ihr seht). The endings are the normal ones. Because the stem lies- ends in s, du adds only -t, so du liest and er liest are the same. The du command uses the changed stem with no ending: Sieh mal! Lies den Text!

Present Tense - Stem-Changing a→ä Verbs (fahren, schlafen, tragen)

Präsens - Vokalwechsel a→ä

Some common verbs with a in the stem add an umlaut in the du and er / sie / es forms of the Präsens (the present tense): a becomes ä, and in laufen au becomes äu. fahren → du fährst, er fährt; schlafen → du schläfst, er schläft; tragen → du trägst, er trägt; laufen → du läufst, er läuft. ich, wir, ihr and sie / Sie keep the plain vowel (ich fahre, wir fahren, ihr fahrt). The endings are the normal ones, but when the vowel changes, a stem ending in -t or -d gets no extra -e-: halten → du hältst, er hält; einladen → er lädt ein. Unlike the e→i and e→ie verbs (Gib!, Lies!), the du command has no umlaut: Fahr langsam! Schlaf gut!

Present Tense - sein

Präsens - sein

The verb sein means 'to be' and is the most important verb in German. It is completely irregular, so learn its forms by heart: ich bin, du bist, er / sie / es ist, wir sind, ihr seid, sie / Sie sind. You use it to say who or what someone is ('Ich bin Anna', 'Er ist Lehrer'), what someone or something is like ('Ich bin müde', 'Das Wetter ist schön'), where someone is from or where they are ('Wir sind aus Spanien', 'Sie ist zu Hause') and how old someone is ('Ich bin 20 Jahre alt'). Take care with seid (ihr) and sind (wir, sie, Sie). The du command is Sei!: 'Sei leise!' (Be quiet!).

Present Tense - haben

Präsens - haben

The verb haben means 'to have'. It is almost regular, but the b disappears in two forms: ich habe, du hast, er / sie / es hat, wir haben, ihr habt, sie / Sie haben. Use it for things you own and people in your life ('Ich habe ein Fahrrad', 'Wir haben zwei Kinder') and for many feelings and states that German expresses with a noun and no article: 'Ich habe Hunger' (I'm hungry), Durst (thirsty), Angst (afraid), Zeit (I have time). To say you have no such thing, use kein, not nicht ein: 'Ich habe keine Zeit' (I have no time). Age is not given with haben but with sein: 'Ich bin 25 Jahre alt'.

Present Tense - werden

Präsens - werden

The verb werden means 'to become' or 'to get' and describes a change. It is irregular in the du and er / sie / es forms: ich werde, du wirst, er / sie / es wird, wir werden, ihr werdet, sie / Sie werden. Use it with an adjective for a change of state ('Es wird kalt' = It's getting cold; 'Ich werde müde' = I'm getting tired), with a job ('Sie wird Ärztin' = She's going to be a doctor) and with a number for a birthday ('Ich werde 30' = I'm turning 30). Compare 'Er ist müde' (he is tired: a state) with 'Er wird müde' (he is getting tired: a change). Do not use bekommen for this: it means 'to receive'.

Present Tense - wissen and kennen

Präsens - wissen und kennen

German has two verbs for 'to know'. wissen means knowing a fact or a piece of information. It usually goes with a clause (dass, ob, wo, wie, wer …) or with a word like das, es or nichts: 'Ich weiß, dass er kommt', 'Weißt du, wo Anna ist?', 'Das weiß ich nicht'. kennen means being familiar with a person, a place or a thing because you have met, visited, seen, read or heard it, and it takes a noun or pronoun: 'Ich kenne Anna', 'Kennst du Berlin?'. kennen is regular in the present (ich kenne, du kennst, er kennt), but wissen is irregular in the singular: ich weiß, du weißt, er / sie / es weiß (no -t); the plural is wir wissen, ihr wisst, sie / Sie wissen. For a language, use können: 'Ich kann Deutsch'.

Present Tense - Modal Verbs (können, müssen, wollen, dürfen, sollen, mögen/möchten)

Präsens - Modalverben

German has six modal verbs: können (can, be able to), müssen (must, have to), wollen (want to), dürfen (may, be allowed to), sollen (should, be supposed to) and mögen (like). möchten (would like) is the polite form of mögen and is used very often. Three rules: (1) ich and er / sie / es have the same form, and for the six modals it has no ending: ich kann, er kann (möchten has -e: ich möchte, er möchte). (2) Five of the six change their vowel in the singular (ich kann, but wir können); only sollen keeps it. (3) The modal is the conjugated verb in position 2 (first in a yes/no question), and the second verb goes to the end of the sentence in the infinitive, without zu: 'Ich muss heute arbeiten', 'Kannst du mir helfen?'. Careful: 'nicht müssen' means 'don't have to'; 'must not' is 'nicht dürfen'.

Imperative - du / ihr / Sie Forms

Imperativ - Grundformen

Use the imperative to give instructions, requests and advice. German has three forms, one for each way of saying 'you'. For du (one friend or family member), use the verb stem without du, usually with no ending: Komm! Mach! For ihr (several friends), use the ihr present form without ihr: Kommt! Macht! For Sie (polite), use the infinitive + Sie: Kommen Sie! Machen Sie! In the du form, stems ending in -t or -d and stems like öffn- that are hard to say alone add -e (Warte! Arbeite! Öffne!), verbs that change e to i or ie keep that vowel and add no -e (Gib! Lies! Iss!; but werden → Werde!) and verbs with a → ä do not take the umlaut (Fahr! Schlaf!). sein is irregular: Sei! Seid! Seien Sie! Add bitte to sound polite: Komm bitte! Bitte warten Sie hier!

Present Tense for Future Meaning (with time adverb)

Präsens mit Zukunftsbedeutung

German normally talks about the future with the present tense. Add a time word that points forward, such as morgen (tomorrow), heute Abend (this evening), am Samstag (on Saturday), nächste Woche (next week) or in zwei Stunden (in two hours): 'Ich fahre morgen nach Berlin' (I'm going to Berlin tomorrow, I'll go to Berlin tomorrow). If the time word comes first, the verb still stays in position 2, so the subject moves behind the verb: 'Morgen fahre ich nach Berlin', not 'Morgen ich fahre'. The future tense with werden (Ich werde fahren) is also correct, but for everyday plans the present is much more common. Do not use wollen for the future 'will': 'Ich will' means 'I want'.

