275. Blog Topics Index (3)

275.  Blog Topics Index German, the people, language & culture of Germany, Austria & Switzerland

190-192     The (Present) Perfect Tense - Post, Quiz & Answers to Quiz

193-195     The (Present) Perfect Tense with Irregular Verbs - Post, Quiz & Answers to Quiz

196-198    Perfect Tense with Verbs of Movement & Change of State - Post, Quiz & Answers to Quiz

199-201     Separable Verbs - Post, Quiz & Answers to Quiz

202- 204    The Imperative of the Verb - Post, Quiz & Answers to Quiz

205-207     The Imperfect Tense of the Verb - Post, Quiz & Answers to Quiz

208-209     Common Irregular Verbs & Principal Parts

210--212    Subordinate Clauses - Post, Quiz & Answers to Quiz

213- 215    More on Separable Verbs - Post, Quiz & Answers to Quiz

216-218     Personal Pronouns (Replacing Nouns) -Post, Quiz & Answers to Quiz

219-221     Reflexive Verbs - Post, Quiz & Answers to Quiz

222-224     Adjective Endings (l) - Post, Quiz & Answers to Quiz

225-227     Adjective Endings (ll) - Post, Quiz & Answers to Quiz

228-230     Adjective Endings (lll) - Post, Quiz & Answers to Quiz

231-233     The Pluperfect Tense - Post, Quiz & Answers to Quiz

234-236      Infinitive Expressions & Clauses - Post, Quiz & Answers to Quiz

237-239      Relative (Adjectival) Clauses (who, whom, which, that) - Post, Quiz & Answers to Quiz

240-243      Passive Voice - Post, Quiz & Answers to Quiz

244-247      The Subjunctive Form of the Verb - Post, Quiz & Answers to Quiz

248-251     The Imperative form of the verb - Post, Quiz & Answers to Quiz

252-254      The Imperfect Form of the Verb - Post, Quiz & Answers to Quiz

255              Coordinating Conjunctions
 
256-258       More on Subordinate Clauses - Post, Quiz & Answers to Quiz

259              Learning to speak German - Greetings & Family
   
260              Learning to speak German - Pronunciation & Phrasing

261             Learning to speak German - Rote learning

262             At Customs in Frankfurt Airport

263              Personal Details

264-265       Basic Introductions & Conversation & Answers

266-267       Using the verb 'sein' & answers

268-269        Using the verb 'haben' & answers

270-271        Using the verb 'werden' & the Future Tense  & quiz

272               Saying things in the Past Tense

   

274. Topics Index (2) for Blog

274. Index (2) for Blog - German, the people, language & culture of Germany, Austria & Switzerland

73         To 'like' ...... gern(e), love .... sehr gern

74-76    Living in a cold climate - Post, Quiz & Answers to Quiz

77-79    German Foods - Post, Quiz & Answers to Quiz

80-82     German Numbers - Post, Quiz & Answers to Quiz

83-85     More numbers ... upping the ante ... Post, Quiz & Answers to Quiz

86-88     Shopping & buying things - Post, Quiz & Answers to Quiz

89-91     Other uses for numbers & months of the year - Post, Quiz & Answers to Quiz

92-94     A, an, one, no, not one, not any,  - ein & kein - Post, Quiz & Answers to Quiz

95-97     To be & to have - Post, Quiz & Answers to Quiz

98-100    German for the restaurant - Post, Quiz & Answers to Quiz

101-103  More useful phrases for the restaurant - Post, Quiz & Answers to Quiz

104         Restaurant conversation

105-107  Dining in Restaurant Weiteintag - Post, Quiz & Answers to Quiz

108-110  Nominative & accusative cases (subjs. & objs.) & clothing - Post, Quiz & Answers to Quiz

111-113  The def. art. ('the') & the accusative case (Objective Case) - Post, Quiz & Answers to Quiz

114-116  Modal verbs in present tense - I can, want to, must - Post, Quiz & Answers to Quiz

117-119  All modal verbs in present tense - Post, Quiz & Answers to Quiz

120-122  Expanding on modals - useful everyday expressions - Post, Quiz & Answers to Quiz

123-125  Directions - Finding your way around town - Post, Quiz & Answers to Quiz

126-128  The time in German - Post, Quiz & Answers to Quiz

129-131  Ordinal numbers & birthdates - Post, Quiz & Answers to Quiz

132-134  German word order in a main clause - Post, Quiz & Answers to Quiz

135-137  Refining German word order in a main clause - Post, Quiz & Answers to Quiz

