[A1] (6) Full German documents: Nicos Weg textbook | Things

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21. Was ist das?

21.1. Grammar

Articles: definite

The three definite articles: der, die, das

In German a distinction is made between masculine, feminine and neuter nouns. The grammatical gender of a noun can be seen in its accompanying article. Since in most cases there are no rules as to which gender a noun has, it is necessary to learn the nouns together with their articles. The article comes before the noun.

Masculine nouns have the definite article der.

Wo ist der Stift? – Der Stift ist hier.

Feminine nouns have the definite article die.

Wo ist die Brille? – Die Brille ist hier.

Neuter nouns have the definite article das.

Wo ist das Buch? – Das Buch ist hier.

In the plural all nouns have the definite article die.

Wo sind die Stifte? – Die Stifte sind hier.

Wo sind die Brillen? – Die Brillen sind hier.

Wo sind die Bücher? – Die Bücher sind hier.

	Singular	Plural
masculine	der Stift	die Stifte
feminine	die Brille	die Brillen
neuter	das Buch	die Bücher

The definite article is used in particular when talking about an object or person that is already known to the other person.

Lisa says: Wo ist die Brille?

The listener understands that she is not looking for just any pair of glasses. She is looking for a particular pair, namely her own.

21.2. Vocabulary

der Bleistift, die Bleistifte	pencil
die Brille, die Brillen	eyeglasses
das Buch, die Bücher	book
der Deutschkurs, die Deutschkurse	German course
die	the (plural)
der Lehrer, die Lehrer	teacher (male)
die Lehrerin, die Lehrerinnen	teacher (female)
der Notizblock, die Notizblöcke	notebook
das Papier hier nur Singular	paper
der Radiergummi, die Radiergummis alternativ: das Radiergummi, die Radiergummis	eraser
der Schlüssel, die Schlüssel	key
die Sprachschule, die Sprachschulen	language school
der Stift, die Stifte	pen
(etwas) unterrichten unterrichtet, unterrichtete, hat unterrichtet	to teach; to instruct
Wie heißt das auf Deutsch?	What does that mean in German?

21.3. Culture and society

Learning German in Germany

Would you like to learn German in Germany? Lots of institutes offer language classes at various levels during the day or in the evenings. Well-known are the Goethe Institute and the Volkshochschule (VHS, for short), which you find in nearly every city.

You normally have to pay for language classes at a language school. In certain circumstances, for example, if you are a recognized refugee, then the city will cover most of the costs of the class. You can visit a so-called Integrationskurs (integration course) and only have to pay very little. At the end of the course, you must sit and pass a test. Then you may apply for a job in Germany.

If you like learning online, there are lots of good resources available on the internet for learning German, from individual materials to real language courses.

22. Wem gehört das?

22.1. Grammar

Articles: indefinite

The indefinite articles: ein, eine

When we are not talking about a particular object or a particular person, the indefinite article is used.

Was ist das? – Das ist ein Stift.

It does not matter which pen it is, to whom it belongs, or whether it is blue, black, big or small. The sentence could refer to any pen. That is why the indefinite article ein is used, and not the definite article der.

	definite	indefinite
masculine	der Stift	ein Stift
feminine	die Brille	eine Brille
neuter	das Buch	ein Buch

In the plural, there are no indefinite articles. If an indefinite noun is used in the plural, there is no article in front of it.

	definite	indefinite
plural	die Stifte	Stifte
plural	die Brillen	Brillen
plural	die Bücher	Bücher

Indefinite or definite?

Das ist eine Tasche.

The indefinite article is used …

• when we are talking about the type of object or person being referred to in general.
• when the object or person is not yet known and has not been mentioned before.

Das ist die Tasche von Jenny.

The definite article is used …

• when talking about a particular object or person that is already known to the speaker or listener.
• when further information is known about a person or an object, e.g. to whom it belongs.

Grammatical terms in German:

• der bestimmte Artikel: The articles der, die, das are definite articles.
• der unbestimmte Artikel: The articles ein, eine are indefinite articles.

Nouns: plural

When we are talking about two or more people or objects of the same type, we use the plural form.

• Singular: Das ist ein Stift. Der Stift kostet 1,50 Euro.
• Plural: Das sind fünf Stifte. Die Stifte kosten 7,50 Euro.

In German there are different ways to form the plural. It is hard to find general rules that are valid in all cases and to say which nouns have which plural endings – and it is even harder to remember these rules and apply them. The best thing is to learn each noun with the definite article and the plural. You can find this information in a dictionary. Usually the plural is not given as a whole word, just as an ending.

The plural of Stift is formed with the ending -e, becoming: die Stifte.

The plural of Buch is formed with an umlaut (the symbol for this is a dash with two dots above it, as you see in the picture above) and the ending -er, becoming: die Bücher.

There are five different plural endings:

Ending	Example
-n	die Brille, die Brillen
-en	die Zahl, die Zahlen
-e	der Stift, die Stifte
-er	das Kind, die Kinder
-s	das Foto, die Fotos

Some nouns have no different ending.