sein vs haben - Basic Distinction

sein vs haben - Grundlagen

Use sein (to be) to say who or what someone is, what someone or something is like, where someone is, and how old someone is: 'Ich bin Lehrerin.' 'Du bist müde.' 'Wir sind in Berlin.' 'Ich bin 25 Jahre alt.' Use haben (to have) for what someone has: 'Ich habe einen Hund.' Many feelings and body states are nouns in German, and they take haben too: 'Ich habe Hunger' (I'm hungry), 'Ich habe Angst' (I'm afraid). So for most states, an adjective takes sein ('Ich bin hungrig') and a noun takes haben ('Ich habe Hunger'). Feeling cold, warm or bored is different: 'Mir ist kalt' (I'm cold), 'Mir ist langweilig' (I'm bored). Age always takes sein.

es gibt - Existence / There is/are

es gibt

'Es gibt' means 'there is' or 'there are'. The verb gibt does not change for singular or plural: 'Es gibt einen Park.' 'Es gibt viele Parks.' What exists is the object of the verb geben, so it is in the accusative (the object case): masculine ein becomes einen ('Es gibt einen Supermarkt'), while eine and neuter ein stay the same. If a place or a time comes first, gibt stays in second position and es follows it: 'In Berlin gibt es viele Cafés.' Question: 'Gibt es hier ein Café?' Negative: 'Es gibt keinen Park.'

können vs dürfen (ability vs permission)

können vs dürfen

können = can, be able to: 'Ich kann schwimmen' (I know how to swim). dürfen = may, be allowed to: 'Ich darf hier parken' (I'm allowed to park here). In everyday speech können can also ask for or give permission ('Kann ich das Fenster öffnen?'), but polite requests for permission and rules normally use dürfen: 'Darf ich Sie etwas fragen?' 'Hier darf man nicht rauchen.' To ask someone else to do something, use können: 'Können Sie mir helfen?' In the negative the two mean very different things: 'Ich kann nicht kommen' (I'm unable to come), 'Ich darf nicht kommen' (I'm not allowed to come). English 'must not' is nicht dürfen.

müssen vs sollen (necessity vs obligation/recommendation)

müssen vs sollen

müssen = must, have to: something is necessary. 'Ich muss heute arbeiten.' sollen = be supposed to: another person wants it, or you ask what someone wants. 'Der Arzt sagt, ich soll mehr schlafen.' 'Soll ich das Fenster öffnen?' (Shall I …?) 'Sollen wir gehen?' (Shall we …?) Be careful with nicht: 'Ich muss nicht arbeiten' means 'I don't have to work'. English 'must not' (forbidden) is nicht dürfen: 'Du darfst hier nicht rauchen.'

wollen vs möchten (want vs would like)

wollen vs möchten

wollen = want: a firm wish, plan or decision. 'Ich will Deutsch lernen.' möchten = would like: polite and softer. 'Ich möchte einen Kaffee, bitte.' Use möchte when you order, ask for something or offer something ('Möchten Sie etwas trinken?'); 'Ich will …' then sounds like a demand. Forms: ich will, du willst, er will, wir wollen, ihr wollt, sie wollen; ich möchte, du möchtest, er möchte, wir möchten, ihr möchtet, sie möchten. Careful: German will means 'want', never the English future 'will'.

mögen - Liking Things

mögen - Vorlieben

mögen = to like a person or a thing. At A1 it is used with a noun: 'Ich mag Pizza.' 'Magst du Hunde?' 'Ich mag meinen Lehrer.' Forms: ich mag, du magst, er/sie/es mag, wir mögen, ihr mögt, sie/Sie mögen (no ending in the ich and er-forms). To say you like doing something, use the verb + gern: 'Ich schwimme gern' (I like swimming). Don't mix up mögen and möchten: 'Ich mag Pizza' (I like pizza in general), 'Ich möchte eine Pizza' (I'd like a pizza now).

Separable Verbs - Basic (aufstehen, einkaufen, mitkommen)

Trennbare Verben - Grundlagen

Many German verbs start with a separable prefix such as an-, auf-, aus-, ein-, mit- or zurück-. When such a verb is conjugated in a main clause (a statement, a question or a command), it splits: the conjugated stem takes the normal verb position and the prefix goes to the end of the clause. aufstehen (get up): 'Ich stehe um 7 Uhr auf.' einkaufen (go shopping): 'Sie kauft heute Obst ein.' mitkommen (come along): 'Kommst du mit?' anrufen (call): 'Ruf mich an!' After a modal verb the infinitive stays in one piece at the end: 'Ich will heute ausgehen.' You can hear a separable prefix: it is stressed (in aufstehen, 'auf' is stressed).

Inseparable Verbs - Basic (verstehen, bekommen, erzählen)

Untrennbare Verben - Grundlagen

Verbs with the prefixes be-, ge-, er-, ver-, ent-, emp-, zer- or miss- never split. They behave like ordinary verbs: 'Ich verstehe das nicht.' 'Er bekommt ein Geschenk.' 'Sie erzählt eine Geschichte.' The prefix is normally not stressed: in verstehen the stress is on 'stehen'. Watch out: bekommen means 'get, receive', not 'become' (become = werden). Later, in the Perfekt (the everyday past), these verbs have no ge-: 'Ich habe das verstanden.'

Reflexive Verbs - Basic (sich freuen, sich waschen)

Reflexive Verben - Grundlagen

A reflexive verb has a pronoun that refers back to the subject: sich freuen (be happy), sich setzen (sit down), sich beeilen (hurry), sich waschen (wash). Dictionaries list these verbs with sich. The pronoun changes with the subject: ich → mich, du → dich, er/sie/es → sich, wir → uns, ihr → euch, sie/Sie → sich. 'Ich freue mich.' 'Du beeilst dich.' 'Er setzt sich.' In a main clause the pronoun comes right after the conjugated verb; if a subject pronoun follows the verb, the reflexive pronoun comes after it: 'Freust du dich?' 'Heute fühle ich mich gut.'

Expressing Preferences with gern / lieber / am liebsten

Vorlieben mit gern/lieber/am liebsten

To say you like doing something, you normally put gern after the conjugated verb (and after the subject or a pronoun if one follows the verb): 'Ich trinke gern Kaffee' (I like drinking coffee). 'Isst du gern Pizza?' 'Ich mache das gern.' For 'prefer', use lieber: 'Ich trinke lieber Tee als Kaffee.' For 'like most of all', use am liebsten: 'Am liebsten trinke ich Wasser.' Not liking: 'Ich esse nicht gern Fisch.' gern and gerne are both correct. 'Ich mag schwimmen' is heard in speech, but the standard way is the verb + gern: 'Ich schwimme gern.'

