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German grammar course · A1→A2 · self-contained, works offline · companion to the practice worksheets
A1 → A2A1 · Lektion 01
Articles & gender — der / die / das
How German nouns carry a gender, and how der, die, das, ein and eine match that noun.
What is grammatical gender?
Grammatical gender means that every German noun belongs to one of three groups: masculine, feminine, or neuter. The group decides which word you use for “the”: der, die, or das.
English says “the table”, “the door”, “the book”. German says der Tisch, die Tür, das Buch. The article is part of the noun you learn.
The gender is grammar, not biology. A person can have a logical gender, but many things do not: die Tasche is feminine, der Tisch is masculine, and das Mädchen is neuter. Learn each noun with its article from the beginning.
English vs German
English has one definite article, “the”, and one indefinite article, “a/an”. German has three basic definite articles in the Nominativ: der, die, das. For “a/an”, German uses ein with masculine and neuter nouns, and eine with feminine nouns. In the plural, “the” is always die.
The basic articles in the Nominativ
Gender
English
Definite article
Indefinite article
masculine
the man / a man
der Mann
ein Mann
feminine
the woman / a woman
die Frau
eine Frau
neuter
the child / a child
das Kind
ein Kind
plural
the children
die Kinder
no plain plural for ein
Everyday nouns to learn with the article
Masculine: der
Feminine: die
Neuter: das
der Tisch
die Tasche
das Buch
der Stuhl
die Tür
das Auto
der Hund
die Katze
das Kind
der Lehrer
die Frage
das Haus
der Kaffee
die Schule
das Zimmer
Examples
The table is big.Der Tisch ist groß.
The door is open.Die Tür ist offen.
The book is new.Das Buch ist neu.
I have a question.Ich habe eine Frage.
Cheat-sheet
Learn the noun with its article: der Tisch, not only Tisch.
die can mean feminine singular or plural. The noun and verb show which one it is.
For “a/an”, use ein with masculine and neuter nouns, but eine with feminine nouns.
Gender is grammatical. Do not guess from English meaning alone.
In the Akkusativ, only masculine articles change: der → den, ein → einen.
Practice timer00:00
Übung — practise it
Answer each one. Get it wrong and you’ll see exactly why. Your progress saves automatically.
Warm-up — what is an article?
1
In “the book”, which word is the article?
the
An article stands before a noun and tells you something about that noun. In German, that little word also tells you the noun’s gender.
2
German has three basic words for “the” in the Nominativ. Which set is correct?
der, die, das
der, die, das are the three definite articles for masculine, feminine and neuter nouns in the Nominativ.
3
The gender of a German noun is mainly …
part of German grammar
Gender belongs to the noun in German grammar. Some people words are logical, but many everyday nouns must simply be learned with der, die or das.
4
True or false: every German noun has a grammatical gender.
True
Every German noun is masculine, feminine or neuter. That gender controls the article and later many endings.
5
The three basic German words for “the” are der, die and ___.
das
das is the neuter definite article, as in das Kind or das Buch.
6
Which is the best way to learn the German word for “table”?
der Tisch
Learning der Tisch gives you the noun and its gender together. Learning only Tisch leaves out information you need for correct sentences.
7
True or false: “die” can be feminine singular and also plural.
True
die Frau is feminine singular, but die Kinder is plural. The form die does both jobs.
8
A German noun’s article tells you its ___.
gender
The article is the visible signal for grammatical gender: der for masculine, die for feminine, das for neuter.
Der, die, das — the three genders
9
___ Mann ist nett. (the man)
Der
Mann is masculine, so the Nominativ article is der: Der Mann ist nett.
10
___ Frau ist freundlich. (the woman)
Die
Frau is feminine, so the article is die. Do not use der just because “person” feels important.
11
___ Kind ist klein. (the child)
Das
Kind is neuter, so it takes das. Grammatical gender is the rule here.
12
Give the definite article: ___ Tisch
der
Tisch is masculine: der Tisch. Learn it as a unit.
13
Give the definite article: ___ Tasche
die
Tasche is feminine: die Tasche. The -e ending is common for many feminine nouns, but still learn the article.
14
Give the definite article: ___ Buch
das
Buch is neuter: das Buch. The article is not optional in a simple sentence like Das Buch ist neu.
15
Which phrase is correct?
der Stuhl
Stuhl is masculine, so the correct phrase is der Stuhl.
16
Which phrase is correct?
die Tür
Tür is feminine, so it takes die. The article must match the noun’s own gender.
17
Which phrase is correct?
das Auto
Auto is neuter in German: das Auto. Do not infer gender from the English word.
18
___ Hund schläft. (the dog)
Der
Hund is masculine, and it is the subject here, so use der.
19
___ Katze schläft. (the cat)
Die
Katze is feminine, so the correct article is die.
20
___ Haus ist alt. (the house)
Das
Haus is neuter: das Haus. The noun’s gender, not English meaning, decides the article.
Ein and eine — saying a or an
21
___ Mann kommt. (a man)
Ein
Mann is masculine and the subject, so “a man” is ein Mann.
22
___ Frau kommt. (a woman)
Eine
Frau is feminine, so “a woman” is eine Frau. Feminine ein-words take -e in the Nominativ.
23
___ Kind spielt. (a child)
Ein
Kind is neuter, and neuter Nominativ uses ein, the same form as masculine.
24
a table = ___ Tisch
ein
Tisch is masculine, so “a table” is ein Tisch in the Nominativ.
25
a question = ___ Frage
eine
Frage is feminine, so the indefinite article is eine.
26
a book = ___ Buch
ein
Buch is neuter, so “a book” is ein Buch.
27
Which phrase means “a school”?
eine Schule
Schule is feminine, so it needs eine. The form einen is masculine accusative, not feminine.
28
Which phrase means “a room”?
ein Zimmer
Zimmer is neuter. Neuter Nominativ and Akkusativ use ein.
29
True or false: masculine and neuter both use ein in the Nominativ.
True
In the Nominativ, masculine is ein Mann and neuter is ein Kind. Feminine is the one that adds -e: eine Frau.
30
Which sentence is correct?
Das ist ein Auto.
Auto is neuter, and after Das ist the noun is still in the Nominativ: ein Auto.
Plural — die and no plain ein
31
___ Kinder spielen. (the children)
Die
Plural nouns use die for “the”, no matter what the singular gender was: die Kinder.
32
___ Bücher sind neu. (the books)
Die
Plural “the” is always die. The singular is das Buch, but the plural is die Bücher.
33
the cars = ___ Autos
die
Plural definite article is die: die Autos. German does not keep das in the plural.
34
Which phrase is correct for “the teachers”?
die Lehrer
As a plural phrase, “the teachers” is die Lehrer. The form der Lehrer can mean “the teacher” in the singular.
35
True or false: German has a normal plural of ein that means “a children”.
False
English also does not say “a children”. German uses plural nouns without ein, or words like keine when negating.
36
Which is correct for “children are here”?
Kinder sind hier.
For an indefinite plural, German normally uses no article: Kinder sind hier. There is no simple plural ein.
37
Which phrase can mean “the students”?
die Studenten
Plural definite article is die: die Studenten. The article marks the noun phrase as plural.
38
the questions = ___ Fragen
die
Fragen is plural, so “the questions” is die Fragen, even though singular is die Frage too.
Subject or object — the one early change
39
Ich sehe ___ Mann. (the man, direct object)
den
Mann is masculine and is being seen, so it is the direct object. Masculine der changes to den in the Akkusativ.
40
Ich sehe ___ Frau. (the woman)
die
Feminine die does not change in the Akkusativ. Only masculine has the visible der → den change.
41
Ich sehe ___ Kind. (the child)
das
Neuter das stays das in the Akkusativ. The object role does not change this form.
42
Ich habe ___ Hund. (a dog, direct object)
einen
Hund is masculine and direct object, so ein changes to einen. This is the matching change to der → den.
43
Ich habe ___ Tasche. (a bag)
eine
Tasche is feminine. Feminine eine stays the same for a direct object.
44
Ich habe ___ Auto. (a car)
ein
Auto is neuter, so the article is ein. Neuter does not take -en in the Akkusativ.
45
True or false: in the Akkusativ, feminine and neuter articles stay the same.
True
Correct. The early rule is simple: only masculine changes in the Akkusativ; feminine, neuter and plural keep the same article forms.
46
Ich kaufe ___ Kaffee. (a coffee; der Kaffee)
einen
Kaffee is masculine, and it is the direct object of kaufe, so ein becomes einen.
Build the phrase and sentence
47
Which sentence is correct?
Der Tisch ist groß.
Tisch is masculine, so the subject phrase is der Tisch. The adjective groß does not change after ist.
48
Which sentence is correct?
Ich habe eine Frage.
Frage is feminine, and feminine eine stays eine as a direct object.
49
Build: “The child is here.”
Das Kind ist hier
Kind is neuter, so the sentence starts Das Kind. The verb ist is second.
50
Build: “A woman is coming.”
Eine Frau kommt
Frau is feminine, so “a woman” is Eine Frau. The subject comes before the verb in this plain sentence.
51
Build: “I see the dog.”
Ich sehe den Hund
Hund is masculine and direct object, so der changes to den: Ich sehe den Hund.
52
Build: “I have a book.”
Ich habe ein Buch
Buch is neuter, and neuter direct objects use ein: Ich habe ein Buch.
How German turns one noun into more than one, and why the plural article is almost always die.
What is a noun plural?
A noun plural is the form you use when there is more than one thing: one book, two books; one child, three children.
English often adds -s. German has several plural endings: der Tisch → die Tische, das Kind → die Kinder, die Frau → die Frauen.
The useful beginner rule is this: learn every noun with its article and its plural. The plural article is normally die, no matter what the singular gender was.
English vs German
English mostly uses one visible plural ending: -s. German uses several common families, and some plurals add an umlaut: der Stuhl → die Stühle, das Buch → die Bücher. Do not guess from English spelling. Learn singular + plural as one vocabulary item.
Common plural families
Pattern
Singular
Plural
Common use
-e, sometimes + umlaut
der Tisch
die Tische
many masculine nouns
-er, often + umlaut
das Buch
die Bücher
many neuter nouns
-(e)n
die Frau
die Frauen
many feminine nouns
-s
das Auto
die Autos
loanwords and short modern words
no ending, sometimes + umlaut
der Lehrer / der Apfel
die Lehrer / die Äpfel
many nouns ending in -er, -el, -en
Plural article
Singular
Plural
der Tisch
die Tische
die Tasche
die Taschen
das Kind
die Kinder
ein Auto
Autos / die Autos
Examples
one book, two booksein Buch, zwei Bücher
The children are playing.Die Kinder spielen.
I have three questions.Ich habe drei Fragen.
The cars are new.Die Autos sind neu.
Cheat-sheet
The plural article is normally die: der Tisch → die Tische, das Kind → die Kinder.
There is no single German plural ending. Learn the plural with the noun.
Many feminine nouns use -(e)n: die Frau → die Frauen, die Frage → die Fragen.
Many neuter nouns use -er, often with an umlaut: das Buch → die Bücher, das Haus → die Häuser.
Some nouns look unchanged in the plural: der Lehrer → die Lehrer, das Mädchen → die Mädchen.
Practice timer00:00
Übung — practise it
Answer each one. Get it wrong and you’ll see exactly why. Your progress saves automatically.
Warm-up — one thing or more than one
1
A plural noun means …
more than one thing
A plural is the noun form for two or more: books, children, questions. It is not a verb form and it does not tell you whether the sentence is a question.
2
Which German article normally marks a plural noun?
die
German plural nouns normally use die as the definite article, even when the singular was der or das: der Tisch → die Tische, das Kind → die Kinder.
3
True or false: every German noun forms its plural by adding -s.
False
German has several plural patterns. -s exists, as in die Autos, but many common nouns use -e, -er, -(e)n, an umlaut, or no ending.
4
The plural article for das Kind is ___ Kinder.
die
The singular article is das, but the plural definite article is die: das Kind → die Kinder.
5
Which pair means “the child / the children”?
das Kind / die Kinder
Kind is neuter in the singular: das Kind. Its plural is die Kinder with the common neuter -er plural.
The main plural families
6
Plural of der Tisch?
die Tische
Tisch is a common masculine noun with an -e plural: der Tisch → die Tische. Do not add English-style -s here.
7
Plural of die Frau = die ___
Frauen
Most feminine nouns add -(e)n. Frau takes -en: die Frau → die Frauen.
8
Plural of das Auto?
die Autos
Auto is a loanword and uses the common -s plural: das Auto → die Autos.
9
Plural of der Lehrer?
die Lehrer
Many nouns ending in -er do not add a visible plural ending. The article changes: der Lehrer → die Lehrer.
10
Plural of die Frage = die ___
Fragen
Frage is feminine and ends in -e, so the plural adds -n: die Frage → die Fragen.
Umlaut plurals
11
Plural of das Buch?
die Bücher
Buch has the plural Bücher: it adds -er and changes u to ü. Both parts matter.
12
Plural of der Apfel?
die Äpfel
Apfel has no added ending, but it does add an umlaut: der Apfel → die Äpfel.
13
Plural of der Stuhl = die ___
Stühle
Stuhl takes an -e plural and changes u to ü: der Stuhl → die Stühle.
14
Which pair is correct?
das Haus / die Häuser
Haus has a common neuter -er plural with umlaut: das Haus → die Häuser.
15
True or false: an umlaut can be part of the plural form.
True
Many German plurals change the vowel as well as the ending: Buch → Bücher, Stuhl → Stühle, Apfel → Äpfel.
Using plurals in sentences
16
Which sentence is correct?
Die Kinder spielen.
Kinder is plural, so it takes the plural article die and the plural verb form spielen. Das Kind spielt would be singular.
17
Ich habe zwei ___. (book = das Buch)
Bücher
After a number above one, use the plural noun: zwei Bücher. Buch changes to Bücher in the plural.
18
Die ___ sind neu. (car = das Auto)
Autos
Auto takes the -s plural: die Autos. The verb sind also shows the subject is plural.
19
Wir haben drei ___. (question = die Frage)
Fragen
Frage forms its plural with -n: eine Frage, drei Fragen.
20
Which is correct for “the teachers are here”?
Die Lehrer sind hier.
Lehrer has the same form in singular and plural, but the plural article is die and the verb is sind.
Build the sentence
21
Build: “The children are playing in the park.”
Die Kinder spielen im Park
The plural subject is die Kinder, and the plural verb form is spielen. im Park is a simple place phrase at the end.
22
Build: “I have two books.”
Ich habe zwei Bücher
German uses the plural after zwei: zwei Bücher. The conjugated verb habe stays in position 2.
23
Build: “The cars are new.”
Die Autos sind neu
Auto takes the -s plural, and plural subjects use sind with sein: Die Autos sind neu.
24
Build: “We have many questions.”
Wir haben viele Fragen
Frage becomes Fragen in the plural. viele already shows “many”, so the noun must be plural.
25
Which sentence uses a correct plural?
Ich sehe zwei Männer.
Mann has the irregular plural Männer. After zwei, the singular Mann is not correct.
How German changes the verb ending for ich, du, er, wir, ihr, sie and Sie.
What is the present tense?
The present tense is the verb form you use for what happens now, happens regularly, or is generally true: I live here, she works today, we learn German.
English changes very little in the present: I work, you work, we work, but he works. German changes the ending for every person: ich wohne, du wohnst, er wohnt, wir wohnen.
To build most regular German present-tense forms, take the infinitive, remove -en, and add the right ending. For wohnen, the stem is wohn-: ich wohne, du wohnst, er wohnt.
English vs German
English usually uses the same verb form for several people: I live, you live, we live. German expects the verb ending to show the subject clearly. The usual regular endings are -e, -st, -t, -en, -t, -en. Some common verbs have stem changes or irregular forms, but the regular pattern is the base you use first.
Regular present tense endings with wohnen
Person
English
German
Ending
ich
I live
ich wohne
-e
du
you live
du wohnst
-st
er/sie/es
he/she/it lives
er wohnt
-t
wir
we live
wir wohnen
-en
ihr
you all live
ihr wohnt
-t
sie/Sie
they live / you live formally
sie wohnen / Sie wohnen
-en
Small spelling help
Verb type
Example
Reason
regular
du machst
mach- + -st
stem ends in -t or -d
du arbeitest
extra -e makes it pronounceable
stem ends in -s, -ß, -z
du heißt
no extra s in du form
common stem-change
du sprichst
some e vowels change to i or ie
Examples
I play football.Ich spiele Fußball.
We live in Berlin.Wir wohnen in Berlin.
Do you speak German?Sprichst du Deutsch?
She works today.Sie arbeitet heute.
Cheat-sheet
Regular pattern: ich -e, du -st, er/sie/es -t, wir -en, ihr -t, sie/Sie -en.
The wir and sie/Sie forms usually look exactly like the infinitive.
The du form is not just the English verb plus s. Use the German stem + -st.
If the stem ends in -t or -d, add an extra -e-: du arbeitest, er wartet.
Some very common verbs are irregular or change their vowel: sein, haben, sprechen, fahren, lesen.
Practice timer00:00
Übung — practise it
Answer each one. Get it wrong and you’ll see exactly why. Your progress saves automatically.
Warm-up — verb, stem, ending
1
In “ich wohne”, which word is the verb?
wohne
The verb names the action or state. Here wohne means “live” and ich tells you who does it.
2
The infinitive of “wohne” is …
wohnen
German dictionary forms normally end in -en. The conjugated form ich wohne comes from wohnen.
3
Remove -en from wohnen. The stem is ___.
wohn
The stem is what remains before you add person endings: wohn- + -e = wohne.
4
Regular present-tense endings change mainly to match …
the subject
The verb ending agrees with the subject: ich spiele, du spielst, er spielt.
5
True or false: German changes the present-tense verb ending for every person.
True
German uses different endings across the subject forms. English mostly changes only he/she/it, but German changes more consistently.
6
Which form is an infinitive?
machen
machen is the basic dictionary form ending in -en. The others are conjugated forms.
7
Remove -en from spielen. The stem is ___.
spiel
spielen loses -en to give spiel-. Then you add endings such as -e, -st or -t.
8
Which pair shows stem + ending correctly?
spiel + e = spiele
For ich, a regular verb uses the stem plus -e: spiel- + -e = spiele.
The regular endings
9
ich (wohnen) → ich ___
wohne
ich takes the regular ending -e: wohn- + -e = wohne.
10
du (wohnen) → du ___
wohnst
du takes -st: wohn- + -st = wohnst.
11
er (wohnen) → er ___
wohnt
er/sie/es takes -t: wohn- + -t = wohnt.
12
wir (wohnen) → wir ___
wohnen
wir takes -en, so the form looks like the infinitive: wohnen.
13
ihr (wohnen) → ihr ___
wohnt
ihr takes -t, the same visible ending as er/sie/es for regular verbs.
14
sie (they) (wohnen) → sie ___
wohnen
Plural sie takes -en, so it matches the infinitive: sie wohnen.
15
Which is correct for “I play”?
ich spiele
ich uses the -e ending. The -st ending belongs to du, and -t belongs to er/sie/es or ihr.
16
Which is correct for “you play” with du?
du spielst
du takes -st on a regular verb: spielst. This is not the same as English “you play” with no ending.
17
Which is correct for “she plays”?
sie spielt
Singular sie means “she” and takes the er/sie/es ending -t: sie spielt.
18
Which is correct for “we play”?
wir spielen
wir takes -en, which usually makes the form identical to the infinitive.
19
Which is correct for “you all play”?
ihr spielt
ihr takes -t. Do not use the -en form; that belongs to wir and sie/Sie.
20
Which is correct for formal “you live”?
Sie wohnen
Formal Sie is capitalized and uses the same verb form as sie plural: wohnen.
Choose the subject, choose the ending
21
Ich ___ Deutsch. (lernen)
lerne
The subject is ich, so the regular ending is -e: ich lerne Deutsch.
22
Du ___ in Berlin. (wohnen)
wohnst
du takes -st. The subject tells you the ending before you think about the rest of the sentence.
23
Er ___ Fußball. (spielen)
spielt
er takes -t: er spielt. The English -s in “plays” roughly matches this idea, but the German ending is -t.
24
Wir ___ Kaffee. (trinken)
trinken
wir takes -en, so the correct form is trinken.
25
Ihr ___ Musik. (hören)
hört
ihr takes -t. With hören, the stem is hör-, so ihr hört.
26
Die Kinder ___ im Garten. (spielen)
spielen
Die Kinder is plural and behaves like sie: die Kinder spielen.
27
Meine Mutter ___ heute. (kommen)
kommt
Meine Mutter is a singular third-person subject like sie. Regular ending: komm- + -t = kommt.
28
Der Lehrer ___ langsam. (sprechen)
spricht
sprechen has a stem change: e becomes i for du and er/sie/es. Der Lehrer is third person singular, so the correct A1 form is spricht.
29
True or false: wir and Sie usually use the infinitive-looking form.
True
Both wir and formal Sie take -en, so regular forms look like the infinitive: wir machen, Sie machen.
30
Which sentence is correct?
Ich mache Hausaufgaben.
The subject ich requires -e. The other endings belong to different subjects.
Spelling helpers and common irregulars
31
du (arbeiten) → du ___
arbeitest
The stem arbeit- ends in -t, so German adds an extra -e- before -st: du arbeitest.
32
er (arbeiten) → er ___
arbeitet
With stems ending in -t or -d, add -e- before the -t ending too: er arbeitet.
33
du (warten) → du ___
wartest
wart- ends in -t, so the du form needs -est, not just -st: du wartest.
34
du (heißen) → du ___
heißt
When the stem already ends in an s-sound such as ß, the du form is -t, not -st: du heißt.
35
du (reisen) → du ___
reist
The stem reis- ends in an s-sound, so the du form is reist. German does not add another s here.
36
du (sprechen) → du ___
sprichst
sprechen is a common stem-changing verb: e changes to i in du and er/sie/es forms.
37
er (fahren) → er ___
fährt
fahren changes a to ä for du and er/sie/es: er fährt. The ending is still the third-person -t.
38
ich (haben) → ich ___
habe
haben is common and partly irregular, but the ich form is regular-looking: ich habe.
39
du (haben) → du ___
hast
haben drops the b in the du form: du hast. Do not build the wrong regular form habst.
40
er (sein) → er ___
ist
sein is highly irregular. For er/sie/es, the correct present-tense form is ist.
Questions and verb position
41
Which is a correct yes/no question?
Wohnst du hier?
In a neutral yes/no question, the conjugated verb comes first: Wohnst du hier? The du form keeps its -st ending.
42
Which is correct?
Spielst du Fußball?
For du, the verb is spielst. Yes/no questions put that conjugated verb before the subject.
43
___ du Deutsch? (sprechen)
Sprichst
sprechen changes to sprichst with du, and a yes/no question begins with the verb: Sprichst du Deutsch?
44
Which question means “Where do you live?”
Wo wohnst du?
A W-question starts with the question word, then the conjugated verb in second position: Wo wohnst du?
45
Which sentence is correct?
Heute arbeite ich.
After Heute in position 1, the conjugated verb must be second. The ich form is arbeite.
46
True or false: the verb ending changes just because the sentence is a question.
False
Question word order changes, but the ending still matches the subject: du wohnst and Wohnst du? both use wohnst.
Build the sentence
47
Build: “I live in Berlin.”
Ich wohne in Berlin
ich takes -e, so wohnen becomes wohne. In a plain statement, the subject comes first and the verb second.
48
Build: “You learn German.” (du)
Du lernst Deutsch
du takes -st: lernst. The object Deutsch follows the verb.
49
Build: “She plays football.”
Sie spielt Fußball
Singular Sie here means “she” from the English prompt, and the third-person singular ending is -t.
50
Build: “We drink coffee.”
Wir trinken Kaffee
wir takes -en, so the verb form is trinken, the same as the infinitive.
51
Build: “Are you working today?” (du)
Arbeitest du heute
arbeiten needs the extra -e- with du: arbeitest. Yes/no questions put the verb first.
52
Build: “Today I am learning German.”
Heute lerne ich Deutsch
Heute is first, so the conjugated verb must come second. The subject ich follows the verb.
The present-tense forms of to be and to have, the two verbs German uses constantly.
What are sein and haben?
sein means “to be”: I am, you are, he is. haben means “to have”: I have, you have, she has.
These verbs are irregular in English and irregular in German. You do not build them by a normal ending rule; you memorize their forms.
They are worth learning early because German uses them all the time, and later they help build past-tense sentences.
English vs German
English says I am, you are, he is, so “to be” already changes a lot. German is similar: ich bin, du bist, er ist. Haben is less strange but still irregular: du hast, er hat. Learn the whole table as fixed forms, not as guesses from the infinitive.
Present tense of sein and haben
Person
sein (to be)
haben (to have)
ich
bin
habe
du
bist
hast
er/sie/es
ist
hat
wir
sind
haben
ihr
seid
habt
sie/Sie
sind
haben
Common beginner uses
Meaning
German
English
state or identity
Ich bin müde.
I am tired.
place
Wir sind zu Hause.
We are at home.
possession
Sie hat ein Auto.
She has a car.
needs and fixed phrases
Ich habe Hunger.
I am hungry.
