101 German Beginer1 PDF

LESSON NOTES
Beginner #1 Are you Michaela Wucher?
CONTENTS
2 2 2 3 3 4 4 5 German English Informal German Informal English Vocabulary Sample Sentences Grammar Cultural Insight
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GERMAN
1.
John: Michael: John: Michael:
Entschuldigung! Sind Sie Michaela Wucher? Nein, ich bin nicht Michaela Wucher. Wer sind Sie? Ich bin John Williams. Ich bin aus Pennsylvania... Ahhh! Sie sind John Williams! Ich bin Michaela Wucher, but it is pronounced Michaela Wucher. Oh, Entschuldigung!
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John:
ENGLISH
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Excuse me! Are you Michaela Wucher? No, I am not Michaela Wucher. Who are you? I am John Williams. I am from Pennsylvania... Ahhh! You are John Williams! I am Michaela Wucher, but it is pronounced Michaela Wucher. Oh, sorry!
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John:
INFORMAL GERMAN
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John: Michael:
tschuldigung! Bist du "Michaela Wucher? Nein, ich bin nicht Michaela Wucher. Wer bist du?
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CONT'D OVER
GERMANPOD101.COM BEGINNER #1 - ARE YOU MICHAELA WUCHER?
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John: Michael:
Ich bin John Williams. Ich bin aus Pennsylvania... Ahhh! Du bist John Williams! Ich bin Michaela Wucher, but it is pronounced Michaela Wucher. Oh, Entschuldigung!
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John:
INFORMAL ENGLISH
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Excuse me! Are you Michaela Wucher? No, I am not Michaela Wucher. Who are you? I am John Williams. I am from Pennsylvania... Ahhh! You are John Williams! I am Michaela Wucher, but it is pronounced Michaela Wucher. Oh, sorry!
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John:
VOCABULARY
Ge r man English C lass Ge nde r plural: Entschuldigungen; the expression is always singular. personal pronoun personal pronoun pronoun
Entschuldigung
apology; excuse me; Im sorry you (formal) I who
Sie ich wer
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BEGINNER #1 - ARE YOU MICHAELA WUCHER?
sein
to be
verb expression; Yes is "Ja" adverb preposition
ich bin, du bist, er ist, wir sind, ihr seid, sie sind Yes is "Ja"
nein nicht aus
no not from
SAMPLE SENTENCES
Ich n e h m e d i e En tsch u l d i g u n g a n . I accept the apology. S pre ch e n S i e En g l i sch ? Do you speak English? Ich h a tte l e tzte Wo ch e so vi e l zu tu n ! I was so busy last week! We r i st d a s? Who is that? Ich bi n S tu d e n t. I am a student. D a s h a be i ch n i ch t g e sa g t! I didn't say that! Ko m m st d u a u s Be rl i n o d e r vo n a u e rh a l b? Do you come from Berlin or from elsewhere? D a s ka n n d o ch n i ch t w a h r se i n ! That can't be true! N e i n , i ch bi n n i ch t a u s K l n . No, I am not from Cologne. D u bi st n i ch t m e i n Va te r! You aren't my father! Ich bi n a u s D e u tsch l a n d . I am from Germany. H a be n S i e e i n e a n d e re Kre d i tka rte ? Do you have another credit card? S i e si n d H e rr S m i th You are Mr Smith. Ich bi n Li sa . I am Lisa.
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GRAMMAR
In this lesson, you have seen a generous amount of ich bin (I am) and Sie sind (you are, formal). If you have access to the extra material, you have even heard du bist, the informal equivalent of Sie sind. All of these are forms of the verb sein (to be), which is irregular in German, just like in English. Here is a table with all the present tense forms: se i n ich bin du bist er ist / sie ist / es ist wir sind ihr seid sie sind / Sie sind to be I am you are (informal) he is / she is / it is we are you are (plural) they are / you are (formal)
As you can see, the formal Sie sind (you are) is the same form as sie sind (they are), except for the capital letter that indicates respect. The formal form in German will always correspond to the they form (3rd person plural). Some examples of this very useful verb in action: Ich bin Michael. I am Michael. Du bist schn. You are pretty. Er ist Student. He is a student. Sie ist aus England. She is from England. Es ist nicht gut. It is not good. Wir sind Freunde. We are friends. Seid ihr bereit? Are you ready? Wer sind sie? Who are they? Wer sind Sie? Who are you (formal) ?
CULTURAL INSIGHT
Use Entschuldigung as the equivalent of either Excuse me or Im sorry, for example when: * getting somebodys attention * trying to move through a crowd, thus asking them to step aside * stepping on somebodys foot * really screwing up (in that case youd use further expressions in addition to just Entschuldigung)
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D o n o t sa y i t when somebody tells you sad news. Germans do not apologize for things that are not their fault, such as a friend not getting a job. Rather, youd express encouragement there. In severe cases however, such as somebodys mother being sent to the hospital, you can say Es tut mir leid (It pains me; I am chagrined) as a way of commiserating. The formality of the conversation may seem a bit odd to you, seeing that John and Michaela have known each other through e-mail, but John wasnt absolutely sure he was talking to Michaela and so he had to make sure he was being polite to this stranger. Using informal language on this occasion already would have been like saying Hey you, are you Michaela? and would probably have provoked an annoyed reaction. Especially older people are very sensitive when it comes to how you address them, because they expect to be shown respect, and using formal language is the easiest way of saying I respect you in German. That is why sometimes even people who have known each other for a long time use formal language with each other. Generally, you should only use informal language with a new acquaintance if: * you are talking to somebody under 18 * you and the person youre talking with are both around student age * you and the person youre talking with are relatives In all other cases, you should wait till you are asked to switch to informal language its up to the older person or the one higher in rank to do so or not. Your boss or teacher will certainly never ask you, as that would diminish his authority in the eyes of everybody. However, even regular acquaintances dont switch to using first names nearly as quickly as they do in the USA. If you just start by addressing a stranger informally, he may feel offended as you seem to treat him like a child. That being said, as a foreigner you certainly have some leeway in case you should forget.
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LESSON NOTES
Beginner #2 Going home
CONTENTS
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GERMAN
1.
#2: #1: #2: #1: #2:
Entschuldigung! Es ist okay, Herr Williams. Sind Sie sehr mde? Nein, ich bin nicht sehr mde, nur ein bisschen. Mein Auto ist dort drben. In zehn Minuten sind wir zuhause. Gut.
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ENGLISH
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#2: #1: #2: #1: #2:
Sorry! Its okay, Mr Williams. Are you very tired? No, I am not very tired, just a bit. My car is over there. In ten minutes were home. (we will be home) Good.
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INFORMAL GERMAN
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#2: #1: #2:
Entschuldigung! Es ist okay, John. Bist du sehr mde? Nein, ich bin nicht sehr mde, nur ein bisschen.
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CONT'D OVER
GERMANPOD101.COM BEGINNER #2 - GOING HOME
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#1: #2:
Mein Auto ist dort drben. In zehn Minuten sind wir zuhause. Gut.
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INFORMAL ENGLISH
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#2: #1: #2: #1: #2:
Sorry! Its okay, John. Are you tired? No, I am not very tired, just a bit. My car is over there. In ten minutes were home. (we will be home) Good.
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VOCABULARY
Ge r man mde sehr nur ein bisschen mein Auto dort drben zehn Zuhause, zu Hause English tired very only, just a little my car over there ten (10) home, at home C lass adjective adverb adverb adverb possessive pronoun noun expression numeral
SAMPLE SENTENCES
GERMANPOD101.COM BEGINNER #2 - GOING HOME
H e u te bi n i ch se h r m d e . I am very tired today. Ich e sse n u r G e m se . I only eat vegetables.
D a s i st se h r g u t! That's very good! Ich spre ch e n u r e i n bi ssch e n D e u tsch . I only speak a little German.
Me i n N a m e i st Ti m . My name is Tim. D a s Au to i st d a s Li e bl i n g sspi e l ze u g d e s Ma n n e s i n D e u tsch l a n d . The car is a man's favorite toy in Germany. S a n d ra i st d o rt d r be n . Sandra is over there. Bi st d u zu h a u se ? Are you home?
Me i n N a m e i st Li sa . My name is Lisa. Me i n Au to i st e i n bi ssch e n d re cki g . My car is a little dirty.
Ich bi n ze h n J a h re a l t. I am ten years old.
GRAMMAR
In the last lesson, we saw the present tense forms of sein (to be). Here they are again: se i n ich bin du bist er ist / sie ist / es ist wir sind ihr seid to be I am you are (informal) he is / she is / it is we are you are (plural)
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BEGINNER #2 - GOING HOME
sie sind / Sie sind
they are / you are (formal)
Now wed like to draw your attention to how verbs are used in German. In q u e sti o n s a n d n e g a ti ve se n te n ce s: Bist du mde? Are you tired? (informal) Wer sind Sie? Who are you? (formal) Ich bin nicht mde. I am not tired. This word order for questions is very common in German, but not very common in English actually: compare to Singen Sie oft? Do you often sing?. Same goes for the way of making a sentence negative: while I am not tired corresponds 1:1 to Ich bin nicht mde, English typically uses a more complicated structure whereas for German this structure is natural. See for example Ich singe nicht oft. I dont sing often. In German, its enough to add nicht to a sentence to make it negative. In l o n g e r se n te n ce s: Whenever the subject is not the first item in a sentence, for example when a time or place is mentioned first or when a subclause comes first, the verb still has to go in second place in German, so that the subject and the rest of the sentence follow afterwards. Example sentence: In zehn Minuten sind wir zuhause (literally: in ten minutes are we home). This word order may seem strange to you at first, however English uses it too in some special cases: for example Only after the sermon were we allowed to leave. Just try to remember that German uses it all the time.
CULTURAL INSIGHT
Cars are a lot of German mens pride. Unlike in the case of beer, it is very okay to own a foreign-brand car, provided it is fast enough. Germans dont care all that much about SUVs as Americans do, since its hard to find parking spots for them in the cities and the vast majority of people live in cities. However, cars have to be fast. There is (as of yet) no speed limit on the Autobahnen (highways), so when youre in a hurry or on a long trip you may really want to push the pedal to the metal. The recommended speed on Autobahnen is 130 km/h (roughly 81 mph), so thats about the speed youd find on the middle one of 3 lanes most of the time. The right lane is typically occupied by truck drivers, who arent legally allowed to drive more than 100 km/h or even less, depending on the type of truck. Apart from the trucks, you will find comparatively few cars on there, except those that are planning to get off at the next town or resting area (exits are
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always on the right, making it easier to slow down). The left-most lane is intended for overtaking other cars, and youre supposed to return back to the right once you have done that, but the people driving 200 km/h or so usually just stay on the left-most lane anyway.
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LESSON NOTES
Beginner #3 The Oldtown
CONTENTS
2 2 2 3 3 4 German English Vocabulary Sample Sentences Grammar Cultural Insight
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GERMAN
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#2: #1: #2: #1: ... #1:
Es gibt viele schne Gebude hier. Ja, das ist die Altstadt. Hier gibt es auch viele Bars. Und was ist das? Das ist der Rhein dort drben.
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John, wir sind da. Das ist mein Haus.
ENGLISH
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#2: #1: #2: #1: ... #1:
There are many nice buildings here. Yes, this is the oldtown. There are also many bars here. And what is that? That is the [river] Rhine over there.
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John, were there. This is my house.
VOCABULARY
Ge r man English C lass Ge nde r
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BEGINNER #3 - THE OLDTOWN
es gibt viele schn Gebude
there is, there are many nice, pretty building
expression; very useful expression! adverb adjective noun demonstrative pronoun / definite article noun, feminine, die pronoun noun
very useful expression!
Neuter; plural is the same.
das Altstadt was Haus
that, the (neuter) oldtown what house
plural: Huser
SAMPLE SENTENCES
Es g i bt vi e l e C a f s h i e r. There are many cafs here. Es i st sch n , d a ss S i e d a si n d . It's nice that you're there. D a s Wa sse r i st ka l t. The water is cold. Vi e l e S tu d e n te n si n d a rm . Many students are poor. D i e se s G e b u d e i st 100 J a h re a l t. This building is 100 years old. D i e D sse l d o rfe r Al tsta d t i st se h r sch n . Dsseldorf's oldtown is very nice. Wa s i st d a s? What is this? Me i n H a u s i st n i ch t g ro . My house isn't big.
GRAMMAR
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Heres an extremely important notion when learning German: German divides everything into three genders: masculine (male), feminine (female) and neuter (neutral). This means that not just people or pets have a gender but all random objects (e. g. a pencil is masculine) and even concepts (e. g. hope is feminine) do. Most of the time the assignment of gender doesnt make sense, so you have to learn it along with the noun. A great way to learn the gender is to imagine some male or female or neutral archetypes or stars in a memorable, funny or weird situation along with the word. Masculine words get the article der, feminine words get the article die and neuter words get the article das. The gender of a noun will always be mentioned in the vocabulary list. For compound words like Altstadt, its easy to determine the gender: just look at the noun that is the last part of it. That noun determines the gender of the whole word. In this case the last part is Stadt, which is feminine, and so Altstadt is feminine too.
CULTURAL INSIGHT
Many German cities have nice historic oldtowns. Some cities can be traced as far back as 500 BC. If you are interested in history, the Western part of Germany should be particularly interesting to you, because that is where Frankish empire with its medieval castles stretched. Especially the area along the upper Rhine is known for its castles. In the extreme western part of Germany, you can also find Roman ruins. The Rhine was a natural border to their empire. Germans tend not to identify much with Germany as a modern country and there is probably less patriotism in Germany than anywhere else in the world, but there is a broad interest in historical Germany. For example, there are parks, fairs and re-enactments festivals dedicated to any part of German history before 1900: the barbarian life, the Romans, the Frankish empire, medieval crafts and trades, the industrial revolution, the war against Napoleon, and so on. So Germany is the place to be if you like history or also beauty, because most cities and most houses are designed with beauty in mind, not plain functionality. And of course there are also plenty of museums, theatres, amusement parks, spas and the like. In fact, when there are several big cities close to each other, like Dsseldorf and Cologne or like all of the cities of the Ruhrgebiet, there is rivalry between them and every city tries to outdo the other in terms of museums, parks, theatres, clubs etcetera, which is beneficial for the people living there, who can benefit from a wide variety of choices.
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LESSON NOTES
Beginner #4 Presenting people
CONTENTS
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GERMAN
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#1:
John, das ist mein Mann Heinz.
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Heinz, das ist John Williams aus den USA. #2: #3: Angenehm. Angenehm. Herr Williams, woher genau kommen Sie? Wo sind Sie zuhause? Ich komme aus Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Aha. Und was machen Sie beruflich? hmm... John arbeitet als Freiberufler. Er ist arbeitslos?
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#2: #3: #2: #1: #3:
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ENGLISH
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#1:
John, this is my husband Heinz.
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Heinz, this is John Williams aus den USA. #2: #3: Its a pleasure to meet you. [literally pleasant] Its a pleasure to meet you. Mr Williams, where exactly do you come from? Where is your home?
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CONT'D OVER
GERMANPOD101.COM BEGINNER #4 - PRESENTING PEOPLE
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#2: #3: #2: #1: #3:
I come from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Ah. And what do you do for a living? Emm... John works as a freelancer. He is unemployed?
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INFORMAL GERMAN
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#1:
John, das ist mein Mann Heinz.
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Heinz, das ist John Williams aus den USA. #2: #3: #2: #3: #2: #1: #3: Angenehm. Angenehm. John, woher genau kommst du? Wo bist du zuhause? Ich komme aus Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Aha. Und was machst du beruflich? hmm... John arbeitet als Freiberufler. Er ist arbeitslos?
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INFORMAL ENGLISH
CONT'D OVER
GERMANPOD101.COM BEGINNER #4 - PRESENTING PEOPLE
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#1:
John, this is my husband Heinz.
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Heinz, this is John Williams aus den USA. #2: #3: Its a pleasure to meet you. [literally pleasant] Its a pleasure to meet you. John, where exactly do you come from? Where is your home? I come from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Ah. And what do you do for a living? Emm... John works as a freelancer. He is unemployed?
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#2: #3: #2: #1: #3:
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VOCABULARY
Ge r man English C lass Ge nde r plural: Mnner; means husband when used with a possessive pronoun (e.g. "mein Mann")
Mann
man
noun
angenehm woher genau kommen
pleasant from where exactly to come verb weak verb question word
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BEGINNER #4 - PRESENTING PEOPLE
machen beruflich
to make / do by profession, professionally
verb, weak verb
weak verb
Freiberufler arbeitslos
freelancer unemployed
noun, masculine, der; literally means free-profession-er adjective
masculine; literally means freeprofession-er literally: work-less
SAMPLE SENTENCES
Me i n Ma n n a rbe i te t h i e r. My husband works here. Wo h e r ko m m st d u ? Where are you from? D e r Tre ffpu n kt i st g e n a u h i e r. The meet-up point is here exactly. D i e Au to s m a ch e n vi e l L rm . The cars are making a lot of noise. Ich bi n Fre i be ru fl e r. I am a freelancer. D e r Wi n d i st a n g e n e h m . The wind is pleasant. Wo h e r ko m m t R o be rt? Where does Robert come from? Li sa ko m m t h e u te n i ch t. Lisa isn't coming today. Wa s m a ch st d u be ru fl i ch ? What is your profession? Bi st d u a rbe i tsl o s? Are you unemployed?
GRAMMAR
In this lesson you have encountered a couple regular verbs: kommen (to come), machen (to make / do) and arbeiten (to work). You have encountered them in various forms. Here is a complete scheme of the present tense forms: komm-en (to come) ich komm-e (I come)
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du komm-st (you come, informal to one person) er / sie / es komm-t (he / she / it comes) wir komm-en (we come) ihr komm-t (you come, informal to several people) sie komm-en / Sie komm-en (they come / you come, formal to one or several people) There are two noticeable similarities to the endings of the verb sein, which you encountered already: - the second person singular ends in st : bist, kommst - the third person singular ends in t : ist, kommt You will find that even irregular verbs still adopt at least these two endings. The complete forms of machen: ich mache, du machst, er macht, wir machen, ihr macht, sie machen The complete forms of arbeiten: ich arbeite, du arbeitest, er arbeitet, wir arbeiten, ihr arbeitet, sie arbeiten Note that in German there is no difference between I work and I am working; ich arbeite covers both.
CULTURAL INSIGHT
When being introduced to somebody, the standard things to say are Angenehm (Its a pleasure) or Freut mich (I am joyed), both of which have omitted Sie kennenzulernen (to meet you). Its not wrong to use the complete phrase Angenehm Sie kennenzulernen though and you may hear it on formal occasions. Careful: if the person introducing somebody refers to him informally by his first name, that doesnt mean that you may do so either. In most cases it is expected that you will address somebody formally until he explicitly tells you otherwise which can take a while in Germany. When you want to get to know somebody better, be aware that there are certain questions that are taboo: - you may not explicitly ask for their first name - you may not ask for their age - you may not ask for their income Even though you can probably guess somebodys wealth by their appearance and style of language, talk about money is taboo for most, just like talk about religion. In Germany, religion is something between you and God, and maybe the church. Its not a matter you would flaunt or discuss with others. The majority of Germans are non-practicing Christians, but even if people are very convinced in their beliefs it is understood that they wont try to