Nominative - Subject Case

Nominativ - Subjektkasus

The nominative is the case of the subject: the person or thing that does the action or that the sentence is about. The verb agrees with the subject, and you can find the subject by asking 'Wer?' (who?) or 'Was?' (what?) together with the verb: 'Der Mann arbeitet.' (The man works.) Wer arbeitet? Der Mann. A noun after sein (be), werden (become) or bleiben (stay) that names the same person or thing as the subject is also nominative: 'Das ist ein Hund.' (That is a dog.) The nominative articles are der (masculine), die (feminine), das (neuter) and plural die for 'the'; ein, eine, ein for 'a' (no article in the plural); and kein, keine, kein and plural keine for 'no'. The form a dictionary gives you, such as 'der Tisch', is the nominative.

Accusative - Direct Object Case

Akkusativ - Objektkasus

The accusative is the case of the direct object: the person or thing the action is done to. Ask 'Wen?' (whom?) or 'Was?' (what?) together with the subject and the verb: 'Ich sehe den Mann.' (I see the man.) Wen sehe ich? Den Mann. Among the articles only the masculine singular changes: der → den, ein → einen, kein → keinen, mein → meinen. Feminine, neuter and plural stay as in the nominative: 'Ich sehe die Frau, das Kind und die Kinder.' Personal pronouns change too: ich → mich, du → dich, er → ihn, wir → uns, ihr → euch.

Common Verbs Taking Accusative (haben, brauchen, sehen, kaufen)

Verben mit Akkusativ

Most German verbs that have an object take it in the accusative. The ones you need first are haben (have), brauchen (need), möchten (would like), sehen (see), kaufen (buy), essen (eat), trinken (drink), lesen (read), nehmen (take), suchen (look for), finden (find), mögen (like), kennen (know), besuchen (visit) and fragen (ask). With these verbs a masculine object takes den, einen or keinen: 'Ich brauche einen Stift.' (I need a pen.) Feminine, neuter and plural objects keep their nominative form. A few common verbs take the dative instead, for example helfen (help), danken (thank) and gefallen (please): 'Ich helfe dem Mann.' So learn each new verb together with its case.

Definite Article der/die/das/die - Nominative & Accusative

Bestimmter Artikel - Nominativ und Akkusativ

German has three genders, and 'the' has a different form for each. In the nominative (the case of the subject) it is der (masculine), die (feminine), das (neuter), plus die for every plural. In the accusative (the case of the direct object) only the masculine changes: der → den. 'Der Tisch ist groß.' (The table is big.) 'Ich kaufe den Tisch.' (I'm buying the table.) Die, das and plural die stay the same: 'Ich sehe die Lampe, das Buch und die Kinder.' The gender belongs to the word, not to the thing, so learn every noun with its article: der Tisch, die Lampe, das Buch.

Indefinite Article ein/eine - Nominative & Accusative

Unbestimmter Artikel - Nominativ und Akkusativ

The indefinite article ('a', 'an') is ein (masculine), eine (feminine) and ein (neuter). There is no plural form: 'ein Buch' (a book), but just 'Bücher' (books). In the accusative (the case of the direct object) only the masculine changes: ein → einen. 'Das ist ein Mann.' (That is a man.) 'Ich sehe einen Mann.' (I see a man.) Feminine eine and neuter ein stay the same: 'Ich sehe eine Frau und ein Kind.' Because masculine and neuter both use ein in the nominative, you need to know the gender to get the accusative right: einen Hund (der Hund), but ein Pferd (das Pferd). To say what job someone has, use no article after sein or werden: 'Er ist Lehrer.' (He is a teacher.) Keep the article with an adjective ('Er ist ein guter Lehrer') and when you point someone out with 'Das ist' ('Das ist ein Lehrer').

Negative Article kein - Nominative & Accusative

Negativartikel kein - Nominativ und Akkusativ

To say 'no' or 'not a' with a noun, German uses kein, not 'nicht ein'. Kein works like ein with a k in front: kein (masculine), keine (feminine), kein (neuter), and unlike ein it has a plural form, keine. In the accusative only the masculine changes: kein → keinen. 'Ich habe kein Auto.' (I don't have a car.) 'Ich habe keinen Bruder.' (I don't have a brother.) 'Ich habe keine Zeit.' (I have no time.) Use kein for nouns with ein or with no article; use nicht for names, for nouns with der, die, das or a possessive, and for verbs and adjectives: 'Das ist nicht Anna.' 'Das ist nicht mein Auto.' In a few fixed verb-noun pairs such as Deutsch sprechen and Auto fahren, kein and nicht are both correct: 'Ich spreche kein Deutsch.' 'Ich spreche nicht Deutsch.'

Possessive Articles (mein, dein, sein, ihr, unser, euer, ihr/Ihr) - Nominative & Accusative

Possessivartikel - Nominativ und Akkusativ

Possessive articles say whose something is: 'mein Bruder' (my brother), 'deine Tasche' (your bag). Each person has its own stem: ich → mein, du → dein, er and es → sein, sie (she) → ihr, wir → unser, ihr (you, plural) → euer, sie (they) → ihr, Sie (formal you) → Ihr. The stem shows the owner; the ending shows the noun that is owned. The endings are the same as for ein and kein, and unlike ein there is also a plural: mein Vater, meine Mutter, mein Kind, meine Eltern. In the accusative only the masculine changes: 'Ich besuche meinen Vater.' So 'seine Mutter' (his mother) has sein- because the owner is a man, and -e because Mutter is feminine.

Demonstrative dieser/diese/dieses - Nominative & Accusative

Demonstrativartikel dieser

Dieser means 'this' (plural 'these') and points to a particular person or thing: 'Dieser Pullover ist schön.' (This jumper is nice.) Its endings copy the article: der → dieser, die → diese, das → dieses, plural die → diese. In the accusative only the masculine changes, just as der changes to den: dieser → diesen. 'Dieser Film ist gut. Ich mag diesen Film.' Feminine diese, neuter dieses and plural diese stay the same. Time phrases such as diese Woche (this week), dieses Jahr (this year) and diesen Montag (this Monday) need no preposition and are in the accusative, so a masculine time word takes diesen.

Grammatical Gender - Basic (der/die/das)

Grammatisches Geschlecht

Every German noun has a gender: masculine, feminine or neuter. You see it in the article: der Tisch (masculine), die Lampe (feminine), das Buch (neuter). In the nominative and accusative plural all three use die: die Tische, die Lampen, die Bücher. For things, gender is not logical: a table is masculine, a lamp feminine, a book neuter. For people it usually matches (der Mann, die Frau), but not always: das Mädchen (the girl) is neuter because of its ending -chen. So learn every noun with its article: not 'Tisch' but 'der Tisch'. A few clues help: nouns in -ung, -heit and -keit are feminine (die Zeitung), nouns in -chen are neuter (but der Kuchen), days, months and seasons are masculine (but das Frühjahr, another word for spring), and a compound noun takes the gender of its last part: die Haustür, because it is die Tür.