Examples
I am tired.Ich bin müde.
She has time.Sie hat Zeit.
Are you at home?Bist du zu Hause?
We have a question.Wir haben eine Frage.
Cheat-sheet
ich bin, not ich sei in normal present-tense A1 German.
du bist and du hast are fixed forms. Do not add normal verb endings to make bistst or habst.
er/sie/es ist and er/sie/es hat are the third-person singular forms.
wir and sie/Sie use the infinitive-looking forms: sind/haben.
German often says Ich habe Hunger, where English says “I am hungry”.
Practice timer00:00
Übung — practise it
Answer each one. Get it wrong and you’ll see exactly why. Your progress saves automatically.
Warm-up — meanings
1
sein means …
to be
sein is the German infinitive for “to be”. Its present forms include bin, bist, ist, sind, and seid.
2
haben means …
to have
haben is the German infinitive for “to have”. It is used for possession and also in fixed phrases such as Hunger haben.
3
True or false: sein and haben are completely regular verbs in German.
False
Both are irregular. Forms like ich bin and du bist cannot be predicted from a regular stem plus ending.
4
“I am” in German = ich ___
bin
The first-person singular form of sein is bin: ich bin.
5
“I have” in German = ich ___
habe
The first-person singular form of haben is habe: ich habe.
sein — to be
6
Du ___ nett.
bist
The form for du with sein is bist: du bist. bin belongs to ich, and ist belongs to er/sie/es.
7
Er ___ Lehrer.
ist
For er/sie/es, sein becomes ist. The sentence means “He is a teacher.”
8
Wir ___ zu Hause.
sind
The wir form of sein is sind: wir sind. seid is only for ihr.
9
Ihr ___ spät.
seid
The informal plural you, ihr, uses seid with sein: ihr seid.
10
Sie ___ Ärztin. (she is a doctor)
ist
Here Sie means “she” by meaning, so the verb is third-person singular: sie ist. Ärztin is the feminine form of doctor.
haben — to have
11
Du ___ Zeit.
hast
The du form is hast. habst is a common false regular form and is not standard German.
12
Sie ___ ein Auto. (she has a car)
hat
For er/sie/es, haben becomes hat: sie hat. Auto is neuter, so ein Auto is correct.
13
Wir ___ eine Frage.
haben
The wir form is haben. Frage is feminine, so the object is eine Frage.
14
Ihr ___ Hunger.
habt
The ihr form of haben is habt: ihr habt. German says Hunger haben for “to be hungry”.
15
Ich ___ einen Bruder.
habe
The ich form is habe. Bruder is masculine and a direct object, so the full phrase is einen Bruder.
Choosing the right verb
16
Which sentence means “I am tired”?
Ich bin müde.
Müde is a state, so German uses sein: ich bin müde. haben is for “to have”, not for this adjective.
17
Which sentence means “She has time”?
Sie hat Zeit.
Zeit is something she has, so use haben. With sie meaning “she”, the form is hat.
18
German for “I am hungry” is …
Ich habe Hunger.
German treats hunger as something you have: Hunger haben. English uses “am hungry”, but German uses haben here.
19
Bist du ___ Hause? (at home)
zu
The fixed phrase is zu Hause, meaning “at home”. The question uses bist because the subject is du.
20
True or false: Sie haben can mean both “they have” and formal “you have”.
True
The form is the same for sie plural and formal Sie. In writing, capital Sie marks formal “you”; sentence context also helps.
Build the sentence
21
Build: “I am tired.”
Ich bin müde
The subject is ich, so sein becomes bin. German keeps the conjugated verb in position 2.
22
Build: “She has time.”
Sie hat Zeit
With sie meaning “she”, haben becomes hat. Zeit is used without an article in this common phrase.
23
Build: “We are at home.”
Wir sind zu Hause
The wir form of sein is sind, and the fixed place phrase is zu Hause.
24
Build: “Do you have a question?”
Hast du eine Frage
A yes/no question starts with the conjugated verb. Frage is feminine, so the object is eine Frage.
25
Which sentence is correct?
Ich habe einen Bruder.
Bruder is masculine and is the direct object of haben, so ein becomes einen. The verb must be habe, not bin.
How German says I, you, he, she, it, we, you all, they, and formal you as sentence subjects.
What is a personal pronoun?
A personal pronoun is a small word that stands in for a person or thing: I, you, he, she, it, we, they.
This lesson is about subject pronouns. A subject is the person or thing doing the verb: I live here, she works, they are coming.
German has more than one “you”: du for one familiar person, ihr for a familiar group, and Sie for formal address.
English vs German
English uses “you” for one person, many people, formal, and informal. German separates these: du, ihr, and Sie. German also uses er/sie/es for things according to grammatical gender: der Tisch → er, die Tasche → sie, das Auto → es.
Nominative personal pronouns
English
German
Use
I
ich
speaker
you
du
one familiar person
he / she / it
er / sie / es
one person or thing
we
wir
speaker + others
you
ihr
familiar group
they
sie
lowercase in the middle of a sentence
you
Sie
formal, always capital S
Pronouns for things follow German gender
Noun
Pronoun
Example
der Tisch
er
Er ist groß.
die Tasche
sie
Sie ist neu.
das Auto
es
Es ist schnell.
Examples
Are you (formal) Mr. Weber?Sind Sie Herr Weber?
It is raining.Es regnet.
The table is old. It is old.Der Tisch ist alt. Er ist alt.
We live in Berlin.Wir wohnen in Berlin.
Cheat-sheet
du = one familiar person; ihr = several familiar people; Sie = formal you.
sie can mean “she” or “they”. The verb often tells you which: sie ist = she is, sie sind = they are.
Formal Sie is always written with capital S, even in the middle of a sentence.
For things, German uses grammatical gender: der Tisch → er, die Tasche → sie, das Auto → es.
These are nominative pronouns: use them for the subject of the sentence.
Practice timer00:00
Übung — practise it
Answer each one. Get it wrong and you’ll see exactly why. Your progress saves automatically.
Warm-up — subject pronouns
1
A subject pronoun replaces …
the person or thing doing the verb
Subject pronouns stand for the subject: ich arbeite, sie kommt, wir wohnen hier. They answer “who is doing the verb?”
2
“I” in German = ___
ich
The subject pronoun for “I” is ich. It is not capitalized unless it begins the sentence.
3
“we” in German = …
wir
wir means “we”. ihr means informal “you all”, and sie can mean “she” or “they”.
4
True or false: these pronouns are called nominative when they are the subject.
True
The nominative case is the subject case in German. ich, du, er, sie, es, wir, ihr, sie, Sie are nominative subject forms.
5
“he” in German = ___
er
The nominative pronoun for “he” is er. It is also used for masculine nouns such as der Tisch.
The three German you-forms
6
You are talking to one close friend. Use …
du
Use du for one familiar person: a friend, a child, or a family member.
7
You are talking to two friends. Use …
ihr
Use ihr for more than one familiar person. du is only one person.
8
You are talking politely to your teacher. Use …
Sie
Formal address uses Sie with a capital S. This is the polite “you” for one person or more than one person.
9
___ sind Herr Weber? (formal “you”)
Sie
Formal “you” is Sie, always capitalized. The verb form is sind, as in Sind Sie Herr Weber?
10
True or false: ihr is the formal “you”.
False
ihr is informal plural “you all”. Formal “you” is Sie with a capital S.
er, sie, es for people and things
11
der Tisch → which pronoun?
er
Tisch is masculine in German, so the pronoun is er. This is grammatical gender, not natural gender.
12
die Tasche → which pronoun?
sie
Tasche is feminine, so German uses sie for “it” when referring back to the bag.
13
das Auto → which pronoun?
es
Auto is neuter, so the pronoun is es: Das Auto ist neu. Es ist neu.
14
Die Lampe ist schön. ___ ist neu.
Sie
Lampe is feminine, so the pronoun is sie. At the beginning of the sentence it is capitalized: Sie.
15
Which sentence correctly replaces der Zug?
Er ist pünktlich.
Zug is masculine: der Zug. The pronoun is er, so the correct sentence is Er ist pünktlich.
sie, Sie, and the verb clue
16
sie ist means …
she is
The verb ist is singular, so sie ist means “she is” or “it is” for a feminine noun, not “they are”.
17
sie sind means …
they are
Lowercase sie with sind usually means “they are”. The plural verb sind is the clue.
18
Formal “you are” is …
Sie sind
Formal Sie takes the same verb form as plural sie: Sie sind. The capital S marks formal address.
19
___ kommt heute. (she is coming today)
Sie
At the start of a sentence, sie is capitalized. The singular verb kommt shows the meaning is “she”, not “they”.
20
Which sentence can mean “They live in Berlin”?
Sie wohnen in Berlin.
The plural verb wohnen matches “they”. Sie wohnt would mean “she lives” if the sentence starts with capital S only because of sentence position.
Build the sentence
21
Build: “We live in Berlin.”
Wir wohnen in Berlin
The subject pronoun for “we” is wir, and wohnen is the matching wir-form.
22
Build: “Are you (formal) Mr. Weber?”
Sind Sie Herr Weber
A yes/no question starts with the verb. Formal you is Sie, so the verb is sind.
23
Build: “It is raining.”
Es regnet
German uses the dummy subject es with weather verbs, just as English uses “it”: Es regnet.
24
Build: “You all are here.”
Ihr seid hier
Informal plural “you all” is ihr, and the matching sein form is seid.
25
Which sentence is correct for “The bag is new. It is new.”?
Die Tasche ist neu. Sie ist neu.
Tasche is feminine, so German refers back to it with sie. The capital S appears because the pronoun starts the sentence.
How German keeps the conjugated verb in position two, even when the sentence starts with time, place or another idea.
What is the verb-second rule?
The verb-second rule means that in a normal German statement, the conjugated verb is the second element of the sentence.
The first element can be the subject: Ich spiele heute Fußball. But it can also be a time word: Heute spiele ich Fußball. In both sentences, spiele is second.
This is different from English. English usually keeps the subject before the verb. German allows you to put a time, place or object first, but then the subject moves after the verb.
English vs German
English word order is usually Subject–Verb–Object: “I go home today.” German’s main statement rule is verb in second position. If “Heute” comes first, the next element must be the verb: Heute gehe ich nach Hause. Do not write “Heute ich gehe”; that copies English order into German.
Verb second in statements
Position 1
Verb in position 2
Rest
English
Ich
spiele
heute Fußball.
I play football today.
Heute
spiele
ich Fußball.
Today I play football.
Morgen
fahre
ich nach Berlin.
Tomorrow I’m going to Berlin.
In Berlin
wohne
ich.
I live in Berlin.
A useful order for extra information
Order
German
English
Time
morgen
tomorrow
Manner
mit dem Bus
by bus
Place
nach Berlin
to Berlin
Example
Ich fahre morgen mit dem Bus nach Berlin.
I’m going to Berlin by bus tomorrow.
Examples
I play football today.Ich spiele heute Fußball.
Today I play football.Heute spiele ich Fußball.
Tomorrow I’m going to Berlin.Morgen fahre ich nach Berlin.
I’m going to Berlin by bus tomorrow.Ich fahre morgen mit dem Bus nach Berlin.
Cheat-sheet
In a normal statement, the conjugated verb is position 2.
Position 1 can be one word or a whole phrase: Heute, Am Montag, In Berlin.
If something other than the subject is first, the subject usually comes right after the verb: Heute gehe ich.
Do not count every word mechanically. Count sentence elements: Am Montag is one position.
For extra information, a good beginner order is Time–Manner–Place: morgen mit dem Bus nach Berlin.
Practice timer00:00
Übung — practise it
Answer each one. Get it wrong and you’ll see exactly why. Your progress saves automatically.
Warm-up — find the conjugated verb
1
In “Ich spiele heute Fußball.”, which word is the conjugated verb?
spiele
spiele is the verb form that matches ich. The verb-second rule is about this conjugated verb.
2
In a normal German statement, the conjugated verb is usually …
second
The core rule for statements is V2: the conjugated verb stands in position 2.
3
True or false: the first position must always be the subject.
False
The first position can be the subject, a time word, a place phrase, or another sentence element. The verb still stays second.
4
Complete the rule: In statements, the verb goes in position ___.
2
V2 means verb-second. The first element may change, but the conjugated verb keeps position 2.
5
Which word is the verb in “Heute lerne ich Deutsch.”?
lerne
lerne is the conjugated form of lernen and it is correctly placed after Heute.
6
Which sentence has the verb in second position?
Ich wohne hier.
Ich is position 1 and wohne is position 2. The other options move the verb too late.
7
True or false: “Heute” can be position 1 in a German sentence.
True
Time words such as heute, morgen and am Montag often stand first. Then the verb must immediately follow.
8
In “Morgen komme ich.”, the verb is ___.
komme
komme is the conjugated verb. Morgen fills position 1, so komme stands in position 2.
Plain order — subject first
9
Which sentence is correct?
Ich lerne Deutsch.
In a plain statement, the subject can be first and the conjugated verb comes second: Ich lerne.
10
Which sentence is correct?
Wir wohnen in Berlin.
Wir is position 1 and wohnen is position 2. The place phrase follows.
11
Which sentence is correct?
Sie trinkt Kaffee.
For a statement with subject first, the verb comes right after the subject: Sie trinkt.
12
Ich ___ heute. (arbeiten)
arbeite
With Ich first, the conjugated verb must come second. The ich form of arbeiten is arbeite.
13
Wir ___ morgen nach Hause. (gehen)
gehen
Wir is position 1, so gehen is position 2. The time and direction come after the verb.
14
Which sentence is correct?
Der Film beginnt um acht.
Der Film is the subject in position 1 and beginnt is the verb in position 2.
15
True or false: “Ich heute arbeite.” is normal German statement order.
False
The verb is too late. With Ich first, the next element must be the verb: Ich arbeite heute.
16
Which sentence is correct?
Das Kind spielt im Garten.
Das Kind is position 1 and spielt is position 2. That is the normal statement pattern.
Start with time — Heute, Morgen, Am Montag
17
Which is correct?
Heute arbeite ich.
Heute is position 1, so the conjugated verb arbeite must be position 2. The subject ich comes after the verb.
18
Which is correct?
Morgen fahre ich nach Berlin.
Morgen fills position 1. German then puts the verb second: fahre, followed by the subject ich.
19
Which is correct?
Am Montag lernt sie Deutsch.
Am Montag is one time phrase in position 1. The verb lernt is position 2, and the subject follows.
20
Heute ___ wir Kaffee. (trinken)
trinken
Heute comes first, so the verb must come next. Wir takes trinken: Heute trinken wir Kaffee.
21
Morgen ___ er. (kommen)
kommt
Morgen is position 1, so kommt is position 2. The subject er follows the verb.
22
True or false: after “Heute”, German can keep English order: Heute ich gehe.
False
That is the typical English-order mistake. German needs verb second: Heute gehe ich.
23
Which sentence means “Today she is buying a book”?
Heute kauft sie ein Buch.
Heute is first, kauft is the conjugated verb in second position, and sie follows.
24
Which is correct?
Um acht beginnt der Film.
Um acht is a time phrase in position 1. The verb beginnt must immediately follow.
25
Am Abend ___ ich Musik. (hören)
höre
Am Abend is position 1, so höre is position 2. The subject ich comes right after it.
26
Which sentence is correct?
Jetzt habe ich Zeit.
Jetzt is first, so habe must be second. The subject ich moves after the verb.
Start with place or another phrase
27
Which is correct?
In Berlin wohne ich.
In Berlin is one place phrase in position 1. The conjugated verb wohne is position 2.
28
Which is correct?
Zu Hause lernt er Deutsch.
Zu Hause comes first, so the verb lernt must come second and the subject er follows.
29
Which is correct?
Nach der Schule gehe ich nach Hause.
Nach der Schule is one time phrase in position 1. The verb gehe is position 2.
30
Im Büro ___ sie. (arbeiten)
arbeitet
Im Büro is position 1. The verb for singular sie is arbeitet and must come next.
31
Which sentence starts with the object and still has V2?
Kaffee trinke ich gern.
Kaffee can be placed first for emphasis, but the verb trinke must stay second.
32
True or false: “In Berlin” counts as one sentence element for V2.
True
V2 counts elements, not single words. The whole phrase In Berlin occupies position 1.
33
In der Schule ___ wir Deutsch. (lernen)
lernen
In der Schule is the first element. The verb lernen comes second and matches wir.
34
Which is correct?
Dieses Buch lese ich gern.
Dieses Buch is the first element. German then requires the conjugated verb lese in position 2.
More than one detail — Time, Manner, Place
35
Which follows a good beginner order for extra details?
Ich fahre morgen mit dem Bus nach Berlin.
A useful default order is Time–Manner–Place: morgen, mit dem Bus, nach Berlin.
36
Which sentence is correct?
Wir gehen heute zu Fuß zur Schule.
The verb gehen is second, then the details follow in a natural beginner order: time, manner, place.
37
Which is correct with a time phrase first?
Morgen fahre ich mit dem Zug nach Hamburg.
Morgen is first, so fahre must be second. After that, mit dem Zug and nach Hamburg give manner and place.
38
Ich fahre morgen ___ dem Bus nach Berlin. (by bus)
mit
The phrase is mit dem Bus. It often sits after the time word and before the destination.
39
True or false: Time–Manner–Place is a useful default after the verb.
True
German word order can be flexible, but Time–Manner–Place gives beginners a reliable, natural order for extra information.
40
Which sentence keeps the verb second?
Heute fahre ich mit dem Fahrrad zur Arbeit.
Heute fills position 1, so fahre must be position 2. The subject ich follows before the remaining details.
41
Am Samstag ___ wir mit Freunden ins Kino. (gehen)
gehen
Am Samstag is position 1. The verb gehen comes second and matches wir.
42
Which sentence is correct?
Ich esse heute mit meiner Familie zu Hause.
Ich is first and esse is second. The details then follow naturally: today, with my family, at home.
Build the sentence
43
Which sentence is correct?
Heute gehe ich nach Hause.
Heute is position 1 and the verb gehe must be position 2. The subject ich comes after the verb.
44
Which sentence is correct?
Morgen arbeitet meine Mutter.
Morgen comes first, so arbeitet is second. The full subject meine Mutter follows the verb.
45
Build: “Today I am learning German.”
Heute lerne ich Deutsch
Starting with Heute means the verb must come next. The subject ich follows the verb.
46
Build: “Tomorrow we are going to Berlin.”
Morgen fahren wir nach Berlin
Morgen is position 1, fahren is position 2, and wir follows. The destination comes after the subject.
47
Build: “I play football today.”
Ich spiele heute Fußball
With Ich first, spiele is second. The time word and object come after the verb.
48
Build: “Today I play football.”
Heute spiele ich Fußball
Heute is first, so the verb spiele stays second and the subject ich moves behind it.
49
Build: “In Berlin I live.”
In Berlin wohne ich
The phrase In Berlin fills position 1 as one element. The conjugated verb wohne comes next.
50
Build: “I’m going to Berlin by bus tomorrow.”
Ich fahre morgen mit dem Bus nach Berlin
Ich is first and fahre is second. The details then follow in the useful order time, manner, place.
How German asks questions by moving the verb first or putting a W-word before it.
What is a question?
A question is a sentence that asks for information or asks for yes/no: Are you coming? Where do you live?
German has two main beginner patterns. For a yes/no question, put the verb first: Kommst du? For a W-word question, put the W-word first and the verb second: Wo wohnst du?
English often uses “do” as a helper: Do you play? German does not add a helper. It moves the conjugated verb.
English vs German
English often needs do/does in questions: Do you have time? German does not use a do-helper. A yes/no question starts with the conjugated verb: Hast du Zeit? A W-word question starts with words like wer, was, wo, wann, wie, warum, and the verb still comes right after it.
Two basic question patterns
Type
Pattern
Example
English
yes/no
verb + subject + rest
Kommst du heute?
Are you coming today?
yes/no
verb + subject + rest
Hast du Zeit?
Do you have time?
W-word
W-word + verb + subject + rest
Wo wohnst du?
Where do you live?
W-word
W-word + verb + subject + rest
Was machst du?
What are you doing?
Common W-words
German
English
Example
wer
who
Wer ist das?
was
what
Was machst du?
wo
where
Wo wohnst du?
wann
when
Wann beginnt der Film?
wie
how / what ... like
Wie heißt du?
warum
why
Warum lernst du Deutsch?
Examples
Are you coming?Kommst du?
Do you have time?Hast du Zeit?
Where do you live?Wo wohnst du?
Why are you learning German?Warum lernst du Deutsch?
Cheat-sheet
Yes/no question: verb first → Kommst du?
W-word question: W-word first, verb second → Wo wohnst du?
German does not use an English-style do helper in questions.
wer = who, was = what, wo = where, wann = when, wie = how, warum = why.
The verb must be conjugated for the subject: Wohnst du? but Wohnen Sie?
Practice timer00:00
Übung — practise it
Answer each one. Get it wrong and you’ll see exactly why. Your progress saves automatically.
Warm-up — two question types
1
A yes/no question is answered with …
yes or no
Questions like Kommst du? and Hast du Zeit? ask whether something is true. They can be answered with ja or nein.
2
In a German yes/no question, the conjugated verb usually goes …
first
The normal yes/no pattern is verb first: Kommst du? Hast du Zeit? Wohnst du hier?
3
In a W-word question, the conjugated verb goes …
right after the W-word
German keeps the conjugated verb in second position after the question word: Wo wohnst du? Was machst du?
4
“Where” in German = ___
wo
wo asks about place: Wo wohnst du? Wo ist der Bahnhof?
5
True or false: German uses a helper like English “do” in Do you live here?
False
German does not add a do-helper. It moves the conjugated verb: Wohnst du hier?
Yes/no questions — verb first
6
“Do you have time?”
Hast du Zeit?
A yes/no question starts with the conjugated verb. With du, haben becomes hast: Hast du Zeit?
7
“Are you coming?”
Kommst du?
The verb comes first, and the du-form of kommen is kommst. Du kommst? can be used with question intonation, but the standard lesson pattern is Kommst du?
8
___ Sie Deutsch? (Do you speak German? formal)
Sprechen
Formal Sie uses the infinitive-looking form sprechen, and the yes/no question starts with the verb: Sprechen Sie Deutsch?
9
Which is the standard yes/no question?
Wohnst du hier?
For a neutral yes/no question, put the conjugated verb first: Wohnst du hier?
10
True or false: Hast du eine Frage? is a correct yes/no question.
True
Hast is the conjugated verb and it stands first. Frage is feminine, so eine Frage is correct.
W-words — meaning
11
wer means …
who
wer asks about a person: Wer ist das? = Who is that?
12
was means …
what
was asks about a thing or action: Was machst du? = What are you doing?
13
“when” in German = ___
wann
wann asks about time: Wann beginnt der Film?
14
wie means …
how
wie means “how” and appears in beginner questions like Wie heißt du?
15
warum means …
why
warum asks for a reason: Warum lernst du Deutsch?
W-word order
16
“Where do you live?”
Wo wohnst du?
W-word first, conjugated verb second, subject after the verb: Wo wohnst du?
17
___ machst du? (What are you doing?)
Was
For “what”, use was. The verb comes right after it: Was machst du?
18
Which sentence means “When does the film begin?”
Wann beginnt der Film?
The question word wann is first and the verb beginnt is second. Der Film is the subject after the verb.
19
“Why are you learning German?”
Warum lernst du Deutsch?
After warum, the conjugated verb must come next. With du, lernen becomes lernst.
20
Wie ___ du? (What is your name?)
heißt
The set question is Wie heißt du? The du-form of heißen is heißt.
Build the sentence
21
Build: “Do you have time?”
Hast du Zeit
A yes/no question starts with the verb. Zeit is used without an article in this common phrase.
22
Build: “Where do you live?”
Wo wohnst du
W-word first, verb second, subject third: Wo wohnst du?
23
Build: “What are you doing today?”
Was machst du heute
Was starts the question, machst is the du-form, and heute comes after the subject.
24
Build: “When does the train go?”
Wann fährt der Zug
The question word is first and the verb is second. Zug is masculine, so the subject is der Zug.
25
Which question is correct?
Sprechen Sie Englisch?
Formal Sie takes sprechen, and a yes/no question starts with the conjugated verb: Sprechen Sie Englisch?
How German says not, not a, and no — and when to choose nicht or kein.
What is negation?
Negation means making a sentence negative. In English, that usually means words like not, no, or not a: I am not tired, I have no car, she is not coming.
German has two main negative words at this level: nicht and kein. They do different jobs.
Use kein when you are negating a noun that would use ein/eine or no article: kein Auto, keine Zeit. Use nicht for verbs, adjectives, whole ideas, and nouns with der/die/das or a possessive.
English vs German
English can say “not a car” or “no car”. German normally uses kein for that job: Ich habe kein Auto. For “not good”, “not today”, “do not work”, or “not the man”, German uses nicht: nicht gut, nicht heute, Ich arbeite nicht, Ich kenne den Mann nicht. The hard part is not the meaning; it is choosing the word that matches what you are negating.
The basic choice
You negate…
Use
Example
English
a noun with ein/eine
kein
Das ist kein Problem.
That is not a problem.
a noun with no article
kein
Ich habe keine Zeit.