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convert you just as you shouldnt be trying to convert them. Televangelists are unheard of and some money-oriented sects are actually banned, but occasionally you may see Jehovahs Witnesses silently standing in the pedestrian zones offering their magazines. Germany is actually unique when it comes to religion because here the public schools (and there are extremely few private ones) have to provide religious education classes. The mission of German high schools is to produce mature adults who are capable of independent thought, and who have some idea of what their purpose in life is, who know what is good and what is wrong, and so on. Thats where the religious education classes come in. Of course atheists, Muslims and also everybody else can opt out of those classes for reasons of conscience, but then they have to take philosophy classes instead, which strive to answer the same basic questions and ethical problems. Religious education classes typically come in the flavours Catholic and Protestant, but most of the content is not specific to one particular faith. A lot of time is spent on getting an overview of the beliefs of Christianity and the beliefs of other religions (with tolerance being the goal) and to discuss issues people might need help with: drugs, sex, abuse, abortion and so on.
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LESSON NOTES
Beginner #5 Language issues
CONTENTS
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GERMAN
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#3: #2: #3: #2: #3: #2:
Herr Williams, sprechen Sie Deutsch? Ja, ich spreche Deutsch, nur nicht viel. In meinem Haus sprechen alle Deutsch. Sprechen Sie kein Englisch? Nein. Dann sprechen Sie bitte langsam. Ich verstehe langsames Deutsch.
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ENGLISH
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#3: #2: #3: #2: #3: #2:
Mr Williams, do you speak German? Yes, I speak German, just not much. In my house, everybody speaks German. Dont you speak (any) English? No. Then please speak slowly. I understand slow German.
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INFORMAL GERMAN
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#3:
John, sprichst du Deutsch?
CONT'D OVER
GERMANPOD101.COM BEGINNER #5 - LANGUAGE ISSUES
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#2: #3: #2: #3: #2:
Ja, ich spreche Deutsch, nur nicht viel. In meinem Haus sprechen alle Deutsch. Sprichst du kein Englisch? Nein. Dann sprich bitte langsam. Ich verstehe langsames Deutsch.
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INFORMAL ENGLISH
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#3: #2: #3: #2: #3: #2:
John, do you speak German? Yes, I speak German, just not much. In my house, everybody speaks German. Dont you speak (any) English? No. Then please speak slowly. I understand slow German.
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VOCABULARY
Ge r man sprechen Deutsch English to speak German language C lass verb noun, neuter, das Ge nde r er spricht, er sprach, er hat gesprochen
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BEGINNER #5 - LANGUAGE ISSUES
alle
all, everybody
pronoun adverb; Do not use "nicht" in addition to this! noun, neuter, das noun Do not use "nicht" in addition to this!
kein Englisch bitte langsam
not any, no English language please slow, slowly
verstehen
to understand
verb
er versteht, er verstand, er hat verstanden
SAMPLE SENTENCES
En tsch u l d i g u n g , i ch spre ch e ke i n D e u tsch . Sorry, I don't speak German. D e u tsch i st e i n e i n te re ssa n te S pra ch e . German is an interesting language. Ich tri n ke ke i n Bi e r. I don't drink any beer. K n n e n S i e bi tte m i t m i r En g l i sch spre ch e n ? Could you please speak English with me? S pri ch st d u En g l i sch ? Do you speak English? Wi r spre ch e n i m m e r l a n g sa m . We always speak slowly. Bi tte spre ch e n S i e En g l i sch . Please speak English. Ich ve rste h e ke i n D e u tsch . I do not understand German. Al l e ko m m e n zu r Pa rty, d u a u ch ? Everybody is coming to the party, you too? Ich spre ch e D e u tsch . I speak German.
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Ich ve rste h e S i e n i ch t. I don't understand you.
GRAMMAR
Sprechen (to speak) is another verb that appears to follow the pattern you have learned in the previous lesson, but here there is one specialty: for the second and third person singular (singular informal you and he / she / it) the stem vowel changes from a short E to a short I. The endings stay the same: sprechen (to speak) ich sprech-e (I speak) du sprich-st (you speak, informal to one person) er / sie / es sprich-t (he / she / it speaks) wir sprech-en (we speak) ihr sprech-t (you speak, informal to several people) sie sprech-en / Sie sprech-en (they come / you come, formal to one or several people) There are several German verbs that change vowels like this, for example also brechen (to break). Another thing Id like to draw your attention to is the sprechen Sie bitte langsam. This is actually not the present tense anymore but an imperative (a command form). You will find it extremely easy though because the formal imperative (the one to use with people that you call Sie) is exactly the same as the formal present tense form for regular verbs, just inverted. The informal imperative, which wasnt used in the main dialogue, corresponds to just the word stem without any ending. In the case of vowel-changing verbs, its a stem that includes the vowel change. Examples: Sprechen Sie bitte langsamer! Please speak more slowly! (formal) Sprich bitte langsamer! Please speak more slowly! (informal) Kommen Sie nach Deutschland! Come to Germany! (formal) Komm nach Deutschland! Come to Germany! (informal)
CULTURAL INSIGHT
In Germany, English is a mandatory subject at school for at least 5 years, 7 if you want to go to university. Its also increasingly present in kindergartens. However, the quality of instruction varies a lot and most people wont remember any of their English 10 years after they have gone to school, unless they have had to use it often in the meantime hence if you want to
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ask a German something in English, your best bet is a student or a businessman. Among other groups, understanding of English is actually quite low. For example, in a recent study more than 50% of Germans were unable to understand English slogans used in German TV ads, things as simple as where money lives. This is another reason for you to learn German of course! Other than English, French is the most commonly studied foreign language, followed by Latin. However, these wouldnt normally be studied instead of English, rather, they are studied as a second foreign language. In Eastern Germany, Russian used to be the most common foreign language. If you intend to go to university, you will have to study two foreign languages for at least 5 years each at high school, which is supposed to give you fluent command of them. You have the option of studying up to 4 foreign languages even, but few will do that foreign language classes, once chosen, can usually not be dropped easily, and they will effect your mark average.
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LESSON NOTES
Beginner #6 The morning after
CONTENTS
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GERMAN
1.
#1: #2: #1: #2: #1: #2:
Guten Morgen, John! Guten Morgen, Michaela! Wie geht es Ihnen heute? Gut, danke. Mein Mann ist schon auf der Arbeit. Wir sind allein. Schn. Was gibt es zum Frhstck?
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ENGLISH
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#1: #2: #1: #2: #1: #2:
Good morning, John! Good morning, Michaela! How are you today? Good, thanks. My husband is already at work. We are alone. Nice. What's for breakfast?
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INFORMAL GERMAN
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#1:
Guten Morgen, John!
CONT'D OVER
GERMANPOD101.COM BEGINNER #6 - THE MORNING AFTER
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#2: #1: #2: #1: #2:
Guten Morgen, Michaela! Wie geht es dir heute? Gut, danke. Mein Mann ist schon auf der Arbeit. Wir sind allein. Schn. Was gibt es zum Frhstck?
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INFORMAL ENGLISH
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#1: #2: #1: #2: #1: #2:
Good morning, John! Good morning, Michaela! How are you today? Good, thanks. My husband is already at work. We are alone. Nice. What's for breakfast?
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VOCABULARY
GERMANPOD101.COM
BEGINNER #6 - THE MORNING AFTER
Wie geht es dir?
How are you? (informal)
expression; literally: How goes it to you?, formal version is "Wie geht es Ihnen?" noun noun adverb preposition; also used for some cases where English would use in or at, as prepositions usually don't correspond across languages. adverb noun, feminine, die; compare to "arbeitslos" unemployed expression
literally: How goes it to you?, formal version is "Wie geht es Ihnen?" masculine
Morgen heute schon
morning today already
auf
on, onto
also used for some cases where English would use in or at, as prepositions usually don't correspond across languages.
allein(e)
alone
Arbeit
work
compare to "arbeitslos" unemployed
zum Frhstck
for breakfast
SAMPLE SENTENCES
Wi e g e h t e s Ih n e n , H e rr M l l e r? How are you, Mr Mller? H e u te i st e i n w u n d e rsch n e r Mo rg e n . Today is a beautiful morning. G u te n Mo rg e n ! Good morning! H e u te g i bt e s Fre i bi e r i n d e r Al tsta d t. Today there is free beer [available] in the old town.
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Bi st d u sch o n m d e ? Are you tired already? Ve rste h st d u m i ch , w e n n i ch a u f En g l i sch spre ch e ? Do you understand me when I speak on (in) English? D a s i st e i n zi g u n d a l l e i n d e i n e S ch u l d . That's solely and only your fault.
D i e Ze i tu n g l i e g t a u f d e m Ti sch . The newspaper lies on the table. H a u sa rbe i t m a ch t si ch n i ch t vo n allein. The house work doesn't do itself.
Ko m m st d u a l l e i n o d e r ko m m t d e i n Ma n n a u ch ? Are you coming alone or is your husband coming, too? Es g i bt Bro t zu m Fr h st ck. There's bread for breakfast.
D a s i st e i n e se h r a n g e n e h m e Arbe i t. That is a very pleasant/nice [type of] work.
GRAMMAR
You already learned that der is used for masculine nouns, die is used for feminine nouns and das is used for neuter nouns. So far so good. However, we know for a fact that Arbeit(work) is feminine and you heard the phrase auf der Arbeit in the dialogue. This is because German has something called cases. Cases mean that you change words depending on the circumstances in which they are used. In this case, using a word as a preposition requires a different case than using it as the subject of the sentence, the one who does something. In German, most of the changes are made to the article, so that the noun stays recognizable. der, die and das are the articles you use for subjects, depending on the gender of the word. This changes to dem, der and dem when you use the same word after a preposition. Take Arbeit as an example. A sentence with Arbeit as the subject is Die Arbeit ist schwer. (the work is hard). It is die Arbeit, since Arbeit is feminine. die changes to der however after prepositions, so it is Ich bin auf der Arbeit (I am at [the] work). Another example with das Haus: Das Haus ist schn. (the house is nice) BUT Ich bin auf dem Haus (I am on top of the house).
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There is one more thing to pay attention to: when the ending of a preposition is -n or a vowel, the Dative -m of dem will simply add itself to the preposition, so that you only hear one word: in dem If you want to say I am in the house (I am inside it), you have to say Ich bin im Haus. In very colloquial German you can even hear contractions like aufm instead of auf dem, ausm instead of aus dem, and so on!
CULTURAL INSIGHT
In Germany, the vast majority of people have a 9-to-5 (or 8-to-4) job and are happy with that. They always get up at the same time, drive or commute to the office (very few have a home office!) and spend the required amount of hours there. Then, they go home and relax and don't think much of their work anymore until the next day. This way, work and leisure is separated quite strictly and you will hardly find people who work flexible hours or who do more work at home. You will also find less entrepreneurial spirit and less people who claim that work should be fun. Structures are harder here, less open to diverging from the rules or the required. Laws and regulations take the employee's side of an issue really often. Trade unions are strong, weekly average hours are low, laws require companies to give you plenty of holidays, to contribute a lot to your mandatory health care and pension plans and to pay you a lot more if you work overtime, night or Sundays. This is very nice for the employee and it doesn't seem to hurt the economy too much, but it has a few downsides for customers, such as comparatively strict opening hours and hardly anything being open on Sundays. If you are planning to party over the weekend, be sure you buy everything you need on Fridays, because on Sundays you won't be able to and on Saturdays there are typically huge crowds shopping, because of the Sunday rush and also because on Saturdays a lot of shops close around 2pm or so already. In the biggest cities, such as Berlin, you will be able to find 24 hour stores, but everywhere else you are really limited to kiosks and gas stations to provide everyday items.
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LESSON NOTES
Beginner #7 Breakfast Time!
CONTENTS
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GERMAN
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#2: #1: #2: #1: #2: #1:
Was gibt es zum Frhstck? Es gibt Brtchen, Butter, Marmelade... Gibt es keine Eier? Oder Pfannkuchen? Pfannkuchen zum Frhstck??? Oder Wrstchen? In Deutschland isst man viele Wrstchen, oder? Ich mache Ihnen ein Ei und Wrstchen.
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ENGLISH
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#2: #1: #2: #1: #2: #1:
Whats for breakfast? There are rolls, butter, jam Arent there any eggs? Or pancakes? Pancakes for breakfast??? Or sausages? In Germany people eat a lot of sausages, dont they? Ill make you an egg and sausage.
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INFORMAL GERMAN
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#2:
Was gibt es zum Frhstck?
CONT'D OVER
GERMANPOD101.COM BEGINNER #7 - BREAKFAST TIME!
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#1: #2: #1: #2: #1:
Es gibt Brtchen, Butter, Marmelade... Gibt es keine Eier? Oder Pfannkuchen? Pfannkuchen zum Frhstck??? Oder Wrstchen? In Deutschland isst man viele Wrstchen, oder? Ich mache dir ein Ei und Wrstchen.
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INFORMAL ENGLISH
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#2: #1: #2: #1: #2: #1:
Whats for breakfast? There are rolls, butter, jam Arent there any eggs? Or pancakes? Pancakes for breakfast??? Or sausages? In Germany people eat a lot of sausages, dont they? Ill make you an egg and sausage.
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VOCABULARY
Ge r man Brtchen English roll C lass noun, neuter, das Ge nde r neuter; plural is the same
GERMANPOD101.COM
BEGINNER #7 - BREAKFAST TIME!
man
one, you, people
pronoun; used to talk about people in general; dont confuse with Mann (man) verb noun, neuter, das; chen makes this little or cute noun, masculine, der conjunction; used as isnt it?-type question at the end of a sentence. noun noun, feminine, die; any kind of jam; what the British call marmelade (on the basis of oranges) is uncommon. noun personal pronoun; Dative of du
used to talk about people in general; dont confuse with Mann (man) er isst, er a, er hat gegessen neuter; plural is the same; -chen makes this little or cute masculine; plural is the same used as isnt it?type question at the end of a sentence. neuter; plural: Eier feminine; plural: Marmeladen; any kind of jam; what the British call marmelade (on the basis of oranges) is uncommon. feminine; no plural Dative of du
essen
to eat
Wrstchen
little sausage
Pfannkuchen
pancake
oder
or
Ei
egg
Marmelade
jam
Butter dir
butter to you
SAMPLE SENTENCES
Ich e sse g e rn e Br tch e n . I like eating rolls. Wi e sa g t m a n "tra i n " a u f D e u tsch ? How do you say "train" in German?
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Ich e sse g e rn e Br tch e n . I like eating rolls.
Ve g e ta ri e r e sse n ke i n e Bu tte r, si e e sse n Ma rg a ri n e . Vegetarians don't eat (any) butter, they eat margarine.
In D e u tsch l a n d g i bt e s ri ch ti g l e cke re W rstch e n . In Germany there are really delicious sausages. Ich m u ss d o ch n i ch t a l l e s a u f e i n m a l be za h l e n , o d e r? But I don't have to pay everything at once, do I? Ei n H u h n l e g t e i n Ei . A chicken lays an egg. M ch te st d u e i n Bro t m i t Ma rm e l a d e ? Do you want a [piece of] bread with jam?
Ich l i e be Bl a u be e r-Pfa n n ku ch e n . I love blueberry pancakes.
R e i ch t e i n e J a cke o d e r bra u ch e i ch e i n e n Ma n te l ? Is a jacket enough or will I need a coat?
D e r Ko ch h a t e i n Ei g e bra te n . The cook fried an egg. Ve g e ta ri e r e sse n ke i n e Bu tte r, si e e sse n Ma rg a ri n e . Vegetarians don't eat (any) butter, they eat margarine.
Ka n n i ch d i r h e l fe n ? Can I help you?
GRAMMAR
In this lesson well have a first look at the plural. In German, plurals are sometimes hard to predict, so we will come back to the topic of plurals in a later lesson, too. The easiest nouns are the ones ending in er, -en or el, because they dont change at all for plural. You can only tell by the article: instead of having to pick between der, die and das, it will always be die for plural. Examples:
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der Freiberufler die Freiberufler (the freelancer the freelancers) das Brtchen die Brtchen (the roll the rolls) der Zettel die Zettel (the note the notes) Easy so far, isnt it? A lot of words are in this category, because er is a very common ending for professions or nationalities and the like and chen is the diminutive ending. Note that the word Gebude (building), which you already learned, is also part of this category, despite not having any of the characteristic endings. Then theres a category of nouns ending in some other consonant and that will add er for plural, for example: das Lied die Lieder (the song the songs) das Ei die Eier (the egg the eggs) A special case in this category are words that will add er but also add two dots above the vowel. This is usually the case when theres only a single vowel in the word. Examples: der Mann die Mnner (the man the men) das Buch die Bcher (the book the books)
CULTURAL INSIGHT
Most Germans will eat bread or rolls with butter for breakfast. Further toppings can vary: jam, honey, Nutella (a chocolate-hazelnut spread), cheese, ham or cut sausage. Peanut butter is uncommon. Some people also regularly include yoghurt, curds, cereal, fruit or boiled eggs in their breakfast diet, or eat croissants in addition to rolls. Apart from eggs, its very uncommon to have something that requires heating or cooking even. In exchange, there is a really big selection of different types of bread and rolls. People typically buy these immediately at a bakery, and at a typical bakery you can find at least 6 types of rolls, 12 types of bread and lots of delicious cakes and pastries. As a breakfast drink, regular coffee is very popular with adults, though Italian coffee variants like cappuccino, caff latte and espresso are getting more popular. A minority drinks tea instead. Children are usually given hot cocoa or milk, or maybe juice. A specialty drink is hot milk with a spoonful of honey, this is said to be good against coughing and sore throats.
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LESSON NOTES
Beginner #8 Breakfast Time! 2
CONTENTS
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GERMAN
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1: #2: #1: #2: #1: #2: #1: #2: #1:
Herr Williams, trinken Sie Kaffee zum Frhstck? Oder lieber Tee? Kaffee ist gut. Hier ist Ihr Kaffee. Danke. Herr Williams, geben Sie mir bitte den Honig. Bitte. Danke. Ich nehme mir noch zwei Wrstchen, ist das okay? Ja.
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ENGLISH
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#1:
Mr Williams, do you drink coffee for breakfast? Or [would you] rather [have] tea? Coffee is good. Heres your coffee. Thanks. John, please give me the honey.
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#2: #1: #2: #1:
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CONT'D OVER
GERMANPOD101.COM BEGINNER #8 - BREAKFAST TIME! 2
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#2: #1: #2: #1:
Here you are. Thanks. Im taking two more sausages, okay? Yes.
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INFORMAL GERMAN
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#1: #2: #1: #2: #1: #2: #1: #2: #1:
John, trinkst du Kaffee zum Frhstck? Oder lieber Tee? Kaffee ist gut. Hier ist dein Kaffee. Danke. John, gib mir bitte den Honig. Bitte. Danke. Ich nehme mir noch zwei Wrstchen, okay? Ja.
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INFORMAL ENGLISH
CONT'D OVER
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#1:
John, do you drink coffee for breakfast? Or [would you] rather [have] tea? Coffee is good. Heres your coffee. Thanks. John, please give me the honey. Here you are. Thanks. Im taking two more sausages, okay? Yes.
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#2: #1: #2: #1: #2: #1: #2: #1:
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VOCABULARY
Ge r man trinken noch English to drink still; yet; another C lass verb adverb vowel-changing verb: ich nehme, du nimmst, er nimmt, wir nehmen masculine; no plural Dative Ge nde r
nehmen
