  文档下载格式:pdf 上传:2022-6-21 22:15 阅读:8次 页数:215页 大小:666.26 KB|预览Basic German - Heiner Schenke.pdf内容摘要: BASIC GERMAN:
A GRAMMAR AND WORKBOOK
Basic German: A Grammar and Workbook comprises an accessible
reference grammar and related exercises in a single volume.
It introduces German people and culture through the medium of the
language used today, covering the core material which students would
expect to encounter in their first years of learning German.
Each of the 28 units presents one or more related grammar topics,
illustrated by examples which serve as models for the exercises that
follow. These wide-ranging and varied exercises enable the student to
master each grammar point thoroughly.
Basic German is suitable for independent study and for class use.
Features include:
• Clear grammatical explanations with examples in both English and
German
• Authentic language samples from a range of media
• Checklists at the end of each Unit to reinforce key points
• Cross-referencing to other grammar chapters
• Full exercise answer key
• Glossary of grammatical terms
Basic German is the ideal reference and practice book for beginners but
also for students with some knowledge of the language.
Heiner Schenke is Senior Lecturer in German at the University of
Westminster and Karen Seago is Course Leader for Applied Translation
at the London Metropolitan University.
Other titles available in the Grammar Workbooks series are:
Basic Cantonese
Intermediate Cantonese
Basic Chinese
Intermediate Chinese
Intermediate German
Basic Polish
Intermediate Polish
Basic Russian
Intermediate Russian
Basic Welsh
Intermediate Welsh
Titles of related interest published by Routledge:
Colloquial German
by Dietlinde Hatherall and Glyn Hatherall
Modern German Grammar: A Practical Guide, Second Edition
by Bill Dodd, Christine Eckhard-Black, John Klapper, Ruth Whittle
Modern German Grammar Workbook, Second Edition
by Heidi Zojer, Bill Dodd, Christine Eckhard-Black, John Klapper,
Ruth Whittle
BASIC GERMAN:
A GRAMMAR AND
WORKBOOK
Heiner Schenke and Karen Seago
First published 2004
by Routledge
11 New Fetter Lane, London EC4P 4EE
Simultaneously published in the USA and Canada
by Routledge
29 West 35th Street, New York, NY 10001
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group
This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2005.
“To purchase your own copy of this or any of Taylor & Francis or Routledge’s
collection of thousands of eBooks please go to .”
© 2004 Heiner Schenke and Karen Seago
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted
or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical,
or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including
photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or
retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book has been requested
ISBN 0-203-64270-8 Master e-book ISBN
ISBN 0-203-67466-9 (Adobe eReader Format)
ISBN 0–415–28404–X (hbk)
0–415–28405–8 (pbk)
CONTENTS
Preface vii
1 What’s different in German? Basic tips and patterns 1
2 Verbs in the present tense 6
3 Verb variations and irregular verbs 12
4 Irregular verbs: haben and sein19
5 Separable verbs in the present tense24
6 Imperatives30
7 Questions 36
8 Nouns and gender 42
9 Plural of nouns50
10 The four cases 56
11 The nominative case62
12 The accusative case 65
13 The dative case70
14 The genitive case75
15 Personal pronouns79
16 Possessive adjectives87
17 Reflexive verbs 92
18 Negatives 97
19 Comparison of adjectives and adverbs 102
20 Modal verbs109
vi Contents
21 The present perfect tense116
22 The simple past tense124
23 The future tense 130
24 Prepositions 135
25 Adjective endings143
26 Numbers and dates151
27 Conjunctions and clauses 158
28 Word order 167
Key to exercises and checklists 175
Glossary of grammatical terms 200
Common irregular verbs203
Index 205
PREFACE
Basic German is aimed at absolute beginners and those learners who have
some knowledge of German but who need to refresh and consolidate basic
structures. It can be used on its own or in connection with any major German
coursebook and it is suitable for self-study, class-based learning or reference
purposes.
Presentation of grammar
The book explains the essentials of German grammar in clear and simple
language. The format is easily accessible and grammar topics follow a pro-
gression, which moves from simple aspects to more complex features. For
more in-depth study, there are cross-references to related grammar items.
Explanations are simple and avoid specialised terminology while introducing
key terms. The vocabulary is practical and functional. It is introduced on a
cumulative basis and builds on vocabulary associated with topics featured in
major course books.
Structure of units
There are 28 units. Each unit covers one key grammar topic, which is con-
trasted with English structures where appropriate. Each topic starts out with
an overview. This is followed by detailed explanation in an easy-to-follow
step-by-step layout, breaking down complex aspects into simple segments.
Examples in English and German illustrate each point and introduce relevant
vocabulary.
Checklists and exercises
Integrated exercises allow immediate practice to consolidate each grammar
point. Exercises are varied and progress from simple recognition to more
complex application of grammar points.
viii Preface
A checklist at the end of each unit reinforces main points and provides an
opportunity to self-assess understanding of the material covered.
Answers to all exercises and checklists are at the end of the book.