Gender Clues from Noun Endings (-ung, -heit, -keit, -chen, -lein)

Genus nach Endung

Many German nouns show their gender in their ending, so you can often work out the article. Feminine (die): -ung (die Zeitung), -heit and -keit (die Freiheit, die Möglichkeit), -schaft (die Freundschaft), -tion (die Information), -tät (die Universität) and -in for women (die Lehrerin). Most nouns ending in -e are feminine too (die Lampe, die Straße), with a few exceptions such as der Name and das Auge. Neuter (das): -chen and -lein (das Mädchen, das Brötchen), even when the word means a girl; der Kuchen is masculine because its -chen is simply part of the word, not this ending. Masculine (der): -er for a person who does something (der Lehrer, der Fahrer). A compound noun takes the gender of its last part: die Hausaufgabe, because it is die Aufgabe.

Plural Formation - Main Patterns (-e, -en, -er, -s, zero)

Pluralbildung - Grundlagen

English makes almost every plural with -s. German has five patterns, and you learn the plural together with each noun: (1) -e: der Tisch → die Tische; (2) -en or -n: die Frau → die Frauen, die Blume → die Blumen; (3) -er: das Kind → die Kinder; (4) -s: das Auto → die Autos; (5) no ending: der Lehrer → die Lehrer. With -e, -er and no ending, the vowel often gets an umlaut: der Stuhl → die Stühle, das Buch → die Bücher, der Vater → die Väter. Most feminine nouns take -en or -n. In the nominative and accusative plural the article is always die, whatever the gender: die Tische, die Frauen, die Kinder.

Plural with Umlaut (Vater → Väter, Buch → Bücher)

Pluralbildung mit Umlaut

In many plurals the main vowel gets an umlaut: a → ä, o → ö, u → ü, au → äu. For example: der Vater → die Väter, der Sohn → die Söhne, das Buch → die Bücher, das Haus → die Häuser. The umlaut comes with three plural patterns: -e (die Hand → die Hände), -er (der Mann → die Männer) and no ending (der Apfel → die Äpfel). It never comes with -en, -n or -s: die Frauen, die Autos. With -er it is automatic whenever the vowel is a, o, u or au, but with -e and no ending it depends on the noun: der Stuhl → die Stühle, but der Tag → die Tage. So learn the plural with each noun, and always write the two dots: Bücher, not Bucher.

Subject Pronouns (ich, du, er/sie/es, wir, ihr, sie/Sie)

Personalpronomen - Nominativ

Subject pronouns stand for the subject: the person or thing that does the action or is described. The forms are: ich (I), du (you, one person you know well), er (he), sie (she), es (it), wir (we), ihr (you, two or more people you know well), sie (they) and Sie (you, polite, for one person or several). Polite Sie always has a capital S; ich is written lowercase unless it starts the sentence. For things, the pronoun follows the noun's gender: 'Der Tisch ist neu. Er ist groß.' (The table is new. It is big.) A feminine noun takes sie and a neuter noun es, so English 'it' can be er, sie or es. The verb ending and, inside a sentence, the capital letter show which sie you mean: 'sie kommt' (she comes), 'sie kommen' (they come), 'Sie kommen' (you come, polite).

Accusative Pronouns (mich, dich, ihn, sie, es, uns, euch, sie/Sie)

Personalpronomen - Akkusativ

When a person or thing is the direct object (the one who receives the action), the pronoun takes its accusative form: ich → mich, du → dich, er → ihn, wir → uns, ihr → euch. The forms sie (her), es, sie (them) and polite Sie stay the same. 'Ich sehe dich.' (I see you.) 'Kennst du ihn?' (Do you know him?) Most verbs with an object work like this, but a few common ones, such as helfen and danken, take the dative instead: 'Ich helfe ihm.' (I help him.) The accusative forms also follow durch, für, gegen, ohne and um: 'Das ist für dich.' (That is for you.) For things, choose by gender: der Tisch → ihn, die Lampe → sie, das Buch → es. 'Wo ist mein Schlüssel? Ich finde ihn nicht.' (Where is my key? I can't find it.)

Possessive Pronouns as Determiners (mein, dein...) - Introduction

Possessivpronomen - Einführung

Possessives such as mein (my) and dein (your) say whose something is. They take the place of the article: 'mein Bruder' (my brother), never 'der mein Bruder'. Two questions decide the form. Whose is it? That gives the stem: ich → mein, du → dein, er and es → sein, sie (she) → ihr, wir → unser, ihr (you, several people) → euer, sie (they) → ihr, Sie (polite) → Ihr. Which noun follows? That gives the ending, the same as for ein. For subjects and direct objects: no ending for a masculine subject or a neuter noun (mein), -e for feminine and plural nouns (meine), and -en for a masculine direct object (meinen). 'Tom besucht seine Mutter.' (Tom visits his mother.) 'Anna besucht ihren Vater.' (Anna visits her father.)

Demonstrative das/dies (Das ist..., Dies sind...)

Demonstrativpronomen das/dies

Use das to point at people and things and to introduce them, like English 'this is' or 'that is': 'Das ist mein Bruder.' (This is my brother.) 'Das ist meine Lampe.' Das never changes, whatever the gender or number of the noun. The verb agrees with what comes after it: one person or thing takes ist, several take sind: 'Das sind meine Eltern.' (These are my parents.) With a personal pronoun after it, the verb matches that pronoun: 'Das bin ich.' (That's me.) Das can also stand for something just said: 'Das stimmt.' (That's right.) Dies works the same way but sounds more formal: 'Dies sind die Regeln.'

Interrogative Pronouns wer / was

Interrogativpronomen wer/was

Wer means 'who' and asks about people; was means 'what' and asks about things, actions and ideas. The question word comes first and the verb second: 'Wer kommt heute?' (Who is coming today?) 'Was machst du?' (What are you doing?) Wer changes when the person is the direct object: then it is wen (whom): 'Wen siehst du?' (Who do you see?) Wen also follows für, ohne and gegen: 'Für wen ist das?' (Who is that for?) A few common verbs, such as helfen and danken, take wem instead: 'Wem hilfst du?' (Who are you helping?) As an object, was stays was: 'Was siehst du?' When wer or was is the subject, the verb takes the er form, even if the answer is several people ('Wer kommt?' 'Anna und Tom.'). With sein, the verb agrees with the noun or pronoun after it: 'Wer bist du?' (Who are you?) 'Wer sind deine Freunde?' (Who are your friends?)

welcher vs was für (ein) - Introduction

welcher vs was für

Welcher means 'which' and asks someone to choose from a group: 'Welches Buch nimmst du?' (Which book are you taking?) It takes the same endings as der, die, das: welcher (masculine), welche (feminine), welches (neuter), welche (plural), and welchen for a masculine direct object: 'Welchen Film sehen wir?' Was für ein means 'what kind of' and asks about the type: 'Was für ein Auto hast du?' (What kind of car do you have?) Here für does not change the case: ein takes the ending it would have anyway (ein Auto, einen Film), and with plural or uncountable nouns there is no ein: 'Was für Bücher liest du?'