to take
verb
Honig mir
honey to me
noun, masculine, der personal pronoun; Dative
GERMANPOD101.COM
BEGINNER #8 - BREAKFAST TIME! 2
geben
to give
verb
vowel-changing verb: ich gebe, du gibst, er gibt, wir geben
dein Tee lieber zwei
your (informal) tea rather two (2)
possessive pronoun noun adverb numeral masculine; no plural
SAMPLE SENTENCES
Ich tri n ke i m m e r Ka ffe e , w e n n i ch a rbe i te . I always drink coffee when I work. Es i st n o ch Wi n te r. It's still winter. Ich tri n ke g e rn e Mi l ch m i t H o n i g . I like drinking milk with honey. Bi tte g i b m i r e tw a s zu tri n ke n ! Please give me something to drink! Ko m m st d u a l l e i n o d e r ko m m t d e i n Ma n n a u ch ? Are you coming alone or is your husband coming, too? Isst d u l i e be r S te a k o d e r S ch n i tze l ? Do you prefer eating steak or schnitzel? M ch te st d u e i n o d e r zw e i Br tch e n ? Do you want one or two rolls? N i m m d i r n o ch e i n S t ck Fl e i sch ! Take another piece of meat! Bi tte g i b m i r e tw a s zu tri n ke n ! Please give me something to drink! D e i n H a u s i st se h r g ro . Your house is very big. M ch te st d u e i n e n g r n e n Te e ? Would you like some green tea? Ich tri n ke ke i n Bi e r. I don't drink any beer.
GRAMMAR
Remember cases from the 6th beginner lesson? You already saw the Nominative case, the default case for which der, die and das dont change. In the 6th lesson, you also saw the Dative case, which turns the articles into dem, der and dem. The Dative case is usually used after prepositions, or also for people when they are the object of a sentence. For example, we met dir in the last lessons dialog, and mir in this lessons dialog, and they are the Dative equivalents of du and ich. Now in todays lesson, well have a glance at another case, the Accusative. As the name suggests, this case would be used in the sentence You accuse me of the me in there is the Accusative of I. However, the Accusative is not limited to that sentence. In German, its used whenever a thing is an object of a sentence (as opposed to the Dative case, which is for people), and sometimes its even used for people as well! Well dive more into those irregularities later, for now its enough if you remember that: - Nominative is used for the subject of a sentence, for dictionary entries and the like - Dative is used after most prepositions and it is often used when people are the object of a sentence - Accusative is used when things or people are the object of a sentence Just like the other cases, Accusative does not require any change to the noun, only the article changes. Instead of der, die and das you get den, die, das so actually you only need to pay attention to masculine nouns. And for plural, the article doesnt change either, its still die. Heres a little overview of the forms of der, die and das in the forms that weve encountered so far. You can find an absolutely complete list of forms in the Grammar Bank. Singular Nominative: der, die, das Dative: dem, der, dem Accusative: den, die, das Plural Nominative: die, die, die Accusative: die, die, die
CULTURAL INSIGHT
There are some things you should know about having meals in Germany. First is, that people generally try to have meals together, as a family or as a group of friends, and people are adverse to eating regular meals on the side, that is, while watching TV, while standing or anything that does not involve sitting down at a table together with others and eating leisurely. Once everybody has sat down, somebody will say Guten Appetit (to wish people a good appetite or enjoyment of the meal), others will respond the same or Danke, gleichfalls (thanks, to you too) or the like and then everybody can start eating. Its impolite to
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start before everybody has sat down or before wishing people a good appetite. Some families will also pray before the meal, and if youre with a big party, somebody may want to make a speech before people start eating. In order not to commit a faux pas, just assume things are going to be this way. If really people want you to start without them, they will tell you. Once youre done, dont just get up but wait until everybody else is done, too, so that you dont ruin the calm atmosphere people dont like feeling hurried during their meal. Again, if its different, people will tell you that you can already leave. People like to drink beer with simple dishes and wine with more fancy dishes. Very often, especially when its for lunch, people will just have water or Apfelschorle instead though. Apfelschorle is apple juice mixed with carbonated mineral water. Its refreshing and quite healthy. Note that some households will not have any soda, lemonade or non-carbonated water. Restaurants and cafs always have soda (though the selection is different in Germany than in the states), but still no lemonade or non-carbonated water.
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LESSON NOTES
Beginner #9 The Weather
CONTENTS
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GERMAN
1.
#2: #1: #2: #1: #2: #1: #2:
Frau Wucher, wie wird das Wetter heute? Wird es kalt? Nein, es wird wahrscheinlich sehr schn warm und sonnig. Wird es sehr warm sein? Nein, nicht zu warm. Dann werde ich Jeans tragen. Wird es spter Regen geben? Wahrscheinlich nicht. Gut.
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ENGLISH
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#2: #1: #2: #1: #2: #1: #2:
Ms Wucher, how is the weather going to be today? It will probably be very nice warm and sunny. Will it be very warm? No, not too warm. Then I will wear jeans. Will there be rain later? Probably not. Good.
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INFORMAL GERMAN
CONT'D OVER
GERMANPOD101.COM BEGINNER #9 - THE WEATHER
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#2: #1: #2: #1: #2: #1: #2:
Michaela, wie wird das Wetter heute? Wird es kalt? Nein, es wird wahrscheinlich sehr schn warm und sonnig. Wird es sehr warm sein? Nein, nicht zu warm. Dann werde ich Jeans tragen. Wird es spter Regen geben? Wahrscheinlich nicht. Gut.
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INFORMAL ENGLISH
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#2: #1: #2: #1: #2: #1: #2:
Michaela, how is the weather going to be today? It will probably be very nice warm and sunny. Will it be very warm? No, not too warm. Then I will wear jeans. Will there be rain later? Probably not. Good.
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VOCABULARY
GERMANPOD101.COM
BEGINNER #9 - THE WEATHER
Ge r man
English
C lass
Ge nde r when not used as a question word, wie has the meaning of as
wie
how
pronoun
tragen zu dann spter sonnig wahrscheinlich kalt Wetter Regen
to wear; to carry too (much) then later sunny probably cold weather rain
verb adverb / preposition adverb adverb adjective adverb adjective noun noun plural is the same masculine
SAMPLE SENTENCES
Wi e i st d e i n N a m e ? What's your name? U n se r Ba u m tr g t vi e l e Fr ch te d i e se s J a h r. Our tree is carrying a lot of fruits this year. Wi e h e i t d u ? How are you called? F r d i e se n Au sfl u g so l l te n S i e w i d e rsta n d sf h i g e Kl e i d u n g tra g e n . You should wear resistant, as in resistant to wind or rain, clothing for this excursion. D i e S ch w e ste rn tra g e n h e u te d a s g l e i ch e Kl e i d . The sisters are wearing the same dress today.
Er tr g t n u r Ma rke n kl a m o tte n . He only wears brand-name clothes.
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D i e Am e i se n tra g e n Esse n . The ants are carrying food.
Ich tra g e e i n e n H e l m . I'm wearing a helmet. / I'm carrying a helmet. Mo rg e n a rbe i te i ch u n d d a n n fl i e g e i ch n a ch Bo sto n . Tomorrow I work and then I fly to Boston.
D a s i st zu te u e r. That is too expensive.
Es w i rd sp te r R e g e n g e be n . There will be rain later. Wa h rsch e i n l i ch w i rd e s re g n e n . It will probably rain. D a s We tte r h e u te i st se h r sch w l . The weather is really humid today.
Es i st e i n so n n i g e r Mo rg e n . It's a sunny morning. H e u te i st e s ka l t. Today it's cold. Es w i rd sp te r R e g e n g e be n . There will be rain later.
GRAMMAR
A question like "Wie wird das Wetter morgen?" (How is the weather going to be tomorrow?) requires the future tense. In German, the future is formed using a form of werden and the infinitive of the verb you intend to use.Unfortunately werden is not just a vowel-changing verb but also irregular. The forms are: ich werde, du wirst, er wird, wir werden, ihr werdet, sie werden Also, you need to be careful whenever there are two verbs (or auxiliary + verb) in a German sentence: the second one will go to the end of the sentence. Compare for example "ich esse einen Pfannkuchen" (I eat a pancake) and "Ich werde einen Pfannkuchen essen" (I will eat a pancake) - this literally translates to "I will a pancake eat" and sounds a bit like Yoda, but in German it's the only right way to say this. The special expression "es gibt" (there is/are) changes to "es wird geben" (there will be), and this is often used when talking about the weather, for example you will often hear "es wird Regen geben(there will be rain). Finally, you can also dismiss all of this and use the present tense with a future meaning when
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the context is clear: for example in the last lesson we heard "ich nehme mir noch zwei Wrstchen", meaning "I will take two more sausages" rather than "I am taking two more sausages".
CULTURAL INSIGHT
The weather in Germany is quite typical for its region. As in the remaining countries of central Europe, a temperate cool and cloudy weather dominates. The weather in the northern part of Germany is influenced by winds from the North Sea most of the time, so temperatures over 28C in summer and below 0C in winter are rare (note that everybody in Germany uses degrees Celsius and may not have heard of Fahrenheit). If you want to do winter sports during Christmas time, you either have to visit the southern part of Germany or one of the indoor-skiing centers that have become very popular in the last years in the northern part of Germany. For people in the Ruhrpott (a megalopolis in the north west) and the surrounding areas it is a very common custom to go to the Baggerloch on hot summer days to swim, relax or just enjoy the weather. These Baggerlcher (= plural of Baggerloch) are huge man-made lakes which are a relict of the gravel-mining in the area. If you want to go to one of these, be cautious: There are some Baggerlcher which are opened for the public and guaranteed to be safe to swim in but many more are fenced in and officially part of a company site. Typically, no one will care if someone comes there to swim and there will be fewer people than in the others but you never know if it might be dangerous to swim there as there could be old steel cables in the water or the water depth could increase suddenly, so if you go there take someone with you who knows where its safe.
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LESSON NOTES
Beginner #10 Jetlagged in Dsseldorf
CONTENTS
10
GERMAN
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#1: #2:
Was werden Sie heute machen? Ich bin mir noch nicht sicher. Wahrscheinlich werde ich mir Dsseldorf ansehen, aber ich bin auch sehr mde... Das ist der Jet Lag. Ruhen Sie sich heute aus. Aber ich bin in Deutschland! Ich werde mir die Umgebung ansehen. Kommen Sie mit? Jetzt?
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ENGLISH
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#1: #2:
What are you going to do today? Im not sure yet myself. I will probably have a look at Dsseldorf, but I am also very tired... Its the jet lag. Relax today. But I am in Germany! I will have a look at the surroundings. Are you coming along? Now?
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INFORMAL GERMAN
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#1:
Was wirst du heute machen?
CONT'D OVER
GERMANPOD101.COM BEGINNER #10 - JETLAGGED IN DSSELDORF
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#2:
Ich bin mir noch nicht sicher. Wahrscheinlich werde ich mir Dsseldorf ansehen,
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aber ich bin auch sehr mde... #1: #2: Das ist der Jet Lag. Ruh dich heute aus. Aber ich bin in Deutschland! Ich werde mir die Umgebung ansehen. Kommst du mit? Jetzt?
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#1:
INFORMAL ENGLISH
1.
#1: #2:
What are you going to do today? Im not sure yet myself. I will probably have a look at Dsseldorf, but I am also very tired... Its the jet lag. Relax today. But I am in Germany! I will have a look at the surroundings. Are you coming along? Now?
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#1: #2:
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VOCABULARY
Ge r man sicher mitkommen English sure to come along C lass adjective verb Ge nde r
GERMANPOD101.COM
BEGINNER #10 - JETLAGGED IN DSSELDORF
Umgebung Deutschland dich ausruhen auch aber ansehen jetzt
surroundings Germany you, yourself (often not translated) relax also but have a look at now
noun, feminine, die proper noun pronoun; Accusative of du verb adverb conjunction verb adverb
feminine
Accusative of du splitting verb
er sieht an, er sah an, er hat angesehen
SAMPLE SENTENCES
Bi st d u d i r si ch e r? Are you sure? Wi r fa h re n n a ch D e u tsch l a n d . We go to Germany. La ss u n s h e u te a u sru h e n . Lets relax today. Abe r i ch w o l l te d o ch fe rn se h e n ! But I wanted to watch TV! Ich m ch te j e tzt g e h e n . I want to go now. M ch te st d u m i tko m m e n ? Would you like to come along? Ich m a g d i ch . I like you. Ich m ch te a u ch D e u tsch l e rn e n . I also want to learn German. Ich w e rd e m i r d i e S ta d t a n se h e n . I will have a look at the town. Wo w o h n st d u j e tzt? Where do you live now?
GRAMMAR
GERMANPOD101.COM
Ansehen, ausruhen and mitkommen are examples of a new species of German verbs, which you havent met so far: splitting verbs.
There are certain prefixes that are sometimes connected to the verb and sometimes split off. an, aus and mit are among them. They stay connected for the infinitive (and hence also for the future tense, which consists of werden and the infinitive), and on some other occasions, which well cover later. They split off for the present tense, and the prefix then goes to the end of the sentence. A lot of splitting verbs can be easily identified because they match phrasal verbs in English: verbs such as come along, bring along, go out, go away, leave behind You can also identify them by the prefix its always the same prefixes that split off, and eventually you will recognize them instinctively. Here is an example of phrases with splitting verbs: Ich werde ausgehen. (Ich gehe aus.) Kommst du mit? Nein, ich ruhe mich lieber aus. (I will go out / I go out. Are you coming along? No, I [would] rather relax [myself] [out].)
CULTURAL INSIGHT
In German residential areas, depending on what an area you are in, you will see everything from detached houses with gardens in front of them to apartment buildings with smallish playgrounds in the backyard. The rather narrow streets always have sidewalks and most of the time a separated bicycle path, too. Small shops selling products of everyday life, barbers, bakeries and some small supermarkets in the nearer surroundings make sure you dont have to go far to get everything you need, whereas the real large supermarkets, do-it-yourself stores and so on usually are a small distance outside of the residential area nearer to the town center. Elementary schools and kindergartens are also often found near the residential areas, sometimes even directly inside of them. As there are several different types of secondary schools, they need to be more centered so everyone can reach them as easy as possible. Therefore they are usually near the town center or at least somewhere you can easily go by bus from most suburbs and the surrounding area. Churches are usually spread all over town, if you are in a rather old and/or small city theres usually a single church in the town center and maybe a few in the suburbs. This is a relic of medieval times, when city just meant a few houses standing near together and the church marked the center.
GERMANPOD101.COM
LESSON NOTES
Beginner #11 10 things tourists must know
CONTENTS
11
GERMAN
1.
(lautes Klingeln) #1: #2: #1: #2: #1: Hey, Sie! Gehen Sie zur Seite! Das ist der Fahrradweg! Fahrradweg? Ja. Haben Sie keine Augen im Kopf?? Der Gehweg ist da! Oh, Entschuldigung. Nchstes Mal machen Sie die Augen auf!
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ENGLISH
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(loud ringing) #1: #2: #1: #2: #1: Hey, you! Go to the side! This is the bicycle path! Bike path? Yes. Dont you have any eyes [in the head]?? The sidewalk is there! Oh, excuse me. Next time, open your eyes!
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INFORMAL GERMAN
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(lautes Klingeln)
CONT'D OVER
GERMANPOD101.COM BEGINNER #11 - 10 THINGS TOURISTS MUST KNOW
2.
#1: #2: #1: #2: #1:
Hey, du! Geh zur Seite! Das ist der Fahrradweg! Fahrradweg? Ja. Hast du keine Augen im Kopf?? Der Gehweg ist da! Oh, Entschuldigung. Nchstes Mal mach die Augen auf!
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INFORMAL ENGLISH
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(loud ringing) #1: #2: #1: #2: #1: Hey, you! Go to the side! This is the bicycle path! Bike path? Yes. Dont you have any eyes [in the head]?? The sidewalk is there! Oh, excuse me. Next time, open your eyes!
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VOCABULARY
Ge r man English C lass Ge nde r not used for "going by car" which would be "(Auto) fahren"
gehen nchstes Mal
to go, to walk next time
verb phrase
GERMANPOD101.COM
BEGINNER #11 - 10 THINGS TOURISTS MUST KNOW
da Kopf Auge Seite Gehweg Fahrradweg
there head eye side sidewalk bike path
adverb noun noun noun, feminine, die noun, masculine, der noun, masculine, der masculine neuter, plural: "Die Augen" feminine masculine masculine irregular; ich habe, du hast, er hat, wir haben, ihr habt, sie haben "auf" splits off
haben
to have
verb
aufmachen
open
verb; splitting verb
SAMPLE SENTENCES
Ich g e h e n a ch Am e ri ka . I go to America. N ch ste s Ma l w i rd a l l e s a n d e rs. Next time it will be completely different. Er ste h t d a d r be n . He stands over there. Ma ch d i e Au g e n a u f! Open your eyes! La ss u n s i n s Ki n o g e h e n . Let's go to the movies. D i e Po st i st d a ! The mail is there! [has arrived] Er n i ckt m i t d e m Ko pf. He nods with his head. D u m u sst a u f d e r re ch te n S e i te fa h re n . You have to drive on the right side. D i e S e i te n d i e se s Bu ch e s si n d to ta l ve rkl e bt. The pages of this books are sticking together really hard. Es g i bt i m m e r zw e i S e i te n . There are always two sides.
GERMANPOD101.COM
D i e s i st e i n G e h w e g . This is a sidewalk. D u h a st e i n e g ro e Kl a ppe . You have a big mouth. Ma ch st d u bi tte d a s Fe n ste r a u f? Would you please open the window?
D e r Fa h rra d w e g i st d o rt. The bike path is over there. H a be n S i e Ze i t? Do you have time? Ka n n st d u d i e T r a u fm a ch e n ? Can you open the door?
GRAMMAR
Todays Grammar Point features a very important German verb: haben - to have While this is undoubtedly one of the most important verbs, it also happens to be irregular. Therefore it is: ich habe du hast er hat wir haben ihr habt sie haben In the future tense, it behaves like a regular verb: ich werde haben du wirst haben etc. Examples: Ich habe ein Auto. - I have a car. Du hast ein Haus. - You have a house. Er hat keine Arbeit. - He doesn't have work. Wir werden schnes Wetter haben. - We will have beautiful weather. This verb is very versatile, because you can use it in a lot of cases.You can use it to say that you are hungry or thirsty or to brag about personal belongings.
CULTURAL INSIGHT
GERMANPOD101.COM BEGINNER #11 - 10 THINGS TOURISTS MUST KNOW
When you come to Germany you will find that bikes often go on the sidewalk. For children it is accepted to ride their bikes on the sidewalk. Adults are basically expected to ride their bike on the street, unless of course there is a Fahrradweg (bike path). So if you don't want to end up in a similar situation as John, it might be worth to have a look at some important street signs. For example: If you see a round blue sign, with a woman holding the hand of a child on the left, a vertical line in the middle and a bike on the right, then this is the sign that the sidewalk is shared and both pedestrians and bikes can use the full width of the path. A blue round sign with a woman holding the hand of a child on the upper half, a horizontal line in the middle and a bike in the lower half indicates that both bikes and pedestrians each have a separated section of the path. This is often indicated by a line or by a different pavement color. There is also a round blue sign only showing the woman holding the hand of a child. This means bikes mustnt go on the sidewalk. Instead they are supposed to go along the very right edge of the street. And these are only a few vital signs for pedestrians. Streets signs are very vital to understand what's going on around you and if you are planning to come to Germany, then you should study street signs more in depth, as a lot of signs look different than they do in the USA. But there are also a few other unspoken rules you should be aware of. One of them is the "right before left" rule. If you are driving your car in residential areas you will find that there are hardly any street signs and almost no trafic lights. So if two or more cars approach a cross-way, it is simply expected for the one without a car to his right side to go first. You will also find that this makes pedestrians really secure when crossing streets near such a point. Since the cars are supposed to slow down and check for other drivers anyway, pedestrians also expect the car to wait till they crossed the street. You won't have to worry about street signs when you go by train, however there are also a few rules to keep in mind. Especially when you ride a long-distance train, many seats are reserved. If you sit there you will have to get up when/if the person who reserved the seat comes in. So it spares you a lot of trouble if you don't just avoid sitting in reserved seats, but also reserve a seat of your own. This costs a small fee, but if your train journey lasts a few hours it is well worth it. However, be careful which class you book. The first class is way more expensive but also more luxurious. Unless you bought a first class ticket, you really shouldn't sit there. If you aren't sure which class you just entered, you can either take a look at the wagons, since there is usually a number indicating the class on the outside, or on the walls and doors, since you will often find