I have no time.
a verb or action
nicht
Ich arbeite heute nicht.
I am not working today.
an adjective
nicht
Das ist nicht teuer.
That is not expensive.
a noun with der/die/das
nicht
Ich sehe den Mann nicht.
I do not see the man.
kein takes the same endings as ein
Gender / number
Nominativ
Akkusativ
Example
masculine
kein Mann
keinen Mann
Ich sehe keinen Mann.
feminine
keine Frau
keine Frau
Ich sehe keine Frau.
neuter
kein Kind
kein Kind
Ich sehe kein Kind.
plural
keine Kinder
keine Kinder
Ich sehe keine Kinder.
Common positions for nicht
Negating…
Position
Example
a simple verb/action
often near the end
Ich komme heute nicht.
an adjective
before the adjective
Der Kaffee ist nicht kalt.
a place/time phrase
before that phrase
Ich wohne nicht in Berlin.
a definite noun phrase
usually after the object
Ich kaufe das Buch nicht.
Examples
I have no car.Ich habe kein Auto.
She is not tired.Sie ist nicht müde.
We are not buying the table.Wir kaufen den Tisch nicht.
There are no tickets.Es gibt keine Tickets.
Cheat-sheet
kein is for “not a” or “no” before nouns: kein Auto, keine Frage, keine Kinder.
nicht negates verbs, adjectives, whole sentences, and nouns with der/die/das or possessives.
kein changes like ein: masculine accusative is keinen, feminine and plural are keine.
With adjectives, put nicht directly before the adjective: nicht gut, nicht teuer, nicht müde.
If the noun already has der/die/das or mein/dein, do not use kein: Ich kenne den Mann nicht.
Practice timer00:00
Übung — practise it
Answer each one. Get it wrong and you’ll see exactly why. Your progress saves automatically.
Warm-up — what is negation?
1
Negation means …
making a sentence negative
Negation turns a positive idea into a negative one: I come → I do not come. In German the main choices are nicht and kein.
2
Which English sentence is negative?
I have no car.
The word “no” makes the sentence negative. In German this kind of “no + noun” is usually expressed with kein.
3
German has two common A1 negative words: …
nicht and kein
nicht means “not” for many situations, while kein means “not a” or “no” before certain nouns.
4
German “not” is usually ___ when you negate a verb, adjective, or whole idea.
nicht
Use nicht when you are not negating an indefinite noun. Examples: Ich komme nicht; Das ist nicht gut.
5
German “no / not a” before a noun is usually ___ or one of its endings.
kein
kein works like ein with a negative meaning: kein Auto means “no car” or “not a car”.
6
True or false: nicht and kein can always be swapped.
False
They have different jobs. kein negates certain nouns; nicht negates verbs, adjectives, definite nouns, and larger ideas.
7
In “Ich komme nicht”, what is being negated?
the action of coming
There is no noun meaning “no something”. The sentence negates the action, so German uses nicht.
8
In “Ich habe kein Auto”, what is being negated?
an indefinite noun
Auto is a noun that would normally be ein Auto. Negating that kind of noun gives kein Auto.
9
“not good” = ___ gut
nicht
gut is an adjective, not a noun. German puts nicht before the adjective: nicht gut.
10
Which pair is the basic German choice for “not” vs “not a/no”?
nicht / kein
nicht is the general “not”; kein is the negative article used before nouns like ein/eine.
Use kein with nouns
11
Ich habe ___ Auto. (no car; das Auto)
kein
Auto is neuter and is the direct object, but neuter accusative stays kein. Use kein because you mean “no car”.
12
Das ist ___ Frage. (not a question; die Frage)
keine
Frage is feminine, so the negative article is keine. German says “no question” with kein, not nicht.
13
Ich habe ___ Zeit. (no time; die Zeit)
keine
Zeit is feminine and has no article here, so use keine Zeit. This is the normal German for “no time”.
14
Er hat ___ Bruder. (no brother; der Bruder)
keinen
Bruder is masculine and the direct object of hat. Masculine accusative changes to keinen.
15
Wir kaufen ___ Brot. (no bread; das Brot)
kein
Brot is neuter. Neuter accusative looks like nominative, so it is kein Brot.
16
Sie trinkt ___ Milch. (no milk; die Milch)
keine
Milch is feminine and is used without an article in the positive sentence. The negative article is keine.
17
Ich sehe ___ Hund. (no dog; der Hund)
keinen
Hund is masculine and is the direct object of sehe. Masculine accusative needs -en: keinen Hund.
18
Wir haben ___ Kinder. (no children; plural)
keine
Plural nominative and accusative use keine. Do not use kein with a plural noun.
19
Das ist ___ Problem. (not a problem; das Problem)
kein
Problem is neuter. With sein, it is nominative, so the form is kein Problem.
20
Which sentence correctly means “I have no ticket”?
Ich habe kein Ticket.
Ticket is neuter: das Ticket. For “no ticket”, use kein Ticket; nicht cannot stand directly before this noun in this meaning.
Use nicht with verbs and adjectives
21
Ich komme heute ___.
nicht
You are negating the action “come”, not saying “no noun”. A simple verb/action is negated with nicht.
22
Das ist ___ teuer. (not expensive)
nicht
teuer is an adjective. German places nicht before the adjective: nicht teuer.
23
Der Kaffee ist ___ kalt.
nicht
kalt is an adjective, so the negative word is nicht. Kein would need a noun after it.
24
Wir arbeiten am Sonntag ___.
nicht
The sentence negates working on Sunday. Since no indefinite noun is being negated, use nicht.
25
Sie ist ___ müde. (not tired)
nicht
müde is an adjective. The correct pattern is sein + nicht + adjective: Sie ist nicht müde.
26
Ich verstehe ___. (I do not understand.)
nicht
There is no noun after the negative word. The whole action is negated, so use nicht.
27
True or false: In “Das ist nicht gut”, nicht comes before the adjective.
True
When German negates an adjective, nicht stands directly in front of it: nicht gut, nicht schön, nicht teuer.
28
Er spielt heute ___ Fußball. (He is not playing football today.)
nicht
Fußball spielen is an activity here, not “no football” as a countable object. The action is negated with nicht.
29
Which sentence means “The room is not big”?
Das Zimmer ist nicht groß.
groß is an adjective, so German uses nicht before it. Kein cannot modify an adjective by itself.
30
Ich wohne ___ in München.
nicht
You are negating the place phrase “in München”. German uses nicht, placed before the phrase it rejects.
Definite nouns, possessives, and position
31
Ich kenne den Mann ___.
nicht
den Mann already has the definite article den. Definite noun phrases are negated with nicht, not kein.
32
Sie findet ihre Tasche ___.
nicht
ihre Tasche has a possessive article. You are saying she does not find that bag, so use nicht after the object.
33
Ich kaufe das Buch ___.
nicht
das Buch is definite: “the book”. German does not say kein das Buch; it negates the sentence with nicht.
34
Wir besuchen meine Eltern ___.
nicht
meine Eltern already has a possessive. Use nicht to negate the action or that definite object.
35
Which sentence is correct?
Ich sehe den Hund nicht.
With a definite object like den Hund, the normal A1 pattern is object + nicht. Kein is not used with den.
36
Das ist ___ mein Handy. (That is not my phone.)
nicht
mein Handy has a possessive article. German uses nicht before the possessive phrase: nicht mein Handy.
37
“not my problem” = ___ mein Problem
nicht
Because mein is already a possessive article, you do not add kein. The phrase is nicht mein Problem.
38
Ich fahre ___ nach Berlin, sondern nach Hamburg.
nicht
You are rejecting the destination phrase “nach Berlin”. Use nicht before the phrase being contrasted.
39
True or false: Use kein before nouns with der, die, das.
False
kein replaces ein or a missing article. It does not combine with der/die/das; definite noun phrases take nicht.
40
Wir essen den Kuchen ___.
nicht
den Kuchen is a definite masculine accusative noun phrase. The negative word is nicht, normally after the object.
Build the sentence
41
Which sentence means “I have no car”?
Ich habe kein Auto.
Auto is neuter, so the negative article is kein. Use kein because the meaning is “no car”.
42
Sie ist ___ müde. (She is not tired.)
nicht
müde is an adjective, so German uses nicht directly before it.
43
Which sentence means “We are not coming today”?
Wir kommen heute nicht.
The whole action is negated, so nicht naturally comes near the end of this simple sentence.
44
Which sentence means “I do not know the woman”?
Ich kenne die Frau nicht.
die Frau is definite, so use nicht, not keine. The common neutral order is object + nicht.
45
Er hat ___ Bruder. (He has no brother.)
keinen
Bruder is masculine and the direct object, so kein becomes keinen.
46
Build: “That is not my bag.”
Das ist nicht meine Tasche
meine Tasche has a possessive article, so German uses nicht. Tasche is feminine, so the possessive is meine.
47
Build: “There are no tickets.”
Es gibt keine Tickets
Tickets is plural and is the object of es gibt. The plural negative article is keine.
48
Build: “The coffee is not cold.”
Der Kaffee ist nicht kalt
kalt is an adjective, so use nicht directly before it. Kaffee is masculine nominative: der Kaffee.
49
Build: “I am not buying the table.”
Ich kaufe den Tisch nicht
Tisch is masculine accusative, so it is den Tisch. Because the noun is definite, the negation is nicht.
50
Build: “We have no questions.”
Wir haben keine Fragen
Fragen is plural, so the negative article is keine. Use kein because the meaning is “no questions”.
How German says my / your / his / her / our / their — and why the ending keeps changing.
What is a possessive?
A possessive shows who something belongs to. In English: my, your, his, her, our, their.
It comes before a noun and names the owner: my book, her car, our house.
In German, the possessive takes an ending, and that ending depends on the noun after it — its gender and its case — not on the owner. English does not do this: “his book” and “his car” both stay “his”. German has sein Buch and sein Auto, but the ending shifts as the gender and case change (seinen, seinem, seiner …). Learning those endings is the work of this lesson.
English vs German
In English a possessive never changes form. “My” stays “my” before any noun: my father, my mother, my child, my parents. German keeps the stem the same (mein-, dein-, sein- …) but adds an ending that matches the gender and case of the noun that follows: mein Vater, meine Mutter, mein Kind, meine Eltern — all “my”. Those endings are the same ones ein and kein take, so if you know those, you already know these.
The eight stems (the owner → the German word)
English
German stem
example
my
mein
mein Vater / meine Mutter
your (du — one friend)
dein
dein Bruder / deine Schwester
his / its
sein
sein Hund / seine Katze
her
ihr
ihr Sohn / ihre Tochter
our
unser
unser Haus / unsere Wohnung
your (ihr — a group)
euer
euer Vater / eure Mutter
their
ihr
ihr Auto / ihre Kinder
your (Sie — formal)
Ihr
Ihr Name / Ihre Adresse
The endings, using “mein” as the model (every stem takes these same endings)
Case
masculine (der)
feminine (die)
neuter (das)
plural (die)
Nominativ (subject)
mein
meine
mein
meine
Akkusativ (direct object)
meinen
meine
mein
meine
Dativ (to/for, after mit, bei…)
meinem
meiner
meinem
meinen
Examples
My sister is a doctor.Meine Schwester ist Ärztin.
I can’t find my keys.Ich finde meine Schlüssel nicht.
He’s talking to his brother.Er spricht mit seinem Bruder.
Where is your (formal) passport?Wo ist Ihr Pass?
Cheat-sheet
Masculine + Neuter in the Nominativ take no ending → the bare stem (mein, dein…).
In the Akkusativ, only masculine changes (adds -en). Feminine, neuter & plural look exactly like the Nominativ.
Feminine and plural always end in -e in Nom/Akk (meine).
euer drops its middle e the moment an ending is added: euer → eure, euren.
her and their are both ihr. Ihr with a capital I = formal your.
Practice timer00:00
Übung — practise it
Answer each one. Get it wrong and you’ll see exactly why. Your progress saves automatically.
Warm-up — what is a possessive?
1
Which of these is a possessive word in English?
my
Possessives show ownership: my, your, his, her, our, their. ‘under’, ‘quickly’ and ‘and’ don’t tell you who owns anything.
2
A possessive word tells you …
who something belongs to
That’s its only job — it labels the owner: my, your, his…
3
The car belongs to me → it is ___ car. (answer in English)
my
Belongs to me → my. In German this will become mein/meine.
4
In “her phone”, which word is the possessive?
her
‘her’ marks the owner; ‘phone’ is the thing owned.
5
German possessive endings change to match …
the thing that is owned
This is the whole trick. mein Buch vs meine Tasche changes because Buch/Tasche differ — not because the owner (I) changed.
6
True or false: English ‘my’ looks different for masculine vs feminine nouns.
False
English ‘my’ never changes (my man, my woman, my child). German mein/meine does — that’s the new habit.
The eight stems (owner → word)
7
I → ___
mein
I = mein.
8
you (du, one friend) → ___
dein
Informal singular ‘your’ = dein.
9
he / it → ___
sein
his / its = sein.
10
she → ___
ihr
her = ihr.
11
we → ___
unser
our = unser.
12
you all (ihr, a group) → ___
euer
Informal plural ‘your’ = euer (it loses its middle e once an ending is added: eure, euren).
13
they → ___
ihr
their = ihr (small i). Same spelling as ‘her’ — the sentence tells them apart.
14
you (Sie, formal) → ___
Ihr
Formal ‘your’ = Ihr, always a capital I (like Sie).
Nominativ — the plain endings (subject of the sentence)
15
my mother (die Mutter) = ___ Mutter
meine
Feminine → stem + e. mein → meine.
16
my father (der Vater) = ___ Vater
mein
Masculine Nominativ takes NO ending → the bare stem mein.
17
my child (das Kind) = ___ Kind
mein
Neuter Nominativ also takes no ending → mein (same as masculine).
18
your dog (der Hund) = ___ Hund
dein
Masculine Nominativ = no ending → dein. (deinen would be accusative.)
19
her sister (die Schwester) = ___ Schwester
ihre
Feminine → -e. ihr → ihre.
20
his car (das Auto) = ___ Auto
sein
Neuter Nominativ = no ending → sein.
21
our house (das Haus) = ___ Haus
unser
Neuter, no ending → unser. (Careful: the -er here is part of the stem, not an ending.)
22
our flat (die Wohnung) = ___ Wohnung
unsere
Feminine → stem + e → unsere.
23
my friends (die Freunde, plural) = ___ Freunde
meine
Plural in the Nominativ always ends -e → meine (looks just like feminine).
24
Which sentence is correct?
Meine Schwester ist nett.
Schwester is feminine and the subject (Nominativ) → meine.
Akkusativ — only masculine changes (direct object)
25
Ich sehe ___ Vater. (my father — der, direct object)
meinen
Direct object = Akkusativ. Masculine adds -en → meinen. This is the ONLY case-change to memorise for possessives.
26
Ich sehe ___ Mutter. (my mother — die)
meine
Feminine in the Akkusativ looks exactly like the Nominativ → meine. Only masculine changes.
How German marks the thing or person that receives the action.
What is the Accusative?
The Accusative is the case for the direct object: the person or thing that the subject sees, has, buys, likes, or does something to.
In English, word order usually shows this: “The man sees the dog” is different from “The dog sees the man”. German also uses word order, but it marks the object with article endings.
At A1, the main rule is simple: in the Accusative, only masculine changes. der becomes den, ein becomes einen, kein becomes keinen, mein becomes meinen. Feminine, neuter, and plural look the same as in the Nominativ.
English vs German
English does not change “the” or “a” for direct objects. German changes the article when the noun is masculine: der Hund → den Hund, ein Tisch → einen Tisch. Feminine, neuter, and plural stay visually the same in the Accusative: die Frau, das Kind, die Bücher. This is why “I see the man” is Ich sehe den Mann, not der Mann.
Nominativ vs Akkusativ articles
Gender / number
Nominativ subject
Akkusativ direct object
What changes?
masculine
der / ein Mann
den / einen Mann
der→den, ein→einen
feminine
die / eine Frau
die / eine Frau
no change
neuter
das / ein Kind
das / ein Kind
no change
plural
die Kinder
die Kinder
no change
Common verbs that usually take a direct object
Verb
Meaning
Example
haben
to have
Ich habe einen Hund.
sehen
to see
Wir sehen den Film.
kaufen
to buy
Sie kauft eine Jacke.
brauchen
to need
Ich brauche das Buch.
möchten
would like
Er möchte einen Kaffee.
Masculine Accusative endings to recognise
Article type
Nominativ
Akkusativ
definite
der Vater
den Vater
indefinite
ein Tisch
einen Tisch
negative
kein Stift
keinen Stift
possessive
mein Bruder
meinen Bruder
Examples
I see the man.Ich sehe den Mann.
We are buying a car.Wir kaufen ein Auto.
She needs a pen.Sie braucht einen Stift.
I like the music.Ich mag die Musik.
Cheat-sheet
Ask: “Who or what does the subject have/see/buy/need?” That answer is usually the Akkusativ.
In the Akkusativ, only masculine changes: der→den, ein→einen, kein→keinen, mein→meinen.
Feminine, neuter, and plural look the same as in the Nominativ: die Frau, das Kind, die Kinder.
sein is not an action done to an object. After sein, use the Nominativ: Das ist ein Tisch.
Do not use dem for a normal direct object. dem is Dativ, not the basic Accusative pattern.
Practice timer00:00
Übung — practise it
Answer each one. Get it wrong and you’ll see exactly why. Your progress saves automatically.
Warm-up — subject and object
1
In “Ich sehe den Hund”, who is doing the seeing?
Ich
The subject is the person doing the action. Here Ich is the subject and stays nominative.
2
In “Ich sehe den Hund”, what is the direct object?
den Hund
The dog is the thing/person being seen. That makes it the direct object, so German uses the Accusative.
3
A direct object answers which question?
Who or what receives the action?
For verbs like see, have, buy, need, ask “who or what?” The answer is usually the Accusative object.
4
The German case for the direct object is the ___.
Akkusativ
The Accusative, German Akkusativ, marks the direct object of many everyday verbs.
5
True or false: In the Accusative, every gender changes its article.
False
At this level, the key rule is that only masculine changes. Feminine, neuter, and plural stay the same.
6
Which noun is the object in “Wir kaufen das Brot”?
das Brot
The bread is what we buy, so it is the direct object. Because Brot is neuter, das does not change.
7
Which verb often takes a direct object?
kaufen
You buy something: a book, a ticket, a table. That “something” is a direct object in the Accusative.
8
“I have a dog”: the dog is the direct ___.
object
The dog is what I have. In German, that noun phrase goes in the Accusative.
9
In “Der Mann trinkt den Kaffee”, what is in the Accusative?
den Kaffee
The coffee is what the man drinks. Kaffee is masculine, so der Kaffee becomes den Kaffee as the object.
10
Which sentence has a direct object?
Ich lese ein Buch.
ein Buch is what I read, so it is a direct object. The other sentences describe identity or state, not an object receiving an action.
Definite articles — der becomes den
11
Ich sehe ___ Mann. (der Mann)
den
Mann is masculine and is the direct object of sehe. Masculine Accusative uses den.
12
Sie kauft ___ Tisch. (der Tisch)
den
Tisch is masculine and is what she buys. The article changes from der to den.
13
Ich brauche ___ Stuhl. (der Stuhl)
den
Stuhl is masculine and the direct object. Masculine definite Accusative is den.
14
Wir sehen ___ Frau. (die Frau)
die
Feminine nouns do not change in the Accusative. die Frau stays die Frau.
15
Ich lese ___ Buch. (das Buch)
das
Buch is neuter, and neuter does not change in the Accusative. It remains das Buch.
16
Er hört ___ Musik. (die Musik)
die
Musik is feminine. Feminine definite articles look the same in Nominativ and Akkusativ: die.
17
Wir kaufen ___ Karten. (plural: die Karten)
die
Plural definite articles do not change in the Accusative at this level. It stays die Karten.
18
Which is correct?
Ich sehe den Hund.
Hund is masculine and is being seen, so it needs the Accusative article den.
19
True or false: “Ich sehe die Frau” is correct for a feminine direct object.
True
Feminine does not change in the Accusative. die Frau can be subject or direct object depending on the sentence.
20
der Film as a direct object = ___ Film
den
Film is masculine. As a direct object, der changes to den.
ein, kein, and possessives
21
Ich habe ___ Hund. (a dog; der Hund)
einen
Hund is masculine and the direct object of habe. Masculine Accusative of ein is einen.
22
Sie kauft ___ Jacke. (a jacket; die Jacke)
eine
Jacke is feminine. Feminine Accusative is the same as nominative: eine Jacke.
23
Wir brauchen ___ Auto. (a car; das Auto)
ein
Auto is neuter, and neuter does not change in the Accusative. It stays ein Auto.
24
Ich trinke ___ Kaffee. (a coffee; der Kaffee)
einen
Kaffee is masculine and is the direct object. The correct form is einen Kaffee.
25
Er hat ___ Schwester. (a sister; die Schwester)
eine
Schwester is feminine. Feminine Accusative keeps eine.
26
Ich sehe ___ Bruder. (my brother; der Bruder)
meinen
Bruder is masculine and the direct object, so mein takes the masculine Accusative ending -en: meinen.
27
Sie sucht ___ Tasche. (her bag; die Tasche)
ihre
Tasche is feminine, so the possessive is ihre. Feminine does not change in the Accusative.
28
Wir haben ___ Problem. (no problem; das Problem)
kein
Problem is neuter and is the object of haben. Neuter Accusative remains kein.
29
Ich brauche ___ Stift. (no pen; der Stift)
keinen
Stift is masculine and the direct object. kein becomes keinen in masculine Accusative.
30
Which form is masculine Accusative?
einen
The -en ending is the signal for masculine Accusative with ein-words: einen, keinen, meinen.
Not every noun after a verb is Accusative
31
Das ist ___ Tisch. (This is a table; der Tisch)
ein
After sein, the noun is not a direct object; it names the subject. Use Nominativ: ein Tisch.
32
Er ist ___ Lehrer. (a teacher; der Lehrer)
ein
sein connects the subject to an identity. It does not take an Accusative object, so masculine stays ein Lehrer.
33
Das ist ___ Auto. (a car; das Auto)
ein
Auto is neuter and after ist it is nominative anyway. The correct form is ein Auto.
34
Which sentence uses Accusative correctly?
Ich sehe einen Lehrer.
sehen takes a direct object, so einen Lehrer is Accusative. sein does not take an Accusative object.
35
True or false: “Ich bin einen Student” is correct.
False
With sein, use Nominativ, not Accusative. The correct A1 sentence is Ich bin Student or Ich bin ein Student.
36
After sein, masculine “a” is usually ___, not einen.
ein
sein does not make a direct object. A masculine noun after sein remains nominative: ein Mann, ein Lehrer.
37
Which is correct?
Das ist der Schlüssel.
After ist, der Schlüssel is a nominative complement. Masculine nominative uses der.
38
“I know the teacher” needs Accusative because kennen is an action toward an object. Which is correct?
Ich kenne den Lehrer.
Lehrer is masculine and the direct object of kennen. Use den Lehrer.
39
“She is a doctor” = Sie ist ___. (Use the feminine noun with no article.)
Ärztin
Job nouns after sein often appear without an article. There is no Accusative object here; Ärztin names the subject.
40
Which verb does not take a normal direct object in these examples?
sein
sein links two descriptions of the subject. kaufen and sehen point to something bought or seen, which is usually Accusative.
Build the sentence
41
Which sentence means “I see the man”?
Ich sehe den Mann.
Mann is masculine and the direct object, so der becomes den.
42
Wir kaufen ___ Tisch. (a table; der Tisch)
einen
Tisch is masculine and is what we buy. ein becomes einen in the Accusative.
43
Which sentence means “She reads the book”?
Sie liest das Buch.
Buch is neuter, so the article stays das even as a direct object.
44
Er hat ___ Hund. (no dog; der Hund)
keinen
Hund is masculine and the direct object. kein becomes keinen.
45
Which sentence means “I need my key”?
Ich brauche meinen Schlüssel.
Schlüssel is masculine and the direct object of brauche. mein becomes meinen.
46
Build: “We see the children.”
Wir sehen die Kinder
Kinder is plural. Plural definite articles stay die in the Accusative.
47
Build: “She wants a coffee.”
Sie möchte einen Kaffee
Kaffee is masculine and the direct object. The correct form is einen Kaffee.
48
Build: “That is a chair.”
Das ist ein Stuhl
After ist, Stuhl is nominative, not Accusative. Masculine nominative with ein stays ein Stuhl.
49
Build: “I find the bag.”
Ich finde die Tasche
Tasche is feminine, so die stays die in the Accusative.
50
Build: “He takes the bus.”
Er nimmt den Bus
Bus is masculine and the direct object of nimmt. Use den Bus.
How German uses helper verbs like können, müssen, wollen, dürfen, sollen, and möchten.
What is a modal verb?
A modal verb is a helper verb that changes how you do something: whether you can do it, must do it, want to do it, may do it, or should do it.
In English, “I swim” becomes “I can swim”, “I must swim”, or “I want to swim”. The main action is still swim, but the modal adds the meaning.