Using the book as a grammar reference
Unit headings indicate which grammar point is covered, and the glossary
provides clear definitions and simple explanations of key grammatical terms.
When appropriate, cross-references are provided within units.
Extra features
Unit 1 highlights some basic principles where the structures of German are
fundamentally different from English. It explains their characteristics in
simple terms and draws attention to underlying patterns. Extra tips on how
to learn a language and learning specific grammar points are provided in this
unit and throughout the book.
The book is suitable for
•independent learners
•GCSE preparation
•AS/A-level revision
•beginners’ courses at university and in further education
•adult education courses.
UNIT ONE
What’s different in German? Basic tips
and patterns
Learning German is often perceived as difficult. In 1880, Mark Twain
famously dubbed it ‘the awful German language’, protesting ‘Surely there is
not another language that is so slipshod and systemless, and so slippery and
elusive to the grasp’ (Mark Twain, ‘The awful German language’, The Tramp
Abroad, 1880 (Harmondsworth: Penguin 1997), pp. 390–402).
But is this really the case? One thing that is very helpful in learning German
is that it is a systematic language, which follows rules. There are many ways to
make these rules easier to learn, and there are quite a few tips which will help
you in learning the language.
If you approach the language step by step you will find that it is much
easier than you may think at the beginning. Here are pointers to some basic
principles where German is different from English, and which may be useful
before you start out with the grammar proper.
Spelling – capital letters and different characters
There are a few ways in which German spelling is different from English.
Capital letters for nouns
German is one of the few languages which uses capital letters not only at
the beginning of sentences but also within sentences. In English, this applies
only to proper names, to the personal pronoun ‘I’ and to personifications,
such as ‘Love’.
In German, all nouns must always be written with a capital letter, regard-
less of whether they are at the beginning of a sentence or in the middle:
Der Mann und die Frau arbeiten jeden Tag am Computer.
The man and the woman work at their computer every day.
Note that the pronoun ich (‘I’) has no initial capital in German, but Sie
(formal form of ‘you’) has.
2Unit 1
Different characters
The German alphabet has some characters which do not exist in the English
alphabet:
ß – the sharp ‘s’
The letter ß, called eszett in German, is pronounced like the normal English
‘s’, for example in ‘sun’ or ‘basic’.
German uses this letter for instance after ei and ie, and after a, o, u if they
are pronounced long:
heißen to be called
Straße street
groß big
The umlauts – ä, ö, ü
These are very important. They change the pronunciation of a word and,
more importantly, its meaning:
Mutter means ‘mother’, but Mütter is the plural form and means
‘mothers’. Musste means had to, but müsste means ‘should’ or ‘ought to’.
Three genders
All nouns in German are masculine, feminine or neuter. This shows in their
singular article: der for masculine, die for feminine, das for neuter.
It is important to realise that gender in German is grammatical, not
biological as it is in English. This means that objects, concepts etc. which are
neuter (‘it’) in English can be masculine, feminine or neuter in German:
der Tischthe table (masculine)
die Türthe door ( feminine)
das Fensterthe window (neuter)
Whenever you learn a new noun, always learn it with its gender: the best way
to do it is to learn it with its article. You will find that this will pay off in the
long term.
Endings
One of the principal differences between English and German is that in
German words take specific endings depending on their relationship to other
Unit 1 3
parts of the sentence. This applies to verbs, articles and possessive adjectives
and adjectives.
Verbs
These are words describing the ‘action’ of a sentence, such as ‘to run’, ‘to
think’. For example, the German verb ‘to go’ has different endings when used
with ‘I’, ‘he’ and ‘they’:
Ich gehe.I go.
Er geht. He goes.
Sie gehen. They go.
Articles and possessive adjectives
These are words linked to a noun such as ‘a’, ‘the’, ‘my’ or ‘his’. For example,
the indefinite article meaning ‘a’ changes in German when it is linked to
the subject of the sentence (ein Mann) or the object of the sentence (einen
Mann):
Ist das ein Mann?Is that a man?
Da drüben sehe ich einen Mann. I can see a man over there.
Adjectives
These words, which describe the quality of a noun, such as a ‘new’ computer,
an ‘intelligent’ woman, a ‘beautiful’ house, follow a similar pattern when they
appear in front of a noun. In German adjectives can have different endings
when they are linked to a masculine noun (ein neuer Computer), a feminine
noun (eine intelligente Frau) or a neuter noun (ein schönes Haus).
Cases
One of the most important features of German is that you can tell what
function a noun performs in a sentence by its ending and the form of the
article. These show its case. For example, a noun can be the subject of the
sentence, i.e. the ‘agent’ of what is happening:
Der Hund beißt den Mann. The dog bites the man.
Or it can be the object, i.e. the ‘receiver’ of the action in the sentence:
Der Hund beißt den Mann. The dog bites the man.
4Unit 1
The subject and the object are in different cases, which means that the article
(‘the’) has a different ending. Both ‘dog’ and ‘man’ are masculine (der) but
‘the dog’ is the subject (der Hund) and the man is the object (den Mann).