GERMANPOD101.COM
the indicating number there, too. Unfortunately this only counts if you are traveling long-distance, on the ICE, IC or EC type train. If you travel regional you should make sure to get your ticket before you enter the train, because you can't just buy them in the train when you are traveling regional and there are some pretty high fines if one gets caught dodging the fare. The same goes when you travel by bus. It is always handy to have your ticket before you enter. You can always buy one from the driver, but they are often a bit more expensive. And don't try to get in at the back by all means. If the driver does not open the door, it means you are expected to get in at the front. This way the driver checks if you already have a ticket and if not you have to buy one. Sometimes the driver will refuse to drive on a single centimeter unless he is sure that everyone has a ticket. Please also keep in mind that while it is okay to eat or drink a bit when going a long distance by train, it is not tolerated in busses or other kinds of local traffic. The drivers are really articulate about not bringing ice cream, cola cups or Dner with you, because it could spill and ruin other peoples clothes or soil the vehicle. Also: there is a no-smoking rule in effect in Germany, which include many public building and the public transport system as well as airports. Try not to forget it, because many people are really touchy about it and you won't want to get into trouble.
GERMANPOD101.COM
LESSON NOTES
Beginner #12 What's that cabbage called?
CONTENTS
12
GERMAN
1.
#2: #1: #2: #1: #2: #1: #2:
Da bin ich wieder. Hallo Herr Williams! Jetzt habe ich Hunger. Haben Sie etwas zu essen? Ja, es gibt gleich Mittagessen. Schn. Was gibt es? Pfannkuchen mit Speck. Pfannkuchen zum Mittagessen? Ich habe Lust auf Schnitzel. Haben Sie keine Zeit, Schnitzel zu machen? Nein, es gibt Pfannkuchen.
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ENGLISH
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#2: #1: #2: #1: #2: #1:
There I am again. Hello John! Now I am hungry [I have hunger]. Do you have something to eat? Yes, soon we will have lunch [there will be noon-food]. Nice. What are we having? [What is there?] Pancakes with bacon.
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CONT'D OVER
GERMANPOD101.COM BEGINNER #12 - WHAT'S THAT CABBAGE CALLED?
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#2:
Pancakes for lunch? I am in the mood for schnitzel [I have desire of schnitzel]. Dont you have time to make schnitzel? No, we are having [there are] pancakes.
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#1:
INFORMAL GERMAN
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#2: #1: #2: #1: #2: #1: #2:
Da bin ich wieder. Hallo John! Jetzt habe ich Hunger. Hast du etwas zu essen? Ja, es gibt gleich Mittagessen. Schn. Was gibt es? Pfannkuchen mit Speck. Pfannkuchen zum Mittagessen? Ich habe Lust auf Schnitzel. Hast du keine Zeit, Schnitzel zu machen? Nein, es gibt Pfannkuchen.
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INFORMAL ENGLISH
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#2: #1:
There I am again. Hello John!
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CONT'D OVER
GERMANPOD101.COM BEGINNER #12 - WHAT'S THAT CABBAGE CALLED?
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#2: #1: #2: #1: #2:
Now I am hungry [I have hunger]. Do you have something to eat? Yes, soon we will have lunch [there will be noon-food]. Nice. What are we having? [What is there?] Pancakes with bacon. Pancakes for lunch? I am in the mood for schnitzel [I have desire of schnitzel]. Dont you have time to make schnitzel? No, we are having [there are] pancakes.
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VOCABULARY
Ge r man da Hunger Speck Mittagessen etwas wieder Zeit Lust (auf) mit gleich English there hunger bacon lunch something again time desire (of) with shortly C lass adverb noun, masculine, der noun, masculine, der noun adverb adverb noun; feminine, die noun, feminine, die preposition plural: Zeiten feminine no plural masculine neuter; Mittag = noon + Essen = food Ge nde r
SAMPLE SENTENCES
GERMANPOD101.COM
BEGINNER #12 - WHAT'S THAT CABBAGE CALLED?
D i e Po st i st d a ! The mail is there! [has arrived] Ich h a be H u n g e r. I am hungry. J a , e tw a s. Yes, I speak some. Mu sst d u w i e d e r G i ta rre spi e l e n ? Do you have to play the guitar again? Ich h a be j e tzt Ze i t. I have time now. Ich h a be Lu st a u f Ka ffe e . I am in the mood for coffee. (literally: I have desire of coffee) Er spi e l t m i t d e m H u n d . He plays with the dog. Ich bi n g l e i ch w i e d e r d a . I will be back shortly.
Er ste h t d a d r be n . He stands over there. D a s Mi tta g e sse n i st g l e i ch fe rti g . Lunch will soon be ready. Ich w i l l e tw a s tri n ke n . I want to drink something. D i e Ze i te n n d e rn si ch . Times change. Ich h a be Lu st a u f Fe rn se h e n . I am in the mood for TV. Ich m u ss m i t d e m H u n d ra u sg e h e n . I have to go out with the dog. / I have to walk the dog. Al l e Me n sch e n si n d g l e i ch . All men are equal.
GRAMMAR
This lesson gives you the chance to let things settle in a bit, and to review the forms of haben. Here they are again: ich habe, du hast, er hat, wir haben, ihr habt, sie haben. Haben is a very versatile verb, as evidenced by this lessons dialog. Here are some useful expressions that involve haben: - Hunger haben (to have hunger = to be hungry) - Lust haben auf ... (to have desire of = to be in the mood for)
GERMANPOD101.COM
- Zeit haben (to have time) And some more that werent in the dialog: - Durst haben (to have thirst = to be thirsty) - Interesse haben (to have interest = to be interested) - Angst haben (to have fear = to be afraid) - Recht haben (to have right = to be right) / Unrecht haben (to have wrong = to be wrong) - gern haben (willingly have = to like)
CULTURAL INSIGHT
Typical German lunch foods what is typical German food? It varies a lot by region; e. g. the Southern German cuisine is much more similar to the one of Austria and Switzerland. Some ingredients that can be found everywhere: - sausages - mustard - potatoes - cabbage in different forms: Sauerkraut, Rotkohl, Grnkohl, Kohlrabi, Rosenkohl,
In dishes: - potato soup - potato salad - sptzle - kndel (dumplings made from potatoes) - schnitzel - Reibekuchen (potato pancakes) Adopted food from immigrants: - pizza and pasta - dner kebab - gyros
GERMANPOD101.COM
LESSON NOTES
Beginner #13 Having fun in Germany
CONTENTS
13
GERMAN
1.
#1: #2:
Und? Ist es schn drauen? Ja. Ich liebe die schnen Grten, die kleinen Straen und die lachenden Kinder. Dsseldorf ist eine groe Stadt, aber in groen Stdten in Amerika ist die Umgebung nicht so schn.. Sind Sie jetzt mde? Ja, ich bin sehr mde. Ich werde mich ausruhen. Wahrscheinlich kommt mein Mann spter. Er geht noch zu seinem Verein. Okay.
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ENGLISH
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#1: #2:
And? Is it nice outside? Yes. I love the nice gardens, the small streets and the laughing children. Dsseldorf is a big city, but in big cities in America the surroundings arent as nice. Are you tired now? Yes, I am very tired. I will rest. My husband will probably come later. He is still going to his club. Okay.
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INFORMAL GERMAN
CONT'D OVER
GERMANPOD101.COM BEGINNER #13 - HAVING FUN IN GERMANY
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#1: #2:
Und? Ist es schn drauen? Ja. Ich liebe die schnen Grten, die kleinen Straen und die lachenden Kinder. Dsseldorf ist eine groe Stadt, aber in groen Stdten in Amerika ist die Umgebung nicht so schn.. Bist du jetzt mde? Ja, ich bin sehr mde. Ich werde mich ausruhen. Wahrscheinlich kommt mein Mann spter. Er geht noch zu seinem Verein. Okay.
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#2:
INFORMAL ENGLISH
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#1: #2:
And? Is it nice outside? Yes. I love the nice gardens, the small streets and the laughing children. Dsseldorf is a big city, but in big cities in America the surroundings arent as nice. Are you tired now? Yes, I am very tired. I will rest. My husband will probably come later. He is still going to his club. Okay.
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VOCABULARY
GERMANPOD101.COM
BEGINNER #13 - HAVING FUN IN GERMANY
Ge r man drauen sein Stadt gro Kind
English outside his town; city tall, big child
C lass adverb possessive pronoun noun, feminine, die adjective noun adjective; derived from lachen(to laugh) add d to any verb to create participle-adjectives like this noun adjective noun verb noun, masculine, der
Ge nde r
feminine; plural: Stdte
neuter; plural: Kinder derived from lachen(to laugh) add d to any verb to create participleadjectives like this feminine; plural: Straen
lachend
laughing(ly)
Strae klein Garten lieben Verein
street small garden to love club
masculine; plural: Grten
masculine; plural: Vereine
SAMPLE SENTENCES
Es i st sch n d ra u e n . It's nice outside. S e i n e Arbe i t i st n i ch t se h r i n te re ssa n t. His work isn't very interesting. D ra u e n i st e s h e u te se h r sch n . It's very nice outside today. D i e se S ta d t i st w i rkl i ch g ro . This city is really big.
GERMANPOD101.COM
Th o m a s i st g e n a u so g ro w i e S ve n . Thomas is just as tall as Sven. Ma ri o n kri e g t ba l d i h r e rste s Ki n d . Marion will soon have her first baby. D i e Ki n d e r fre u e n si ch a u f d i e Fe ri e n . The kids are looking forward to the holidays. Er g i n g l a ch e n d n a ch H a u se . He went home laughingly. Ich l i e be kl e i n e Pa rks. I love small parks. Ich l i e be d i ch . I love you.
D u h a st e i n e g ro e Kl a ppe . You have a big mouth. Ich bi n e i n Ei n ze l ki n d . I'm an only child. Ki n d e r a n d i e Ma ch t! Kids to the power!
G e h d i e S tra e e n tl a n g . Go along the street. D e i n G a rte n i st se h r sch n . Your garden is very beautiful. Ich bi n Mi tg l i e d i m S ch a ch -Ve re i n . I am member of the chess club.
GRAMMAR
In this lesson we are going to study adjectives and possessive pronouns more closely. As you probably noticed by now, they tend to change their endings when combined with different nouns. This happens so that they can reflect the case or gender, when there is no definite article that could reflect it. Accordingly, the endings will remind you of the endings the definite article would take if there was one. Nominative Sg. der Mann - ein groer Mann die Frau eine groe Frau das Kind ein groes Kind Dative dem Mann einem groen Mann der Frau einer groen Frau dem Kind einem groen Kind
GERMANPOD101.COM
Accusative den Mann einen groen Mann die Frau eine groe Frau das Kind ein groes Kind Nominative Pl. der Mann - die Mnner die Frau - die Fauen das Kind - die Kinder Accusative Pl. die Mnner groe Mnner meine Mnner; die Frauen groe Frauen meine Frauen etc. (all the same) (same for Accusative plural)
CULTURAL INSIGHT
In their free time, Germans watch a lot of TV 3 hours a day on average. This is still lower than the American average of roughly 4 hours a day, but steadily rising. The single most popular hobby apart from watching TV or surfing the internet is probably soccer. The majority of Germans are or have been in a soccer club at some point in their life. The entire scene of hobby clubs is more developed than in America because schools dont typically offer many clubs of their own so youths and adults alike join public clubs instead. Every city has a large range of sports clubs, from ball games to martial arts and dancing. There are also gaming clubs; particularly popular are Skat and Doppelkopf (German card games), chess and German board games. Then, there are clubs dedicated to keep alive some part of culture, such as the shooting clubs, Karneval clubs, dialect clubs and foreign folklore clubs. Finally, there are breeding clubs (rabbits, pigeons), collector clubs and much more.
GERMANPOD101.COM
LESSON NOTES
Beginner #14 Embarrassing Possessions
CONTENTS
14
GERMAN
1.
#2: #1: #2: #1: #2:
Frau Wucher, lesen Sie die "Bravo"?? Die "Bravo"? ... Das ist Lisas "Bravo". Lisa ist meine Kusine. Und was ist mit den Hello Kitty Sachen? hmm... Das sind die Sachen meiner Freundin. Und dieses Foto? Sie sind wirklich s mit Nutella um den Mund... Ist das das Foto Ihres Mannes? ...
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ENGLISH
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#2: #1: #2: #1: #2:
Mrs Wucher, do you read the "Bravo"?? The "Bravo"? ... Thats Lisas "Bravo". Lisa is my (female) cousin. And what about the Hello Kitty things? Ehm... Those are my (female) friends things. And this photograph? You are really cute with nutella around the mouth... is this your husband's fotograph? ...
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#1:
INFORMAL GERMAN
CONT'D OVER
GERMANPOD101.COM BEGINNER #14 - EMBARRASSING POSSESSIONS
1.
#2: #1: #2: #1: #2:
Hey Michaela, liest du die "Bravo"?? Die "Bravo"? ... Das ist Lisas "Bravo". Lisa ist meine Kusine. Und was ist mit den Hello Kitty Sachen? hmm... Das sind die Sachen meiner Freundin. Und dieses Foto? Du bist wirklich s mit Nutella um den Mund... Ist das das Foto deines Mannes? ...
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#1:
INFORMAL ENGLISH
1.
#2: #1: #2: #1: #2:
Hey Michaela, do you read the "Bravo"?? The "Bravo"? ... Thats Lisas "Bravo". Lisa is my (female) cousin. And what about the Hello Kitty things? Ehm... Those are my (female) friends things. And this photograph? You are really cute with nutella around the mouth... is this your husband's fotograph? ...
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#1:
VOCABULARY
GERMANPOD101.COM
BEGINNER #14 - EMBARRASSING POSSESSIONS
dieses s wirklich Foto Freundin Sache Kusine lesen Mund um
this sweet; cute really photo female friend thing female cousin to read mouth around
demonstrative pronoun adjective adverb noun noun, feminine, die noun; feminine, die noun, feminine, die verb noun preposition neuter; plural: Fotos feminine; plural: Freundinnen plural: Sachen feminine; plural: Kusinen er liest, er las, er hat gelesen masculine; plural: Mnder
SAMPLE SENTENCES
D i e se S ta d t i st se h r be r h m t. This city is very famous. Ich m a g d i e se s Li e d . I like this song. D i e se r Fi sch i st se h r a l t. This fish is really old. In D e u tsch l a n d g i bt e s n u r s e s Po pco rn , ke i n sa l zi g e s. In Germany there is only sweet popcorn, no salty popcorn. D i e Bo n bo n s si n d se h r s . The candy is very sweet. D i e se S ta d t i st w i rkl i ch g ro . This city is really big. S i e i st s . She is cute. D a s w a r w i rkl i ch l e cke r. This was really yummy.
GERMANPOD101.COM
Ich h a be Fo to s g e m a ch t. I took some pictures.
D a s i st m e i n e Fre u n d i n . This is my girldfriend. / This is a (female) friend of mine. D a s i st m e i n e Ku si n e . This is my (female) cousin. D u h a st d a w a s a m Mu n d . There is something at your mouth. Au to s ra se n u m d i e Au to re n n stre cke . Cars speed around the auto racing track.
D i e se S a ch e m a ch t m i r Pro bl e m e . This thing is troublesome to me. Ich l e se g e ra d e e i n g u te s Bu ch . I am reading a good book at the moment. Er ste h t j e d e n Mo rg e n u m 8 U h r a u f. He gets up at 8am every morning.
GRAMMAR
In this lesson we are going to learn the Genitive case. The Genitive case is used for describing possession: for example in the English sentence this is my husbands magazine, the s in husbands indicates that it is Genitive. In German, Genitive is a bit more complicated than that. Also, it changes both noun and the article. In that way it is unlike the cases you have learned before. Genitive Singular: des Mannes eines groen Mannes; der Frau einer groen Frau; des Kindes eines groen Kindes (characteristic es) Genitive Plural: der Mnner groer Mnner meiner Mnner; der Frauen groer Frauen meiner Frauen, etc. (all the same) Congratulations, this was the last of the German cases. Now the only form that you havent encountered yet is the Dative plural. Lets throw this in so that we can say were done with all rules concerning German nouns. Dative Plural: den Mnnern groen Mnnern meinen Mnnern; den Frauen groen Frauen meinen Frauen, etc. (all the same; in plural everything is the same)
CULTURAL INSIGHT
There are a lot of German magazines. You can find one for almost every topic. Not just TV magazines but magazines about every single hobby (from astrology to chess to stamp
GERMANPOD101.COM
collecting), every science, lots of computer magazines of every flavour, lots of lifestyle magazines, magazines about royalty or stars . A few well-known ones: - BRAVO for teenies, mostly about boygroups and famous pop singers; - Das Goldene Blatt about royals, nobles and stars for older women; - Der Spiegel for politics; - Brigitte for women;
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LESSON NOTES
Beginner #15 There's a package for you
CONTENTS
15
GERMAN
1.
*doorbell* *open door* Michaela: Postman: Michaela: Postman: Michaela: Postman: Michaela: Postman: * going away * Hallo? Hallo, ein Paket fr Sie. Fr mich? Ich erwarte gar kein Paket Na ja, es ist fr Ihren Nachbarn, Herrn Schrder. Oh, der neue Nachbar. Hier ist das Paket, danke. Ich gehe jetzt. Wieso macht das Paket komische Gerusche?? Auf Wiedersehen!
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ENGLISH
1.
Michaela: Postman: Michaela: Postman:
Hello? Hello, a package for you. For me? I am not expecting a package. Well, its for your neighbour, Mr. Schrder.
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3.
4.
CONT'D OVER
GERMANPOD101.COM BEGINNER #15 - THERE'S A PACKAGE FOR YOU
5.
Michaela: Postman: Michaela: Postman:
Oh, the new neighbour. Heres the package, thanks. Im going now. Why is the package making strange noises?? Goodbye!
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INFORMAL GERMAN
1.
Michaela: Postman: Michaela: Postman: Michaela: Postman: Michaela: Postman:
Hallo? Hallo, ein Paket fr dich. Fr mich? Ich erwarte gar kein Paket Na ja, es ist fr deinen Nachbarn, Herrn Schrder. Oh, der neue Nachbar. Hier ist das Paket, danke. Ich gehe jetzt. Wieso macht das Paket komische Gerusche?? Tschss!
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INFORMAL ENGLISH
1.
Michaela:
Hello?
CONT'D OVER
2.
Postman: Michaela: Postman: Michaela: Postman: Michaela: Postman:
Hello, a package for you. For me? I am not expecting a package. Well, its for your neighbour, Mr. Schrder. Oh, the new neighbour. Heres the package, thanks. Im going now. Why is the package making strange noises?? Bye!
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VOCABULARY
Ge r man Herr erwarten gar kein Nachbar neu Gerusch komisch Paket wieso fr English Mister expect, await no, any, absolutely no neighbor new noise, sound strange, weird; funny package why for C lass noun, masculine, der verb expression; stronger than kein noun adjective noun, neuter, das adjective noun, neuter, das question word preposition neuter; plural: Pakete neuter; plural: Gerusche stronger than kein masculine; plural: Nachbarn Ge nde r masculine
SAMPLE SENTENCES
H e rr S m i th Mr Smith Ich h a be g a r ke i n e Lu st a u f Ki n o . Im in absolutely no mood for the movies. Ist d e r Pu l l i n e u ? Is that pullover new? Me i n N a ch ba r i st ko m i sch . My neighbor is strange. Wi e so i st d e r H i m m e l bl a u ? Why is the sky blue? Ist d a s Pa ke t f r m i ch ? Is that package for me?
Ich e rw a rte n o ch e i n e n Bri e f. Im still awaiting a letter. Me i n N a ch ba r i st ko m i sch . My neighbor is strange. Wa s i st d a s f r e i n G e r u sch ? What kind of noise is that? Ist d a s Pa ke t f r m i ch ? Is that package for me? Wi e so i st d a s so ? Why is that so?
GRAMMAR
In this lessons dialog, you can review many of the case rules that we talked about so far. However, we would now also like to draw your attention to what the cases do to personal pronouns. So far weve been covering them one at a time for example you already saw mich, dich, dir and the like in the vocabulary list. Now were giving you an overview: Nominative Dative Accusative (Genitive is handled by possessive pronouns) I: ich mir - mich you (informal): du dir dich he: er ihm ihn (or sich when himself is meant) she: sie ihr sie (or sich when herself is meant) it: es ihm es (or sich when itself is meant) we: wir uns uns you (plural): ihr euch euch they / you (formal): sie ihnen sie (or sich when themselves is meant) Examples: Ich liebe dich.
GERMANPOD101.COM
BEGINNER #15 - THERE'S A PACKAGE FOR YOU
Sie findet ihn s. Sie gibt ihm ein Geschenk. Er findet sie s. Er gibt ihr ein Geschenk. Wir erzhlen von uns. Ihr erzhlt von euch.
CULTURAL INSIGHT
German postal service: - How to address a letter to/within Germany: first name last name street and number postal code and city country - Postal code usually only specifies the city, not the street or block or anything. Only major cities (or cities that used to be several towns) may have a few different postal codes roughly specifying the area of town. - Postal codes, like phone numbers, allow you to identify the region within Germany - If you want to send a postcard from Germany: you can get a postcard anywhere, but for stamps you usually have to go to a post office (bright yellow). You can then send your card from there or you throw it into one of the bright yellow mail boxes anywhere around town. Note that the number of mailboxes has been drastically reduced - Within Germany, a stamp for a postcard is 45 cents, and a standard letter is 55 cents. - To most places in Europe, a postcard is 65 cents and a standard letter is 70 cents - To the USA, a postcard is 1 Euro and a standard letter is 1,70 Within Germany, your letters or parcels will probably be delivered around noon on the next day. On Sundays there is no service however.