Indefinite Pronoun man

Indefinitpronomen man

Man means 'people in general', like English 'one', or 'you' and 'they' when they mean everybody: 'In Deutschland fährt man rechts.' (In Germany you drive on the right.) Man always takes the same verb form as er, sie and es: man spricht, man kann, man ist. It is written with one n and a small m (except at the start of a sentence), so do not confuse it with der Mann (the man). Man is only used as the subject, and German keeps repeating man instead of switching to er or du: 'Wenn man müde ist, schläft man.' (When you're tired, you sleep.)

Impersonal es (es regnet, es ist kalt, es gibt)

Unpersönliches es

Some sentences have no real 'doer', for example when you talk about the weather. German usually still needs a subject, so es fills that place, like English 'it' in 'it's raining'. Use it for the weather ('Es regnet.' 'Es ist kalt.'), the time ('Es ist drei Uhr.' 'Wie spät ist es?'), how someone is ('Wie geht es dir?' 'Es geht mir gut.') and 'there is / there are' ('Es gibt hier ein Café.'). The verb is singular, even in 'Es gibt viele Cafés', but temperatures take sind: 'Es sind 20 Grad.' (It's 20 degrees.) Es is a real subject, so it does not disappear when another word comes first; it moves behind the verb: 'Heute regnet es.' 'Mir geht es gut.' For feeling cold or warm, German says 'Mir ist kalt' (I'm cold), without es; 'Ich bin kalt' would mean that you are a cold person.

Accusative Prepositions (durch, für, gegen, ohne, um)

Präpositionen mit Akkusativ

durch (through), für (for), gegen (against), ohne (without) and um (at a clock time; around a place) always take the accusative. Among the articles, only the masculine singular forms change: der → den, ein → einen, kein → keinen, mein → meinen ('durch den Park', 'ohne meinen Bruder'). Feminine, neuter and plural articles keep their nominative form ('für die Mutter', 'durch das Dorf', 'für die Kinder'). Pronouns take their accusative form: mich, dich, ihn, sie, uns, euch, sie, Sie ('Das ist für dich.'). bis (until) also takes the accusative, but it mostly stands straight before names, numbers and time words ('bis morgen', 'bis 8 Uhr'); before a noun with an article, add zu, which takes the dative: 'bis zum Bahnhof'. A handy memory word is DOGFU: Durch, Ohne, Gegen, Für, Um.

Dative Prepositions (aus, bei, mit, nach, seit, von, zu) - Introduction

Präpositionen mit Dativ - Einführung

aus, bei, mit, nach, seit, von and zu always take the dative. Dative articles: masculine and neuter dem (einem, meinem), feminine der (einer, meiner), plural den, and the plural noun adds -n unless it already ends in -n or -s ('mit den Kindern', but 'mit den Frauen', 'mit den Autos'). Pronouns: mir, dir, ihm, ihr, uns, euch, ihnen, Ihnen ('mit dir'). Examples: 'Ich fahre mit dem Bus.' 'Ich wohne bei meinen Eltern.' 'Sie kommt aus der Schweiz.' Some short forms are used all the time: zum (zu dem), zur (zu der), beim (bei dem), vom (von dem). Many learners chant the list like a song: aus, bei, mit, nach, seit, von, zu.

Location: in, an, auf - Basic Dative Uses

Ortsangaben in/an/auf - Einführung

To say where something is (question: 'Wo?'), use in, an or auf with the dative. in = inside: 'in der Küche' (in the kitchen). an = on a wall, door or window, or right next to something: 'an der Wand' (on the wall), 'am Fenster' (by the window), 'am See' (at the lake). auf = on top of a surface: 'auf dem Tisch' (on the table). Dative articles: masculine and neuter dem, feminine der. In dem and an dem are normally shortened to im and am: 'im Park', 'am Fenster'. Names of towns have no article: 'in Berlin'.

nach vs zu vs in (destinations)

nach vs zu vs in

German has three common words for 'to' a place. nach: towns, countries without an article, and home: 'nach Berlin', 'nach Spanien', 'nach Hause'. zu (with the dative): people, and places in town such as shops, the doctor's, school and work: 'zu meiner Oma', 'zum Arzt', 'zur Schule'. in (with the accusative): countries with an article, and places you go into: 'in die Schweiz', 'ins Kino'. Watch out: 'nach Hause' = (going) home, 'zu Hause' = at home. Short forms: zum = zu dem, zur = zu der, ins = in das.

Origin: aus vs von

Herkunft aus vs von

German has two words for 'from', and both take the dative. aus = from a country or town, out of a closed space, and 'made of': 'Ich komme aus Spanien.' 'Er kommt aus dem Haus.' 'Der Tisch ist aus Holz.' von = from a person, back from a person or a place you went to with zu, from a starting point, and 'by' or 'of': 'Der Brief ist von meiner Mutter.' 'Ich komme vom Arzt.' 'ein Buch von Kafka'. Short form: vom = von dem. Tip: where you go with nach or in, you usually come back with aus (nach Berlin, aus Berlin; ins Kino, aus dem Kino); where you go with zu, you come back with von (zum Arzt, vom Arzt). Home is different: nach Hause, but von zu Hause.

Time: um (Uhrzeit), am (Tag), im (Monat/Jahreszeit)

Zeitangaben um/am/im

um + a clock time: 'um 8 Uhr', 'um halb neun'. am + a day, a date, the weekend or a part of the day: 'am Montag', 'am 3. Mai', 'am Wochenende', 'am Abend'. im + a month or a season: 'im Juli', 'im Sommer'. Two exceptions: 'in der Nacht' (at night), and years, which say when without a preposition: 'Ich bin 1995 geboren.' Words like heute (today), morgen (tomorrow) and gestern (yesterday) also say when on their own, and so do phrases with jeden, jede or jedes (every): 'Morgen habe ich frei.' 'Jeden Montag habe ich Sport.' Am is short for an dem, im for in dem.