Word order
Word order is much more flexible in German than in English, but there are
some very important rules. The most important apply to the position of the
finite verb. Here are some basic principles, which illustrate the difference to
English word order.
•The finite verb is the second idea in most statements:
Er hat zwei Brüder.He has two brothers.
Morgen fahre ich nachTomorrow I’m going to Manchester.
Manchester.
•The finite verb goes at the beginning of a sentence in orders and many
questions:
Öffnet das Fenster! Open the window, please.
Hast Du morgen Zeit? Are you free tomorrow?
•The finite verb goes at the end in subordinate clauses:
Ich kann morgen nicht kommen, weil ich nach Manchester fahre.
I can’t come tomorrow because I’m going to Manchester.
•If there are two verb forms, one of them goes at the end:
Morgen muss ich nach Manchester fahren.
Tomorrow I have to go to Manchester.
Tenses
English tenses differentiate between an action happening at the moment
(‘I am working’) and an action taking place regularly (‘I work at Harrods’).
In German, this difference does not exist. The finite verb form is the same in
both statements:
Ich arbeite. I am working.
Ich arbeite bei Harrods. I work at Harrods.
The past in English is expressed either by the present perfect tense (when
something happened recently or has a connection to the present: ‘I was
Unit 1 5
working’ or the simple past tense (when something happened at a certain
time in the past or has no link to the present: ‘I worked’). German is simpler:
you normally use the present perfect when you talk about the past regard-
less of when it happened, and you normally use the simple past in written
German.
And finally – looking for principles
German is a very systematic language, and very soon you will realise that
there are certain patterns which occur again and again. If you bear this in
mind you will see that, after the first few weeks of a fairly steep learning
curve, things will become easier and you will recognise these patterns.
Buy a good dictionary. It not only gives you a list of translations but
also tells you how to pronounce unfamiliar words and gives you important
grammatical information, for example whether a verb takes a certain case or
what the plural is for a noun. Throughout the book, we tell you how to work
with dictionaries to get this kind of information and how it is relevant.
Checklist
1 Where do you use capital letters in German?
2 When do you use the letter ß?
3 Why are umlauts important?
4 What is the difference between the use of gender in German
and English?
5 Give an example where a word changes its ending in
German.
6 What is one of the most important principles affecting
German word order?
7 Is there a difference between ‘I am working’ and ‘I work’ in
German?
UNIT TWO
Verbs in the present tense
What is a verb?
A verb usually describes what a person or any other subject is doing: ‘I go to
the cinema.’ ‘She thinks about her holiday.’ ‘They play football.’ It can also
describe a state: ‘He is angry.’ ‘She lives over there.’ ‘They love me.’
Verbs in English
In English, verbs take no endings except for the third person singular
(‘he’/‘she’/‘it’) in the present tense. You would say: ‘I go’, ‘you go’, ‘he/she/it
goes’, ‘we go’, ‘you go’, ‘they go’. Apart from the third person singular
where ‘-(e)s’ is added, the verb in the sentence is the same form as the
infinitive, that is the basic form of a verb as it is listed in a dictionary or
glossary (‘to go’).
Verb Formation
German has more endings for verbs in the present tense than English. You
take the stem of a verb and then add the required ending. The stem is the
form of the infinitive without -en or -n.
infinitivestem
kommen kommto come
wohnen wohnto live
hörenhör to hear
Verb endings – an overview
Here is an overview of the verb endings in the present tense:
Unit 2 7
komm-en wohn-enhör-en
ich (I) -e komme wohnehöre
du (you, informal)-stkommstwohnst hörst
Sie (you, formal) -enkommenwohnen hören
er/sie/es (he/she/it) -t kommt wohnthört
wir (we)-enkommenwohnen hören
ihr (you, plural, informal) -t kommt wohnthört
Sie (you, plural, formal) -enkommenwohnen hören
sie (they)-enkommenwohnen hören
A verb with its ending is called a finite verb (as opposed to the infinitive which
does not have a meaningful ending). This is an important grammatical term,
and you will find it in quite a few of the units.
Verb endings in more detail
Although as a beginner you probably mostly use the first and second person
singular (ich and du or Sie) it is important to know all the endings for the
verbs. Here they are in more detail.
ich (‘I’)
For the first person singular you add -e to the stem:
Ich wohne in Frankfurt. I live in Frankfurt.
Ich spiele Gitarre. I play the guitar.
du/Sie (‘you’, singular)
There are two forms of address in German: the informal and the formal. If
you are addressing one person, the informal address is du and the formal is
Sie (always with an initial capital letter). The endings are -st and -en:
Woher kommst du?Where do you come from?
(informal)
Wo wohnst du? Where do you live? (informal)
Woher kommen Sie? Where do you come from? (formal)
Wo wohnen Sie?Where do you live? (formal)
er/sie/es (‘he’, ‘she’, ‘it’)
To talk about a third person or thing you use er for ‘he’, sie (with small s) for
‘she’ and es for ‘it’ in German and add -t to the stem:
8Unit 2
Er spielt Tennis. He plays tennis.