GERMANPOD101.COM
BEGINNER #15 - THERE'S A PACKAGE FOR YOU
LESSON NOTES
Beginner #16 When will we see?
CONTENTS
16
GERMAN
1.
Michaela: John: Michaela:
So, Herr Williams, was machen wir heute? Ich wei nicht gehen wir in die Stadt? Gute Idee, dann sehen Sie Dsseldorfs Sehenswrdigkeiten. Also, gehen wir! Jetzt?? Ich schreibe gerade eine Postkarte. Okay, dann gehen wir spter. Um halb zwei vielleicht? Dann bin ich bei einem Freund. Bei einem Freund? Ja. Wie wre es um viertel vor vier? Da mache ich Mittagessen fr meinen Mann. Und wenn wir noch spter gehen
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John: Michaela: John: Michaela: John: Michaela:
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ENGLISH
1.
Michaela: John: Michaela: John:
So, John, what are we going to do today? I dont know do we go into the city? Good idea, then youll see Dsseldorfs sights. So lets go! Now?? Im just writing a postcard.
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CONT'D OVER
GERMANPOD101.COM BEGINNER #16 - WHEN WILL WE SEE?
5.
Michaela: John: Michaela: John: Michaela:
Okay, then well go later. Maybe around half past one? Then Ill be at a friends place. At a friends? Yes. Howbout quarter to four? Thats when Im preparing lunch for my husband. And if we go even later
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INFORMAL GERMAN
1.
So, John, was machen wir heute? Ich wei nicht gehen wir in die Stadt? Gute Idee, dann siehst du Dsseldorfs Sehenswrdigkeiten. Also, gehen wir! Jetzt?? Ich schreibe gerade eine Postkarte. Okay, dann gehen wir spter. Um halb zwei vielleicht? Dann bin ich bei einem Freund. Bei einem Freund? Ja. Wie wre es um viertel vor vier? Da mache ich Mittagessen fr meinen Mann. Und wenn wir noch spter gehen
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INFORMAL ENGLISH
GERMANPOD101.COM
CONT'D OVER
BEGINNER #16 - WHEN WILL WE SEE?
1.
Michaela: John: Michaela: John: Michaela: John: Michaela: John: Michaela:
So, John, what are we going to do today? I dont know do we go into the city? Good idea, then youll see Dsseldorfs sights. So lets go! Now?? Im just writing a postcard. Okay, then well go later. Maybe around half past one? Then Ill be at a friends place. At a friends? Yes. Howbout quarter to four? Thats when Im preparing lunch for my husband. And if we go even later
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VOCABULARY
Ge r man sehen bei vielleicht Postkarte schreiben Sehenswrdigkeit English to see at (a persons place) maybe post card to write sight C lass verb preposition adverb noun, feminine, die verb noun, feminine, die feminine; plural: Sehenswrdigkeiten female; plural: Postkarten Ge nde r vowel-changing verb: e -> ie
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Idee gerade also wie wre es (mit)
idea right now so how bout (having)
noun, feminine, die adverb conjunction, expression expression
feminine; plural: Ideen
SAMPLE SENTENCES
Ich se h e e i n g u te s C a f . I see a good caf. Ich bi n be i Ma x. I am at Max's place. (with him there) Ich sch re i be e i n e Po stka rte . I am writing a post card. D sse l d o rf h a t vi e l e S e h e n sw rd i g ke i te n . Dsseldorf has many sights. Ich h a l te i h n n i ch t g e ra d e f r e i n e S ti m m u n g ska n o n e . I am not exactly taking him for a great joker. S o i st d a s a l so . Ah, so it is. Ich m ch te n i ch t g e h e n , a l so bl e i be i ch . I don't want to go, so I stay. Wi e w re e s m i t m o rg e n ? How about toworrow? Wi e w re e s m i t e i n e m Ei s? How about having an ice? Ich a rbe i te g e ra d e d a ra n . I am working at it right now. We l ch e n Fi l m m ch te st d u se h e n ? Which movie would you like to see? Vi e l l e i ch t sp te r. Maybe later. Ich sch re i be e i n e Po stka rte . I am writing a post card. Ich h a be e i n e Id e e . I have an idea.
GERMANPOD101.COM
GRAMMAR
Numbers 1-12 This will probably be a refresher for most: 1 Eins, 2 Zwei, 3 Drei, 4 Vier, 5 Fnf, 6 Sechs, 7 Sieben, 8 Acht, 9 Neun, 10 Zehn, 11 Elf, 12 Zwlf These are also important to know for phone numbers. (For telling your phone number you will also need the number 0, which in German is Null) Telling the time in German There are many ways of telling the time. Once you are fluent you will have no trouble giving it as 17 Uhr 14 (5:14) for example, but until then you can just round it and still be close enough. The full hour: X Uhr = X oclock, e. g. 3 Uhr = 3 oclock A half hour: Halb X+1 = half past X, e. g. halb 4 = half past 3 - Germans always see the pointer as being half way to the next hour A quarter: Viertel vor/nach X = quarter to/past X
CULTURAL INSIGHT
Lunch at quarter to four? Not really, traditional lunch time is 12 oclock, or between 12 and 2. However, school children and people with an 8-4 job may decide to have lunch only when home, and have something light in between (e. g. Judiths father). Other meals: Frhstck before 8 (getting up at half past six); Kaffee around 4 oclock; Abendessen/Abendbrot around 6 oclock; Snacks with TV starting 8:15.
GERMANPOD101.COM
LESSON NOTES
Beginner #17 Who would send THAT in a package?
CONTENTS
17
GERMAN
1.
Michaela: John: Michaela: John: Michaela: John: Michaela: John:
Was ist denn hier los?? Was? Wo kommt denn der Hund her?? Ein Hund? Sie haben doch keinen Hund. Genau. Hey, sitz! Sitz sage ich! Das ist ein sehr junger Hund, vielleicht... Oh je! Und jetzt pinkelt er auf meinen Teppich! Oh nein! Der war sicher im Paket!
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ENGLISH
1.
Michaela: John: Michaela: John: Michaela: John:
Whats up here?? What? Where is that dog coming from now?? A dog? You dont have any dog. Exactly. Hey, sit! I say sit! That is a very young dog, maybe...
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CONT'D OVER
GERMANPOD101.COM BEGINNER #17 - WHO WOULD SEND THAT IN A PACKAGE?
7.
Michaela: John:
Oh dear! And now its peeing on my carpet! Oh no! It was probably in the package!
8.
INFORMAL GERMAN
1.
Michaela: John: Michaela: John: Michaela: John: Michaela: John:
Was ist denn hier los?? Was? Wo kommt denn der Hund her?? Ein Hund? Du hast doch keinen Hund. Genau. Hey, sitz! Sitz sage ich! Das ist ein sehr junger Hund, vielleicht... Oh je! Und jetzt pinkelt er auf meinen Teppich! Oh nein! Der war sicher im Paket!
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INFORMAL ENGLISH
1.
Whats up here?? What? Where is that dog coming from now??
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CONT'D OVER
GERMANPOD101.COM BEGINNER #17 - WHO WOULD SEND THAT IN A PACKAGE?
4.
John: Michaela: John: Michaela: John:
A dog? You dont have any dog. Exactly. Hey, sit! I say sit! That is a very young dog, maybe... Oh dear! And now its peeing on my carpet! Oh no! It was probably in the package!
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VOCABULARY
Ge r man sitzen Teppich pinkeln jung los sein Hund sagen English to sit carpet, rug to pee young to be up, to be afoot; be rid of dog to say this is the affirmative, encouraging because; adds emphasis expression; conjugates like sein conjugates like sein noun verb masculine C lass verb; er sitzt, er sa, er hat gesessen noun; masculine, der verb Ge nde r er sitzt, er sa, er hat gesessen plural: Teppiche
doch
modifier
denn
modifier
GERMANPOD101.COM
BEGINNER #17 - WHO WOULD SEND THAT IN A PACKAGE?
her-
to here
particle; building building block for block for many many splitting verbs: splitting verbs: herkommen, herkommen, hersehen, herrufen hersehen, herrufen
SAMPLE SENTENCES
D i e se s Kl e i d h a t d i e ri ch ti g e G r e , a be r e s si tzt n i ch t g u t. This dress is in the right size, but it doesn't drape well. D e r Te ppi ch i st sch n . That's a nice carpet. Er i st se h r j u n g . He is very young. Wa s i st d e n n h i e r l o s? What are you up to? U n d d a n n sa g te e r.... And then he said... S a g d o ch w a s! Come on, say something! D u m a g st d o ch ke i n e S ch o ko l a d e , o d e r? - D o ch ! You surely don't like chocolate, do you? Yes I do! Er pi n ke l t i n d i e Ecke ! He is peeing in the corner! En d l i ch bi n i ch d a s l o s. Finally I am rid of this. Wo ko m m t d e n n d e r H u n d h e r? Where does the dog come from? S a g d o ch w a s! Come on, say something! Ko m m d o ch ! Do come! Ich m a g ke i n S u sh i , d e n n i ch h a sse Fi sch . I don't like sushi because I hate fish. Wo m ch te st d u si tze n ? Where would you like to sit?
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Wi e si e h st d u d e n n a u s! What a sight you are! Wo ko m m t d e n n d e r H u n d h e r? Where does the dog come from?
Ko m m so fo rt h e r! Come her immediately!
GRAMMAR
Word order German word order is a lot less strict than English word order. You just have to make sure that the verb always comes in second place, no matter whether a subject or an adverbial precedes it. For example: Ich habe einen Hund. Heute habe ich einen Hund. After the verb, the subject follows if it hasnt been mentioned so far. Then the remaining sentence parts (if available) usually come in the following order: modifier, adverbials, object of the sentence, anything else, any remaining verb parts (such as infinitives or split-off parts). An example sentences with lots of parts: John sieht sich doch mit Michaela heute die Altstadt an. / Heute sieht sich John doch mit Michaela die Altstadt an. English speakers should note that the time is usually mentioned before the place in German, for example Ich gehe heute ins Kino. (I go today to the cinema). Speakers of Roman languages should note that adjectives always come before the noun.
CULTURAL INSIGHT
Dogs in Germany - Germans love their dogs but there are a lot of rules - dogs may not be acceptable in a rented apartment; must talk to landlord beforehand - dogs usually arent allowed into shops offering food; also other places may have a sign wir mssen drauen warten - due to problems with aggressive dogs in the past few years, dangerous dog breeds (e. g. pit bulls, bull terriers) are tested for viciousness and may not be imported; other dog breeds may be required to wear a muzzle or to always go on leash - you are legally responsible for anything the dog does, may want to get insurance - travelling with a dog is usually possible (e. g. trains and airplanes), ask in advance; on entering the country you may need to prove vaccinations and or have your dog undergo a
GERMANPOD101.COM
quarantine period
GERMANPOD101.COM
LESSON NOTES
Beginner #18 I want my dog!
CONTENTS
18
GERMAN
1.
X: Michaela: X: Michaela: X:
Hallo, ich bin der neue Nachbar! Sie haben ein Paket fr mich? Wie knnen Sie einen Hund als Paket bestellen! Nun Der arme Hund! Ich will einen Hund haben, und ich habe keine Zeit, ihn irgendwo abzuholen. Sie knnen den Hund nicht abholen? Wie werden Sie dann Zeit fr den Hund haben? Geben Sie mir jetzt meinen Hund! Ich kann Ihnen den Hund nicht geben
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Michaela:
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X: Michaela:
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ENGLISH
1.
Hello, I am the new neighbour! You have a package for me? How can you order a dog as a package! Well The poor dog! I want to have a dog, and I dont have any time to pick him up somewhere.
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CONT'D OVER
GERMANPOD101.COM BEGINNER #18 - I WANT MY DOG!
6.
Michaela: X: Michaela:
You cant pick up the dog? How will you have time for the dog then? Now give me my dog! I cant give you the dog
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INFORMAL GERMAN
1.
Hey, ich bin der neue Nachbar! Du hast ein Paket fr mich? Wie knnen Sie einen Hund als Paket bestellen! Nun Der arme Hund! Ich will einen Hund haben, und ich habe keine Zeit, ihn irgendwo abzuholen. Du kannst den Hund nicht abholen? Wie wirst du dann Zeit fr den Hund haben? Gib mir jetzt meinen Hund! Ich kann dir den Hund nicht geben
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Michaela:
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X: Michaela:
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INFORMAL ENGLISH
1.
X:
Hello, I am the new neighbour! You have a package for me?
CONT'D OVER
GERMANPOD101.COM BEGINNER #18 - I WANT MY DOG!
2.
Michaela: X: Michaela: X:
How can you order a dog as a package! Well The poor dog! I want to have a dog, and I dont have any time to pick him up somewhere. You cant pick up the dog? How will you have time for the dog then? Now give me my dog! I cant give you the dog
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Michaela: X: Michaela:
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VOCABULARY
Ge r man als English as C lass preposition; same as in English Ge nde r same as in English irregular; ich kann, du kannst, er kann, wir knnen, ihr knnt, sie knnen weak verb
knnen
can, to be able to, to be allowed to to order now poor
verb
bestellen nun arm
verb
adjective Children are taught to say Ich mchte (I would like) rather than Ich will, as it is more polite; irregular
wollen
to want
verb
GERMANPOD101.COM
BEGINNER #18 - I WANT MY DOG!
irgendwo abholen
somewhere to pick up
adverb; irgend- is a prefix like someverb
irgend- is a prefix like some"ab" splits off
SAMPLE SENTENCES
Ich a rbe i te a l s Le h re r. I work as a teacher. Ka n n st d u d e u tsch e s Esse n e sse n ? Can you eat German food? Ich m ch te e i n Bu ch be ste l l e n . I would like to order a book. Vi e l e S tu d e n te n si n d a rm . Many students are poor. Wi r si n d u n s n i ch t e i n i g , w e l ch e s H a u s w i r ka u fe n w o l l e n . We haven't reached an agreement about which house we want to buy. Ich m ch te m e i n Pa ke t a bh o l e n . I would like to pick up my package. Wa s m a ch st d u a l s Li n g u i st? What do you do as a linguist? Ich ka n n n i ch t g u t si n g e n . I can't sing well. D e r a rm e H u n d ! The poor (pitiable) dog. Me i n H u n d w i l l i m m e r spi e l e n . My dog always wants to play. Es m u ss d o ch h i e r i rg e n d w o se i n . It has to be here somewhere.
GRAMMAR
Modal verbs knnen (can) and wollen (want) In this lessons dialog you have encountered forms of two extremely useful German verbs: knnen (can) and wollen (want). These are known as modal verbs and they always have to be used in conjunction with another verb.
GERMANPOD101.COM
The conjugation: knnen: ich kann, du kannst, er kann, wir knnen, ihr knnt, sie knnen wollen: ich will, du willst, er will, wir wollen, ihr wollt, sie wollen As you can see, the two forms of the two modal verbs run parallel, and most of the endings are what you would expect, except that singular and plural have different vowels. Yet we cant lump them with the vowel-changing verbs because vowel-changing verbs only change for 2nd and 3rd person singular (du and er forms), and these verbs change their vowel for the 1st person singular as well. Both verbs are used in the same way: with an infinitive verb, like in English. However, in German the infinitive verb is placed at the very end of the sentence, while the modal verb stays in 2nd place. This unexpected verb movement occurs whenever there is more than one verb in a German sentence. Examples: Willst du etwas singen? Do you want to sing something? Ich kann nicht gut singen. I cant sing well. Herr Wucher kann heute frh nach Hause kommen. Mr Wucher can come home early today.
CULTURAL INSIGHT
Other animals in Germany Last lesson we already talked about dogs. There are 5 million dogs in Germany. Dogs beware however: there are 7.2 million cats. There are also 4.7 million pet birds and 5.8 million small pets such as rabbits, guinea pigs or hamsters, and of course countless fish. Statistically, every other household has a pet. Its really a lot. In terms of wild animals however, there are not as many in Germany as there are in the states. Since Europe has been civilised for a longer time than North America, a lot of animals have become extinct over here, or at least pushed to the national parks. This issue has two sides of course. On the downside, there is just less variety of animals only the mudflats near the north coast are known for a great variety of animals. On the upside, this means that its very unlikely that youll encounter a dangerous animal, such as a poisonous snake. There are two types of poisonous snakes in Germany and both of them are rare, not usually aggressive and the bites are not lethal. Other dangerous wildlife, such as aggressive bears, are also very rarely found. If theres an angry bear causing problems somewhere in Germany, it will be all over national news for several weeks! Even animals that are quite common in the states, such as squirrels, chipmunks and racoons, are not as common here. There are some squirrels, though typically the red kind and not enough of them to annoy gardeners. I believe there are also a couple racoons somebody let loose somewhere in the Thurigian woods, but unfortunately chances of seeing those in natura, or seeing chipmunks, are really really really slim. Your best chance is a zoo.
GERMANPOD101.COM
Germany has a lot of big well-tended zoos.
GERMANPOD101.COM
LESSON NOTES
Beginner #19 My dog did what?
CONTENTS
19
GERMAN
1.
X:
Sie knnen mir den Hund nicht geben? Sie mssen aber! Es ist mein Hund und mein Paket! Na schn, aber IHR Hund hat MEIN Wohnzimmer verwstet! Bezahlen Sie erst einmal den Schaden, dann kriegen Sie Ihren Hund. Verwstet? Wie hoch ist der Schaden? Hmm, mssen wohl etwa 1000 Euro sein 1000 Euro Schaden???
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Michaela:
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X: Michaela: X:
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ENGLISH
1.
X:
You cant give me the dog? You have to! Its my dog and my package! Fair enough, but YOUR dog has devastated MY living-room! Pay for the damages first, then youll get your dog. Devastated? How much is the damage? Hmm, probably around 1000 euros 1000 Euros in damage???
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Michaela:
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X: Michaela: X:
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INFORMAL GERMAN
CONT'D OVER
GERMANPOD101.COM BEGINNER #19 - MY DOG DID WHAT?
1.
X:
Du kannst mir den Hund nicht geben? Du musst aber! Es ist mein Hund und mein Paket! Na schn, aber DEIN Hund hat MEIN Wohnzimmer verwstet! Bezahle erst einmal den Schaden, dann kriegst du deinen Hund. Verwstet? Wie hoch ist der Schaden? Hmm, mssen wohl etwa 1000 Euro sein 1000 Euro Schaden???
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Michaela:
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X: Michaela: X:
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INFORMAL ENGLISH
1.
X:
You cant give me the dog? You have to! Its my dog and my package! Fair enough, but YOUR dog has devastated MY living-room! Pay for the damages first, then youll get your dog. Devastated? How much is the damage? Hmm, probably around 1000 euros 1000 Euros in damage???
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Michaela:
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X: Michaela: X:
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VOCABULARY
Ge r man mssen hoch English must; have to high C lass modal verb; irregular adjective Ge nde r irregular
GERMANPOD101.COM
BEGINNER #19 - MY DOG DID WHAT?
kriegen Schaden erst (einmal) bezahlen verwstet Wohnzimmer na schn
receive damage first to pay devastated living-room fair enough approximately; (in questions:) surely not? probably
verb noun, masculine, der adverb verb participle noun, neuter, das expression adverb; note the question use! adverb note the question use! neuter weak verb masculine; plural: Schden
etwa wohl
SAMPLE SENTENCES
Ich m u ss d e n Fi l m n i ch t u n be d i n g t se h e n . I don't absolutely have to watch that movie. Ich m u ss vi e l f r d i e U n i l e rn e n . I have to study a lot for university. Ich kri e g e n o ch G e l d vo n d i r! You still owe me money! We r kri e g t d i e se Bl u m e n ? Who receives these flowers? D e r Tu rm i st zi e m l i ch h o ch . That tower is pretty high. D i ch kri e g e i ch n o ch ! I will get you! D e r S ch a d e n i st be re i ts a n g e ri ch te t. The damage is already done. Mu sst d u w i e d e r G i ta rre spi e l e n ? Do you have to play the guitar again?
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Erst e i n m a l w i rst d u m i r sa g e n , w a s h i e r l o s i st! First you are going to tell me what's going on here! Er m u sste S tra fe be za h l e n , w e i l e r i m H a l te ve rbo t g e pa rkt h a tte . He had to pay a fee, because he had parked his car in a clearway. D e r H u n d h a t m e i n e n G a rte n ve rw ste t! The dog devastated my garden!
Ich h a be n o ch vi e l zu tu n , a be r e rst n e h m e i ch m i r e i n e n Ka ffe e . I still have a lot to do but first I get myself a coffee. Ich w rd e g e rn e be za h l e n . I would like to pay. / The bill, please.
Ich m u ss d i r u n be d i n g t m e i n n e u e s Wo h n zi m m e r ze i g e n . I absolutely have to show you my new(ly decorated) living-room N a sch n , d u h a st j a R e ch t. Fair enough, you're right. (In the sense of "I'm giving in.") S i e w a r e tw a 3 J a h re a l t. She was approximately 3 years old.
N a sch n , a be r d u g e h st zu e rst! Fair enough, but you go first!
Ma g st d u e tw a To ki o H o te l ? Surely you don't like Tokio Hotel? D a s w i rd w o h l n i ch ts m e h r. That probably won't work out anymore
GRAMMAR
Modal verb mssen (must) Continuing on with German modal verbs, mssen is another really important one to know. It means must. The conjugation: mssen: ich muss, du musst, er muss, wir mssen, ihr msst, sie mssen The forms are also parallel to the ones of wollen and knnen, also displaying this vowelchanging from singular to plural. The usage is also the same. Examples:
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Ich muss heute noch Klavier ben. I must practise playing the piano today. Musst du das wirklich tun? Do you really have to do that?
CULTURAL INSIGHT
- neighbourly disputes are just as common in Germany as in the states; and the subjects are mostly the same, too; e. g. a tree having branches on the other side of a fence, or somebody partying rather too loudly at night (the police can come by for that) - Germany houses a lot of people on very little land, so everybody lives closer together than in the states; - huge estates are uncommon, and so are big stretches of land where you dont see anybody or anything - highways are never completely free; even at 3am and far from major cities; around major cities they are of course crammed - less ethnic strife simply because there arent as many large ethnic groups; Germany is not a country of immigrants; particularly noticeable is the lack of German-born blacks, while there are some German-born Asians
