german i tutorial basic phrases, vocabulary and grammar
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1. BASIC PHRASESNEW!If you'd like to study these phrases (and their pronunciations) individually, please go toBasic German Phrases.Guten Morgengoot-en mor-genGood MorningGuten Taggoot-en tahkHello/Good DayGuten Abendgoot-en ah-bentGood Evening
Gute Nachtgoot-eh nakhtGood NightTag / Hallo / Servustahk / hah-loh / sair-voohsHi / Hello / Hi & Bye(Southern Germany & Austria)Auf Wiedersehenowf vee-dair-zaynGoodbye
Gr dich / Gr Gott!Hello! / Greetings!(Southern Germany & Austria)Tschs / Tschautchews / chowBye!Gehen wir!geh-en veerLet's go!
Bis spterbiss shpay-terSee you laterBis baldbiss bahltSee you soonBis morgenbiss mohr-genSee you tomorrow
Bittebih-tuhPleaseDanke (schn / sehr)dahn-kuh shurn/zairThank youBitteschnbih-tuh shurnYou're welcome
Es tut mir leid.ehs toot meer liteI'm sorryEntschuldigen Sieehnt-shool-dih-gun zeeExcuse meVerzeihungPardon me
Wie gehtes Ihnen?vee gayt es ee-nenHow are you? (formal)Wie geht's?vee gaytsHow are you? (informal)(Sehr) Gut / So lalazair goot / zo lahlah(Very) Good / OK
Schlecht /NichtGutshlekht / nisht gootBad / Not goodEs geht.ess gateI'm ok. (informal)Ja / Neinyah / nineYes / No
Wie heien Sie?vee hie-ssen zeeWhat's your name? (formal)Wie heit du?vee hiesst dooWhat's your name? (informal)Ich heie...ikh hie-ssuhMy name is... [I am called...]
Es freut mich.froyt mikhPleased to meet you.Gleichfalls.glykh-falsLikewise.Herr / Frau / Fruleinhair / frow / froi-lineMister / Misses / Miss
Woher kommenSie?vo-hair koh-men zeeWhere are you from? (formal)Woher kommst du?vo-hair kohmst dooWhere are you from? (informal)Ich komme aus...ikh koh-muh ows...I'm from...
Wo wohnen Sie?vo voh-nen zeeWhere do you live? (formal)Wo wohnst du?vo vohnst dooWhere do you live? (informal)Ich wohne in...ikh voh-nuh inI live in...
Wie alt sind Sie?vee alt zint zeeHow old are you? (formal)Wie alt bist du?vee alt bisst dooHow old are you? (informal)Ich bin ____ Jahre alt.ikh bin ____ yaa-reh altI am ____ years old.
Sprechen Sie deutsch?shpreck-en zee doytchDo you speak German? (formal)Sprichst du englisch?shprikhst doo eng-lishDoyou speak English? (informal)Ich spreche (kein)...ikh shpreck-uh kineI (don't) speak...
Verstehen Sie? / Verstehst du?fehr-shtay-en zee / fehr-shtayst dooDo you understand? (formal / informal)Ich verstehe (nicht).ikh fehr-shtay-eh nikhtI (don't) understand.Ich wei (nicht).ikh vise nikhtI (don't) know.
Knnen Sie mir helfen?ker-nen zee meer hell-fenCan you help me? (formal)Kannst dumir helfen?kahnst doo meer hell-fenCan you help me? (informal)Natrlich / Gernenah-tewr-likh / gair-nuhOf course / Gladly
Kann ich Ihnen helfen?kahn ikh ee-nen hell-fenMay I help you? (formal)Kann ich dir helfen?kahn ikh deer hell-fenMay I help you? (informal)Wie bitte?vee bih-tuhWhat? Pardon me?
Wie heit ___ auf deutsch?vee heist ___ owf doytchHow do you say___ in German?Wo ist / Wo sind... ?voh ist / voh zintWhere is / Where are... ?Es gibt...ess geeptThere is / are...
Was ist los?vahs ist lohsWhat's the matter?Das macht nichts.dass makht nikhtsIt doesn't matter.Das ist mir egal.dass ist meer eh-gahlI don't care.