Woher kommt sie?Where does she come from?
Es schneit. It is snowing.
wir (‘we’)
Overall the plural forms are much easier to learn. ‘We’ (wir) takes -en – the
same form as most infinitives:
Wir wohnen in Köln. We live in Cologne.
Wir lernen Deutsch. We learn German.
ihr/Sie (‘you’, plural)
As for the singular, there is an informal (ihr) and a formal way (Sie) to
address more than one person. These take different endings:
Wo wohnt ihr? Where do you live? (plural,
informal)
Was macht ihr hier? What are you doing here? (plural,
informal)
Wo wohnen Sie?Where do you live? (plural, formal)
Was machen Sie hier?What are you doing here? (plural,
formal)
sie (‘they’)
When referring to several people, German uses sie again (spelled with a small
s!). You have to add -en:
Und woher kommen sie? And where do they come from?
Jutta und Bernd – was machen sie? Jutta and Bernd – what are they
doing?
Uses of sie/Sie
When you start learning German you may be confused by the different
meanings of the word sie.
•sie with a small s can mean either ‘she’ or ‘they’.
•Sie with a capital S is used for formal ‘you’ in both singular and plural.
The verb endings for ‘they’ and singular and plural formal ‘you’ are
identical.
Unit 29
One present tense in German
As we have seen, in German there is only one present tense, which corre-
sponds both to the simple and to the continous present in English:
Er trinkt Bier. He drinks beer. or He is drinking
beer.
Sie spielt Fußball. She plays football. or She is playing
football.
Exceptions
Although the majority of verbs in German follow the regular pattern
described above, there are a number of exceptions (irregular forms):
• Some verbs have slight spelling variations, or their stem vowel changes
(see Unit 3).
• Sein and haben (‘to be’ or ‘to have’) are particularly irregular (see Unit 4).
But before you explore the mysteries of German verb endings further, make
sure that you have digested all the information from this Unit.
• For more information on verb endings see Units 3 and 4.
• See also Unit 15 for more details on personal pronouns (‘I’, ‘you’, ‘he’,
‘she’ etc.).
Exercise 2.1
Use the endings from the list below to complete the verb forms. The first one
has been done for you.
-en -en -e-st -t -en -en -t
ich -ewir
duihr
Sie Sie
er/sie/es sie
10 Unit 2
Exercise 2.2
Here is a short interview with Alex Maschke, who lives in Berlin. Complete
the gaps with the appropriate verb forms.
Example: kommen → Woher du? – Ich aus Frankfurt.
→ Woher kommst du? – Ich komme aus Frankfurt.
1 wohnen → Wodu? – Ichjetzt in Berlin.
2 studieren → Und was du? – Ich Physik und Chemie.
3 hören → Welche Musikdu? – Ich gern klassische Musik.
4 lernen → Welche Sprache du im Moment? – IchSpanisch.
5 trinken → Wasdu gern? – Ichgern Kaffee.
As you have probably noticed, Alex was addressed informally. Rewrite the
questions in the formal mode (using the Sie form).
Exercise 2.3
Supply the missing endings.
Example: Anna komm aus Wien.
→ Anna kommt aus Wien.
1Ich heißUlrike.
2Komm du wirklich aus London?
3Peter wohnim Stadtzentrum.
4Das ist Pia. Sie geh sehr gern ins Restaurant.
5Wie heiß Sie?
6Ich heiß Petra Schmidt.
7Und was mach Sie beruflich?
8Ich studier Physik.
9Und woher komm ihr?
10Was mach ihr hier?
11Und wo wohn ihr?
12Wir komm aus Süddeutschland.
13Wir geh zu einem Fußballspiel.
14Wir bleib drei Tage.
15Sie (Pier und Jörg) lern Englisch.
16Basel liegin der Schweiz.
17Komm ihr aus Freiburg?
18Und woher komm du?
Unit 211
19 Ann und Tina spiel gern Badminton.
20 Wir find Berlin sehr interessant.
Exercise 2.4
Translate the following sentences:
1I live in Berlin.
2He drinks beer.
3She plays tennis.
4Carla and Sophia are playing football.
5Where do you come from? (Use (a) the du and (b) the Sie form.)
6Where do you live? (Use (a) the du, (b) the Sie-form and (c) the ihr form.)
Checklist
1 Can you form the stem of a German verb?
2 What are the verb endings in the singular?
3 Do you know the endings in the plural?
4 How many tenses are there in German for the present?
5 Can you define what a finite verb is?
UNIT THREE
Verb variations and irregular verbs
Regular and irregular forms
Most verbs in German follow a regular pattern where the ending is simply
added to the stem of the verb. But there are some variations where the
spelling is slightly different. There is also a group of irregular verbs where
there are changes in the stem of the verb.
Irregular forms in English
In English there is also a difference between regular and irregular verbs, but
it usually does not affect the present tense, except for ‘to be’ and ‘to have’.
These verbs will be discussed in Unit 4.