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LESSON NOTES
Beginner #20 About that dog...
CONTENTS
20
GERMAN
1.
X: Michaela:
1000 Euro Schaden??? Das ganze Wohnzimmer ist verwstet! Mein Perser-Teppich und die Mbel ... Aber ich gebe keine 1000 Euro fr den Hund aus, da kaufe ich mir lieber einen anderen. Wie wre es damit? ich bezahle nichts und Sie drfen den Hund behalten. Okay. brigens, im Tierheim in der Stadt gibt es viele Hunde, da knnen Sie einen aussuchen und sofort mitnehmen. Sie brauchen dann nicht auf ein Paket warten. Ah, danke fr den Tipp.
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X:
4.
Michaela:
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X:
ENGLISH
1.
X: Michaela:
1000 Euros in damages??? The entire living-room is devastated! My Persian rug and the furniture.... But I am not spending 1000 Euros on the dog, I'd rather buy another. How'bout this? I pay nothing and you may keep the dog. Okay. By the way, in the animal shelter in the city there are many dogs, there you could select one and immediately take it with you. You don't need to wait for a package then. Ah, thanks for the tip.
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X:
4.
Michaela:
5.
X:
INFORMAL GERMAN
CONT'D OVER
GERMANPOD101.COM BEGINNER #20 - ABOUT THAT DOG...
1.
X: Michaela:
1000 Euro Schaden??? Das ganze Wohnzimmer ist verwstet! Mein Perser-Teppich und die Mbel ... Aber ich gebe keine 1000 Euro fr den Hund aus, da kaufe ich mir lieber einen anderen. Wie wre es damit? ich bezahle nichts und du darfst den Hund behalten. Okay. brigens, im Tierheim in der Stadt gibt es viele Hunde, da kannst du einen aussuchen und sofort mitnehmen. Du brauchst dann nicht auf ein Paket warten. Ah, danke fr den Tipp.
2.
3.
X:
4.
Michaela:
5.
X:
INFORMAL ENGLISH
1.
X: Michaela:
1000 Euros in damages??? The entire living-room is devastated! My Persian rug and the furniture.... But I am not spending 1000 Euros on the dog, I'd rather buy another. How'bout this? I pay nothing and you may keep the dog. Okay. By the way, in the animal shelter in the city there are many dogs, there you could select one and immediately take it with you. You don't need to wait for a package then. Ah, thanks for the tip.
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3.
X:
4.
Michaela:
5.
X:
VOCABULARY
GERMANPOD101.COM
BEGINNER #20 - ABOUT THAT DOG...
Ge r man sofort ausgeben kaufen anderer; andere; anderes
English immediately to spend (money) to buy other, another
C lass adverb verb; aus splits off; behaves like geben verb pronoun
Ge nde r
aus splits off; behaves like geben
halten
to hold; to consider sb./sth. as
verb
vowel-changing a to : ich halte, du hltst, er hlt, wir halten er behlt, er behielt, er hat behalten
behalten brigens Tierheim aussuchen
to keep by the way animal shelter to select, choose
verb interjection noun, neuter, das verb; aus splits off verb; mit splits off; the rest behaves like nehmen verb verb
neuter; plural: Tierheime aus splits off mit splits off; the rest behaves like nehmen weak verb
mitnehmen brauchen warten ganz Mbel
to take along to need to wait completely furniture
noun
always plural
SAMPLE SENTENCES
GERMANPOD101.COM
Le g e n S i e n i ch t so fo rt w i e d e r a u f, i ch m u ss Ih n e n e tw a s Wi ch ti g e s sa g e n ! Don't hang up immediately again, I have to tell you something important! Ko m m t so fo rt. Coming up immediately. Er g i bt vi e l G e l d a u s. He spends a lot of money.
N a ch d e m Esse n m ch te i ch so fo rt n a ch H a u se fa h re n . After the meal I immediately want to drive home.
Ich g e be e i n e R u n d e a u s. I pay for a round. Wi r si n d u n s n i ch t e i n i g , w e l ch e s H a u s w i r ka u fe n w o l l e n . We haven't reached an agreement about which house we want to buy.
S ti rb a n e i n e m a n d e re n Ta g Die another day H a l te n S i e bi tte a n d e r Ecke . Please stop at the corner. Ich h a l te i h n f r kl u g . I think he is intelligent.
Ich w i l l e i n e n a n d e re n Fi l m se h e n . I want so see a different movie. Ka n n st d u d a s ku rz h a l te n ? Can you hold that for a second? D a s We ch se l g e l d k n n e n S i e be h a l te n . You can keep the change.
Ich h a be m e i n e n H u n d a u s d e m Ti e rh e i m . I've got my dog from the animal shelter.
H a be n S i e si ch sch o n e n tsch i e d e n , o d e r su ch e n S i e n o ch e tw a s a u s d e r Ka rte a u s? Did you make up your mind or are you still selecting something from the menu?
Er h a t si ch e i n ro te s Au to a u sg e su ch t. He selected/ chose a red car.
Ich n e h m e be sse r S o n n e n m i l ch m i t. I better take along some sun lotion.
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Ka n n i ch e i n e n Fre u n d m i tn e h m e n ? Can I take a friend along? Bra u ch e n S i e e i n e R e ch n u n g ? Do you need a bill? J e tzt h a be i ch e i n g a n ze s S e t. Now I have a complete set. D i e se r R a u m bra u ch t n e u e M be l . This room needs new furniture.
D i e se r R a u m bra u ch t n e u e M be l . This room needs new furniture. Mu sste st d u l a n g e w a rte n ? Did you have to wait a long time? Pri va t i st e r g a n z a n d e rs. In private he is completely different.
GRAMMAR
Modal verb drfen (may) Continuing on with German modal verbs, "drfen" is another really important one to know. It means "may", as in being allowed to do something. The conjugation: drfen: ich darf, du darfst, er darf, wir drfen, ihr drft, sie drfen The forms are also parallel to the ones of "wollen", "knnen" and "mssen", also displaying this vowel-changing from singular to plural. The usage is also the same. Examples: Darf ich Sie duzen? - May I speak to you informally? Tom darf heute nicht am Computer spielen. Tom is not allowed to play on the computer today.
CULTURAL INSIGHT
About the expensive living rooms: - Germans don't have as big houses as Americans, but they typically take a lot of care with the interior design (nice-look over simple functionality) - nice curtains, rugs, well-chosen furniture (IKEA a students' solution here and fashionable there) - book-case mustn't be missing, must contain some classics - maybe another case displaying the best china or other nice objects
GERMANPOD101.COM
- Germans might spend more than 1000 Euros on a couch alone - because of the general value of rugs and things, and also because a lot of German women need everything to be absolutely clean, you will often be expected to remove your street shoes upon entering the house, so that mud and dirt don't spread to the floors of the other rooms. People may even expect you to take off your shoes without asking you to, so best follow your host's example or ask. You will walk around in socks or you may have (or be given) slippers to use in the house.
GERMANPOD101.COM
LESSON NOTES
Beginner #21 What now?
CONTENTS
2 2 2 3 4 4 Informal German Informal English Vocabulary Sample Sentences Grammar Cultural Insight
21
INFORMAL GERMAN
1.
John: Michaela: John: Michaela:
Ist der Schaden wirklich so hoch? Nein. Der Teppich war schon alt Und die Mbel? Der Hund meiner Freundin war hier vor ein paar Wochen und er fand die Mbel lecker Ah, so ist das! Und was passiert jetzt mit dem Hund des Nachbarn? Vielleicht will eine Freundin ihn Hauptsache er kommt in gute Hnde. Ich traue dem Nachbarn nicht.
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John: Michaela:
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INFORMAL ENGLISH
1.
John: Michaela: John: Michaela:
Is the damage really that high? No. The rug was already old And the furniture? My friends dog was here a couple weeks ago and he found the furniture yummy Ah, thats how it is! And what happens now with the neighbours dog? Maybe a friend wants him Most important thing is that he will be in good hands. I dont trust the neighbour.
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John (amused):
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Michaela:
VOCABULARY
GERMANPOD101.COM BEGINNER #21 - WHAT NOW?
Ge r man alt Hand Hauptsache passieren finden ein paar vor lecker Woche trauen / vertrauen
English old hand the main thing, most important point to happen to find a couple, a few before; ... ago yummy, delicious week to trust
C lass adjective noun noun, feminine, die verb verb expression preposition adjective noun verb
Ge nde r
feminine; plural: Hnde feminine weak verb ich finde, ich fand, ich habe gefunden
always before the noun phrase!
feminine; plural: Wochen weak verb
SAMPLE SENTENCES
D e r Ma n n i st se h r a l t. The man is very old. Wa s h a t d e r Ma n n i n d e r H a n d ? What does the man have in his hand? D i e se s G e b u d e i st 100 J a h re a l t. This building is 100 years old. H a u ptsa ch e , d u bi st j e tzt h i e r. Most important thing is that you're here now. H a st d u d e n Tre ffpu n kt g u t g e fu n d e n ? Did you easily find the meeting-point?
Ei n pa a r Le u te w i sse n i m m e r n o ch n i ch t, w a s pa ssi e rt i st. A few people still don't know what happened.
GERMANPOD101.COM
BEGINNER #21 - WHAT NOW?
Ich fi n d e d i e se s Li e d w i rkl i ch langweilig. I find this song to be really boring.
Ei n pa a r Le u te w i sse n i m m e r n o ch n i ch t, w a s pa ssi e rt i st. A few people still don't know what happened. Vo r e i n e r Wo ch e w a rst d u n o ch dagegen. A week ago you were still against it. Mi ch a e l a h a t d i e se Wo ch e G e bu rtsta g . It's Michaela's birthday this week.
Ich w a rte vo r d e m Ba h n h o f a u f d i ch . I'm waiting for you in front of the train station. In D e u tsch l a n d g i bt e s ri ch ti g l e cke re W rstch e n . In Germany there are really delicious sausages. Ich tra u e d e m An sch e i n n i ch t. I don't trust this semblance.
GRAMMAR
Past tense (preterite) of sein: ich war (I was) du warst (you were) er war (he was) wir waren (we were) ihr wart (you were, plural) sie waren (they were) Examples: Das Essen war sehr gut! The food was very good! Du warst sehr jung. You were very young. Ich war in der Altstadt. I was in the oldtown.
CULTURAL INSIGHT
S u i n g i n G e rm a n y
GERMANPOD101.COM
Suing isn't nearly as common in Germany as it is in the United States. Part of the reason may be that "stupidity" sues (such as suing somebody for not warning you that your mug of coffee might be too hot) just don't have a chance of success in Germany - hearing about these cases from America is a constant source of amusement however. Another reason to not sue is that the money awarded for winning a case is just not that high. You can't usually sue people or companies for millions of dollars; very often the sums are just not worth the trouble, or worth the court costs. In contrast to the USA, German lawyers also don't get paid a share of the money they are able to exact for you, they just get fixed payment. The reputation of lawyers is much better here than it is in the states; for example you won't find many lawyer jokes.
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LESSON NOTES
Beginner #22 I need more time!
CONTENTS
22
GERMAN
1.
Michaela:
So, ich werde jetzt zu meiner Freundin fahren und sie wegen dem Hund fragen. Am besten nehme ich ihn schon mit. Kommen Sie auch mit, Herr Williams? Jetzt? Ich wrde gerne mitkommen, aber ich muss die Postkarten zu Ende schreiben... Und wenn ich erst in einer halben Stunde fahre? Wrden Sie dann mitkommen? Ich werde wahrscheinlich mehr Zeit brauchen. Wie lang brauchen Sie denn noch? Ich wrde sagen noch eine Stunde. Okay, dann fahren wir in einer Stunde. Vielleicht knnen wir dann auch die Postkarten verschicken. Gute Idee, das machen wir.
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John:
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Michaela:
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ENGLISH
1.
Michaela:
So, I'm now going to drive to my friend and ask her about (because of) the dog. It would be best for me to take him along already. Are you coming along, too, Mr Williams? Now? I would gladly come along, but I must finish writing the postcard...
2.
John:
CONT'D OVER
GERMANPOD101.COM BEGINNER #22 - I NEED MORE TIME!
3.
Michaela: John: Michaela: John: Michaela: John: Michaela:
And if I drive in half an hour only? Would you come along then? I will probably need more time. How long do you need still? I would say another hour. Okay, then we leave in one hour. Maybe we can send out those postcards then too. Good idea, we'll do that.
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INFORMAL GERMAN
1.
Michaela:
So, ich werde jetzt zu meiner Freundin fahren und sie wegen dem Hund fragen. Am besten nehme ich ihn schon mit. Kommst du auch mit, John? Jetzt? Ich wrde gerne mitkommen, aber ich muss die Postkarten zu Ende schreiben... Und wenn ich erst in einer halben Stunde fahre? Wrdest du dann mitkommen? Ich werde wahrscheinlich mehr Zeit brauchen. Wie lang brauchst du denn noch? Ich wrde sagen noch eine Stunde.
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John:
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Michaela:
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John: Michaela: John:
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CONT'D OVER
GERMANPOD101.COM BEGINNER #22 - I NEED MORE TIME!
7.
Okay, dann fahren wir in einer Stunde. Vielleicht knnen wir dann auch die Postkarten verschicken. Gute Idee, das machen wir.
8.
9.
INFORMAL ENGLISH
1.
Michaela:
So, I'm now going to drive to my friend and ask her about (because of) the dog. It would be best for me to take him along already. Are you coming along, too, John? Now? I would gladly come along, but I must finish writing the postcard... And if I drive in half an hour only? Would you come along then? I will probably need more time. How long do you need still? I would say another hour. Okay, then we leave in one hour. Maybe we can send out those postcards then too. Good idea, we'll do that.
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John:
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VOCABULARY
GERMANPOD101.COM
BEGINNER #22 - I NEED MORE TIME!
Ge r man
English
C lass adverb; "gern" and "gerne" are used interchangeably. adjective noun noun; neuter, das expression verb
Ge nde r "gern" and "gerne" are used interchangeably.
gern(e) lang Stunde Ende am besten fragen
gladly long, a long time hour end it would be best if to ask
feminine; plural: Stunden neuter
weak verb either used with Dative or Genitive (older usage) not just when you are the driver, not just for cars (also bicycles, buses, trains...)
wegen
because of
preposition
fahren
to drive, ride a vehicle as a passenger, or to go but not by foot more
verb
mehr
adverb conjunction; the question word "when" is "wann" in German! ; (means when only for something in the future) verb the question word "when" is "wann" in German! ; (means when only for something in the future) weak verb
wenn
when, if
verschicken
to send out, mail
SAMPLE SENTENCES
R u fe n S i e m i ch g e rn e a n . Do not hesitate to call me. Ich e sse g e rn e Br tch e n . I like eating rolls.
GERMANPOD101.COM
Ich tri n ke g e rn e Mi l ch m i t H o n i g . I like drinking milk with honey. Vo r d e m G e sch ft w a r e i n e l a n g e S ch l a n g e . In front of the shop there was a long line. Am En d e z h l t n u r, o b d a s Te a m g e w i n n t. In the end it only matters if the team wins.
Wi e l a n g bi st d u sch o n h i e r? How long have you been here? Ich w a rte sch o n se i t e i n e r g a n ze n S tu n d e ! I'm already waiting for a whole hour! Ich w e i n i ch t, o b d u d i e G ri ppe h a st. Am be ste n bl e i bst d u i m Be tt. I don't know if you have the flu. It would be best if you stay in bed. We g e n d e r Vo g e l g ri ppe si n d vi e l e Le u te n i ch t n a ch Asi e n g e re i st. Because of the bird flu many people didn't travel to Asia.
Ich w e rd e d e n Le h re r fra g e n . I will ask the teacher.
D u m u sst a u f d e r re ch te n S e i te fa h re n . You have to drive on the right side. M ch te st d u n o ch m e h r? Would you like (even) more?
Wi r fa h re n n a ch D e u tsch l a n d . We go to Germany.
Ich tri n ke i m m e r Ka ffe e , w e n n i ch a rbe i te . I always drink coffee when I work.
Ve rste h st d u m i ch , w e n n i ch a u f En g l i sch spre ch e ? Do you understand me when I speak on (in) English?
Ich m ch te h e u te n o ch d i e se n Bri e f ve rsch i cke n . I want to send out this letter today still.
GRAMMAR
In German, the conditional mood (confusingly called Konjunktiv) can be formed using wrde:
GERMANPOD101.COM
ich wrde du wrdest er wrde wir wrden ihr wrdet sie wrden Use with an infinitive verb, just like the future: Ich werde ins Schwimmbad gehen. (I will go to the swimming-pool) Note that in German, the conditional mood may be used on both sides of a conditional statement: Ich wrde mitkommen, wenn du das Treffen verschieben wrdest. - I would come along, if you moved the meeting. (German: would move)
CULTURAL INSIGHT
Liebe Anna, wie geht es dir? Mir geht es gut. Ich wohne jetzt bei Michaela in Dsseldorf. Ihr Haus und die Umgebung sind sehr schn, und ich finde Deutschland sehr interessant. Das Bier hier ist auch sehr lecker. Morgen gehen wir vielleicht in die Stadt und sehen uns die Sehenswrdigkeiten an. Ich hoffe es gibt keinen Regen. Jetzt gerade ist das Wetter schn, aber ich muss um 4 Uhr bei einem Freund sein. Ich schreibe dir spter mehr. Liebe Gre, John
GERMANPOD101.COM
LESSON NOTES
Beginner #23 At the Post Oce
CONTENTS
23
GERMAN
1.
A: John: A: John: A: John: A: John:
Der Nchste, bitte! Guten Tag! Guten Tag. Wie kann ich Ihnen helfen? Ich mchte diese zwanzig Postkarten verschicken. Wohin? Achtzehn gehen nach Amerika und zwei nach Deutschland. Haben Sie schon Briefmarken? Nein, ich mchte Briefmarken hier kaufen. Was kosten die Briefmarken? Die Postkarten nach Deutschland kosten je 45 Cent, die Postkarten nach Amerika kosten je einen Euro, also insgesamt achtzehn Euro neunzig. Hier sind zwanzig Euro. Danke, und hier sind zehn Cent zurck. Sonst noch etwas? Was kostet ein Brief nach Amerika? Wie gro ist der Brief denn, und wie dick? Geben Sie ihn mir. Ich habe noch keinen Brief, aber ich werde einen Brief schreiben. Ein normaler Brief kostet einen Euro siebzig.
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A:
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John: A: John: A: John: A:
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CONT'D OVER
GERMANPOD101.COM BEGINNER #23 - AT THE POST OFFICE
16.
John: A:
Und ein Paket oder Pckchen? Was denn jetzt, ein Paket oder ein Pckchen? Wie gro und wie schwer? Per Luftpost oder nicht? hmm sagen Sie mir einfach alles. Alles??? Das wrde Stunden dauern! Aber nehmen Sie sich doch diese Broschre. Ah, danke. War das jetzt alles, oder mchten Sie noch etwas? Das war alles. Okay, dann auf Wiedersehen! Auf Wiedersehen! Der nchste bitte!
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John: A:
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John: A: John: A: John: A.:
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ENGLISH
1.
A: John: A: John:
Next one please! Good day! Good day. How can I help you? I would like to send off these twenty postcards.
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CONT'D OVER
5.
A: John: A: John: A:
Where to? Eighteen go to America and two to Germany. Do you already have stamps? No, I would like to buy stamps here. What do the stamps cost? The postcards to Germany cost 45 cents each, the postcards to America cost one Euro each, so in total eighteen euros and ninety cents. Here are twenty euros. Thanks, and here you have ten cents back. Anything else? What does a letter to the USA cost? How big is your letter, and how thick? Give it to me. I dont have a letter yet, but I will write a letter. A normal letter costs one Euro and seventy cents. And a package or a small parcel? What now, a package or a small parcel? How big and how heavy? By air mail or not? Ehmm just tell me everything. Everything??? That would take (last) hours! But just take this brochure.
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John: A: John: A: John: A: John: A:
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John: A:
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CONT'D OVER
20.
Ah, thanks. Was that all now or do you want anything else? That was all. Okay, then goodbye! Goodbye! Next one please!
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INFORMAL GERMAN
1.
A: John: A: John: A: John: A: John:
Der Nchste, bitte! Guten Tag! Guten Tag. Wie kann ich dir helfen? Ich mchte diese zwanzig Postkarten verschicken. Wohin? Achtzehn gehen nach Amerika und zwei nach Deutschland. Hast du schon Briefmarken? Nein, ich mchte Briefmarken hier kaufen. Was kosten die Briefmarken?
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CONT'D OVER
9.
A:
Die Postkarten nach Deutschland kosten je 45 Cent, die Postkarten nach Amerika kosten je einen Euro, also insgesamt achtzehn Euro neunzig. Hier sind zwanzig Euro. Danke, und hier sind zehn Cent zurck. Sonst noch etwas? Was kostet ein Brief nach Amerika? Wie gro ist der Brief denn, und wie dick? Gib ihn mir. Ich habe noch keinen Brief, aber ich werde einen Brief schreiben. Ein normaler Brief kostet einen Euro siebzig. Und ein Paket oder Pckchen? Was denn jetzt, ein Paket oder ein Pckchen? Wie gro und wie schwer? Per Luftpost oder nicht? hmm sag mir einfach alles. Alles??? Das wrde Stunden dauern! Aber nimm doch diese Broschre. Ah, danke. War das jetzt alles, oder mchtest du noch etwas? Das war alles. Okay, dann tschss!
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John: A: John: A: John: A: John: A:
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John: A:
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John: A: John: A:
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CONT'D OVER
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John: A.:
Tschss! Der nchste bitte!
25.
INFORMAL ENGLISH
1.
A: John: A: John: A: John: A: John: A:
Next one please! Good day! Good day. How can I help you? I would like to send off these twenty postcards. Where to? Eighteen go to America and two to Germany. Do you already have stamps? No, I would like to buy stamps here. What do the stamps cost? The postcards to Germany cost 45 cents each, the postcards to America cost one Euro each, so in total eighteen euros and ninety cents. Here are twenty euros. Thanks, and here you have ten cents back. Anything else? What does a letter to the USA cost?
2.
3.
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7.
8.
9.
10.
John: A: John:
11.
12.
CONT'D OVER
13.
A: John: A: John: A:
How big is your letter, and how thick? Give it to me. I dont have a letter yet, but I will write a letter. A normal letter costs one Euro and seventy cents. And a package or a small parcel? What now, a package or a small parcel? How big and how heavy? By air mail or not? Ehmm just tell me everything. Everything??? That would take (last) hours! But just take this brochure. Ah, thanks. Was that all now or do you want anything else? That was all. Okay, then goodbye! Goodbye! Next one please!
14.
15.
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18.
John: A:
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22.
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24.
25.
VOCABULARY
GERMANPOD101.COM
BEGINNER #23 - AT THE POST OFFICE
helfen
to help
verb
vowel-changing verb: e i for 2nd and 3rd person singular; er hilft, er half, er hat geholfen feminine; plural: Briefmarken weak verb placed before the price, not after
Briefmarke kosten je insgesamt
stamp to cost each in total
noun verb adverb adverb
zurck
back
adverb
also a verb prefix with that meaning, e. g. zurckkommen, zurckgeben,
dick per Luftpost Brief
thick, fat by air-mail letter to last, to take (a certain amount of time) heavy, difficult next easy; simply otherwise, other than that where to
adjective expression noun masculine; plural: Briefe
dauern schwer nchster / nchste / nchstes einfach sonst wohin
verb adjective adjective adjective conjunction question word
weak verb
SAMPLE SENTENCES
GERMANPOD101.COM
En tsch u l d i g u n g , k n n te n S i e m i r bi tte h e l fe n ? Excuse me, could you please help me? D i e Bri e fm a rke n ko ste n j e 55 C e n t. The stamps are 55 cents each.
D re i Bri e fm a rke n , bi tte . Three stamps, please.
In sg e sa m t si n d w i r m i t d e m Erg e bn i s se h r zu fri e d e n . In total we are very pleased with the result.
Wa n n w i rst d u zu r ck se i n ? When will you be back?
Ich m a g d i cke B ch e r l i e be r a l s dnne. I prefer thick books to thin ones.
Ich w e rd e n m e i n e n Bri e f pe r Lu ftpo st ve rsch i cke n . I am going to send my letter by air-mail. Ich m ch te h e u te n o ch d i e se n Bri e f ve rsch i cke n . I want to send out this letter today still. Wa ru m d a u e rt d a s so l a n g e ? Why is this taking so long? D a s w a r e i n e sch w e re Au fg a be . That was a difficult task. D i e se Le kti o n w a r se h r e i n fa ch . This lesson was very easy.
Ich w e rd e n m e i n e n Bri e f pe r Lu ftpo st ve rsch i cke n . I am going to send my letter by air-mail. Ich e rw a rte n o ch e i n e n Bri e f. Im still awaiting a letter.
D e r S ch ra n k i st sch w e r. The wardrobe is heavy. D e r N ch ste , bi tte . Next, please. Ma g st d u d e i n We i h n a ch tsg e sch e n k? S o n st ve rka u fe e s d o ch . Do you like your Christmas present? Otherwise just sell it.
GRAMMAR
GERMANPOD101.COM
10
In this lessons dialog you have found one weird verb form: ich mchte. This is actually the conditional that we learned in the last lesson, but its the true conditional of mgen (to like), so ich mchte means I would like. Forming the conditional with wrde is actually just a bad habit, which is taking over all of Germany. Verbs also have a native form but for the vast majority of verbs, that form is no longer used (especially not in the spoken language) and instead we used something with wrde. mgen however is one of the few verbs that retain their original form, and that is mchte. It conjugates just like wrde. Its now also high time to learn some more numbers, though most of you have probably learned them before anyway: We already had the numbers up to 12. After that comes: 13 dreizehn, 14 vierzehn, 15 fnfzehn, 16 sechzehn, 17 siebzehn, 18 achtzehn, 19 neunzehn - these are like counting, 2, 3, 5... and just adding the ending zehn, which corresponds to the English -teen. Be careful with 16 and 17, because these have been shortened a bit for pronunciation reasons. 20 is zwanzig. 30 is dreiig. 40 is vierzig and from then on the remaining numbers always consist of a base number you already know and the ending zig: Fnfzig, sechzig, siebzig, achtzig, neunzig. Counting with these is a bit weird, because Germans will say the equivalent of one and twenty, two and twenty, three and twenty and so on but actually, if you read Jane Austen, you will notice that old English was doing the same. After 99, you will need the word hundert to continue but thats not hard, because its almost the same as in English. And zweihundert corresponds to two hundred and vierhundertfnfzig corresponds to four hundred fifty, and so on. Same for thousands, the German word is tausend. This way you can describe a lot of numbers, even fnftausendvierhundertzweiunddreiig five thousand four hundred thirty-two, or should we say five thousand four hundred two-and-thirty.
CULTURAL INSIGHT
Currency: the Euro Nowadays it becomes more and more popular in Music videos, so chances are you have seen some Euro bills before. The Bills themselves are easy to recognize and look the same everywhere: And you will find a pattern there. The 5 Euro Bill is gray with an antique building. The 10 Euro Bill is red with a building from the romanticism area. The 20 Euro Bill is blue with a gothic building The 50 Euro Bill is orange with a rennaisance building The 100 Euro Bill is green with a barocke and rococo building. The 200 Euro Bill is yellow-brown with a building from the industrial area.
GERMANPOD101.COM
11
The 500 Euro Bill is purple with a sample of modern architecture. On the back you find a matching bridge and a silhouette of Europe. The coins are easy to memorize too: The 1, 2 and 5 Euro Cent coins show some oak leaves. These are a symbol of the German Confederation, a movement that meant to unite all the small contries in Germany and Austria. There was a lot of political tension between Germany and Austria, because both wanted to be the dominant power. But the German Confederation went a long way in establishing a unified trade system . And the 10, 20 and 50 Euro Cent coins show the Brandenburg Gate. It is a very important symbol for Germany. When the Berlin Wall was erected the Gate was closed and when the Wall fell East and West Germans embraced each other on the place in front of the Gate first. Today it is a symbol for a united Germany. Since it also was part of the End of the cold war, it also represente the European unification process. Now for the 1 and 2 Euro coins. There you will find the Coat of arms of Germany, an eagle. It was used on and off since 1871 and is used in its current design since 1950. You will also find the words Einigkeit und Recht und Freiheit, which is the beginning of the current German national anthem. - right now 1 Euro is approximately $ 1.50 - bring approximately 250-300 euros per person per week when visiting Germany, of course depending on your lifestyle, the amount of souvenirs - if you have a credit card, you dont need to bring as much money. Its not always possible to pay by credit card, as credit cards are less common in Germany, but in an emergency situation you can use your credit card to withdraw money from a German ATM machine. Your bank is probably going to charge you a ridiculous sum for that service though, better ask them beforehand.
GERMANPOD101.COM
12
LESSON NOTES
Beginner #24 What's next?
CONTENTS
24
GERMAN
1.
Michaela:
Willkommen zurck, Herr Williams! Wie war das Treffen mit Ihrem Freund? Es war schn, danke. Was haben Sie morgen vor? Ich habe noch nichts vor, aber ich mchte endlich die Sehenswrdigkeiten sehen. Knnten wir in die Stadt fahren? Ja, sicher. Bis jetzt waren Sie ja beschftigt Freunde treffen, Postkarten schreiben, essen, schlafen Aber ich war doch nicht jeden Tag beschftigt! Doch Gestern waren Sie den ganzen Tag beschftigt! Das ist nicht wahr! Es ist okay. Ich mchte nur morgen die Sehenswrdigkeiten sehen, wenn es geht.
2.
John: Michaela: John:
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4.
5.
Michaela:
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7.
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9.
10.
ENGLISH
1.
Welcome back, Mr Williams! How was the meeting with your friend? It was nice, thanks. What do you intend to do tomorrow?
2.
3.
CONT'D OVER
GERMANPOD101.COM BEGINNER #24 - WHAT'S NEXT?
4.
John:
I didnt plan anything yet, but I would like to finally see the sights. Could we go into the city? Yes, sure. Until now you have been busy meeting friends, writing postcards, eating, sleeping But I wasnt busy every day! Yes Yesterday you were busy the entire day! That isnt true! Its okay. I would just like to see the sights tomorrow, if its possible.
5.
Michaela:
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
INFORMAL GERMAN
1.
Willkommen zurck, John! Wie war das Treffen mit deinem Freund? Es war schn, danke. Was hast du morgen vor? Ich habe noch nichts vor, aber ich mchte endlich die Sehenswrdigkeiten sehen. Knnten wir in die Stadt fahren? Ja, sicher. Bis jetzt warst du ja beschftigt Freunde treffen, Postkarten schreiben, essen, schlafen Aber ich war doch nicht jeden Tag beschftigt!
2.
3.
4.
5.
Michaela:
6.
John:
CONT'D OVER
7.
Doch Gestern warst du den ganzen Tag beschftigt! Das ist nicht wahr! Es ist okay. Ich mchte nur morgen die Sehenswrdigkeiten sehen, wenn es geht.
8.
9.
10.
INFORMAL ENGLISH
1.
Welcome back, John! How was the meeting with your friend? It was nice, thanks. What do you intend to do tomorrow? I didnt plan anything yet, but I would like to finally see the sights. Could we go into the city? Yes, sure. Until now you have been busy meeting friends, writing postcards, eating, sleeping But I wasnt busy every day! Yes Yesterday you were busy the entire day! That isnt true! Its okay. I would just like to see the sights tomorrow, if its possible.
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3.
4.
5.
Michaela:
6.
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10.
VOCABULARY
Ge r man treffen wahr
English to meet true
C lass verb adjective
Ge nde r
vorhaben
to plan, intend
verb
vor splits off; ich habe vor, ich hatte vor, ich habe vorgehabt
endlich beschftigt jeder, jede, jedes gestern Tag bis
finally busy every yesterday day until
adverb adjective misc noun noun adverb for day after tomorrow there is a special word: bermorgen; dont confuse with der Morgen (the morning) ich schlafe, ich schlief, ich habe geschlafen plural: Tage change like an adjective
morgen
tomorrow
noun
schlafen
to sleep
verb
SAMPLE SENTENCES
Ich tre ffe j e tzt m e i n e n n e u e n Bo ss. I am meeting my new boss now. D a s i st n i ch t w a h r! That's not true!
GERMANPOD101.COM
BEGINNER #24 - WHAT'S NEXT?
H a st d u m o rg e n sch o n w a s vo r? Do you already plan something for tomorrow? J e tzt n i ch t. Ich bi n be sch fti g t! Not now. I'm busy!
En d l i ch bi n i ch d a s l o s. Finally I am rid of this.
Er g e h t j e d e n D o n n e rsta g sch w i m m e n . He goes swimming every Thursday.
bri g e n s: Ich h a be g e ste rn Pe te r g e tro ffe n . By the way: I met Peter yesterday. H e u te i st e i n g u te r Ta g . Today is a good day.
D i e se r Ta g i st e i n Fe i e rta g . This day is a public holiday.
Fre d d i e w i rd d a s bi s sp te r sch a ffe n . Freddie will make it until later.
Mo rg e n h a be i ch e i n e n Te rm i n . Tomorrow I have an appointment.
Ich sch l a fe j e d e n Ta g bi s 10 U h r. I sleep until 10 am every day.
GRAMMAR
Remember what we said about native forms of the conditional, which do not use wrde? In this lessons dialog, you have encountered one more: knnte. This is derived from knnen (can), so knnte should be translated as could. The personal endings are of course the same again as for wrde and mchte. knnte is particularly useful when you want to make a polite request: e. g. Knnten Sie mir (bitte) helfen? Could you (please) help me? Even without the bitte, its so much more polite than if you had started the question with Knnen Sie. Another quick tip for today: you can turn any verb into a noun just by capitalising it. This way you get the noun that describes the action, and this noun will always be neuter and have no plural. Examples: treffen das Treffen (to meet the meeting) essen das Essen (to eat the eating in this case, Essen can also mean the food) trinken das Trinken (to drink the drinking)
GERMANPOD101.COM
These verb-nouns are particularly popular in official German, for example Das Trinken im Unterricht ist nicht erlaubt. (The drinking [of stuff] during the class is not allowed.)
CULTURAL INSIGHT
6 tips for sight-seeing in Germany 1. Plan enough time. Despite being a small country area-wise, Germany is full of great sights, and every region is very different from the next. You could spend a lifetime in Germany and still discover things you havent seen. If you come here for a week, dont expect to get more than an overview of one German region, and come back later for the others. 2. Try the local food. While German food isnt yet famous internationally, most German food is delicious and meals are usually well-balanced. Also try German bakery goods (bread, cake, pastries), this is what Germans miss the most when living abroad. 3. Avoid asking your host for numbers. Germanys most popular sights dont generally fit in the categories biggest, tallest, fastest and so on, and even if they do, Germans generally dont care to know the numbers. Look them up online. 4. Bring your camera. What Germans do care about is beauty. That is nice architecture (even on normal houses), interior arrangement, art you will find plenty of things to take photos of. 5. Learn a bit about history. Despite the bombings, there are plenty of old houses in German cities, old churches, cathedrals, even medieval castles and ruins dating back to Roman times. You will appreciate these much better (and avoid making a fool of yourself) if you know a little about German history, or European history in general. (watch out for new audioblogs on history) 6. Give public transport a try. Since the city centres of most German big cities were laid out long before cars were around, many streets in the city centres are now too narrow for the amount of traffic that should pass through them. Not to mention that Germans like their pedestrian zones, where cars dont have any access. Parking lots in the centre city are also extremely scarce; parking houses would be your best bet, and they are expensive as hell. So, to save yourself a lot of stress and money, use the subway, bus, tram or train to get around. (This is particularly true for Kln, Cologne, where the main train station will drop you off right next to the big cathedral that is Colognes main sight and in the center of the pedestrian shopping streets. Try getting there by car!)
GERMANPOD101.COM
LESSON NOTES
Beginner #25 Are you coming, or what?
CONTENTS
25
GERMAN
1.
John: Michaela: John: John: Michaela: John: Michaela:
Sind Sie fertig, Frau Wucher? Ich mchte jetzt gehen. Noch nicht. Ich muss mich noch duschen. Und Sie? Ich bin schon fertig.
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3.
4.
5.
Was ist, Frau Wucher? Kommen Sie? Ich bin noch im Badezimmer, sehen Sie das nicht? Ich frage ja nur. Was machen Sie so lange im Badezimmer? Chhh! Was macht man wohl im Badezimmer?! Ich wasche mir die Haare, trockne mir die Haare ab, ich kmme mich, ich putze mir die Zhne
6.
7.
8.
9.
John: Und jetzt? Sind Sie jetzt fertig? Ich mchte endlich die Sehenswrdigkeiten sehen! Ich muss mich noch anziehen. Okay, ich warte schon mal an der Tr.
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11.
12.
13.
14.
So, da bin ich! Gut, gehen wir!
15.
CONT'D OVER
GERMANPOD101.COM BEGINNER #25 - ARE YOU COMING, OR WHAT?
16.
Sie wollen so gehen?? Ja, warum nicht? So nehme ich Sie nicht mit. Sie mssen sich erst rasieren. Ich werde drauen auf Sie warten.
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18.
ENGLISH
1.
John: Michaela: John: John: Michaela: John: Michaela:
Are you ready, Ms Wucher? I would like to go now. Not yet. I still have to shower. And you? Im already ready.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Whats up, Ms Wucher? Are you coming? Im still in the bathroom, dont you see that? Im just asking. What are you doing in the bathroom for so long? Chhh! What do people do in the bathroom?! I am washing my hair, drying my hair, combing it, brushing my teeth
6.
7.
8.
9.
John: Michaela: And now? Are you ready now? I would like to finally see the sights! I first have to get dressed still.
10.
11.
CONT'D OVER
12.
Okay, Im going to wait at the door.
13.
14.
So, here I am! Alright, lets go! You want to go like this?? Yes, why not? Im not taking you along like this. You first have to shave. I will wait for you outside.
15.
16.
17.
18.
INFORMAL GERMAN
1.
John: Michaela: John: John: Michaela: John:
Bist du fertig, Michaela? Ich mchte jetzt gehen. Noch nicht. Ich muss mich noch duschen. Und du? Ich bin schon fertig.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Was ist, Michaela? Kommst du? Ich bin noch im Badezimmer, siehst du das nicht? Ich frage ja nur. Was machst du so lange im Badezimmer?
6.
7.
CONT'D OVER
8.
Michaela:
Chhh! Was macht man wohl im Badezimmer?! Ich wasche mir die Haare, trockne mir die Haare ab, ich kmme mich, ich putze mir die Zhne
9.
John: Und jetzt? Bist du jetzt fertig? Ich mchte endlich die Sehenswrdigkeiten sehen! Ich muss mich noch anziehen. Okay, ich warte schon mal an der Tr.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
So, da bin ich! Gut, gehen wir! Du willst so gehen?? Ja, warum nicht? So nehme ich dich nicht mit. Du musst dich erst rasieren. Ich werde drauen auf dich warten.
15.
16.
17.
18.
INFORMAL ENGLISH
1.
John: Michaela:
Are you ready, Michaela? I would like to go now. Not yet. I still have to shower. And you?
2.
CONT'D OVER
3.
John: John: Michaela: John: Michaela:
Im already ready.
4.
5.
Whats up, Michaela? Are you coming? Im still in the bathroom, dont you see that? Im just asking. What are you doing in the bathroom for so long? Chhh! What do people do in the bathroom?! I am washing my hair, drying my hair, combing it, brushing my teeth
6.
7.
8.
9.
John: Michaela: John: Michaela: John: Michaela: John: So, here I am! Alright, lets go! You want to go like this?? Yes, why not? And now? Are you ready now? I would like to finally see the sights! I first have to get dressed still. Okay, Im going to wait at the door.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
CONT'D OVER
18.
Michaela:
Im not taking you along like this. You first have to shave. I will wait for you outside.
VOCABULARY
Ge r man fertig Badezimmer English completed, ready bathroom noun neuter; plural is the same can be reflexive; vowel-changing a -> , ich wasche, du wschst can be reflexive; weak verb; ab splits off neuter; plural: Haare can be reflexive; weak verb can be reflexive can be reflexive; er zieht an, er zog an, er hat angezogen feminine; plural: Tren synonymous with wieso can be reflexive; weak verb reflexive; weak verb C lass Ge nde r
waschen
to wash
verb
abtrocknen Haar kmmen die Zhne putzen
to dry hair to comb to brush teeth
verb noun; neuter, das verb expression
anziehen
to wear, to put on
verb
Tr warum rasieren duschen
door why to shave to shower
noun question word verb verb
SAMPLE SENTENCES
D a s Mi tta g e sse n i st g l e i ch fe rti g . Lunch will soon be ready. Ich m u ss d e n H u n d w a sch e n . I need to wash the dog. D u h a st g e su n d e H a a re . You have healthy hair. Ma n so l l te si ch n a ch j e d e r Ma h l ze i t d i e Z h n e pu tze n . One should brush ones teeth after every meal. Ka n n st d u d i e T r a u fm a ch e n ? Can you open the door? Er h a t si ch be i m R a si e re n g e sch n i tte n . He cut himself while shaving.
Wo i st e u e r Ba d e zi m m e r? Where is your bathroom? Ich tro ckn e d a s G e sch i rr a b. I'll dry the dishes. S i e k m m t i h re H a a re se h r o ft. She combs her hair very often. Ka n n i ch d a s ro te Kl e i d zu d e n bl a u e n S ch u h e n a n zi e h e n ? Can I wear the red dress together with the blue shoes? (Implied: do they match?) Wa ru m d a u e rt d a s so l a n g e ? Why is this taking so long? Ich so l l te m i ch zu e rst d u sch e n . I should shower first.
GRAMMAR
Reflexive verbs Reflexive verbs are verbs that refer back to the subject. In English, you can recognize such a verb because it is used with a pronoun ending in self or selves, for example I dry myself off in German: Ich trockne mich ab. You probably recognize the mich as the Accusative of ich. In German, there are no special pronouns for these reflexive verbs, they just use the Accusative personal pronouns except in the 3rd person (singular and plural), which always uses sich. So it is Er wscht sich (He washes himself) rather than Er wscht ihn, which would mean he washes some other male person - or the ihn could also reference an object that is grammatically masculine in German.
GERMANPOD101.COM
BEGINNER #25 - ARE YOU COMING, OR WHAT?
A lot of verbs can be reflexive or not, as the above case demonstrates. You can wash yourself, which would be reflexive, but you can also wash your car, which would not be reflexive. A special case is when you are washing something that is a part of you, for example your face (das Gesicht). Then the verb is still considered reflexive, but on the other hand you need an Accusative object to indicate what you are washing. And that is a problem, because German sentences must not have two Accusative objects at the same time (you, to indicate it being reflexive, and your face). So what happens is that the pronoun will be Dative instead then (but still sich if its 3rd person). Youd say Ich wasche mir das Gesicht, which translates rather funnily to I wash myself the face. This is the only quirky part about reflexive verbs in German, but youll get used to it quickly as you hear it more often.
CULTURAL INSIGHT
- turning off water while showering, environmental - being able to stop flushing -> ways of flushing the toilet - ability to hold the shower head - liquid shower gel - laundromats much less common - sauna is more popular - light switches often outside the room
GERMANPOD101.COM
BEGINNER #25 - ARE YOU COMING, OR WHAT?