German does the same, but with one clear word-order rule: the modal is conjugated in position 2, and the main verb goes to the end as an infinitive: Ich kann Deutsch sprechen.
English vs German
English says “I can speak German” with can before speak. German says Ich kann Deutsch sprechen: kann is the conjugated verb in position 2, and sprechen goes to the end. The singular forms are often irregular: ich kann, du kannst, er kann; ich muss, du musst, er muss. The plural forms are easier because they look regular: wir können, ihr könnt, sie können.
The main A1 modal verbs
Infinitive
Meaning
ich / du / er,sie,es
Example
können
can / be able to
kann / kannst / kann
Ich kann schwimmen.
müssen
must / have to
muss / musst / muss
Ich muss gehen.
wollen
want to
will / willst / will
Ich will schlafen.
dürfen
may / be allowed to
darf / darfst / darf
Darf ich fragen?
sollen
should / be supposed to
soll / sollst / soll
Du sollst warten.
möchten
would like to
möchte / möchtest / möchte
Ich möchte zahlen.
Plural forms
Infinitive
wir
ihr
sie/Sie
können
können
könnt
können
müssen
müssen
müsst
müssen
wollen
wollen
wollt
wollen
dürfen
dürfen
dürft
dürfen
sollen
sollen
sollt
sollen
möchten
möchten
möchtet
möchten
Word order with a modal
Position 1
Modal in position 2
Middle
Infinitive at the end
Ich
kann
heute
kommen.
Wir
müssen
morgen
arbeiten.
Sie
möchte
einen Kaffee
trinken.
Heute
will
ich zu Hause
bleiben.
Examples
I can speak German.Ich kann Deutsch sprechen.
We have to work tomorrow.Wir müssen morgen arbeiten.
May I sit here?Darf ich hier sitzen?
She would like to drink a coffee.Sie möchte einen Kaffee trinken.
Cheat-sheet
The modal is the conjugated verb, so it sits in position 2 in statements: Ich kann …
The other verb goes to the end as an infinitive: sprechen, gehen, essen, kommen.
For ich and er/sie/es, many modals have the same form: ich kann, er kann; ich muss, sie muss.
möchten is the polite A1 way to say “would like”: Ich möchte einen Kaffee.
In yes/no questions, the modal goes first: Kannst du kommen?
Practice timer00:00
Übung — practise it
Answer each one. Get it wrong and you’ll see exactly why. Your progress saves automatically.
Warm-up — what modals mean
1
A modal verb changes …
how the action is meant
A modal adds meanings like ability, necessity, permission, or desire. The main action remains the second verb.
2
Which English word is a modal?
can
can changes the action: I swim → I can swim. The others are not helper verbs.
3
können means …
can / be able to
können expresses ability or possibility: Ich kann schwimmen means I can swim.
4
müssen means …
must / have to
müssen expresses necessity: Ich muss gehen means I have to go.
5
wollen means “to ___ to”.
want
wollen means “to want to”: Ich will schlafen = I want to sleep.
6
dürfen means …
may / be allowed to
dürfen is about permission: Darf ich hier sitzen? means May I sit here?
7
sollen means …
should / be supposed to
sollen often means someone is supposed to do something: Du sollst warten.
8
möchten means …
would like to
möchten is the polite “would like”: Ich möchte zahlen, bitte.
9
In “Ich kann schwimmen”, the modal is ___.
kann
kann is the conjugated form of können. schwimmen is the main verb at the end.
10
True or false: A modal usually works together with another verb.
True
Most modal sentences have a modal plus an infinitive: kann kommen, muss gehen, möchte essen. The modal carries the extra meaning.
Forms in the singular
11
ich (können) → ich ___
kann
The ich form of können is irregular: ich kann. Do not add a normal -e here.
12
du (können) → du ___
kannst
The du form is kannst. It has the irregular stem kann- plus the du ending -st.
13
er (können) → er ___
kann
For many modals, ich and er/sie/es are the same. können gives ich kann and er kann.
14
ich (müssen) → ich ___
muss
The ich form is muss, with no normal -e ending. German writes muss without ß after the spelling reform.
15
du (müssen) → du ___
musst
The du form is musst. It is muss plus the du ending -t in spelling, pronounced as one cluster.
16
sie (wollen) → sie ___ (she wants)
will
The singular form of wollen is irregular: ich will, du willst, sie will. It does not mean future tense here; it means wants.
17
du (wollen) → du ___
willst
The du form uses the irregular stem will- plus -st: du willst.
18
ich (dürfen) → ich ___
darf
dürfen changes strongly in the singular: ich darf, du darfst, er darf. It means may or am allowed to.
19
du (sollen) → du ___
sollst
sollen is simpler in the singular: ich soll, du sollst, er soll. The du form is sollst.
20
ich (möchten) → ich ___
möchte
möchte is the ich form and also the er/sie/es form. It is polite and very common at A1.
Forms in the plural and formal Sie
21
wir (können) → wir ___
können
The wir form is the same as the infinitive: wir können.
22
ihr (können) → ihr ___
könnt
The ihr form of können is könnt. It keeps the umlaut and takes the ihr ending -t.
23
Sie (formal, müssen) → Sie ___
müssen
Formal Sie uses the same verb form as sie plural: Sie müssen.
24
wir (wollen) → wir ___
wollen
The wir form is the infinitive form: wir wollen.
25
ihr (müssen) → ihr ___
müsst
The ihr form is müsst: stem with umlaut plus -t. It is not müsstet at A1 present tense.
26
sie (they, dürfen) → sie ___
dürfen
The plural sie form matches the infinitive: sie dürfen.
27
ihr (wollen) → ihr ___
wollt
The ihr form is wollt. Do not build it from the singular stem will-.
28
wir (möchten) → wir ___
möchten
The wir form is möchten, the same as the infinitive-like dictionary form.
29
ihr (dürfen) → ihr ___
dürft
The ihr form is dürft. The singular stem darf- is not used for ihr.
30
True or false: formal Sie uses the same modal form as wir for these verbs.
True
For these present-tense modals, formal Sie uses the infinitive-looking form: Sie können, Sie müssen, Sie möchten, just like wir.
Word order — modal second, infinitive last
31
Correct word order: “I can speak German.”
Ich kann Deutsch sprechen.
The modal kann is conjugated and sits in position 2. The main verb sprechen goes to the end.
32
Correct word order: “We have to work tomorrow.”
Wir müssen morgen arbeiten.
The modal müssen is in position 2, and the infinitive arbeiten goes to the end after the time phrase.
33
Ich ___ heute lernen. (must)
muss
For ich, müssen becomes muss. The main verb lernen stays as an infinitive at the end.
34
Du ___ jetzt gehen. (can)
kannst
The du form of können is kannst. gehen remains the infinitive at the end.
35
Sie möchte einen Kaffee ___.
trinken
After a modal, the second verb stays in the infinitive. The finite verb is already möchte.
36
Wir können am Samstag ___. (to come)
kommen
After können, the main verb is an infinitive at the end: Wir können am Samstag kommen.
37
Correct sentence with a fronted time word:
Heute muss ich arbeiten.
German keeps the conjugated modal in position 2. If Heute is first, muss comes second and the subject follows.
38
Correct yes/no question:
Kannst du kommen?
In a yes/no question, the conjugated verb comes first. With a modal sentence, that verb is kannst.
39
Möchtest du etwas ___? (to eat)
essen
The modal möchtest is conjugated, so the main verb must be the infinitive essen at the end.
40
True or false: In a modal sentence, the main verb is conjugated too.
False
Only the modal is conjugated. The main verb stays as an infinitive: Ich will schlafen, not Ich will schlafe.
Build the sentence
41
Which sentence means “I can speak German”?
Ich kann Deutsch sprechen.
The modal kann is in position 2, and the main verb sprechen goes to the end.
42
Wir ___ morgen arbeiten. (We have to work tomorrow.)
müssen
The wir form is müssen. The main verb arbeiten stays as an infinitive at the end.
43
Which sentence means “She would like to drink a coffee”?
Sie möchte einen Kaffee trinken.
möchte is position 2, and trinken is the infinitive at the end. Kaffee is masculine accusative: einen Kaffee.
44
Which is the correct yes/no question?
Kannst du heute kommen?
Yes/no questions put the conjugated modal first. The main verb kommen stays at the end.
45
Heute ___ ich lernen. (Today I must study.)
muss
When Heute is first, the conjugated modal still takes position 2. The subject comes after it, and lernen stays at the end.
46
Build: “You are allowed to sit here.”
Du darfst hier sitzen
Permission uses dürfen. The du form is darfst, and sitzen is the infinitive at the end.
47
Build: “He wants to sleep now.”
Er will jetzt schlafen
wollen has the singular form will for er. The main verb schlafen goes to the end.
48
Build: “Should we wait?”
Sollen wir warten
A yes/no question begins with the conjugated modal. For wir, the form is sollen; warten stays infinitive.
49
Build: “I do not want to go.”
Ich will nicht gehen
will is the modal in position 2, nicht negates the sentence, and gehen remains the infinitive at the end.
50
Build: “May I pay?”
Darf ich zahlen
Permission uses dürfen. In a yes/no question, the modal comes first: Darf ich zahlen?
How German verbs like aufstehen and einkaufen split in normal present-tense sentences.
What is a separable verb?
A separable verb is a verb with a front piece that can split off in a sentence. aufstehen means “to get up”: Ich stehe früh auf.
English has a similar idea in phrasal verbs: get up, turn on, pick up. German makes the split very visible.
In a main clause, the verb stem is conjugated in position 2, and the prefix goes to the end: Ich kaufe heute ein.
English vs German
English can keep a particle near the verb or move it: I pick up the bag / I pick the bag up. German present-tense main clauses have a stricter pattern. The conjugated verb part goes in the normal verb position, and the separable prefix goes to the end: Sie ruft ihre Mutter an.
Common separable verbs
Infinitive
Parts
Meaning
Sentence
aufstehen
stehen + auf
to get up
Ich stehe um 7 Uhr auf.
einkaufen
kaufen + ein
to shop
Wir kaufen am Samstag ein.
anrufen
rufen + an
to call
Sie ruft ihre Mutter an.
fernsehen
sehen + fern
to watch TV
Er sieht abends fern.
mitbringen
bringen + mit
to bring along
Ich bringe einen Freund mit.
abfahren
fahren + ab
to depart
Der Zug fährt um 8 Uhr ab.
Sentence pattern
Position 1
Verb in position 2
Middle
Prefix at the end
Ich
stehe
um 7 Uhr
auf.
Wir
kaufen
heute
ein.
Sie
ruft
ihre Mutter
an.
Der Zug
fährt
um 8 Uhr
ab.
Examples
The train departs at 8.Der Zug fährt um 8 Uhr ab.
I am bringing a friend along.Ich bringe einen Freund mit.
She calls her mother.Sie ruft ihre Mutter an.
We shop on Saturday.Wir kaufen am Samstag ein.
Cheat-sheet
In a main clause, the separable prefix goes to the end: Ich stehe früh auf.
Conjugate the main verb part for the subject: ich stehe, du stehst, er steht.
Do not conjugate the prefix. auf, ein, an, mit, ab stay unchanged.
In yes/no questions, the conjugated verb comes first and the prefix still goes to the end: Stehst du früh auf?
Some verbs also have stem changes: fernsehen → er sieht fern; abfahren → der Zug fährt ab.
Practice timer00:00
Übung — practise it
Answer each one. Get it wrong and you’ll see exactly why. Your progress saves automatically.
Warm-up — spotting the split
1
A separable verb is a verb where …
a prefix can split off and go to the end
In present-tense main clauses, verbs like aufstehen split: the conjugated verb part goes in position 2 and the prefix goes to the end.
2
aufstehen means …
to get up
aufstehen means “to get up”. In a sentence it splits: Ich stehe früh auf.
3
Which word is the separable prefix in anrufen?
an
The prefix is an. The verb part rufen is conjugated, as in Sie ruft ihre Mutter an.
4
einkaufen splits into kaufen + ___.
ein
The separable prefix is ein, and the verb part kaufen is conjugated: Wir kaufen heute ein.
5
True or false: the separable prefix is conjugated like a verb ending.
False
Only the verb part is conjugated. The prefix stays unchanged and moves to the end: ich rufe ... an, du rufst ... an.
Present tense — prefix at the end
6
Ich ___ früh ___. (aufstehen)
stehe / auf
aufstehen splits in a main clause: ich stehe, and the prefix auf goes to the end.
7
Wir kaufen heute ___. (einkaufen)
ein
For einkaufen, the conjugated verb is kaufen and the prefix ein goes to the end: Wir kaufen heute ein.
8
Sie ___ ihre Mutter ___. (anrufen)
ruft / an
anrufen splits: sie ruft ... an. The prefix an belongs at the end of the clause.
9
Ich bringe einen Freund ___. (mitbringen)
mit
mitbringen splits into bringe + mit. Freund is masculine direct object, so einen Freund is correct.
10
Der Zug ___ um 8 Uhr ___. (abfahren)
fährt / ab
abfahren splits, and fahren has a stem change with der Zug: fährt. The prefix ab goes to the end.
Common separable verbs
11
Which verb means “to shop”?
einkaufen
einkaufen means “to shop” or “to buy groceries”. In a sentence: Wir kaufen ein.
12
Which verb means “to call someone by phone”?
anrufen
anrufen means “to call”. It takes a direct object: Ich rufe meinen Vater an.
13
fernsehen: Er ___ abends fern.
sieht
fernsehen splits, and sehen changes e to ie for er/sie/es: er sieht ... fern.
14
Which sentence means “We watch TV in the evening”?
Wir sehen abends fern.
fernsehen splits: sehen is the conjugated verb in position 2, and fern goes to the end.
15
True or false: mitbringen means “to bring along”.
True
mitbringen means “to bring along” or “to bring with”. The prefix mit goes to the end in a main clause.
Questions with separable verbs
16
“Are you getting up early?”
Stehst du früh auf?
A yes/no question starts with the conjugated verb stehst. The separable prefix auf still goes to the end.
17
Wann ___ der Zug ab? (abfahren)
fährt
In a W-word question, the verb comes second after wann. Zug is singular masculine, so abfahren becomes fährt ... ab.
18
Which question is correct?
Rufst du mich heute an?
The verb rufst starts the yes/no question, the object mich follows, and the prefix an goes to the end.
19
“When do you shop?”
Wann kaufst du ein?
With a W-word, wann is first and the conjugated verb kaufst is second. The prefix ein stays at the end.
20
___ du heute fern? (Do you watch TV today?)
Siehst
The yes/no question begins with the verb. With du, fernsehen uses the stem-change form siehst, and fern goes to the end.
Build the sentence
21
Build: “I get up at 7.”
Ich stehe um 7 Uhr auf
aufstehen splits: stehe is in position 2, and auf goes to the end after the time phrase.
22
Build: “She calls her mother.”
Sie ruft ihre Mutter an
anrufen splits into ruft ... an. Mutter is feminine, so ihre Mutter is correct.
23
Build: “We shop on Saturday.”
Wir kaufen am Samstag ein
einkaufen splits: kaufen is the wir-form in position 2, and ein goes to the end.
24
Build: “The train leaves at 8.”
Der Zug fährt um 8 Uhr ab
abfahren splits and fahren changes to fährt for der Zug. The prefix ab stands at the end.
25
Which sentence is correct?
Ich sehe abends fern.
fernsehen splits in a main clause: the conjugated verb sehe is second, and fern goes to the end.
How to tell one person, several people, or someone formal to do something.
What is an imperative?
An imperative is the command form of a verb. It tells someone to do something: Come!, Listen!, Please wait.
English mostly uses the bare verb for everyone: Come here, Wait here, Open the door. The person you are speaking to is understood.
German changes the command form depending on whom you are addressing: one friend (du), a group of friends (ihr), or someone formal (Sie). The formal form keeps Sie after the verb.
English vs German
English says “Come!” to one person, several people, or formally. German has separate forms: Komm! for one familiar person, Kommt! for several familiar people, and Kommen Sie! for formal address. Add bitte to make a command sound like a request.
Imperative forms by address
Address
How to form it
Example
English
du
verb stem, usually no ending
Komm!
Come!
ihr
present-tense ihr form without ihr
Kommt!
Come!
Sie
infinitive + Sie
Kommen Sie!
Come!
wir
infinitive + wir
Gehen wir!
Let’s go!
Common irregular du commands
Infinitive
du command
Note
sein
Sei!
fully irregular
haben
Hab!
short stem form
sprechen
Sprich!
e → i
nehmen
Nimm!
e → i plus stem change
essen
Iss!
e → i plus spelling change
Examples
Wait a moment! (formal)Warten Sie einen Moment!
Speak slowly! (du)Sprich langsam!
Open the window! (ihr)Öffnet das Fenster!
Let’s go home.Gehen wir nach Hause.
Cheat-sheet
For du, start from the verb stem and usually leave off -st: du kommst → Komm!
For ihr, use the normal ihr verb form and drop the pronoun: ihr wartet → Wartet!
For formal Sie, use the infinitive and keep Sie: Warten Sie!
sein has the special command Sei! for du.
Bitte can stand at the beginning or inside the sentence: Bitte komm. / Komm bitte.
Practice timer00:00
Übung — practise it
Answer each one. Get it wrong and you’ll see exactly why. Your progress saves automatically.
Warm-up — what commands do
1
Which English sentence is a command?
Open the door.
A command tells someone to do something. “Open the door” uses the verb directly and addresses the listener.
2
German imperative forms change mainly because of …
who you are speaking to
The imperative depends on the addressee: du, ihr, Sie, or wir. The same verb can therefore have several command forms.
3
True or false: formal German commands usually include the word Sie.
True
The formal imperative is built like a yes/no question: Kommen Sie!, Warten Sie!. Dropping Sie would not be the normal formal command.
4
The polite word “please” in German is ___.
bitte
Bitte softens a command into a request: Bitte warten Sie. / Warte bitte.
5
Which German word means “Let’s …” in commands like “Let’s go”?
wir
The German “let’s” form uses the infinitive plus wir: Gehen wir! literally has the shape “Go we!”
du commands — one familiar person
6
Tell one friend: Come! (kommen)
Komm!
The du imperative usually uses the stem without -st: du kommst → Komm!
7
Tell one friend: Wait! (warten) = ___!
Warte
With stems ending in -t or -d, German commonly keeps -e in the du command: Warte!
8
Tell one friend: Speak slowly! (sprechen)
Sprich langsam!
sprechen has the stem change e → i in the du form, and the imperative keeps it: Sprich!
9
Tell one friend: Take the book! (nehmen) = ___ das Buch!
Nimm
nehmen is irregular: du nimmst, so the command is Nimm!, not “Nehm!” in standard German.
10
Tell one friend: Be quiet! (sein)
Sei leise!
sein has a special du imperative: Sei!. It does not use the normal present form bist.
11
True or false: the du command always keeps the ending -st.
False
The normal du present ending is -st, but the imperative drops it: du gehst → Geh!
ihr and Sie commands
12
Tell several friends: Come! (kommen)
Kommt!
For ihr, use the normal ihr form and remove ihr: ihr kommt → Kommt!
13
Tell several friends: Listen! (hören) = ___!
Hört
The ihr form of hören is ihr hört. Drop the pronoun and keep the verb form: Hört!
14
Formal: Please wait here. (warten)
Warten Sie bitte hier.
Formal commands use infinitive + Sie. Warte is for one familiar person, and Wartet is for several familiar people.
15
Formal: Please come in. Bitte ___ Sie herein!
kommen
The formal imperative uses the infinitive before Sie: Kommen Sie, Warten Sie, Öffnen Sie.
16
Which command is for several familiar people?
Setzt euch!
Setzt is the ihr form. The reflexive pronoun also matches ihr: euch.
17
Which command is formal?
Helfen Sie mir bitte.
Formal address keeps Sie and uses the infinitive-shaped verb form: Helfen Sie.
Polite requests and useful classroom commands
18
Which is the best formal request for “Please repeat that”?
Wiederholen Sie das bitte.
Formal request = infinitive + Sie. bitte can come after the object without changing the grammar.
19
Tell one friend: Please write your name. ___ bitte deinen Namen.
Schreib
schreiben has the du command Schreib!. deinen Namen is masculine accusative because it is what the person writes.
20
Tell several friends: Open your books. (die Bücher)
Öffnet eure Bücher.
Several familiar people take the ihr command Öffnet. The possessive for ihr with plural Bücher is eure.
21
True or false: bitte changes the verb ending in a command.
False
Bitte changes the tone, not the grammar. The verb form still depends on du, ihr, or Sie.
22
Let’s start. = ___ wir an!
Fangen
The “let’s” form uses infinitive + wir. With the separable verb anfangen, the prefix goes to the end: Fangen wir an!
23
Which sentence correctly says “Let’s eat”?
Essen wir.
The imperative for “let’s” uses the infinitive first and wir second: Essen wir.
Build the command
24
Build: “Please speak slowly.” (du)
Sprich bitte langsam
sprechen has the du command Sprich. bitte can stand after the command verb.
25
Build: “Please wait here.” (formal)
Warten Sie bitte hier
Formal imperative keeps the pronoun: verb first, then Sie. The place word hier follows naturally after bitte.
26
Build: “Open the window!” (ihr)
Öffnet das Fenster
For several familiar people, use the ihr form Öffnet. das Fenster is neuter accusative and stays das.
27
Build: “Let’s go home.”
Gehen wir nach Hause
The “let’s” command is infinitive + wir: Gehen wir. nach Hause is the fixed phrase for going home.
How German builds the spoken past with haben or sein and a past participle at the end.
What is the Perfekt?
The Perfekt is the normal German way to talk about the past in everyday speech. It means things like I worked, I bought, I went.
English can say “I have played” and “I played”. German usually uses one structure for both meanings in conversation: a helper verb plus a past participle.
The helper is a form of haben or sein. The past participle goes at the end: Ich habe Kaffee gekauft. Wir sind nach Hause gegangen.
English vs German
English separates “I played” from “I have played”. German Perfekt often covers both: Ich habe gespielt can mean “I played” or “I have played”. The part that feels new is the split verb shape: the helper is conjugated in position 2, and the participle waits at the end.
The basic Perfekt shape
Part
What it does
Example
haben / sein
the conjugated helper in position 2
Ich habe ... / Ich bin ...
past participle
the past form at the end
gemacht / gekauft / gegangen
whole sentence
helper + rest + participle
Ich habe gestern gekocht.
Regular and common irregular participles
Infinitive
Participle
Example
machen
gemacht
Ich habe Hausaufgaben gemacht.
kaufen
gekauft
Sie hat Brot gekauft.
arbeiten
gearbeitet
Wir haben viel gearbeitet.
sehen
gesehen
Er hat den Film gesehen.
gehen
gegangen
Ich bin nach Hause gegangen.
fahren
gefahren
Wir sind nach Berlin gefahren.
Which helper?
Helper
Use
Examples
haben
most verbs
gemacht, gekauft, gesehen, gegessen
sein
movement from one place to another
gegangen, gefahren, gekommen
sein
change of state
aufgewacht, eingeschlafen, geworden
sein
a few fixed verbs
gewesen, geblieben
Examples
I bought bread.Ich habe Brot gekauft.
She worked yesterday.Sie hat gestern gearbeitet.
We went to Berlin.Wir sind nach Berlin gefahren.
Have you seen the film?Hast du den Film gesehen?
Cheat-sheet
The Perfekt has two verb parts: haben/sein in position 2, participle at the end.
Most verbs use haben. Use sein mainly for movement to a new place and change of state.
Regular participles usually look like ge- + stem + -t: machen → gemacht.
Verbs ending in -ieren take no ge-: telefonieren → telefoniert.
In a yes/no question, the helper comes first: Hast du gegessen?
Practice timer00:00
Übung — practise it
Answer each one. Get it wrong and you’ll see exactly why. Your progress saves automatically.
Warm-up — what the Perfekt does
1
The Perfekt is used in everyday German mainly to talk about ...
the past
The Perfekt is the normal spoken past tense. It covers English meanings like “I played” and “I have played”.
2
Which German sentence is in the Perfekt?
Ich habe Brot gekauft.
The sentence has the Perfekt pattern: conjugated helper habe plus the participle gekauft at the end.
3
True or false: German Perfekt normally has two verb parts.
True
The two parts are the helper haben/sein and the past participle. Learners often forget the final participle or try to use only one past verb.
4
In Ich habe Kaffee gekauft, the helper verb is ___.
habe
habe is the conjugated form of haben. gekauft is the participle, so it is not the helper.
5
In Wir sind nach Hause gegangen, the participle is ___.
gegangen
sind is the helper and gegangen is the past participle at the end. The participle carries the main action “went”.
6
Where does the past participle usually go in a simple Perfekt sentence?
at the end
German keeps the conjugated helper in position 2 and sends the participle to the end: Ich habe gestern gekocht.
7
Ich habe Deutsch gelernt means ...
I learned German / I have learned German
The Perfekt can translate as simple past or present perfect in English. The German form itself is habe + gelernt.
8
True or false: In spoken German, Perfekt is more common than Präteritum for most verbs.
True
For everyday speech, German usually says Ich habe gemacht, not ich machte. Important exceptions like war and hatte come later.