138-139  German word order in a main clause (ll) - Post, Quiz & Answers to Quiz

140         Main clause word order (lll)

141-143  Pronouns in accusative case & main clause word order (lll) answers

144-146  Irregular verbs in present tense (l) - Post, Quiz & Answers to Quiz

147-149  Irregular verbs in present tense (ll) - Post, Quiz & Answers to Quiz

150-153  German beer - Post, Quiz & Answers to Quiz

154-156  German future tense - Post, Quiz & Answers to Quiz

157- 159  German noun pluras - Post, Quiz & Answers to Quiz

160 -162  Accusative case prepositions - Post, Quiz & Answers to Quiz

163-165  Genitive case - Post, Quiz & Answers to Quiz

166         The Genitive Case (ll)

167-169  Prepositions with the genitive case - Post, Quiz & Answers to Quiz

170-172  The dative case - Post, Quiz & Answers to Quiz

173-175  The Indefinite article in all cases - a, an, one, & no, not any - Post, Quiz & Answers to Quiz

176-178  Possessive Adjectives - my, your, his her,  its etc. Post, Quiz & Answers to Quiz

179-181  Demonstrative adjectives  - this, that, these, those - Post, Quiz & Answers to Quiz

182-184  Dative prepositions - Post, Quiz & Answers to Quiz

185-187  Accusative / Dative prepositions - Post, Quiz & Answers to Quiz

188-189  Test on cases & endings plus answers

273. Topics Index (1) for Blog

Topics Index for German, the people, language & culture of Germany, Austria & Switzerland

1-3     German in the World - Post, Quiz & Answers to Quiz

3-6     One Phone Call  to a Lifetime's Learning - Post, Quiz & Answers to Quiz

7-9     The definite article & 3 genders of nouns - Post, Quiz & Answers to Quiz

10-12  How to pronounce German sounds - Post, Quiz & Answers to Quiz

13-15  More pronunciation of German sounds - Post, Quiz & Answers to Quiz

16-18  More and more pronunciation of German sounds - Post, Quiz & Answers to Quiz

19-21  The major German speaking countries - Post, Quiz & Answers to Quiz

22-24  More on the German speaking countries - Post, Quiz & Answers to Quiz

25-27  Bavaria - Post, Quiz & Answers to Quiz

28-30  More about South Germany, Austria & Switzerland - Post, Quiz & Answers to Quiz

31-33  Basic greetings in German - Post, Quiz & Answers to Quiz

34-36  The 3 words for 'you' in German -Post, Quiz & Answers to Quiz

37-39  Beautiful Berchtesgaden - Post, Quiz & Answers to Quiz

40-42  Basic everyday phrases you might need in Germany - Post, Quiz & Answers to Quiz

43-45  The basics of German verbs - Post, Quiz & Answers to Quiz

46-48  English & German similarities & why - Post, Quiz & Answers to Quiz

49-51  Guessing the meanings of German cognates - Post, Quiz & Answers to Quiz

52        More on cognates in German

53-55   German autobahns - Post, Quiz & Answers to Quiz

56-58   German regular verbs in the present tense - Post, Quiz & Answers to Quiz

59-61   German singular pronouns - Post, Quiz & Answers to Quiz

62-64   Plural pronouns plus regular verbs in the present tense - Post, Quiz & Answers to Quiz

65-67  How to make questions in German - Post, Quiz & Answers to Quiz

68-69  Test on pronouns & verbs in the present tense & Answers to test

70-72  Leisure time in Germany - Post, Quiz & Answers to Quiz

272. Saying things in the Past Tense

272.  Saying Things in the Past Tense

We often have to express an idea or a opinion or simply tell of an event in the past. In conversation, German mostly uses the Perfect Tense to do this ...

e.g.  Where we would say in English  ... I saw a good film last night .... the structure  in German becomes something like  ..... I have last night a good film seen  ... Please note the word order here!

Clearly we have to be on top of the verb haben  and for verbs involving movement or change of state, you will need to brush up on the verb sein as well. Both these verbs are used with past participles that find themselves at the end of a clause or sentence. Again understanding how past participles are formed and which ones are irregular become an issue. Have a quick look at Blog posts 190 - 196  to refresh your understanding of these important concepts.

Ok, so ...  some examples ...

Ich habe  gestern Abend einen guten Film  gesehen

Wir haben  letzte Woche einen Wagen  gekauft.

Dieter  hat  seine Armbanduhr  gefunden.

Hast du  das Buch  ,Mord in München'  gelesen?

Anja und Monika  haben  sich  neulich  in einem Cafe in der Stadtmitte  getroffen.

Ist Sonia schon nach Frankfurt  gefahren ?

Wir sind oft als Kinder zur Schule gelaufen.

Ich bin letztes Jahr rund um Europa gereist.

Grid Practice

ich                          haben             uns                    seine Mutter           besucht

du                           habe               mir                    das Auto                 getroffen

Erika                      hast                jeden Tag          den Stadtplan          getrunken

Franz                      hat                 oft                     die Schweiz             gegessen

wir                          habt               nie                     nach Europa            gezeigt

meine Familie        sind                letzte Woche     einen Film               gekauft

Thomas u. Alexi    bin                  gestern              eine CD                   gesehen

Sie                          ist                   manchmal         Bier                         gegangen

ihr                          bist                  neulich              im Cafe                   gereist

Der Polizist           seid                  am Montag       zur Uni                    gemietet

Fragen

1   Did you (pl. fam.) travel to Europe on Monday?

2   I sometimes drank beer in the cafe.

3   Erika often visited her mother every day.

4   The policeman showed us the city map.

5   We often walked to uni.

6   Thomas and Alexi saw a film yesterday.

7   Franz bought us the car last week.

8   Did you (sg. pol.) sometimes visit Switzerland?

9   Have you (sg. fam.) bought a CD recently?

10  My family travelled to Europe last year.

271. Using the Future Tense - Quiz

271.  Using the Future Tense - Quiz

Use the grid below to say sentences in the Future Tense or 'become' ....

Tania                                                             uns

Unsere Eltern                                               mich

Michael                                                         eine Konferenz                 besuchen

ihr                                        wird                  einen Bericht                    schreiben

        

sie                                       werdet                bald                                  kommen

die Studenten                      wirst                  nächsten Sommer             machen

der Polizist                          werden              nach Australien                tun

du                                                                  eine lange Reise               essen

wir                                                                 nichts                                schwimmen gehen

die Lehrerinnen                                             sehr alt                              reisen

ich                                                                 jetzt krank

Wie sagt man?

1   We will write soon.

2    The teachers will attend a conference.

3    I am getting sick now.

4    The policeman will write a report soon

5    "You will eat nothing?"

6    My parents are getting very old.

7    Tania will take a long trip soon.

8    Michael will come to Australia next summer.

9    She will visit me.

10  You will go swimming?

270. Using the verb 'werden' incl the Future Tense

270.  Using the verb 'werden' incl the Future Tense

The verb werden is especially useful in conversation because it allows you to express ideas in the Future Tense. Its basic meaning, however,  is to become / get ...

For example ...

Abends werde ich oft müde  - in the evening I often get tired
Mein Vater wird im Mai siebzig Jahre alt - My father is turning (becoming) 70 years old in May.

To make the Future Tense we need to use the Present Tense of werden plus the Infinitive (end of clause!) .....

ich werde,  
du wirst,  
er, sie, es wird,             +            singen, lachen, bringen  etc.
wir werden,  
ihr werdet,  
Sie / sie werden

For example ...

Wir werden nächstes Jahr nach Europa reisen ... we will / shall travel to Europe next year.
Wirst du bald eine Wohnung kaufen?  ...  will you buy an apartment soon?
Anja und Alex werden im Mai ihre Eltern besuchen... Anja & Alex will visit their parents in May.

269 Answers to Blog post 267

269  Answers to Blog post 268

1    I am often hungry.

2    Does Sascha have a date today?

3    Alex and Anja always have a German class on Monday.

4    The policeman is rarely scared.

5    Our parents have an appointment next week.

6    My uncle has a drink now.

7    Do you (plural informal) have an exam tomorrow?

8    We have a menu now.

9    My teacher is always thirsty.

10   Doesn't she have any money today?'

Answers ....

1     Ich habe oft Hunger.

2     Hat Sascha heute ein Date?

3     Alex und Anja haben immer am Montag eine Deutschklasse.

4     Der Polizist hat selten Angst.

5     Unsere Eltern haben nächste Woche einen Termin.

6     Mein Onkel hat jetzt ein Getränk.

7     Habt ihr morgen eine Prüfung?

8    Wir haben jetzt eine Speisekarte / ein Menü?

9    Meine Lehrerin hat immer Durst.

10  Hat sie heute kein Geld?

268 Using the verb 'haben' (to have)

268  Using the verb 'haben' (to have)

The verb 'haben' is probably the 2nd most used verb in the language. There are many expressions that use this verb and below you will find the verb in its Present Tense forms. If you would like to revise it further you can find it in Blog Post 95.