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LESSON NOTES

Beginner #1 Are you Michaela Wucher?

John: Michael: John: Michael:

John: Michael: John: Michael:

John: Michael: John: Michael:

apology; excuse me; Im sorry you (formal) I who

Sie ich wer

BEGINNER #1 - ARE YOU MICHAELA WUCHER?

verb expression; Yes is "Ja" adverb preposition

nein nicht aus

BEGINNER #1 - ARE YOU MICHAELA WUCHER?

BEGINNER #1 - ARE YOU MICHAELA WUCHER?

BEGINNER #1 - ARE YOU MICHAELA WUCHER?

Beginner #2 Going home

#2: #1: #2: #1: #2:

#2: #1: #2: #1: #2:

#2: #1: #2:

#2: #1: #2: #1: #2:

H e u te bi n i ch se h r m d e . I am very tired today. Ich e sse n u r G e m se . I only eat vegetables.

Me i n N a m e i st Li sa . My name is Lisa. Me i n Au to i st e i n bi ssch e n d re cki g . My car is a little dirty.

Ich bi n ze h n J a h re a l t. I am ten years old.

BEGINNER #2 - GOING HOME

sie sind / Sie sind

they are / you are (formal)

BEGINNER #2 - GOING HOME

BEGINNER #2 - GOING HOME

Beginner #3 The Oldtown

#2: #1: #2: #1: ... #1:

John, wir sind da. Das ist mein Haus.

#2: #1: #2: #1: ... #1:

John, were there. This is my house.

BEGINNER #3 - THE OLDTOWN

es gibt viele schn Gebude

there is, there are many nice, pretty building

very useful expression!

Neuter; plural is the same.

das Altstadt was Haus

that, the (neuter) oldtown what house

BEGINNER #3 - THE OLDTOWN

BEGINNER #3 - THE OLDTOWN

Beginner #4 Presenting people

John, das ist mein Mann Heinz.

#2: #3: #2: #1: #3:

John, this is my husband Heinz.

#2: #3: #2: #1: #3:

John, das ist mein Mann Heinz.

John, this is my husband Heinz.

#2: #3: #2: #1: #3:

angenehm woher genau kommen

BEGINNER #4 - PRESENTING PEOPLE

to make / do by profession, professionally

verb, weak verb

noun, masculine, der; literally means free-profession-er adjective

masculine; literally means freeprofession-er literally: work-less

BEGINNER #4 - PRESENTING PEOPLE

BEGINNER #4 - PRESENTING PEOPLE

BEGINNER #4 - PRESENTING PEOPLE

Beginner #5 Language issues

#3: #2: #3: #2: #3: #2:

#3: #2: #3: #2: #3: #2:

John, sprichst du Deutsch?

#2: #3: #2: #3: #2:

#3: #2: #3: #2: #3: #2: