Harry - Gefangen in Der Zeit - Njemački Jezik

Harry gefangen in der Zeit
Begleitmaterialien
Episode 001 Grammar

1.
Verb placement
In German, a declarative sentence contains at least one verb and one or more other elements. In a declarative sentence, the conjugated
verb is always in the second position.
1st position
2nd position
(konjugiertes Verb)
3rd position
Die Welt
Das Ende
Alle Zeitungen
ist
ist
sind
verrckt.
nah.
weg.
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2.
Capitalization
Some words in German begin with a capital letter, while others are written in lower case. The main words that are always capitalized
include:
Names
Nouns
Words that begin a sentence
The polite form of address, "Sie"
Ich heie Harry Walkott.

Die Welt ist verrckt, das Ende ist nah.
Alle Zeitungen sind weg. Mir geht es gut, danke.
Wie heien Sie?
Use the lower case for words like adjectives, verbs and articles, unless they begin the sentence.
Adjectives
Verbs
Articles

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Episode 002 Grammar

Definite articles
German nouns are often preceded by an article.
The article indicates the case, number and gender of the noun it precedes.
There are definite and indefinite articles.
A definite article refers to an object or person
whose identity is already known to the speaker or listener.
German has three classes of gender: masculine, feminine and neuter.
Masculine
Feminine
Neuter
Definite article
Noun
der
die
das
Fahrer
Katze
Taxi
Important note!
Unfortunately there's no general rule for articles. You have to learn the gender of each noun by heart. The nouns in your vocabulary list
are shown with their articles, so always learn both: the noun and the article that goes along with it!
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More:
For all three genders - masculine, feminine and neuter - the definite article in the nominative plural is always "die".
German cases:
German has four cases.
The following chart shows the case of definite articles in the singular for all three genders.
Nominative
Masculine
der
Feminine
die
Neuter
das
Accusative
den
die
das
Dative
dem
der
dem
Genitive
des
der
des
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Episode 003 Grammar

Indefinite articles
German nouns are often preceded by an article.
The article indicates the case, number and gender of the noun it precedes.
There are definite and indefinite articles.
Indefinite articles refer to an object or person whose identity is not already known or hasn't yet been specified.
German has three classes of gender: masculine, feminine and neuter.
Masculine
Feminine
Neuter
Indefinite article + noun
Definite article + noun
ein Blitz
eine Milch
ein Brtchen
der Blitz
die Milch
das Brtchen
The plural is easy: Indefinite articles have no plural, so plural nouns appear without an article.
Singular
Plural
Indefinite article
Definite article
Ich mchte ein Brtchen.

Ich mchte Brtchen.
Ich mchte das Brtchen.

Ich mchte die Brtchen.
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More:
German has four cases.
In this chart you can see the definite and indefinite articles in each case in the singular.
Masculine
Feminine
Neuter
Nominative
ein
der
eine
die
ein
das
Accusative
einen
den
eine
die
ein
das
Dative
einem
dem
einer
der
einem
dem
Genitive
eines
des
einer
der
eines
des
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Episode 004 Grammar

1.
Personal pronouns
All nouns can be replaced by pronouns. Personal pronouns stand in place of people, living beings, things or contexts.
Harry
Er
lernt Deutsch.
lernt Deutsch.
Harry und Julia nehmen ein Hotel.

Sie
nehmen ein Hotel.
There are three personal pronouns for the singular and three for the plural.
Singular
1st person ich

2nd person du
3rd person er/sie/es
Plural
1st person wir

2nd person ihr
3rd person sie
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The polite form of address

To address strangers and other people in the polite form in German, you use "Sie" instead of "du". "Sie" takes the same verb form as
the 3rd person plural ("sie" - they).
But note that unlike the personal pronoun "sie" used for both the 3rd person singular and the 3rd person plural, the polite form of
address "Sie" is always capitalized. For example: "Was mchten Sie?"
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2.
Regular verbs
German has regular and irregular verbs.
The majority of verbs are regular, meaning that their stem doesn't change when they are conjugated. Their endings change according
to the person and number of the subject.
machen
lernen
Singular
ich
du
er/sie/es
mache
machst
macht
lerne
lernst
lernt
Plural
wir
ihr
sie
machen
macht
machen
lernen
lernt
lernen
For some regular verbs, an -e- is inserted before the ending in the 2nd and 3rd person singular and the 2nd person plural to make
pronunciation easier:
warten
Singular
ich
du
er/sie/es
warte
wartest
wartet
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Plural
wir
ihr
sie
warten
wartet
warten
For almost all verbs, the 1st and 3rd person plural in the present tense are the same as the infinitive.
Infinitive:
gehen
lernen
warten
wir
sie
gehen
gehen
lernen
lernen
warten
warten
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Episode 005 Grammar

1.
The possessive determiners "mein", "dein" and "Ihr"

Possessive determiners replace a definite or indefinite article.
They express a sense of possession or a sense of belonging to someone or something.
In the singular, they follow the same pattern of declension as the indefinite article "ein" and refer to the noun that follows.
Definite article
Indefinite article
Possessive determiner
ich
du
Sie
Masculine
der
ein
mein
dein
Ihr
Feminine
die
eine
meine
deine
Ihre
Neuter
das
ein
mein
dein
Ihr
Plural
die
meine
deine
Ihre
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Examples:
Taxifahrer:
Taxifahrer:
Harry:
Herr Strobel:
ich
du
Sie
Masculine
mein Sohn
dein Sohn
Ihr Sohn
Feminine
meine Tochter
deine Tochter
Ihre Tochter
Neuter
mein Kind
dein Kind
Ihr Kind
Plural
meine Kinder
deine Kinder
Ihre Kinder
Das ist mein Sohn.

Das ist meine Tochter.
Julia hat mein Geld.
Sind das Ihre Kinder?
More:
This chart shows the possessive determiners in the nominative case according to person and gender:
Singular
ich
du
er
sie
es
Masculine
Feminine
Neuter
Plural
mein
dein
sein
ihr
sein
meine
deine
seine
ihre
seine
mein
dein
sein
ihr
sein
meine
deine
seine
ihre
seine
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Plural
wir
ihr
sie
unser
euer
ihr
unsere
eure
ihre
unser
euer
ihr
unsere
eure
ihre
Polite form
Sie
Ihr
Ihre
Ihr
Ihre
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2.
Yes/no questions
Yes/no questions can be answered with either "yes" or "no".
Do you remember that in a simple declarative sentence, the verb comes second?
Well, with yes/no questions, you switch the position: The verb comes first.
Declarative sentence:
Julia
zahlt
meine Rechnung.
Yes/no question:
Zahlt
Julia
meine Rechnung?
Yes/no question:
Julia
Ist
ist
Julia
meine Freundin.
meine Freundin?
Yes/no question:
Julia
Hat
hat
Julia
Ihr Geld.
Ihr Geld?
More:
In colloquial speech, yes/no questions can also be formed using the same word sequence as in the declarative sentence by simply
adding a question mark and raising your voice at the end.
Example:
Sie zahlt Ihre Rechnung?
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Episode 006 Grammar

1.
Negation using "kein" and "nicht"

Use "kein" to negate a noun that appears with "ein" in a positive statement.
Example:
Harry hat ein Taschentuch. Harry hat kein Taschentuch.
The endings for "kein" in the singular are the same as for "ein".
Masculine
Feminine
Neuter
ein Sohn
eine Tochter
ein Kind
kein Sohn
keine Tochter
kein Kind
"kein" is also usually used to negate nouns that have no article.

Example:
Harry spricht Deutsch. Harry spricht kein Deutsch.
Harry hat Kinder. Harry hat keine Kinder.
More:
"kein" changes its form like indefinite articles according to case and gender.
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Case
Nominative
Accusative
Dative
Genitive
Masculine
ein
kein
einen keinen
einem keinem
eines keines
Feminine
eine keine
eine keine
einer keiner
einer keiner
Neuter
ein
kein
ein
kein
einem keinem
eines keines
Plural
/
keine
/
keine
/
keinen
/
keiner
You can use "nicht" to negate either an entire sentence or just one word or group of words (e.g. a noun or adjective). "nicht" doesn't
change its form. "nicht" directly precedes the word or group of words it negates. When "nicht" is used to negate a whole sentence, it
comes at the end.
Adjective:
Noun:
Whole sentence:
Das
Das
ist
ist
Das ist
Das ist
nicht
normal.
normal.
nicht
der Bahnhof.
der Bahnhof.
Er versteht Sie.
Er versteht Sie nicht.
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2.
Irregular verbs
German has regular and irregular verbs.
With regular verbs, the endings change when they are conjugated.
With irregular verbs, the stem also changes.
When an irregular verb stem changes in the present tense, then it usually affects only the 2nd and 3rd person singular.
Singular
Plural
ich
du
er/sie/es
wir
ihr
sie
nehmen
nehme
nimmst
nimmt
nehmen
nehmt
nehmen
sprechen
spreche
sprichst
spricht
sprechen
sprecht
sprechen
The most important irregular German verbs are "haben" and "sein" - and they are very irregular! Learn them by heart because you'll
need them often.
Singular
Plural
ich
du
er/sie/es
wir
ihr
sie
haben
habe
hast
hat
haben
habt
haben
sein
bin
bist
ist
sind
seid
sind
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Episode 007 Grammar

1.
Verbs and the accusative (indefinite articles)

Most German sentences contain at least one conjugated verb and a component in the nominative that it modifies - a subject.
Many verbs, however, also require other components in the nominative - or components in the accusative, dative or genitive (objects).
Direct objects (accusative) are the most common.
Nominative component
Accusative component
Dative component
Genitive component
for instance with the verb "sein"

for instance with the verbs "haben", "mchten", "rauchen", "trinken"
for instance with the verb "zuhren"
extremely rare
If the subject or object is a noun, you usually need an article for the singular. If you use an indefinite article, only the masculine form
changes in the accusative.
The other forms stay the same. The noun itself doesn't change in the accusative.
Nominative
Accusative
Masculine
Feminine
Neuter
ein
einen
eine
eine
ein
ein
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Masculine
Feminine
Neuter
Plural
Verb + nominative
Verb + accusative
Das ist ein Stadtplan.

Das ist eine Zeitung.
Das ist ein Auto.
Das sind Autos.
Ich brauche einen Stadtplan.

Ich brauche eine Zeitung.
Ich brauche ein Auto.
Ich brauche Autos.
Never leave a verb all alone!

Always learn verbs along with the case required by the components they modify!
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2.
Adverbs of location
German adverbs provide more information about the nature of an action, process or condition. They refer to another word in the
sentence (such as the verb) or to the sentence as a whole. Adverbs are not conjugated or inflected.
Adverbs of location are used to describe the place or direction of something. They answer the questions "Wo?" (where?) or "Wohin?"
(where to?).
Examples:
Wo bist du? Ich bin hier.
Wo ist der Bahnhof? Der Bahnhof ist links. (Der Bahnhof ist rechts.)
Wohin mchten Sie? Zum Bahnhof. Geradeaus, bitte.
More:
Besides place adverbs, there are also adverbs that refer to time, manner and cause or reason. They answer the questions "when?",
"how?" and "why?".
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Episode 008 Grammar

1.
The formal imperative

The imperative is used to express a request, command or instructions.
Use the formal imperative for people addressed with the polite form "Sie". There is no difference between the singular and plural
formal imperative. It is formed by the 3rd person plural present tense. Unlike the informal imperative, a sentence in the formal
imperative keeps the personal pronoun, which comes after the verb.
Simple sentence
Imperative sentence + Sie
Sie
Warten
warten.
Sie!
The imperative form "sein" is irregular.

Example:
Sie sind nicht verrckt. Seien Sie nicht verrckt!
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2.
Verbs and the accusative (definite articles)

Most German sentences contain at least one conjugated verb and a component in the nominative that it modifies - a subject.
Many verbs, however, also require other components in the nominative - or components in the accusative, dative or genitive (objects).
Direct objects (accusative) are the most common.
Nominative component
Accusative component
Dative component
Genitive component
for instance with the verb "sein"

for instance with the verbs "haben", "mchten", "brauchen", "trinken"
for instance with the verb "zuhren"
extremely rare
If the subject or object is a noun, you usually need an article for the singular. If you use a definite article, only the masculine form
changes in the accusative.
The other forms stay the same. The noun itself doesn't change in the accusative.
Nominative
Accusative
Masculine
Feminine
Neuter
Plural
ein
der
einen den
eine die
eine die
ein
ein
/
/
das
das
die
die
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Masculine
Feminine
Neuter
Plural
Verb + nominative
Verb + accusative
Das ist der Regenschirm.

Das ist die Uhr.
Das ist das Auto.
Das sind die Brtchen.
Ich nehme den Regenschirm.

Sie bekommen die Uhr.
Ich mchte das Auto.
Ich brauche die Brtchen.
Reminder: Never leave a verb all alone!

Always learn verbs along with the case required by the components they modify!
More:
The following charts show you how personal pronouns, definite and indefinite articles, possessive determiners and the negation word
"kein" change in the nominative, accusative and dative. Can you detect any patterns?
Nominative
Personal pronouns
Definite articles
Indefinite articles
Possessive articles
Negation
Masculine
Feminine
Neuter
Plural
er
der Mann
ein Mann
mein Mann
kein Mann
sie
die Frau
eine Frau
meine Frau
keine Frau
es
das Kind
ein Kind
mein Kind
kein Kind
sie
die Kinder
Kinder
meine Kinder
keine Kinder
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Accusative
Personal pronouns
Definite articles
Indefinite articles
Possessive articles
Negation
Dative
Personal pronouns
Definite articles
Indefinite articles
Possessive articles
Negation
Masculine
Feminine
Neuter
Plural
ihn
den Mann
einen Mann
meinen Mann
keinen Mann
sie
die Frau
eine Frau
meine Frau
keine Frau
es
das Kind
ein Kind
mein Kind
kein Kind
sie
die Kinder
Kinder
meine Kinder
keine Kinder
Masculine
Feminine
Neuter
Plural
ihm
dem Mann
einem Mann
meinem Mann
keinem Mann
ihr
der Frau
einer Frau
meiner Frau
keiner Frau
ihm
dem Kind
einem Kind
meinem Kind
keinem Kind
ihnen
den Kindern
Kindern
unseren Kindern
keinen Kindern
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3.
The numbers 10 - 100

The numbers 10 to 100 are read and spoken as follows: First, the ones place, then the tens place. 11 (elf) and 12 (zwlf) are exceptions,
but 13 and up are quite regular.
The numbers 13 - 19 are formed like this:
13 =
10 + 3 dreizehn
zehn + drei
19 =
10 + 9 neunzehn
zehn + neun
16 and 17 are slightly irregular:

16 =
10 + 6 sechzehn
zehn + sechs
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17 =
10 + 7 siebzehn
zehn + sieben
The tens are formed by adding "zig" to the end of the ones.
20, 30, 60 and 70 are slightly irregular: zwanzig, dreiig, sechzig, siebzig.
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
zwanzig
dreiig
vierzig
fnfzig
sechzig
siebzig
achtzig
neunzig
einhundert
For numbers greater than 20, the compound numbers are also joined by "und":
23 = 20 + 3 dreiundzwanzig
zwanzig + drei
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47 =
40 + 7 siebenundvierzig
vierzig + sieben
Irregularity:
21 =
20 + 1 einundzwanzig
zwanzig + eins
Here are all the numbers from 1 to 100.

0
null
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
eins
zwei
drei
vier
fnf
sechs
sieben
acht
neun
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10
20
30
zehn
zwanzig
dreiig
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
elf
zwlf
dreizehn
vierzehn
fnfzehn
sechzehn
siebzehn
achtzehn
neunzehn
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
einundzwanzig
zweiundzwanzig
dreiundzwanzig
vierundzwanzig
fnfundzwanzig
sechsundzwanzig
siebenundzwanzig
achtundzwanzig
neunundzwanzig
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
einunddreiig
zweiunddreiig
dreiunddreiig
vierunddreiig
fnfunddreiig
sechsunddreiig
siebenunddreiig
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40
50
60
vierzig
fnfzig
sechzig
38
39
achtunddreiig
neununddreiig
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
einundvierzig
zweiundvierzig
dreiundvierzig
vierundvierzig
fnfundvierzig
sechsundvierzig
siebenundvierzig
achtundvierzig
neunundvierzig
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
einundfnfzig
zweiundfnfzig
dreiundfnfzig
vierundfnfzig
fnfundfnfzig
sechsundfnfzig
siebenundfnfzig
achtundfnfzig
neunundfnfzig
61
62
63
64
65
einundsechzig
zweiundsechzig
dreiundsechzig
vierundsechzig
fnfundsechzig
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70
siebzig
80
achtzig
90
neunzig
66
67
68
69
sechsundsechzig
siebenundsechzig
achtundsechzig
neunundsechzig
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
einundsiebzig
zweiundsiebzig
dreiundsiebzig
vierundsiebzig
fnfundsiebzig
sechsundsiebzig
siebenundsiebzig
achtundsiebzig
neunundsiebzig
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
einundachtzig
zweiundachtzig
dreiundachtzig
vierundachtzig
fnfundachtzig
sechsundachtzig
siebenundachtzig
achtundachtzig
neunundachtzig
91
92
93
einundneunzig
zweiundneunzig
dreiundneunzig
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94
95
96
97
98
99
100
vierundneunzig
fnfundneunzig
sechsundneunzig
siebenundneunzig
achtundneunzig
neunundneunzig
einhundert
"Einhundert" or "hundert"?
People often like to use a shortened version of 100. Instead of "einhundert", they simply say "hundert".
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Episode 009 Grammar

1.
W-Fragen
"W" questions are open questions that can't be answered with "yes" or "no". They begin with a question word:
Wie?
Wo?
Wohin?
Woher?
Was?
When forming questions that begin with these "W" words, the question word usually comes at the beginning.
It is followed by the conjugated verb - just like in a declarative sentence.
The subject and the rest of the sentence follow the verb.
1st position
2nd position
3rd position
Declarative sentence
Ich
komme
aus Traponia.
W question
Woher
kommen
Sie?
Wie
Wo
Wohin
Was
heien
wohnen
gehen
war
Sie?
Sie?
Sie?
das?
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2.
The polite form of address, "Sie"

In German, you address relatives, friends, children and other people you know well with the informal "du". But if you're addressing an
adult you don't know well or figures of authority, such as police officers or your teacher, it is a sign of respect to use the polite form of
address: "Sie".
You already know the verb form that "du" takes. Its conjugation is the 2nd person singular.
Example:
Verstehst du Traponisch?
The formal form of address, "Sie", takes the same verb form as the 3rd person plural. But remember that unlike the personal pronoun
"sie" used for both the 3rd person singular and the 3rd person plural, the pronoun "Sie" to address someone formally is always
capitalized.
Example:
Verstehen Sie Traponisch?
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Episode 010 Grammar

1.
Joining main clauses with "und" and "oder"

A main clause contains at least a subject and a conjugated verb. "und" and "oder" are conjunctions that can connect two independent
clauses.
No conjunction:
Ich bin in Deutschland.

Bist du dumm?
With a conjunction:
Ich bin in Deutschland

Bist du dumm
Ich mache Urlaub.

Bist du klug?
und
oder
ich mache Urlaub.

bist du klug?
If the two clauses share the same subject, then the subject can be omitted from the second main clause. That's shorter:
Shortened form:
Ich bin in Deutschland
und
mache Urlaub.
If the subject and conjugated verb are identical in each of the main clauses, then both can be dropped from the second clause.
Shortened form:
Bist du dumm
oder
klug?
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2.
Adjectives describing a person

German adjectives provide more information about something or someone, an occurrence or a condition. They often describe nouns
and personal pronouns. For many adjectives there is an opposite (antonym).
Examples:
Ich bin nicht klein. Ich bin gro.
Ich bin nicht dick. Ich bin schlank.
Ich bin nicht hsslich. Ich bin schn.
Bist du klug oder bist du dumm?
More:
When adjectives are placed after the noun or personal pronoun - like in the examples above - the basic form doesn't change.
If the adjectives precede the noun that they modify, then they are inflected. That means their endings change.
Definite article
Indefinite article
der kluge Mann

ein kluger Mann
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Episode 011 Grammar

1.
Plural forms of nouns

Most nouns can be either singular or plural. The plural indicates that you're talking about several units of the same thing.
Example:
Ist das Bett zu hart? Sind die Betten zu hart?
The definite article in the nominative and the accusative is always "die" in all three genders: masculine, feminine and neuter. The
indefinite article is omitted.
Example:
Ich mache einen Test. Ich mache _ Tests.
The negative article in the nominative and the accusative is "keine".
Example:
Haben Sie ein Zimmer? Nein, wir haben keine Zimmer.
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There are altogether five different endings to form the plural:

-n oder -en:
-e:
-er:
-s:
Singular
das Bett
der Name
der Arm
das Kind
das Sofa
Plural
die Betten
die Namen
die Arme
die Kinder
die Sofas
Some nouns stay the same in both the plural and the singular.
Example:
das Zimmer die Zimmer (endungslos)
In such cases, the definite article "die" or the use of a determiner indicating number or amount - such as "zwei" (two), "viele" (many),
or "mehrere" (several) - help to identify the plural.
Example:
Wir haben ein Zimmer. Wir haben viele Zimmer im Hotel.
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Memorize it!
It is very hard to list all the rules that determine which plural endings go with which nouns - and it's even harder to remember them all
and use them. The best way is to always learn the nouns along with their article and plural form.
The vocabulary list will also help you. Each noun is listed along with its article and plural ending. The entries look like this:
Bett (das); -en
So the plural of "Bett" is formed with the ending -en: die Betten.
Fernseher (der); The plural of "Fernseher" is formed without an ending (-): die Fernseher.
More:
In many cases, turning a noun into the plural requires not only adding an ending, but also changing a stem vowel to an umlaut: a
becomes , o becomes or u becomes . Sometimes an umlaut change is the only indication of the plural.
Singular
die Hand
der Fu
die Tochter
Plural
die Hnde
die Fe
die Tchter
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Note that with some words, the final consonant is doubled before the plural ending is attached. This doesn't happen often and affects
mainly words that end with -nis and -in. But it applies to most female forms of describing people because they often have -in at the
end:
Masculine
der Freund
der Verkufer
Plural
die Freunde
die Verkufer
Feminine
die Freundin
die Verkuferin
Plural
die Freundin-n-en
die Verkuferin-n-en
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2.
The modal verbs "mchten", "knnen", "mssen"

Modal verbs usually accompany another verb in a sentence. They not only modify the main verb, they change the nature of the
sentence. Modal verbs describe the subject in relation to the action expressed by the main verb.
The modal verbs "mchten", "knnen" and "mssen" have the following basic meanings:
"mchten" - would like - to indicate a wish or desire:
Harry mchte in die Stadt fahren.
= Harry would like to go to the city.
"knnen" - can, be able - to describe an ability or option:
Harry kann Deutsch sprechen.
= Harry can speak German.
Sie knnen gerne ein anderes Zimmer haben.
= Harry has the option of getting a different room.
"mssen" - must, have to - indicates a necessity:
Harry muss in die Stadt fahren.
= It is absolutely necessary for Harry to get to the city.
Placement of modal verbs in a sentence

In a sentence, the modal verb is conjugated, meaning its form is an indication of the person, number and tense. It is placed in the usual
position for conjugated verbs: 2nd position in simple declarative sentences and "W" questions. The main verb is placed at the end of
the sentence in its basic form, the infinitive.
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Harry
Warum
Modal verb
mchte
mchten Sie
Main verb
fahren.
fahren?
Conjugation of modal verbs

The verbs "knnen" and "mssen" are irregular. The verbs "mchten", "knnen" and "mssen" are conjugated as follows:
Singular
Plural
ich
du
er/sie/es
wir
ihr
sie
mchten
mchte
mchtest
mchte
mchten
mchtet
mchten
knnen
kann
kannst
kann
knnen
knnt
knnen
mssen
muss
musst
muss
mssen
msst
mssen
More:
Strictly speaking, "mchten" isn't a verb; it's a verb form of "mgen". But it is used as a modal verb. "mchten" has a similar meaning
to "wollen", which is another modal verb. It's simply more polite.
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Episode 012 Grammar

1.
Numbers greater than 100

Once you know the cardinal numbers up to 100, it's not hard to form bigger numbers.
To express the hundreds, you just add the respective "ones" numbers in front of "hundert":
100: (ein)hundert
200: zweihundert
300: dreihundert
400: vierhundert
500: fnfhundert
600: sechshundert
700: siebenhundert
800: achthundert
900: neunhundert
Germans often omit the number "ein(s)" from 100. Instead of "einhundert", they simply say "hundert".
To add to numbers greater than 100, the last two digits are formed the same way as the cardinal numbers less than 100. The hundreds
simply precede them.
201
212
215
231
= zweihunderteins
= zweihundertzwlf
= zweihundertfnfzehn
= zweihunderteinunddreiig
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More:
Forming numbers in the thousands works the same way as in the hundreds. The respective "ones" are placed in front of the word
"tausend".
1.000: (ein)tausend
2.000: zweitausend
3.000: dreitausend
4.000: viertausend
5.000: fnftausend
6.000: sechstausend
7.000: siebentausend
8.000: achttausend
9.000: neuntausend
Adding numbers to the thousands also follows the same pattern. The thousands precede the hundreds and are combined with the
cardinal numbers under 100:
2.222 = 2.000 + 200 + 20 + 2
zweitausendzweihundertzweiundzwanzig
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Years are expressed differently!

When talking about years, the thousands are expressed as hundreds. So if you were born in 1990, you wouldn't say
"tausendneunhundertneunzig". You'd say "neunzehnhundertneunzig".
Why is that? Perhaps because it's shorter - or because it just sounds better. The years since 2000, however, revert to the rule of
expressing numbers in the thousands.
So, 2011 = "zweitausendelf".
Numbers between 1,000 and 1 million are expressed as thousands:
10.000
= zehntausend
100.000 = hunderttausend
120.000 = hundertzwanzigtausend
125.000 = hundertfnfundzwanzigtausend
100.500 = hunderttausendfnfhundert
1.000.000 = eine Million
1.500.000 = eine Million fnfhunderttausend
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2.
Irregular verbs "lesen" and "fahren"

Some irregular verbs change their stem in the present tense. The stem of a verb is the infinitive form without the en ending:
Infinitive: fahren verb stem: fahr-
stem vowel: a
Typical vowel change in the present:

In the 2nd and 3rd person singular, the stem vowel e changes to ie, for example with "lesen", or to i, as with "sprechen":
Singular
Plural
ich
du
er/sie/es
wir
ihr
sie
lesen
lese
liest
liest
lesen
lest
lesen
sprechen
spreche
sprichst
spricht
sprechen
sprecht
sprechen
The root vowel a changes to in the 2nd and 3rd person singular, like with "fahren":
Singular
Plural
ich
du
er/sie/es
wir
ihr
sie
fahren
fahre
fhrst
fhrt
fahren
fahrt
fahren
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More:
In some cases, not only the vowel changes; the whole stem changes. You already know:
Singular
Plural
ich
du
er/sie/es
wir
ihr
sie
nehmen
nehme
nimmst
nimmt
nehmen
nehmt
nehmen
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Episode 013 Grammar:

Location prepositions
What's a preposition?
Prepositions connect words and groups of words together. They express the relation between living beings, things or contexts.
Here's an example:
"Harry - fliegt - London" doesn't make much sense. Is Harry flying to London or from London?
Inserting a preposition, such as "ber", describes the relation between Harry and London:
"Harry - fliegt - ber - London".
Now we know that London is just a stopover on Harry's trip. He's actually flying to Traponia.
Location prepositions
German prepositions that describe spatial relations, like placement, or directional relations, are called location prepositions or
prepositions of location.
They answer the questions "Wo?" (where?), "Woher?" (from where?) or "Wohin?" (to where?).
The following spatial prepositions answer the question "Wohin?". Use them when you want to talk about a destination or buy a ticket.
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Wohin? (Where to?)

These prepositions are used to describe a change of location and directional movement.
nach Names of countries without an article,
Ich fliege nach Brasilien.
cities, directions
Ich fliege nach Rio.
Gehen Sie nach rechts.
zu
e.g. to people
Ich fliege zu meiner Familie.
auf
e.g. to islands, mountains
Es gibt Flge auf die Kanarischen Inseln
in
Names of countries with an article, closed Es gibt Flge in den Libanon und in die USA.
regions and spaces
ber e.g. stopovers on a trip
Wir fliegen um 20 Uhr ber London nach Traponia.
Memorization makes it easier!
There are many prepositions that can mean more than one thing, depending on the relations they describe. For example, the German
preposition "in" can indicate where something or someone is.
Harry ist in Deutschland.
Wir haben viele Zimmer im Hotel.
So it doesn't make sense to translate and learn individual prepositions. It's better to learn them within their context.
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Episode 014 Grammar

1.
Adverbs of time
What's an adverb?
Adverbs describe when, where or how something happens. They refer either to another word in the sentence (such as the verb) or to
the sentence as a whole. Unlike adjectives, they don't refer to someone or something, in other words nouns or pronouns.
Adjective:
Adverb:
das frische Brtchen

("frisch" (fresh) describes "das Brtchen" a noun.)
Harry geht schnell.
("schnell" (quickly) refers to "gehen" (to go) and doesnt describe "Harry", the noun, but the manner in which he is
going.)
Temporal Adverbs
Temporal adverbs give more information about when something happened. They indicate a point in time, a length of time, or
frequency.
gestern
heute
morgen
bermorgen
yesterday
today
tomorrow
the day after tomorrow
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"frh am Morgen" or "morgen frh"

The adverb "morgen" (tomorrow) is written in lower case. The noun, "der Morgen"
(morning), is capitalized. So:
heute Morgen (= earlier today)
Ich komme morgen frh. (= tomorrow)
Here are some other adverbs of time that you already know:
endlich
immer
zuerst
Endlich (sind wir) auf der Autobahn!

Mein Tag ist immer gleich.
zuerst das Wetter
More:
Adverbs can be placed at the beginning of a sentence to give them special emphasis. In this case, the subject is placed after the
conjugated verb.
Wir haben heute frische Brtchen.
Heute haben wir frische Brtchen.
This sentence structure emphasizes the adverb "heute". That could, for example, mean that there were no fresh rolls yesterday, but
there are some today.
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2.
Irregular verbs "sehen" and "wissen"

Here are two more irregular verbs. As with many irregular verbs, the stem vowel of "sehen" changes in the present tense for the 2nd
and 3rd person singular.
Singular
Plural
ich
du
er/sie/es
wir
ihr
sie
sehen
sehe
siehst
sieht
sehen
seht
sehen
The forms for "wissen" are very irregular. Keep in mind that the stem changes for all three singular forms and the endings are different
than those for regular verbs.
compared to
a regular verb
wissen
heien
Singular
ich
wei
heie
du
weit
heit
er/sie/es
wei
heit
Plural
wir
wissen
heien
ihr
wisst
heit
sie
wissen
heien
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Long or short?
As you can see, the stem consonant in "wissen" changes from ss to . So which verb forms use ss and which use ? That's easy, if
you're familiar with articulation.
Both letters require a voiceless "ess" sound, but ss follows a short vowel and follows a long vowel.
So if the stem vowel of a verb changes, the spelling of the "ess" can change. With the verb "wissen", the vowel changes from a short i to
a long ei. (Double vowels are never short.)
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Episode 015 Grammar

1.
Ordinal numbers
Ordinal numbers can be used to determine a sequence. The ordinal number represents the position of an element in the sequence. For
example, the days of the month are a series of numbers in which one day ranks in a certain position:
Example:
der siebzehnte Mrz = the 17th day in the month of March
der dreiigste April = the 30th day in the month of April
In German, ordinal numbers are written as digits followed by a period:
Examples:
der 17. Mrz = March 17th
der 30. April = April 30th
When spoken or written out as a word, they are formed as follows:
For the numbers 1 to 19, the ending -te is added to the cardinal number in the singular.
Exceptions for ordinal numbers are "eins", "drei", "sieben" and "acht".
eins
zwei
drei
vier
fnf
der erste (irregular)

der zweite
der dritte (irregular)
der vierte
der fnfte
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sechs
sieben
acht
neun
zehn
elf
zwlf
dreizehn
etcetera
der sechste
der siebte (en is omitted)
der achte (only one t)
der neunte
der zehnte
der elfte
der zwlfte
der dreizehnte
zwanzig
dreiig
vierzig
etcetera
der zwanzigste
der dreiigste
der vierzigste
Combined ordinal numbers greater than 13 are formed the same way as cardinal numbers:
First you say the hundreds, then the ones, then the tens. Only the last part is given the ending for ordinal numbers.
Note:
14.
21.
155.
101.
= der vierzehnte
= der einundzwanzigste
= der hundertfnfundfnfzigste
= der hunderterste
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More:
Ordinal numbers usually precede the noun they describe. They can be used with definite or indefinite articles - or no article at all.
Ordinal numbers have different endings according to gender, case and number and the accompanying article.
Example:
Das erste Problem: Heute ist der 31. April.
But:
Ich sehe Sie heute zum ersten Mal.
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2.
Expressing dates
Use ordinal numbers to express the date. First you name the day, then the month, then the year. Days are always masculine, meaning
they are preceded by a masculine definite article. In written German, the day and year are always given in numerals.
Examples:
Heute ist der 31. April. = spoken as: der einunddreiigste April
Mein Geburtstag ist der 17. Mrz 1950. = spoken as: der siebzehnte Mrz neunzehnhundertfnfzig
If you want to mention the day of the week, it precedes the date and is separated by a comma.
Example:
Heute ist Mittwoch, der 31. April = spoken as: Mittwoch, der einunddreiigste April
More:
The months can be referred to by their names or as ordinal numbers in written and spoken German. January is the first month of the
year, February is the 2nd, and so on. Since this is much shorter to write, you'll see it often in business correspondence and e-mails.
Example:
der 31.4. = spoken as: der einunddreiigste Vierte
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3.
The pronoun "es"

The pronoun "es" (it) is usually used for a neuter noun.
Example:
Ist das Bett zu hart? - Nein, es ist nicht zu hart. (es = das Bett)
But:
Es gibt Pinguine.
In this sentence, "es" has a different function. Here it doesn't stand for a particular noun. It functions as the subject, without having
any actual meaning. This construction is used frequently for impersonal phrases which have no other subject.
Fixed phrases:
Time expressions:
Weather:
Es gibt ... Es geht mir gut. Es tut mir leid.

Wie spt ist es?
Es regnet. Es ist hei.
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Episode 016 Grammar

The informal imperative
The imperative is used to express a request, command or instructions. You already know how to construct the formal imperative.
To create the more familiar form, use the verb form for the 2nd person singular in the present tense. The personal pronoun and the -st
conjugation ending are left out. The verb moves to the beginning of the sentence.
gehen:
nehmen:
Du gehst mit mir zur Walpurgisnacht.

Du nimmst den Apfel.
Geh mit mir zur Walpurgisnacht!

Nimm den Apfel!
For verb stems that end with -s, only the t ending is left out.
lesen:
Du liest die Zeitung.
Lies die Zeitung!
Irregular verbs don't have an umlaut in the imperative.

fahren:
Du fhrst.
Fahr!
An -e ending is added in the imperative form for verb stems that end with -d/-t in the present tense, or that end with the + -m/-n/-l
warten:
atmen:
Du wart-est
Du atm-est
Warte!
Atme!
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Stay polite!
When making demands, you can combine imperative with "bitte". It sounds friendlier:
Komm bitte mit!
More:
Of course you can use the imperative when speaking to more than one person. For the more familiar form, just use the 2nd person
plural. As with the singular, the verb moves to the first position and the personal pronoun is left out.
Examples:
Ihr passt auf.
Ihr macht die Augen auf.
Passt auf!
Macht die Augen auf!
The imperative forms of "sein" are irregular:

For the imperative in the singular
For the imperative in the plural
sei
seid
Sei nicht so!

Seid nicht so!
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Episode 017 Grammar

1.
The simple past tense of "sein" and "haben"

The simple past tense, or preterite, is a verb tense that describes the past. In German it is more frequently used in the written form
than in spoken language. For example, you'll see it used often in newspaper articles and novels.
The past tense of "sein" and "haben", however, are used for speaking. They are irregular verbs and you should get to know their forms.
sein
Present
Simple past
haben
Present
Simple past
Singular ich
du
er/sie/es
bin
bist
ist
war
warst
war
habe
hast
hat
hatte
hattest
hatte
Plural
sind
seid
sind
waren
wart
waren
haben
habt
haben
hatten
hattet
hatten
wir
ihr
sie
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2.
The present perfect and past participles

The present perfect is a verb tense that can be used to express the past. Unlike the simple past tense, the perfect tense is often used in
spoken German.
The present perfect is formed using the helping verbs "sein" or "haben" and the past participle. The helping verbs are conjugated in the
present tense while the past participle remains unchanged.
Examples:
Ich habe getanzt.
Was haben Sie mit Julia gemacht?
Toll, sie hat es gemacht!
Past participles
The past participle is part of a verb form used to create compound tenses. The past participles of regular verbs always end with "t".
Most of them also begin with the prefix "ge". So,
ge- + verb stem + -t
Verb
machen
tanzen
lernen
Past participle
gemacht
getanzt
gelernt
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Sentence structure for the perfect

In German, the perfect tense combines two parts - the conjugated form of the helping verbs "sein" or "haben" and the past participle.
In a main clause, the helping verb is placed in the second position and the past participle comes at the end of the sentence:
Example:
Ich habe zuerst einen Kaffee gemacht.
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Episode 018 Grammar

Temporal prepositions
Prepositions that describe relations of time are called temporal prepositions. They answer the questions "Wann?" (where?) or "Wie
lange?" (how long?).
Some prepositions can be merged with the article they precede to form a contraction. Here are the most common contractions:
Preposition + article
an + dem
in + dem
bei + dem
Contraction
am
im
beim
Example
am Montag
im Sommer
beim Essen
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You're already familiar with the following temporal prepositions. They are used to indicate a point in time:
an
in
um
fr
e.g. days oft he week

times of day
dates
e.g. seasons
precise times
e.g. a future point in time
e.g. appointments and
meetings
Sie arbeiten am Samstag oder Sonntag?

Am Morgen gibt es Frhstck.
Ich habe am 17. Mrz Geburtstag.
Hier schneit es im Sommer.
Geht es auch um 14 Uhr dreiig?
Sie mchten einen Termin fr Montag?
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Episode 019 Grammar

1.
Separable and inseparable verbs

In German, prefixes can be added to verbs, giving them a completely new meaning.
stehen
stehen
suchen
nehmen
aufstehen
verstehen
versuchen
bernehmen
Some verbs with prefixes form an inseparable unit. They are called inseparable verbs.
stehen
suchen
nehmen
verstehen
versuchen
bernehmen
With others, the conjugated form of the verb can be separated from the prefix. The prefix is placed at the end of the sentence and the
second part of the verb is conjugated as usual.
aufstehen:
Harry mchte aufstehen.

Er steht jeden Morgen um 7 Uhr auf.
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Separable verbs
Prefix + verb
aufstehen
zuhren
losgehen
aufessen
einschlagen
anfangen
Example
Harry steht um 7 Uhr auf.
Harry hrt nicht zu.
Harry geht jetzt los.
Ich esse alles auf.
Am Abend schlgt der Blitz ein.
Jeder Tag fngt gleich an.
Inseparable verbs
Prefix + verb
verstehen
bekommen
bernehmen
Example
Ich verstehe kein Deutsch.
Sie bekommen die Uhr.
Wir bernehmen den Fall.
Pay attention to emphasis!

You can detect whether a verb is separable or inseparable by paying attention to the emphasis. If the prefix isn't emphasized, then
it's an inseparable verb. If the prefix is emphasized, the verb is separable.
[:]
[:]
aufstehen
verstehen
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2.
Expressing times of the day

In German there are two way of expressing the time. One is formal, the other informal.
To give the time formally, you first say the hours, then the minutes. The word "Uhr" comes in between the two. In Germany, the 24hour-clock is used to denote time.
Examples:
7.30 Uhr sieben Uhr dreiig
20.55 Uhr zwanzig Uhr fnfundfnfzig
The informal way of telling time is to first say the minutes, then the hours. The prepositions "vor" (before) and "nach" (after) are
used to indicate the intervals between the full or half-hour marks. The 12-hour-clock is used to express the time informally.
Examples:
14.50 Uhr zehn vor drei
15.10 Uhr zehn nach drei
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7.00
7.05
7.10
7.15
7.20
7.25
7.30
7.35
7.40
7.45
7.50
7.55
Informal
sieben (Uhr)
fnf nach sieben
zehn nach sieben
Viertel nach sieben
zwanzig nach sieben
fnf vor halb
halb acht
fnf nach halb acht
zwanzig vor acht
Viertel vor acht
zehn vor acht
fnf vor acht
Official/Formal
sieben Uhr
sieben Uhr fnf
sieben Uhr zehn
sieben Uhr fnfzehn
sieben Uhr zwanzig
sieben Uhr fnfundzwanzig
sieben Uhr dreiig
sieben Uhr fnfunddreiig
sieben Uhr vierzig
sieben Uhr fnfundvierzig
sieben Uhr fnfzig
sieben Uhr fnfundfnfzig
12.00
13.00
16.30
24.00 / 0.00
3.00
zwlf (Uhr mittags)

eins/ein Uhr (mittags)
halb fnf
zwlf (Uhr)/Mitternacht
drei Uhr (nachts)
zwlf Uhr
dreizehn Uhr
sechzehn Uhr dreiig
vierundzwanzig Uhr / null Uhr
drei Uhr
Regional differences
In some parts of Germany, 7:15 and 7:45, for example, aren't expressed as "Viertel nach sieben" and "Viertel vor acht", but instead as
"viertel acht" and "drei viertel acht".
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Episode 020 Grammar

The modal verb "sollen"
You already know the modal verbs "mssen", "knnen" and "mchten". Here's another one, "sollen". Like the others, it usually refers
to another verb in the sentence, the main verb.
"sollen" (should, ought to) is conjugated without a vowel change and is used predominantly to express demands and
recommendations:
Examples:
Sie sollen im Bett bleiben. (You should stay in bed.)
Sie sollen Ihre Medizin nehmen. (You should take your medicine.)
The difference between "sollen" and "mssen"
"sollen" und "mssen" are used similarly, but there are slight differences in meaning. "mssen" is used to express an objective
necessity. It sounds more pressing and demanding. "sollen" is mainly a way to reflect someone else's orders.
Statement
Sie sollen zum Doktor gehen.
Sie mssen zum Doktor gehen.
Meaning
The doctor would like to see Harry now and the nurse passes this information on to Harry.
Harry is so ill that he must pay a visit to the doctor.
Harry soll Deutsch lernen.

Harry muss Deutsch lernen.
Julia would like Harry to learn German.

It is necessary for Harry to learn German if he wants to cope well in Germany.
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Episode 021 Grammar

1.
Personal pronouns in the accusative case

Any noun can be replaced by a pronoun. Personal pronouns refer to living beings, things or contexts.
All German pronouns can be expressed not only in the nominative, but in all the other grammatical cases, too (accusative, dative and
genitive). In other words, they can be inflected. Personal pronouns in the accusative are listed here:
Nominative
Accusative
Singular
1st person: ich

2nd person: du
3rd person: er/sie/es
mich
dich
ihn/sie/es
Plural
1st person: wir

2nd person: ihr
3rd person: sie
uns
euch
sie
Personal pronouns in the accusative answer the question "Wen?" (whom):

Examples:
Ich liebe dich!
Wen liebe ich? Ich liebe dich.
Ich vermisse dich!
Wen vermisse ich? Ich vermisse dich.
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2.
Diminutives
Many German nouns can be turned into diminutives by adding a suffix to the end: "chen" or "lein".
Examples:
Br Brchen
Harry Harrylein
Diminutives denote people, animals and things that are cute or small (e.g. "Brtchen", the German word for roll; it literally means
"small bread"). Diminutive forms can also be used as terms of endearment (e.g. "Harrylein")
Forming the diminutive often means a change to the stem vowel.
Examples:
Schatz Schtzchen
Brot Brtchen
Regardless of the gender of the original word, the diminutive form always turns it into the neuter form.
Examples:
der Br - das Brchen
der Schatz - das Schtzchen
der Harry - das Harrylein
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Pet names for people

Usually, the use of diminutives as pet names for people is meant as a sign of affection and tenderness. Sometimes the person's name
itself is turned into a diminutive ("Harrylein"). But it's more common to use the diminutive form of animals or objects.
Brchen
Schtzchen
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Episode 022 Grammar

1.
The possessive determiners "sein" and "ihr"

Possessive determiners can be a substitute for definite or indefinite articles. They indicate that something belongs to someone or
something else. Which possessive determiner to use in a sentence depends on the gender of the living being, thing or context to which
the object belongs.
Examples:
Seine Stiefel waren hellbraun. (= The boots belong to a man. His boots were light brown.)
Ihre Stiefel waren hellbraun. (= The boots belong to a woman. Her boots were light brown.)
In German, the possessive determiners follow the same pattern of declension as the indefinite article "ein" and refer to the noun that
they precede.
Masculine
ein
Feminine
eine
Neuter
ein
Plural
/
er
sein Mantel
seine Hand
sein Haar
seine Stiefel
sie
ihr Mantel
ihre Hand
ihr Haar
ihre Stiefel
Indefinite article
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More:
German has four cases. In this chart you can see how the possessive determiners change according to case. In the singular the endings
are the same as with indefinite articles.
Masculine
Feminine
Neuter
Plural
Nominative ein Mantel

sein Mantel
ihr Mantel
eine Hand
seine Hand
ihre Hand
ein Haar
sein Haar
ihr Haar
Stiefel
seine Stiefel
ihre Stiefel
Accusative
einen Mantel
seinen Mantel
ihren Mantel
eine Hand
seine Hand
ihre Hand
ein Haar
sein Haar
ihr Haar
Stiefel
seine Stiefel
ihre Stiefel
Dative
einem Mantel
seinem Mantel
ihrem Mantel
einer Hand
seiner Hand
ihrer Hand
einem Haar
seinem Haar
ihrem Haar
Stiefeln
seinen Stiefeln
ihren Stiefeln
Genitive
eines Mantels
seines Mantels
ihres Mantels
einer Hand
seiner Hand
ihrer Hand
eines Haares
seines Haares
ihres Haares
Stiefel
seiner Stiefel
ihrer Stiefel
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2.
The question words "welcher", "welche", "welches"

The words "welcher", "welche" and "welches" can be used to begin a question. You can use them to ask about someone or something in
particular or to choose something from a certain contingent.
Examples:
Ich suche eine Frau. Welche Frau?
Welche Farbe hatten ihre Schuhe? Wei.
The question words reflect the number, gender and case of the noun they modify:
Masculine
Feminine
Neuter
Nominative
welcher
welche
welches
Accusative
welchen
welche
welches
Dative
welchem
welcher
welchem
Genitive
welches
welcher
welches
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Episode 023 Grammar

1.
The modal verb "drfen"

You're already familiar with several modal verbs: "mchten", "knnen", "mssen" and "sollen". They describe the subject in relation to
the action expressed by the main verb. "drfen" is also a modal verb that provides more information about the nature of an action.
"drfen" means to be allowed or have the permission to do something.
Example:
Darf ich mich setzen? (Habe ich die Erlaubnis, mich zu setzen?)
Conjugation
The conjugation of "drfen" is irregular. Pay particular attention to the 1st, 2nd and 3rd person singular in this chart:
Singular
Plural
ich
du
er/sie/es
wir
ihr
sie
drfen
darf
darfst
darf
drfen
drft
drfen
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2.
Location preposition "in"

Prepositions that describe spatial relations, like placement, or directional relations, are called location prepositions or prepositions of
location.
"in" is one of the most common location prepositions. It is used in the context of movement within a closed space, building or a region.
Example:
Ich gehe in das Kino.
It usually answers the question "Wohin?" (to where/where to).
Example:
Wohin gehst du? - In das Kino.
In such cases, the accusative case always follows.
If "in" is followed by the neuter definite article "das", then it can often be contracted to form the article "ins":
in + das (accusative)
Contraction
ins
Example
Ich gehe ins Kino.
Ich gehe ins Fitness-Studio.
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"in", "zu" or "nach"?

It's not always easy to decide when to use which preposition, so you're better off learning them in context. But for a loose general rule,
you can follow these pointers:
Wohin? (where to?)
Ich gehe ins Kino.
Ich fliege in die USA.
Destination of the movement

enclosed spaces/buildings
geographical locations with an article
Ich fahre nach Berlin.

Ich fliege nach Brasilien.
cities
geographical locations without an article
Das Taxi fhrt zum Bahnhof.

places (except for geographical locations)

people
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Episode 024 Grammar

1.
The use of "man" in impersonal sentences

"man" is an impersonal pronoun that substitutes a noun. It is used to signify a person or several people, but no one in particular. So it
is often used to express generalizations.
Example:
Hier darf man nicht Fahrrad fahren. (= That applies to everyone.)
"man" is always used in the nominative and the singular, even when it applies to "everyone". There is no plural form of "man".
"man" vs. "Mann"
Don't confuse "man", the impersonal pronoun, with the noun "Mann".
Written with one "n", "man" signifies people in general, including females.
"Mann" spelled with "nn" is the word for an adult male.
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2.
Proper nouns in the genitive case

German has four grammatical cases: nominative, accusative, dative and genetive. The genitive is used to indicate possession.
A noun can be modified by another noun in the genitive, explaining what belongs to whom. When proper names are used in the
genitive, they usually precede the other noun and an s is added to the end.
Das ist
Kennst du
Name + -s
Noun
(possessive proper noun)
Julias
Fahrrad.
Julias
Freunde?
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Episode 025 Grammar

1.
Placement of the subject in a sentence

In a simple declarative sentence in German, the subject is often placed at the beginning of the sentence:
Subject
Sie
Conjugated verb
mssen
Object
den Rhein
unbedingt sehen.
You can emphasize other information by placing it first instead. In that case, the subject comes after the conjugated verb:
Object
Conjugated Verb
Den Rhein mssen
Das
wei
Subject
Sie
ich
unbedingt sehen.
nicht so genau.
Adverb
Heute
Subject
es
Object
frische Brtchen.
Conjugated Verb
gibt
For questions, the subject also follows the conjugated verb:

Question word
Wo
Conjugated Verb
Mchtest
ist
Subject
du
Julia?
Object
einen Kaffee?
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2.
Modal particles
Modal particles are words that don't have just one clear-cut and specific dictionary definition. But they play a very important part in
the meaning of a sentence. They're predominantly used in spoken language (discourse particles). They convey additional meaning and
signalize the speaker's point of view of what is being said. Some of the most common modal particles are "doch", "denn" and
"eigentlich".
Modal particles don't refer to a particular part of the sentence, but instead to the sentence as a whole. Their meaning depends very
much on the context.
Examples:
Kommt doch rein, Kinder. (freundlicheAufforderung)
Wo ist denn Julia? (Erstaunen)
Wo waren Sie denn schon? (Interesse)
Ich habe eigentlich erst Ende der Woche mit euch gerechnet. (Erstaunen)
Nach Dresden mssen die beiden eigentlich auch noch fahren. (Idee)
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Episode 026 Grammar

Negation words
You've already learned how to negate using the words "kein" and "nicht".
In German, there are other words to express negation:
Examples:
Ich verstehe nichts.
Ich bin nicht mehr deine Freundin.
Das hast du noch nie gemacht.
Nein, ich habe keine Bahncard.
Definition
nothing
no-one, nobody
never, at no time
nowhere
Negation word
nichts
niemand
nie
nirgendwo
Positive word
alles
jemand, alle
immer
berall
"Nein" can be used to answer a question about decision. Its positive opposite is "ja".
"Nein" can stand on its own as an answer, but it is frequently followed by a comma and an explanation:
Example:
Haben Sie eine Bahncard? Nein. Oder: Nein, ich habe keine Bahncard.
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Qualifying the negation

Words like "noch" and "mehr" can be used to frame the time of a negation:
"noch nie" means that something has never happened up to this point in time.
Example:
Du bringst mir Blumen mit? Das hast du noch nie gemacht.
= Harry has never previously brought flowers for Julia, but now he has brought her flowers.
"nicht mehr" means that something was the case previously, but now is no longer true.
Example:
Ich bin nicht mehr deine Freundin.
= Julia was Harry's girlfriend but now they are no longer a couple.
Intensifying negation
The word "gar" can be used to intensify the negation.
It directly precedes the negation word.
Example:
Ich habe gar nichts gemacht. (I didn't do anything at all!)
Du willst mich gar nicht heiraten! (You don't really want to marry me!)
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Episode 027 Grammar

Past participles of irregular verbs
The past participle is part of a verb form used to create compound tenses. You're already familiar with how the past participle of
regular verbs is formed.
For irregular verbs, the past participles also usually begin with a prefix, ge- but they don't have a t at the end. Instead they end with
- en.
regular
ge- + verb stem + -t
irregular
ge- + verb stem + -en
ben ich habe gebt
sehen ich habe gesehen

lesen ich habe gelesen
Frequently there is also a vowel change in the stem. It's easiest if you learn the irregular verbs along with their past participles.
Examples:
trinken ich habe getrunken
liegen ich habe gelegen
saufen ich habe gesoffen
gehen ich bin gegangen
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Past participles of inseparable verbs

Verbs that have no emphasis on the prefix - in other words that cannot be separated - are called inseparable verbs. Their past
participles are formed without the prefix ge-. Regular verbs end with -t and irregular verbs end with -en.
Regular, inseparable verb
prefix + verb stem + -t
Irregular, inseparable verb

prefix + verb stem+ -en
besuchen Ich habe dich besucht.
verlassen Ich habe dich verlassen.
There can also be a stem change in inseparable verbs if they are irregular:
verstehen Ich habe dich verstanden.
"sein" or "haben"?
The perfect tense of most verbs is formed with the helping verb "haben". For the most part, they are verbs that can take an accusative
object.
Example:
besuchen
Du hast einen Kollegen besucht.
Some verbs require the helping verb "sein" to form the perfect. These are mainly verbs that involve a change of location or condition.
The helping verb is conjugated in the present tense and the past participle remains unchanged.
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Examples:
gehen
fahren
fliegen
Ich bin nicht ins Kino gegangen.

Wir sind nach Hamburg gefahren.
Er ist nach Traponia geflogen.
More:
The past participle of separable verbs
Verbs that have an emphasis on the prefix are called separable verbs because the conjugated form can be separated from their prefix.
You're already familiar with such verbs. Their past participles are formed differently than normal verbs. With separable verbs, the gecomes after the separable prefix.
The participle ending is -t for regular verbs and -en for irregular verbs.
Regular, inseparable verb
prefix + ge- + verb stem + -t
Irregular, inseparable verb

prefix + ge- + verb stem+ -en
zuhren ich habe zugehrt

aufmachen ich habe aufgemacht
anfangen ich habe angefangen

aufessen - ich habe aufgegessen
There can also be a stem change in separable verbs if they are irregular:
aufstehen ich bin aufgestanden
losgehen ich bin losgegangen
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Episode 028 Grammar

1.
The modal verb "wollen"

You've already learned nearly all the modal verbs: "mssen", "knnen", "mchten", "sollen" and "drfen". There's one more - "wollen".
Like all the other modal verbs, it is usually used in conjunction with a second verb, the main verb.
The modal verb "wollen" means to want to or intend to do something.
Example:
Harry will frhstcken.
Conjugation
The conjugation of "wollen" is irregular. Pay particular attention to the 1st, 2nd and 3rd person singular:
Singular
Plural
ich
du
er/sie/es
wir
ihr
sie
wollen
will
willst
will
wollen
wollt
wollen
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The difference between "wollen" and "mchten"

"wollen" and "mchten" are similar in meaning. They both describe the intention and desire to do something, but with different
intensities.
"mchten" expresses a wish or desire and sounds more polite.
"wollen" is stronger and more concrete.
Examples:
Bedienung: "Was mchten Sie?"
(= The waitress politely asks what Harry would like.)
Harry: "Ich will Kaffee, Brtchen, Wurst und Kse."
(= Harry is hungry and wants to eat now.)
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2.
The demonstrative determiners "dieser", "diese", "dieses"

Demonstrative determiners are used to refer more specifically to someone or something or to differentiate a particular person or object
from a larger group. For example, when Harry discovers a few strands of gray hair, he can point to one of them and use the word
"diese" - indicating "this one" or "that one". The demonstrative determiners answer the questions "Welcher?", "Welche?" and
"Welches?" ("which one" in the three gender classes respectively).
Masculine:
Feminine:
Neuter:
Welcher Mann? Dieser Mann.

Welche Waffe? Diese Waffe.
Welches Haar? - Dieses Haar.
As with definite and indefinite articles, the demonstrative articles precede the nouns they modify and are governed by the gender,
number and case of those nouns.
More:
Demonstrative articles follow the same patter of declension as definite articles. The following chart shows how they are inflected
according to gender and case.
Nominative
Accusative
Dative
Genitive
Masculine
dieser Mann
der Mann
diesen Mann
den Mann
diesem Mann
dem Mann
dieses Mannes
des Mannes
Feminine
diese Waffe
die Waffe
diese Waffe
die Waffe
dieser Waffe
der Waffe
dieser Waffe
der Waffe
Neuter
dieses Haar
das Haar
dieses Haar
das Haar
einem Haar
dem Haar
dieses Haares
des Haares
Plural
diese Tabletten
die Tabletten
diese Tabletten
die Tabletten
diesen Tabletten
den Tabletten
dieser Tabletten
der Tabletten
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Folge 029 Grammatik

1.
The pronoun "es" (review)

"es" is a pronoun that usually substitutes a neuter noun.
Example:
Ist das Bett zu hart? - Nein, es ist nicht zu hart. (es = it das Bett = the bed)
But:
Es gibt Pinguine.
The "es" in the above sentence has a different function. It isn't the replacement for a particular noun; instead it serves as the subject of
the sentence without really meaning anything. This construction is frequently used in impersonal turns of phrase in which there is no
other subject. It is comparable to "there is" or "there are".
Idiomatic expressions
Time expressions
Weather
Es gibt ... Es geht mir gut. Es tut mir leid.

Wie spt ist es?
Es regnet. Es ist hei.
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2.
Modal verbs (summary)

Modal verbs usually modify another verb in the sentence - the main verb. They provide more information about the nature of the
action expressed by the main verb. You have learned all about the modal verbs "knnen", "mssen", "sollen", "drfen", "wollen" and
"mchten".
Modal verbs are irregular, but their endings in the 1st and 2nd person singular and in the 1st and 2nd person plural are identical
respectively. Here is an overview of their conjugation in the present tense:
ich
du
er/sie/es
wir
ihr
sie
knnen
kann
kannst
kann
knnen
knnt
knnen
mssen
muss
musst
muss
mssen
msst
mssen
sollen
soll
sollst
soll
sollen
sollt
sollen
drfen
darf
darfst
darf
drfen
drft
drfen
wollen
will
willst
will
wollen
wollt
wollen
mchten
mchte
mchtest
mchte
mchten
mchtet
mchten
The modal verbs change the meaning of a sentence.

Example:
Ihr spielt mit dem Pinguin. = The children are playing with the penguin.
Ihr drft mit dem Pinguin spielen. = The children have permission to play with the penguin.
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The modal verbs are used in the following situations:

"knnen" indicates the ability or opportunity to do something.
Examples:
= Harry has learned German and can (has the ability) to speak the language.
= You are welcome to have a different room. You can have a different room.
"drfen" gives permission to do something.
Examples:
Der Pinguin darf bleiben, aber nur eine Nacht.
= The penguin may stay for one night.
Drfen wir mit dem Pinguin spielen?
= Are we allowed to / may we play with the penguin?
"drfen" + negation means that someone does not have the permission / may not do something.
Examples:
Pinguine drfen nicht im Hotel bernachten.
= Penguins are not allowed to stay in the hotel.
Der Pinguin darf nicht bleiben.
= The penguin may not stay. The hotelier prohibits it.
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"mssen" indicates an order or necessity.

Examples:
Der Pinguin muss das Hotel verlassen.
= The hotelier demands that the penguin be removed from the hotel.
Ich muss jetzt gehen.
= I have to go now.
"sollen" means should or ought to.
It denotes a challenge or strong recommendation for someone to do something or conveys someone else's instructions.
Examples:
Kinder zum Hotelier: Der Pinguin soll bleiben.
= The children request that the penguin be permitted to stay.
Krankenschwester zu Harry: Sie sollen zum Doktor gehen.
= The nurse relays to Harry that the doctor would like to see him now.
"wollen" means to want to do something. It is used to express a strong wish, desire or intention to do something.
Examples:
Ich will jetzt frhstcken.
= I am hungry and want to eat now.
Wir wollen heiraten.
= We intend to be married. / We want to get married.
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"mchten" means someone would like to do something. Like "wollen", it signifies the wish to do something, but it is more polite.
Examples:
= Harry would like to go to the city.
Was mchten Sie (haben)?
= The waitress politely asks Harry what he would like to order.
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Episode 030 Grammar

1.
Verbs with two objects

At the heart of any German sentence is the conjugated verb. Usually there is another component to the sentence - the subject in the
nominative. Many verbs require an object as well. The majority of German verbs require an accusative (direct) object, e.g. "nehmen"
(to take) and "treffen" (to meet).
Examples:
Ich nehme den Fller.
Ich mchte dich treffen.
Some verbs can have another (indirect) object in the dative. Verbs that express the acts of giving, receiving and telling fit into this
category.
Who
Subject
Verb
Whom
Dative = person / indirect object
What
Accusative = thing / direct object
Ich
schicke
Helen
den Brief.
The nominative subject ("ich") indicates who is carrying out the action.
"Helen" is the dative (indirect) object of the action.
"den Brief" is the accusative - or direct - object of the action.
In sentences with two objects, usually the dative object comes first, followed by the accusative object. So a typical main clause with the
subject placed first would look like this:
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Who
Subject
Verb
Whom
What
Harry
gibt
dem Mann
den Brief.
More:
Generally, the dative object also precedes the accusative object when sentences are formulated as questions or imperatives. Only the
subject and verb switch positions:
Wann
Verb
Geben
schickst
Subject
Sie
du

mir
Helen

den Brief!
den Brief?
However, if the accusative object is a pronoun, then it moves in front of the dative object, even if the dative object is a pronoun, too.
Ich schicke Helen den Brief.
Ich schicke ihr den Brief.
Ich schicke ihn Helen.
Ich schicke ihn ihr.
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2.
References to people in the female form

German nouns that refer to people can be changed to indicate whether they are male or female. Some nouns are entirely different
words to make that differentiation:
Male
der Mann
der Sohn
Female
die Frau
die Tochter
But more often, the female form is created by adding "in" to the end of the male form. This is the case for most occupations, for
instance.
For some nouns, there is a vowel change as well.
Male
der Freund
der Schauspieler
der Arzt
Female
die Freundin
die Schauspielerin
die rztin
If the male version of the word ends with an "e", then it is dropped before adding the female ending "in":
Male
der Meteorologe
der Computerexperte
Female
die Meteorologin
die Computerexpertin
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Nouns with the "in" ending get a double consonant in the plural. The following plural ending is always "en":
Singular
die Freundin
die Schauspielerin
die rztin
Plural
die Freundin-n-en
die Schauspielerin-n-en
die rztin-n-en
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Episode 031 Grammar

1.
Dative verbs
Most German sentences contain at least a conjugated verb and another component in the nominative (a subject). But many verbs need
another component (an object) in the accusative, dative or genitive case. Accusative objects are the most common, but some German
verbs require a dative object.
Dative objects are usually the target or recipient of the action. In most cases, the dative object is a person.
Nouns in the dative case answer the question "Wem?" (whom?):
Examples:
Helfen Sie dem Mann, er ist verletzt!
Die Jacke steht meiner Freundin gut.
Here are some of the most important German dative verbs:
Verb
helfen
danken
gefallen
passen
zuhren
glauben
gut tun
vertrauen
Noun + article as the dative object

Sie haben dem Mann sehr geholfen.
ich danke der Frau.
Die Hose gefllt der Verkuferin.
Hose passt dem Kind genau.
Hren Sie dem Professor zu!
Sie sind kein Dieb. Ich glaube dem Polizisten.
Das tut dem Kind gut.
Ich vertraue dem Doktor nicht.
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When the dative object is a noun along with an article, then the article changes its form according to gender and number:
Masculine
Feminine
Neuter
Plural
Indefinite article
Nominative
Dative
ein
einem
eine
einer
ein
einem
Definite article
Nominative
Dative
der
dem
die
der
das
dem
die
den
Most nouns only change their form in the plural. The most common ending is "n". There are some exceptions that take an "s" instead
of an "n".
But:
Gender
Nominative Plural
Dative Plural
Masculine
Feminine
Neuter
die Freunde
die Frauen
die Kinder
Das gefllt den Freunden.

Das gefllt den Frauen.
Das gefllt den Kindern.
die Chefs
Das gefllt den Chefs.
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2.
Personal pronouns in the dative

Any noun can be replaced by a pronoun. Personal pronouns refer to living beings, things or contexts.
Pronouns can be in the nominative, accusative, dative and genitive cases. In other words, they can be inflected.
The following chart shows the personal pronouns in the dative:
Singular
Plural
Nominative
1st person: ich
2nd person: du
3rd person: er/sie/es
Accusative
mich
dich
ihn/sie/es
Dative
mir
dir
ihm/ihr/ihm
1st person: wir

2nd person: ihr
3rd person: sie
uns
euch
sie
uns
euch
ihnen
The polite form of address:
Sie
Sie
Ihnen
Personal pronouns in the dative answer the question "Wem?" (whom).

Examples:
Die Hose gefllt mir.
Wem gefllt die Hose? Die Hose gefllt mir.
Ich danke Ihnen!
Wem danke ich? Ich danke Ihnen.
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Episode 032 Grammar

1.
Subordinate clauses with "weil"

Subordinate clauses are dependent upon main clauses or other dependent clauses. They cannot stand on their own. Often they begin
with words (subordinating conjunctions, relative pronouns or question words) that connect them to the independent clause. "weil" is
one such conjunction that introduces a subordinate clause. So the dependent clause provides more information about the independent
clause. Subordinate clauses that begin with "weil" (because) answer the question "Warum?" (why?).
Example:
Ich will den Job haben. Warum?
Ich will den Job haben, weil ich Geld brauche.
(= I need money. That is why I want the job.)
Subordinate clauses with "weil" are always separated from the independent clause by a comma.
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2.
Word order in subordinate clauses

The verb in a clause that begins with a subordinating conjunction always moves to the end. The other parts of the clause keep their
positions.
No conjunction:
Coordinating conjunction:
Ich will den Job haben.

Ich will den Job haben
und
Ich brauche Geld.

ich brauche Geld.
Independent and subordinate clauses:
Ich will den Job haben,
weil
ich Geld brauche.
The short form:

Clauses that begin with a subordinating conjunction can sometimes stand on their own in spoken language. But that only works in
situations in which the context is clear:
Question:
Reply:
Warum wollen Sie den Job haben?

Weil ich das Geld brauche.
More:
If a subordinate clause that begins with a subordinating conjunction has not only a conjugated verb, but also another (unconjugated)
verb form, such as the infinitive or a participle, then this second verb form precedes the conjugated verb in the second-to-last position.
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Perfect tense with helping verb and participle:

Example:
Harry stinkt.
Er hat sich lange nicht gewaschen.
Harry stinkt,
weil er sich lange nicht gewaschen hat.
Modal verb plus the infinitive:

Example:
Harry bekommt den Job.
Er will kein Geld haben.
Harry bekommt den Job, weil er kein Geld haben will.

For separable verbs, the prefix stays attached to the verb:
Example:
Sie freut sich.
Sie freut sich,
Ich komme morgen wieder.

weil
ich morgen wiederkomme.
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Episode 033 Grammar

1.
The declension of adjectives

Adjectives modify a living creature, an object, an action or a condition. They often provide more information about a noun or a
pronoun.
When adjectives come after the noun or pronoun, they don't change their basic form. That's often the case with verbs like "sein",
"werden", "bleiben" and "finden".
Examples:
Helen ist verrckt.
Ich finde den Tag immer wieder schn.
When adjectives directly precede the noun they modify, then they follow a pattern of declension. That means that their endings change.
The adjective is placed between the article and the noun.
Hier ist
Helen mchte
Article
der
den
Adjective
Noun
neue
Computer.
perfekten Wetterbericht
machen.
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The declension of adjectives depends on:

- the gender and number of the noun:
Singular
Hier ist
der
Plural
Hier sind
die
neue Computer.
neuen Computer.
- the case of the noun:

Nominative
Hier ist
Accusative
Ich mchte
der
den
neue Computer.
neuen Computer.
- the type of the article:

Definite article
Hier ist
Indefinite article Hier ist
der
ein
neue Computer.
neuer Computer.
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2.
Declension of adjectives in the nominative and accusative cases

There are three patterns of declension for adjectives depending on whether they are accompanied by a definite article, indefinite article
or no article.
Declension of adjectives preceded by a definite article
This chart shows you how an adjective's form changes when there is a definite article. The pattern has only the endings -e and -en.
Example:
Wollen Sie die graue oder die schwarze Tastatur?
Masculine
Nominative der neue Drucker
Feminine
die neue Tastatur
Neuter
das neue Notebookdie
Plural
neuen Computer
Accusative
die neue Tastatur
das neue Notebookdie
neuen Computer
den neuen Drucker
Declension of adjectives preceded by an indefinite article

The declension following an indefinite article also applies to the possessive determiners (possessive adjectives) "mein", "dein", "ihr",
etc. and the negation article "kein". In the singular in the nominative and accusative cases, the adjective changes to reflect the endings
of definite articles. Since the indefinite article has no plural, the adjective endings are shown here using the example of "kein".
Example:
Hier ist Ihr neuer Arbeitsplatz.
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Masculine
Nominative ein neuer Drucker
Feminine
eine neue Tastatur
Neuter
ein neues Notebook
Plural
keine neuen Computer
Accusative
eine neue Tastatur
ein neues Notebook
keine neuen Computer
einen neuen Drucker
Declension of articles when there is no article

This pattern is common for the plural, but rare in the singular. You need it, for instance, after ordinal numbers "two" and up.
In the nominative and accusatives cases, the adjective changes to reflect the endings of definite articles.
Example:
Jeden Tag gibt es drei warme Gerichte.
Masculine
Nominative der Drucker
neuer Drucker
Feminine
die Tastatur
neue Tastatur
Neuter
das Notebook
neues Notebook
Plural
die Computer
neue Computer
Accusative
die Tastatur
neue Tastatur
das Notebook
neues Notebook
die Computer
neue Computer
den Drucker
neuen Drucker
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Episode 034 Grammar

1.
Connecting main clauses with "denn"

A main clause usually contains a subject and a conjugated verb. Coordinating conjunctions can be used to connect two main clauses.
Both clauses are independent and equal. The word order in each one doesn't change.
The conjunction "denn" is a coordinating conjunction that joins two main clauses. The second part provides more information about
the first part.
Unlike the conjunctions "und" and "oder", there is always a comma before "denn"!
Without conjunction:
With conjunction:
Wir brauchen einen Staubsauger.

Wir brauchen einen Staubsauger,
denn
With conjunction:
Du bist ein Sufer.

Du bist ein Sufer,
Du hast alles getrunken.

du hast alles getrunken.
denn
Der Teppich hat Flecken.

der Teppich hat Flecken.
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A subtle difference
"denn" has the same meaning as "weil". Both words introduce a reason. Grammatically, however, they differ.
"denn" is a coordinating conjunction, connecting one main clause to another. That's why the word order of the second clause doesn't
change.
"weil" is a subordinating conjunction that introduces a subordinate clause to a main clause. The conjugated verb moves to the end of
the subordinate clause.
Examples:
Wir brauchen einen Staubsauger, denn der Teppich hat Flecken.
Wir brauchen einen Staubsauger, weil der Teppich Flecken hat.
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2.
Connecting main clauses with "nicht ... sondern"

After a negation, you can use "sondern" to provide an alternative or contrast.
Examples:
Harry ist nicht mutig, sondern feige.
Dr. Anderson ist kein Arzt, sondern ein Mrder.
"sondern" is a conjunction that connects two main clauses. If the verb and/or subject is the same in both sentences, then they can be
dropped from the second part.
That makes the compound sentence shorter.
Harry ist nicht mutig.
Er ist feige.
With conjunction:
Harry ist nicht mutig,
sondern
er ist feige.
Shortened:
Harry ist nicht mutig,
sondern
feige.
Sometimes the negation doesn't apply to the whole sentence, but to only part of it or a group of words or a single word. "sondern" can
still be used to provide a contrast.
Example:
Ich habe den Stein nicht geworfen, sondern eine Frau.
In this case, the pronoun "ich" is negated and so only "eine Frau" is added.
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Example:
Ich habe den Stein nicht geworfen, sondern mitgebracht.
In the above sentence, only the past participle is negated.
The part of the sentence to be negated is often pronounced more heavily either through stronger emphasis or through word order.
Example:
Question: Wieso haben Sie das Fenster kaputt gemacht?
Reply: Das war ich nicht, sondern der Stein. (= regular word order)
Reply: Das war nicht ich, sondern der Stein. (= emphasized word order)
"sondern" always requires a comma
No matter whether "sondern" introduces a whole clause or just a single word, it is always preceded by a comma!
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Episode 035 Grammar

1.
Degrees of comparison of adjectives

Adjectives modify a living being, an object, an action or a condition. They often provide more information about a noun or a pronoun.
Adjectives can also be used to compare things. They change their form to show higher or highest degrees of a particular quality.
There are three degrees of comparison: the positive, comparative and superlative.
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2.
The positive and the comparative forms

The positive is the simple, most basic form of an adjective. To use it in a comparison you have to use other comparative phrases before
and after the adjective,
such as "so ... wie" ("as ... as"), to express that living beings or objects share a similarity or have the same level of a quality or
qualification.
Other comparative phrases in German include "genauso ... wie" ("exactly as ... as"), "gleich ... wie" ("as ... as") and "nicht so ... wie"
("not as ... as").
The two beings or things being compared are always in the same grammatical case.
so
+ adjective in ist basic form
Person/object 1
Dr. Anderson ist
Professor Meyer ist
Niederangelbach ist
+ wie
Comparative phrase
so
gut
genauso
gut
nicht so
schn
wie
wie
wie
Person/object 2
die anderen Professoren.
Dr. Anderson.
Leipzig.
The comparative form shows a difference between the living beings or objects being described. The degree of the adjective can be
increased by adding the suffix -er:
Example:
schlecht schlechter.
There are also irregular forms. The comparative form of "gut", for example, is "besser".
The comparative word "als" (than) comes after the adjective. In the comparative, the living beings or objects being compared share the
same grammatical case.
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Comparative (Endung -er) + als

Person/object 1
Harry ist
Dr. Anderson ist
Leipzig ist
Comparative
besser
schlechter
schner
als
als
als
Person/object 2
Nick.
Professor Meyer.
Niederangelbach.
Higher, faster, more irregular!

Besides "gut" (good), there are other adjectives that have irregular forms in the comparative. Most of them end with the suffix-er, but
their stem changes.
Take note of these adjectives because some of them are quite common!
Adjectives that take an umlaut: alt lter, dumm dmmer, gro grer, hart hrter,
jung jnger, kalt klter, lang lnger, nah nher, warm wrmer ...
Adjectives with irregular degrees of comparison: gut besser, hoch hher, teuer teurer, viel mehr
More:
Just like an adjective in its basic form, a comparative adjective can precede the noun it modifies, in which case it is inflected:
Examples:
Ich habe eine bessere Idee!
Professor Meyer ist ein besserer Professor als Dr. Anderson.
Ich habe einen schlechteren Test als du.
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Episode 036 Grammar

The superlative form
Adjectives can be used to show that a living being or object has more of a certain quality than another. There are three degrees of
comparison. First, there is the positive, which is the basic uncompared degree. Then there are the comparative and superlative degrees
of comparison. For the comparative and superlative, the adjectives take on special forms.
The comparative compares living beings or things and indicates a difference.
Example:
Leipzig ist schner als Niederangelbach.
The superlative is the highest degree. It is used to show that a living being or object has the highest level of the quality expressed by the
adjective.
It is formed by adding the suffix -(e)st.
Example:
Der ICE ist der schnellste Zug in Deutschland.
An "e" is included in the suffix for adjectives that end with emphasis on the last syllable and the last letters d, t, s, ss, , sch, z, tz or
x. This extra "e" before the "st" makes the word easier to pronounce.
Example:
Heinz ist verrckteste Mann in Niederangelbach.
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There is one exception: "gro"

Positive
gro
Comparative
grer
Superlative
am grten
The superlative form can follows the word it modifies by using it in combination with "am". In that case, the superlative always ends
with -en.
am + superlative adjective -(e)st) + ending en
Example:
Leipzig ist am schnsten.
Der ICE fhrt am schnellsten.
Irregular forms:
If the comparative adjective has an umlaut, then the superlative keeps it.
Positive
alt
dumm
hart
jung
kalt
warm
lang
Comparative
lter
dmmer
hrter
jnger
klter
wrmer
lnger
Superlative
am ltesten
am dmmsten
am hrtesten
am jngsten
am kltesten
am wrmsten
am lngsten
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Note:
Positive
nah
Comparative
nher
Superlative
am nchsten
Higher, faster, more irregular!

Some superlative forms are irregular. Pay attention to these adjectives because you'll need them often!
gut besser am besten
viel mehr am meisten
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Episode 037 Grammar

1.
Reflexive verbs
Reflexive verbs are verbs whose object is the same as the subject. The object is called a reflexive pronoun.
Example:
Er wscht sich nicht mehr.
Many verbs can be used reflexively or non-reflexively with an accusative object. In German these are called "unecht" or "false" reflexive
verbs.
Examples:
Er wscht sich nicht mehr. Er wscht die Hnde nicht mehr.
Er kmmt sich nicht mehr. Er kmmt seine Haare nicht mehr.
Other verbs, however, are exclusively reflexive. Such verbs cannot be used without the reflexive pronoun. Nor can the reflexive
pronoun be replaced by another pronoun or noun. In German these are called "echt", or "true", reflexive verbs.
Examples:
Beeil dich!
Ich beeile mich.
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2.
Reflexive pronouns in the accusative and dative cases

German reflexive pronouns are a category of pronouns that always refer back to the subject. Truly reflexive verbs cannot be used
without their reflexive pronouns, which are usually in the accusative. Other verbs can be used in a reflexive and non-reflexive way, so
the reflexive pronoun requires the dative and is replaced by an accusative object.
The reflexive pronouns take the same forms as personal pronouns. The only exception is in the 3rd person singular and plural, which
has its own form: "sich".
Accusative
Ich wasche
mich.
Du wschst
dich.
Er/Sie/Es wscht sich.
Wir waschen
uns.
Ihr wascht
euch.
Sie waschen
sich.
Dative
Ich wasche
mir
Du wschst
dir
Er/Sie/Es wscht sich
Wir waschen
uns
Ihr wascht
euch
Sie waschen
sich
die Hnde.
die Hnde.
die Hnde.
die Hnde.
die Hnde.
die Hnde.
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3.
Compounds
In German, two or more nouns can be combined to create compound nouns. German is full of them!
To form a compound noun, the base noun comes at the end. The preceding nouns provide more information about it. The base noun at
the end determines the gender of the whole word.
Description word
der Termin
die Polizei
das Gewitter
der Regen
das Auto
Base word
der Kalender
das Auto
die Wolke
der Schirm
der Unfall
Compound noun
der Terminkalender
das Polizeiauto
die Gewitterwolke
der Regenschirm
der Autounfall
Description word
die Zeit
der Kopf
Description word
die Schleifen
der Schmerz
Base word
der Experte
die Tablette
Compound noun
der Zeitschleifenexperte
die Kopfschmerztablette
The inserted -s
Many compound words in German are simply composed by stringing the words next to one another. But sometimes an extra sound is
inserted between them. Usually an s is inserted, and sometimes -es, -ens, -n, -er. There are no clear-cut rules about when to use
such insertions and when not to use them.
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Description word
die Universitt
das Leben
die Tomate
Base word
der Professor
der Gefhrte
der Saft
Compound noun with insertion

der Universittsprofessor
der Lebensgefhrte
der Tomatensaft
More:
Nouns aren't the only types of words that can be used to form compounds. In these cases, too, the base word determines the part of
speech of the entire compound word.
Adjektiv
Verb
Adjektiv
Substantiv
+ noun
+ noun
+ Adjective
+ Adjective
Description word
Base word
Compound
schwarz
sprechen
hell
Preis
+ der Wald
+ Zeit
+ braun
+ wert
der Schwarzwald
die Sprechzeit
hellbraun
preiswert
= noun
= verb
= adjective
= adjective
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Episode 038 Grammar

1.
Two-way prepositions requiring the dative

Prepositions connect words and groups of words, showing their relationship to one another. They determine the case of the word or
group of words they precede. In other words, they govern the grammatical case.
They can govern the accusative, dative and genitive cases, but not the nominative. Most prepositions always govern just one case. But
there are also prepositions that can be in the dative or the accusative. These are called two-way prepositions.
You are already familiar with the following prepositions that require the dative when they answer the question "Wo?" (where). They
refer to a place or location.
Preposition
Example
ber
auf
hinter
vor
unter
neben
in
an
ber dem Schreibtisch hngt eine Landkarte.

Auf dem Schreibtisch steht mein Notebook.
Hinter dem Schreibtisch steht ein Pinguin.
Vor dem Schreibtisch sitzt meine Sekretrin.
Unter dem Schreibtisch liegen drei Brtchen.
Neben mir steht Frau Meister.
Bitte Vorsicht an der Bahnsteigkante!
Question
word
Wo?
Wo?
Wo?
Wo?
Wo?
Wo?
Wo?
Wo?
Preposition + dative
ber dem Schreibtisch.
Auf dem Schreibtisch.
Hinter dem Schreibtisch.
Vor dem Schreibtisch.
Unter dem Schreibtisch.
Neben mir.
In Deutschland.
An der Bahnsteigkante.
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More:
Some two-way prepositions can be an indication of time. The prepositional phrase answers the question "Wann?" (when), which
always requires the dative.
Examples:
an Sie arbeiten am Samstag und Sonntag?
in Hier schneit es im Sommer.
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2.
The verbs "stehen", "liegen", "sitzen"

The use of two-way prepositions can be determined by certain verbs. For example, the verbs "stehen", "liegen" and "sitzen" are often
used together with a prepositional phrase that answers the question "Wo?" (where). These verbs usually require the two-way
preposition to be in the dative.
Verb
Example
stehen
Mein Notebook steht auf dem

Schreibtisch.
Drei Brtchen liegen unter dem
Schreibtisch.
Meine Sekretrin sitzt vor dem
Schreibtisch.
liegen
sitzen
Question
word
Wo?
Wo?
Unter dem Schreibtisch.
Wo?
Vor dem Schreibtisch.
Auf dem Schreibtisch.
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Episode 039 Grammar

1.
Two-way prepositions requiring the accusative

Prepositions express the relationship between words or groups of words. They determine the case of the word or group of words they
precede. In other words, they govern grammatical case.
They can govern the accusative, dative and genitive cases, but not the nominative. Most prepositions always govern just one case. But
there are also dual prepositions that can be in the dative or the accusative. These are called two-way prepositions.
You are already familiar with the following prepositions that require the accusative when they answer the question "Wohin?" (where
to). They refer to a direction.
Preposition
Example
ber
auf
hinter
vor
unter
neben
in
an
Harry hngt die Landkarte ber den Schreibtisch.

Ich stelle die Teller auf den Tisch.
Die Sekretrin setzt sich hinter den Schreibtisch.
Ich stelle mich vor den Schreibtisch.
Ich lege die Brtchen unter den Schreibtisch.
Ich lege das Messer neben den Teller.
Ich gehe an die Tr.
Question
word
Wohin?
Wohin?
Wohin?
Wohin?
Wohin?
Wohin?
Wohin?
Wohin?
Preposition + accusative
ber den Schreibtisch.
Auf den Tisch.
Hinter den Schreibtisch.
Vor den Schreibtisch.
Unter den Schreibtisch.
Neben den Teller.
In die USA.
An die Tr.
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2.
The verbs "stellen", legen", "setzen"

The use of two-way prepositions can depend on the verbs that accompany them. The verbs "stellen", "legen" and "setzen" nearly always
refer to a prepositional phrase that indicates a direction. It answers the question "Wohin?" (where to). These verbs often require the
two-way preposition to be in the accusative.
Verb
Example
stellen
legen
setzen
Ich stelle die Glser auf den Tisch.

Jetzt setze ich mich auf den Stuhl.
Question
word
Wohin?
Wohin?
Wohin?
Preposition + accusative
Auf den Tisch.
Neben den Teller.
Auf den Stuhl.
Verbs used to indicate direction often also have an accusative object. In that sense they differ from the verbs that indicate a situation,
which have neither a dative nor an accusative object.
Verb
stellen
stehen
Ich stelle
Mein Notebook steht
+ Accusative object
die Glser
(-)
+ Two-way preposition in the accusative/dative

auf den Tisch.
(=Direktivergnzung)
auf dem Tisch.
(=Situativergnzung)
legen
liegen
Harry legt
Das Messer liegt
das Messer
(-)
neben den Teller.

neben dem Teller.
(=Direktivergnzung)
(=Situativergnzung)
setzen
sitzen
Der Pinguin setzt

Der Pinguin sitzt
sich
(-)
auf den Stuhl.

auf dem Stuhl.
(=Direktivergnzung)
(=Situativergnzung)
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Episode 040 Grammar

1.
Final clauses with "damit"

Subordinate clauses are dependent upon main clauses or other dependent clauses. They cannot stand on their own. Often they begin
with words (subordinating conjunctions, relative pronouns or question words) that connect them to the main or independent clause.
"damit" (so that) is a conjunction that introduces a final clause. In other words, the clause reveals a purpose, intention or goal behind
the action of the independent clause it links to. Clauses with "damit" answer the question ("Wozu?") (for what reason/purpose).
Examples:
Wir demonstrieren gegen das Experiment. Zu welchem Zweck?
Wir demonstrieren gegen das Experiment, damit die Welt eine Zukunft hat.
(= We are protesting. Our goal is to ensure that the world has a future.)
Clauses with "damit" usually follow the independent clause and are separated from it by a comma.
The conjugated verb goes to the end of a final clause.
Example:
Ich bin hier, damit ich mehr ber das Experiment erfahre.
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2.
Infinitive constructions with "um ... zu"

When an independent clause and a subordinate clause share the same subject, the final clause can be expressed in short form with the
infinitive construction "um ... zu". The subject is left out and the infinitive verb goes to the end of the sentence. The infinitive
construction is separated from the independent clause by a comma.
Examples:
Harry muss zuhren, damit er Deutsch lernt.
Harry muss zuhren, um Deutsch zu lernen.
Wir demonstrieren gegen das Experiment, damit wir eine Katastrophe verhindern.
Wir demonstrieren gegen das Experiment, um eine Katastrophe zu verhindern.
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3.
Verbs with fixed prepositions

Prepositions connect words and groups of words together. They express the relation between living beings, things or contexts. German
has many different prepositions. You've already learned about location prepositions that give information about a place, position or
direction, and temporal prepositions that refer to time. Knowing how to categorize and when to use them isn't always easy because
they can mean different things depending on how they're used. In many instances you can only know the meaning of a preposition
from its context.
Some prepositions serve the function of connecting a verb to an object. In other words, they don't describe a relationship (location or
temporal). Such prepositions are simply fixed to certain verbs. For example,
demonstrieren gegen + accusative:
Wir demonstrieren gegen das Experiment.
sich engagieren fr + accusative:
Wir engagieren uns fr die Natur.
warten auf + accusative:
Ich warte auf dich.
Since there is no strict rule that says which prepositions must be used with which verbs, it's better to memorize such verbs along with
their prepositions and case.
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Episode 041 Grammar

Infinitive constructions with "zu"
The infinitive is the most basic form of a verb. It is composed of the verb stem and the ending "en" or "n". You've already seen this form
when you learned about the modal verbs.
Example:
Harry soll sein Zimmer putzen.
You'll often see the infinitive form in connection with the word "zu". This is called an infinitive construction that is usually
accompanied by other words or groups of words. These constructions refer back to a word in the independent clause. They have no
conjugated verb or subject of their own. The subject derives from the independent clause. The "zu" + infinitive verb comes at the end of
the subordinate clause and the two words are usually written separately.
Example:
Harry Walkott hat keine Lust, das Zimmer zu mieten.
Heute ist Tom an der Reihe, das Geschirr zu splen.
Not all main and dependent clauses can be given an infinitive construction. There are certain expressions that make the additional
phrase possible, for example:
1. "haben" + noun
Ich habe kein Interesse, das Zimmer zu mieten.
Tom hat die Aufgabe, das Bad zu putzen.
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2. Impersonal expressions
Es ist wichtig, das Experiment zu stoppen.
Es ist schn, in Deutschland zu sein.
3. The verb "helfen"
Ich will helfen, das Experiment zu stoppen.
Using infinitive constructions with separable verbs
Some verbs have a prefix that can be separated from the conjugated form of the verb. These are called separable verbs.
To use the infinitive construction with separable verbs, the "zu" comes between the verb and its prefix
and all the elements - prefix + "zu" + infinitive - are written together as one word.
Examples:
ein|kaufen:
Tom kauft ein. Tom hat die Aufgabe, einzukaufen.
runter|bringen:
Tom bringt den Mll nicht runter. Tom hat kein Interesse, den Mll runterzubringen.
Comma placement
The infinitive phrase is often separated from the independent clause by a comma. But that's not mandatory. You can leave it out if the
infinitive construction is especially short.
Examples:
eher ohne Komma: Harry hilft(,) zu putzen. (= better without a comma)
eher mit Komma: Harry hilft, das Bad zu putzen. (= better with a comma)
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Episode 042 Grammar

1.
Subordinate clauses with "dass"

Subordinate clauses are dependent upon main clauses or other dependent clauses. They can't stand on their own. Often they begin
with certain parts of speech (subordinating conjunctions, relative pronouns or question words) that connect them to the independent
clause.
"dass" clauses begin with the word "dass" and can serve in their entirety as either the subject or the object of the independent clause.
So these types of subordinate clauses can be called subject clauses or object clauses.
Das Stoppen des Experiments ist fr uns wichtig.
(Subject)
Es ist wichtig, dass wir das Experiment stoppen.
Subject clause
Ich glaube nicht an das Funktionieren der Aktion.
(Object)
Ich glaube nicht, dass die Aktion funktioniert.
Object clause
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Not all main or dependent clauses can be given a "dass" clause. There are only certain instances that make this construction possible,
for example:
1. Certain verbs pertaining to perception, thinking, expressing feelings, knowing or wanting:
Examples:
wissen: Ich wei, dass ich das Experiment stoppen kann.
glauben: Ich glaube, dass Tom verrckt ist.
2. Adjectives + sein:
Example:
sicher sein: Bist du sicher, dass du das Experiment stoppen kannst?
3. Impersonal expressions:
Example:
es ist wichtig: Es ist wichtig, dass wir das Experiment verhindern.
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2.
Factual conditional clauses with "wenn"

A subordinate clause with "wenn" usually describes a condition for the consequence, or result, of the independent clause. It can also be
called a conditional clause. It answers the question "Unter welcher Bedingung?" (under what condition).
Examples:
Wenn du die Karte nicht abstempelst, dann ist sie nicht gltig.
(= Unter welcher Bedingung ist die Karte nicht gltig? - Wenn du sie nicht abstempelst.)
Wenn das Experiment stattfindet, gibt es eine Zeitschleife.
(= Wann gibt es eine Zeitschleife? - Wenn das Experiment stattfindet.)
If the condition and resulting action are predictable, the clause is considered to be a factual condition clause. The present tense is then
used in both the independent clause and the subordinate clause.
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Episode 043 Grammar

Declension of adjectives in the dative case
Adjectives modify a living creature, an object, an action or a condition. They often provide more information about a noun or a
pronoun.
When adjectives directly precede the noun they modify, then they follow a pattern of declension. That means that their endings change.
The adjective is usually placed between the article and the noun.
There are three patterns of declension for adjectives depending on whether they are accompanied by a definite article, indefinite article
or no article.
Declension of adjectives with a definite article in the dative
This chart shows you how an adjective changes its form when it follows a definite article.
Example:
Professor Zweistein ist der groe Mann neben dem gelben Sportwagen!
Dative
Masculine
dem gelben Sportwagen
Feminine
der gelben Tr
Neuter
dem gelben Auto
Plural
den gelben Sportwagen
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Declension of adjectives with an indefinite article in the dative

The declension following an indefinite article also applies to the possessive determiners (possessive adjectives) "mein", "dein", "ihr",
etc. and the negation article "kein". Since the indefinite article has no plural, the adjective endings are shown here using the example of
"kein".
Example:
Er trgt einen Anzug mit einem weien Hemd.
Dative
Masculine
einem schwarzen Anzug
Feminine
einer grnen Krawatte
Neuter
einem weien Hemd
Plural
keinen weien Hemden
Declension of adjectives in the dative when there is no article

This pattern is common for the plural, but rare in the singular. You need it, for instance, after the ordinal numbers "two" and up.
The adjective changes to reflect the endings of definite articles.
Example:
Er trgt ein Hemd mit schwarzen Streifen.
Dative
Masculine
dem Anzug
schwarzem Anzug
Feminine
der Krawatte
schwarzer Krawatte
Neuter
dem Hemd
schwarzem Hemd
Plural
den Streifen
schwarzen Streifen
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Episode 044 Grammar

Verbs with prefixes
Prefixes can be added to German verbs to give them completely new meanings.
Examples:
suchen: Ich suche meine Freundin Julia. (= I'm looking for my friend Julia.)
aussuchen: Ich suche mir ein Trikot aus. (= I choose one of several uniforms.)
versuchen: Versuchen Sie es an der Information. (= Try asking at the information desk.)
With some verbs, the conjugated form of the verb can be separated from the verb prefix. These are called separable verbs. The prefix is
placed at the end of the sentence and the second part of the verb is conjugated as usual.
Examples:
einsteigen: Harry steigt in die U-Bahn ein. (= Harry gets into the tram.)
umsteigen: Er steigt an der nchsten Haltestelle um. (= Harry switches trams at the next stop.)
aussteigen: Harry steigt am Bahnhof aus. (= Harry gets out at the train station.)
Some verbs have prefixes that cannot stand by themselves. These are called inseparable verbs because the verb and its prefix jointly
form an inseparable unit.
Examples:
versuchen: Versuchen Sie es an der Information.
besuchen: Harry besucht Tom in Berlin.
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Episode 045 Grammar

1.
Relative clauses
Subordinate clauses are dependent upon main clauses or other dependent clauses. They cannot stand on their own.
Often they begin with words (subordinating conjunctions, relative pronouns or question words) that connect them to the independent
clause.
Relative clauses are subordinate clauses that modify a noun or pronoun in the independent clause. Hence they refer back to a word in
the main clause. Usually the relative clause comes directly after the word it modifies and is separated by a comma. If the independent
clause continues after the relative clause, then a comma comes after the relative clause as well.
Examples:
Der Mann hat ein blaues Auge. Fuballfans haben den Mann geschlagen.
Der Mann, den Fuballfans geschlagen haben, hat ein blaues Auge.
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2.
Relative pronouns in the nominative and accusative cases

Relative clauses begin with a relative pronoun: "der", "die" or "das" in the nominative and "den", "die", das" in the accusative. The
number and gender of the relative pronoun is determined by the word it refers to in the main clause. The case of the relative pronoun,
however, is determined by its role in the relative clause. It can be the subject or the object in the relative clause.
If the relative pronoun serves as the subject of the subordinate clause, then it is in the nominative case.
Examples:
Es gibt eine Seilbahn. Die Seilbahn fhrt bis zum Gipfel.
Es gibt eine Seilbahn, die bis zum Gipfel fhrt.
If the relative pronoun serves as an accusative object in the subordinate clause, then it is governed by the accusative case.
Examples:
Er ist ein Mann. Die Fuballfans haben den Mann geschlagen.
Er ist ein Mann, den Fuballfans geschlagen haben.
Declension of relative pronouns in the nominative and accusative cases
This chart shows the forms that relative pronouns take in the nominative and in the accusative:
Masculine
Feminine
Neuter
Plural
Nominative
der
die
das
die
Accusative
den
die
das
die
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Episode 046 Grammar

1.
The future tense

The future is a grammatical tense that can be used to talk about events that will occur in the future.
It is a compound tense that combines the helping verb "werden" and the infinitive. The word "werden" is conjugated in the present
tense. The infinitive doesn't change its form and goes to the end of the sentence.
Examples:
Das Experiment findet gerade statt. (present)
Das Experiment wird heute Abend stattfinden. (future)
Die Naturkatastrophen nehmen zu. (present)
Die Naturkatastrophen werden in Zukunft zunehmen. (future)
Conjugation of "werden"
"werden" is an irregular verb. Pay particular attention to the verb stem and the endings in the 2nd and 3rd person singular:
Singular
Plural
ich
du
er/sie/es
wir
ihr
sie
werden
werde
wirst
wird
werden
werdet
werden
die Umwelt schtzen.

die Umwelt schtzen.
die Umwelt schtzen.
die Umwelt schtzen.
die Umwelt schtzen.
die Umwelt schtzen.
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Using the future tense

The future tense is often used to express expectations, plans and intentions. It is also used to make predictions. For predictions, you'll
often hear it accompanied by adverbs like "wohl" (well), "wahrscheinlich" (probably) or "bestimmt" (surely).
Examples:
Wir werden das Experiment verhindern. (intention)
Dr. Zweistein wird wohl beim Experiment dabei sein. (supposition)
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2.
Using the present tense to describe the future

The present is a grammatical tense used mainly to talk about events taking place now, but in German it can also be used to talk about
the future. Usually this requires a reference to time to make that clear.
Examples:
Das Experiment findet heute Abend statt.
Ich fahre morgen nach Mnchen.
Was machst du nach der Arbeit?
Achtung, die Sendung fngt gleich an.
It's so common in German to use the present tense to talk about the future that you hardly ever need to use the future tense.
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Episode 047 Grammar

1.
Concessive clauses with "obwohl"

Subordinate clauses are dependent upon main clauses or other dependent clauses. They can't stand on their own. Frequently they
begin with certain words (subordinating conjunctions, relative pronouns or interrogative words) that connect them to the independent
clause.
"obwohl" is a conjunction that heads a concessive clause. "obwohl" (although) clauses express something contradictory or surprising in
contrast to the statement made by the main clause.
Example:
Ich trinke ein Bier, obwohl ich lieber Wein mag.
(= I prefer to drink wine, but I am drinking a beer, e.g. because this bar doesn't have any decent wine.)
Subordinate clauses with the "obwohl" conjunction are always separated from the independent clause by a comma and the conjugated
verb always comes at the end of the subordinate clause.
Examples:
Das Lieblingsbier der Deutschen ist das Pils, obwohl ich es berhaupt nicht mag.
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2.
Connecting main clauses with "deshalb" und "trotzdem"

German has some adverbs that can be used to connect two independent clauses. They are called conjunctive adverbs. They have similar
functions and meanings to conjunctions, but differ grammatically.
"deshalb" (therefore) is an adverb that indicates a reason for something like the conjunctions "denn" (for) and "weil" (because). So
"deshalb" answers the question "Warum?" (why?) and creates a causal relationship between the two clauses. But the word order is
different for all three:
"denn" is a coordinating conjunction that introduces a second, explanatory main clause. The word order of the second main clause
doesn't change.
"weil" is a subordinating conjunction that introduces a dependent clause with explanatory information about the clause to which it
refers. The conjugated verb moves to the end of the subordinate clause.
"deshalb" is an adverb that connects two main clauses. But in this case, the explanatory part comes first and "deshalb" precedes the
actual action, statement or fact of the sentence. Also, the conjugated verb comes directly after it in the second position.
Fact/action
Ich trinke ein Klsch, denn
Reason
ich bin ein Klner.
Ich trinke ein Klsch, weil
ich ein Klner bin.
Reason
Ich bin ein Klner,
Fact/action
trinke ich ein Klsch.
deshalb
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"trotzdem" (nonetheless) is an adverb that indicates a contradiction like the conjunction "obwohl". The sentence structure here is the
same as above.
Fact/action
Ich trinke ein Bier,
Contradiction
Ich mag lieber Wein,
obwohl
trotzdem
Contradiction
ich lieber Wein mag.
Fact/action
trinke ich ein Bier.
In compound sentences that contain conjunctive adverbs to connect clauses, the two main clauses can be separated by a comma or a
period. Even if they are separated by a period, the conjugated verb keeps its position after the adverb.
Examples:
Ich mag lieber Wein, trotzdem trinke ich ein Bier.
Ich mag lieber Wein. Trotzdem trinke ich ein Bier.
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Episode 048 Grammar

Expressing recommendations with "sollen"
Modal verbs usually modify another verb in the sentence - the main verb. They provide more information about the nature of the
subject's relation to the action expressed by the main verb.
"sollen" (should or ought to) denotes a challenge or strong recommendation for someone to do something or conveys someone else's
instructions.
Examples:
Sie sollen im Bett bleiben.
Sie sollen Ihre Medizin nehmen.
However, "sollen" can also be used to give advice by using it in the subjunctive II.
Examples:
Christian: Du solltest dich mehr bewegen, Harry.
(= Christian thinks it would be good for Harry to get in better shape. He advises Harry to get more exercise.)
Anna: In Berlin solltest du dir den Reichstag ansehen.
(= Anna gives Harry her recommendation to go see the Reichstag when he's in Berlin.)
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Here are the most important subjunctive II forms of "sollen":

du:
ihr:
Sie:
Du solltest deine Kondition verbessern.

Ihr solltet in die Sauna gehen.
Sie sollten mehr Sport treiben.
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Episode 049 Grammar

The simple past tense of modal verbs
The past (also known as preterite) is a grammatical tense to make statements about the past. In German it isn't often used in speech.
It's more common in written language, such as in newspaper articles and books.
Modal verbs are an exception. They're frequently used in the simple past tense. Just like in the present tense, the modal verbs often
indicate something about the relationship of the subject to the action expressed by a second verb in the sentence - the main verb.
Examples:
Wir wollten nach Mnchen fahren.
Ich musste auf die Toilette gehen.
Ich konnte nicht ohne Helen abfahren.
How to form it
Forming the simple past is the same for all the modal verbs:
Sollen
ich
du
er/sie/es
wir
ihr
sie
Sie
Verb stem
soll
soll
soll
soll
soll
soll
soll
+ -te
+ -te
+ -te
+ -te
+ -te
+ -te
+ -te
+ -te
+ conjugated ending
-st
-n
-t
-n
-n
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Note that "knnen", "mssen" and "drfen" lose their umlauts.

ich
du
er/sie/es
wir
ihr
sie
knnen
konnte
konntest
konnte
konnten
konntet
konnten
mssen
musste
musstest
musste
mussten
musstet
mussten
sollen
sollte
solltest
sollte
sollten
solltet
sollten
drfen
durfte
durftest
durfte
durften
durftet
durften
wollen
wollte
wolltest
wollte
wollten
wolltet
wollten
Word order in sentences

Just like in the present tense, modal verbs in the past tense are conjugated and placed in a sentence according to the regular rules for
conjugated verbs. For simple declarative sentences and "W" questions, that means they come second. The main verb - in the infinitive
form - is placed at the end.
Wir
Helen
Modal verb
wollten
ein Klsch
wollte
auf mich
Main verb
trinken.
warten.
No wishes in the past

Strictly speaking, "mchten" (would like) isn't a verb in itself. It's actually a form of "mgen". Nonetheless, it is often used in the same
way as a modal verb and has a different meaning than "mgen". There is no past tense of "mchten". Usually the past tense of "wollen"
is used instead.
Present: Ich mchte ein Bier trinken gehen.
Past: Ich wollte ein Bier trinken gehen.
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Episode 050 Grammar

Attributive genitives
There are four grammatical cases in German: nominative, accusative, dative and genitive. The genitive case shows possession.
A noun can be modified by another noun in the genitive to indicate ownership or to express that something belongs to something or
someone else. In German this is referred to as an attributive genitive.
Proper nouns can be used as attributive genitives. They precede the noun they modify.
Das ist
Attributive genitive
(proper noun)
Annas
Noun
Pistole.
In other cases, the modified noun precedes the attributive genitive together with its article.
Noun
Das ist
die Waffe
Attribute genitive
(noun)
des Mrders.
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How to form it
When an attributive genitive is a proper noun that precedes the noun it modifies, then it is given the ending -s.
Example:
Das ist Julias Fahrrad.
The forms for all other attributive genitives depend on the gender and number of the modifying element:
1. Masculine and neuter nouns
Most masculine and neuter nouns take the ending-(e)s.
Nominative
der Wein
das Heim
der Psychiater
Genitive
des Weins
des Heims
des Psychiaters
Nouns that end with an "s" sound (s, ss, , tz, z or x), are given the ending "es".
Nominative
der Deutschkurs
der Arbeitsplatz
Genitive
des Deutschkurses
des Arbeitsplatzes
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2. Feminine nouns
Feminine nouns have no ending in the genitive.
Nominative
die Pistole
die Waffe
die Mrderin
Genitive
der Pistole
der Waffe
der Mrderin
3. Plural nouns
The endings for all plural nouns in genitive are the same as for plural nouns in the nominative.
Nominative Singular
der Wein
die Waffe
das Kind
Nominative Plural
die Weine
die Waffen
die Kinder
Genitive Plural
der Weine
der Waffen
der Kinder
The following chart shows you how the nouns and their articles change in the genitive according to gender and number:
Masculine
Feminine
Neuter
Plural
Definite
article
der Name des Weins
der Name der Mrderin der
Name des Opfers
die Namen der Kinder
Indefinite
article
der Name eines Weins
der Name einer Mrderin
der Name eines Opfers (-)
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Exceptions
For proper nouns that end with the letter s, there is no additional "es" ending. Instead, an apostrophe is added!
Example:
Das Auto gehrt Thomas. - Das ist Thomas' Auto.
Words that end with "nis" are given a double s!
Example:
das Missverstndnis des Missverstndnisses
Some masculine nouns take the ending "en" in the genetive.
Example:
der Mensch - der Menschen.
Dative instead of genitive
In spoken German, the preposition "von" + dative is often used instead of the genitive, especially with names.
Das ist Toms Zimmer.
or: Das ist das Zimmer von Tom.
Das Aroma des Weins ist einmalig.
or: Das Aroma von dem Wein ist einmalig.
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Episode 051 Grammar

Regular and irregular verbs in the simple past tense
The simple past tense, or preterite, is a verb tense that describes the past. In German it is more frequently used in the written form
than in spoken language. For example, you'll see it used often in newspaper articles and novels.
Examples:
Professor Zweistein lebte und studierte in Heidelberg.
Das Studium beendete er mit den besten Noten.
Schon als Kind las Zweistein alle Bcher ber schwarze Lcher.
Er schrieb seine Doktorarbeit ber das Experiment.
Regular verbs in the simple past tense
For regular verbs, the simple past is formed by adding "te" and the personal ending to the end of the verb stem. When the verb stem
ends with d or t, then "ete" is added.
Verb stem + -(e)te + personal ending
ich
du
er/sie/es
wir
ihr
sie
leben
leb-te
leb-te-st
leb-te
leb-te-n
leb-te-t
leb-te-n
beenden
beend-ete
beend-ete-st
beend-ete
beend-ete-n
beend-ete-t
beend-ete-n
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Irregular verbs in the simple past tense

For irregular verbs, the stem form changes in the simple past tense. Usually there is just a vowel change, but sometimes one or more
consonants can change too. They are conjugated according to the personal forms but don't take the (e)te ending.
You've already learned the simple past forms of "sein" and "haben".
ich
du
er/sie/es
wir
ihr
sie
schreiben
schrieb
schrieb-st
schrieb
schrieb-en
schrieb-t
schrieb-en
lesen
las
las-est
las
las-en
las-t
las-en
Some German verbs are mixed and have elements of both irregular and regular verbs. Like irregular verbs, their verb stem changes but they also follow the conjugation pattern of regular verbs with the (e)te endings.
ich
du
er/sie/es
wir
ihr
sie
wissen
wuss-te
wuss-te-st
wuss-te
wuss-te-n
wuss-te-t
wuss-te-n
bringen
brach-te
brach-te-st
brach-te
brach-te-n
brach-te-t
brach-te-n
Note that in the simple past tense, the 1st and 3rd person singular do not take a personal ending.
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Episode 052 Grammar

1.
Time prepositions that relate to duration

Prepositions that describe relations of time are called temporal prepositions. You're already familiar with some of them:
"im Sommer" (in the summer), "am Montag" (on Monday), "um 14 Uhr" (at 2 o'clock).
The following temporal prepositions describe a duration of time. In other words, they indicate a longer interval. Each of them
expresses something different about the beginning and end of that period of time.
seit
describes a period of time that

began in the past and continues up to
now.
Nick schreibt seit 11 Jahren Artikel ber Physik.

(= Nick began writing articles about physics 11 years ago. He still does so today.)
von bis
specifies the beginning and end of a

period of time. That period of time
can be in the past or in the future.
It can start now or in the future.
Von 2005 bis 2008 forschte er an der Universitt Mnchen.

(= Nick began conducting research at the University of Munich in 2005 and
stopped in 2008.)
ab
describes the beginning of a

period of time starting now or in the
future. The end is indefinite.
Ab dem kommenden Semester ist Nick Physikprofessor an der Universitt

Hamburg.
(= Nick will begin his job as a physics professor next semester. There is no
indication of when he will stop.)
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bis
indicates the end of a period of time

but says nothing about its beginning.
Wir brauchen den Artikel ber die Zeitschleife bis Freitag.

(= It doesn't matter when Nick begins writing his article, but he needs to hand it
in by Friday at the latest.)
More:
To ask about a duration of time, you simply place the question word "Wann?" in front of the corresponding preposition.
Examples:
Question: Seit wann schreibt Nick Artikel ber Physik?
Answer: Nick schreibt seit 11 Jahren Artikel ber Physik.
Question: Von wann bis wann forschte Nick an der Universitt Mnchen?
Answer: Von 2005 bis 2008 forschte er an der Universitt Mnchen.
Question: Ab wann ist Nick Physikprofessor an der Universitt Hamburg?
Answer: Ab dem kommenden Semester ist Nick Physikprofessor an der Universitt Hamburg.
Question: Bis wann brauchen Sie den Artikel ber die Zeitschleife?
Answer: Wir brauchen den Artikel ber die Zeitschleife bis Freitag.
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2.
Dialog particles "ja", "nein" and "doch"

Dialog particles serve as replies during a conversation. They can stand as an answer all on their own or be followed by a comma and
explanation.
Example:
Ist Julia hier? Nein. Or: Nein, sie ist nicht hier.
The dialog particles "ja", "nein" and "doch" can be used in a conversation to answer yes-no questions or to signify agreement or
disagreement with a statement. "doch" is used to contradict a negative statement.
Agreement
Contradiction
Positive yes-no question

Ist Julia im Zug?
Ja, sie ist im Zug.
Nein, sie ist nicht im Zug.
Positive declarative statement

Ich muss Deutsch sprechen.
Ja, du musst Deutsch sprechen.
Nein, du musst kein Deutsch sprechen.
Agreement
Contradiction
Negative yes-no question

Ist Julia nicht im Zug?
Nein, sie ist nicht im Zug.
Doch, sie ist im nchsten Abteil!
Negative declarative statement

Ich muss kein Deutsch sprechen.
Nein, du musst kein Deutsch sprechen.
Doch, du musst mit Julia Deutsch sprechen!
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More:
Here are some more examples of dialog particles used in conversation.
Kann ich meine Zeitung wiederhaben? Bitte, hier ist sie.
Ich habe Ihre Artikel gelesen, sie sind toll. Oh? Danke!
Erzhlen Sie mir etwas ber die Zeitschleife. Gerne.
In der Zeitschleife ist also jeder Tag gleich? Genau, mein Tag ist immer gleich.
Ich mchte mit Ihnen zum Experiment fahren. Okay, Sie haben mich neugierig gemacht.
Ich komme mit nach Mnchen. Super!
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Episode 053 Grammar

1.
The prepositions "bis" and "durch" to describe direction

To describe how to get somewhere, you need to use location prepositions, in other words, prepositions that indicate spatial relations,
such as the location of a place or the direction. These prepositions answer the questions "Wo?" (where?), "Woher?" (from where?) or
"Wohin?" (to where?).
Examples:
Fahren Sie die Strae geradeaus bis zur Tankstelle.
Biegen Sie links ab, und fahren Sie dann durch den Tunnel.
"bis" is a preposition that indicates the end of a movement. When used as a location preposition, "bis" is special because it can only
stand on its own in conjunction with locations that don't require an article, for example the name of a place.
Examples:
Wir fahren nicht bis Hamburg, wir steigen in Hannover aus.
oder: Wir fahren nicht bis nach Hamburg.
When "bis" precedes other nouns, it needs another preposition. The second preposition governs the case.
Examples:
Fahren Sie bis zur Tankstelle. (Drive to the gas station. / Dative)
Mit dir fahre ich bis ans Ende der Welt. (With you Id travel tot he end of the world. / Accusative)
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"durch" is a preposition that describes a movement that involves crossing or passing through something. It always requires the
accusative case.
Examples:
Fahren Sie durch den Tunnel. (Drive through the tunnel.)
Durch diese Tr kommen Sie ins Aufnahmestudio. (Go through that door to get to the recording studio.)
Harry geht durch den Park ans Rheinufer. (Harry walked through the park to the shore of the Rhine.)
More:
Contractions of prepositions and articles
Some prepositions can be merged with the definite articles they precede to form a contraction.
zu + der (Dative)
an + das (Accusative)
Contradiction
zur
ans
Example
Fahren Sie bis zur (zu der) Tankstelle.
Mit dir fahre ich bis ans (an das) Ende der Welt.
Here is a chart of possible contradictions:

Dative
Masculine + Neuter
an dem am
in dem im
bei dem beim
Feminine
Accusative
Neuter
an das ans
in das ins
auf das aufs
(gesprochene Sprache)
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von dem vom

zu dem zum
hinter dem hinterm
(informal speech)
ber dem berm
(informal speech)
unter dem unterm
(informal speech)
vor dem vorm
(informal speech)
zu der zur
durch das durchs

(informal speech)
fr das frs
(informal speech)
hinter das hinters
(informal speech)
ber das bers
(informal speech)
unter das unters
(informal speech)
vor das vors
(informal speech)
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2.
Summary of location prepositions

These charts provide an overview of the location prepositions that you've learned so far and the cases they govern. Many location
prepositions are two-way prepositions that require either the dative or the accusative depending on whether they indicate a place
("Wo?") or a direction ("Wohin?).
Dative prepositions
nach Ich fliege nach Brasilien.
Ich fahre nach Berlin.
Gehen Sie nach rechts.
zu
Ich will zum Max-Planck-Institut.
bei
Niederangelbach liegt bei Freiburg.
von
Ich komme von der Arbeit.
aus
Ich komme aus Traponia.
Wann kommt er aus dem Krankenhaus?
Accusative prepositions
durch Fahren Sie durch den Tunnel.
bis
um
Fahren Sie bis Stuttgart.

Das ist hier gleich um die Ecke.
Wohin?
Wohin?
Wo?
Woher?
Woher?
Wo
entlang?
Wohin?
Wo?
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Two-way prepositions
Akkusativ auf die Frage "Wohin?"
in
Ich gehe ins Kino.
an
Ich gehe an die Tr.
auf
Ich stelle die Teller auf den Tisch.
Es gibt Flge auf die Kanarischen Inseln.
ber
Harry hngt die Landkarte ber den Schreibtisch.
hinter
vor
unter
neben
Die Sekretrin setzt sich hinter den Schreibtisch.

Ich stelle mich vor den Schreibtisch.
Ich lege die Brtchen unter den Schreibtisch.
Dativ auf die Frage "Wo?"

Ich bin im Kino.
Bitte Vorsicht an der Bahnsteigkante!
Auf dem Schreibtisch steht mein Notebook.
ber dem Schreibtisch hngt eine Landkarte.
Hinter dem Schreibtisch steht ein Pinguin.
Vor dem Schreibtisch sitzt meine Sekretrin.
Unter dem Schreibtisch liegen drei Brtchen.
Neben mir steht Frau Meister.
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Episode 054 Grammar

1.
Verbs with fixed prepositions: question words with "wo(r)"

Prepositions connect words and groups of words together. They express the relation between living beings, things or contexts. Verbs
with fixed prepositions, however, connect the verb with an object. So in this case, the prepositions don't provide a context for time or
location, but instead, are used idiomatically with the verb. Sometimes they can even change the meaning of the verb.
Ich
Verb
freue mich
Ich
freue mich
Prepositional object
ber das Geschenk.
(= I received the present and Im glad about it.)
auf das Geschenk.
(= I have not received the present yet but I am looking forward to it.)
Question words with "wo(r)" + preposition

To inquire about the prepositional object, you say:
"wo" + preposition
Ich trume von einer eigenen Familie.
Wovon trumst du?
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If the preposition begins with a vowel:

"wo + r" + preposition
Erinnerst du dich an unseren ersten Kuss?
Woran soll ich mich erinnern?
Ich muss ber etwas sprechen.
Worber mchtest du sprechen?
More:
When asking about living beings, you use the preposition + "wen" or "wem". The preposition determines the case of the question word.
Examples:
Ich trume von Julia Von wem trumst du?
Erinnerst du dich an Nick? An wen soll ich mich erinnern?
Ich muss ber den Pinguin sprechen. ber wen mchtest du sprechen?
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2.
Verbs with fixed prepositions: prepositional adverbs with "da(r)"

Prepositions connect words and groups of words together. They express the relation between living beings, things or contexts. Verbs
with fixed prepositions, however, connect the verb with an object. So in this case, the prepositions don't provide a context for time or
location but instead are used idiomatically with the verb. Sometimes they can even change the meaning of the verb.
Adverbs with "da(r)" + preposition
The object connected to a verb by a fixed preposition can be replaced by certain adverbs known as prepositional adverbs.
"da" + preposition or "dar" + preposition (when the preposition begins with a vowel) can be used when:
... the object or context was just mentioned and is therefore known.
Example:
Ich trume von einer eigenen Familie, Kinder, Haus, Hund!
Davon trume ich, Harry!
(= Julia has already told Harry about her dreams. That's why she can sum it all up in her second sentence.)
... when the object or context is explained immediately afterward.
Example:
Ich denke ber etwas nach. Worber denkst du nach?
Ich denke darber nach, dass ich mit Julia sprechen muss.
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"da(r)" + preposition can only be used for things, facts or circumstances. For living beings you have to use personal pronouns.
Example:
Ich trume von Julia Ich trume von ihr.
Ich denke ber Julia nach. Ich denke ber sie nach.
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Episode 055 Grammar

Adverbs to describe chronological order
Adverbs provide more information about when, where or how something happens. They refer to another word in the sentence (such as
the verb) or to the sentence as a whole. Temporal adverbs give more information about when something happens. They indicate a
point in time, a length of time, or frequency.
You've already learned temporal adverbs that express the day on which something happened:
gestern
heute
morgen
bermorgen
yesterday
today
tomorrow
the day after tomorrow
The following temporal adverbs give more information about points of time in a sequence.
Beginning
zuerst
Middle (after an action)

dann
danach
anschlieend
End
schlielich
zuletzt
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Examples:
Zuerst bin ich aufgewacht, und du warst nicht da.
Dann habe ich deine SMS gelesen. Danach habe ich auf dich gewartet.
Und dann bin ich ins Bett gegangen.
The adverbs are usually placed at the beginning of a sentence to give them extra emphasis.
Ich habe dann deine SMS gelesen.
Dann habe ich deine SMS gelesen.
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Episode 056 Grammar

1.
The subjunctive II forms of "haben" and "sein"

The subjunctive II is used to express wishful thinking or situations that are contrary to reality. It can also be used to make requests and
suggestions sound especially polite.
The verbs "haben" and "sein" have their own form in the subjunctive II.
ich
du
er/sie/es
wir
ihr
sie
sein
wre
wrst
wre
wren
wrt
wren
haben
htte
httest
htte
htten
httet
htten
Examples:
Htten Sie Zeit fr mich?
Was wre dir lieber: Tee oder Kaffee?
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2.
Forming the subjunctive II using "wrde" + the infinitive

Usually there is no way to differentiate between the past indicative and the subjunctive II forms of regular verbs. So frequently,
"wrde" + the infinitive is simply used instead.
Infinitive
sich lohnen
kaufen
Past indicative
es lohnte sich
sie kauften
Subjunctive II
es lohnte sich
sie kauften
wrde + infinitive
es wrde sich lohnen
sie wrden kaufen
Examples:
Der Lotto-Jackpot wrde sich lohnen.
Was wrden Sie mit 10 Millionen Euro machen?
Ich wrde einen Sportwagen kaufen.
The forms of "wrde" are the same as the subjunctive II forms of "werden":
ich
du
er/sie/es
wir
ihr
sie
wrde
wrdest
wrde
wrden
wrdet
wrden
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3.
Hypothetical condition clauses with "wenn"

A subordinate clause introduced by the word "wenn" usually describes a condition for an action or the consequence described by the
independent clause. Such sentences are known as conditional sentences. Clauses that begin with "wenn" answer the question "Unter
welcher Bedingung?" (under what condition?). You've already learned about factual conditional clauses with "wenn", which are used
when the condition and resulting action are predictable. In those cases the present tense is used in both the independent clause and the
subordinate clause. Sometimes the future tense is used in the independent clause.
Example:
Wenn du die Karte nicht abstempelst, dann ist sie nicht gltig.
(= Unter welcher Bedingung ist die Karte nicht gltig? - Wenn du sie nicht abstempelst.)
A hypothetical condition clause describes a condition that may or may not be possible but is not factual. It exists only in the mind of
the speaker. It can refer to something in the past, present or future. These clauses are formed by using the subjunctive II or its
alternative, "wrde" + the infinitive.
In a counterfactual conditional complex sentence, the subjunctive II is usually used in both the main and subordinate clauses. The
subordinate clause contains the condition and is introduced by the word "wenn". A comma separates it from the independent clause.
Examples:
Ich wre glcklich, wenn du Deutsch lernen wrdest!
Was wrden Sie machen, wenn Sie das Geld htten?
Wenn ich die 10 Millionen htte, wrde ich Bcher schreiben.
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Episode 057 Grammar

Intensifiers
Adjectives provide more information about something or someone, an occurrence or a condition. They can modify nouns and personal
pronouns.
To enhance or emphasize a certain quality, adjectives can be intensified. To do that, an intensifier is placed before the adjective.
Intensifiers are not inflected.
Quality
Ja, das ist ein gutes Orchester!
Tolle Musik!
Herr Walkott, Sie sind naiv.
Die Dreigroschenoper ist gesellschaftskritisch.
Quality + intensifier
Ja, das ist ein sehr gutes Orchester!
Echt tolle Musik! (umgangssprachlich)
Herr Walkott, Sie sind so naiv.
Die Dreigroschenoper ist sehr gesellschaftskritisch.
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Episode 058 Grammar

Reflexive verbs in the accusative and dative cases (review)
You're already familiar with reflexive verbs.
Example:
Ich wasche mich.
Truly reflexive verbs cannot be used without their reflexive pronouns. Nor can the reflexive pronoun be replaced by another pronoun
or noun.
Examples:
Entspannen Sie sich!
Ich mchte mich entspannen.
For "false" reflexive verbs, the reflexive pronoun is an object. The pronoun can be replaced by another component. The verb "waschen"
(to wash), for example, requires an accusative object. But if you are washing yourself and not something or someone else, you use the
reflexive pronoun.
with a noun or a personal pronoun
Ich wasche den Pullover.
Ich wasche ihn.
with a reflexive pronoun

Ich wasche mich.
Er wscht sich.
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Reflexive verbs with two objects

For "false" reflexive verbs that also have an accusative object, the reflexive pronoun must be in the dative.
Reflexive verbs with one object:
Accusative object
Ich wasche mich.
Ich ziehe
mich
an.
Reflexive verbs with two objects:

Dative object
Ich wasche mir
Ich ziehe
mir
Accusative object
das Gesicht.
eine Badehose
an.
Declension
The reflexive pronouns take the same forms as personal pronouns. The only exception is in the 3rd person singular and plural, which
has its own form: "sich".
Ich wasche
Du wschst
Er/Sie/Es wscht
Wir waschen
Ihr wascht
Sie waschen
Accusative
mich.
dich.
sich.
uns.
euch.
sich.
Ich wasche
Du wschst
Er/Sie/Es wscht
Wir waschen
Ihr wascht
Sie waschen
Dative
mir
dir
sich
uns
euch
sich
die Hnde.
die Hnde.
die Hnde.
die Hnde.
die Hnde.
die Hnde.
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Mehr:
The reflexive pronouns of some reflexive verbs - both properly and non-exclusively reflexive ones - must always be in the dative. For
these verbs, the reflexive pronoun can never be in the accusative.
Examples:
Ich merke mir das Passwort.
Ich mache mir Sorgen.
Ich wnsche mir
Ich kann mir denken/vorstellen, dass
Ich gebe mir Mhe.
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Episode 059 Grammar

Relative clauses with prepositions
Relative clauses are subordinate clauses that provide more information about a noun or a pronoun in the main clause. In other words,
they refer to a word in the main clause - the antecedent.
Relative clauses are introduced by relative pronouns. The pronoun's number and gender are determined by the word it links back to in
the main clause. If a preposition must be used to connect the antecedent and verb in the subordinate clause, then the preposition must
precede the relative pronoun in the relative clause. The preposition determines the case of the relative pronoun.
Relative clauses that feature the preposition "mit" require the dative.
Examples:
Das ist eine Maschine. Der Bauer melkt die Khe mit der Maschine.
Das ist eine Maschine, mit der der Bauer die Khe melkt.
Das ist ein Pferd. Der Bauer redet gern mit dem Pferd.
Das ist ein Pferd, mit dem der Bauer gern redet.
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Relative clauses can be constructed with other dative prepositions as well.
Example:
Ist das der Mann? Sie haben von dem Mann gesprochen.
Ist das der Mann, von dem Sie gesprochen haben?
They can also feature accusative prepositions.
Examples:
In dem Stall stehen viele Khe. Harry und der Bauer gehen in den Stall.
In dem Stall, in den Harry und der Bauer gehen, stehen viele Khe.
Julia ist Harrys Freundin. Er kann ohne sie nicht leben.
Julia ist Harrys Freundin, ohne die er nicht leben kann.
Die Zeitschleife ist ein Thema. Harry mchte gerne ber das Thema sprechen.
Die Zeitschleife ist ein Thema, ber das Harry gerne sprechen mchte.
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Episode 060 Grammar

The passive voice in the present tense to describe an action
The passive voice is a verb form that is used to describe actions or conditions. It changes the perspective of an action or event. While
the active sentence emphasizes the subject carrying out an action, a passive construction places emphasis on the action carried out.
The agent in a passive sentence is less important, perhaps not even named. The action itself is in the foreground. The subject of a
passive sentence is usually the person or thing to which the process is done or happens.
Example:
Harry wird operiert.
(= In this sentence, what is happening to Harry - an operation - is of essence. It is not important who is actually carrying out the
operation.)
Forming the passive voice
To form the passive, German uses the helping verb "werden" and a past participle. The helping verb is conjugated in the present tense.
The past participle remains unchanged. In a simple declarative sentence, the helping verb is in the second position and the past
participle goes to the end of the sentence.
Examples:
Sie werden gleich operiert.
Hilfe! Ich werde gettet!
Dr. Anderson wird ins Krankenzimmer gerufen.
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To change an active sentence into a passive one, the object moves to the beginning of the sentence or follows the finite verb.
Active
Dr. Anderson operiert Harry.
Ich werde Sie gleich operieren.
Passive
Sie werden gleich operiert.

Gleich werden Sie operiert.
Including the agent in a passive sentence

If you want to include the actor, cause or agent in a passive construction, that can be done in conjunction with certain prepositions.
"von" + an actor (dative):
Harry wird von Dr. Anderson operiert.
Harrys Haare werden von der Krankenschwester geschnitten.
"durch" + a cause (accusative):
Harry wird durch die Operation gettet.
"mit" + an agent (dative):
Harry wird mit einer Spritze beruhigt.
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Most accusative verbs can be used in the passive voice. The accusative noun or pronoun in an active sentence becomes a nominative
noun in the passive sentence and determines the number and person of the verb. In a passive sentence it is the subject.
Nominative
Der Arzt
operiert
Accusative
den Mann.
Der Mann wird (von dem Arzt) operiert.

Nominative
By contrast, the objects of dative verbs keep their dative form in a passive sentence. The word order is the same as for accusative verbs.
Passive sentence constructions like these have no subject.
Nominative
Der Mann glaubt
Dem Arzt
Dative
Dative
dem Arzt
nicht.
wird (von dem Mann) nicht geglaubt.
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Episode 061 Grammar

The dative as a form to ascribe opinion
Most German sentences contain at least a conjugated verb and a component in the nominative - a subject. But many verbs also require
another component - an object - in the accusative, dative or genitive. Accusative objects are the most common, but there are also verbs
that require the dative.
You've already learned about dative objects that indicate the target or recipient of an action.
Examples:
Wir mchten Ihnen gratulieren.
Ich wnsche dir einen schnen Tag.
To ascribe opinion in a sentence, the dative can be used to indicate whose opinion it is.
Example:
Das ist zu romantisch. Wem ist das zu romantisch? (= Who thinks that it is too romantic?)
Das ist mir zu romantisch.
When the dative case is used in this way, the adjective is typically accompanied by the word "zu".
Example:
Das war mir pltzlich alles zu viel.
Das ist mir nicht zu schnell.
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More:
You'll also come across this way of using the dative case along with the word "genug". Such constructions are often colloquial and used
in spoken language.
Die Hochzeit ist nicht romantisch genug. Wem? Harry
Die Hochzeit ist ihm nicht romantisch genug. (= The wedding isnt romantic enough for him.)
Die Hochzeit ist romantisch genug. Wem? Julia
Die Hochzeit ist ihr romantisch genug. (= The wedding is sufficiently romantic for her.)
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Episode 062 Grammar

1.
Time clauses with "als" and "wenn"

Subordinate clauses are dependent upon main clauses or another dependent clause. They cannot stand on their own. Often they begin
with certain words (subordinating conjunctions, relative pronouns or question words) that connect them to the main or independent
clause.
"als" and "wenn" are conjunctions that introduce temporal subordinate clauses. They serve to give a time context to the message
conveyed in the clause to which they refer. Temporal clauses answer the question "Wann?" (when?). "als" and "wenn" indicate that the
actions described in both clauses happen at the same time, but there is a difference between the two conjunctions.
Use "als" to describe one-time events or actions in the past.
Example:
Was ist passiert? Wann?
Was ist passiert, als du im Wald warst?
(= What happened at that particular point in time?)
Use "wenn" for events in the past and future (sometimes for events in the present, too). In the past tense, "wenn" subordinate clauses
refer to recurring events or processes. In the future tense they can refer to one-off or recurring events.
Example (past):
Anna hat gearbeitet. Wann?
Anna hat gearbeitet, wenn sie Geburtstag hatte.
(= Anna didn't work on her birthday just once; she regularly works when it's her birthday.)
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Example (future):
Bringst du mir einen Kaffee mit? Wann?
Bringst du mir einen Kaffee mit, wenn du in die Kantine gehst?
(= I'd like a coffee. Not right this minute, but at some point in the future when you go to the cafeteria.)
Immer wenn
Often the adverb "immer" is added to temporal clauses with "wenn" that refer to recurring events and actions. If the subordinate clause
precedes the independent clause, then "immer" directly precedes "wenn". But if the independent clause comes first, then the "immer"
has to be incorporated into the independent clause.
Examples:
Anna hat immer gearbeitet, wenn sie Geburtstag hatte.
Immer wenn sie Geburtstag hatte, hat Anna gearbeitet.
Auch: Wenn sie Geburtstag hatte, hat Anna immer gearbeitet.
Subordinate clauses with "als" and "wenn" are always separated from the independent clause by a comma.
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2.
Placing a subordinate clause before a main clause in a sentence

A subordinate clause that begins with a subordinating conjunction can usually be placed either before or after the main clause it
modifies. That doesn't affect the word order of the subordinate clause. But if the subordinate clause comes first, then the verb in the
main clause moves to the beginning of that clause, right after the comma. Another way of looking at it is that the subordinate clause is
in the first position of the compound sentence. So the verb can still be considered to be in the second position.
Main clause
Alle waren gut gelaunt,
Subordinate clause
wenn Helmut ins Bro kam.
Wenn Helmut ins Bro kam,

Subordinate clause
waren alle gut gelaunt.

Main clause
Examples:
Obwohl sie Geburtstag hatte, hat Anna gearbeitet.
Warum sie so viel gearbeitet hat, wei Anna nicht.
Damit sie ihre Ruhe hat, hat Anna nichts von ihrem Geburtstag erzhlt.
Weil Anna keinen Kuchen mitgebracht hat, haben die Kollegen sie gergert.
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Episode 063 Grammar

Expressing numerals
You've already learned about ordinal numbers that can be used to indicate the rank of an element in a sequence. They precede the
noun they modify and are inflected like adjectives.
Examples:
Sind Sie zum ersten Mal in unserer schnen Stadt?
Fahren Sie nach dem Tunnel die zweite Strae rechts.
To express an enumeration, "ens" is added to the end of the ordinal numbers. These words are adverbs and don't change. You'll often
see them at or near the beginning of the sentence.
Examples:
Also, erstens: Hier darf man kein Picknick machen!
Zweitens: Hier darf man nicht mit dem Auto fahren!
Drittens darf man im Wald nicht laut sprechen, es strt die Tiere!
These counting words can also be integrated into a sentence.
Example:
Das Auto ist erstens alt und zweitens laut, und drittens stinkt es.
To express them in numerals, they are written just like the ordinal numbers. The numbers are followed by a period.
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Examples:
1. Hier darf man kein Picknick machen!
2. Hier darf man nicht mit dem Auto fahren!
3. Man darf im Wald nicht laut sprechen, es strt die Tiere!
The following chart provides an overview of how to write the ordinal numbers and the most common numbers used in an enumeration.
Grundzahl
eins
zwei
drei
vier
fnf
sechs
sieben
acht
neun
zehn
elf
zwlf
dreizehn
Ordinalzahl
der erste
der zweite
der dritte
der vierte
der fnfte
der sechste
der siebte
der achte
der neunte
der zehnte
der elfte
der zwlfte
der dreizehnte
Aufzhlungswort
erstens
zweitens
drittens
viertens
fnftens
sechstens
siebtens
achtens
neuntens
zehntens
elftens
zwlftens
dreizehntens
an so on.
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Episode 064 Grammar

Expressing suggestions and requests with "knnen" (subjunctive II)
Modal verbs usually accompany another verb in a sentence. They describe the subject in relation to the action expressed by the main
verb.
"knnen" (can, be able) describes an ability or option.
Examples:
You can also use "knnen" to make suggestions or polite requests by using the subjunctive II verb form.
Examples:
Anna: Wir knnten nach Leipzig fahren und Andersons Bro durchsuchen.
(= Not only does Anna consider it an option to go to Leipzig. In fact she thinks it's a good idea and suggests it to Harry.)
Student: Herr Professor, knnte ich Sie kurz sprechen?
(= The student would like to talk to the professor. He asks if that would be possible and requests a conversation. He could also say:
"Kann ich Sie kurz sprechen?" But in the subjunctive II form it sounds more polite.)
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The subjunctive II form of "knnen" is similar to the indicative past tense, in other words, by affixing (e)te + the personal endings. But
in past tense the umlaut is omitted from the verb stem and in the subjunctive II it stays.
ich
du
er/sie/es
wir
ihr
sie
Preterite
konnte
konntest
konnte
konnten
konntet
konnten
Subjunctive II
knnte
knntest
knnte
knnten
knntet
knnten
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Episode 065 Grammar

The passive voice with modal verbs
The agent in a passive sentence is less important, perhaps not even named. The action itself is in the foreground. The subject of a
passive sentence is usually the person or thing to which the process is done or happens.
Examples:
Active: Dr. Anderson operiert Harry.
Passive: Harry wird operiert.
Modal verbs can also be used to form passive constructions. They modify the meaning of the main verb just as they do in active
sentences. "mssen" is an example of a modal verb. In active and passive sentences it expresses a necessity.
Examples:
Active: Wir mssen den Rasen mhen.
Passive: Der Rasen muss gemht werden.
(= The passive sentence indicates that the lawn must be mown. There's no mention of who will do it because that doesn't matter or is
not known.)
Forming the passive voice with modal verbs
To form the passive, German uses the helping verb "werden" and a past participle. To include a modal verb, it is conjugated and placed
in the second position of an independent clause. The past participle goes to the end of the sentence, followed by the helping verb in its
infinitive form.
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Passive without a modal verb

Die Bume werden heute geschnitten.
Kaffee wird gekocht.
Passive with a modal verb

Die Bume mssen heute geschnitten werden.
Heute mssen die Bume geschnitten werden.
Kaffee muss gekocht werden.
As with all passive sentences, the accusative object from an active sentence becomes the subject and is placed at the beginning or
directly after the finite verb. The agent (person or thing carrying out the action) can be included by adding the preposition "von".
Active
Passive
Sie mssen den Vertrag unterschreiben.

Der Vertrag muss (von Ihnen) unterschrieben werden.
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Episode 066 Grammar

1.
Indefinite pronouns
Indefinite pronouns are pronouns used for unspecified people and things. You can use them when you don't know who or what is
undertaking the action - "man" (one), "jemand" (someone), "etwas" (something), "jede(r/s)" (each), "nichts" (nothing), "niemand" (noone) - or when you can't or don't want to say exactly how many are involved - "alle" (everyone), "alles" (everything), "einige" (some),
"viele" (many).
Examples:
Jemand muss den Maibaum aufstellen.
Es ist alles fertig fr die Feier!
Indefinite pronouns can refer to people, other living beings, or objects. Some can only be used for people. Others can only be used for
anything besides people.
Indefinite pronouns that refer to people
"niemand" (no-one) and "man" (one - which is comparable to the generic "you") are examples of indefinite pronouns that refer only to
people. They are used alone and take the place of a noun. They can only be used in the singular.
Examples:
Niemand isst Wrstchen und Kartoffelsalat.
Auf der Landstrae darf man Fahrrad fahren.
Indefinite pronouns that refer to things, but not people
"etwas" (something), "nichts" (nothing) and "alles" (everything) are examples of indefinite pronouns that refer to things and concepts,
but not people. They are also singular pronouns. "etwas" and "nichts" can only be used in the
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singular. The plural of "alles" is "alle" and can refer to people.

Examples:
Es ist nichts passiert.
Ich kann doch nicht alles alleine machen.
Indefinite pronouns that refer to people, other living beings, concepts or things
"jede/r/s" (everyone in the female, male and neuter forms respectively) and "alle" are examples of indefinite pronouns that can refer to
people, living beings or things. "jede/r/s" is a singular pronoun. "alle" is a plural pronoun.
Examples:
Das kann jeder sagen.
Alle feiern, auch der Prsident.
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2.
Indefinite articles
Many indefinite pronouns can also be used as indefinite articles. Like their counterparts, definite articles, they appear in connection
with a noun.
Examples:
Wir feiern jedes Fest.
Es gibt ein Fest fr alle Menschen aus Traponia am 8. August.
Declension pattern of indefinite pronouns/indefinite articles
"man", "nichts" and "etwas" are indefinite pronouns that do not change. The pronoun "man" can only be used in the nominative case.
For the accusative case, use "einen" and for the dative, use "einem". "jeder" and "alle" follow the same pattern of declension as for
definite articles.
Masculine
Feminine
Neuter
Plural
Nominative
jeder Mann
der Mann
Jede Frau
die Frau
jedes Kind
das Kind
alle Menschen
die Menschen
Accusative
jeden Mann
den Mann
jede Frau
die Waffe
jedes Kind
das Haar
alle Menschen
die Menschen
Dative
jedem Mann
dem Mann
jeder Frau
der Frau
jedem Kind
dem Kind
allen Menschen
den Menschen
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Genitive
jedes Mannes
des Mannes
jeder Frau
der Frau
jedes Kindes
des Kindes
aller Menschen
der Menschen
"jeder" and "alle" are also inflected when they are used as pronouns.
Examples:
Das kann jeder sagen.
Das kann jedem passieren.
The indefinite pronouns "niemand" and "jemand" are also inflected. But in colloquial speech, the accusative and dative endings are
often ignored. The genitive is very rare.
niemand
Nominative
Accusative
Dative
Genitive
niemand
niemand(en)
niemand(em)
niemandes
Niemand isst Wrstchen und Kartoffelsalat.

Harry hat niemand(en) gesehen.
Harry vertraut niemand(em).
Das ist niemandes Schuld.
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Episode 067 Grammar

Interrogative content clauses
Content clauses are subordinate clauses that may or may not begin with a conjunction. They serve as the object of the independent
clause, so in German they are also known as object clauses. Like all subordinate clauses, they are dependent upon the independent
clause or another dependent clause to which they refer and cannot stand on their own. You can easily recognize an object clause (and
also subject clauses, which are content clauses that serve as the subject of the main clause) by the fact that the superordinate clause
also cannot stand on its own; it requires the content (subordinate) clause to be complete.
Content clauses frequently begin with the conjunction "dass". They can also begin with question words, such as "wo", "wie", "was",
"wann", "womit" etc. These clauses are called interrogative content clauses. In German, they're also known as "W-Stze" (W object
clauses) because all the German question words begin with the letter "w".
Examples:
Wir wissen, wo wir Ostrowski finden.
Das Orakel hat ihm gesagt, was er tun muss. (Das Orakel hat es ihm gesagt.)
Sie sehen ja, wie wir hier wohnen. (Sie sehen es ja.)
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Episode 068 Grammar

Impersonal passive constructions
The agent in a passive sentence is less important, perhaps not even named. The action itself is in the foreground. To form the passive,
German uses the helping verb "werden" and a past participle. The helping verb is conjugated and the past participle remains
unchanged. In an simple declarative sentence, the helping verb is in the second position and the past participle goes to the end of the
sentence.
Example:
The personal passive voice
When a passive sentence includes the person or thing to which the action is being done it is called a personal passive statement. The
subject of a passive sentence is the accusative object in the corresponding active sentence.
Examples:
Active:
Passive:

Harry wird operiert. - Wer oder was wird operiert? - Harry.
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The impersonal passive voice

If no-one or no-one in particular is named as the subject in a passive sentence, then it is called an impersonal passive statement. Such
sentences frequently begin with the word "es" in place of a noun or personal pronoun. An impersonal passive statement can also begin
with a different part of the sentence, in which case the "es" is omitted. Impersonal passive constructions are one of the rare instances in
which a German sentence has no subject.
Examples:
Active: Man arbeitet nicht mehr unter Tage. (oder: Wir/Sie arbeiten nicht mehr unter Tage.)
Passive: Es wird nicht mehr unter Tage gearbeitet.
Unter Tage wird nicht mehr gearbeitet.
Active:
Passive:
Wir suchen ein Bergwerk, in dem noch jemand arbeitet.

Wir suchen ein Bergwerk, in dem noch gearbeitet wird.
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Episode 069 Grammar

Posing "W" questions as indirect questions
Indirect questions - also called interrogative content clauses - are subordinate clauses that serve as the object in a main clause. Usually
they are the object of a verb of telling, knowing or questioning. As a form of "W" questions, they begin with a question word.
Indirect questions can be turned into direct questions that also contain a question word. An indirect question using the subjunctive II
construction sounds more polite than a direct question.
Examples:
Indirect question: Knnten Sie mir sagen, wo Ostrowski arbeitet? (Knnten Sie es mir sagen.)
Direct question: Sagen Sie mir bitte: "Wo arbeitet Ostrowski?"
Indirect question: Ich mchte nur wissen, wo Ostrowski arbeitet. (Ich mchte es nur wissen.)
Direct question: Ich mchte wissen: "Wo arbeitet Ostrowski?"
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Episode 070 Grammar

Derivation of adjectives
In German, various words can be combined with other words or syllables to form new words. You've already learned some of the more
essential ways of word formation.
Combining individual words (compounds):
Examples:
der Wind
rot
+
+
das Rad
der Wein
=
=
das Windrad
der Rotwein
Adding prefixes to words:

Examples:
stehen aufstehen
stehen verstehen
Many nouns, verbs and adjectives can be turned into (other) adjectives by adding certain suffixes. Three of the most common suffixes
to form adjectives are -ig, -isch and -lich.
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Original word
der Freund
das Glck
der Pessimist
der Typ
die Ruhe
die Sonne
Suffix
-lich
-isch
-ig
Adjective
freundlich
glcklich
pessimistisch
typisch
ruhig
sonnig
Deriving an adjective from another word may require the addition of an umlaut to the vowel, in other words it causes a vowel change.
Examples:
der Norden
die Gefahr
der Hass
nrdlich
gefhrlich
hsslich
Some other suffixes used to create adjectives include:

-los:
arbeitslos
-bar:
wunderbar
-haft:
traumhaft
-sam:
langsam
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Word families
Words derived from the same base word are said to belong to a word family. If you know the base word, you'll usually be able to infer
the meaning of related words. So word families can help you to understand unfamiliar words and expand your vocabulary. Here's an
example of a word family with the base word
kauf-.
Verb
kaufen
verkaufen
einkaufen
Noun
der Verkufer
das Kaufhaus
der Einkaufszettel
Adjective
ausverkauft
verkuflich
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Episode 071 Grammar

Incomplete sentences
Sentences are complete grammatical units of language that assert a meaning. They can stand on their own or appear alongside other
sentences to create a body of text or form parts of dialog.
A German sentence usually has at least one conjugated verb and a subject in the nominative case. The verb may also require or permit
other sentence elements, such as objects.
But in some instances, sentences can be shortened if their meaning remains clear from the context. That's often the case in
conversations.
Example:
Arbeiter: Was wollen Sie?
Harry: Reden! Reden!
"Reden!" isn't really a complete sentence. It's short for "Ich will mit Ihnen reden!", in response to the question "Was wollen Sie?". But
the meaning is still clear from the context.
Incomplete sentences can take the place of declarative sentences, questions and imperative sentences.
Example:
Harry: Wir mssen mit Ihnen reden!
Arbeiter: Jetzt nicht. Ich muss arbeiten. (= I can't talk to you right now.)
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Imperative sentence:
Example:
Arbeiter: Knnen Sie mir helfen? Den Schraubenzieher, bitte. (= Please hand me the screwdriver.)
Questions:
Examples:
Da ist ein Mann. Wo? (= Where is there a man?)
Kommen Sie hoch! Was? (= What did you say?/What are we supposed to do?)
Die Leiter? (= Where is there a ladder?)
You are already familiar with dialog particles that can serve as replies or interjections in a conversation.
Examples:
Wir haben keine Zeit. Genau!
Das ist nur ein kleiner Fehler. Ja, klar.
Siehst du den Mann? Nein.
Ich mchte mit Ihnen sprechen. Gerne.
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Episode 072 Grammar

Tag questions
You've already learned the most common ways of constructing questions in German.
Forming questions with "W" question words
Examples:
Wo waren Sie gestern?
Was suchen Sie?
Yes/no questions, in which the verb is in the first position.
Examples:
Waren Sie gestern in Bochum?
Suchen Sie das Orakel?
You can also easily turn declarative sentences into questions by adding certain fragments of speech at the end, known as tags. They
tend to be used to encourage or elicit a positive response from the listener. Often the questioner is looking for confirmation to his or
her statement. These sorts of tag questions suggest that the speaker perceives the statement to be correct.
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Examples:
Dr. Anderson:
Sie suchen Ostrowski, habe ich recht?
Sie waren gestern in Bochum, oder?
Sie suchen das Orakel, stimmts?
Other tags include "nicht wahr?", "nicht?" and "richtig?". In the examples above, Dr. Anderson uses tag questions to get Harry to
confirm his suspicions. He's convinced that he already knows the truth. So in this case he seems to be trying to provoke Harry more
than anything else.
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Episode 073 Grammar

The placement of reflexive pronouns in a sentence
The German reflexive pronoun "sich" can appear in different parts of a sentence. Usually it's close to the beginning, but in a main
clause it follows the conjugated verb.
If the subject comes first in a sentence, the reflexive pronoun directly follows the conjugated verb.
Example:
Max hat sich in die Hose gemacht.
If the subject comes after the verb, then the reflexive pronoun can be placed either after the subject or the verb.
Example:
Gestern hat sich Max in die Hose gemacht.
Gestern hat Max sich in die Hose gemacht.
Note:
If the subject is a personal pronoun, then the reflexive verb must come after the subject!
Examples:
Gestern hat er sich in die Hose gemacht.
In a dependent clause, the reflexive verb usually appears right after the conjugation. But it can also follow the subject.
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Examples:
Harry wei, dass sich Max in die Hose gemacht hat.
Harry wei, dass Max sich in die Hose gemacht hat.
Note:
In a dependent clause, the reflexive verb usually appears right after the conjugation. But it can also follow the subject.
Examples:
Harry wei, dass er sich in die Hose gemacht hat.
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Episode 074 Grammar

1.
Adverbials
Most German sentences contain at least one conjugated verb and one component in the nominative - a subject. There may also be
other components that accompany the verbs, such as objects.
Adverbials are words or groups of words that provide more information about the circumstances surrounding the action or condition
described in the sentence. Adverbials can relate to location, time, manner or reason.
Words
Was machen wir hier? (location)

Wir mssen Ostrowski schnell finden. (manner)
Groups of words
Sie knnten bei den Pinguinen sein (location)

Ein Elefant frisst jeden Tag 150 Kilo Gras. (time)
Compulsory and non-compulsory adverbials

Adverbials can be compulsory components or non-compulsory additions in a German sentence. That depends on the predicate
(conjugated verb + (if present) the participle/infinitive, etc.). If the verb requires an object, then that's known as a compulsory
component. Without it, the sentence would make no sense. Non-compulsory adverbials can be omitted. They provide additional
information.
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Compulsory adverbials
Non-compulsory adverbials
Ostrowski wohnt in Bochum.
Siehst du irgendwo Ostrowski und seine Kinder?

Mglich: Siehst du Ostrowski und seine Kinder?
Er wollte in den Zoo gehen.
Ich muss jetzt die Elefanten fttern.

Mglich: Ich muss die Elefanten fttern.
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2.
The placement of adverbials in a sentence

Compulsory adverbials are usually at the end of the sentence. With compound verbs, the adverbial directly precedes the second part of
the predicate, in other words the participle or infinitive.
Examples:
Ostrowski wohnt in Bochum.
Er wollte in den Zoo gehen.
Ich habe das Gras ins Elefantengehege gelegt.
For non-compulsory adverbials, the word order can vary. A basic rule of thumb is:
1. Non-compulsory adverbials usually precede compulsory adverbials.
Er wollte
gerne
(non-compulsory)
in den Zoo
(compulsory)
gehen.
2. For non-compulsory adverbials, the order is usually time-reason-place-manner.

Wir sehen
zuerst
(time)
Harry wurde
bei den Elefanten

(place)
gestern
(time)
nach.
aus wissenschaftlichen Grnden in Leipzig durch eine Operation gettet.

(reason/cause)
(place)
(manner)
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But often there are deviations from this when a sentence contains several non-compulsory adverbials.
For extra emphasis, all adverbials can be placed at the beginning of the sentence.
Examples:
Zuerst sehen wir bei den Elefanten nach.
Bei den Elefanten sehen wir zuerst nach.
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Episode 075 Grammar

Commands without using the imperative
When you want a person to do something, you use a sentence in the form of a command. Commands can be used to express a request,
advice, a warning or instructions. You've already learned all about commands using the formal and informal imperative.
Examples:
Informal: Pack die nassen Sachen in die Waschmaschine!
Formal: Nehmen Sie sich ein Handtuch.
But there are also various ways of expressing commands without using the imperative.
1. Using the infinitive to express a command
This is often the case in recipes, operating instructions and public announcements.
Examples:
Zuerst die Tr ffnen, Wsche reinlegen, die Temperatur einstellen und dann die Waschmaschine anstellen.
Die Tomaten schneiden und mit dem Fleisch in einen Topf geben.
Tren bitte schlieen.
2. Using modal verbs to express commands
"sollen" and "mssen" are modal verbs which also can be used to express instructions, advice and commands.
Examples:
Du musst die nassen Klamotten ausziehen.
Du sollst die Sachen in die Waschmaschine packen.
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3. Declarative sentences
Perfectly normal declarative sentences can also have an imperative character depending on the situation, context and emphasis.
Example:
Du ziehst jetzt die nassen Sachen aus und packst sie in die Waschmaschine!
4. Interrogative sentences (questions) with the word "knnen" or in the subjunctive II
Commands can also be in the form of questions. That's much more polite than using the imperative. This usually requires using the
subjunctive II or "knnen".
Examples:
Anna, kannst du mal herkommen? (= Anna, bitte komm mal her.)
Knntest du mir bitte helfen? (= Bitte hilf mir.)
Wrdest du mir zeigen, wie die Maschine funktioniert? (= Bitte zeig mir, wie die Maschine funktioniert.)
5. Passive sentences
Some verbs can be used in the passive to express the imperative. This also applies to verbs that otherwise wouldn't be used in the
passive because they take no accusative or dative objects. These types of passive sentences are impersonal, so they don't have a
subject.
Example:
Jetzt wird geduscht und danach wird geschlafen!
6. Past participles
Sometimes only the past participle of a verb is used to give strict commands, orders or instructions, for example in the military.
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Examples:
Aufgepasst!
Hingesetzt!
7. Adverbs, adjectives and nouns
Certain individual words and turns of phrase can be used on their own as commands. In most cases, these types of commands are
abbreviated, incomplete sentences.
Examples:
Los, Anna! (Geh/Fahr) los, Anna!
Harry, raus mit der Sprache! Harry, (rck jetzt) raus mit der Sprache!
Leise! (Sei/Seid/Seien Sie) leise!
(zu) Hilfe! (Komm/Kommt/Kommen Sie mir zu) Hilfe!
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Episode 076 Grammar

1.
Punctuation in written forms of speech

Addressing someone
In conversation, you often mention the name of the person you are talking to. This form of addressing someone by name is separated
from the rest of the sentence by a comma. That can be at the beginning or end of the sentence or clause.
Examples:
Anna, was machen wir jetzt?
Worber denkst du nach, Harry?
Gut, Anna, wir werden einen Plan machen.
In letters, too, the name of the person you are addressing is followed by a comma and the rest of the sentence is written without a
capital letter at the beginning. To express particular emphasis in the greeting, you can use an exclamation point instead of a comma.
The words that follow form a new sentence and therefore must begin with a capital letter.
Examples:
Sehr geehrter Herr Walkott,
wir laden Sie zu einem Vortrag ber die Zeitschleife ein.
Lieber Harry!
Wie geht es dir?
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Exclamations
Exclamations, commentary and affirmations in sentences are also separated by a comma.
Examples:
Ja, wir haben Spa.
Ah, genau, der Bankberfall!
Okay, also hier ist der Eingang der Bank.
Additions and afterthoughts
Additions and afterthoughts can be inserted into sentences to emphasize or provide more information about certain words or groups of
words. Such additions are separated by commas and appear next to the word(s) they refer to.
Examples:
Wir treffen uns dort, vor der Bank.
(The afterthought "vor der Bank" provides more information about the intended meaning of "dort".)
The insertion is also closed off by a comma if the sentences continues afterwards.
Example:
Wir treffen uns dort, vor der Bank, und gehen gemeinsam hinein.
If a word refers to a previous word or group of words, then it is separated by a single comma.
Example:
Du und dein Kollege Helmut, ihr seid zur Bank gefahren.
(The pronoun "ihr" provides particular emphasis by referring back to the phrase "Du und dein Kollege Helmut".)
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2.
Punctuation in lists of words

Commas are used to separate a string of words - unless those words are joined by conjunctions such as "und" and "oder". Usually the
last word listed is preceded by "und". In that case, there is no comma in front of it.
Examples:
Nein, nein, nein!
Nein, nein und nochmals nein!
Ich brauche Stift, Papier und Informationen von dir.
The same applies to groups of words, clauses and to join two independent clauses of equal ranking.
Grammatical phrases:
Example:
Wo war der Mrder - vor der Bank, in der Bank oder im Hinterhof?
Dependent clauses:
Example:
Ich mchte auch wissen, wer das getan hat, wer mein Mrder ist.
Independent clauses:
Examples:
Ostrowski wird uns nicht helfen, Anderson wird uns nichts sagen.
Ostrowski wird uns nicht helfen und Anderson wird uns nichts sagen.
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Two independent clauses joined by the conjunction "und" do not require a comma. But a comma can be used nonetheless to make the
sequence of events in the sentence even more clear, especially if the two independent clauses have different subjects.
Example:
Ich erinnere mich an den Hinterhof, und dann war da der Schuss.
Exceptions
No comma is used before a cumulative adjective. A cumulative adjective is an adjective that directly precedes the noun and forms a
unit with it. The adjectives before that modify the unit as a whole. Inserting commas can change the meaning of the sentence.
Examples:
Ich mchte ein groes bayerisches Bier.
(= "Bayerisches Bier" forms a unit in this sentence. In other words, the Bavarian beer is a big one.)
Wirf deine hssliche eingelaufene Hose in den Mll.
(= The shrunken pants are ugly. In other words they are ugly because they shrank.)
Wirf deine hssliche, eingelaufene Hose in den Mll.
(= The pants are shrunken and ugly. In other words, they were ugly before they shrank.)
More:
In German, the following coordinating, subordinating and correlative conjunctions join together words, groups of words or clauses of
equal ranking, so they are usually not preceded by a comma: "und", "oder", "bzw."/"beziehungsweise", "sowie", "wie", "entweder ...
oder", "sowohl ... als auch", "weder ... noch".
A comma precedes the conjunctions "denn", "aber", "jedoch", "doch", and "sondern".
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Episode 077 Grammar

The passive voice in the future tense
The passive voice is a verb form that is used to describe actions or conditions. It changes the perspective of an action or event. While an
active sentence emphasizes the subject carrying out an action, a passive construction places emphasis on the action being carried out.
The agent in a passive sentence is less important, perhaps not even named. The action itself is in the foreground.
You've already learned about the passive voice in the present tense.
Examples:
Active
Passive
Harry wird von Dr. Anderson operiert.
Forming the passive voice in the future tense
Just like in the active voice, the passive voice can be used in different tenses. To form the future tense, you use a conjugated form of
"werden", the past participle of the verb and the infinitive "werden".
Examples:
Anna wird erschossen werden.
Sie wird in den Rcken getroffen werden.
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But because that's rather cumbersome, people usually use an abbreviated form in colloquial speech. Instead, they simply use the
passive voice in the present tense - but the context must make it clear that the sentence is referring to the future. The infinitive of
"werden" is left out.
Example:
Anna wird erschossen.
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Episode 078 Grammar

"lassen" as a main verb and as a helping verb
"lassen" is a verb that can serve different functions and have different meanings.
"lassen" as a main verb
As a main verb, "lassen" can often be used on its own and usually means to stop or to have stopped doing something. It can also be
defined as "to let be" or "to leave be".
Example:
Helmut: Alle mal herhren! Anna hat heute Geburtstag!
Anna: Helmut, lass es!
(= Anna doesn't want everyone to find out that it's her birthday. She wants Helmut to stop teasing her.)
"lassen" as a helping verb
As a helping verb, "lassen" is used in conjunction with another verb in the infinitive. This is similar to constructions with modal verbs.
In this case, "lassen" can have different meanings, such as
1. lassen = to let, to allow something
Example:
Helmut: Anna, bitte lass mich gehen!
(= Helmut wants Anna to let him go.)
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2. lassen = to cause, bring about something, to get something to happen

In this sense, "lassen" means to cause something to happen or to get something done.
Example:
Anna: Wenn ich aus der Zeitschleife rauskomme, dann lasse ich Helmut verhaften.
(= Anna will see to it that Helmut gets arrested.)
3. The imperative of "lassen" as a command for the 1st person plural
In German, there is no imperative form for "wir". To construct it you use either the formal imperative together with the personal
pronoun or "lassen" as a helping verb. For example, you'd say "Lass uns etwas tun!" when referring to yourself and another person,
and "Lasst uns etwas tun!" when you mean a group of people.
Declarative sentence
Du gehst.
Sie gehen.
Wir gehen.
Imperative
Geh!
Gehen Sie!
Gehen wir! Oder: Lass uns gehen!
4. sich lassen = man kann

The phrase "sich ... lassen" is similar in meaning to the modal verb "knnen". It indicates a possibility and can be used as a
substitute for a passive sentence with "knnen". Whatever it is that can be done is described by the verb in the infinitive.
Active
Passive
Passive substitute
Die Werkstatt kann das Auto reparieren.

Das Auto kann repariert werden.
Das Auto lsst sich reparieren.
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Episode 079 Grammar

The interrogative phrase "was fr ein"
The phrase "was fr ein" can introduce a question. It is used to inquire about the particular nature of someone or something. "was fr
ein" is often used like an article before the noun in question.
Example:
Question: Was fr ein Salat ist das? (= What kind of salad is it? What's in the salad/What's the salad made of?)
Answer: Fleischsalat ist ein Salat mit Wurst, Zwiebeln, Gurken und Mayonnaise.
When used as a question word, "was fr ein" reflects the number, gender and case of the noun it refers to. It is inflected like the
indefinite article "ein". For the plural, you use only "was fr" and omit the "ein".
Examples:
Was fr einen Kaffee mchten Sie?
Was fr eine Torte gibt es hier?
Was fr Teesorten haben Sie?
This chart shows you the forms for each case and gender.
Nominative
Accusative
Dative
Genitive
Masculine
was fr ein
was fr einen
was fr einem
was fr eines
Feminine
was fr eine
was fr eine
was fr einer
was fr einer
Neuter
was fr ein
was fr ein
was fr einem
was fr eines
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The phrase can be separated, especially when the noun in question is an accusative object.
Examples:
Was mchtest du fr einen Kaffee?
Was isst du fr eine Torte?
The difference between "was fr ein" and "welcher"
Use "was fr ein" to ask about something unknown or about a type of person or object. By contrast, "welcher" refers to something or
someone in particular from a larger group. In other words, questions with "welcher" are usually used to single out a person or an object
from a wider selection of people or things.
Example:
Harry: Was fr eine Torte ist das?
With that question, Harry is asking the waitress to describe what kind of cake it is. The answer might be: "Das ist eine Schwarzwlder
Kirschtorte. Das ist eine Sahnetorte mit Kirschen."
Example:
Waitress: Welche Torte mchten Sie?
With that question, the waitress is asking Harry to choose which piece of cake he'd like. He could point to one and say, "Ich mchte
diese Torte mit Sahne und Kirschen. Die sieht lecker aus." In this second example the difference between "was fr ein" and "welcher" is
very subtle. Even Germans mix the usage in colloquial speech.
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More:
"was fr ein" can also be used on its own as a pronoun. In this case it follows the same declension pattern as the pronouns "welcher"
and "dieser". For the plural, use "was fr welche".
Examples:
Ich mchte einen Kuchen. - Was fr einer gefllt dir?
Ich mchte Bonbons! - Was fr welche magst du?
Nominative
Accusative
Dative
Genitive
Masculine
was fr einer
was fr einen
was fr einem
was fr eines
Feminine
was fr eine
was fr eine
was fr einer
was fr einer
Neuter
was fr eines
was fr eines
was fr einem
was fr eines
Plural
was fr welche
was fr welche
was fr welchen
was fr welcher
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Episode 080 Grammar

Rules of thumb for forming the plural
Determining the plural form of nouns isn't always easy. Do you remember when Harry said the following?
Example:
Harry: Gibt es in Deutschland viele Staue?
Anna: Du meinst Staus? Ja, leider gibt es viele Staus in Deutschland.
Harry chose a plural form that was in fact wrong, but could be right in theory because most monosyllabic masculine nouns take an "e"
at the end to form the plural. You've already learned that there are five different ways of forming the plural of a noun. Three of those
ways include the additional possibility of adding an umlaut as well.
1. Plural ending e or e + Umlaut
-e
Singular
das Angebot
Plural -e
die Angebote
Singular
die Hand
Plural -e + Umlaut
die Hnde
2. Plural ending en or n (if the last letter of the noun is already ane)
-en or - n
Singular
Plural -en
Singular
die Meldung
die Meldungen
die Raststtte
Plural -n
(bei Substabtiven, die auf e enden)
die Raststtten
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3. Plural ending er or er + Umlaut

-er
Singular
das Kind
Plural -er
die Kinder
Singular
das Auto
Plural -s
die Autos
Singular
das Haus
Plural -er + Umlaut

die Huser
Singular
die Tochter
Plural - + Umlaut
die Tchter
4. Plural ending s
-s
5. No ending in the plural or no ending + Umlaut

- (endungslos)
Singular
das Zimmer
Plural die Zimmer
So which endings to use for which nouns? There are a few general rules, but they don't apply in all cases. So there are many exceptions.
Nonetheless, they can help you to a certain extent:
The plural of monosyllabic nouns are frequently formed by adding
-e to the end of masculine nouns: der Mord die Morde
-en to the end of feminine nouns: die Frau die Frauen
-e or -er to the end of neuter nouns: das Jahr die Jahre, das Schild die Schilder
The plural of many loanwords is formed by adding an "s" to the end:
der Job die Jobs
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das Taxi die Taxis

Nouns that end with "e" often get an "n" to form the plural:
der Name die Namen
die Torte die Torten
Nouns that end with "er", "el" and "en" frequently take
no ending for masculine nouns: der Bankruber die Bankruber
- n for feminine nouns: die Zwiebel die Zwiebeln
no ending for neuter nouns: das Zimmer die Zimmer
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Episode 081 Grammar

Placement of direct and indirect objects in a sentence
In a German declarative sentence the subject is often at the beginning of the sentence, followed by the verb. If the sentence has an
object, it follows the verb.
Some sentences have just one object.
Examples:
Ich ffne den Umschlag. (accusative object)
Sie werden das Orakel nie finden! (accusative object)
Der Umschlag gehrt mir. (dative object)
But some sentences can have more than one object.
Gib
mir
Dativobjekt
den Umschlag.
Akkusativobjekt
The order of the objects in a sentence depends on whether the object is a noun, noun phrase (i.e. a noun + words that modify the noun,
such as an article or adjective) or a pronoun.
In this case, the following word order usually applies:
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If both objects are nouns or noun phrases, then the dative object usually precedes the accusative object.
Harry gibt
Anderson gibt
Anna
den Umschlag.
dative object
noun
accusative object
noun phrase
dem Mann
die Informationen.
dative object
noun phrase
accusative object
noun phrase
If the object is replaced by a pronoun, then the pronoun precedes the noun or noun phrase.
Gib
mir
dative object
pronoun
den Umschlag!
accusative object
noun phrase
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Anderson hat Informationen. Er gibt
sie
accusative object
pronoun
Harry.
dative object
noun
If pronouns are used to replace both objects, then the accusative object precedes the dative object.
Examples:
Anderson hat Informationen.
Gib mir den Umschlag!
Er gibt
Gib
sie
ihn
dir.
mir!
accusative object
pronoun
dative object
pronoun
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Episode 082 Grammar

Past participles as adjectives
You're already familiar with past participles that don't change their form and are used as part of compound verbs in certain tenses,
such as the present perfect, and to construct the passive voice.
Examples:
Wir haben die Zahlen im Internet gesucht.
Die Zahlen werden im Internet gesucht.
The following chart gives you an overview of how to form past participles.
regular verbs
irregular verbs
gesucht
geholfen
separable
zugehrt
angefangen
inseparable
besucht
verstanden
Many participles can be used as adjectives to describe beings, things, actions and conditions. They provide more information about the
noun, giving details about the nature, circumstances or passive actions that happened in the past.
As an attributive, the participle precedes the noun it modifies and is inflected just like an adjective.
Examples:
Es geht um diese vier verfluchten Zahlen.
Wo genau ist der gesuchte Ort?
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A relative clause can be used in place of the past participle. In that case, the relative clause is often formulated in the past or present
tense.
Examples:
Es geht um diese vier Zahlen, die verflucht (worden) sind.
Wo genau ist der Ort, der gesucht wird?
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Episode 083 Grammar

1.
Adjectival nouns
Adjectives provide more information about beings, things, events and conditions. They often describe a noun or a pronoun.
Adjectives can also function as nouns, in which case they are capitalized like all German nouns.
Examples:
Anna: Was hast du denn erwartet, Harry?
Harry: Na ja, keine Ahnung Etwas Tolles, etwas Besonderes, etwas Magisches!
Adjectival nouns follow the same pattern of declension as an adjective that directly precedes the noun.
Examples:
Im Moor wurde ein toter Mann gefunden.
Im Moor wurde ein Toter gefunden.
Im Moor wurde eine tote Frau gefunden.
Im Moor wurde eine Tote gefunden.
Like most nouns, adjectival nouns often appear along with their articles. They might also be modified by other adjectives. In that case,
the adjectives are inflected.
Example:
Im Moor wurde ein unbekannter toter Mann gefunden.
Im Moor wurde ein unbekannter Toter gefunden.
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In principle, any adjective can be turned into a noun. In most cases, adjectival nouns are used for people and abstractions. Abstractions
are usually accompanied by indefinite articles, such as "nichts", "etwas" and "wenig". If they follow uninflected indefinite pronouns,
adjectival nouns are usually in the neuter singular.
Examples:
Ich habe etwas Tolles erwartet.
Hier gibt es nichts Besonders.
Der Ort hat wenig Magisches.
Upper or lower case?
Adjectives are usually written in lower case letters when they describe a noun or pronoun. In other words, they are not capitalized even if the word they modify is not directly adjacent.
Examples:
Das ist ein langweiliges Dorf. (refers to: Dorf)
Bist du lebensmde? (refers to: du)
Welchen Weg wollen wir nehmen, den sicheren oder den schnellen? (refers to: Weg)
But adjectives are capitalized in the following situations:
when they function as nouns:
Das Sichere ist immer besser als das Schnelle!
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when they are part of a name:

Das Hotel heit "Alte Post".
when they are derived from names of places or countries and end with "er":
Die Bremer Fans freuten sich ber den Sieg ihrer Mannschaft.
More:
Adjectives alter their form to reflect gender, case and number - and also whether they follow an indefinite or definite article. That's also
the case for adjectival nouns. This chart shows you the most important forms.
Masculine
der Deutsche
ein Deutscher
Feminine
die Deutsche
eine Deutsche
Accusative
den Deutschen
einen Deutschen
die Deutsche
eine Deutsche
Dative
dem Deutschen
einem Deutschen
der Deutschen
einer Deutschen
Genitive
des Deutschen
eines Deutschen
der Deutschen
einer Deutschen
Nominative
Neuter
das Neue
ein Neues
etwas Neues
das Neue
ein Neues
etwas Neues
dem Neuen
einem Neuen
etwas Neuem
des Neuen
eines Neuen
etwas Neuem
Plural
die Deutschen
Deutsche
den Deutschen
Deutschen
der Deutschen
Deutschen
der Deutschen
Deutscher
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2.
The phrase "was fr ein" in exclamatory statements

You've already learned that the phrase "was fr ein"/"was fr eine" can introduce a question to ask about the nature or type of
something or someone.
Example:
Was fr ein Ort ist das?
"was fr ein" can also be used in exclamations. As with questions, it precedes the noun like an article and emphasizes whatever is
special or unique about the noun. When used in exclamations, "was fr ein" is always in the nominative. It can be used to express
enthusiasm, frustration, disappointment and the like.
Examples:
Was fr ein langweiliger Ort!
Was fr ein Zufall, dass wir uns hier treffen!
"was fr ein" can also be used to express irony and sarcasm. That becomes clear from the context and emphasis.
Example:
Du willst mitten durchs Moor gehen? Was fr eine gute Idee wenn man sterben will!"
(= not at all a good idea!)
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Episode 084 Grammar

1.
Adverbs with "irgend-"

Adverbs provide more information about the location, time, manner or reason why something is or happens.
Certain adverbs, such as "wo", "wann" and "wie" can be combined with the prefix "irgend-" to indicate a general, unspecified place,
time or manner.
Examples:
Das war irgendwann im 6. Jahrhundert vor Christus. (The exact time is undefined or unknown.)
Knnen Sie mir sagen, ob es hier irgendwo ein Orakel gibt? (The precise location is not known.)
Das ist irgendwie unheimlich. (What's "unheimlich" about it is not clearly specified.)
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2.
Indefinitpronomen mit "irgend-"

You've already come across indefinite pronouns. They are a sub-group of pronouns and are used
when it's not clear who or what is doing the action ("man", "jemand", "etwas", "jeder", "nichts", "niemand").
when it's not clear how many are involved ("alle", "alles", "einige", "viele").
Examples:
Jemand muss den Maibaum aufstellen.
Es ist alles fertig fr die Feier!
Indefinite pronouns can be used to indicate people or things. Some refer only to people and others refer only to objects.
Some of them can be combined with "irgend-" for enhancement: " irgendeiner", "irgendjemand", "irgendetwas". These pronouns
emphasize the fact that it doesn't matter which one or who is meant.
Examples:
Irgendjemand muss den Maibaum aufstellen.
Vielleicht wei der Reiseleiter irgendetwas ber das Orakel.
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3.
The various meanings of modal particles

Modal particles are words that don't have just one clear-cut and specific dictionary definition. But they play a very important part in
the meaning of a sentence. They're predominantly used in spoken language (discourse or dialog particles). They convey additional
meaning and signalize the speaker's point of view of what is being said. Some of the most common modal particles are "doch" and
"mal".
Examples:
Beeilen Sie sich doch!
Beeilen Sie sich mal!
The meaning of modal particles in a sentence depends very much on the context. "doch" can be used, for example, to express
frustration or impatience in an imperative. But depending on the emphasis, it can also make a command more indirect, mild and
polite. Such imperatives often include the word "bitte".
Examples:
Kommen Sie doch bitte! (polite)
Sei doch mal still! Mein Gott, Harry! (frustration)
Beeilen Sie sich doch! (impatience)
Frag doch mal nach dem Orakel! (suggestion)
Some modal particles can be combined with others.
Examples:
Seien Sie doch mal still!
Kommen Sie doch mal!
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Episode 085 Grammar

Noun clauses
You've already learned about object clauses that serve as the object in an independent clause. In the same way, subject clauses are
dependent clauses that function as the subject of the sentence. Like all dependent clauses, they need a main clause or another
dependent clause to complete their meaning and cannot stand on their own. You can recognize a subject clause (and also an object
clause) by the fact that the superordinate clause would be incomplete without it.
Examples:
Wer nicht hren will, muss fhlen.
Wer's glaubt, wird selig.
In each of the above sentences, the subject of the main clause is itself a dependent clause. Without it, the sentence would be incomplete
and have no subject.
Subject clauses often begin with interrogative pronouns, such as "wer" and "was".
Just like single-word subjects, subject clauses answer the question "who?" or "what?".
Example:
Wer's glaubt, wird selig. Wer oder was wird selig? Wer's glaubt.
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You can tell whether it's a subject clause if the entire clause can be replaced by a single word.
Example:
Wer's glaubt, wird selig.
Substitution test:
Wer oder was wird selig? Der wird selig.
Subject clauses can also be introduced by the conjunctions "dass" and "ob".
Examples:
Ob er selig wird, ist unbekannt.
Dass der selig wird, ist sicher.
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Episode 086 Grammar

Subordinate clauses with "ob"
Subordinate clauses are dependent upon an independent clause or another superordinate depedent clause. They cannot stand on their
own. Often they begin with words (subordinating conjunctions, relative pronouns or question words) that connect them to the
independent or superordinate clause.
"ob" is one such conjunction that introduces a subordinate clause. Subordinate clauses with "ob" have the same meaning as an indirect
yes-no question.
Examples:
Ja/Nein-Frage: Gibt es hier ein Orakel?
Subordinate clause with "ob": Knnen Sie uns sagen, ob es hier ein Orakel gibt?
There are certain expressions that permit constructions like these, especially verbs that express questioning, pondering, doubt or
uncertainty.
Examples:
Ich wei nicht,
Ich berlege,
Ich bin nicht sicher,
Ich frage den Pfarrer,
ob es hier ein Orakel gibt.
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Subordinate clauses with "ob" can serve as the subject or object in a main clause. In other words, they belong to the sub-group of
subject and object clauses. They answer the same questions that apply to subjects and objects. You can tell whether a clause is a
subject clause or an object clause by the fact that the superordinate clause would be incomplete without it.
Examples:
object
Knnen Sie uns etwas sagen?
object clause
Knnen Sie uns sagen, ob es hier ein Orakel gibt?
subject
Das Finden des Orakels ist nicht sicher.
subject clause
Es ist nicht sicher, ob wir das Orakel finden.
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More:
Comparison of "ob" clauses
"ob" clauses are grammatically similar to "dass" clauses and object clauses with question words. But there are some key differences.
1. "ob" clauses represent yes-no questions while object clauses with question words represent questions with "W" question words.
Examples:
Yes-no question: Gibt es hier ein Orakel?
Subordinate clause with "ob": Knnen Sie uns sagen, ob es hier ein Orakel gibt?
Interrogative "W" word: Wo ist das Orakel?
Subordinate clause with a question word: Knnen Sie uns sagen, wo das Orakel ist?
2. Use the conjunction "dass" when you know or (don't) want something or when you are certain that your assertion is correct. Use
"ob" to ask about things that are unknown or when you are uncertain of your assertion.
Examples:
Dass-Satz: Ich wei/bin sicher, dass es hier ein Orakel gibt.
Ob-Satz: Ich bin nicht sicher, ob es hier ein Orakel gibt.
Some verbs can accommodate both "dass" and "ob" clauses. Then the difference in meaning is essential.
Examples:
"dass" clause: Der Pfarrer sagt uns, dass es ein Orakel gibt. (= The pastor is sure that an oracle exists. So this sentence tells us that
there is an oracle and that the pastor believes it is real.)
"ob" clause: Der Pfarrer sagt uns, ob es hier ein Orakel gibt. (= We still don't know for sure whether an oracle exists. The pastor will
tell us whether it exists or not.)
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Episode 087 Grammar

Verbal nouns
Verbs usually convey an action, occurrence or a state of being.
Verbs can also be used as nouns by placing an article in front of the infinitive. Verbal nouns describe the actual action itself. Their
gender is neuter and like all German nouns, they are capitalized.
Example:
Vielen Dank frs (= fr das) Mitnehmen!
German verbal nouns are inflected like regular nouns. That means that they are given the ending "s" in the genitive case. Articles and
adjectives that precede verbal nouns reflect the gender, case and number.
Nominative
Accusative
Dative
Genitive
Das lange Warten hat mich mde gemacht.

Ich mag das lange Warten nicht.
Vom (von dem) langen Warten bin ich ganz mde.
Wegen des langen Wartens bin ich ganz mde.
Frequently, infinitive verbal nouns will be accompanied by prepositions, such as "zum" ("zu dem"), "beim" ("bei dem") and "vom"
("von dem").
Example:
Vielen Dank frs Mitnehmen!
Das ist zum Heulen!
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Vom langen Warten bin ich ganz mde.

Ich habe Angst vorm Fliegen.
Str mich nicht beim Trinken!
Verbal nouns with prepositions can replace subordinate clauses.
Examples:
Vielen Dank, dass du mich mitgenommen hast!
Vielen Dank frs Mitnehmen!
Ich bin ganz mde, weil ich lange gewartet habe.
Vom langen Warten bin ich ganz mde.
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Episode 088 Grammar

The passive voice in the present tense to describe a condition
The passive voice is a verb form that is used to describe actions or states of being. It changes the perspective of an action or event.
While an active sentence emphasizes the subject carrying out an action, a passive construction places emphasis on the action carried
out. The subject of a passive sentence is usually the person or thing to which the process is done or happens.
In contrast to the passive voice to describe an action, which you learned about previously, passive constructions that describe a
condition place more emphasis on the result of an action. So this type of formulation describes the state of being of the person(s) or
thing(s) after the action has taken place.
Example:
Die Glser sind gesplt.
(= In this sentence, the condition of the glasses is important. They are clean. It's not important how they got that way.)
How to form it
To form the passive voice to describe a state of being, German uses the helping verb "sein" and a past participle. The helping verb is
conjugated in the present tense. The past participle remains unchanged. In a declarative sentence, the helping verb is in the second
position and the past participle goes to the end of the sentence.
Examples:
Die Glser sind fertig gesplt.
Der Boden ist auch gewischt.
Wieso ist die Bar nicht aufgerumt?
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To form a passive sentence, the object of the action moves to the beginning of the sentence or follows the finite verb.
Active:
Jakob splt die Glser.
Wieso splst du die Glser nicht?
Passive voice to describe an action:

Passive voice to describe a condition:
Die Glser werden gesplt.

Die Glser sind gesplt.
Wieso werden die Glser nicht gesplt?

Wieso sind die Glser nicht gesplt?
Usually there is no indication of the person carrying out the action in passive sentences that describe a condition.
Present perfect or passive?
The passive voice to describe a condition has the same form as the present perfect tense when formed with the helping verb "sein".
conjugated helping verb + past participle
Present perfect with the helping verb "sein":
Passive voice in the present tense to describe a condition:
Harry ist in die Disko gegangen.

Die Disko ist aufgerumt.
Here's how to tell the difference:

The present perfect conveys an action that happened in the past.
The passive voice to describe a condition expresses the result of an action.
The passive voice can be turned into an active sentence. To do that, you simply add information about who carried out the action:
Jakob hat die Disko aufgerumt.
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Episode 089 Grammar

1.
The subjunctive II in the past

The subjunctive II is used to express wishful thinking or situations that are contrary to reality. It can also be used to make requests and
suggestions sound especially polite.
You're already familiar with the subjunctive II forms of "haben" and "sein" in the present tense, and with the other way of forming the
subjunctive II by using "wrde" + an infinitive.
Examples:
Wenn das Orakel funktionieren wrde, wrst du nicht mehr in der Zeitschleife.
Wenn mir das Orakel helfen wrde, htte ich keine Sorgen mehr.
The subjunctive II can also be used in the past tense. To do that, you use the present perfect - with the helping verbs "haben" or "sein"
and the past participle. The helping verbs then take their subjunctive II forms.
Present
Present perfect
Subjunctive II
haben
Ich treffe dich.
Ich habe dich getroffen.
Ich htte dich getroffen.
sein
Ich gehe zum Orakel.
Ich bin zum Orakel gegangen.
Ich wre zum Orakel gegangen.
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Here is an overview of all the forms used in subjunctive II in the past tense.
ich
du
er/sie/es
wir
ihr
sie
sein
wre
wrst
wre
wren
wrt
wren
gegangen
ich
du
er/sie/es
wir
ihr
sie
haben
htte
httest
htte
htten
httet
htten
geholfen
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2.
Hypothetical condition clauses in the past

Hypothetical condition clauses in the past tense are parts of a complex sentence that allow you to play with thoughts and ideas. What
would have happened had the circumstances been different? In these complex sentences, both the independent and subordinate
clauses are in the subjunctive II form. The subordinate clause expresses the circumstance or condition. It is introduced by "wenn" or
"falls" and a comma separates it from the superordinate clause. The superordinate clause describes the potential outcome. In pasttense hypothetical condition constructions, the subordinate clause is always in the past tense. But the main clause, which conveys the
potential outcome, can refer to the past, present or future.
Examples:
Wenn wir dich nicht getroffen htten, htten wir die Suche wahrscheinlich gestoppt. (main clause: past)
Wenn wir dich nicht getroffen htten, htten wir jetzt keine Hoffnung mehr. (main clause: present)
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Episode 090 Grammar

Negation with prefixes and suffixes
In German, words can be combined with other words or syllables to create new words. You've already learned how to change the
meanings of words by adding prefixes and suffixes, and how to derive new words from other words.
Examples:
stehen : aufstehen, verstehen
der Freund: freundlich
Certain prefixes and suffixes can be used to negate words. Negative prefixes and suffixes denote the opposite meaning of the word.
Examples:
ungefhrlich: nicht gefhrlich
missfallen: nicht gefallen
erfolglos: ohne Erfolg, nicht erfolgreich
The most common negative prefixes and suffixes in German are "un-", "miss-" and "-los". This chart shows you the kinds of words
that can be used with negative prefixes and suffixes.
unmiss-los
Adjective
zahlungsunfhig
missverstndlich
rcksichtslos
Noun
das Unglck
das Missverstndnis
der Arbeitslose*
Verb
missverstehen
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* "-los" is a suffix that creates only adjectives. Words like "der Arbeitslose" are adjectival nouns.
Loan words with Latin origin can also be given the prefix "in-" to negate the word.
Examples:
Insolvenz: insolvent (not solvent, unable to pay, broke, bankrupt)
indirekt: indirect (not direct)
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Episode 091 Grammar

1.
Indirect speech
Indirect speech is used to report what someone has said without directly quoting that person.
Example:
Direct speech
Indirect speech
Anna: "Ich fahre zu meiner Mutter."

Anna hat gesagt, dass sie zu ihrer Mutter fhrt.
Anna hat gesagt, sie fhrt zu ihrer Mutter.
Indirect speech begins with an introduction indicating who has spoken. The statement they made in direct speech becomes a "dass"
subordinate clause in the indirect formulation or becomes a subordinate clause with no subordinating conjunction attached to the
introduction.
Indirect speech often entails a change in perspective, which causes the pronouns to change.
Example:
Anna sagt, dass sie zu ihrer Mutter fhrt.
The conjugated verb also has to change to fit the sentence.
Example:
Anna sagt, dass sie zu ihrer Mutter fhrt.
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Questions in indirect speech

You already know how to formulate indirect questions! "ob" clauses represent yes-no questions and object clauses are used in place of
interrogative W words (question words).
Yes-no question:
Subordinate clause with"ob":
"Gibt es hier ein Orakel?"

Er hat gefragt, ob es hier ein Orakel gibt.
Interrogative "W" word

Subordinate clause with question word
"Wo ist das Orakel?"

Er hat gefragt, wo das Orakel ist.
Imperatives in indirect speech

Usually, the modal verb "sollen" is used to report imperative statements in indirect speech. (Sometimes "mssen" is used instead. For
polite requests, "mgen" is another possibility.)
Direct speech:
Indirect speech:
Orakel:
Anna:
Anna:
"Verzeih deiner Mutter!"

Das Orakel hat gesagt, dass ich meiner Mutter verzeihen soll.
Das Orakel hat gesagt, ich soll meiner Mutter verzeihen.
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2.
The subjunctive I
The subjunctive in indirect speech
In colloquial speech it's becoming more common to express indirect speech by using the indicative. In writing - such as newspaper
articles and literature - the subjunctive I form is still frequently used.
Examples:
Orakel: "Verzeih deiner Mutter!"
Anna: Das Orakel hat gesagt, ich solle meiner Mutter verzeihen.
Jakob: Jeder findet seinen Weg.
Harry: Jakob hat mir erklrt, dass jeder seinen Weg finde.
The subjunctive I is a verb form used for indirect speech. But it's actually used primarily for only the 3rd person singular - and for the
modal verbs in the 1st person singular - because its other forms hardly differ from the indicative in the present tense. So in those other
instances, the subjunctive II is used instead of the subjunctive I or by using the construction "wrde" + the infinitive.
Example:
Anna: Wir fahren ins Seniorenheim.
Harry: Anna hat gesagt, dass wir ins Altenheim fahren wrden.
The subjunctive I is formed by adding personal endings to the verb stem. "e" is a typical ending in the 3rd person singular. The other
forms don't differ, or differ only slightly, from the indicative in the present tense.
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lernen
ich
du
er/sie/es
wir
ihr
sie
Indicative
lern-e
lern-st
lern-t
lern-en
lern-t
lern-en
Subjunctive I
lern-e
lern-est
lern-e
lern-en
lern-et
lern-en
Example:
Jakob sagt, er lerne aus seinen Fehlern.
"sein" has its own distinct form in the subjunctive I. That's why "sein" is regularly used in the subjunctive I form for all persons.
sein
ich
du
er/sie/es
wir
ihr
sie
Indicative
bin
bist
ist
sind
seid
sind
Subjunctive I
sei
seist
sei
seien
seiet
seien
Example:
Anna sagt, alles sei gut.
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More:
haben
ich
du
er/sie/es
wir
ihr
sie
Indicative
habe
hast
hat
haben
habt
haben
Subjunctive I
hab-e
hab-e-st
hab-e
hab-e-n
hab-e-t
hab-e-n
Indicative
kann
kannst
kann
knnen
knnt
knnen
Subjunctive I
knn-e
knn-e-st
knn-e
knn-e-n
knn-e-t
knn-e-n
knnen
ich
du
er/sie/es
wir
ihr
sie
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werden
ich
du
er/sie/es
wir
ihr
sie
Indicative
werde
wirst
wird
werden
werdet
werden
Subjunctive I
werd-e
werd-e-st
werd-e
werd-e-n
werd-e-t
werd-e-n
Indicative
muss
musst
muss
mssen
msst
mssen
Subjunctive I
mss-e
mss-e-st
mss-e
mss-e-n
mss-e-t
mss-e-n
Indicative
darf
darfst
darf
drfen
drft
drfen
Subjunctive I
drf-e
drf-e-st
drf-e
drf-e-n
drf-e-t
drf-e-n
mssen
ich
du
er/sie/es
wir
ihr
sie
drfen
ich
du
er/sie/es
wir
ihr
sie
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sollen
ich
du
er/sie/es
wir
ihr
sie
Indicative
soll
sollst
soll
sollen
sollt
sollen
Subjunctive I
soll-e
soll-e-st
soll-e
soll-e-n
soll-e-t
soll-e-n
Indicative
will
willst
will
wollen
wollt
wollen
Subjunctive I
woll-e
woll-e-st
woll-e
woll-e-n
woll-e-t
woll-e-n
wollen
ich
du
er/sie/es
wir
ihr
sie
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Episode 092 Grammar

The past perfect
The past perfect is a grammatical tense to express the "pre-past". It is used to denote an occurrence that took place even further in the
past than another event that also happened in the past.
Pre-past
Past
Du hattest keine Ausbildung gemacht,
und deswegen hast du mich zur Adoption freigegeben.
(= Anna's mother gave Anna up for adoption because she hadn't completed any vocational training previously.)
Past
Pre-past
Als der Pfleger ins Zimmer kam,
hatte Harry schon das Bett gemacht.
(= Harry had made the bed before the caregiver came into the room.)
The past perfect is formed like the present perfect with the helping verbs "haben" or "sein" and a past participle. But for the past
perfect, the helping verbs are conjugated in the simple past tense. The past participle remains unchanged. In a typical declarative
sentence, the conjugated verb takes the second position and the past participle goes to the end of the sentence.
Examples:
Harry hatte auf Anna gewartet.
Harry war mit Anna ins Seniorenheim gefahren.
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Overview of the past tenses:

Simple past
Harry wartete.
Harry hatte Glck.
Harry ging weg.
Present perfect
Harry hat gewartet.
Harry hat Glck gehabt.
Harry ist weggegangen.
Past perfect
Harry hatte gewartet.
Harry hatte Glck gehabt.
Harry war weggegangen.
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Episode 093 Grammar

1.
The reciprocal pronoun "einander"

You're already familiar with reflexive pronouns.
Example: Ich wasche mich.
If the subject is plural, the reflexive pronoun can be reciprocal. In other words, it can express mutuality. This becomes even clearer if
you imagine inserting the word "gegenseitig" (mutually, reciprocally) into the sentence.
Examples:
Wir wollen uns (gegenseitig) nicht vergessen. = Anna will Harry nicht vergessen, und Harry will Anna nicht vergessen.
Wir werden uns (gegenseitig) nicht erkennen. = Anna wird Harry nicht erkennen, und Harry wird Anna nicht erkennen.
"einander" is a reciprocal pronoun which can be used instead of the reflexive pronoun. It conveys the same sense of reciprocity.
Examples:
Wir wollen einander nicht vergessen. = Anna will Harry nicht vergessen, und Harry will Anna nicht vergessen.
Wir werden einander nicht erkennen. = Anna wird Harry nicht erkennen, und Harry wird Anna nicht erkennen.
If the verb expressing a mutual relationship has a preposition, then the preposition can be attached to the front of the reciprocal
pronoun "einander".
Example:
Anna wartet auf Harry, und Harry wartet auf Anna: Anna und Harry warten aufeinander.
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2.
"brauchen" + the infinitive

"brauchen" is a verb that can function like a modal verb, even though it isn't a modal verb, strictly speaking. It is used like one solely in
negated sentences and means "to not have to" or "to need not".
In standard speech, the word "zu" appears along with the infinitive of "brauchen".
Examples:
Du brauchst keine Angst zu haben.
Du brauchst den Kopf nicht hngenzulassen.
But in colloquial speech, the "zu" is often omitted.
Example:
Du brauchst keine Angst haben.
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Episode 094 Grammar

Predicate nominatives
In some sentences, the subject has a complement which is also in the nominative case. This component, the subject complement, is
also known as a predicate nominative. It provides more information about the subject.
Example:
Die Liebe ist dein Weg. - Wer oder was ist die Liebe? - Dein Weg.
Predicate nominatives follow verbs like "sein", "werden", "bleiben", "heien" and "scheinen". These verbs connect the subject to a noun
in the nominative. Together with that noun they are known as the predicate. That's why these nouns are also known as predicate
nominatives.
More:
The subject and the predicate nominative usually reflect the same number. But sometimes one of the nominative components is
singular and the other is plural. In that case, the verb is always in the plural.
Examples:
Die grte Freude sind seine Kinder.
Die Kinder sind seine grte Freude.
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Episode 095 Grammar

Correlative conjunctions
Like all conjunctions, correlative conjunctions connect sentences, phrases or clauses to one another. They usually have two parts. The
first conjunction introduces the first phrase or clause, and the second one introduces the second phrase or clause. Correlative
conjunctions are used to connect clauses of equal weight or to join together two independent clauses or two subordinate clauses.
Examples:
Harry denkt sowohl ber Julia als auch ber das Orakel nach.
Das ist nicht nur gefhrlich, sondern auch verboten.
Conjunctions with multiple components, such as "sowohl ... als auch" and "nicht nur ... sondern (auch)" are used to join words or
groups of words. The correlative conjunction "sowohl ... als auch" emphasizes the two separate elements (for instance "Julia" and "das
Orakel" in the above example) more strongly than if they were joined by a simple "und".
"Nicht nur ... sondern (auch)" often denotes more than just an even comparison. It gives the sense of a progression or escalation.
Example:
Julia ist nicht nur traurig, sondern verzweifelt.
You've already learned some other correlative conjunctions, such as "nicht/kein ... sondern" and "entweder ... oder". "nicht/kein ...
sondern" expresses a contrast between two elements and "entweder ... oder" poses them as alternative options.
Examples:
Sie sind entweder verliebt oder verrckt! Oder beides.
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If the correlative conjunctions connect two clauses that share the same verb and/or subject, then it can be omitted from the second
clause. That's shorter.
Example:
Harry ist nicht mutig, sondern er ist feige.
More:
This chart shows you the most common correlative conjunctions along with their meanings.
sowohl als auch
nicht nur sondern
auch
weder noch
nicht ... sondern
zwar aber
entweder oder
Aufzhlung
Aufzhlung
Ich denke sowohl ber Julia als auch ber das Orakel nach.
Das ist nicht nur gefhrlich, sondern auch verboten.
negative Aufzhlung
Gegensatz
Einschrnkung
Alternativen
Ich will dich weder sehen noch mit dir sprechen!

Die Fahrt mit dem Taxi ist zwar teuer, aber viel schneller.
Sie sind entweder verliebt oder verrckt! Oder beides.
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Episode 096 Grammar

Present participles
You're already familiar with past participles in compound tenses and as adjectives.
Examples:
Julia hat Harry vor der Flugangst gerettet.
Der gerettete Pinguin wurde in den Zoo zurck gebracht.
Present participles are predominantly used as adjectives or adverbs.
Examples:
Der Pinguin spricht!
Julia lacht.
-> Ja, das ist ein sprechender Pinguin.

-> Julia hilft Harry lachend.
They are formed by adding "end" to the end of the verb stem.
Infinitive
sprechen
lachen
retten
Present participle
sprech-end
lach-end
rett-end
Present participles describe an activity or process that is happening at this very moment and hasn't ended. By contrast, past participles
used as adjectives usually describe a state of being or a passive condition that happened in the past. You can tell the difference by
replacing the participles by a relative clause.
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Examples:
Julia hat die rettende Idee.
-> Julia hat die Idee, die (Harry) rettet.
Der gerettete Harry ist sehr glcklich.
-> Harry, der gerettet wurde, ist sehr glcklich.
When used as a modifier, the participle precedes the noun and is inflected like an adjective.
Examples:
Ja, das ist ein sprechender Pinguin.
Kann ich den sprechenden Pinguin mal sehen?
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Episode 097 Grammar

1.
Prepositions requiring the genitive

Prepositions connect words and groups of words together. They also determine the grammatical case of the words or groups of words
that they precede in the sentence. In other words, they govern case.
Most German prepositions govern the accusative or dative cases.
Julia interessiert sich
Preposition
fr
Accusative
die traponische Sprache.
Er trumt
Preposition
von
Dative
einem groen Stck Schokolade.
But there are also some prepositions that require the genitive.
Preposition
wegen
trotz
statt
whrend
Example
Ich wollte Deutsch lernen, aber ich hatte keine Zeit wegen des Jobs.
Trotz unserer Liebe hatten wir Probleme.
Statt des Kuchens mchte ich lieber ein Brtchen.
Whrend der Zeit in Traponia war noch alles gut.
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The genitive is becoming increasingly scarce!

For the prepositions listed above, it's becoming more and more common to use the dative instead of the genitive in colloquial speech.
That's especially noticeable with masculine and neuter nouns because the dative and genitive forms for feminine nouns in the singular
are the same.
Example:
Ich wollte Deutsch lernen, aber ich hatte keine Zeit wegen dem Job.
Statt dem Kuchen mchte ich lieber ein Brtchen.
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2.
Time clauses with "whrend"

Subordinate clauses are dependent upon independent clauses or other superordinate clauses. They cannot stand on their own. Often
they begin with words (subordinating conjunctions, relative pronouns or question words) that connect them to the superordinate
clause to which they refer.
"whrend" is a conjunction that introduces a temporal clause. Temporal subordinate clauses provide a time context to the action
conveyed in the independent clause. They answer the question "Wann?" (when?). The conjunction "whrend" indicates that the
occurrences in the independent and dependent clauses happen at the same time. The subordinate clause describes the span of time in
which the independent-clause action takes place.
Example:
Julia hat Traponisch gelernt. Wann?
Julia hat Traponisch gelernt, whrend ich gearbeitet habe.
(= While Harry was working, Julia did something else. She learned Traponian!)
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Episode 098 Grammar

Declension of adjectives in a sequence
and personal pronouns.
You've already learned how to inflect an adjective that precedes a noun. If the adjective comes directly before the noun it modifies, then
its ending changes. The adjective is usually placed between the noun and its article.
If several adjectives precede a noun, they all get the same ending. In other words, they all follow the same pattern of declension.
Examples:
Ich htte gern die groen roten Rosen.
Ich htte gern 22 groe rote Rosen.
Ich mchte einen groen, romantischen Blumenstrau.
Comma placement
If all the adjectives modify the subsequent noun equally, then they share the same ranking. They're treated like a string of words and
are separated by commas.
Example:
Ich mchte einen groen, romantischen Blumenstrau.
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The word "und" could be inserted between adjectives of equal ranking.

Example:
Ich mchte einen groen und romantischen Blumenstrau.
If the adjective directly adjacent to the noun forms a unit with the noun, then the adjectives are not equal. In this case they are not
separated by a comma because the first adjective modifies the subsequent word group, which comprises a noun and an adjective.
Example:
Ich htte gern die groen roten Rosen. (I would like the red roses that are big.)
Whether two or more adjectives in a sentence need to be separated by commas usually depends on the intended meaning of that
particular sentence.
Example:
Er hat ein neues schnelles Auto. (= Sein altes Auto war auch schnell.)
Er hat ein neues, schnelles Auto. (= Sein altes Auto war vermutlich nicht so schnell.)
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Episode 099 Grammar

1.
Adjectives that govern case

and personal pronouns. Some adjectives can directly govern the grammatical case of the nouns or pronouns that follow them.
Accusative adjectives
Adjectives that describe size and length require the accusative.
hoch:
lang:
Accusative
Adjective
Der Berg ist 500 Meter
hoch.
Die Insel ist einen Kilometer lang.
There are other adjectives that govern the accusative case, too.
wert:
Es war
Accusative
einen Versuch
Adjective
wert.
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Dative adjectives
You already also know some adjectives that require the dative case.
wichtig:
klar:
peinlich:
Das ist
Das ist
Das ist
Dative
mir
ihm
mir
Adjective
wichtig.
klar.
peinlich.
Genitive adjectives
There are also adjectives that require the genitive. Some of them precede a genitive object.
voll:
Das Wattenmeer ist
Adjective
voll
Genitive
ekliger Wrmer.
Sometimes, especially in colloquial speech, the inflected form "voller" is used instead of "voll". "voller" is the genitive plural form.
Adjectives with the genitive are often substituted by other constructions using a preposition + the dative.
Genitive
Wattenmeer ist voller ekliger Wrmer.

Das Wattenmeer ist voll von ekligen Wrmern.
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2.
Declension of adjectives in the genitive case

German adjectives describe something or someone, an occurrence or a condition. They often describe nouns and personal pronouns.
If an adjective precedes the noun it refers to, then its ending changes. The adjective is usually placed between the noun and its article.
There are three different patterns of adjective declension depending on whether there is a definite article, indefinite article or no
article.
Genitive adjective endings after a definite article
Following a definite article, adjectives in the genitive always end with "en".
Example:
Das war das Ende der guten Zeit.
Masculine
des schnen Urlaubs
Feminine
der teuren Sonnencreme
Neuter
des berhmten Wattenmeers
Plural
der ekligen Wrmer
Genitive adjective endings after an indefinite article

After indefinite articles, possessive determiners ("mein", "dein", "ihr", etc.) and the negation article "kein", adjectives in the genitive
case also always take the ending "en". Since the indefinite article has no plural, the adjective ending is shown here using the example of
"kein".
Example:
Wir haben uns wegen eines langweiligen Urlaubs an der Nordsee gestritten.
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Masculine
eines schnen Urlaubs
Feminine
einer teuren Sonnencreme
Neuter
eines berhmten Wattenmeers
Plural
keiner ekligen Wrmer
Genitive adjective endings after no article

This declension is common in the plural and relatively rare in the singular. It also applies after number words, with the exception of
"ein". Usually the adjectives take the same endings as for definite articles. But masculine and neuter genitive endings in the singular
are an exeption because the "s" at the end of the noun already indicates the case. So in those instances, the adjective endings are once
again "en".
Masculine
schnen Urlaubs
Feminine
teurer Sonnencreme
Neuter
berhmten Wattenmeers
Plural
ekliger Wrmer
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Episode 100 Grammar

Subordinate clauses with no conjunction
Subordinate clauses are dependent upon an independent clause or another subordinate clause . They cannot stand on their own. Often
they begin with certain words (subordinating conjunctions, relative pronouns or question words) that connect them to the
superordinate clause. Such connecting words are also known as subordinators or complementizers.
But with some subordinate clauses, the complementizer (conjunction, relative pronoun, etc.) can be left out.
Examples:
Ich glaube, ich bleibe fr immer hier.
Ich hoffe, du wirst die nchsten Jahre mit mir verbringen.
Such subordinate clauses are often subject or object clauses derived from "dass" clauses. The conjugated verb shifts from the end of the
sentence to the second position, making them look like independent clauses. These clauses often follow verbs relating to saying and
telling, thinking and believing, hoping and perceiving.
Examples:
With a complementizer: Ich glaube, dass ich fr immer hier bleibe.
Without a complementizer: Ich glaube, ich bleibe fr immer hier.
With a complementizer: Ich hoffe, dass du die nchsten 100 Jahre mit mir verbringen wirst.
Without a complementizer: Ich hoffe, du verbringst die nchsten 100 Jahre mit mir.
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Harry - Gefangen in Der Zeit - Njemački Jezik

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Harry gefangen in der Zeit

Episode 001 Grammar