Time: seit, vor, nach (basic)

Zeitpräpositionen seit/vor/nach

seit, vor and nach all take the dative. seit = since or for, about something that started in the past and is still going on. German uses the present tense here: 'Ich wohne seit zwei Jahren hier.' (I have lived here for two years.) vor = ago, or before an event: 'Vor drei Tagen war ich krank.' (Three days ago I was ill.) 'Vor dem Essen wasche ich mir die Hände.' (Before the meal I wash my hands.) nach = after: 'Nach dem Kurs gehen wir essen.' In the dative plural the noun adds -n unless it already ends in -n or -s: 'seit zwei Jahren', 'vor drei Tagen', but 'vor zwei Wochen', 'nach den Partys'.

bei and mit (basic uses)

bei und mit - Grundlagen

bei and mit both take the dative, but they mean different things. bei = at someone's home, at a company, at the doctor's or a shop, near a town, and during an activity: 'Ich wohne bei meinen Eltern.' 'Ich arbeite bei Siemens.' 'Ich bin beim Arzt.' 'Beim Essen spricht man nicht.' mit = with (together with someone or using something), by (transport) and at the age of: 'Ich gehe mit meinem Bruder ins Kino.' 'Ich fahre mit dem Bus.' 'Mit 18 darf man wählen.' Bei dem is normally shortened to beim; mit has no short form.

Verb-Second (V2) Word Order

Verb an Position 2

In a German statement, the conjugated verb (the form that matches the subject, such as 'wohne' or 'ist') is the second element. Exactly one element comes before it. This can be the subject, but also a time, a place, an object or a word like 'vielleicht' (maybe). If it is not the subject, the subject follows the verb: 'Ich gehe heute ins Kino.' 'Heute gehe ich ins Kino.' One element can be several words long: 'Mein alter Freund wohnt in Hamburg.' So never put two things before the verb, as English does in 'Today I go to the cinema'. Und, aber, oder, denn and sondern at the start of a clause, and ja, nein or doch followed by a comma, do not count as an element.

Inversion after Fronted Element (Morgen gehe ich...)

Inversion nach Adverb/Objekt

When a statement starts with something other than the subject, the subject moves behind the conjugated verb. This is called inversion: 'Ich gehe morgen ins Kino' becomes 'Morgen gehe ich ins Kino.' It is not optional: whatever comes first (a time, a place, an object or a word like 'leider'), the verb comes next and then the subject. 'In Berlin wohnt meine Oma.' 'Leider kann ich nicht kommen.' Everything else stays where it was. Und, aber, oder, denn and sondern do not cause inversion, and neither do ja, nein or doch followed by a comma: 'Ich bin müde, aber ich arbeite noch.' 'Ja, ich komme.'

Time-Cause-Manner-Place Order (TeKaMoLo) - Basic

TeKaMoLo - Grundlagen

After the verb, German puts extra information in a usual order: time, cause, manner, place. The memory word TeKaMoLo stands for temporal (wann? when), kausal (warum? why), modal (wie? how) and lokal (wo? or wohin? where). Example: 'Ich fahre morgen wegen der Arbeit mit dem Zug nach Berlin.' Most sentences have only two or three of these, in the same order: 'Wir gehen heute ins Kino.' The firmest part is the end: a destination such as 'ins Kino' or 'nach Berlin' comes after all the others, so 'Wir gehen ins Kino heute' is wrong. One of the expressions can also start the sentence: 'Morgen fahre ich mit dem Zug nach Berlin.'

Yes/No Questions (verb first)

Ja/Nein-Fragen

To ask a yes/no question, put the conjugated verb first, followed by the subject: 'Du kommst morgen.' becomes 'Kommst du morgen?' 'Ist das dein Buch?' 'Sprichst du Deutsch?' German has no helping verb like English 'do': the main verb itself goes first. A second verb part still goes to the end: 'Kannst du mir helfen?' 'Rufst du mich an?' Answer with ja (yes) or nein (no). To say yes to a negative question, use doch: 'Hast du keinen Hund?' 'Doch, ich habe einen.'

W-Questions (wer, was, wo, wann, wie, warum, wie viel/viele)

W-Fragen

A W-question asks for information. It starts with a question word, most of which begin with w: wer (who), was (what), wo (where), woher (where from), wohin (where to), wann (when), wie (how), warum (why), wie viel (how much), wie viele (how many). The question word comes first, the conjugated verb second, then the subject: 'Wo wohnst du?' 'Wann kommt der Bus?' 'Was machst du?' If the question word is itself the subject, no other subject follows: 'Wer kommt heute?' There is no helping verb like English 'do'. Choose the word carefully: wo asks where something is, wohin asks where to, woher asks where from; for a person as the direct object, ask wen ('Wen besuchst du?'), and after mit, ask wem ('Mit wem gehst du ins Kino?').

Sentence Bracket (Satzklammer) with Modal + Infinitive

Satzklammer mit Modalverb

With a modal verb (können, müssen, wollen, dürfen, sollen, möchten), the modal is conjugated and takes the verb position (second in a statement, first in a yes/no question), and the second verb goes to the very end of the sentence as an infinitive, without zu. Everything else (objects, time, place, nicht) comes in between: 'Ich kann heute nicht kommen.' 'Wir wollen am Samstag ins Kino gehen.' The two verbs form a bracket around the rest, called the sentence bracket (Satzklammer). The bracket stays when another element starts the sentence ('Heute muss ich lange arbeiten.') and in questions ('Kannst du mir helfen?').

Sentence Bracket with Separable Verb

Satzklammer mit trennbarem Verb

A separable verb such as aufstehen (get up) or einkaufen (go shopping) also forms a sentence bracket. In a statement, question or command, the conjugated verb takes the verb position and the prefix goes to the very end: 'Ich stehe um 7 Uhr auf.' 'Wir kaufen am Samstag im Supermarkt ein.' 'Kommst du heute Abend mit?' 'Steh auf!' Everything else stands between the verb and the prefix. The prefix cannot be left out, because it changes the meaning (stehen = stand, aufstehen = get up). After a modal verb the separable verb stays in one piece at the end: 'Ich muss früh aufstehen.'

Basic Coordinating Conjunctions (und, oder, aber, denn, sondern)

Koordinierende Konjunktionen

Und (and), oder (or), aber (but), denn (because) and sondern (but rather) join two main clauses without changing their word order. The conjunction does not count as an element, so the next clause starts normally: a statement has its verb in second place ('Ich bin müde, aber ich arbeite noch.' 'Wir bleiben zu Hause, denn es regnet.'), and in a question such as 'Kommst du mit oder bleibst du hier?' the clause after oder starts with its verb. Use sondern instead of aber when you replace something negated with nicht or kein: 'Wir fahren nicht mit dem Zug, sondern mit dem Auto.' Put a comma before aber, denn and sondern when they stand between the two parts. Unlike weil (because, A2), denn does not send the verb to the end.

Time Sequence (zuerst, dann, danach, später, schließlich)

Zeitliche Abfolge

To tell what happens in which order, use these words: zuerst (first), dann (then), danach (after that), später (later), zum Schluss or am Ende (at the end, finally). They usually start the sentence, and like any first element they are followed directly by the verb, then the subject: 'Zuerst stehe ich auf. Dann dusche ich. Danach frühstücke ich. Später gehe ich zur Arbeit. Zum Schluss komme ich nach Hause.' No comma follows them. Don't mix up dann (then) and denn (because).

Negation with nicht - Basic Placement

Negation mit nicht - Grundlagen

nicht means 'not'. In a main clause the verb stays in position 2, so nicht never stands between a subject at the start of the sentence and the verb. To negate the whole sentence, put nicht near the end, after objects, pronouns and time expressions like heute or am Montag: 'Ich arbeite heute nicht.' (I'm not working today.) 'Ich sehe ihn nicht.' (I don't see him.) But nicht comes before the part that completes the verb: an adjective or noun after sein ('Das ist nicht gut.' 'Das ist nicht mein Buch.'), a second verb ('Ich will nicht kommen.'), a separable prefix ('Ich rufe dich nicht an.'), a word like gern or schnell ('Ich tanze nicht gern.') or a phrase with a preposition such as a place or direction ('Ich gehe nicht nach Hause.'). For a noun with ein or without an article, you normally use kein instead: 'Ich habe kein Auto.' A name still takes nicht: 'Ich kenne Anna nicht.'

kein vs nicht (which to use)

kein vs nicht

German has two words for 'not': kein and nicht. Use kein for a noun that has ein or no article at all in the positive sentence, including plurals and things you can't count: 'Ich habe ein Auto' → 'Ich habe kein Auto.' 'Ich habe Zeit' → 'Ich habe keine Zeit.' Use nicht for everything else: nouns with der, die, das, a possessive (mein, dein …) or dieser, names, verbs and adjectives: 'Ich sehe den Mann nicht.' 'Das ist nicht mein Auto.' 'Das ist nicht Anna.' 'Das ist nicht gut.' In a few fixed verb-noun pairs such as Deutsch sprechen or Auto fahren, both are correct: 'Ich spreche kein Deutsch.' 'Ich spreche nicht Deutsch.' kein has the endings of ein. In the nominative and accusative that means kein, but keinen for a masculine noun in the accusative and keine for feminine and plural nouns.

nie, niemand, nichts

nie (never), niemand (nobody) and nichts (nothing) already contain the 'no': 'Ich trinke nie Kaffee.' 'Niemand ist hier.' 'Ich mache heute nichts.' Use them instead of nicht, not together with it: in German two negatives cancel each other out, so 'Ich weiß nicht nichts' means 'I do know something'. nie stands where nicht would stand, and a noun that would take kein normally comes after nie, as it comes after kein: 'Ich habe keine Zeit.' 'Ich habe nie Zeit.' niemand and nichts can be the subject or the object. As an accusative object, niemand often takes the ending -en: 'Ich sehe niemanden.' (niemand without the ending is also correct.) nichts never changes.

noch nicht vs nicht mehr

noch nicht means 'not yet': something is expected but hasn't happened so far. 'Ich bin noch nicht fertig.' (I'm not finished yet.) nicht mehr means 'not anymore, no longer': something was true before but has stopped. 'Er wohnt nicht mehr hier.' (He doesn't live here anymore.) Both pairs keep this order and stand where nicht would stand. With a noun that has ein or no article (but not a name), you normally use kein and put mehr after the noun: 'Ich habe kein Geld mehr.' (I have no money left.) In the same way, noch kein means 'no … yet': 'Ich habe noch kein Auto.' Their positive partners are schon (already) and noch (still).

Tag Questions (..., oder? / ..., nicht?)

Bestätigungsfragen mit oder und nicht

To check that something is true, German makes a normal statement and adds a short tag after a comma: oder? or nicht? (like English 'right?' or 'isn't it?'). 'Du kommst heute, oder?' 'Das ist dein Buch, nicht?' The statement keeps its normal order with the verb in position 2, and the tag never changes: German has nothing like 'isn't it?' or 'don't you?' that copies the verb. nicht wahr? sounds a bit more formal, and ja? checks that someone agrees to a plan. In everyday speech you will also hear ne? (especially in the north) and gell? (in the south and in Austria).

doch as an Answer to a Negative Question

doch als Antwort

German has three answer words where English has two. ja is yes to a positive question, nein is no, and doch is yes to a negative question or statement: it contradicts the nicht or kein. 'Hast du keinen Hund?' 'Doch, ich habe einen.' (Yes, I do.) 'Kommst du nicht?' 'Doch, ich komme.' Answering ja here is a typical mistake, because ja sounds as if you agree with the negative. Friendly invitations and exclamations with nicht are different: they expect yes, so ja is normal there. 'Willst du nicht mitkommen?' 'Ja, gerne!' 'Ist das nicht schön?' 'Ja, wunderschön!' To agree with the negative, answer nein: 'Kommst du nicht?' 'Nein, ich komme nicht.' doch can stand alone ('Doch!') or start a full answer, followed by a comma.

Capitalisation of All Nouns

Großschreibung der Nomen

In German every noun starts with a capital letter, wherever it stands in the sentence and whether or not it has an article: 'der Tisch' (the table), 'Ich trinke Kaffee.' (I drink coffee.) Names (Anna, Berlin), days and months (am Montag, im Juli), the first word of a sentence and the polite 'Sie' with its forms 'Ihnen' and 'Ihr' are capitalised too. Everything else stays lowercase: verbs, adjectives, adverbs and pronouns, including 'ich' in the middle of a sentence: 'Heute bin ich müde.' (Today I am tired.) In letters and e-mails you may also capitalise the informal du and ihr with their forms (Du, Dich, Dir, Dein; Euch, Euer). A verb or adjective used as a noun is capitalised: 'das Lesen' (reading), 'etwas Neues' (something new).

Umlauts (ä, ö, ü) and their ae/oe/ue Substitutes

Umlaute

German has three extra vowel letters: ä, ö and ü (capitals Ä, Ö, Ü). The two dots are not decoration: each letter is a different sound and can make a different word. 'schon' means 'already', 'schön' means 'beautiful'; 'die Mutter' is one mother, 'die Mütter' are several. Umlauts often appear when a word changes form: der Bruder, die Brüder (brothers); alt, älter (older); fahren, du fährst (you drive). Only where umlauts cannot be used, for example in most e-mail addresses or on a keyboard without them, write ae, oe, ue: Müller becomes Mueller. Never just drop the dots: 'Koln' and 'fur' are spelling mistakes.

ß vs ss (1996 Reform Basics)

ß vs ss

ß (called Eszett or 'scharfes S', sharp s) and ss sound the same: a hissing s, as in English 'kiss'. Which one you write depends on the vowel before it. After a long vowel or after ei, au, eu, write ß: die Straße, groß, der Fuß, heißen. After a short vowel, write ss: der Fluss, das Wasser, essen, ich muss. An s that sounds like z, in the word itself or in a related form, is a single s: lesen, die Reise, das Haus (the s sounds like z in 'Häuser'). A few short words also have one s (das, was, es, bis, aus, der Bus), and so do unstressed final syllables such as -nis, -is, -as, -us (das Ergebnis, das Tennis, die Ananas, der Zirkus). A sharp s before another consonant inside a word is single too: das Fenster, gestern, meistens. Before an ending and in compounds, ß and ss stay: du musst, er heißt, der Fußball. Do not mix up 'dass' (that), which starts a clause after verbs like wissen or glauben, and the article 'das': 'Ich weiß, dass das Buch gut ist.' (I know that the book is good.) Switzerland does not use ß and writes ss everywhere (Strasse); if you cannot type ß, write ss too. Spellings like 'daß' and 'muß' are from before 1996; today they are 'dass' and 'muss'.

Basic Punctuation (period, question mark, comma after main clauses)

Grundlegende Zeichensetzung

A German sentence ends as in English: a full stop (.) after a statement, a question mark (?) after a question, an exclamation mark (!) after an exclamation or a strong command: 'Ich wohne in Berlin.' 'Wo wohnst du?' 'Hilfe!' The big difference is the comma. German separates every subordinate clause with a comma ('Ich weiß, dass er kommt.') and needs one before aber, sondern and denn when they join two parts of a sentence ('Ich bin müde, aber ich arbeite noch.') and after ja or nein at the start of an answer ('Ja, gern.'). In a list there is no comma before und or oder: 'Brot, Käse und Obst'. Numbers have a decimal comma: 3,50 € (three euros fifty). Quotation marks open low and close high: „Hallo“ (books also use »Hallo«).

du vs Sie

German has three words for 'you'. Use du for one person in your family or among your friends, for children, for pets, and for classmates and people your age in relaxed settings such as a sports club or a party. Use ihr for several such people. Use Sie, always with a capital S, for one or more other adults you do not know well and for people you meet in their job, even if you know them well: strangers in the street, shop staff, officials, your doctor, teachers, colleagues in traditional workplaces. Sie takes the same verb form as 'they': 'Kommen Sie?' (Are you coming?), but 'Kommst du?' and 'Kommt ihr?'. The other forms match: dich, dir, dein with du; euch, euer with ihr; Sie, Ihnen, Ihr with Sie. With an adult you are unsure about, use Sie and keep it until the other person offers du.

Formal Greetings (Guten Tag, Auf Wiedersehen)

Formelle Begrüßungen

Formal greetings depend on the time of day: 'Guten Morgen' until about 10 or 11 a.m., 'Guten Tag' during the day, 'Guten Abend' from about 6 p.m. 'Gute Nacht' is only a goodbye before bed or late at night. When you know the name, add Herr or Frau and the surname: 'Guten Tag, Frau Schmidt.' If you do not, the greeting alone is polite; German has no everyday word for 'Sir' or 'Madam'. Say goodbye with 'Auf Wiedersehen' (on the phone also 'Auf Wiederhören'). A formal letter or e-mail starts with 'Sehr geehrte Frau Schmidt,' or 'Sehr geehrter Herr Braun,' ('Sehr geehrte Damen und Herren,' when you do not know the name) and ends with 'Mit freundlichen Grüßen', with no comma after it. Use these forms with people you call Sie; Guten Morgen and Gute Nacht are also normal with family and friends.

Informal Greetings (Hallo, Hi, Tschüss, Servus)

Informelle Begrüßungen

With friends, family, children and other people you call du, greet with 'Hallo' or, more casually, 'Hi' or 'Hey'. Say goodbye with 'Tschüss', 'Ciao', 'Bis bald' (see you soon), 'Bis morgen' (see you tomorrow) or 'Mach's gut' (take care). Ask 'Wie geht's?' (How are you?) and answer 'Gut, danke. Und dir?'. To several friends, ask 'Wie geht's euch?'. Regional favourites are 'Moin' in the north and 'Servus' (hello and goodbye) in Bavaria and Austria. 'Hallo', 'Tschüss' and 'Moin' are so common that many people also use them in everyday situations with people they call Sie.

Recognising Cognates (German and English)

Verwandte Wörter

German and English are related languages, so many German words look and sound like their English relatives: das Haus (house), das Buch (book), die Mutter (mother), der Vater (father), das Wasser (water), die Milch (milk), der Finger (finger). Some sounds changed in regular ways, which helps you guess: English d is often German t (day, Tag), English t is often German z or ss (ten, zehn; water, Wasser), English p is often German pf or f (apple, Apfel; ship, Schiff), English k is often German ch (book, Buch). Watch out for false friends, words that look English but mean something else: bekommen means 'to get' ('to become' is werden), das Gift means 'poison' (a gift is ein Geschenk), also means 'so, therefore' ('also' is auch).

Cardinal Numbers 1-100 (einundzwanzig pattern)

Grundzahlen 1-100

Learn 0 to 12 by heart: null, eins, zwei, drei, vier, fünf, sechs, sieben, acht, neun, zehn, elf, zwölf. From 13 to 19 add -zehn: dreizehn, vierzehn, fünfzehn; sechzehn (16) and siebzehn (17) are shortened. The tens end in -zig: vierzig (40), fünfzig (50), achtzig (80), neunzig (90), but 20 is zwanzig (not zweizig), 30 is dreißig with ß, and sechzig (60) and siebzig (70) are shortened too. From 21 to 99 German says the unit first, then 'und', then the ten, all in one word: einundzwanzig (21, 'one-and-twenty'), fünfundvierzig (45). In these numbers eins becomes ein: einundzwanzig. 100 is hundert or einhundert.

Days, Months and Seasons

Wochentage, Monate, Jahreszeiten

Days: Montag, Dienstag, Mittwoch, Donnerstag, Freitag, Samstag (in the north also Sonnabend), Sonntag. Months: Januar, Februar, März, April, Mai, Juni, Juli, August, September, Oktober, November, Dezember. Seasons: der Frühling (spring), der Sommer (summer), der Herbst (autumn), der Winter (winter). All of them are masculine nouns (der Montag, der Mai, der Sommer) and always capitalised. Use am with days and dates (am Montag, am 3. Oktober) and im with months and seasons (im Mai, im Winter). For a weekly habit, use the adverb with -s, written in lowercase: 'Ich spiele montags Tennis.' (I play tennis on Mondays.)