Regular participles — ge- + stem + -t
9
machen → ___
gemacht
Regular participles use ge- + stem + -t. The stem of machen is mach-, so the participle is gemacht.
10
kaufen → ___
gekauft
kaufen is regular in the Perfekt: ge- + kauf + -t. kaufte is Präteritum, not the Perfekt participle.
11
lernen → ___
gelernt
The stem is lern-, and regular participles take ge- and -t: gelernt.
12
spielen → ___
gespielt
spielen loses the infinitive ending -en to get the stem spiel-, then adds ge- and -t.
13
Which sentence is correct?
Ich habe gekocht.
kochen is a normal activity verb, so it uses haben plus the participle gekocht. The infinitive kochen cannot stand in for the participle here.
14
arbeiten → ___
gearbeitet
Stems ending in -t or -d often add -et in the participle for pronunciation: arbeiten → gearbeitet.
15
warten → ___.
gewartet
warten has a stem ending in -t, so the regular participle is ge- + wart + -et: gewartet.
16
telefonieren → ___
telefoniert
Verbs ending in -ieren do not take ge-. The participle is stem + -t: telefoniert.
17
studieren → ___
studiert
-ieren verbs form the participle without ge-. This is why studiert is correct, not gestudiert.
18
Ich habe gestern viel ___. (arbeiten)
gearbeitet
arbeiten forms the participle gearbeitet, and most activity verbs use haben in the Perfekt.
Choosing haben
19
Most German verbs form the Perfekt with ...
haben
haben is the default helper for the Perfekt. Use sein only for clear groups such as movement to a new place and change of state.
20
Ich ___ einen Kaffee getrunken.
habe
trinken does not express movement to a new place. It is a normal transitive action, so it takes haben.
21
Sie ___ Musik gehört.
hat
hören uses haben, and with sie meaning “she” the helper is hat. The participle gehört stays at the end.
22
Wir ___ Pizza gegessen.
haben
essen takes haben in the Perfekt. Even though the participle gegessen is irregular, the helper is still haben.
23
Du ___ lange geschlafen.
hast
schlafen usually uses haben when it describes the activity of sleeping. du + haben = hast.
24
Er ___ den Film gesehen.
hat
sehen takes haben. The irregular participle is gesehen, but irregular participle does not automatically mean sein.
25
True or false: If a participle ends in -en, it must use sein.
False
Many irregular participles end in -en but still use haben: gesehen, gegessen, gelesen. The helper depends on the verb meaning, not just the ending.
26
Ich ___ meine Hausaufgaben gemacht.
habe
machen is a regular action verb and uses haben. meine Hausaufgaben is the direct object, which also points away from sein.
27
Which is correct?
Wir haben Deutsch gelernt.
lernen uses haben and needs the participle gelernt. The infinitive lernen is not the Perfekt form.
Choosing sein
28
Which verb normally uses sein in the Perfekt?
gehen
gehen describes movement to another place, so it takes sein: Ich bin gegangen.
29
Ich ___ nach Hause gegangen.
bin
gehen uses sein in the Perfekt, and ich + sein = bin. The destination nach Hause makes the movement especially clear.
30
Wir ___ nach Berlin gefahren.
sind
fahren means travel or go by vehicle here, a movement to another place. Movement verbs like this use sein.
31
Sie ist spät ___. (kommen)
gekommen
kommen uses sein and has the irregular participle gekommen. The helper ist is already given.
32
Er ___ um 7 Uhr aufgewacht.
ist
aufwachen is a change of state: from sleeping to awake. Change-of-state verbs take sein.
33
Ich ___ krank geworden.
bin
werden describes becoming, a change of state, so the Perfekt helper is sein. ich + sein = bin.
34
Wir ___ zu Hause geblieben.
sind
bleiben is one of the fixed common verbs that uses sein, even though it does not mean travelling. The correct form is sind geblieben.
35
True or false: All movement inside one place uses sein.
False
The A1 rule is movement to a new place: Ich bin nach Hause gegangen. A plain activity like Ich habe getanzt uses haben, even though the body moves.
36
Ihr ___ früh angekommen.
seid
ankommen uses sein because it means arriving at a place. ihr + sein = seid.
Word order and questions
37
Which sentence has correct Perfekt word order?
Ich habe gestern gekocht.
The conjugated helper habe is in position 2, and the participle gekocht is at the end.
38
Yesterday I bought bread. → ___
Gestern habe ich Brot gekauft.
When Gestern is first, the helper still must be second, so the subject comes after habe. The participle gekauft stays at the end.
39
Heute ___ ich viel gelernt. (haben)
habe
Heute fills position 1, so the conjugated helper must come next. ich + haben = habe.
40
Yes/no question: ___ du gut geschlafen?
Hast
Yes/no questions put the conjugated verb first. In the Perfekt, that first verb is the helper: Hast du ... geschlafen?
41
W-question: Wann ___ ihr gegessen?
habt
A W-question starts with the question word, then the conjugated helper. The participle remains at the end.
42
Was ___ du gekauft?
hast
Was is position 1, so the helper is in position 2. du + haben = hast.
43
Where should nicht usually go in Ich habe den Film nicht gesehen?
before the participle
In this sentence, nicht negates the seeing and stands before the final participle: Ich habe den Film nicht gesehen.
44
Which is correct?
Ich bin nicht gekommen.
The helper stays in position 2, and nicht normally comes before the final participle when it negates the action.
Build the sentence
45
Build: “I bought bread.”
Ich habe Brot gekauft
kaufen uses haben, and the participle gekauft goes at the end: Ich habe Brot gekauft.
46
Build: “She worked yesterday.”
Sie hat gestern gearbeitet
arbeiten uses haben; with sie the helper is hat. The participle gearbeitet closes the sentence.
47
Build: “We went home.”
Wir sind nach Hause gegangen
gehen to a destination uses sein, so wir sind ... gegangen is the correct Perfekt shape.
48
Build: “Did you see the film?”
Hast du den Film gesehen
A yes/no question starts with the helper. Film is masculine accusative, so it is den Film.
49
Build: “Yesterday I cooked.”
Gestern habe ich gekocht
With Gestern first, the helper habe still takes position 2. The subject follows the helper.
50
Build: “They arrived late.”
Sie sind spät angekommen
ankommen uses sein because it means arriving at a place. The participle angekommen stays at the end.
51
Build: “What did you eat?”
Was hast du gegessen
The W-word comes first, the helper comes second, and gegessen is the irregular participle at the end.
How small words like für, mit, nach, and ohne force accusative or dative forms.
What is a preposition?
A preposition is a small word that connects a noun or pronoun to the rest of the sentence. In English: for, with, from, to, without, through.
It often tells you direction, place, time, or relationship: for my friend, with my mother, from Berlin, after school.
In German, a preposition does extra grammar work. Many prepositions force a case, so the article or pronoun after them must change: für den Mann, mit dem Mann.
English vs German
English prepositions do not change “the”: for the man, with the man, from the man. German prepositions can force the next noun phrase into Akkusativ or Dativ. That is why der Mann becomes den Mann after für, but dem Mann after mit.
Always accusative prepositions
Preposition
Meaning
Example
durch
through
durch den Park
für
for
für den Freund
gegen
against / around (time)
gegen die Wand / gegen acht Uhr
ohne
without
ohne das Auto
um
around / at (time)
um den Tisch / um sieben Uhr
Always dative prepositions
Preposition
Meaning
Example
aus
from / out of
aus der Stadt
bei
at / near / with
bei dem Arzt / beim Arzt
mit
with / by means of
mit dem Bus
nach
after / to
nach der Schule / nach Berlin
von
from / of
von dem Freund / vom Freund
zu
to
zu der Schule / zur Schule
Article changes after prepositions
Gender
Nominative
Accusative
Dative
masculine
der Mann
den Mann
dem Mann
feminine
die Frau
die Frau
der Frau
neuter
das Kind
das Kind
dem Kind
plural
die Kinder
die Kinder
den Kindern
Examples
This gift is for the child.Dieses Geschenk ist für das Kind.
I am going to the doctor.Ich gehe zum Arzt.
We are travelling by bus.Wir fahren mit dem Bus.
She walks through the park.Sie geht durch den Park.
Cheat-sheet
für, durch, gegen, ohne, um always take the Akkusativ.
aus, bei, mit, nach, von, zu always take the Dativ.
After an accusative preposition, only masculine der changes visibly to den.
After a dative preposition, all articles change: dem, der, dem, den.
Common contractions: zu dem → zum, zu der → zur, bei dem → beim, von dem → vom.
Practice timer00:00
Übung — practise it
Answer each one. Get it wrong and you’ll see exactly why. Your progress saves automatically.
Warm-up — what prepositions do
1
Which word is a preposition?
with
with connects a noun or pronoun to the sentence: with my friend. The other words do not have that connecting job.
2
In “for the child”, the preposition is ...
for
for shows the relationship between the child and the rest of the idea. The noun phrase after it is the object of the preposition.
3
German prepositions can force the noun after them into ...
a case
The important German habit is that a preposition can demand accusative or dative. That demand changes articles and pronouns.
4
True or false: English “the” changes after “for” and “with”.
False
English says for the man and with the man. German changes the article: für den Mann, mit dem Mann.
5
The German word for “with” is ___.
mit
mit is the everyday preposition for “with”. It is also one of the fixed dative prepositions.
6
The German word for “for” is ___.
für
für means “for” and always takes the accusative. That is why “for the man” is für den Mann.
7
Which sentence shows a preposition changing the article?
Ich spreche mit dem Mann.
mit is a preposition and it forces dative, changing der Mann to dem Mann. Ich sehe den Mann is accusative from the verb, not from a preposition.
8
True or false: You must learn the case together with many German prepositions.
True
The preposition itself often decides the case. Learning mit without “dative” or für without “accusative” leaves out the most important grammar fact.
Always accusative — für, durch, gegen, ohne, um
9
für always takes the ...
Akkusativ
für is a fixed accusative preposition. Masculine der therefore becomes den after für.
10
für ___ Mann (der Mann)
den
für forces accusative. Masculine accusative is den Mann, not der Mann or dem Mann.
11
für ___ Kind (das Kind)
das
für takes accusative, but neuter das looks the same in nominative and accusative. The case changed; the visible article did not.
12
ohne ___ Tasche (die Tasche)
die
ohne takes accusative. Feminine accusative is die Tasche, the same visible form as nominative.
13
durch ___ Park (der Park)
den
durch always takes accusative. Park is masculine, so der Park changes to den Park.
14
um ___ Tisch (der Tisch)
den
um is an accusative preposition. Tisch is masculine, so the article must be den.
15
gegen ___ Wand (die Wand)
die
gegen takes accusative. Feminine accusative stays die, so gegen die Wand is correct.
16
Which set contains only accusative prepositions?
für, ohne, durch
für, ohne, and durch all force accusative. The other sets contain fixed dative prepositions.
17
True or false: ohne dem Mann is the correct form for “without the man”.
False
ohne is accusative, not dative. The correct phrase is ohne den Mann.
Always dative — aus, bei, mit, nach, von, zu
18
mit always takes the ...
Dativ
mit is a fixed dative preposition. That is why der Bus becomes dem Bus after mit.
19
mit ___ Bus (der Bus)
dem
mit forces dative. Masculine dative is dem Bus.
20
aus ___ Stadt (die Stadt)
der
aus is dative, and feminine dative is der. This is a common place phrase: aus der Stadt.
21
bei ___ Arzt (der Arzt)
dem
bei takes dative. Masculine dative is dem Arzt, often contracted to beim Arzt.
22
nach ___ Schule (die Schule)
der
nach is dative when it means after. Feminine dative is der: nach der Schule.
23
von ___ Freund (der Freund)
dem
von takes dative, so der Freund becomes dem Freund. In everyday German, von dem often contracts to vom.
24
zu ___ Mutter (die Mutter)
der
zu is always dative. Feminine dative is der Mutter; zu der can contract to zur.
25
Which set contains only dative prepositions?
mit, nach, von
mit, nach, and von are fixed dative prepositions. für, ohne, um, durch, and gegen are accusative.
26
True or false: mit den Bus is correct for “by bus”.
False
mit takes dative, so it must be mit dem Bus. den would be masculine accusative.
Articles and pronouns after prepositions
27
für mich means ...
for me
für means “for” and takes accusative. The accusative pronoun for “me” is mich.
28
mit mir means ...
with me
mit means “with” and takes dative. The dative pronoun for “me” is mir.
29
für ___ (you, du form)
dich
für takes accusative, and the accusative pronoun for du is dich. dir would be dative.
30
mit ___ (you, du form)
dir
mit takes dative, and the dative pronoun for du is dir. dich would be accusative.
31
ohne ihn means ...
without him
ohne means “without” and takes accusative. ihn is the masculine accusative pronoun “him”.
32
zu ihr means ...
to her
zu means “to” and takes dative. ihr is the dative pronoun for “her”.
33
für meine Mutter or für meiner Mutter?
für meine Mutter
für is accusative. Feminine accusative possessive is meine; meiner would be dative or genitive.
34
mit meinem Vater or mit meinen Vater?
mit meinem Vater
mit is dative. Masculine dative possessive ending is -em, so meinem Vater is correct.
35
True or false: für mich and mit mir use different pronouns because the prepositions trigger different cases.
True
für triggers accusative, giving mich. mit triggers dative, giving mir. The English word “me” hides that difference.
Contractions and common phrases
36
zu dem usually contracts to ...
zum
zu + dem becomes zum. It is used with masculine and neuter dative nouns: zum Arzt, zum Kino.
37
zu der usually contracts to ...
zur
zu + der becomes zur. der is the feminine dative article, as in zur Schule.
38
bei dem Arzt → ___ Arzt
beim
bei + dem contracts to beim. Arzt is masculine dative after bei, so beim Arzt is the common form.
39
von dem Freund → ___ Freund
vom
von + dem contracts to vom. The case is still dative; the contraction just combines the two words.
40
Which is correct for “to school”?
zur Schule
Schule is feminine, and zu takes dative: zu der Schule, normally zur Schule.
41
Which is correct for “to the doctor”?
zum Arzt
Arzt is masculine and zu takes dative: zu dem Arzt, normally zum Arzt.
42
nach Berlin uses no article because ...
many city names take no article
City and country names like Berlin and Deutschland usually stand without an article after nach. The preposition still has its normal meaning “to”.
43
um sieben Uhr means ...
at seven o’clock
um can mean “at” with clock times. It is still one of the accusative prepositions, though no article appears in this phrase.
Build the phrase and sentence
44
Build: “for the man”
für den Mann
für takes accusative, and masculine accusative is den Mann.
45
Build: “with the child”
mit dem Kind
mit takes dative, and neuter dative is dem Kind.
46
Build: “I am going to school.”
Ich gehe zur Schule
zu takes dative; Schule is feminine, so zu der becomes zur.
47
Build: “She walks through the park.”
Sie geht durch den Park
durch takes accusative. Park is masculine, so the phrase is durch den Park.
48
Build: “We travel by bus.”
Wir fahren mit dem Bus
mit takes dative, and der Bus becomes dem Bus.
49
Build: “This gift is for you.”
Dieses Geschenk ist für dich
für takes accusative, and the accusative form of du is dich. Geschenk is neuter, so Dieses Geschenk is the subject.
50
Build: “Without my phone, I cannot work.”
Ohne mein Handy kann ich nicht arbeiten
ohne takes accusative; Handy is neuter, so mein Handy is unchanged. After the fronted phrase, kann is in position 2.
One mental model for all of A1 grammar: stop memorising tables, start reading the signals.
One system, not fifty rules
German looks like dozens of unrelated tables — der/die/das, plural endings, verb endings, cases, word order. It is actually one system that signals three kinds of information at once.
Role — what job is each noun doing: the doer, the affected thing, or the receiver? Agreement — which little words belong to which noun and must match it? Structure — where does the conjugated verb sit?
Every A1 topic you have learned fits into one of these three systems. Once you can name the system a rule belongs to, the “exceptions” stop feeling random.
The long-term shift: do not ask “What rule is this?” Ask: What information is German trying to signal here?
English vs German
English signals Role mostly through word order and barely changes “the” or “a”. German marks roles with case endings and can therefore move noun groups around. English says “the old man” no matter what job the man has; German spreads the gender, number and case signal across article + adjective + noun: der alte Mann, den alten Mann, dem alten Mann. English verb position is comparatively loose; German pins the conjugated verb: second in a main clause, first in a yes/no question, and last in a subordinate clause.
The three systems
System
Central question
What lives inside it (A1)
Role
What job does each noun have?
Nominative, Accusative, pronouns, prepositions that trigger a case
Agreement = one package (masculine singular, three jobs)
Job (case)
Article + noun
Signal carried
Nominativ
der Mann
masculine · singular · subject
Akkusativ
den Mann
masculine · singular · direct object
possessive
mein Bruder → meinen Bruder
the ending copies the case
Structure = where the conjugated verb sits
Sentence type
Verb position
Example
Main clause
2nd element
Heute arbeite ich.
Yes/no question
1st element
Arbeitest du heute?
W-question
after the W-word (2nd)
Wo arbeitest du?
Verb bracket (modal/Perfekt)
2nd + very end
Ich muss heute arbeiten. / Ich habe gearbeitet.
Examples
The teacher gives the student the book.Der Lehrer gibt dem Schüler das Buch.
Today my wife is giving her brother a book.Heute schenkt meine Frau ihrem Bruder ein Buch.
I see the man.Ich sehe den Mann.
Are you working today?Arbeitest du heute?
I am staying home because I'm working today.Ich bleibe zu Hause, weil ich heute arbeite.
Cheat-sheet
Before choosing an article, ask what role the noun plays — not which ending to memorise.
Article + adjective + noun after it = one package. der / den / dem alte(n) Mann is one unit signalling gender + number + case.
Find the conjugated verb first. Main clause → 2nd. Yes/no question → 1st. weil/dass/… → last.
helfen and danken take Dativ; für/durch/ohne take Akkusativ. The verb or preposition assigns the role.
Role chooses the case; Agreement carries that choice on the article, possessive, adjective, and sometimes noun.
Seven-step routine: 1. What is the conjugated verb? 2. Is this a main clause, a question, or a subordinate clause? 3. Who is the doer? (Nominative) 4. What is directly affected? (Accusative) 5. Is there a receiver / beneficiary? (Dative; A2) 6. Which words form one noun group? 7. Do the article, adjective and noun agree (gender + number + case)?
Practice timer00:00
Übung — practise it
Answer each one. Get it wrong and you’ll see exactly why. Your progress saves automatically.
Name the system
1
Which system explains der Tisch → die Tische (plural)?
Agreement
Agreement: plural changes the noun package, and the article becomes die for every gender.
2
Which system explains that weil sends the conjugated verb to the end?
Structure
Structure controls verb position. A clause introduced by weil places its conjugated verb last.
3
Which system explains that für takes the Accusative, as in für den Freund?
Role
Role: the preposition für assigns the Accusative case to its noun group.
4
In der Hund → den Hund after ich sehe, which system first decides that the noun is Accusative?
Role
Role decides that the dog is directly affected and therefore Accusative; Agreement then executes that choice by changing der to den.
5
Which system explains that the verb is second in a main clause?
Structure
Structure: the conjugated verb occupies position 2 in a German main clause.
6
Which system explains mein → meinen before a masculine direct object?
Agreement
Agreement: the possessive must match a masculine Accusative noun, so mein takes -en.
7
Which system explains that helfen is followed by the Dative?
Role
Role: the verb helfen assigns Dative to the person being helped.
Structure: find the verb & clause type
8
Heute ___ ich (arbeiten).
arbeite
Structure: Heute fills position 1, so the conjugated verb arbeite is in position 2; the -e ending agrees with ich.
9
Complete the main clause: Du ___ heute zu Hause.
arbeitest
Structure: the present-tense verb is conjugated for du with -st: Du arbeitest.
10
Build the modal-verb sentence.
Ich muss heute arbeiten .
Structure: the conjugated modal muss is second, and the main verb arbeiten closes the bracket.
11
Ich ___ um 7 Uhr auf (aufstehen).
stehe
Structure: the separable verb splits in a main clause: stehe is conjugated in position 2 and auf goes to the end.
12
Build the informal command.
Steh bitte auf !
Structure: an imperative starts with the verb, and the separable prefix auf remains at the end.
13
Which is the correct yes/no question?
Arbeitest du heute?
Structure: a yes/no question puts the conjugated verb first: Arbeitest du …?
14
Ich ___ gestern gearbeitet.
habe
Structure: the Perfekt bracket uses conjugated habe in position 2 and gearbeitet at the end.
15
Wir ___ nach Berlin gefahren.
sind
Structure: movement with fahren forms the Perfekt with sein: sind … gefahren.
16
Which is the correct W-question?
Wo wohnst du?
Structure: the W-word is first and the conjugated verb is second: Wo wohnst du?
Role: what job is the noun?
17
In Ich kaufe einen Apfel, which words name the directly affected thing?
einen Apfel
Role: einen Apfel is what is bought, so it is the directly affected Accusative object.
18
In Heute liest mein Bruder das Buch, who is the doer?
mein Bruder
Role: mein Bruder performs the action and is therefore the Nominative subject.
19
Which subject pronoun can replace der Mann?
er
Role: a masculine doer uses the Nominative pronoun er; ihn and ihm have other case roles.
20
Complete the identification: Das ist ___.
ein Tisch
Role: after sein, the noun remains Nominative: Das ist ein Tisch.
21
Das Geschenk ist für ___ Freund (der).
den
Role: für assigns Accusative; Agreement shows masculine Accusative as den Freund.
22
Ich fahre mit ___ Bus (der).
dem
Role: mit assigns Dative. This A2 preview appears as mit dem Bus.
23
Ich sehe ___ Hund (der).
den
Role makes the directly affected dog Accusative; Agreement changes masculine der to den.
24
Maria wohnt hier. Which pronoun replaces Maria?
sie
Role: Maria is the doer, so the feminine Nominative subject pronoun is sie.
Agreement: the package must match
25
___ Tisch ist neu. (definite article)
Der
Agreement: Tisch is masculine singular and the subject, so its article is der.
26
___ Buch ist interessant. (definite article)
Das
Agreement: Buch is neuter singular and the subject, so its article is das.
27
Choose the correct plural of der Tisch.
die Tische
Agreement: the plural noun is Tische, and every Nominative plural uses die.
28
Ich habe ___ Hund. (kein, masculine Accusative)
keinen
Agreement: kein declines like ein; masculine Accusative needs -en: keinen Hund.
29
Das ist ___ Mutter. (mein)
meine
Agreement: Mutter is feminine, so the possessive article is meine.
30
Ich besuche ___ Bruder. (mein)
meinen
Agreement: Bruder is a masculine Accusative object, so mein becomes meinen.
31
Ich komme heute ___. (not)
nicht
Structure: nicht negates the action here and stands near the end; unlike kein, it is not part of an agreeing noun package.
32
Wir haben ___ Zeit. (kein)
keine
Agreement: Zeit is feminine Accusative, so kein takes -e: keine Zeit.
Run the full routine
33
Heute kauft mein Vater einen Wagen. Who is the doer?
mein Vater
Step 3, Role: mein Vater performs the action, so it is the Nominative doer.
34
Heute kauft mein Vater einen Wagen. What is directly affected?
einen Wagen
Step 4, Role: einen Wagen is what is bought, so it is the Accusative object; Agreement supplies einen.
35
Heute kauft mein Vater einen Wagen. Which word is the conjugated verb, and is it correctly placed?
kauft; yes, it is second
Steps 1–2, Structure: kauft is conjugated and follows the first element Heute, so it is correctly in position 2.
36
Build the complete Perfekt sentence.
Ich habe gestern einen Film gesehen .
Structure puts habe second and gesehen last; Role makes the film Accusative, and Agreement gives einen Film.
37
Build the complete modal sentence.
Heute kann mein Bruder nicht kommen .
Structure: kann is second, the Nominative doer mein Bruder follows it, nicht negates the action, and kommen closes the bracket.
38
Which whole sentence passes the Role, Agreement, and Structure checks?
Für meinen Vater kaufe ich ein Buch.
Role: für takes Accusative. Agreement: masculine Accusative is meinen Vater. Structure: after the fronted phrase, kaufe is second.
How German marks the person or thing receiving something, plus key dative verbs and prepositions.
What is the Dative case?
The Dative is the German case for the person or thing that receives, benefits from, or is connected to an action. In beginner English terms, it often means to someone or for someone.
In “I give the child a book”, the book is the direct object, but the child is the receiver. German marks that receiver with Dative: Ich gebe dem Kind ein Buch.
German also uses the Dative after certain verbs and prepositions. That means you must learn both the Dative article endings and the common words that trigger them.
English vs German
English can show the indirect object by word order: “I give the child a book”, or with “to”: “I give a book to the child”. German shows it with the Dativ article or pronoun: dem Kind, der Frau, mir, dir. Unlike the Akkusativ, all genders change in the Dative.