Spelling variations – an overview
Stem endings in -d or -t
There are some German verbs where the stem ends in -d or -t. It would be
difficult to pronounce the -st endings for du and the t ending for er/sie/es and
ihr if -st or -t was directly added to the stem. This is why an e is put before
these endings:
infinitivestem finite verb
arbeiten arbeit du arbeitestto work
kosten kost es kostet to cost
redenredihr redet to talk
Verbs such as atmen and regnen
Verbs such as atmen and regnen, where the stem ends in a consonant + n or m,
also need the additional e:
Unit 3 13
infinitivestem finite verb
atmenatmdu atmestto breathe
regnen regn es regnetto rain
Examples:
Du atmest sehr heftig. You’re breathing rather heavily.
Herr Maier arbeitet bei Siemens. Mr Maier works for Siemens.
Es regnet schon wieder!It’s raining again!
Das Buch kostet 5 Euro.The book costs 5 euros.
Ihr redet zu viel. You’re talking too much.
Only du, er/sie/es and ihr are affected
The extra e is added only with the endings for du, er/sie/es and ihr: it does not
affect the other verb forms:
ich arbeitewir arbeiten
du arbeitest ihr arbeitet
Sie arbeiten Sie arbeiten
er/sie/es arbeitet sie arbeiten
Stem endings in -s, -ss, -ß, -x, -z, -tz
Normally the verb ending for du is st, but, if the verb stem ends in s, ss or ß,
add a t as the verb ending for du:
infinitivefinite verb
reisen du reistto travel
küssen er küsstto kiss
heißen du heißtto be called
Examples:
Reist du wieder nach Italien?Are you travelling to Italy again?
Du heißt doch Frank, oder? You’re called Frank, aren’t you?
Susi küsst gern. Susi likes kissing.
For a few verbs where the stem ends in x, z or tz the same pattern applies:
faxen du faxtto fax
tanzendu tanzt to dance
schwitzen du schwitztto sweat
14 Unit 3
Irregular verbs with vowel changes
There is a group of German verbs where the vowel in the stem changes in the
present tense. These changes apply only in the du and er/sie/es forms. None of
the other endings is affected. Here are examples in some frequently used
verbs:
infinitivefinite verb
schlafen er schläftto sleep
essensie isstto eat
sprechen du sprichst to speak
lesendu liestto read
sehener siehtto see
Examples:
Liest du gern Harry Potter?Do you like reading Harry Potter?
Er sieht ein Fußballspiel. He is watching a football match.
Sie isst gern Pizza. She likes eating pizza.
Sprichst du Deutsch? Do you speak German?
Sie schläft bis elf Uhr. She sleeps until eleven o’clock.
Looking out for patterns
These changes apply only to a limited number of verbs. It is best to learn
these verbs by heart. There are also certain patterns which can help you
predict how a verb changes. They are:
a → ä
e → i
e → ie
Here they are in more detail.
Changes from a to ä
Important verbs – apart from schlafen – which follow this pattern are:
fahren →du fährst, er/sie/es fährtto drive
haltendu hältst, er/sie/es hält to hold, to stop
tragendu trägst, er/sie/es trägtto carry
waschen du wäschst, er/sie/es wäschtto wash
Unit 3 15
Examples:
Du fährst morgen nach Hause. You’re going home tomorrow.
Gleich fällt es runter!Any moment now it will fall
(down)!
Er trägt ein neues T-Shirt.He wears a new T-shirt.
Changes from e to i
You have seen that sprechen and essen are two prominent verbs which change
their vowel from e to i. Other verbs which follow this pattern are:
geben → du gibst, er/sie/es gibtto give
helfendu hilfst, er/sie/es hilftto help
treffendu triffst, er/sie/es trifftto meet
werfendu wirfst, er/sie/es wirftto throw
Examples:
Er hilft Frau Maier. He helps Frau Maier.
Triffst du heute Angelika?Are you meeting Angelika today?
Er wirft den Ball zu Beckham.He throws the ball to Beckham.
The verb nehmen also follows the e to i pattern, but it has greater spelling
variations. Here are all forms:
ich nehmewir nehmen
du nimmstihr nehmt
Sie nehmen Sie nehmen
er/sie/es nimmtsie nehmen
Examples:
Nimmst du Kaffee oder Tee?Do you take coffee or tea?
Er nimmt ein heißes Bad. He is taking a hot bath.
Changes from e to ie
Some verbs such as sehen and lesen, where the e sound is pronounced long,
change their vowel e into ie:
sehen →du siehst, er/sie/es siehtto see
lesendu liest, er/sie/es liest to read
16Unit 3
Another important verb is empfehlen:
empfehlen → du empfiehlst, er/sie/es empfiehlt to recommend
Examples:
Er sieht Jutta nicht. He doesn’t see Jutta.
Sie empfiehlt Tee.She recommends tea.
Where to look for irregular forms
All verbs with a vowel change are irregular verbs. You will find a list of
irregular verbs, often also called strong verbs, at the back of most course
books and dictionaries, as well as at the back of this one. But beware: not all
irregular verbs change their spelling in the present tense.
Other irregular verbs
There are also two other groups of verb forms which do not conform to the
regular pattern in the present tense:
• the verbs sein and haben ‘to be’ and ‘to have’ (see Unit 4)
• the modal verbs (see Unit 18).
Exercise 3.1
Write out the full present tense of the following verbs (for all persons: ich, du,
Sie, er/sie/es, wir, ihr, Sie, sie):
1arbeiten
2tanzen
3heißen
4reisen
Exercise 3.2
Here is a list of frequently used irregular verbs. Place a tick against the ones
which change their vowel in the present tense and a cross against the ones
which do not. The first two have been done for you. Use a verb list to check
your answers.
Unit 3 17
bleiben helfen schreibenstehen
essen kommen schwimmentragen
fahren nehmen sehentreffen
gebenlesensingen trinken
gehenschlafen sprechen waschen
Exercise 3.3
Here is what Hans Homann, a young television presenter from Austria, says
about himself. Use this information to write a short portrait of him. The first
sentence has been done for you.
1 Ich heiße Hans Homann. → Er heißt Hans Homann.
2 Ich komme aus Wien.
3 Ich arbeite für das Österreichische Fernsehen.
4 Ich spreche natürlich Deutsch, aber auch Englisch und Spanisch.
5 Ich lese gern Kriminalromane.
6 Ich fahre auch gern Ski und schwimme viel.
7 Ich sehe gern alte Filme mit Marlene Dietrich.
8 Ich schlafe oft lange.
9 Ich reise gern.
10 Und ich helfe am Wochenende alten Leuten.
Exercise 3.4
Translate the following sentences into German:
1She reads a book.
2Peter speaks German and English.
3We speak German and Spanish.
4Magda likes eating pizza.
5I’ll have a beer, please.
6He has a beer.
7She is wearing a T-shirt.
8It is raining.
18 Unit 3
Checklist
1 Can you remember for which endings there is a stem vowel
change?
2 Can you identify when you need to use an additional e?
3 What do you need to remember if the stem ends in an s
sound?
4 What are the most common stem vowel changes?
UNIT FOUR
Irregular verbs: haben and sein
Irregular in both languages
The verbs haben ‘to have’ and sein ‘to be’ are both very important. They are
quite irregular in German, as in English.
Different patterns
As explained in Unit 3, irregular verbs in German tend to change their
stem vowel. In the present tense this sometimes affects the du and er/sie/es
forms:
lesen→ du liest, er/sie/es liestto read
essendu isst, er/sie/es isstto eat
Sein is an example of an irregular verb where the endings change even more
drastically. This is very similar to English, where ‘to be’ has very irregular
forms in the present tense: ‘I am’, ‘you are’, ‘he/she/it is’, ‘we are’, ‘you are’,
‘they are’.
Haben and sein – an overview
Here is an overview of the verb forms for haben and sein:
haben sein
ich (I) habebin
du (you, informal)hastbist
Sie (you, formal) haben sind
er/sie/es (he/she/it) hat ist
wir (we)haben sind
20 Unit 4
ihr (you, plural, informal)habtseid
Sie (you, plural, formal)haben sind
sie (they) haben sind
Here are both verbs in more detail.
Haben in more detail
Different pattern for du and er/sie/es
There are some patterns with haben which may help you remember the
endings.
The endings for ich, wir, ihr and sie are regular: you add them to the stem in
the normal way:
ich hab-e, wir hab-en, ihr hab-t, sie hab-en.
It is only for du and er/sie/es that the finite verb form is irregular – you need to
drop the b from the stem:
du hast, er/sie/es hat.
Examples
Ich habe viel zu tun. I have a lot to do.
Claus hat eine Schwester. Claus has one sister.
Haben Sie Wechselgeld?Do you have change?
Sie haben ein neues Auto. They have a new car.
Use of haben
Haben is an important verb which you will be using a lot. It is used to form
tenses just as English uses ‘to have’:
Ich habe gesungen.I have sung.
Useful phrases
Here are a few useful phrases with haben:
Hunger habento be hungryIch habe Hunger.
Durst haben to be thirsty Er hat Durst.
Zeit habento be free/have timeDu hast Zeit.
Langeweile habento be bored Wir haben Langeweile.
Kopfschmerzen haben to have a headacheSie hat Kopfschmerzen.
Unit 421
Sein in more detail
Completely irregular
The finite verb forms for sein are completely irregular and need to be learned
by heart: ich bin, du bist, Sie sind, er/sie/es ist, wir sind, ihr seid, Sie sind, sie
sind.
Examples:
Ich bin aus Deutschland. I’m from Germany.
Sind Sie Herr Schuhmacher? Are you Mr Schuhmacher?
Du bist sehr schön.You’re very beautiful.
Er ist Amerikaner. He is an American.
Sie ist Lehrerin.She is a teacher.
Es ist schwer. It’s difficult.
Entschuldigung, wir sind verspätet.Apologies, we are late.
Seid Ihr verheiratet?Are you married?
Wir sind aus Großbritannien. We’re from Great Britain.
And there is, of course Shakespeare: To be or not to be, that is the question.
In German this would be: Sein oder Nicht-Sein. Das ist die Frage.
Use of sein
Like haben, sein is an important verb and you will be using it a lot. It is used
to form tenses and other grammatical forms.
Reminder – only one present tense in German
Although there are many similarities between the use of ‘to be’/sein in
English and German, there are also important differences. You cannot,
for instance, use sein to form a tense similar to the English: ‘I am going’.
This tense does not exist in German. There is only one present tense: Ich
gehe.
• For more irregular verb endings in the present tense see Unit 3.
• To remind yourself of the regular endings see Unit 2.
Exercise 4.1
Complete the following sentences with the correct finite verb forms of haben.
22Unit 4
Example: Ich eine Schwester.
→ Ich habe eine Schwester.
1 du heute Abend Zeit?
2 Wirneue Nachbarn.
3 Er eine Schwester und einen Bruder.
4 ihr etwas Geld?
5 Petra ein neues Auto.
6 Sie ein Zimmer frei?
7 Ich Hunger.
8 Susanne und Frankeine neue Wohnung.
Exercise 4.2
Use the appropriate finite verb forms of sein to complete the following short
dialogues.
Example: WasCarsten von Beruf ? – ErStudent.
→ Was ist Carsten von Beruf ? – Er ist Student.
1Sie Engländer? – Nein, ichaus Australien.
2du aus Deutschland? – Ja, ich komme aus der Nähe von Bonn.
3 ihr aus München? – Nein, wir aus Nürnberg.
4 Was machen denn Kathrin und Boris? – BeideStudenten.
5 WasNele von Beruf ? – Sie Designerin.
Exercise 4.3
Now write out the full present tense (for all persons: ich, du, Sie, er/sie/es, wir,
ihr, Sie, sie) of the verbs (1) haben and (2) sein.
Exercise 4.4
Translate the following sentences into German.
1 We are from New York.
2 They are from Australia.
3 Mario is from Munich.
4 Are you Mr Becker? (Use (a) the du and (b) the Sie form.)
5 He has one sister.
6 Do you have time? (Use (a) the du and (b) the Sie form.)
Unit 4 23
7 They are students.
8 Berlin is the capital of Germany.
9 I have a flat.
10 We are hungry.
Checklist
1 Do you know all the finite verb forms (in the present tense)
for sein by heart?
2 What are the irregularities for haben?
3 Can you remember some useful phrases with haben?
UNIT FIVE
Separable verbs in the present tense
What is a separable verb?
These are verbs which are made up of two parts: a prefix and the infinitive of
a verb.
For example: auf + stehen → aufstehen ‘to get up’.
Comparison with English
Separable verbs are comparable to English phrasal verbs, which consist of an
infinitive plus an adverb or preposition: ‘to get up’, ‘to get on’ etc.
Important separable verbs
Separable verbs are quite frequent in German. Here are some of the most
important ones:
abfahrento depart
abholen to pick up
abwaschen to do the washing up
anfangento start
ankommento arrive
anrufen to phone
aufhörento stop
aufräumen to tidy up
aufstehen to get up
ausgehento go out
einkaufen to go shopping
einladento invite
Unit 525
einschlafen to fall asleep
fernsehen to watch television
saubermachento clean
stattfindento take place
vorbereiten to prepare
(sich) vorstellen to introduce oneself
Prefixes go at the end
When a separable verb is in the present tense, the prefix is usually separated
from the finite form of the verb and goes to the end of the sentence:
anrufen→Herr Nolte ruft seine Frau an.
Mr Nolte rings his wife.
aufstehen Bernhard steht um fünf Uhr morgens auf.
Bernhard gets up at five o’clock in the morning.
ausgehenCorinna geht jeden Tag aus.
Corinna goes out every day.
fernsehen Die Kinder sehen jeden Abend fern.
The children watch television every evening.
einkaufen Er kauft im Supermarkt ein.
He goes shopping in the supermarket.
stattfindenDas Meeting findet am Montag statt.
The meeting takes place on Monday.
Separable verbs in two clauses
When a sentence consists of two clauses, the split-off prefix goes to the
end of the relevant clause. This may not necessarily be at the end of
the sentence.
clause 1 clause 2
Ich stehe aufund dann frühstücke ich.I get up and then I have
breakfast.
Herr Carlsen Mr Carlsen is watching
sieht fern,aber seine Kinder lesen. television, but his
children are reading.
If you have a sentence with several clauses which use separable verbs, then
you have the split-off part at the end of each clause:
26 Unit 5
Dr Schuster schläft erst um vierundzwanzig Uhr ein, aber er steht schon
um fünf Uhr auf.
Dr Schuster only goes to sleep at midnight, but he gets up at five o’clock.
Verbs can have more than one prefix
A verb often takes more than one prefix. Here are examples of the many
different meanings that the verb kommen ‘to come’ has when combined with a
prefix:
ankommento arrive
mitkommen to come along
weiterkommento get on
hereinkommento come in
herauskommento come out
nachkommento come later
zurückkommento come back
Another example is the verb steigen: einsteigen means ‘to get in/on’,
umsteigen means ‘to change’ (trains, buses etc.) and aussteigen means ‘to get
out/off’.
You can quite often guess the meaning by knowing what the prefix means.
But that does not work all the time, so meanings of separable verbs need to be
learned.
How to find out whether a verb is separable
You can find out whether a verb is separable by checking in a good dictionary.
After the main entry, it will say ‘sep.’ if it is separable.
Common separable prefixes
The most common separable prefixes are:
ab-, an-, auf-, aus-, ein-, mit-, nach-, vor-, zu-, zurück-
You will find examples of most of these prefixes used with a verb in the
preceding pages.
Unit 5 27
Some inseparable prefixes
There are also prefixes which are inseparable. They include be-, er-, ge-
and ver-. Frequently used verbs with inseparable prefixes are bezahlen ‘to
pay’, erzählen ‘to tell’, verdienen ‘to earn’, verkaufen ‘to sell’ and verstehen
‘to understand’.
Er bezahlt mit seiner Kreditkarte. He pays with his credit card.
Sie verkauft ihren alten Computer. She is selling her old computer.
As you can see, these prefixes do not separate from the verb.
More about separable verbs
As a beginner you will probably use separable verbs most often as explained
above. However, separable verbs occur also in the imperative, in combination
with modal verbs, and in the perfect and future tense. See Units 6 and 20–23
for more information.
If you cannot find a separable verb in a verb list or dictionary, look up the
verbs without its prefix. So, for example, to find out the simple past tense
form of abfahren, look up fahren in the verb list.
Exercise 5.1
Here is a description of Jens Fischer’s day. Complete the gaps with the finite
verb and the prefix.
Example: ausstellen Jensden Wecker um sieben Uhr .
→ Jens stellt den Wecker um sieben Uhr aus.
1Jens um halb acht Uhr . (aufstehen)
2Erseine Arbeit um neun Uhr. (anfangen)
3Mittags er seine Freundin . (anrufen)
4Um siebzehn Uhr er mit seiner Arbeit. (aufhören)
5Nach der Arbeit er im Supermarkt. (einkaufen)
6Abends er. (fernsehen)
7Ermit seiner Freundin . (ausgehen)
8Um Mitternacht er meistens . (ausgehen)
28Unit 5
Exercise 5.2
Use your dictionary to check which ones of the following verbs are separable.
Put a tick against them. The first separable verb has been done for you.
aufstehen verlieren abfahren anrufen
verstehenfernsehen aufhören stattfinden
einladen mitkommen bezahlen erzählen
aufräumenfrühstücken einkaufenbenutzen
Exercise 5.3
Now use the separable verbs from Exercise 5.2 to fill in the gaps below. The
first has been done for you.
1 Herr und Frau Conradi stehen um sieben Uhr auf.
2 Die Kinderihr Zimmer .
3 Erimmer im Supermarkt.
4 Wir gehen ins Kino.du?
5 Frau Schmidt mit dem Rauchen.
6 Wanndas Konzert ?
7 Herr Claus liebt Seifenopern. Er jeden Tag .
8 Wannder nächste Zug nach Hamburg?
9 Wir viele Gäste zu unserer Party.
10 Sie kauft eine Telefonkarte und ihre Mutter.
Exercise 5.4
Translate the following sentences:
1I get up at six o’clock.
2I start my work at 8 o’clock.
3The meeting takes place on Monday.
4When does the train depart?
5When does the train arrive?
6Michael is tidying up and his children are watching television.
7Are you coming along to the cinema?
Unit 5 29
Checklist
1 Which part of the verb is split off?
2 Where does it go in a sentence?
3 What happens if a sentence consists of more than one clause?
4 How can you check whether a verb is separable?
5 Do you know which prefixes are non-separable?
UNIT SIX
Imperatives
What is the imperative?
The imperative is used for giving orders or instructing people to do things.
The imperative in English
In English, the imperative works by using the infinitive form of the verb:
Go home! Open your books! Close the window!
Whether you are addressing only one person or several, it does not change.
Four different forms in German
The imperative in German is a bit more complicated. There are different
forms depending on whether you are addressing one person only or more
than one. German also distinguishes between the formal and informal mode
of address in the imperative.
Imperatives – an overview
Here is an overview of the different forms of the imperative:
singular plural
duSieihr Sie
kommenKomm! Kommen Sie!Kommt!Kommen Sie!
wartenWarte.Warten Sie.Wartet. Warten Sie.
sprechenSprichSprechen Sie Sprecht Sprechen Sie
leise.leise. leise.leise.
Unit 6 31
anfangenFang an.Fangen Sie an.Fangt an. Fangen Sie an.
haben Hab Haben Sie HabtHaben Sie
Geduld. Geduld. Geduld. Geduld.
seinSei Seien Sie SeidSeien Sie
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