Keine Angst!ky-nuh ahngstDon't worry!Ich habe es vergessen.ikh hah-buh ess fehr-geh-senI forgot.Jetzt muss ich gehen.yetz mooss ikh geh-enI must go now.
Ich habe Hunger / Durst.ikh hah-buh hoong-er / dirstI'm hungry / thirsty.Ich bin krank / mde.ikh bin krahnk moo-duhI'm sick / tired.Ich habe Langeweile.ikh hah-buh lahn-guh-vy-luhI'm bored.
Ich mchte / Ich htte gern...ikh merkh-tuh / ikh heh-tuh gairnI'd like...Das gefllt mir.dahs geh-fehlt meerI like it.Prima / Toll / Super!pree-mah / tohl / zoo-pairGreat / Fantastic!
Gesundheit!geh-soont-hytBless you!Herzlichen Glckwunsch!herts-likh-en glewk-voonshCongratulations!Sei ruhig!zy roo-hikhBe quiet! (informal)
Willkommen!vil-koh-menWelcome!Viel Glck!feel glewkGood luck!Schauen Sie mal! / Schau mal!show-en zee mal / show malLook! (formal / informal)
Bitte schn?Yes? / What would you like to order?Was darf's sein?What can I get you? / How can I help you?Sonst noch etwas?Anything else?
Bitte schn.Here you go. (handing something to someone)Zahlen bitte!The check, please!Stimmt so.Keep the change.
Ich bin satt.I'm full.Mir ist schlecht.I feel sick.Es tut mir weh.It hurts.
Ich liebe dich.ikh leeb-uh dikhI love you. (informal)Du fehlst mir.I miss you. (informal)Alles ist in Ordnung.Everything is fine.
Wie wre es mit ... ?How about...?Was fr ein...?What kind of (a)...?Nichtwahr?[general tag question]
Ichis not actually pronouncedikh, unless you are speaking a northern dialect of German.If you are speaking a southern dialect, then it is more likeish. There is no equivalent sound in English. In standard German, it is somewhere between ish and ikh. Technically, it is a voiceless palatal fricative and its voiced counterpart is the y sound in yes.
2. PRONUNCIATIONGerman VowelsEnglish Pronunciation
[i]vielmeet, eat
[y]khlee rounded / long vowel
[]Tischmitt, it
[]hbschih rounded / short vowel
[e]Teemate, wait
[]schnay rounded / long vowel
[]Bettmet, wet
[]zwlfeh rounded / short vowel
[a]Mannmop, not
[]kamah / longer vowel than [a]
[u]gutboot, suit
[]mussput, soot
[o]Sohncoat, goat
[]Stockcaught, bought
[]bittecut, what
[]Wetteruhr / also short vowel like []
Highlighted vowels do not exist in English.Notice that words spelled withandcan be pronounced with a long or short vowel, so determining the pronunciation based on the spelling is not possible. The other umlauted letter,, is generally pronounced as [e], though it can be pronounced as [] in some dialects. A general rule for pronunciation, however, states that the short vowels / / must be followed by a consonant, whereas the long vowels / i y u e o / can occur at the end of the syllable or word.German DiphthongsEnglish Pronunciation
[a]ein, meineye, buy, why
[a]auf, kaufencow, now, how
[]neu, Gebudetoy, boy, foil
German ConsonantsThere are a few German consonants that do not exist in English, and some consonant combinations that are not common in English. Notice that the pronunciation of the German r changes according to the location in the countries that speak German, i.e. [R] in northern Germany and [r] in southern Germany, Austria and Switzerland.SpellingIPASample wordsHow to pronounce:
ch (with vowels e and i)[]Chemie, mich,nichtMake yuh sound voiceless (no vibration of vocal cords)
ch (with vowels a, o, u)[x]Buch, lachen, kochenMake kuh sound a fricative (continuous airflow)
pf[pf]Apfel, Pferd, PfannePronounce together as one sound
z[ts]Zeit, Zug,TanzPronounce together as one sound
j[j]ja, Januar, Jungeyuh
qu[kv]Quote, Quiz, Quittekv
st / sp (at beginning of syllable)[t] / [p]Stadt, sprechensht / shp
sch[]schenken, schlafensh
th[t]Theater, Thront
v[f]Vater, verbotenf
w[v]Wasser, warmv
[s]Strae, gros
s (before vowel)[z]Salz, seit, Sitzz
In addition, the sounds [b], [d], and [g] lose their voicing at the end of a syllable, so they are pronounced as their voiceless counterparts [p], [t], and [k], respectively. However, the spelling does not reflect the pronunciation.StressStress generally falls on the first syllable of the word, except in words borrowed from other languages, where the stress falls on the last syllable (especially withFrench words.)
3. ALPHABETaahjyohtsess
bbaykkahttay
ctsayleluoo
ddaymemvfow
eaynenwvay
feffoohxeeks
ggayppayyirp-se-lon
hhahqkooztset
ieerehr
There is another letter in written German, (es-zet), pronounced like [s]. However, this letter is only used after long vowels or diphthongs, and it is not used at all in Switzerland.
4. NOUNS & CASESAll nouns have a gender in German, either masculine, feminine or neuter. There really isn't a lot of logic to which nouns are which gender, so you must memorize the gender of each noun. 1. Male persons or animals, the seasons, months, and days are allmasculine, as are nouns ending in -ant, -ast, -ich, -ig, -ismus, -ling, -or and -us. 2. Female persons or animals, and numerals are allfeminine, as are nouns ending in -a, -anz, -ei, -enz, -heit, -ie, -ik, -in, -keit, -schaft, -sion, -sis, -tt, -tion, -ung and -ur. 3. Young persons or animals, metals, chemical elements, letters of the alphabet, hotels, restaurants, cinemas, continents, countries and provinces are allneuter, as are nouns that end in -chen, -icht, -il, -it, -lein, -ma, -ment, -tel, -tum, and -um. Nouns referring to things that end in -al, -an, -ar, -t, -ent, -ett, -ier, -iv, -o and -on, as well as most words with the prefix ge- and most nouns ending in -nis and -sal are also neuter. All nouns in German are capitalized in writing.All nouns (as well as pronouns and adjectives)have a case depending on what function they serve in the sentence. These may seem strange, but remember that English uses cases also; however, we would say direct object instead of accusative, or indirect object instead of dative. Although these cases may make learning new words difficult, they actually help with word order because the position of words in a sentence is not as fixed in German as it is in English. And the reason for that is because words can occur in these four cases:Nominativesubject of the sentenceThe girlis reading.
Accusativedirect objectsWe seethe mountain.I boughta gift.
Dativeindirect objectsWe talktothe guide.I gavemy moma gift.
Genitiveindicates possession or relationshipThe bookofthe girl.Thedog'stail.
The nouns you look up in a dictionary will be in the nominative case.
5. ARTICLES & DEMONSTRATIVESDefinite Articles (The)
MasculineFeminineNeuterPlural
Nominativeder(dare)die(dee)das(dahs)die
Accusativeden(dane)diedasdie
Dativedem(dame)derdemden
Genitivedes(dess)derdesder
Indefinite Articles (A, An)
MasculineFeminineNeuter
Nom.ein(ine)eine(ine-uh)ein
Acc.einen(ine-en)eineein
Dat.einem(ine-em)einer(ine-er)einem
Gen.eines(ine-es)einereines
Demonstratives (This, That, These, Those)
This / TheseThat /Those
Masc.Fem.Neu.Pl.Masc.Fem.Neu.Pl.
Nom.dieserdiesediesesdiesederdiedasdie
Acc.diesendiesediesesdiesedendiedasdie
Dat.diesemdieserdiesemdiesendemderdemden
Gen.diesesdieserdiesesdieserdesderdesder
Jeneris an older word found in written German that was used to mean that or those, but today in spoken German the definite articles are used. Dortordamay accompany the definite articles for emphasis. Dasis also a universal demonstrative and therefore shows no agreement. Notice the last letter of each of the words above. They correspond to the last letters of the words for the definite articles. Words that are formed this same way are calledder-wordsbecause they follow the pattern of the der-die-das declension. Other der-words are: jeder-every, andwelcher-which. Mancher(many) andsolcher(such) are also der-words, but they are used almost always in the plural.
6. SUBJECT (NOMINATIVE) PRONOUNSSubject Pronouns
ichikhIwirveerwe
dudooyou (familiar)ihreeryou (all)
er, sie, es, manair, zee, ess, mahnhe, she, it, onesie, Siezeethey, you (formal)
Mancan be translated as one, we, they or the people in general. When referring to nouns asit, you useerfor masculine nouns,siefor feminine nouns andesfor neuter nouns. However, the definite articlesder, dieanddascan be substituted forer, sieandesto show more emphasis.
7. TO BE, TO HAVE, & TO BECOME
Present tense of sein - to be(zine)
I amich binikh binwe arewir sindveer zint
you are (familiar)du bistdoo bihstyou (plural) areihr seideer zide
he/she/it iser/sie/es istair/zee/ess isstthey/you (formal) aresie/Sie sindzee zint
Past tense of sein
I wasich warikh varwe werewir warenveer vah-ren
you were (familiar)du warstdoo varstyou (plural) wereihr warteer vart
he/she/it waser/sie/es warair/zee/es varthey/you (formal) weresie/Sie warenzee vah-ren
Present tense of haben - to have(hah-ben)
ich habehah-buhwirhabenhah-ben
du hasthahstihrhabthahbt
er/sie/es hathahtsie/Siehabenhah-ben
Past tense of haben
ich hattehah-tuhwirhattenhah-ten
du hattesthah-testihrhattethah-tet
er/sie/es hattehah-tuhsie/Siehattenhah-ten
Present tense of werden - to become(vair-den)
ich werdevair-duhwirwerdenvair-den
du wirstveerstihrwerdetvair-det
er/sie/es wirdveertsie/Siewerdenvair-den
Past tense of werden
ich wurdevoor-duhwirwurdenvoor-den
du wurdestvoor-destihrwurdetvoor-det
er/sie/es wurdevoor-duhsie/Siewurdenvoor-den
Habenis frequently used in expressions that would normally taketo bein English.Ich habe Hunger.= I am hungry.Ich hatte Durst.= I was thirsty.Ich habe Langeweile.= I am bored.Ich hatte Heimweh. = I was homesick.Ich habe Angst.= I am afraid.In everyday speech, the final -e on the ich conjugations can be dropped:ich hab'orhab' ich
8. USEFUL WORDSandundoontisn't it?nichtwahr?nikhtvahr
butaberah-bertoo badschadeshah-duh
verysehrzairgladlygerngehrn
oroderoh-derimmediatelysofortzoh-fort
herehierheresure(ly)sicher(lich)zikh-er-likh
alsoauchowkhbut, rathersondernzohn-dehrn
bothbeideby-duhfinallyschlielichshleess-likh
someetwaseht-vahssright!stimmtshtimt
onlynurnooranywayberhauptoo-ber-howpt
againwiedervee-derenoughgenugguh-nook
hopefullyhoffentlichhoh-fent-likhexact(ly)genauguh-now
betweenzwischenzvish-ensometimesmanchmalmahnch-mal
thereforedeshalbdes-halpalwaysimmerim-er
alot, manyviel(e)feel(uh)nevernienee
reallywirklichveerk-lishoftenoftohft
togetherzusammentsoo-zah-menof courseklarklahr
allalleahl-luhperhapsvielleichtfee-likht
nowjetztyetstalittleein bisschenine biss-khen
soalsoal-zohalittleein wenigine vay-nikh
anothernoch einnohkh inenot at allgar nichtgarnikht
alreadyschonshonenot a bitkein bisschenkine biss-khen
Es gibtis commonly used to meanthere is/areand it is always followed by theaccusative case.
9. QUESTION WORDSWhowervehrWhom (acc.)wenvain
WhatwasvahsWhom (dat.)wemvaim
Whywarumvah-roomHow comewiesovee-zo
WhenwannvahnWhere fromwohervo-hair
WherewovohWhere towohinvo-hin
HowwieveeWhichwelche/-r/-svelsh-uh/er/es
10. NUMBERS / DIE NUMMERN0nullnool
1einsines1sterste
2zweitsvy2ndzweite
3dreidry3rddritte
4vierfeer4thvierte
5fnffewnf5thfnfte
6sechszecks6thsechste
7siebenzee-bun7thsiebte
8achtahkht8thachte
9neunnoyn9thneunte
10zehntsayn10thzehnte
11elfelf11thelfte
12zwlftsvurlf12thzwlfte
13dreizehndry-tsayn13thdreizehnte
14vierzehnfeer-tsayn14thvierzehnte
15fnfzehnfewnf-tsayn15thfnfzehnte
16sechzehnzeck-tsayn16thsechzehnte
17siebzehnzeep-tsayn17thsiebzehnte
18achtzehnahkh-tsayn18thachtzehnte
19neunzehnnoyn-tsayn19thneunzehnte
20zwanzigtsvahn-tsikh20thzwanzigste
21einundzwanzigine-oont-tsvahn-tsikh21steinundzwanzigste
22zweiundzwanzigtsvy-oont-tsvahn-tsikh22ndzweiundzwanzigste
23dreiundzwanzigdry-oont-tsvahn-tsikh23rddreiundzwanzigste
24vierundzwanzigfeer-oont-tsvahn-tsikh24thvierundzwanzigste
30dreiigdry-sikh30thdreiigste
40vierzigfeer-tsikh40thvierzigste
50fnfzigfewnf-tsikh50thfnfzigste
60sechzigzekh-tsikh60thsechzigste
70siebzigzeep-tsikh70thsiebzigste
80achtzigahkh-tsikh80thachtzigste
90neunzignoyn-tsikh90thneunzigste
100(ein)hundertine-hoon-duhrt
1,000(ein)tausendine-tow-zuhnt
Sometimes zwo(tsvoh)is used instead of zwei to avoid confusion with drei when talking on the telephone. The use of commas and periods is switched in German, though a space is commonly used to separate thousandths, i.e. 1,000 would be 1 000. When saying telephone numbers, you can either say each number individually or group them in twos. For years, you use the hundreds: 1972 is neunzehn hundert zweiundsiebzig; or the thousands: 2005 is zwei tausend fnf.Wann sind Sie geboren?When were you born?Ich bin in 1982 geboren.I was born in 1982.
11. DAYS OF THE WEEK / DIE TAGEMondayMontagmohn-tahk
TuesdayDienstagdeens-tahk
WednesdayMittwochmit-vock
ThursdayDonnerstagdon-ers-tahk
FridayFreitagfry-tahk
Saturday(N & E Germany)SamstagSonnabendzahms-tahkzon-nah-bent
SundaySonntagzon-tahk
dayder Tag (-e)dehr tahk
morningder Morgen (-)mawr-gun
afternoonder Nachmittag (-e)nakh-mih-tahk
eveningder Abend (-e)ah-bunt
nightdie Nacht (, -e)nahkt
todayheutehoy-tuh
tomorrowmorgenmawr-gun
tonightheute Abendhoy-tuh ah-bunt
yesterdaygesterngeh-stairn
last nightgestern Abendgeh-stairn ah-bunt
weekdie Woche (-n)voh-kuh
weekenddas Wochenende (-n)voh-ken-en-duh
dailytglichteh-glikh
weeklywchentlichwer-khent-likh
To sayona certain day or the weekend, useam. Add an -s to the day to express "on Mondays, Tuesdays, etc." All days, months and seasons are masculine so they all use the same form of these words: jeden- every,nchsten- next,letzten- last (as in the last of a series),vorigen- previous. In der Wocheis the expression for "during the week" in Northern and Eastern Germany, whileunter der Wocheis used in Southern Germany, Austria and Switzerland.
12. MONTHS OF THE YEAR / DIE MONATEJanuaryJanuaryah-noo-ahr
(Austria)Jnneryeh-ner
FebruaryFebruarfay-broo-ahr
MarchMrzmehrts
AprilAprilah-pril
MayMaimy
JuneJuniyoo-nee
JulyJuliyoo-lee
AugustAugustow-goost
SeptemberSeptemberzehp-tehm-ber
OctoberOktoberok-toh-ber
NovemberNovemberno-vehm-ber
DecemberDezemberdeh-tsem-ber
monthder Monat (-e)moh-naht
yeardas Jahr (-e)yaar
monthlymonatlichmoh-naht-likh
yearlyjhrlichjehr-likh
To sayina certain month, useim.Wann hast du Geburtstag?When is your birthday?Mein Geburtstag ist im Mai.My birthday is in May.
13. SEASONS / DIE JAHRESZEITENWinterder Winterdehr vin-ter
Springder Frhlingdehr frew-ling
Summerder Sommerdehr zom-mer
Autumnder Herbstdehr hehrpst
To sayin the+ a season, useim.
14. DIRECTIONS / DIE RICHTUNGENrightrechts
leftlinks
straightgeradeaus
Northder Norden
Southder Sden
Eastder Osten
Westder Westen
imNorden = in the NorthnachOsten = to the EastausWesten = from the West
15. COLORS & SHAPES / DIE FARBEN & DIE FORMENorangeorangesquaredas Viereck
pinkrosacircleder Kreis
purpleviolett / lilatriangledas Dreieck
blueblaurectangledas Rechteck
yellowgelbovaldas Oval
redrotoctagondas Achteck
blackschwarzcubeder Wrfel
brownbraunspheredieKugel
graygrauconeder Kegel
whiteweicylinderderZylinder
greengrn
turquoisetrkis
beigebeige
silversilber
goldgold
Because colors are adjectives, they must agree in gender and number with the noun they describe if they are placed before the noun. However, not all adjectives agree, such as colors ending in -a or -e; nor do they agree when they are used as predicate adjectives. More aboutAdjectives in German III. To say that a color islight, puthell-before it, and to say that a color isdark, putdunkel-before it.Das Viereck ist braun.The square is brown.Das Rechteck ist hellblau.The rectange is light blue.
16. TIME / DIE ZEITWhat time is it?Wie spt ist es?vee shpayt isst ess
(It is) 2 AMEs ist zwei Uhr nachtsess ist tsvy oor nahkts
2 PMEs ist zwei Uhr nachmittagstsvy oor nahk-mih-tahks
6:20Es ist sechs Uhr zwanzigzex oor tsvahn-tsikh
half past 3Es ist halb vierhahlp feer
quarter past 4Es ist Viertelnach vierfeer-tel nahk feer
quarter to 5Es ist Viertel vor fnffeer-telfor fewnf
10 past 11Es ist zehn nach elftsyan nahk elf
20 to 7Es ist zwanzig vor siebentsvahn-tsikh for zee-bun
noonEs ist nachmittagnakh-mih-tahk
midnightEs ist mitternachtmih-ter-nahk
in the morningmorgens / frhmawr-guns / frew
in the eveningabendsaah-bunts
It's exactly...Es ist genau...ess ist guh-now
At 8.Um 8 Uhr.oom akht oor
early(ier)frh(er)frew(er)
late(r)spt(er)shpayt(er)
Official time, such as for bus and train schedules, always uses the 24 hour clock. Notice thathalb+ number meanshalf to, nothalf past, so you have to use the hour that comes next.
17. WEATHER / DAS WETTERHow's theweather today?Wie ist das Wetter heute?vie ist dahs vet-ter hoy-tuh
It's hotEs ist heiess isst hise
It's coldEs ist kaltess isst kahlt
It's beautifulEs ist schness isst shern
It's badEs ist schlechtess isst shlehkt
It's clearEs ist klaress isst klahr
It's icyEs ist eisigess isst ise-ikh
It's warmEs ist warmess isst varm
It's sunnyEs ist sonnigess isst zohn-ikh
It's windyEs ist windigess isst vin-dikh
It's cloudyEs ist bewlktess isst beh-verlkt
It's hazyEs ist dunstigess isst doons-tikh
It's muggyEs ist schwless isst schvool
It's humidEs ist feuchtess isst foikht
It's foggyEs ist nebeligess isst neh-beh-likh
It's snowingEs schneitess schnite
It's rainingEs regnetess rayg-net
It's freezingEs friertess freert
It looks like rain.Es sieht nach Regen aus.es seet nahkh ray-gen ows
The weather is clearingDas Wetter klrt sich auf.dahs vett-er klairt sikh owf
18. FAMILY / DIE FAMILIEParentsdie ElternRelativeder Verwandte (-n)
Motherdie Mutter ()Mander Mann (, -er)
Fatherder Vater ()Sir / Misterder Herr (-en)
Sonder Sohn (, -e)Woman / Ma'am / Mrs. / Ms.die Frau (-en)
Daughterdie Tochter ()Husbandder Ehemann (, -er)
Brotherder Bruder ()Wifedie Ehefrau (-en)
Sisterdie Schwester (-n)Boyder Junge (-n)
Grandparentsdie GroelternGirldas Mdchen (-)
Grandfatherder Grovater ()Grandpader Opa (-s)
Grandmotherdie Gromutter ()Grandmadie Oma (-s)
Grandchildrendie EnkelkinderDadder Vati
Grandsonder Enkel (-)Momdie Mutti
Granddaughter die Enkelin (-nen)Friend (m)der Freund (-e)
Niecedie Nichte (-n)Friend (f)die Freundin (-nen)
Nephewder Neffe (-n)Partner / Significant Other (m)der Partner (-)
Cousin (m)der Vetter (-n)Partner / Significant Other (f)die Partnerin (-nen)
Cousin (f)die Kusine (-n)Marital Statusder Familienstand
Uncleder Onkel (-)Singleledig
Auntdie Tante (-n)Marriedverheiratet
Siblingsdie GeschwisterDivorcedgeschieden
Babydas Baby (-s)Malemnnlich
Godfatherder Pate (-n)Femaleweiblich
Godmotherdie Patin (-nen)Childdas Kind (-er)
Step-der/die Stief-Toddlerdas Kleinkind (-er)
-in-lawder/die Schwieger-Teenagerder Teenager (-)
Brother-in-lawder Schwager ()Adultder Erwachsene (-n)
Sister-in-lawdie Schwgerin (-nen)Twinder Zwilling (-e)
The letters in parentheses indicate the plural form of the noun. Notice that sometimes an umlaut is placed over the main vowel of the word in the plural. For example,der Mannis singular (the man) anddie Mnneris plural (the men). For step- and -in-law relations, just addStief-orSchwieger-before the main person, except in the case of brother-in-law and sister-in-law noted above. The plurals follow the pattern for the main person, i.e.die Schwiegermutter(singular) anddie Schwiegermtter(plural)
19. TO KNOW PEOPLE & FACTSkennen - to know peoplewissen - to know facts
ich kenneken-nuhwir kennenken-nunich weivisewir wissenvih-sun
du kennstkenstihr kenntkentdu weitvistihr wisstvihst
er/sie/es kenntkentsie/Sie kennenken-nuner/sie/es weivisesie/Sie wissenvih-sun
Kennen is a regular verb, while wissen is irregular in the present tense. Youmustuse the subject pronouns (ich, du, er...); however, I will leave them out of future conjugations.
20. FORMATION OF PLURAL NOUNSPlural nouns in German are unpredictable, so it's best to memorize the plural form with the singular. However, here are some rules that can help:1.Femininenouns usually add-nor-en. Nouns that end in-in(such as the female equivalents of masculine nouns) add-nen.eine Lampezwei Lampen
eine Trzwei Tren
eine Studentinzwei Studentinnen
eine Gabelzwei Gabeln
2.Masculineandneuternouns usually add-eor-er. Many masculine plural nouns ending in-eadd an umlaut as well, but neuter plural nouns ending in-edon't. Plurals that end in-eradd an umlaut when the stem vowel isa, o , uorau.MasculineNeuter
ein Rockzwei Rckeein Heftzwei Hefte
ein Mannzwei Mnnerein Buchzwei Bcher
3.Masculineandneutersingular nouns that end in-ereither add an umlaut or change nothing at all. Many nouns with a stem vowel ofa, o, uorauadd an umlaut.Masculineandneutersingular nouns that end in-elalso add nothing at all (with three exceptions: Pantoffel, Stachel, Muskel).MasculineNeuter
ein Bruderzwei Brderein Fensterzwei Fenster
ein Kegelzwei Kegelein Mittelzwei Mittel
4. Nouns that end in a vowel other than an unstressed -e and nouns of foreign origin add-s.ein Hobbyzwei Hobbys
ein Hotelzwei Hotels