Definite articles in the Dative
Gender
Nominative
Accusative
Dative
masculine
der Mann
den Mann
dem Mann
feminine
die Frau
die Frau
der Frau
neuter
das Kind
das Kind
dem Kind
plural
die Kinder
die Kinder
den Kindern
Indefinite and possessive endings in the Dative
Gender
ein
mein
masculine
einem Mann
meinem Vater
feminine
einer Frau
meiner Mutter
neuter
einem Kind
meinem Kind
plural
keinen Kindern
meinen Eltern
Dative pronouns
English
German
to/for me
mir
to/for you (du)
dir
to/for him / it
ihm
to/for her
ihr
to/for us
uns
to/for you all
euch
to/for them / you formal
ihnen / Ihnen
Examples
I give the child a book.Ich gebe dem Kind ein Buch.
Can you help me?Kannst du mir helfen?
We are speaking with the teacher.Wir sprechen mit der Lehrerin.
The children thank their parents.Die Kinder danken ihren Eltern.
Cheat-sheet
Dative definite articles are dem, der, dem, den.
Dative ein-word endings are einem, einer, einem, keinen/meinen.
Plural Dative usually adds -n to the noun: den Kindern, meinen Freunden.
Common dative verbs include helfen, danken, gefallen, gehören, antworten.
Fixed dative prepositions include mit, bei, aus, nach, von, zu.
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Übung — practise it
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Warm-up — finding the receiver
1
In “I give the child a book”, who receives something?
the child
The book is what is given; the child is the receiver. German normally marks that receiver with the Dative.
2
The Dative often answers which English idea?
to/for whom?
The Dative often marks the person something goes to or is done for: to the child, for my mother, to me.
3
Which part is dative in Ich gebe dem Mann das Buch?
dem Mann
dem Mann is the receiver of the book. das Buch is the direct object, so it is accusative/neuter visible as das.
4
True or false: The Dative is only about physical giving.
False
Giving is the clearest example, but dative also appears after verbs like helfen and danken and after prepositions like mit.
5
The dative pronoun for “me” is ___.
mir
English “me” can be accusative or dative, but German separates them. Dative “to/for me” is mir.
6
The dative pronoun for “you” (du) is ___.
dir
du has different object forms: dich for accusative and dir for dative. The Dative form is dir.
7
True or false: In the Dative, all article genders change form.
True
Unlike the accusative, where only masculine changes clearly, the Dative changes the article set to dem, der, dem, den.
8
Which phrase is clearly dative?
mit dem Kind
mit is a fixed dative preposition, and dem Kind is neuter dative. The other examples do not show dative.
Dative articles — dem, der, dem, den
9
Dative of der Mann is ...
dem Mann
Masculine dative uses dem. den Mann is masculine accusative, not dative.
10
Dative of die Frau is ...
der Frau
Feminine dative uses der. This often feels strange because der can also be masculine nominative, but here it is feminine dative.
11
Dative of das Kind = ___ Kind
dem
Neuter dative uses dem, the same article form as masculine dative.
12
Dative plural of die Kinder is ...
den Kindern
Plural dative uses den, and most plural nouns add -n. Kinder becomes Kindern.
13
mit ___ Lehrer (der Lehrer)
dem
mit takes dative. Lehrer is masculine, so the article is dem.
14
bei ___ Familie (die Familie)
der
bei takes dative, and feminine dative is der. Familie is feminine.
15
zu ___ Hotel (das Hotel)
dem
zu takes dative. Hotel is neuter, so das Hotel becomes dem Hotel.
16
mit ___ Freunden (die Freunde)
den
mit takes dative and plural dative uses den. Freunde already has the dative -n as Freunden.
17
True or false: dem can be masculine dative or neuter dative.
True
Both der Mann and das Kind become dem in the Dative: dem Mann, dem Kind. The noun tells you the gender.
Dative with ein, kein, and possessives
18
mit ___ Freund (ein Freund)
einem
mit takes dative, and masculine dative ein-word ending is -em: einem Freund.
19
mit ___ Freundin (eine Freundin)
einer
Freundin is feminine. Feminine dative ein-word ending is -er: einer Freundin.
20
mit ___ Kind (ein Kind)
einem
Kind is neuter, and neuter dative takes einem, the same form as masculine dative.
21
Ich helfe ___ Vater. (my father)
meinem
helfen takes dative. Vater is masculine, so the possessive ending is -em: meinem Vater.
22
Ich helfe ___ Mutter. (my mother)
meiner
Mutter is feminine and helfen takes dative. Feminine dative possessive ending is -er: meiner Mutter.
23
Wir fahren mit ___ Auto. (our car, das Auto)
unserem
mit takes dative and Auto is neuter. Neuter dative possessive ending is -em: unserem Auto.
24
Sie spricht mit ___ Eltern. (her parents)
ihren
Plural dative possessives take -en: ihren Eltern. Eltern already ends in -n, so no extra noun ending is visible.
25
Wir spielen mit ___ Kindern. (no children)
keinen
Plural dative with kein takes keinen, and Kinder adds -n to become Kindern.
26
True or false: meinen Vater can be dative masculine.
False
meinen Vater is masculine accusative. Masculine dative is meinem Vater.
Dative pronouns
27
Kannst du ___ helfen? (me)
mir
helfen takes dative, and the dative pronoun for “me” is mir. mich would be accusative.
28
Ich helfe ___. (you, du form)
dir
helfen takes dative. The dative form of du is dir.
29
Ich gebe ___ das Buch. (him)
ihm
The person receiving the book is dative. “to him” is ihm, while ihn is accusative.
30
Ich gebe ___ die Tasche. (her)
ihr
The receiver is dative. The dative pronoun for “her” is ihr.
31
Der Lehrer erklärt ___ die Aufgabe. (us)
uns
uns is both accusative and dative for “us”. Here it is dative because we receive the explanation.
32
Ich danke ___. (you all)
euch
danken takes dative, and the dative pronoun for ihr is euch.
33
Ich antworte ___. (them)
ihnen
antworten takes dative. The dative pronoun for “them” is ihnen.
34
Kann ich ___ helfen? (you formal)
Ihnen
Formal you in the dative is Ihnen with a capital I. The capital letter matters because it marks formal address.
35
True or false: mir and mich mean the same case in German.
False
Both can translate as “me”, but mir is dative and mich is accusative. The verb or preposition decides which one is needed.
Dative verbs and prepositions
36
helfen takes the ...
Dativ
helfen is a dative verb. German says Ich helfe dir, not Ich helfe dich.
37
Ich danke ___ Frau. (die Frau)
der
danken takes dative, and feminine dative is der Frau.
38
Das Buch gehört ___ Kind. (das Kind)
dem
gehören takes dative for the owner or person it belongs to. Neuter dative is dem Kind.
39
Die Musik gefällt ___. (me)
mir
gefallen takes dative for the person who likes the thing. German says “The music is pleasing to me”: Die Musik gefällt mir.
40
Ich antworte ___ Lehrer. (der Lehrer)
dem
antworten takes dative. Lehrer is masculine, so the form is dem Lehrer.
41
Which preposition always takes dative?
mit
mit is fixed dative. für and ohne are fixed accusative prepositions.
42
nach ___ Arbeit (die Arbeit)
der
nach takes dative when it means “after”. Arbeit is feminine, so nach der Arbeit is correct.
43
von ___ Eltern (die Eltern)
den
von takes dative. Plural dative article is den, and Eltern already has final -n.
44
True or false: gefallen works like English “like”, so the liker is nominative.
False
German gefallen is built differently: the thing liked is the subject, and the person who likes it is dative. Das gefällt mir.
Build the sentence
45
Build: “I give the child a book.”
Ich gebe dem Kind ein Buch
The child receives the book, so it is dative: dem Kind. The book is the direct object: ein Buch.
46
Build: “Can you help me?”
Kannst du mir helfen
helfen takes dative, so “me” is mir. The modal Kannst starts the yes/no question.
47
Build: “We are speaking with the teacher.”
Wir sprechen mit der Lehrerin
mit takes dative, and Lehrerin is feminine, so the article is der.
48
Build: “The phone belongs to my father.”
Das Handy gehört meinem Vater
gehören takes dative. Vater is masculine, so the possessive is meinem.
49
Build: “She gives her mother the key.”
Sie gibt ihrer Mutter den Schlüssel
The mother receives the key, so ihrer Mutter is dative. Schlüssel is masculine direct object, so den Schlüssel.
50
Build: “I am going to the doctor.”
Ich gehe zum Arzt
zu takes dative; der Arzt becomes dem Arzt, and zu dem contracts to zum.
51
Build: “The children thank their parents.”
Die Kinder danken ihren Eltern
danken takes dative, and plural dative possessive is ihren. Eltern already ends in -n.
How German decides between accusative and dative after in, an, auf, unter and the other place words.
What is a two-way preposition?
A two-way preposition is a place word that can use two different cases: Akkusativ or Dativ. The word itself stays the same, but the article after it changes.
English says “in the room” and “into the room” with word choice. German often uses the same preposition, then uses the case to show the difference: in das Zimmer means movement into the room; in dem Zimmer means already in the room.
The beginner question is simple: wohin? (to where?) uses Akkusativ; wo? (where?) uses Dativ.
English vs German
English usually separates position and direction with words like “in” vs “into” or “on” vs “onto”. German often uses one preposition for both, then changes the case: Ich gehe in die Küche, but ich bin in der Küche. Do not decide from the English preposition alone; decide from whether something is moving toward a place or staying at a place.
The nine two-way prepositions
German
Basic meaning
Akkusativ: wohin?
Dativ: wo?
an
at / to an edge
an den See
am See
auf
on / onto
auf den Tisch
auf dem Tisch
hinter
behind
hinter das Haus
hinter dem Haus
in
in / into
in die Stadt
in der Stadt
neben
next to
neben den Stuhl
neben dem Stuhl
über
over / above
über das Sofa
über dem Sofa
unter
under
unter das Bett
unter dem Bett
vor
in front of
vor die Tür
vor der Tür
zwischen
between
zwischen die Stühle
zwischen den Stühlen
Useful contractions
Full form
Short form
Example
in das
ins
Ich gehe ins Kino.
in dem
im
Ich bin im Kino.
an das
ans
Ich gehe ans Fenster.
an dem
am
Ich stehe am Fenster.
Examples
I put the book on the table.Ich lege das Buch auf den Tisch.
The book is on the table.Das Buch liegt auf dem Tisch.
We are going into the city.Wir gehen in die Stadt.
We are in the city.Wir sind in der Stadt.
Cheat-sheet
wohin? means direction toward a place → Akkusativ.
wo? means fixed location or position → Dativ.
Movement alone is not enough. Walking in the park is still Dativ if you are already inside the park.
With masculine nouns, the visible contrast is often den vs dem: auf den Tisch, auf dem Tisch.
Learn the verb pairs: legen/liegen, stellen/stehen, setzen/sitzen, hängen/hängen.
Practice timer00:00
Übung — practise it
Answer each one. Get it wrong and you’ll see exactly why. Your progress saves automatically.
Warm-up — two cases after one preposition
1
A two-way preposition can take …
Akkusativ or Dativ
These prepositions are called “two-way” because the case changes with meaning. The preposition stays the same, but the article after it shows Akkusativ or Dativ.
2
Which question usually points to Akkusativ with a two-way preposition?
wohin?
wohin? asks “to where?” and shows direction toward a place. That direction is the Akkusativ use of two-way prepositions.
3
Which question usually points to Dativ with a two-way preposition?
wo?
wo? asks “where?” and describes a fixed place or position. Fixed location after a two-way preposition takes Dativ.
4
True or false: the preposition “in” is always dative in German.
False
in is two-way. It can be Akkusativ for direction, as in in die Stadt, or Dativ for location, as in in der Stadt.
5
Type the German question word for “to where?”
wohin
wohin? is the question that tests direction. With two-way prepositions, that usually means Akkusativ.
6
Type the German question word for “where?”
wo
wo? asks about location, not destination. Location after a two-way preposition uses Dativ.
7
Which is one of the nine two-way prepositions?
auf
auf is two-way: auf den Tisch for direction, auf dem Tisch for position. mit is always dative; für and ohne are always accusative.
8
Which pair shows the basic contrast?
movement → Akkusativ, location → Dativ
For these prepositions, movement toward a destination uses Akkusativ, while being at a place uses Dativ. Time is not the deciding factor here.
Know the nine prepositions
9
Which list contains only two-way prepositions?
an, auf, hinter, in
an, auf, hinter, in are in the two-way group. The other lists are fixed-case prepositions, so they do not switch between Akkusativ and Dativ.
10
Which list completes the nine: an, auf, hinter, in, neben, über, unter, vor, ___
zwischen
zwischen is the ninth two-way preposition. mit, aus, and zu are fixed dative prepositions.
11
“under the bed” as a position: ___ dem Bett
unter
unter means under. Because this is a position, the article is Dativ: dem Bett.
12
“behind the house”: ___ dem Haus
hinter
hinter means behind. The phrase uses dem Haus because it describes where something is.
13
Which preposition means “between”?
zwischen
zwischen means between. It can take Akkusativ for direction between things or Dativ for a fixed position between things.
14
Which preposition means “in front of”?
vor
vor means in front of. Do not confuse it with hinter, which means behind.
15
Which preposition means “next to”?
neben
neben means next to or beside. It is two-way, so neben den Stuhl and neben dem Stuhl mean different things.
16
True or false: “über” can mean “above” as a place word.
True
über can mean over or above. As a two-way preposition, it still follows the same wohin/wo case rule.
Akkusativ — direction toward a place
17
Ich gehe ___ Stadt. (die Stadt, direction)
in die
gehen into a destination answers wohin?, so it uses Akkusativ. Stadt is feminine, and feminine Akkusativ is die.
18
Ich lege das Buch ___ Tisch. (der Tisch)
auf den
legen means you put something onto a destination. Tisch is masculine, so Akkusativ changes der to den.
19
Wir gehen ___ Kino. (das Kino, direction)
ins
Direction into the cinema takes Akkusativ. in das is normally shortened to ins.
20
Sie stellt die Tasche neben ___ Stuhl. (der Stuhl)
den
stellen puts something to a new place, so neben takes Akkusativ. Masculine Akkusativ is den.
21
Ich hänge das Bild an ___ Wand. (die Wand)
die
The picture is being moved onto the wall, so this is Akkusativ. Feminine Akkusativ looks the same as Nominativ: die Wand.
22
Der Hund läuft unter ___ Tisch. (der Tisch, destination under it)
den
The dog is moving to a place under the table, so this answers wohin. Masculine Akkusativ is den.
23
Wir setzen uns auf ___ Sofa. (das Sofa)
das
sich setzen describes moving into a sitting position, so it takes Akkusativ here. Neuter Akkusativ stays das.
24
True or false: “Ich gehe in der Küche” is correct for “I go into the kitchen.”
False
Going into the kitchen is direction, so it needs Akkusativ: Ich gehe in die Küche. In der Küche means already in the kitchen.
Dativ — fixed place or position
25
Ich bin ___ Stadt. (die Stadt, location)
in der
Being in a place answers wo?, so the case is Dativ. Feminine Dativ is der.
26
Das Buch liegt ___ Tisch. (der Tisch)
auf dem
liegen describes position, not placing something somewhere. Tisch is masculine, so Dativ is dem Tisch.
27
Wir sind ___ Kino. (das Kino)
im
Being at the cinema is location, so it takes Dativ. in dem is shortened to im.
28
Die Tasche steht neben ___ Stuhl. (der Stuhl)
dem
stehen describes where the bag is standing, so this is Dativ. Masculine Dativ is dem.
29
Das Bild hängt an ___ Wand. (die Wand)
der
The picture is already hanging there, so an answers wo. Feminine Dativ is der Wand.
30
Die Katze schläft unter ___ Bett. (das Bett)
dem
Sleeping is a fixed location, not a direction. Neuter Dativ is dem Bett.
31
Wir sitzen auf ___ Sofa. (das Sofa)
dem
sitzen describes position. With das Sofa, Dativ becomes dem Sofa.
32
True or false: “Ich laufe im Park” can be dative even though there is movement.
True
The movement is happening inside the park, not toward the park. The place is fixed, so im Park is Dativ.
Verb pairs that show the case
33
legen usually goes with …
Akkusativ direction
legen means to lay or put something somewhere. The new destination after a two-way preposition uses Akkusativ.
34
liegen usually goes with …
Dativ location
liegen tells where something is lying. That is position, so a two-way preposition takes Dativ.
35
Ich ___ das Glas auf den Tisch.
stelle
stellen means to put something upright somewhere, so auf den Tisch uses Akkusativ for the destination.
36
Das Glas ___ auf dem Tisch.
steht
stehen describes the glass’s position. Position after auf uses Dativ: auf dem Tisch.
37
I put the book down: Ich ___ das Buch auf den Tisch.
lege
A book normally lies flat, so the action verb is legen. Because it moves onto the table, the article is den.
38
The book is lying: Das Buch ___ auf dem Tisch.
liegt
The position verb is liegen. It answers wo, so auf dem Tisch is Dativ.
39
Which sentence means “I sit down on the chair”?
Ich setze mich auf den Stuhl.
sich setzen is movement into a sitting position, so it takes Akkusativ: auf den Stuhl. sitzen would describe already sitting.
40
Which sentence means “I am sitting on the chair”?
Ich sitze auf dem Stuhl.
sitzen describes location, so auf takes Dativ. With der Stuhl, Dativ is dem Stuhl.
Contractions + build the sentence
41
in + das usually becomes …
ins
ins is the normal contraction of in das. It is accusative and often shows direction into a place.
42
in + dem usually becomes …
im
im is short for in dem. It is dative and often shows location inside a place.
43
an + dem usually becomes …
am
am is short for an dem. It is dative, as in am Fenster or am See.
44
an + das usually becomes …
ans
ans is short for an das. It is accusative, as in ans Fenster when someone moves to the window.
45
Build: “I put the book on the table.”
Ich lege das Buch auf den Tisch
legen gives a destination, so Tisch is Akkusativ masculine: den Tisch. The conjugated verb stays second.
46
Build: “The book is lying on the table.”
Das Buch liegt auf dem Tisch
liegen describes position, so auf takes Dativ: auf dem Tisch. The subject comes first and the verb second.
47
Build: “We are going into the cinema.”
Wir gehen ins Kino
Going into a destination uses Akkusativ. ins is the contraction of in das for das Kino.
48
Build: “We are in the cinema.”
Wir sind im Kino
Being in a place uses Dativ. im is short for in dem with das Kino.
How German changes adjectives before nouns: der gute Mann, ein gutes Kind, mit roten Schuhen.
What is an adjective ending?
An adjective is a describing word: good, old, small, red. An adjective ending is the small piece German adds when that describing word stands before a noun.
English says “the good man”, “a good woman”, and “good children”. The word “good” does not change. German says der gute Mann, eine gute Frau, and gute Kinder.
The ending depends on three things: the noun’s gender, the case, and the word before the adjective. At A2, the most useful patterns are after der/die/das and after ein/kein/mein.
English vs German
English adjectives before nouns stay the same. German adjectives before nouns take endings because the phrase must still show gender, number, and case. After der/die/das, the article already shows most of that information, so the adjective is usually -e or -en. After ein/mein/kein, the adjective sometimes has to show more information itself: ein guter Kaffee, ein gutes Brot.
After der/die/das: weak endings
Case
masculine
feminine
neuter
plural
Nominativ
der gute Mann
die gute Frau
das gute Kind
die guten Kinder
Akkusativ
den guten Mann
die gute Frau
das gute Kind
die guten Kinder
Dativ
dem guten Mann
der guten Frau
dem guten Kind
den guten Kindern
After ein/kein/mein: mixed endings
Case
masculine
feminine
neuter
plural with kein/mein
Nominativ
ein guter Mann
eine gute Frau
ein gutes Kind
keine guten Kinder
Akkusativ
einen guten Mann
eine gute Frau
ein gutes Kind
keine guten Kinder
Dativ
einem guten Mann
einer guten Frau
einem guten Kind
keinen guten Kindern
Examples
The old house is beautiful.Das alte Haus ist schön.
I am buying the red car.Ich kaufe das rote Auto.
He has a small dog.Er hat einen kleinen Hund.
We live in a nice flat.Wir wohnen in einer schönen Wohnung.
Cheat-sheet
If the adjective is after sein/werden/bleiben, it has no ending: Das Auto ist rot.
After der/die/das, use -e in the easy nominative singular forms; use -en almost everywhere else.
After ein, masculine nominative needs -er and neuter nominative/accusative needs -es: ein guter Mann, ein gutes Kind.
Masculine Akkusativ is a danger zone: den guten Mann, einen guten Mann.
Dativ plural needs two things: adjective -en and often noun -n: mit den kleinen Kindern.
Practice timer00:00
Übung — practise it
Answer each one. Get it wrong and you’ll see exactly why. Your progress saves automatically.
Warm-up — when endings appear
1
In “der gute Kaffee”, which word has the adjective ending?
gute
gut is the adjective, and it stands before Kaffee. German adds the ending -e, so it becomes gute.
2
True or false: German adjectives always take endings.
False
Adjectives take these endings when they stand before a noun. After sein, bleiben, or werden, they normally stay plain: Das Auto ist rot.
3
Which sentence has no adjective ending because the adjective comes after “ist”?
Das Auto ist rot.
After ist, rot describes the subject but does not stand before a noun. Therefore it has no adjective ending.
4
the good tea: der gut__ Tee
e
After der in masculine Nominativ, the adjective takes -e: der gute Tee.
5
English “the good child” becomes …
das gute Kind
Kind is neuter, so the article is das. After das in Nominativ, the adjective takes -e: gute.
6
Which thing decides the adjective ending?
gender, case, and article type
The ending depends on the noun phrase: gender and number, case, and whether a strong article like der or a weaker article like ein comes before it.
7
The adjective in “eine kleine Stadt” is ___
kleine
kleine is the describing word before Stadt. The final -e is the adjective ending.
8
Which phrase is correct?
die schöne Wohnung
Wohnung is feminine, so the article is die. After die in Nominativ, the adjective takes -e.
After der/die/das — nominative
9
der alt__ Mann
e
After der in masculine Nominativ, use the weak ending -e: der alte Mann.
10
die jung__ Frau
e
After die in feminine Nominativ, the adjective takes -e: die junge Frau.
11
das klein__ Kind
e
After das in neuter Nominativ, the adjective takes -e: das kleine Kind.
12
die ___ Kinder
kleinen
Plural after die takes -en, even in Nominativ: die kleinen Kinder.
13
Which phrase is correct for “the new phone” (das Handy)?
das neue Handy
Handy is neuter, so das is correct. After das in Nominativ, the adjective ending is -e.
14
Which phrase is correct for “the old school” (die Schule)?
die alte Schule
Schule is feminine and Nominativ here. After die, the adjective takes -e.
15
the warm soup: die warm__ Suppe
e
Suppe is feminine. In Nominativ after die, the adjective ending is -e: die warme Suppe.
16
True or false: after der/die/das, all nominative singular adjective endings are -e.
True
For der gute Mann, die gute Frau, and das gute Kind, the adjective ending is -e. Plural is different: die guten Kinder.
After der/die/das — accusative and dative
17
Ich sehe den ___ Mann. (alt)
alten
Masculine Akkusativ after den takes -en: den alten Mann. This is one of the most common mistakes.
18
Ich kaufe die rot__ Tasche.
e
Tasche is feminine. Feminine Akkusativ looks like Nominativ after die, so the adjective ending is -e.
19
Ich kaufe das neu__ Auto.
e
Auto is neuter, and neuter Akkusativ stays like Nominativ. After das, the adjective takes -e: das neue Auto.
20
Ich sehe die ___ Kinder.
kleinen
Plural after die takes -en in both Nominativ and Akkusativ: die kleinen Kinder.
21
mit dem ___ Freund
guten
After a definite dative article like dem, the adjective takes -en: mit dem guten Freund.
22
mit der nett__ Lehrerin
en
Dativ after der takes the weak adjective ending -en: mit der netten Lehrerin.
23
mit den ___ Kindern
kleinen
Dativ plural after den takes adjective -en. The noun also has -n: Kindern.
24
True or false: after dem/der/den in Dativ, the adjective ending is usually -en.
True
The dative weak pattern is straightforward: dem guten Mann, der guten Frau, dem guten Kind, den guten Kindern.
After ein, kein, mein — nominative and accusative
25
ein ___ Hund (gut)
guter
With ein + masculine Nominativ, ein does not show the -r of der, so the adjective must show it: ein guter Hund.
26
eine ___ Katze (klein)
kleine
Feminine Nominativ with eine takes -e: eine kleine Katze. The article already clearly shows feminine.
27
ein ___ Kind (nett)
nettes
With ein + neuter Nominativ, ein does not show the -s of das, so the adjective takes -es: ein nettes Kind.
28
mein neu__ Handy
es
Handy is neuter and the phrase is Nominativ. After mein, the adjective must carry the neuter signal: mein neues Handy.
29
Ich sehe einen ___ Hund. (klein)
kleinen
Masculine Akkusativ after einen takes -en: einen kleinen Hund. The -en appears on both article and adjective.
30
Ich kaufe eine rot__ Tasche.
e
Feminine Akkusativ after eine uses -e: eine rote Tasche. Feminine Akkusativ looks like feminine Nominativ.
31
Ich habe kein ___ Auto. (alt)
altes
Auto is neuter, and neuter Akkusativ after kein takes -es: kein altes Auto.
