German grammar in tables. German grammar for beginners
Word order in German sentences
It is better to start learning German grammar with the order of words in a sentence, since each word must be in its place in different cases:
Regular offer:
Usually the subject and predicate are not separated, they just change places.
1. In a declarative sentence, which consists of subject in first place and predicate in second There is a direct word order:
Ich gehe nach Kiew am ersten September. – I’m going to Kyiv on the first of September.
2. If you start a sentence not with a subject and a verb, but with any other word, then the reverse word order will be observed in the sentence: first the verb, then the subject.
Am ersten September gehe ich nach Kiew. – On September 1st I’m going to Kyiv.
Ins Kino gehe ich heute. - I’m going to the cinema today (same thing).
Heute gehe ich ins Kino. - Today I'm going to the cinema
If there is a subordinate clause at the beginning of a sentence, to the main one, in this case in the main sentence there will also be a reverse word order (the subject comes after the predicate), since there is something in front, no matter what, a whole sentence or a separate word.
About er heute nach Hause kommt, weib ich nicht. - I don’t know whether he will come home today.
3. If the predicate consists of two verbs, then variable part predicate takes second position, A unchangeable part (the verb does not change) located at the end of the sentence.
Ich will heute ins Kino gehen. - I want to go to the cinema today. Get used to mentally placing the second verb at the end of the sentence, this is a feature of the mentality of the German people.
4. Special word order in a sentence consisting of two parts: a main clause and a subordinate clause. Subordinate clauses are sentences that are accompanied by various conjunctions, such as: dass - what; ob – whether; weil – because; denn – since, because; deshalb – therefore; wenn – when (in present and future tenses and in the past in repeated actions); als – when (one-time action); während – while; nachdem – after, etc.
The main sentence is constructed as usual, and in subordinate clause the word order will be as follows: 1. subordinate word, 2. subject, 3. all other words, 4. predicate. Those. Again, get used to mentally putting the verb in the last place in the subordinate clause.
Ich weiß, dass er heute spat nach Hause kommt. - I know that he will come home late today.
Ich weiß, (1) dass(2) er heute spät nach Hause (4) kommt. - I know (1) that (2) he will come home late today (4) .
Ich weiß nicht, ob er heute kommt- I don’t know if he will come today.
I ch lerne Deutsch, weil Ich nach Deutschland fähre- I am learning German because I am in Germany I'm going .
Er sagt, dass er krank ist- He says he is sick There is(literally - he says that he is sick)
About er heute nach Hause kommt, weib ich nicht. - I don’t know whether he will come home today. ( literally - whether he will come home today, I don’t know)
5. If there are two verbs in the subordinate clause
In this case, both verbs go to the end of the sentence, but the first verb (the one being modified) is placed in the very last place, i.e. before the point.
Ich lerne Deutsch, weil Ich nach Deutschland fahren möchte - I am learning German because I would like to go to Germany . (usually we say: because I would like to go to Germany)
6. Within a sentence, circumstances are arranged in the following order: temporary, causal, modal and place circumstances.
If there are two objects expressed by a noun, then the first place will be the object in the dative case. If one of the complements is a pronoun, then it will always come first. If two pronouns occur, the pronoun in the accusative case will come first.
Articles in German
The article is used before a noun and is needed to convey the case of the noun. In the Russian language, this function is performed by the endings: girl e, girl Ouch etc. In German, an article is placed before the noun for this function and only in some cases the ending is changed.
The article (like a noun) in German is masculine, feminine and neuter. It can also be definite and indefinite.
Indefinite article
, as if indicates the general meaning of a noun, without singling it out from the rest, for example, when we name an object for the first time, when we do not single out an object as one of many. When an object is mentioned for the second time in a conversation, the definite article is used, because everyone already knows what object is being talked about, since it was mentioned earlier.
Definite article
used before nouns when we specify the noun, i.e. highlight it. This happens when we are talking about a specific noun , about which the speakers know, or about the only one noun in its own way (die Sonne - the sun).
No article observed when we talk about a profession, activity or occupation.
Ich bin Manager - I am a manager.
Table of articles in German
| Case | Masculine | Neuter gender | Feminine | Plural | ||||
| def. | neop. | def. | neop. | def. | neop. | def. | neop. | |
| Nominative What? Who? | der | ein | das | ein | die | eine | die | - |
| Genitiv Whose? | des | eines | des | eines | der | einer | der | - |
| Dativ To whom? Where? When? | dem | einem | dem | einem | der | einer | den | - |
| Akkusativ What? whom? Where? | den | einen | das | ein | die | eine | die | - |
This is a dog. - Das ist ein Hund.
I see a dog - Ich sehe einen Hund.
He goes for a walk with the dog. - Er geht mit dem Hund spazieren.
Important! Without an article, nouns are used that denote professions, religious and national affiliations (Er ist Student. - He is a student. Sie ist Russin. - she is Russian. Ich bin Katholik. - I am a Catholic). Also, nouns that cannot be counted are used without articles (Ich habe Zeit. - I have time, Wir haben Lust - we have a desire (we have a desire))
Combination of prepositions and articles
Clue:
After the following prepositions, use the Dativ case:
aus - from
auf - on
von - from
bei - at
seit-c
zu - to
in - in
mit - with
nach - on
bei dem Freund
- at a friend'sdu bist in der Bibliothek- you're in the library.
After the following prepositions, use the Akkusativ case:
f ü r - for, for
durch - through
ohne - without
f ü r das Kind - for a child
Pronouns used with cases
| Nominative | male (feminine) | Genitiv | Dativ | Akkusativ |
| i-ich | my -mein(e) | my -meiner | to me -mir | me - mich |
| you -du | yours - dein(e) | your-deiner | you -dir | you - dich |
| he -er | its -sein(e) | its -seiner | him-ihm | him - ihn |
| it -es | his - sein(e) | its -seiner | him -ihm | his - es |
| she -sie | her - ihr(e) | her -ihrer | her -ihr | her - sie |
| we-wir | ours - unser(e) | our -unser | us -uns | us - uns |
| you-ihr | yours - euer(e) | your -euer | you -euch | you - euch |
| they -sie | them - ihr(e) | their -ihrer | im -ihnen | them - sie |
| You (polite form) - Sie | Yours - Ihr(e) | Yours - Ihrer | To you - Ihnen | You - Sie |
| Das ist mein Freund is my friend. Das ist mein e Freundin is my friend. |
mit mir - with me, zu uns - to us, vonnn ihm - from him
f ü r mich - for me
Note:
Sometimes the feminine gender of nouns is formed from the masculine gender by changing the endings to in.
Der Freund - friend, die Freund in- girlfriend.
Interrogative sentences
1. You can ask a question in direct word order if you add words such as: Stimmt das? Nicht (wahr)? Oder?
Sie suchen eine Wohnung. Stimmt das? Nicht (wahr)? Oder?- You are looking for an apartment. This is true? Is not it? Or how)?
2. We put the verb first. Studierst du Deutsch? – Are you studying German?
If the predicate is represented by two verbs, then only the first verb is placed in first place, the second verb is placed in the very last place.
Kann ich noch einen Kaffee haben? - Can I have another (cup) of coffee? (Literally: can I have another cup of coffee?).
3. If a sentence contains a changeable and an unchangeable part of a verb, then the changeable part is put in first place, and the unchangeable part will be at the end of the sentence.
Wollt Ihr heute abend ins Konzert gehen ? – Do you want to go to the concert tonight?
Negative sentences
Like English, German does not have double negatives. Therefore, build your sentence so that it contains only one negative word.
1. Nein -no, just a negative word that is often used alone.
You are a translator? –
No. Bist du ein Dolmetscher? -Nein.2. Nicht - corresponds to the Russian word "NE".Basically all sentences are negated by this word.
This word can either negate the entire sentence and is placed at the end of the sentence, or some part of it.
I I'm not going today at the cinema - Ich gehe heute ins Kino nothing.
I'm not going to the cinema today - Ich gehe heute nicht ins Kino.
I'm coming not to Italy- Ich fahre nothing nach Italien.
3.
Negative pronouns and adverbs can be used for negation: nichts(nothing, nothing) niemand(nobody), nie/niemals(never):
No one came - Niemand ist gekommen.
I don't know anyone here - Ich kenne hier niemand.
There's nothing there - Dort gibt es nichts.
4. Kein - negative article for nouns.
The noun is negated as follows:
Noun with definite article negated with nicht.
- A noun with an indefinite article is negated with kein.
- A noun without an article is negated with kein-.
What it looks like: simply adding a letter to the indefinite article
K.| Case | M.R. | Wed. R. | Zh.r. | Mn. h |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative | k ein | k ein | k eine | k eine |
| Genitiv | k eines | k eines | k einer | k einer |
| Dativ | k einem | k einem | k einer | k einen |
| Akkusativ | k einen | k ein | k eine | k eine |
Compare:
Marie saw only one traveler - Mary hat nur einen Reisenden gesehen.
Mary didn't see any traveler - Mary hat k einen Reisenden gesehen.
Nouns in German
They also change the endings when declension by case. To choose the correct ending, follow this rule:
1. Look up the gender of the noun in the dictionary
2. What question does the noun answer (we determine the case)
3. Select the type of noun declension:
Feminine declension
- almost all nouns female;Strong declination - all words of the neuter gender, almost all masculine (except for the weak declension), feminine nouns with an ending - er, - e or zero
Weak declination - living beings of male gender, profession and nationality, namely:
- namely:
- nouns ending in -e:
der Junge (boy), der Russe (Russian), der Löwe (lion), der Hase (hare); - nouns der Mensch (man), der Held (hero), der Bauer* (peasant), der Graf (count), der Nachbar* (neighbor), der Herr (lord), der Hirt (shepherd), der Ochs (ox) , der Bär (bear), der Narr (fool);
- foreign words with suffixes -ist, -ent, -ant, -at, -soph, -nom, -graph, -log(e):
der Komponist, der Assistent, der Praktikant, der Kandidat, der Diplomat, der Philosopher,
der Soldat, der Agronom, der Photograph, der Philolog(e).
Mixed declension these are the following words: the words das Herz (heart), der Glaube (faith), der Buchstabe (letter), der Gedanke (thought), der Name (name), der Friede (world), der Same (seed), der Schaden ( damage), der Funke (radio), der Wille (will).
Choosing the ending of a noun
| Feminine declension | Strong declination | Weak declination | Mixed declension | |||||||||||||
| m.r. | Wed R | zh.r | pl. h | m.r. | Wed R | zh.r | pl. h | m.r. | sr.r | zh.r | pl. h | Mr. | sr.r | zh.r | mn h | |
| Nominative What? Who? | en | e(n) | e(n) | |||||||||||||
| Genitiv Whose? | en | e(s) | e(s) | e(n) | e(n) | e(s) | e(s) | e(n) | ||||||||
| Dativ To whom? Where? When? | en | n | e(n) | e(n) | e(n) | |||||||||||
| Akkusativ What? whom? Where? | en | e(n) | e(n) | e(n) | ||||||||||||
Adjectives
So, we have already learned that articles come in different kinds and different cases when they agree with nouns. The same applies to adjectives, they also need to be coordinated by gender and cases, as in Russian: beautiful and I, handsome Ouch, handsome wow, handsome s etc. Only plus three types of declination are added: strong declination, weak declination, mixed declination. This is where the variety of endings comes from.
In fact, it is easy to choose the ending of an adjective if you strictly follow the following rule:
1. Determine the number of the noun: singular or plural.
2. Determine the type of adjective: strong, weak or mixed.
|
We answer the question: What comes before the adjective? |
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|
no article and no demonstrative words |
definite article or demonstrative pronoun ( dieser- this, jener- That, solcher - such, derselbe- same, derjenige- That, jeder- everyone, anyone, everyone, welcher- which, which) | indefinite article or possessive pronoun or negative article kein. |
|
Conclusion: |
||
| strong | weak | mixed |
3. What question does the noun answer (to determine case).
4. What kind of noun (look in the dictionary).
We select the ending from the table above.
Watch this video, it will help you learn how to choose the correct ending for an adjective:
Verbs in German
Almost all (there are exceptions) verbs in German have the ending -
en(lieben - to love ) .Verbs in German, as in Russian, change their endings
V depending on time, person and number: I speak Yu, I'll say at, I told al, we talk them, we'll say eat, we said And etc. This is called verb conjugation.But there are much fewer changes in the German language than in Russian.Almost all verbs change according to the general rule ( there are exceptions).
Should you remember exceptions? - No.
The first thing you need to remember is how the verb changes when it forms any tense or grammatical construction.
Further, in the section " popular German verbs"Take any verb, look at its conjugation in the tense you need and make up your own sentences.
Also on the site babla.ru you can find any form of the verb. Over time, you won't need to look at verb conjugations, you'll automatically and intuitively you will select endings for verbs.Three verb forms in German
|
Infinitive (regular form of the verb ending in en) |
Partizip I present participle Formed by adding the ending to the verb d. Lieben - lieben d. (there are exceptions) |
Partizip II past participle Formed using the prefix ge and the ending t. We take the verb lieben - to love, remove the endings en, add the prefix ge and the ending t and we get: lieb en - ge liebt. ( there are exceptions. More often Irregular verbs have an ending en: bekommen - bekommen) |
|
(regular verb) |
lieben d | ge lieb t |
|
bekommen (irregular verb) |
bekommen d | bekomm en |
In addition to the fact that these forms are involved in the formation of various grammatical structures,
form Partizip I is the present participle form(answers the question which, which, which, etc. and gerunds in German (answers the question: how, what by doing), and the form Partizip II is a past participle.Participles agree with nouns, just like adjectives, with the same endings, since participles answer the same questions as adjectives.
Present participle:
Ich sitze naben dem sprechenden Mann - I'm sitting next to a talking man
Der sprechende Mann ißt Fisch - Talking man eats fish
ein tanzendes Mädchen – dancing girl.
Participle:
Er sprach arbeitend (lachend)- He spoke while working (laughing)
Wir aßen sprechend- We ate while talking
Partizip II - a participle that characterizes already past events, which answers the questions: which, which, etc.
Die ge machte Aufgabe war schwer – The task done was difficult (the task has already been done)
Der ge schriebene Brief liegt auf dem Tisch - A written letter lies on the table (the letter has already been written).
How to build Various types sentences in German?
In German, various types of sentences are constructed either by changing the ending of the verb, or by using the Partizip II form and the three auxiliary verbs sein (to be) and haben (to have), werden (to become). All you need to remember is what combination of verbs should be used in the sentence you want to say. And do not forget that if the predicate is expressed by two verbs, then the second verb is placed at the very end of the sentence. Next we will tell you how to construct different types of sentences.
Times in German
Like any language, German has present, past and future tenses. In the past tense we can use three tenses.
| Time | What does it mean | How is it formed | Examples | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Future
Future I |
1.Reflects events in the future tense, more used in the meaning of “intend, intend to do something” in the future. Note: If you know exactly when an event will happen and indicate this in a sentence, then in this case the present tense is used instead of the future. |
Verb werden(in present time) + infinitive
|
Ich werde in Paris wohnen. – I will live in Paris. (can be replaced: I'm going to live in Paris) Tagsuber wild es regnen. – It will rain during the day (it will rain during the day) |
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| Present tense
Präsens |
1. Reflects any action in the present tense 2. Replaces the future tense if the sentence contains an exact indication of when the event will occur: tomorrow, in a week, etc. |
en and adding the ending:
|
lieb en- be in love Was trinken Sie? - What are you drinking Ich lerne morgen Deutsch - I will learn German tomorrow |
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| Past tense
Präteritum Imperfect |
1. Reflects actions in the past tense in books, newspapers, magazines, etc. |
We remove the ending from the verb en and add endings:
|
lieb en- be in love ich lieb te- I loved Er lachte den ganzen Abend - He laughed all evening |
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| Past tense
Präteritum Imperfect |
1. Reflects actions in the past tense colloquial speech |
Auxiliary haben or sein in the form of Präsens+ Partizip II with the verb haben bin
habe
Partizip II bist
hast
ist
hat
sind
haben
seid
habt
sind
haben
|
With the verb haben lieben - to love (Partizip II = geliebt) ich habe
geliebt- I loved With the verb sein fahren - to go (Partizip II = gefahren) ich bin
gefahren- I came Ich habe diesels Buch gelesen. - I read this book. |
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| Past tense
Plusquam- perfect |
1. Used when we emphasize that a given action occurred before another action in the past |
Auxiliary verb haben or sein in the form Präteritum: + Partizip II
|
Ich war so müde und hatte Hunger. Ich hatte seit dem vorigen Morgen nichts Gegessen- I was very tired and hungry. I haven't eaten anything since yesterday morning.
Nachdem ich Gegessen hatte, schaute ich noch ein wenig fern. – After I ate, I watched TV a little more. |
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Which verb is used with haben and which with sein? The following are conjugated with the auxiliary verb sein in German: 1. most of the verbs denoting movement, change of state - fahren (to ride), aufstehen (to get up), entstehen (to arise), laufen (to run), fliegen (to fly), erwachen (to wake up), etc. 2. With the verbs sein, werden, (meet), geschehen (happen, happen), bleiben (stay), gelingen (succeed), misslingen (fail) The verb haben is conjugated with the rest. |
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Now let's see how verbs that do not follow general rules can change
Eat different types verbs, strong, weak, with prefixes, without prefixes, exceptions. For strong verbs, the letter in the word changes only for verbs with pronouns du, er, sie, es Present tense - Präsens
There are verbs with separable and inseparable prefixes ami. Stressed prefixes are separated, unstressed prefixes are not separated. To detachable prefixes include: ab-, an-, auf-, aus-, ein-, empor-, vorbei-, zurück-, fest-, frei-, hoch-. To the inseparable prefixes include: be-, emp-, ent-, er-, ge-, hinter-, miss-, ver-, zer. Conjugation of verbs with separable and inseparable prefixes:
Regular verb (weak verb)
Strong verb
And
denken
think
helfen
to help
Ich
denk
e
I think
helf
e
I'm helping
Du
denk
st
You think
hi lf
st
you help
Er, sie, es
denk
t
he, she, it thinks
hi lf
t
he, she, it helps
Wir
denk
en
we are thinking
helf
en
we help
Ihr
denk
t
you think
helf
t
help
sie, sie
denk
en
they think, you (polite form) - think
helf
en
they help, you (polite form) help
with detachable attachments
with permanent attachments
an fangen
Console
start off
bekommen
receive
Ich
fang
e
an
I start
bekomm
e
I get
Du
fäng
st
an
You start
bekomm
st
You are getting
Er, sie, es
fäng
t
an
he, she, it starts
bekomm
t
he, she, it gets
Wir
fang
en
an
we begin
bekomm
en
we get
Ihr
fang
t
an
you start
bekomm
t
You are getting
sie, sie
fang
en
an
they begin, you (polite form) - begin
bekomm
en
they receive, you (polite form) - receive
The separable prefix is always placed at the very end of the sentence, before the exact one.
Der Bus fährt um 9:00 Uhr ab- The bus leaves at 9:00.
Irregular verbs have forms that differ from the general rules when conjugated. And as you can see, there are different versions of verbs that have their own variations when conjugated. Therefore, there is no point in memorizing them, especially since you can find the conjugation form of any verb in any tense In chapter "German Verb Conjugation". Compile the most simple sentences with these verbs, such as: I say, I think, I said, I will say, etc. and you will very quickly remember all the endings and forms of irregular verbs.
What to do next?
You already know how to build affirmative, interrogative and negative German offers. Next, make up the simplest complete sentences:Ich heiße Gustav Lenz. – My name is Gustav Len.
Wie heißt du? - What is your name. ( do not forget to put the verb first in the question)
Ich wohne hier in Köln. – I live in Cologne.
Wir können Deutsch gut lernen - We can learn German well . Literally - we can teach German well. Please note that only the first verb is conjugated. The second verb is placed at the end of the sentence. Don't forget this.
Add question words
Wer? - Who?
Was? - What?
Wo? - Where?
Wie? - How?
Woher? - where?
Whoa? -Where?
Warum? - Why?
Wieviel? -How many?
Welche? (-es, -er) – which (-oe, -oh)?
Any additional words you can find in the sections:
most popular german words , German adjectives And German adverbs , linking words, introductory words . The sooner you remember popular german words, the easier it will be for you to speak.Modal verbs in German
Modal verbs are in a category of their own because they add flavor (or even meaning) to a sentence that you need to know. Their conjugation is different from general rule, but pay attention to the colored lines, these conjugations are the same. Modal verbs are constantly used in speech, so you can easily remember them.
Conjugation of modal verbs in the present tense
| wollen | mögen | möchten | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
want + follows verb (to do something) |
want + noun (someone something) Meaning: like or dislike |
I would like to , after this verb a noun is also often used |
|
| ich | will | mag | möchte |
| du | willst | magst | möchtest |
| er/sie/es | will | mag | möchte |
| wir | wollen | mögen | möchten |
| ihr | wollt | mögt | möchtet |
| Sie/sie | wollen | mögen | möchten |
| können | durfen | mussen | sollen | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
be able to be able to . |
In the past tense in the meaning “could” - expresses probability |
allow, prohibit, and in meaning "must be" |
to be obliged (if necessary, according to circumstances) |
to be due, should (moral duty, by law, by order) |
|
| ich | kann | konnte | darf | muss | soll |
| du | kannst | konntest | darfst | must | sollst |
| er/sie/es | kann | konnte | darf | muss | soll |
| wir | können | konnten | durfen | mussen | sollen |
| ihr | könnt | konntet | durft | müsst | sollt |
| Sie/sie | können | konnten | durfen | mussen | sollen |
Do not forget that if an action is expressed by two verbs, then the second verb, which is in its usual form (infinitive), is moved to the very end of the sentence.
Es will ins Kino gehen - She wants to go to the cinema.
Wir wollen nicht mit ihnen spielen. - We don't want to play with them.
Ich mag den Rock nicht - I don't like this skirt.
Ich mag kein Fleisch - I don't like meat.
Ich mag das nicht. - I do not like it.
Möchtest du etwas trinken? - Would you like something to drink?
Ich möchte ein Eis, bitte! - I would like (want) ice cream, please!
Wir können Deutsch lernen- We can learn German.
Kanst du Deutsch sprechen? -
You can speak German?
Kann ich die Tür aufmachen? - Can I open the door?
Sie kann sehr gut schwimmen- She can swim well.
Ich könnte dir helfen- I could help you.
Hier darf man nothing rauchen- You can't smoke here.
Jetzt darfst du dein Eis essen- Now you can eat your ice cream (you are allowed)
Er durfte jetzt im Unterricht sein- He must be in class.
Jeder soll seine Eltern ehren- Everyone should respect their parents (or everyone should respect their parents).
Du sollst nothing arbeiten - you shouldn't work (you shouldn't work).
Sie Mussen Gehen- you must (obliged) leave.
Ich bin krank, ich muss nach House gehen- I'm sick, I need to go home.
Pronoun man + modal verb will be translated into an impersonal form of the sentence:
man kann - you can
man kann nicht - impossible, impossible
man darf - possible, allowed
man darf nicht - impossible, not allowed
man muss - necessary, necessary
man muss nicht - not necessary, not necessary
man soll - should, must
man soll nicht - should not
Hier darf man parken - you can park here
Hier darf man nicht rauchen - you can't smoke here
Now take any verb in its usual form (infinitive) from the list "The most popular German verbs" and make up your own little sentences. This way you will quickly learn all German verbs and quickly start speaking German without much effort.
Two important verbs in German
sein (to be) and haben (to have)
These two verbs are important for two reasons:
1. The verbs sein (to be) and haben (to have) are involved in the formation of tenses. If you know how these verbs are conjugated in all tenses, then you will easily form sentences in any tense and any grammatical constructions in general.
2. The German mentality is expressed through the verbs sein (to be) and haben (to have), since they are linking verbs in German sentences. In Russian we say: “I am 25 years old”, in German we need to say “I There is 25 years old", "I'm home" - "I There is at home", "cold" - "it is cold", . Just insert these linking verbs where they fit in the sentences.
Verb conjugations sein (to be) and haben (to have)
The definite and indefinite article in German usually accompanies a noun in sentences. The article in German is the main indicator of gender, number and case of a noun.
Dative case in German. Dative. Dativ
Dative in German answers questions to whom? what? Where? When? Unlike the Russian language, in which the ending of a word changes when declension occurs, in German the article changes.
Accusative case in German. Accusative. Akkusativ
Accusative in German answers questions from whom? What? Where? Unlike the Russian language, in which the ending of a word changes when declension occurs, in German the article changes.
German adjectives. Adjective
The inflected adjective in German agrees in number, case and gender with the noun it modifies. Such adjectives stand between the article (or the word replacing it) and the noun it modifies.
Past tense in German. Perfect. Perfect
The perfect of any verb (strong or weak) is formed using the auxiliary verb haben or sein and the Partizip II form of the main verb. When conjugated, only the auxiliary verb changes, and Partizip II of the main verb remains unchanged.
Present tense in German. Present. Präsens
Present verbs express actions that occur in the present tense, at the moment of speech, constantly, usually. Present tense forms are formed by adding personal endings to the stem Infinitive.
Modal verbs in German. Modal verbs
Modal verbs in German do not express action, but indicate the speaker’s attitude to the reality of the statement. Modal verbs can express possibility, necessity, assumption, assumption, command, wish. Modal verbs in German require a main verb after them, which is in the infinitive without the particle zu at the end of the sentence.
Subjunctive in German. Konjunktiv II
Subjunctive ( subjunctive mood) in German expresses a possible, conjectural, desirable or described action. In Russian it is formed using the past tense verb and the particle would.
Reflexive verbs in German
Reflexive verbs in Russian end with the postfix -ся(сь). In German, reflexive verbs are used with the reflexive pronoun sich.
Office of German verbs
The control of German verbs refers to such a relationship when the verb requires a certain case of an object after itself. In the German language, there are no fixed rules explaining which case governs which verbs. It is especially difficult to distinguish between verbs that require an object in the accusative or dative cases.
Future tense in German. Future
The future tense in German is formed using the auxiliary verb werden in the present tense and the main verb in the infinitive. The auxiliary verb werden in German is placed second in the sentence, and the main verb is placed at the end of the sentence.
Degrees of comparison of adjectives
The comparative form in German is formed by adding the suffix -er to the short form of the adjective and shows that this sign inherent in some object or phenomenon to a greater extent than in another.
Personal pronouns in German
Personal pronouns are used instead of nouns. A personal German pronoun must be translated into a Russian pronoun depending on the gender of the Russian noun being replaced, since the gender of nouns in German and Russian languages does not always coincide.
Possessive pronouns in German
Possessive pronouns come before nouns and agree with them in case, gender, and number. When using possessive pronouns, two questions must be kept in mind: Who owns the object or person? What ending does the possessive pronoun receive?
Others believe that death is better than the German language. It’s difficult for me to resolve this issue right away, without preparation. What matters here is what kind of death we are talking about. If we talk about slow and painful... Let's say, about two hundred years ago in Canada, the Indians caught a missionary, tore off his skin, brought hot ash, then boiling water, and little by little the missionary...
In general, I think that he would find the German language a pleasant change.
Mark Twain
So, despite all the intimidation and stories about the incomprehensible complexity of the German language, you decided to master this truly difficult language. However, German is not as scary as it is painted to be. I beg to differ with Mark Twain, who called him “unsystematic.” In my opinion, German is a logical, structured and systematic language that “loves” order. Learning German is like solving math problems or putting together a jigsaw puzzle.
Knowledge of grammar plays an important role in this (still) difficult task. Therefore, in this article we will list the most important grammar topics that need to be mastered for beginners learning German.
1. Verb conjugation in Präsens (present tense)
Before you start studying this topic, you will have to learn personal pronouns.
In German, unlike English, the pronoun I written with a small letter.
Please note that du used to address one person as "you". To address, for example, a question to a group of people (friends or acquaintances), you need to use the pronoun ihr. Sie used as a polite address to one person or several people.
Let's return to verb conjugation in Präsens. The first step is to remember the conjugation of the three main verbs (Grundverben):
sein(be), haben(to have) and werden(become).
These verbs can be both semantic and auxiliary, i.e. can participate in the formation of various grammatical forms. For example, when forming the past tense Perfekt, the auxiliary verbs haben and sein are used, when forming the future tenses Futur I and Futur II, the auxiliary verb werden is used, which is also used to form the passive voice (Passiv). Since these verbs are in great demand, it is important that their forms are something that will jump off your teeth!
Further information on the topic "Verb conjugation" you.
Important! In German, Präsens is often used to express the future tense (Futur I).
For example: Wann kommst du? - When will you come? Ich mache es morgen. - I'll do it tomorrow.
2. Word order in a sentence (Satzstellung)
In a German sentence each the word has its place. Of course, it is important to remember about direct and reverse word order and don’t forget to juggle predicate and subject. However, we should also not forget that a negative particle nothing, infinitive phrase (with particle zu or without it), reflexive pronoun sich- everyone knows their place!
Circumstances of time, cause, manner of action and place are also arranged in a German sentence in accordance with a certain order, obeying the rule te- ka- mo- lo(temporal, kausal, modal, lokal).
For example: Ich lerne am Wochenende wegen meiner Prüfung sehr intensiv in der Bibliothek .
If in a sentence both objects are expressed by nouns, then first comes the addition to Dativ, then in Akkusativ: Ich gebe meinem Bruder ein Geschenk.
If one of the complements is expressed pronoun, it is placed before the object expressed by the noun: Ich gebe ihm ein Geschenk.
Or: Ich gebe es meinem Bruder.
But if in a sentence both objects are expressed by pronouns, then the order changes: first Akkusativ, then Dativ. For example, Ichgebeesihm.
In a subordinate clause, the predicate, as a rule, comes last, and if the subordinate clause comes before the main clause, then the word order in the main clause is reversed: Ichlerne Deutsch, wennichLusthabe . Aber wenn ich keine Lustmehr habe, lerne ich trotzdem Deutsch.
Head is spinning? It's out of joy! :)
Attention! The above are just some of the construction rules. German offer.
3. Article (Artikel)
Oh, these articles... Definite and indefinite, masculine (der), neuter (das) and feminine (die) articles, as well as plural articles (die)! Not to mention those cases when the article is not required at all. Willy-nilly, you’ll remember that missionary that Mark Twain talked about...
Note: the gender of nouns in Russian and German does NOT match, so make it a rule to learn German nouns ONLY together with the article (der, das, die). In the plural, all nouns have the article die.
Remember: noun derUnterricht(lesson, activity) does not have a plural form in German!
Fortunately, the German language has many suffix clues that indicate the gender of a noun. For example, all nouns ending in -ung, -keit or -heit are feminine, nouns ending in -chen or -lein are neuter, and nouns ending in -ling are masculine. Here are some others:
German, as you know, has many compound words. So, you need to remember that the genus compound noun determined according to the latest it contains: der Abend (evening) + dasEssen(food) = das Abend essen(dinner).
When composing sentences, it is not enough just to remember what gender a particular noun has; it is necessary to put corresponding article in the correct case!
For example: Wo ist der Mann (Nom) mit der Brille? Ich muss dem Mann (Dat) etwas sagen! Hast du den Mann (Akk) gesehen? -Where is the man with glasses? I need to tell this man something! Have you seen this man?
Declension table for definite and indefinite articles:
4. Declension of nouns (Deklination der Substantive)
In German there is a distinction three types noun declensions: feminine, strong And weak. Thus, when constructing a German sentence, it is necessary not only to use the article in the desired case, but also, if necessary, to add an ending to the noun.
TO female Declension includes all feminine nouns. When declined according to cases, they do not receive any ending. For example:
Nom die Endung
Gen der Endung
Dat der Endung
Akk die Endung
Many masculine nouns and all neuter nouns (except das Herz) refer to strong declination and get the ending -(e)s in Genetiv.
Please note that neuter nouns ending in -nis double the final -s, for example, das Zeugnis - des Zeugnis s es.
Nouns ending in -us, -as and -ismus Not get the ending -s in Genetiv: der Kasus- des Kasus.
TO weak declination include four groups of masculine nouns, which receive the ending -en in all cases except Nominativ.
Students of German often have a question: which is correct - Herren or Herrn? So, the first (die Herren) is the plural form of der Herr (for example, Sehr geehrte Damen und Herr en), and the second is one of three case forms, which one is determined by the article.
Nom der Herr
Gen des Herrn
Dat dem Herrn
Akk den Herrn
In addition to these three types of declensions, there are two groups of nouns in German that “play by their own rules.” The first group is unofficially called entwederoder(or...or), it includes four nouns (der Nachbar, der Bauer, der Oberst, der Untertan), which can be inflected either according to the strong or weak type of declension of nouns.
Nom der Nachbar
Gen des Nachbars / des Nachbarn
Dat dem Nachbar / dem Nachbarn
Akk den Nachbar / den Nachbarn
The second group is called sowohl als auch(as... after all) and includes the following nouns, which are inflected in both strong and weak declension types: der Name, der Same, der Gedanke, der Glaube, der Wille, der Haufe, der Fels, der Funke , der Friede, der Buchstabe, der Drache and das Herz.
Nom der Name das Herz
Gen des Name ns des Herz ens
Dat dem Name n dem Herz en
Akk den Name n das Herz
When declension of nouns in the plural, it is important to remember that in Dativ the ending -n is added to the noun (you can also remember - DativPlural ! ), unless it already ends in -n.
Nom die Männer die Frauen
Gen der Männer der Frauen
Dat den Männer n den Frauen
Akk die Männer die Frauen
5. Declension of adjectives (Deklination der Adjektive)
In German there are three types Declension of adjectives: weak, strong And mixed.
As practice shows, it is advisable to learn the declension of singular and plural adjectives separately from each other, with a break of several days. This, however, is a matter of taste.
On our website you will find.
6. Basic forms of the verb (FG). Formation of the tense Präteritum (past tense)
Every verb in German has three main forms:
Infinitiv (infinitive), Präteritum (past tense) and Partizip II (second participle).
Depending on the method of formation of the main forms, as a rule, three groups of verbs are distinguished: weak, strong and irregular.
Weak verbs form the past tense (Präteritum) by adding the suffix - te- to the stem of the verb: mach en- machte. The basic forms of strong and irregular verbs are not formed according to the rules, so they must be learned by heart ( see table of strong and irregular verbs).
In the Präteritum form, separable prefixes “leave” the verb: auf machen-mach te auf .
Having learned to conjugate verbs in the Präsens tense, you will easily master the verb conjugation paradigm in Präteritum:
Please note that in Präteritum tense the forms of the 1st and 3rd persons are singular. match up. The fact that the forms of the 1st and 3rd persons are plural. coincide, we learned already when studying Präsens time.
Once you have mastered this topic, you will be able to enjoy reading German books in the original.
7. Formation of perfect tense (past perfect tense)
This tense is the most common in colloquial speech, so you should definitely try to master it at the initial stage of learning.
Perfect is formed using the auxiliary verb haben or sein and Partizip II (3rd form) of the semantic verb. Auxiliary verbs are conjugated in Präsens (present tense), for example: Wannbist duaufgestanden? - When did you get up?
There are usually no problems with the second “ingredient”: weak verbs are formed by the PartizipII form by adding a prefix ge- and suffix - t, for example, machen - machte - ge mach t. Partizip II forms of strong and irregular verbs are given in the table of strong and irregular verbs, which, as we have already agreed, needs to be learned.
What happens if the verb already has a prefix?
The inseparable prefix tightly clings to the verb and does not let anyone near it: be suchen- be suchte- be sucht.
The detachable attachment willingly gives way to the attachment ge- : zu machen-machte zu - zu ge mast.
Verbs ending in -ieren do not receive the Partizip II prefix ge-: ignorieren - ignorierte - ignorier t.
Now all that remains is to learn how to choose the correct auxiliary verb - haben or sein! It will help you with this
8. Imperative mood
To express advice, request, demand, order, instruction or warning in German, the Imperativ is used. In general, an irreplaceable thing! Deal with education imperative mood you .
In German there are other ways to get someone to do something. For example, using the infinitive: Aufstehen! - Get up! This is a very sharp form and is used quite rarely. Or using the passive voice: JetztwildGeschlafen! - It's time to sleep!JetztwildGegessen! - Come on, eat! Often used when addressing children.
9. Passive voice in German (Passiv)
The passive voice is formed using the auxiliary verb werden and Partizip II (3rd form) of the semantic verb. For example:
Ich baue ein Haus. - I'm building a house. -> Das Haus wird gebaut. - The house is being built.
To say this sentence, for example, in the tense Präteritum or Perfekt, you must choose the appropriate tense form of the auxiliary verb werden. The shape of Partizip II remains unchanged.
Das Haus wurde gebaut. (Präteritum)
Please note that the 3rd form of the verb werden loses the prefix ge- in Perfekt:
Das Haus ist gebaut ge worden. (Perfect)
10. Modal verbs (Modalverben)
Modal verbs are widely used in both spoken and written German. The main modal verbs are können, dürfen, müssen, sollen, wollen, mögen, while möchte(n), while not a modal verb in its own right, is a conjunctive form derived from mögen.
To form a negation, instead of the verb müssen, it is preferable to use the construction nicht brauchen zu + infinitive:
Du musst es machen. -> Du brauchst es nicht zu machen.
In German, in addition to the modal verbs themselves, there are so-called modalverb ä hnliche Verben (verbs that in a certain meaning perform the function of modals), for example, lassen - command, instruct, allow, verstehen (zu + infinitive) - be able to, wissen (zu + infinitive) - be able to, and many others. For example: Ich weiß das zu schätzen, was du für mich machst. - I know I appreciate (= I know how to appreciate) what you do for me.
Having mastered the topics listed above, you will be able to lay the necessary foundations for successful and “painless” language acquisition.
Don't forget that every grammar topic needs to be reinforced, so spend enough time doing the exercises. You shouldn’t take on several new grammar topics at once, especially if they have little to do with each other. It’s better to “dilute” the grammar material by learning new vocabulary.
And finally, the most important thing: don’t forget to pause and take a break from cramming! Then, perhaps, “torture” in German will not seem so terrible.