S      1   ich                habe
I       2   du                 hast
N      3  er, sie, es       hat

P      wir                     haben
L      ihr                      habt
U      Sie                     haben
R      sie                      haben

Using the grid below, see if you can say the following sentences that follow ..

ich                              hast                   morgen                 Angst
sie                              haben                oft                         Hunger
mein Onkel                hat                    immer                    Durst
Meine Lehrerin          habt                  nie                         viele Freunde
Sascha                        habe                 selten                     eine Deutschklasse
Unsere Eltern             haben               nächstes Jahr         eine Prüfung
Alex und Anja            hast                  am Montag            einen Termin
Der Polizist                 haben               nächste Woche      ein Date
wir                               hat                   im Januar               kein Geld
du                                habt                 heute                      eine Speisekarte
ihr                                habe                jetzt                       ein Getränk

Now try saying these sentences using the grid ....

1    I am often hungry.
2    Does Sascha have a date today?
3    Alex and Anja always have a German class on Monday.
4    The policeman is rarely scared.
5    Our parents have an appointment next week.
6    My uncle has a drink now.
7    Do you (plural informal) have an exam tomorrow?
8    We have a menu now.
9    My teacher is always thirsty.
10   Doesn't she have any money today?

267 Answers to Blog Post 266 (Verb 'sein')

267  Answers to Blog Post 266 (Verb 'sein')

1    She is never noisy.

2    I am quite excited now.

3    Are you (polite) rarely sick?

4   My boyfriend is always very polite.

5   Mrs Thoma is sometimes very humorous.

6   My friends and I are now and then quite friendly.

7   Is Karla often nervous?

8   Are you (plural informal) already calm?

9   Erich is healthy today

10 Are you (sing. pol) happy now?

Answers to above ....

1   Sie ist nie laut.

2   Ich bin jetzt ganz aufgeregt.

3   Sind Sie selten höflich?

4   Mein Freund ist immer sehr höflich.

5   Frau Thoma ist manchmal sehr humorvoll.

6   Meine Freunde und ich sind ab und zu ganz freundlich.

7   Ist Karla oft nervös?

8   Seid ihr schon ruhig?

9   Erich ist heute gesund.

10 Sind Sie jetzt glücklich?

266 Using the verb 'sein' (to be)

USING THE VERB 'SEIN' (TO BE)

The verb sein (to be) is the most common verb used in German. This is the case with all languages and learning the variations of this verb is very useful to the student.

I have set out below how the verb works in the Present Tense - For revision with this verb you can go back to Blog Post 95.

S         1  ich            bin
I          2  du             bist
N        3  er, sie, es   ist

P         1  wir            sind
L         2  ihr             seid
U        2  Sie             sind
R        3  sie              sind

Try the following sentences below using the conversation grid below ..

ich                                        bin              oft                    froh
du                                         sind            hier                   traurig
er                                          seid            nie                    nervös
sie                                         ist               manchmal        laut
es                                          bist             heute                ruhig
wir                                        sind            ab und zu         aufgeregt
ihr                                         bin             selten                glücklich
Sie                                        sind            im Moment      krank
sie                                         seid            an der Uni        gesund
mein Freund                         bist            jetzt                   intelligent
Karla                                     ist              schon                sehr höflich
Meine Freunde und ich        seid            immer               ganz freundlich
Frau Thoma                          sind           zu Hause           humorvoll

1    She is never noisy.
2    I am quite excited now.
3    Are you (polite) rarely sick?
4   My boyfriend is always very polite.
5   Mrs Thoma is sometimes very humorous.
6   My friends and I are now and then quite friendly.
7   Is Karla often nervous?
8   Are you (plural informal) already calm?
9   Erich is healthy today
10 Are you (sing. pol) happy now?

265 Basic Conversation Answers (Post 264)

265 Basic Conversation Answers to Blog Post 264


1   Where are you staying here at the uni? Wo wohnst du hier an der Uni?

2   Are you a student in Ulm? Bist du Student(in) in Ulm? 

3   I am 19 years old. Ich bin neunzehn Jahre alt 

4   We are studying biology here in Frankfurt. Wir studieren Biologie hier in Frankfurt. 

5   Where do you (pol.) live? Wo wohnen Sie? 

6   Hello, do you (plur. fam.) live here at the uni? Guten Tag, wohnt ihr hier auf der Uni? 

7   What is your (fam. sg.) address? Wie ist deine Adresse? 

8   Thomas is a Biology student in Freiburg. Thomas ist Biologiestudent in Freiburg. 

9   My girlfriend lives in student accommodation. Meine Freundin wohnt in einem Studentenwohnheim.

Where are you now? Wo bist du jetzt?

264. Basic Introductions - Speaking Practice Grid

264.   Basic Introductions - Speaking Practice

Below I have added a grid which will allow you to practise some basic questions and answers for your first meeting with someone in Germany.

I will add a sample or two below. Once again you can choose any items from the various columns in the grid but make sure that your verbs match up with the subjects.

Wie                        bist             du                              Sie                      ?

Guten Tag            heißt           in der Stadtmitte      an der Uni        !

Wo                        wohne         sind                           Alois                   .

Bist                       ich              heiße                          Jahre alt

Wir                       wohnt         deine Adresse            in Ulm

Ich                        alt               19                          in einem Studentwohnheim

Meine Freundin   ist              Biologie                     jetzt

Thomas                wohnen       ihr

 Hallo                   bin               Student

                             du                hier

                             studieren     Monika

                             wohnst

Examples

1     Good day,  I am called Alois   ..... Guten Tag,  ich heiße Alois.

2     My girlfriend's name is Monika  ....   Meine Freundin heißt Monika.

Fragen .... how would you say?

1    Where are you staying here at the uni?

2    Are you a student in Ulm?

3    I am 19 years old.

4    We are studying biology here in Frankfurt.

5    Where do you (pol.) live?

6    Hello, do you (plur. fam.) here at the uni?

7    What is your (fam. sg.) address?

8    Thomas is a Biology student in Freiburg.

9    My girlfriend lives in student accommodation.

10  Where are you now?

263. Personal Details Grid & Speaking Practice

263.  Personal Details Grid & Speaking Practice

Below you will find a grid which is designed to give you a chance to practise speaking German.

You can choose any item from each column to make up sentences but .....

You must make sure that they make sense and verbs agree with the subject. Remember verbs in German change according to the pronoun or noun used as the subject.

I will give some examples below the grid and then ask you how to say various things based on the grid.

Ich                       sind              jetzt           mit dem Bus           aus Neuseeland ?    

Kommen             bin                   lange           Unterkunft             Australier  !

Wir                     wohne              manchmal         in Melbourne        Tourist .

Meine Frau          heißt            heute                nach München        hier in Frankfurt

Meine Frau und ich   reisen             oft                      sechzig Jahre alt     reserviert

Bleiben                Sie               nächste Woche       in einem Hotel       Marthe

Haben                 haben              ein Zimmer       in der Stadtmitte    in Deutschland

Examples

We often travel in Germany ...  Wir  reisen  oft  in Deutschland.

Have you reserved a room in Melbourne?   .... Haben Sie ein Zimmer in Melbourne reserviert?

Fragen ... How would you say the following?

1    I live in the city centre here in Frankfurt.

2    My wife's name is Marthe.

3    Are staying long in Germany?

4    My wife and I often travel to Munich.

5     I am sixty years old now.

6     Do you come from New Zealand?

7     We are Australians.

8     I am now staying in a hotel here in Frankfurt.

9     We are travelling by bus to Mainz next week.

10   Do you have accommodation in Frankfurt today?

262 At Customs in Frankfurt Airport

262    At Customs in Frankfurt Airport

I am going to assume now that you want to try out your new found German in public. A word of warning here ... a little knowledge can be a dangerous thing. One of the traps tourists fall into when they come to a foreign country armed with their phrase book on the plane and away they go. They volunteer something which their conversation partner interprets to mean that they speak the language. Next thing of course comes a reply in the foreign language and often fairly fast and the poor old tourist is lost floundering. My advice to you would be this ...

If you are talking to anybody in an official capacity - customs,  police, doctor  etc., try your own language first or in Germany you might like to ask ...  Bitte,  sprechen  Sie  Englisch?  It is very easy to make mistakes and cause yourself problems in situations requiring accuracy.

From here on in, I will start with dialogues using simple structures and vocabulary and up the ante as we go. Where necessary I will refer you to relevant blog posts.

Beim Zoll in Frankfurt

Beamter     Guten Tag!

Tourist        Guten Tag!

Beamter      Ihren Pass bitte!

Tourist        So, bitte schön!

Beamter      Danke schön, wie ist Ihr Name bitte?

Tourist         Mein Name ist Ross, Martin Ross.

Beamter       Wie alt sind? Wann sind Sie geboren?

Tourist         Ich bin dreißig Jahre alt und ich bin am achten August 1985 geboren.

Beamter       Und Ihre Adresse?

Tourist         Ich wohne in Newcastle in der Marktstraße 12

Beamter       Und Sie sind Australier?

Tourist          Ja,  ich komme aus Neusüdwales, Australien>

Beamter        Wie lange wollen Sie in Deutschland bleiben?

Tourist          Sechs Wochen. Wir reisen überall im Süden Deutschlands.

Beamter        Wann reisen Sie ab?

Tourist          Am zweiten November fliegen wir nach Wien.

Beamter        Gut, alles in Ordnung. Viel Spaß noch!

Tourist          Danke schön.

261 Learning to Speak German - Rote Learning

261  Learning to Speak German - Rote Learning

Rote learning is somewhat unfashionable in school systems these days. Much of what happens in the classroom in these times tends to focus on process learning rather than memorising facts and information. However, I will be brave enough to admit that there is a very strong place for rote learning when it come to learning a language.

If you read back over Blog Post 4 again (if you have already done so), you will see that my first native speaking teacher was Kurt Herzog.  He influenced my thinking forever more when he said to me one night: 'Graham, I want you to tell me how a car works in German'. I was dead in the water on two counts here ... 1. I didn't know how a car worked beyond things like petrol, steering wheels, gears and brakes... 2.  I didn't know the German words for any parts of the car other than  'Auto', 'Wagen'  and maybe 'Straße'.  Herr Herzog very patiently took me through the process of both and after some 20 minutes of mind-blowing blood sweat and tears (not really, but a lot of concentration and mental gymnastics), we reached the end of the road or so I thought!

"Very good, Graham,' he said, 'but let's do it again now that you know how a car works and what the German for that is.'  Me thinks: 'you've gotta be joking, Pal!'   Panic stations! Well I we did, with a fair bit of help from my friend once again but a few words like 'Bremsen' (brakes), 'Lenkrad' (steering wheel), 'Reifen' (tyres) and even 'Zündkerze' (spark plug - lit. lighting candle) actually had stuck. 15 minutes later we had stumbled through the process.

'And again, Graham, one more time!'  'Oh no, this is murder (not really, just a little more exaggeration!)'  and away I went again. After only 8-10 minutes I actually managed to remember most of it. The words and phases Kurt gave me had started to be etched into the memory.

The human brain can do this! It is a wonderful facility often untapped these days except maybe for our multiplication tables. I saw a demonstration lesson one day at a Sydney school where the teacher put up a conversation between two people on the blackboard and bit by bit he removed words and replaced them with a dash. The students were able after a quarter of an hour to repeat the dialogue on the blackboard which in the end had nothing but dashes and no words! Try this experiment for yourselves with the dialogue below. Run off 5 copies of the dialogue and  by remove words in successive attempts in the order given in brackets after each word ..  eg.

Ich (1)    komme  (3)    aus  (4)    Australien  (2)  After Attempt 1, you would have 

 ___   komme   aus   Australien   After Attempt 2, you would have:  ___ komme   aus  ____  etc. 

Dialogue

A      Guten (2)   Morgen (1).

B      Guten (2)  Morgen (1).

A      Mein (2)    Name (1)   ist (4)  Schulz (3),   Martin (1)    Schulz (3).

B      Ich (2)     heiße (5)   Hanni  (1)  Schmidt (3).

A      Wo (4)   wohnst   du (2)  Hanni (1) ?

B      Ich (2)     wohne (5)  in (1)   Salzburg (4).   Und (3)  du (4)?

A      Ich (2)    wohne (5)  in (1)   Newcastle (3)    Australien (1).

B      Australien (1)?    Wirklich (5)?

A      Ja (1) ,  ich (3)    bin (5)    Student (2)  in (5)  Salzburg (4)

260. Learning to Speak German - Pronunciation and Phrasing

260.   Learning to Speak German   - Pronunciation & Phrasing

Before we begin learning to speak, it is important to learn good German pronunciation. To that end I suggest you read through Blog Posts 10-19 incl which will put you  on the right track.

It is also important to understand how easily you can confuse the listener if you simply change a vowel sound. An example I frequently use in class is the difference you find in meanings when using the 5 vowels in the following words ....   bag   beg   big    bog   bug. You must make every effort to get your pronunciation right.

The second point I would like to make before we really get started is the need for you to understand that any language is made up not just simply of words from a vocab list but is a combination of

words               phrases          &       grammar.

Words are the individual component parts necessary to identify certain people, objects & ideas.

Phrases combine a number of words to summarise an idea & add more information than a word.

Grammar is the glue of the language that holds all the words and phrases together. It includes things such as word order, tense change, cases and even complicated clauses. 

As your knowledge of a language increases, the more you will need to gain good understanding of grammar. When you know very little about a language, perhaps even just a few words or phrases, e.g. by saying 'Milch' to a storekeeper will probably be enough for you to get some milk.

Even mime can sometimes get you out of trouble. My favourite true story here, however, involved a tourist in Spain wanting to purchase some eggs. He went through the motions of clucking and flapping arms like a chicken and then plucking an egg from somewhere near his nether regions. The storekeeper's eyes lit up and with 'si, señor', he reached down behind the counter an produced a toilet roll. Nonetheless, mime is sometimes worth a try if all else fails.

So, in starting out on a project aimed at trying to help students to learn to speak through writing, I urge you to understand that you will need to learn all 3 aspects of the language mentioned above, particularly phrases and structures rather than just the words. I will emphasise this as we go along. I will also assume that you are making every effort as well to learn German pronunciation.

I have mentioned elsewhere in this blog that you have a wonderful resource online in just two sources I frequently refer to myself. They are  dict.com - deutsch-englisch & Leo-dict.cc Wörterbuch Deutsch Englisch. Both have a facility to hear how each word you search for is pronounced in German.

I will also look at giving you topics you might find useful when travelling so let's start with a few phrases. I will underline  / highlight phrases to be learnt ..

ich heiße    Graham Faraday

mein Name ist   Graham Faraday

ich bin fünfzig   Jahre alt  (I wish!)

ich wohne   in Newcastle Australien

meine Adresse ist   Rayfordstraße 20    (Note number goes after street name)

ich bin   am achtzehnten August    1965    geboren   ('geboren'  = 'born'  is put at end of clause)

ich habe    eine Frau Robyn    und drei Kinder (Söhne) Robert, Scott und Mark

ich bin   ein Meter 77 groß,    ich habe grüne Augen   und  ich habe kurze graue Haare

ich habe   auch   einen grauen Schnurrbart.

Note that I have underlined some adjective endings in the last 2 sentences. Adjectives preceding a noun have different endings (See Blog Posts 222 - 229 if you want to learn these). Otherwise, if you are just starting out and want a green jacket  .... grün  Jacke  will do  [grüne Jacke correct].

In conclusion today, you will see lots of different endings on the words for 'the'  or 'a(n)' . Again I suggest in the beginning if you just say 'd'  for 'the'  and 'ein'  for   'a,  an,  one' you will get by.

Try and fill in the gaps where you need to supply your very own information.

259. Learning to Speak German - Greetings & Family

259.  Learning to Speak German -  Greetings & Family

We start learning language from our parents and family members at a very early age. At first a young child will acquire individual words ....   Mum,  Dad,  Nan,  Pop,  milk,  ta,  bye,  car,  dog,  cat  etc.

Phase 2 starts with phrases where the child starts to express not mere words but concepts ....

 go home,  bye bye,  want milk,  stand up,  give chockie etc.

As language improves, children are able to start producing sentences and often by the age of 3, they can say relatively sophisticated sentences. So just like young children, let's start here with the very first basics of  spoken German ..... the greetings ..

guten Morgen   ...   good morning

guten Tag          ...   good day  ( used in North and Central Germany)

grüß Gott           ...   hello, good day  (used in South Germany, Austria )
guten Abend      ....  good evening 

grüezi                 ...   hello, good day ( used in Switzerland)

Servus                ...   hello ( used in South Germany, Austria )

Moin                  ...   hello (used in North and Central Germany)

Hallo                  ...   hello - used for telephone but increasingly as general greeting

auf Wiedersehen ...  good bye

Tschüss               ...   bye  -  informal farewell

auf Wiederhören ...   good bye on telephone

gute Nacht          ...    good night -  said when going to bed or good bye late at night

There are numerous regional variations in greetings, e.g.   'habe die Ehre'  used in Bavaria  meaning

'(I) have the honour (of seeing you)' but the above phrases serve as the basic greetings in everyday German.

and Family Members ...

Mama  / Mutti   ...   Mum(my)

Papa  /   Vati      ...   Dad(dy)

Oma                  ...    Grandma /  Nan

Opa                   ...    Granddad  /  Pop

Tante Maria      ...     Aunty Maria

Onkel Franz     ...     Uncle Franz

Schwester         ...     Sister

Bruder              ...     Brother

Kusine / Cousine ...  Cousin (f)

Cousin / Vetter  ...     Cousin (m)

258. Subordinate Clause Word Order Quiz Answers

                              258.  Subordinate Clause Word Order Quiz Answers


1     Nachdem  ich das Buch gelesen  habe ,  habe  ich  den Film  gesehen .


2     Klaus   konnte  nicht  zur Party  kommen ,   weil   er  sehr  krank   war .


3     Während  wir  in Hamburg  waren ,   haben  wir  eine  Hafenrundfahrt  gemacht .


4      Wenn  meine Eltern  im Winter  in Bayern  sind ,  gehen  sie  gern  Schi laufen .


5      Katrin  lernt  schon  viel Plattdeutsch ,  seitdem  sie  ganz im Norden Deutschlands wohnt .


6       Da meine Freunde  den Schwarzwald  lieben,  verbringen sie  oft  ihren Urlaub  in Titisee .


7     Ich  will  auf dem Ku'damm  einkaufen  gehen,   sobald   ich   in Berlin   ankomme.


8     Indem  Monika ins Zimmer kam,   sang  sie  leise  ein schönes Lied .


9     Bevor  Sie  nach Deutschland  gehen,  sollten  Sie  ein bisschen Deutsch  lernen .


10    Ihr  müsst  den Dom  besuchen ,  wenn  ihr  nächsten August  in Köln  seid.


11    Als  mein Vater  in Schottland   war,    hat   er   Golf  in St Andrews   gespielt.


12    Obgleich meine Großeltern sehr  lieb  sind ,   kann ich  sie  nur  zweimal im Jahr  besuchen  .

257 Subordinate Clause Word Order Quiz

                                         257   Subordinate Clause Word Order Quiz

Rewrite the following sentences in good German word order. Clue .... Try to identify which is the Main Clause first and which is the Subordinate Clause.  Remember ... the Main Clause can stand on its own and make sense but the Subordinate Clause cannot stand alone - it only adds meaning to the Main Clause. 

The examples below are mixed ... some start with the Subordinate Clause and some start with the Main Clause.


1     das Buch   gelesen   ich    nachdem   habe ,   den Film   ich   gesehen   habe .


2     zur Party    nicht   Klaus   konnte    kommen ,   sehr  krank   war   weil   er.


3     während   in Hamburg    waren    wir ,   eine  Hafenrundfahrt   gemacht   wir  haben .


4     in Bayern   meine Eltern    wenn    sind   im Winter ,  gern    sie    Schi laufen   gehen .


5     lernt   Katrin    schon    viel Plattdeutsch ,   ganz im Norden Deutschlands  seitdem  wohnt  sie .


6     den Schwarzwald   meine Freunde   lieben  da ,   oft   verbringen   ihren Urlaub  in Titisee  sie.


7     will   ich   einkaufen   auf dem Ku'damm  gehen,   sobald   ich   in Berlin   ankomme.


8     ins Zimmer    kam    indem   Monika ,   ein schönes Lied    leise   sang    sie.


9     nach Deutschland    Sie   bevor   gehen,   Sie  ein bisschen Deutsch  sollten  lernen.


10    müsst    den Dom    ihr   besuchen ,   in Köln   wenn   nächsten August   ihr    seid.


11    mein Vater   als   in Schottland   war,    in St Andrews   er   Golf   hat    gespielt.


12    obgleich   sehr  lieb   meine Großeltern   sind ,   sie   nur   zweimal im Jahr   kann  besuchen  ich.

256. More on Subordinate Clause Word Order

                                     256.  More on Subordinate Clause Word Order

We have seen in a previous post that Word Order in a Subordinate Clause is different from the Main Clause (Principal Clause). 

Using the SVPANAPPI model for main clause word order (See Post 210),  the main difference in the Subordinate Clause word order is that the verb is placed last in the clause and not second.

This then leaves us with a pattern of   SPANAPPIV    e.g....

Wenn ich mich krank  fühle,  .....
Obgleich Anna nur zehn Jahre alt  ist,    .....
Bevor du in die Stadt   gehst,  .....

A further complication is that when the Subordinate Clause precedes the Main Clause, the verb in the Main Clause immediately follows ...  e.g

Wenn ich mich krank fühle,  kann  ich meinen Arzt anrufen.
Obgleich Anna nur zehn Jahre alt ist,  hat  sie schon viel Erfolg beim Schilaufen gehabt.
Bevor du in die Stadt gehst ,  sollst  du deine Hausaufgaben machen.

If the Main Clause comes first in the sentence,  the Subordinate Clause simply has its verb at the end.

Ich kann meinen Arzt anrufen, wenn ich mich krank  fühle.
Anna hat schon viel Erfolg beim Schilaufen gehabt, obgleich sie nur zehn Jahre alt  ist.
Du sollst deine Hausaufgaben machen, bevor du in die Stadt  gehst.

Please note, a Subordinate Clause usually starts with a subordinating conjunction.