32
Which phrase is correct?
mein guter Freund
For masculine Nominativ after mein, the adjective takes -er: mein guter Freund. meinen would be Akkusativ.
Dative after ein, kein, mein
33
mit einem ___ Freund (gut)
guten
After einem in Dativ, the adjective takes -en: mit einem guten Freund. The article already shows Dativ.
34
mit einer schön__ Frau
en
Dativ after einer takes adjective -en: mit einer schönen Frau.
35
in einem ___ Haus (alt)
alten
After einem in Dativ neuter, the adjective ending is -en: in einem alten Haus.
36
bei meinem nett__ Nachbarn
en
bei takes Dativ. After meinem, the adjective ending is -en: bei meinem netten Nachbarn.
37
mit keinen ___ Schuhen (rot)
roten
Plural Dativ after keinen takes adjective -en: mit keinen roten Schuhen. Schuhen also has the dative plural -n.
38
Which is correct for “with a small child”?
mit einem kleinen Kind
mit takes Dativ, so ein becomes einem. After einem, the adjective takes -en: kleinen.
39
aus einer alt__ Stadt
en
aus takes Dativ. After einer, the adjective ending is -en: aus einer alten Stadt.
40
True or false: in Dativ after einem/einer/meinem, the adjective usually ends in -en.
True
That is the useful A2 rule: einem guten Mann, einer guten Frau, einem guten Kind, meinen guten Freunden.
Choose endings + build the sentence
41
Which phrase is correct?
der neue Bahnhof
Bahnhof is masculine. In Nominativ after der, the adjective ending is -e: der neue Bahnhof.
42
Which phrase is correct?
einen langen Film
Film is masculine Akkusativ after sehen or schauen. The article is einen and the adjective takes -en.
43
Wir trinken kaltes Wasser. Type the adjective with ending.
kaltes
Wasser is neuter, and with no article in this short phrase the adjective shows neuter Nominativ/Akkusativ: kaltes Wasser.
44
Ich esse einen grün__ Apfel.
en
Apfel is masculine and the direct object. After einen, the adjective ending is -en: einen grünen Apfel.
45
Build: “The small child is tired.”
Das kleine Kind ist müde
Kind is neuter Nominativ, so das kleine Kind is correct. müde comes after ist and takes no ending.
46
Build: “I see a small dog.”
Ich sehe einen kleinen Hund
Hund is masculine direct object, so the phrase is Akkusativ: einen kleinen Hund.
47
Build: “We live in an old house.”
Wir wohnen in einem alten Haus
wohnen in answers wo, so in takes Dativ. After einem, the adjective ending is -en: alten.
48
Build: “She buys the red bag.”
Sie kauft die rote Tasche
Tasche is feminine Akkusativ, which looks like Nominativ. After die, the adjective ending is -e: rote.
How German says bigger, smaller, better, best, and “than” in simple comparisons.
What is a comparative or superlative?
A comparative compares two things: bigger, smaller, faster, older. A superlative picks the top one in a group: biggest, smallest, fastest, oldest.
English often uses -er and -est, and sometimes “more” and “most”. German mainly uses -er for the comparative and am …sten for the superlative when the adjective comes after the verb.
The main A2 patterns are: schnell, schneller, am schnellsten; alt, älter, am ältesten; and the irregular forms gut, besser, am besten.
English vs German
English can say “more interesting” and “most interesting”; German does not use mehr and am meisten as a general replacement for adjective endings. For ordinary adjectives, German adds -er and uses am …sten: schneller, am schnellsten. In comparisons, English “than” is als, not wie.
Common comparison forms
Positive
Comparative
Superlative
English
schnell
schneller
am schnellsten
fast / faster / fastest
klein
kleiner
am kleinsten
small / smaller / smallest
alt
älter
am ältesten
old / older / oldest
groß
größer
am größten
big / bigger / biggest
gut
besser
am besten
good / better / best
viel
mehr
am meisten
much / more / most
Comparison words
English
German
Example
than
als
Anna ist größer als Tom.
as … as
so … wie
Anna ist so groß wie Tom.
not as … as
nicht so … wie
Tom ist nicht so groß wie Anna.
Examples
Anna is taller than Tom.Anna ist größer als Tom.
This book is more interesting.Dieses Buch ist interessanter.
Winter is the coldest.Der Winter ist am kältesten.
How words like weil, dass, wenn and obwohl start a dependent clause and send the conjugated verb to the end.
What is a subordinating conjunction?
A subordinating conjunction is a joining word that makes one part of a sentence depend on another part. In English these are words like because, that, if, when and although.
The dependent part cannot stand alone as a full message: “because I am tired” needs another clause, such as “I am going home”.
German marks this dependent clause very clearly: after words like weil, dass, wenn and obwohl, the conjugated verb moves to the end of that clause.
English vs German
English keeps normal word order after most conjunctions: “because I am tired”. German does not: weil ich müde bin, with bin at the end. Do not confuse these with coordinating conjunctions such as und, aber, oder and denn; those do not send the verb to the end.
Common subordinating conjunctions
German
English
Word order
Example
weil
because
verb at the end
Ich bleibe zu Hause, weil ich krank bin.
dass
that
verb at the end
Ich glaube, dass er recht hat.
wenn
if / when
verb at the end
Wenn es regnet, nehme ich den Bus.
obwohl
although
verb at the end
Sie kommt, obwohl sie wenig Zeit hat.
als
when (one time in the past)
verb at the end
Als ich klein war, wohnte ich in Berlin.
Do not mix these two groups
Type
Words
Effect
Example
Subordinating
weil, dass, wenn, obwohl, als
conjugated verb goes to the end
Ich gehe, weil ich müde bin.
Coordinating
und, aber, oder, denn
normal main-clause word order continues
Ich bin müde, aber ich gehe nicht.
Main clause after a fronted subordinate clause
Wenn …, / Weil …,
conjugated verb comes right after the comma
Wenn ich Zeit habe, komme ich.
Examples
I am staying home because I am sick.Ich bleibe zu Hause, weil ich krank bin.
I know that you have time.Ich weiß, dass du Zeit hast.
If it rains, I take the bus.Wenn es regnet, nehme ich den Bus.
She works although she is tired.Sie arbeitet, obwohl sie müde ist.
Cheat-sheet
After weil, dass, wenn, obwohl and als, put the conjugated verb at the end of that clause.
und, aber, oder and denn do not change word order; the verb stays in normal second position.
If the subordinate clause comes first, the next clause starts with the verb: Wenn ich Zeit habe, komme ich.
With separable verbs, the prefix rejoins the verb at the end: weil ich früh aufstehe.
In a subordinate clause with a modal, the modal is the conjugated verb and goes after the infinitive: weil ich arbeiten muss.
Practice timer00:00
Übung — practise it
Answer each one. Get it wrong and you’ll see exactly why. Your progress saves automatically.
Recognise the joining word
1
Which word means “because” and sends the verb to the end?
weil
weil means “because” and starts a subordinate clause, so the conjugated verb moves to the end.
2
Which word means “that” in “I know that …”?
dass
dass introduces a reported idea or fact, as in “Ich weiß, dass …”, and it sends the verb to the end.
3
Which word can mean both “if” and “when”?
wenn
wenn covers conditions and repeated/future “when” meanings; in both uses it creates verb-final word order.
4
Which word means “although”?
obwohl
obwohl gives a contrast like English “although”, and the verb goes to the end of that clause.
5
Which word does NOT send the verb to the end?
aber
aber is coordinating, so it joins two main clauses without changing the normal verb-second pattern.
6
True or false: und sends the conjugated verb to the end.
False
und is coordinating, not subordinating; it does not create verb-final word order.
7
“because” in German = ___
weil
weil is the normal A1–A2 word for “because” and introduces a dependent clause.
8
“although” in German = ___
obwohl
obwohl introduces a contrast and uses the same verb-final pattern as weil and dass.
9
Which set contains only subordinating conjunctions?
weil, dass, wenn
All three words in weil, dass, wenn start dependent clauses and push the conjugated verb to the end.
10
Which set contains only coordinating conjunctions?
und, aber, oder
und, aber and oder join main clauses and keep normal word order.
Verb to the end
11
Ich bleibe zu Hause, weil ich krank ___.
bin
The subject is ich, so the correct form is bin; after weil it stands at the end of the clause.
12
Ich weiß, dass du heute Zeit ___.
hast
du takes hast, and dass sends that conjugated verb to the end: dass du heute Zeit hast.
13
Sie kommt nicht, weil sie arbeiten ___.
muss
The subject sie takes muss; with a modal in a subordinate clause, the infinitive comes before the final modal.
14
Ich glaube, dass er in Hamburg ___. (wohnen)
wohnt
er wohnt is the correct present-tense form, and after dass the verb goes to the clause end.
15
Wir gehen, weil der Film jetzt ___. (beginnen)
beginnt
der Film is singular, so the verb is beginnt; weil puts it after the time word at the end.
16
Which sentence is correct?
Ich gehe, weil ich müde bin.
After weil, the conjugated verb bin must be the last element of the subordinate clause.
17
Which sentence is correct?
Sie sagt, dass sie keine Zeit hat.
The clause after dass is dependent, so hat moves behind the object phrase.
18
True or false: In “weil ich krank bin”, bin is at the end because of weil.
True
weil is the trigger for verb-final order; the same words as a main clause would be “Ich bin krank.”
19
Ich komme später, weil ich noch ___ muss. (work)
arbeiten
The infinitive is arbeiten; the conjugated modal muss is already at the end in this subordinate clause.
20
Which German ending order is correct for “because I have to learn”?
weil ich lernen muss
In a subordinate clause with a modal, the main verb is an infinitive and the conjugated modal goes last.
Main clause or subordinate clause
21
Ich bin müde, aber ich arbeite noch. Why is arbeite not at the end?
aber does not subordinate
aber coordinates two main clauses, so the second clause keeps normal verb-second order.
22
Which sentence keeps normal word order after the joining word?
Ich bin krank, aber ich komme.
Only aber is coordinating here; weil and dass would require the verb at the end of their clause.
23
Which sentence uses weil correctly?
Ich lerne, weil die Prüfung schwer ist.
The finite verb ist belongs at the end of the weil-clause, after the adjective.
24
Which sentence uses denn correctly?
Ich bleibe zu Hause, denn ich bin krank.
denn means “because/for” but is coordinating, so the following clause keeps main-clause word order.
25
Choose weil or denn: Ich gehe schlafen, ___ ich müde bin.
weil
The word order ich müde bin is verb-final, so it needs subordinating weil, not coordinating denn.
26
Choose weil or denn: Ich gehe schlafen, ___ ich bin müde.
denn
The word order ich bin müde is normal main-clause order, so denn fits; weil would require bin at the end.
27
True or false: weil and denn can both mean “because”, but they use different word order.
True
weil subordinates and sends the verb to the end; denn coordinates and keeps the verb second.
28
Which option completes the sentence correctly? Ich komme nicht, obwohl ___.
ich Zeit habe
obwohl starts a subordinate clause, so habe moves behind the object Zeit.
29
Which option completes the sentence correctly? Wir bleiben hier, und ___.
wir trinken Kaffee
und does not change word order; the second main clause is simply wir trinken Kaffee.
30
After aber, the conjugated verb is normally in position ___. (number)
2
aber introduces another main clause, and German main clauses normally keep the finite verb in second position.
When the subordinate clause comes first
31
Wenn ich Zeit habe, ___ ich dich an.
rufe
The whole wenn-clause is position 1, so the main-clause verb rufe comes immediately after the comma.
32
Weil es regnet, ___ wir zu Hause.
bleiben
A fronted weil-clause counts as the first element, so the main clause begins with the finite verb bleiben.
33
Which sentence is correct?
Wenn du willst, gehen wir ins Kino.
Inside the wenn-clause the verb is final, and after the comma the main-clause verb comes before the subject.
34
Wenn ich krank bin, ___ ich zu Hause. (stay)
bleibe
After the fronted subordinate clause, the conjugated verb bleibe starts the main clause.
35
Obwohl er wenig Zeit hat, ___ er uns. (help)
hilft
The obwohl-clause is position 1; the main clause then starts with hilft, the correct er-form of helfen.
36
True or false: In “Wenn es regnet, ich nehme den Bus”, the main clause word order is correct.
False
Because the wenn-clause is first, the main-clause verb must come next: nehme ich, not ich nehme.
37
Which is correct for “Because I have no time, I am staying home”?
Weil ich keine Zeit habe, bleibe ich zu Hause.
The weil-clause has final habe, and the following main clause starts with bleibe.
38
Which word order is correct after a fronted subordinate clause?
verb + subject
A fronted subordinate clause occupies position 1, so the finite verb must be position 2, before the subject.
39
Wenn der Kurs beginnt, ___ die Lehrerin. (come)
kommt
The main clause after the comma begins with kommt; die Lehrerin follows because the fronted wenn-clause filled position 1.
40
Which sentence is correct?
Dass du kommst, freut mich.
The dass-clause has final kommst and acts as position 1; the main verb freut comes after the comma.
Build longer clauses
41
Ich stehe früh auf → after weil:
weil ich früh aufstehe
In a subordinate clause, a separable verb rejoins and the complete finite verb aufstehe goes to the end.
42
Er kauft ein → after dass:
dass er einkauft
The separable prefix ein- joins the verb again in verb-final order: dass er einkauft.
43
Ich bin sicher, dass sie morgen ___ kann. (come)
kommen
With a modal, the main verb stays as the infinitive kommen and the conjugated modal kann stands last.
44
Ich bleibe hier, weil ich den Brief ___ muss. (write)
schreiben
The infinitive schreiben comes before the final modal muss in the weil-clause.
45
Which sentence is correct?
Ich weiß, dass er gut Deutsch sprechen kann.
In a subordinate clause with a modal, the infinitive sprechen comes before the final conjugated modal kann.
46
Which is correct for “when I was a child”?
als ich ein Kind war
For one period in the past, German uses als, and the verb war goes to the end.
47
Build: “I am staying home because I am sick.”
Ich bleibe zu Hause weil ich krank bin
The main clause has verb-second order, and the weil-clause ends with the conjugated verb bin.
48
Build: “If it rains, I take the bus.”
Wenn es regnet nehme ich den Bus
The wenn-clause comes first with final regnet; the main clause then starts with nehme.
49
Build: “I know that you have time.”
Ich weiß dass du Zeit hast
After dass, the conjugated verb hast goes after the object Zeit.
50
Build: “She comes although she is tired.”
Sie kommt obwohl sie müde ist
The obwohl-clause gives the contrast and places the finite verb ist at the end.
How German forms the simple past, especially for sein, haben, modals and common written forms.
What is the Präteritum?
The Präteritum is a German past tense. In English it often matches the simple past: I was, I had, I went, I worked.
German uses the Perfekt very often in speech, but the Präteritum is common in stories, reports and written German.
For A2, the most important Präteritum forms are war, hatte and the modal forms like konnte, musste, wollte, durfte. These also appear often in normal speech.
English vs German
English uses “I worked” and “I went” freely in speech and writing. German often says Ich habe gearbeitet and Ich bin gegangen in conversation, but writes ich arbeitete and ich ging more readily. The big exception is everyday speech with sein, haben and modals: ich war, ich hatte, ich musste are normal.
The forms to know first
Verb
ich / er form
wir form
English
sein
war
waren
was / were
haben
hatte
hatten
had
können
konnte
konnten
could / was able to
müssen
musste
mussten
had to
wollen
wollte
wollten
wanted to
dürfen
durfte
durften
was allowed to
Regular endings in the Präteritum
Person
machen
arbeiten
Ending
ich
machte
arbeitete
-te
du
machtest
arbeitetest
-test
er/sie/es
machte
arbeitete
-te
wir
machten
arbeiteten
-ten
ihr
machtet
arbeitetet
-tet
sie/Sie
machten
arbeiteten
-ten
Examples
I was in Berlin yesterday.Ich war gestern in Berlin.
We had no time.Wir hatten keine Zeit.
He had to work on Monday.Er musste am Montag arbeiten.
The film began at eight.Der Film begann um acht Uhr.
Cheat-sheet
Learn war and hatte first; they are common even in spoken German.
Modal verbs form the past with -te and usually lose the umlaut: können → konnte, müssen → musste.
How German marks an action that happened before another past action.
What is the Plusquamperfekt?
The Plusquamperfekt is the earlier past. It says that one past action had already happened before another past action.
English uses “had”: I had eaten before he arrived. German uses the same idea, but with German helpers: hatte or war plus a past participle.
If you know the Perfekt, the new step is simple: change habe/bin into the past forms hatte/war.
English vs German
English past perfect uses had + past participle: had eaten, had gone. German uses hatte/war + Partizip II: hatte gegessen, war gegangen. Use war with the same movement and change-of-state verbs that take sein in the Perfekt.
Basic structure
Perfekt
Plusquamperfekt
English
Ich habe gegessen.
Ich hatte gegessen.
I had eaten.
Er ist gegangen.
Er war gegangen.
He had gone.
Wir haben gearbeitet.
Wir hatten gearbeitet.
We had worked.
Sie ist eingeschlafen.
Sie war eingeschlafen.
She had fallen asleep.
Helper forms you need most
Person
haben → past
sein → past
ich / er / sie / es
hatte
war
du
hattest
warst
wir / sie / Sie
hatten
waren
ihr
hattet
wart
Examples
I had already eaten.Ich hatte schon gegessen.
After he had arrived, we ate.Nachdem er angekommen war, haben wir gegessen.
She had forgotten the key.Sie hatte den Schlüssel vergessen.
We had gone home.Wir waren nach Hause gegangen.
Cheat-sheet
Plusquamperfekt = hatte/war + past participle at the end.
Use hatte for the verbs that use haben in the Perfekt.
Use war for movement and change-of-state verbs that use sein: gegangen, gefahren, angekommen, eingeschlafen.
With nachdem, the conjugated helper goes to the end: nachdem ich gegessen hatte.
Do not use the infinitive after hatte/war here. Use the participle: hatte gemacht, not hatte machen.
Practice timer00:00
Übung — practise it
Answer each one. Get it wrong and you’ll see exactly why. Your progress saves automatically.
Warm-up — earlier past
1
The Plusquamperfekt means …
had done something
It marks an action that was already complete before another past point: Ich hatte gegessen = I had eaten.
2
Which English sentence contains a past perfect form?
I had eaten.
English past perfect uses had plus a past participle. The German equivalent uses hatte or war plus a participle.
3
German Plusquamperfekt is closest to English …
had gone
had gone shows an earlier past action. German says war gegangen for movement verbs like gehen.
4
The Plusquamperfekt of haben uses the past helper ___.
hatte
The present helper habe becomes the Präteritum helper hatte: ich habe gegessen → ich hatte gegessen.
5
True or false: The past participle still goes to the end in the Plusquamperfekt.
True
The word order is like the Perfekt: conjugated helper in position 2, participle at the end: Ich hatte das Buch gelesen.
hatte + participle
6
“I had eaten” = Ich ___ gegessen.
hatte
essen uses haben in the Perfekt, so its Plusquamperfekt uses hatte: Ich hatte gegessen.
7
“She had worked” = Sie ___ gearbeitet.
hatte
arbeiten uses haben, so the earlier past is hatte gearbeitet.
8
Wir ___ den Film schon gesehen.
hatten
sehen uses haben. With wir, the past helper is hatten.
9
Du ___ den Schlüssel vergessen. (had forgotten)
hattest
For du, the Präteritum of haben is hattest. The participle vergessen stays at the end.
10
Which sentence is correct?
Ich hatte meine Hausaufgaben gemacht.
machen uses haben, so the helper is hatte, and the participle gemacht goes at the end.
war + participle
11
“He had gone” = Er ___ gegangen.
war
gehen is a movement verb and uses sein in the Perfekt, so the Plusquamperfekt uses war.
12
“We had driven to Berlin” = Wir ___ nach Berlin gefahren.
waren
fahren with travel/movement uses sein. With wir, the past helper is waren.
13
Sie ___ früh eingeschlafen. (she had fallen asleep)
war
einschlafen is a change of state, so it uses sein: sie ist eingeschlafen → sie war eingeschlafen.
14
Ihr ___ schon angekommen. (had arrived)
wart
ankommen uses sein. The ihr Präteritum form of sein is wart.
15
Which verb normally takes war in the Plusquamperfekt?
gehen
gehen is a movement verb and uses sein/war. The others normally use haben/hatte.
nachdem and word order
16
Nachdem ich gegessen ___, bin ich gegangen.
hatte
In a nachdem clause, the conjugated helper goes to the end. essen uses haben, so the form is gegessen hatte.
17
Nachdem er angekommen ___, haben wir gegessen.
war
ankommen uses sein, and Plusquamperfekt uses the past helper war. Subordinate word order puts it after the participle.
18
Nachdem wir den Film gesehen ___, sind wir nach Hause gegangen.
hatten
sehen uses haben. With wir, the helper is hatten, placed at the end of the nachdem-clause.
19
Which word order is correct?
Nachdem sie gelernt hatte, ging sie ins Bett.
nachdem sends the conjugated helper to the end: participle first, helper last.
20
True or false: after nachdem, the helper can stay in position 2.
False
nachdem is a subordinating conjunction, so the conjugated verb moves to the end: nachdem ich gegessen hatte.
Choose the right past
21
Which sentence clearly means “I had already bought the ticket”?
Ich hatte das Ticket schon gekauft.
hatte gekauft is Plusquamperfekt and means “had bought”. habe gekauft is Perfekt: bought / have bought.
22
Before the course started, I had learned German. Bevor der Kurs begann, ___ ich Deutsch gelernt.
hatte
lernen uses haben, and the learning happened before another past event, so use hatte gelernt.
23
Which sentence uses Plusquamperfekt correctly?
Wir waren schon nach Hause gegangen.
gehen uses sein, so earlier past is waren gegangen. hatten gegangen uses the wrong helper.
24
Build: “I had already eaten.”
Ich hatte schon gegessen
Main clause order: subject first, helper in position 2, time word schon, participle at the end.
25
Build: “After she had arrived, we cooked.”
Nachdem sie angekommen war haben wir gekocht
Nachdem sends war to the end of its clause. The following main clause starts with the conjugated helper haben because the subordinate clause fills position 1.
26
Build: “We had forgotten the key.”
Wir hatten den Schlüssel vergessen
vergessen uses haben, so the helper is hatten. der Schlüssel is a masculine direct object, so it becomes den Schlüssel.
How German adds extra information with der, die, das and a verb-final clause.
What is a relative clause?
A relative clause is a sentence part that gives more information about a noun. In English it often starts with who, which or that: “the man who lives here”, “the book that I am reading”.
The noun being described is called the antecedent: the man, the book, the woman, the children.
German relative clauses use words that look like der, die, das. The relative pronoun matches the noun’s gender and number, but its case comes from its job inside the relative clause.
English vs German
English can often drop “that”: “the book I am reading”. German cannot drop the relative pronoun: das Buch, das ich lese. German also sends the conjugated verb to the end because a relative clause is a subordinate clause: der Mann, der hier wohnt. The pronoun’s gender comes from the noun outside the clause, but its case comes from the role inside the clause.
Relative pronouns for A2
Case inside the relative clause
masculine
feminine
neuter
plural
Nominativ (subject)
der
die
das
die
Akkusativ (direct object)
den
die
das
die
Dativ (after mit/bei/helfen…)
dem
der
dem
denen
How to choose the pronoun
Question
What it decides
Example
What noun is being described?
gender and number
der Mann → masculine
What job does the pronoun have inside the relative clause?
case
der Mann, den ich kenne → object
Where does the conjugated verb go?
end of the relative clause
die Frau, die hier wohnt
Examples
The man who lives here is my father.Der Mann, der hier wohnt, ist mein Vater.
The book that I am reading is interesting.Das Buch, das ich lese, ist interessant.
The woman whom I know is a doctor.Die Frau, die ich kenne, ist Ärztin.
The friend I am helping is nice.Der Freund, dem ich helfe, ist nett.
Cheat-sheet
First match the noun outside the clause: der Mann → der/den/dem, die Frau → die/der, das Kind → das/dem.
Then choose the case from the relative clause itself: subject = Nominativ, direct object = Akkusativ, after mit/bei/helfen = Dativ.
A relative clause is subordinate, so the conjugated verb goes to the end.
Do not drop the German relative pronoun, even when English drops “that”.
Plural Dativ is special: denen, as in die Kinder, mit denen ich spiele.
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Recognise the relative clause
1
In “the man who lives here”, which part is the relative clause?
who lives here
The relative clause gives extra information about the man; it is the part beginning with “who”.
2
Which English word often starts a relative clause for a person?
who
who refers back to a person and introduces extra information about that person.
3
Which English words can introduce a relative clause about a thing?
which / that
which and that can refer back to things, like a book or a car.
4
In “das Buch, das ich lese”, what noun is being described?
das Buch
The relative clause das ich lese gives extra information about das Buch.
5
True or false: German relative clauses send the conjugated verb to the end.
True
A relative clause is a subordinate clause, so its finite verb stands at the end.
6
True or false: German can usually drop the relative pronoun like English can drop “that”.
False
German normally needs the relative pronoun: das Buch, das ich lese, not “das Buch, ich lese”.