Example:

der Lehrer, die Lehrer

Some nouns also gain an umlaut on one of the vowels in the word in the plural.

Examples:

• der Notizblock, die Notizblöcke
• das Buch, die Bücher
• der Flughafen, die Flughäfen

Some words have two possible plural forms.

Example: die Pizza, die Pizzen/die Pizzas.

Both plural forms are right and have the same meaning.

Grammatical terms in German:

• der Singular: The singular is used when we are referring to a single person or object.
• der Plural: The plural is used when we are referring to several people or objects.

Conjugation: lesen

Liest du gern? – Ja, ich lese gern.

As with other verbs, in the conjugation of the verb lesen, the root vowel changes in the second- and third-person singular. The vowel e becomes ie. The ie is spoken as a long i.

Singular:

• 1st person – ich lese
• 2nd person – du liest
• 3rd person – er/sie/es liest

Plural:

• 1st person – wir lesen
• 2nd person – ihr lest
• 3rd person – sie lesen

Formal – Sie lesen

22.2. Vocabulary

die Bestellung, die Bestellungen	order
der Deutschunterricht nur Singular	German class
der Dialog, die Dialoge	dialogue; conversation
ein	a/an (indefinite article)
eine	a/an (indefinite article)
falsch	wrong
die Hausaufgabe, die Hausaufgaben meist im Plural	homework
(etwas) hören hört, hörte, hat gehört	to listen to; to hear
das Jahr, die Jahre	year
der Kursteilnehmer, die Kursteilnehmer	course participant (male)
die Kursteilnehmerin, die Kursteilnehmerinnen	course participant (female)
(etwas) lernen lernt, lernte, hat gelernt	to learn (something)
(etwas) lesen liest, las, hat gelesen	to read (something)
der Nachmittag, die Nachmittage	afternoon
die Nachricht, die Nachrichten	message
der Ordner, die Ordner	binder; folder
die Pause, die Pausen	break
richtig	correct; right
der Satz, die Sätze	sentence
(etwas) schreiben schreibt, schrieb, hat geschrieben	to write (something)
die Tafel, die Tafeln	board; chalkboard
der Text, die Texte	text
(etwas) üben übt, übte, hat geübt	to practice (something)
von	of
etwas wiederholen wiederholt, wiederholte, hat wiederholt	to repeat/revise/review something
das Wort, die Wörter	word
das Wörterbuch, die Wörterbücher	dictionary
zum Beispiel Abkürzung: z. B.	for example; for instance

22.3. Culture and society

Who speaks German?

About 105 million people in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Luxembourg speak German as their first language. In Europe, German is also spoken in parts of Belgium, eastern France and in South Tyrol (Italy).

German is spoken above all within the European Union and in other countries of eastern and central Europe. But German is a popular foreign language elsewhere too: it is taught in about 144 countries, including North Korea. After English, Chinese and French, Spanish and German are regular rivals for the fourth most commonly studied foreign language in the world.

23. Ich habe kein …

23.1. Grammar

Sentence construction: subject

Most German statements contain at least one conjugated verb and a subject. The subject performs the action expressed by the verb. The subject is active in the sentence or is central to the interest. A subject is generally a noun, a group of nouns or a personal pronoun.

When the subject is a noun with an article, the article takes one of the following forms:

• masculine: der/ein
• feminine: die/eine
• neuter: das/ein
• plural: die/-

This form is called the nominative.

The subject answers the question “Wer?” or “Was?” (wer for people and was for non-persons, for example animals or objects) and determines the form of the conjugated verb.

Grammatical terms in German:

das Subjekt: The subject is the person or thing that is active in the sentence or is central to the interest. It is generally a noun or pronoun.

A noun can have different functions in a sentence. For example, it can be a subject or an object. Depending on what function the noun has, its form can change. However, this change can best be seen in the form of the article. In German there are four different forms or categories (cases), known as Fälle or Kasus.

One of these cases is the nominative.

der Nominativ: The subject is always in the nominative. The articles are: der/ein, die/eine, das/ein, die/-.

Sentence construction: accusative object

Apart from the subject, many verbs have other complements. Some need these complements in order to form sentences that make sense. These complements are called objects. They can be people or things.

In German, many verbs require an object in the accusative. If the accusative object has an article, this is formed as follows:

• masculine: den/einen
• feminine: die/eine
• neuter: das/ein
• plural: die/-

The accusative object answers the question “Wen?” or “Was?” (wen for people and was for things).

Some verbs that require an accusative object are: essen, trinken, nehmen, suchen, kennen, machen, lieben, anrufen, besuchen, besichtigen, …

Grammatical terms in German:

das Objekt: The object refers to a person or thing that is the aim of an action or event. The object is also known as the complement. It is usually a noun or pronoun.

A noun can have different functions in a sentence. For example, it can be subject or object. Depending on what function the noun has, its form can change. However, this change can best be seen in the form of the article. In German, there are four different distinguishing forms or categories (cases) of noun, known as Fälle or Kasus .

One of these cases is the accusative.

der Akkusativ: Most objects are in the accusative . The articles are then: den/einen, die/eine, das/ein, die/-.

Article: negation

When we use the word kein, a noun with an indefinite article, or no article, becomes negative.

Singular

The endings of kein are identical to the endings of the indefinite article ein in the singular.

• Ist das ein Stift? => Nein, das ist kein Stift.
• Ist das eine Brille? => Nein, das ist keine Brille.
• Ist das ein Buch? => Nein, das ist kein Buch.

The same applies to the accusative:

• Hast du einen Stift? => Nein, ich habe keinen Stift.

Plural

A noun that is used in the plural without an article is made negative using keine.

• Sind das Stifte? => Nein, das sind keine Stifte.

	Nominative	Accusative
masculine (der)	ein kein	einen keinen
feminine (die)	eine keine	eine keine
neuter (das)	ein kein	ein kein
plural (die)	– keine	– keine

Singular without article

In addition, nouns that are used in the singular without an article are made negative using the corresponding form of kein.

• Isst Nina Schinken? – Nein, Nina isst keinen Schinken.
• Trinkst du Cola? – Nein, ich trinke keine Cola.
• Möchtest du Bier? – Nein, ich möchte kein Bier.

23.2. Vocabulary

Alles klar!	All right!/Got it!
die Anzeige, die Anzeigen	ad; advertisement
der Aufzug, die Aufzüge	elevator; lift
das Auto, die Autos	car; automobile
das Brillenetui, die Brillenetuis	glasses case
Einen Moment bitte.	One moment, please.
die Garage, die Garagen	garage
das Haus, die Häuser	house
heute	today
das Internet nur Singular	internet
kein	no; not a; no one
keine	no; not; neither
der Mieter, die Mieter	tenant; renter (male)
die Mieterin, die Mieterinnen	tenant; renter (female)
die Terrasse, die Terrassen	terrace; patio
die WG, die WGs Abkürzung für: Wohngemeinschaft	shared apartment; flatshare
die Wohngemeinschaft, die Wohngemeinschaften Abkürzung: die WG, die WGs	shared apartment; flatshare
die Wohnung, die Wohnungen Abkürzung: Whg.	apartment
der Zettel, die Zettel	piece of paper
das Zimmer, die Zimmer Abkürzung: Zi.	room

23.3. Culture and society

How do Germans live?

Over 40 percent of German families own the house or apartment in which they live. But the majority live in rented apartments – more than in all other European countries. Particularly in big cities, more than one third of the apartments house only one person. These are often older people, singles, or those who live alone for professional reasons. The average number per household is 2.2.

In a rented apartment, you have to pay a monthly rent and additional costs, like electricity, heating, water, and trash collection. In cities with universities, students often share an apartment, called a “Wohngemeinschaft” or “WG” for short. Lots of Germans have house pets, especially cats or dogs.

24. Das Auto ist rot

24.1. Grammar

Adjectives following “sein”

Ich bin groß. – Emma ist klein.

Adjectives describe a person or thing. They are very often used with the verb sein. The adjective usually comes after the conjugated form of the verb sein.

Das Haus ist alt.

• Subject: Das Haus
• sein (conjugated): ist
• Adjective: alt

Many adjectives have a word that means the opposite, e.g.:

• Nico ist groß. – Emma ist klein.
• Das Auto ist alt. – Das Fahrrad ist neu.
• Die Wohnung ist billig. – Das Haus ist teuer.

It is often a good idea to learn adjectives in pairs. Adjectives are written in lower case.

Grammatical terms in German: das Adjektiv: Adjectives are used to describe people or things.

24.2. Vocabulary

alt älter, am ältesten	old
anderer, andere, anderes	other; others
billig billiger, am billigsten	cheap; inexpensive
da sein ist, war, ist gewesen	to be there; to be present
das Fahrrad, die Fahrräder Kurzform: das Rad, die Räder	bicycle
der Fahrradladen, die Fahrradläden	bicycle store
falsch	wrong
gelb	yellow
groß größer, am größten	big; tall
klein kleiner, am kleinsten	small
etwas/jemanden lieben liebt, liebte, hat geliebt	to love something/somebody; to like something/somebody
neu neuer, am neusten/am neuesten	new
rot	red
teuer teurer, am teuersten	expensive
das T-Shirt, die T-Shirts	t-shirt
weiß	white

24.3. Culture and society

On the go with your bike

Do you like riding a bike? Then you’re in good company in Germany. Lots of people use their bikes for everyday transportation and go on bike tours in their leisure time. In cities there are special bike paths alongside streets and sidewalks. As a pedestrian, you have to watch out if you walk onto the bike path.

Throughout Germany there is a network of relatively well-marked cycling routes. Many follow rivers through beautiful landscapes and nature reserves, and are family- and child-friendly.

If you ride a bike in Germany, it should be safe for traffic. That means it should have working lights, good brakes and a few other things. A good thing to be aware of: occasionally the police will ask cyclists to pull over.

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