7
“the book that I am reading” starts in German: das Buch, ___ ich lese
das
Buch is neuter, and inside the relative clause it is the direct object of lese, so the pronoun is das.
8
“the woman who lives here” starts in German: die Frau, ___ hier wohnt
die
Frau is feminine, and the pronoun is the subject of wohnt, so it is nominative feminine die.
9
Which sentence has a relative clause?
Der Mann, der hier wohnt, ist nett.
The part der hier wohnt describes der Mann and has the verb at the end.
10
What does the relative pronoun match first?
the noun being described
Gender and number come from the antecedent, the noun outside the relative clause.
Nominative relative pronouns
11
Der Mann, ___ dort steht, ist mein Vater.
der
Der Mann is masculine, and the pronoun is the subject of steht, so it is nominative masculine der.
12
Die Frau, ___ hier wohnt, ist Ärztin.
die
Frau is feminine, and the pronoun is doing the living, so nominative feminine die is correct.
13
Das Kind, ___ im Garten spielt, ist sechs Jahre alt.
das
Kind is neuter, and the pronoun is the subject of spielt, so it is das.
14
Die Kinder, ___ laut lachen, sind im Park.
die
Plural nominative relative pronouns are die, and here the children are the ones laughing.
15
Der Hund, ___ bellt, ist klein.
der
Hund is masculine and is the subject of bellt, so the relative pronoun is der.
16
Die Katze, ___ schläft, ist alt.
die
Katze is feminine and is the subject of schläft, so nominative feminine die is required.
17
Which sentence is correct?
Das Auto, das vor dem Haus steht, ist neu.
Auto is neuter, and the pronoun is the subject of steht, so the form is das.
18
Which sentence is correct?
Die Leute, die hier arbeiten, sind freundlich.
Leute is plural, and the pronoun is the subject of arbeiten, so plural nominative die is correct.
19
True or false: In “Der Mann, der hier wohnt”, the second der is nominative.
True
The second der is the subject of wohnt inside the relative clause.
20
For a neuter noun as the subject inside the relative clause, choose:
das
Neuter nominative and accusative relative pronouns are both das, and subject role is nominative.
Accusative relative pronouns
21
Der Mann, ___ ich kenne, ist Lehrer.
den
Mann is masculine, and inside the clause he is the direct object of kenne, so accusative masculine den is needed.
22
Die Frau, ___ ich kenne, ist Ärztin.
die
Frau is feminine, and feminine accusative looks like nominative: die.
23
Das Buch, ___ ich lese, ist interessant.
das
Buch is neuter, and neuter accusative is das.
24
Die Filme, ___ wir sehen, sind spannend.
die
Filme is plural, and plural accusative relative pronouns are die.
25
Der Tisch, ___ ich kaufe, ist billig.
den
Tisch is masculine and is the direct object of kaufe, so the relative pronoun is den.
26
Die Tasche, ___ du suchst, ist hier.
die
Tasche is feminine; as a direct object in the relative clause it still uses die.
27
Which sentence is correct?
Der Hund, den ich sehe, ist braun.
The dog is being seen, so it is the direct object; masculine accusative is den.
28
Which sentence is correct?
Das Mädchen, das ich kenne, wohnt hier.
Mädchen is grammatically neuter, so the relative pronoun is das, even when referring to a girl.
29
True or false: Masculine changes from der to den when the relative pronoun is a direct object.
True
Masculine accusative is the visible change: der Mann, den ich kenne.
30
In “Der Film, den wir sehen”, why is den used?
Film is masculine and object
der Film is masculine, and in the relative clause it is what we see, so it is accusative den.
Dative relative pronouns
31
Der Freund, ___ ich helfe, ist nett.
dem
helfen takes the dative, and Freund is masculine, so the relative pronoun is dem.
32
Die Frau, mit ___ ich spreche, ist meine Lehrerin.
der
mit always takes the dative; for a feminine noun, the dative relative pronoun is der.
33
Das Kind, mit ___ ich spiele, ist mein Bruder.
dem
mit requires dative, and neuter dative is dem.
34
Die Kinder, mit ___ ich spiele, sind laut.
denen
Plural dative relative pronouns use the special form denen, especially after prepositions like mit.
35
Der Lehrer, mit ___ ich lerne, ist freundlich.
dem
Lehrer is masculine, and mit forces dative, so the form is dem.
36
Die Freundin, ___ ich danke, wohnt hier.
der
danken takes the dative, and Freundin is feminine, so the pronoun is der.
37
Which sentence is correct?
Die Leute, denen ich helfe, sind nett.
helfen takes dative, and plural dative relative pronoun is denen.
38
Which sentence is correct?
Das Haus, in dem wir wohnen, ist alt.
With location, in takes the dative; Haus is neuter, so the pronoun is dem.
39
True or false: denen is the plural dative relative pronoun.
True
denen is the special plural dative form used after dative verbs and prepositions.
40
Which role usually creates a dative relative pronoun?
after mit
mit always takes dative, so the relative pronoun after it must be dative.
Build the whole sentence
41
Which sentence has the verb in the right place?
Der Mann, der hier wohnt, ist nett.
The relative clause is subordinate, so the finite verb wohnt goes to the end of that clause.
42
Which sentence is correct?
Das Buch, das ich lese, ist neu.
German needs the relative pronoun das, and the verb lese stands at the end of the clause.
43
Der Mann, ___ ich im Supermarkt sehe, ist mein Nachbar.
den
Mann is masculine and is the direct object of sehe, so the accusative relative pronoun is den.
44
Die Stadt, in ___ ich wohne, ist schön.
der
For location, in takes dative; Stadt is feminine, so dative feminine is der.
45
Which sentence is correct for “The children I help are nice”?
Die Kinder, denen ich helfe, sind nett.
helfen takes dative, and plural dative relative pronoun is denen.
46
Which sentence is correct for “The car that I buy is expensive”?
Das Auto, das ich kaufe, ist teuer.
Auto is neuter and is a direct object; neuter accusative relative pronoun is das.
47
Build: “The man who lives here is my father.”
Der Mann der hier wohnt ist mein Vater
The relative pronoun der is masculine nominative, and wohnt ends the relative clause.
48
Build: “The book that I am reading is interesting.”
Das Buch das ich lese ist interessant
Buch is neuter, so the object pronoun is das; the verb lese closes the relative clause.
49
Build: “The woman whom I know is a doctor.”
Die Frau die ich kenne ist Ärztin
Feminine accusative is still die, and the finite verb of the relative clause is final.
50
Build: “The friend I am helping is nice.”
Der Freund dem ich helfe ist nett
helfen takes dative, so masculine Freund becomes the relative pronoun dem.
How German says “of the” and “the man’s” with a case ending.
What is the Genitive?
The Genitive is the German case for possession and belonging. It often means of the or English ’s: the woman’s bag, the title of the book.
German changes the article: der becomes des for masculine and neuter nouns, and die becomes der for feminine and plural nouns.
Masculine and neuter nouns usually also add -s or -es: des Mannes, des Kindes, des Buches.
English vs German
English can say “the man’s car” or “the car of the man”. German formal written style often uses the Genitive: das Auto des Mannes. In everyday speech, people often use von + Dativ: das Auto von dem Mann, but the Genitive is still important in reading and exams.
Definite articles in the Genitive
Gender
Nominative
Genitive
Example
masculine
der Mann
des Mannes
das Auto des Mannes
feminine
die Frau
der Frau
die Tasche der Frau
neuter
das Kind
des Kindes
das Spielzeug des Kindes
plural
die Kinder
der Kinder
die Zimmer der Kinder
Indefinite and possessive Genitive
Gender
ein/mein in Genitive
Example
masculine
eines / meines
der Name eines Mannes
feminine
einer / meiner
die Adresse meiner Freundin
neuter
eines / meines
das Ende eines Tages
plural
meiner
die Namen meiner Freunde
Examples
the title of the bookder Titel des Buches
the woman's bagdie Tasche der Frau
my friend's addressdie Adresse meines Freundes
Spoken alternative: the title of the bookder Titel von dem Buch
Cheat-sheet
Masculine and neuter Genitive use des plus a noun ending: des Mannes, des Kindes.
Feminine and plural Genitive use der, with no extra noun ending: der Frau, der Kinder.
English of the often maps to German Genitive: the roof of the house → das Dach des Hauses.
With ein and possessives, masculine/neuter Genitive ends in -es: eines Tages, meines Bruders.
von + Dativ is common in speech, but it is not the same form as the written Genitive.
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Warm-up — possession and “of”
1
The Genitive usually shows …
possession or belonging
The Genitive answers “whose?” or “of what?”: das Auto des Mannes = the man’s car / the car of the man.
2
Which English phrase is most like a Genitive idea?
the roof of the house
“of the house” shows belonging. German can express this with the Genitive: das Dach des Hauses.
3
True or false: German often uses von + dative in speech instead of the Genitive.
True
Everyday spoken German often says das Auto von dem Mann. The written Genitive is das Auto des Mannes.
4
In “das Auto des Mannes”, the Genitive article is ___.
des
der Mann is masculine, and masculine Genitive uses des.
5
Which phrase means “the child’s toy”?
das Spielzeug des Kindes
das Kind is neuter, so the Genitive is des Kindes, with -es on the noun.
der/die/das in the Genitive
6
der Mann → Genitive article?
des
Masculine Genitive changes der to des. The noun also normally adds -s or -es.
7
die Frau → die Tasche ___ Frau
der
Feminine Genitive uses der: die Tasche der Frau. The noun Frau does not add an ending.
8
das Buch → der Titel ___ Buches
des
das Buch is neuter. Neuter Genitive uses des, and the noun becomes Buches.
9
die Kinder → die Zimmer ___ Kinder
der
Plural Genitive uses der: der Kinder. Do not use dative plural den Kindern here.
10
Which pair is correct?
der Mann → des Mannes
Masculine Genitive is des plus a noun ending: des Mannes. Feminine would be der Frau, and neuter would be des Kindes.
Noun endings: -s and -es
11
Which is correct for “of the day” (der Tag)?
des Tages
der Tag is masculine. Genitive uses des and usually adds -es: des Tages.
12
das Haus → das Dach des ___.
Hauses
das Haus is neuter, so the Genitive is des Hauses. The noun adds -es.
13
Which is correct for “the end of the film” (der Film)?
das Ende des Films
der Film is masculine. Genitive article des, noun ending -s: des Films.
14
das Kind → das Spielzeug des ___.
Kindes
das Kind is neuter and commonly takes -es in the Genitive: des Kindes.
15
True or false: feminine nouns add -s in the Genitive.
False
Feminine Genitive changes the article to der, but the noun itself normally does not add -s: der Frau, not “der Fraus”.
ein and possessives in the Genitive
16
“the name of a man” = der Name ___ Mannes
eines
ein Mann is masculine. Masculine Genitive of ein is eines, and the noun adds -es.
17
“my brother’s phone” = das Handy ___ Bruders
meines
der Bruder is masculine. Possessive Genitive takes the same ending as eines: meines Bruders.
18
“the address of my friend” (die Freundin) = die Adresse ___ Freundin
meiner
die Freundin is feminine. Feminine Genitive uses -er: meiner Freundin.
19
“the end of a year” = das Ende ___ Jahres
eines
das Jahr is neuter. Neuter Genitive of ein is eines, and the noun becomes Jahres.
20
Which phrase is correct?
die Namen meiner Freunde
Freunde is plural, and plural Genitive of mein is meiner. meinen would suggest dative plural, not Genitive.
Genitive vs von + dative
21
Written style: “the door of the house” = die Tür ___ Hauses
des
das Haus is neuter. Written Genitive uses des Hauses, while spoken German might use von dem Haus.
22
Spoken alternative to “des Mannes”: von ___ Mann
dem
von always takes the Dative. Masculine dative article is dem: von dem Mann.
23
Which uses the Genitive, not von + dative?
die Tasche der Frau
der Frau after another noun is the feminine Genitive. von der Frau is the spoken dative alternative.
24
Build: “the title of the book”
der Titel des Buches
das Buch is neuter, so Genitive is des Buches. The possessed thing, der Titel, comes first.
25
Build: “my friend’s address” (friend = der Freund)
die Adresse meines Freundes
der Freund is masculine, so the possessive article is meines and the noun takes -es: meines Freundes.
How German uses mich, dich, sich, uns, and euch with verbs.
What is a reflexive verb?
A reflexive verb sends the action back to the subject. In English, that often looks like myself, yourself, himself: I wash myself.
German uses reflexive pronouns more often than English. You say Ich freue mich for “I am pleased / glad” and Wir treffen uns for “We are meeting.”
Most reflexive pronouns are accusative: mich, dich, sich, uns, euch, sich. Some verbs use a dative reflexive pronoun when there is another direct object.
English vs German
English often drops the reflexive idea or uses a different verb: “I feel good”, “we meet”, “she is interested in music”. German may require a reflexive pronoun: Ich fühle mich gut, wir treffen uns, sie interessiert sich für Musik. The pronoun must match the subject.
Accusative reflexive pronouns
Subject
Reflexive pronoun
Example
ich
mich
Ich freue mich.
du
dich
Du freust dich.
er/sie/es
sich
Er freut sich.
wir
uns
Wir freuen uns.
ihr
euch
Ihr freut euch.
sie/Sie
sich
Sie freuen sich.
Accusative vs dative reflexive
Type
Example
Why
accusative
Ich wasche mich.
I wash myself.
dative + object
Ich wasche mir die Hände.
The hands are the direct object.
accusative
Er zieht sich an.
He gets dressed.
dative + object
Er zieht sich die Jacke an.
The jacket is the direct object.
Examples
I feel good.Ich fühle mich gut.
We are meeting at eight.Wir treffen uns um acht Uhr.
She is interested in music.Sie interessiert sich für Musik.
I wash my hands.Ich wasche mir die Hände.
Cheat-sheet
The reflexive pronoun must match the subject: ich → mich, du → dich, wir → uns.
For er, sie, es, sie, Sie, the reflexive pronoun is always sich.
Most reflexive verbs use accusative pronouns: Ich freue mich, Du setzt dich.
Use dative reflexive pronouns when a body part or clothing item is the direct object: Ich wasche mir die Hände.
Many German reflexive verbs do not sound reflexive in English: sich interessieren für = to be interested in.
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Warm-up — the action points back
1
A reflexive pronoun refers back to …
the subject
In Ich wasche mich, mich refers back to ich. The same person does and receives the action.
2
Which German sentence contains a reflexive pronoun?
Ich freue mich.
mich is the reflexive pronoun that goes with ich. The other sentences have no reflexive pronoun.
3
The reflexive pronoun for ich is ___.
mich
For most reflexive verbs, ich takes accusative mich: Ich freue mich.
4
True or false: German uses reflexive verbs more often than English.
True
Many normal English expressions are reflexive in German, such as sich freuen, sich fühlen, and sich interessieren.
5
In “Wir treffen uns”, uns means …
ourselves / each other
uns matches wir. With treffen, it often means “each other”: we are meeting.
Match the pronoun to the subject
6
Ich interessiere ___ für Musik.
mich
The subject is ich, so the reflexive pronoun is mich: Ich interessiere mich.
7
Du freust ___ auf das Wochenende.
dich
du takes the reflexive pronoun dich: Du freust dich.
8
Er fühlt ___ gut.
sich
For er, sie, and es, the reflexive pronoun is sich.
9
Wir treffen ___ morgen.
uns
wir matches uns. Do not use sich with wir.
10
Ihr setzt ___ bitte hierhin.
euch
ihr takes euch. The command form also matches several familiar people: Setzt euch.
11
Sie freuen ___ auf den Urlaub. (they)
sich
For plural sie, the reflexive pronoun is also sich. The verb form freuen tells you it is plural or formal.
Common reflexive verbs
12
“I feel tired” = Ich fühle ___ müde.
mich
sich fühlen uses an accusative reflexive pronoun: Ich fühle mich müde.
13
“She is interested in German” = Sie interessiert ___ für Deutsch.
sich
sich interessieren für requires a reflexive pronoun. With sie, the form is sich.
14
Wir erinnern ___ an den Film.
uns
sich erinnern an means “to remember”. The subject wir needs uns.
15
Du musst ___ beeilen. (hurry up)
dich
sich beeilen is reflexive. After the modal musst, the infinitive beeilen goes at the end, and the pronoun is dich.
16
Which sentence means “He gets dressed”?
Er zieht sich an.
sich anziehen is separable and reflexive. The prefix an goes to the end, and sich matches er.
17
True or false: “sich freuen auf” can mean “to look forward to”.
True
Ich freue mich auf den Urlaub means “I’m looking forward to the holiday.” The reflexive pronoun is required in German.
Accusative or dative reflexive
18
Ich wasche ___ die Hände.
mir
die Hände are the direct object being washed. The reflexive pronoun becomes dative: mir.
19
Ich wasche ___. (myself)
mich
When there is no separate direct object, the reflexive pronoun itself is accusative: Ich wasche mich.
20
Du putzt ___ die Zähne.
dir
die Zähne are the direct object, so the reflexive pronoun is dative: dir.
21
Er zieht ___ die Jacke an.
sich
With third person, dative and accusative reflexive are both sich. die Jacke is the direct object.
22
Wir kaufen ___ ein Eis. (for ourselves)
uns
ein Eis is the direct object. The dative reflexive for wir is also uns.
23
Which sentence is correct?
Ich stelle mir die Frage.
die Frage is the direct object. The person to whom the question is posed is dative: mir.
Build the reflexive sentence
24
Which word order is correct with a modal?
Ich muss mich beeilen.
The conjugated modal muss stays in position 2, the reflexive pronoun comes after it, and the infinitive goes to the end.
25
Formal: Please sit down. Setzen Sie ___ bitte.
sich
Formal Sie uses the reflexive pronoun sich. The formal imperative keeps Sie: Setzen Sie sich.
26
Build: “I am interested in music.”
Ich interessiere mich für Musik
sich interessieren für takes the reflexive pronoun after the conjugated verb. für introduces the topic of interest.
27
Build: “We are meeting at eight.”
Wir treffen uns um acht Uhr
wir matches uns. The time expression um acht Uhr follows after the object/pronoun.
28
Build: “She washes her hands.”
Sie wäscht sich die Hände
die Hände are the direct object, so third-person reflexive sich is used before the body part.
How German says would, could, would have, would be, and would like.
What is Konjunktiv II?
Konjunktiv II is the German form for polite requests and unreal or hypothetical ideas. In English, it often sounds like would, could, or would like.
For A2, you mainly need a few ready-made forms: würde, könnte, hätte, wäre, and möchte.
The most flexible pattern is würde + infinitive: Ich würde kommen = I would come. The infinitive goes to the end, just like with modal verbs.
English vs German
English uses “would” for unreal situations and polite speech: I would come, could you help, I would like a tea. German often uses würde + infinitive, but common verbs have short forms: könnte = could, hätte = would have, wäre = would be, möchte = would like.
A2 Konjunktiv II forms
Form
Meaning
Example
würde + infinitive
would do
Ich würde gern kommen.
könnte
could
Könnten Sie mir helfen?
hätte
would have
Ich hätte gern einen Tee.
wäre
would be
Das wäre schön.
möchte
would like
Ich möchte bezahlen.
Useful forms by person
Person
würde
könnte
hätte
wäre
ich / er / sie / es
würde
könnte
hätte
wäre
du
würdest
könntest
hättest
wärst
wir / sie / Sie
würden
könnten
hätten
wären
ihr
würdet
könntet
hättet
wärt
Examples
Could you open the window?Könntest du das Fenster öffnen?
I would like a coffee.Ich hätte gern einen Kaffee.
If I had time, I would help.Wenn ich Zeit hätte, würde ich helfen.
That would be nice.Das wäre schön.
Cheat-sheet
würde + infinitive is the general A2 “would” pattern: Ich würde helfen.
For polite “could you”, use könnten Sie or könntest du.
Ich hätte gern … is a standard polite way to order or ask for something.
wäre means “would be”; hätte means “would have”. Do not swap them.
In wenn clauses, the conjugated verb goes to the end: wenn ich Zeit hätte.
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Warm-up — would and could
1
Konjunktiv II is often used for …
polite and hypothetical ideas
At A2, Konjunktiv II covers forms like könnten for polite requests and würde for “would” situations.
2
Which English phrase is closest to “Ich würde kommen”?
I would come
würde + infinitive is the regular A2 way to say “would do”: würde kommen = would come.
3
The German form “would like” is often ___.
möchte
möchte is the common polite form for “would like”: Ich möchte bezahlen.
4
True or false: Konjunktiv II can make a request sound more polite.
True
Könnten Sie mir helfen? sounds softer than the direct Können Sie mir helfen?.
5
Which is a Konjunktiv II form?
hätte
hätte means “would have”. habe is present, and hatte is simple past.
würde + infinitive
6
“I would help” = Ich ___ helfen.
würde
würde is the Konjunktiv II helper for “would”. werde is future, and wurde is past/passive-related.
7
“We would come” = Wir ___ kommen.
würden
With wir, the form is würden. The main verb stays as an infinitive at the end.
8
Du ___ das kaufen? (would buy)
würdest
du takes würdest. The infinitive kaufen stays at the end of the clause.
9
Which word order is correct?
Ich würde gern nach Berlin fahren.
The conjugated würde is in position 2, and the infinitive fahren goes to the end.
10
“You all would stay” = Ihr ___ bleiben.
würdet
ihr takes würdet. bleiben remains the infinitive.
könnte, hätte, wäre, möchte
11
Polite: ___ Sie mir helfen?
Könnten
Könnten Sie means “Could you” and is the polite Konjunktiv II form. Konnten means “could” in the past.
12
“I would like a tea” = Ich ___ gern einen Tee.
hätte
Ich hätte gern is a standard polite phrase for ordering or asking for something: literally “I would have gladly”.
13
“That would be nice” = Das ___ schön.
wäre
wäre means “would be”. hätte means “would have”, so it does not fit with an adjective like schön.
14
“I would like to pay” = Ich ___ bezahlen.
möchte
möchte means “would like”. With another verb, the infinitive goes at the end: bezahlen.
15
Du ___ mir helfen? (could, informal)
könntest
du takes könntest. könnten belongs to wir/sie/Sie, and könntet belongs to ihr.
16
Which pair is correct?
hätte = would have; wäre = would be
This distinction matters because German does not use hätte with adjectives like nett or schön. Use wäre for “would be”.
Polite requests
17
Which request is most polite?
Könnten Sie bitte langsamer sprechen?
Könnten Sie bitte …? is a polite request. The main verb sprechen stays at the end.
18
Could you open the window? ___ du das Fenster öffnen?
Könntest
For informal du, the polite “could” form is könntest. The infinitive öffnen goes at the end.
19
Which sentence is correct for ordering politely?
Ich hätte gern eine Suppe.
Ich hätte gern is the natural polite ordering phrase. die Suppe is feminine, so it is eine Suppe.
20
Formal: Would you have time tomorrow? ___ Sie morgen Zeit?
Hätten
Formal Sie takes hätten. For yes/no questions, the conjugated verb comes first.
21
True or false: In “Könnten Sie mir helfen?”, mir is dative because helfen takes dative.
True
helfen requires the Dative, so “me” is mir, not mich, even in a Konjunktiv II request.
Hypothetical wenn-sentences
22
Wenn ich Zeit ___, würde ich kommen.
hätte
This is unreal or hypothetical: “If I had time”. German uses Konjunktiv II hätte, not simple past hatte.
23
Wenn das Wetter schön ___, würden wir spazieren gehen.
wäre
With an adjective such as schön, use wäre = would be. wenn sends it to the end of the clause.
24
Which word order is correct?
Wenn ich Geld hätte, würde ich ein Auto kaufen.
wenn sends hätte to the end. The following main clause begins with the conjugated verb würde because the wenn-clause fills position 1.
25
“If I were in Berlin” = Wenn ich in Berlin ___
wäre
For location/state with “be”, German uses wäre. hätte would mean “would have”.
26
Build: “If I had time, I would help.”
Wenn ich Zeit hätte würde ich helfen
In the wenn clause, hätte goes to the end. The main clause then starts with würde, followed by the subject.
Build polite and unreal sentences
27
Build: “I would like to pay.”
Ich möchte bezahlen
möchte is the polite “would like” form. With a second verb, the infinitive bezahlen goes at the end.
28
Build: “Could you help me?” (formal)
Könnten Sie mir helfen
A formal yes/no question starts with Könnten, then Sie. helfen takes dative, so “me” is mir.
29
Build: “That would be very good.”
Das wäre sehr gut
wäre means “would be”. The adjective phrase sehr gut follows it normally.
30
Build: “We would gladly come.”
Wir würden gern kommen
wir takes würden. The infinitive kommen goes at the end, and gern expresses “gladly / like to”.
How German says to do something after verbs and phrases like hope, try, important, and time.
What is an infinitive with zu?
An infinitive is the basic verb form: gehen, lernen, schlafen. An infinitive with zu means “to go”, “to learn”, “to sleep”.
English often says “I hope to come” or “It is important to practise”. German does the same idea, but the zu + infinitive usually goes at the end: Ich hoffe, bald zu kommen.
The main new habit is word order. The first verb is conjugated near the front, and the second verb stays in its infinitive form with zu at the end.
English vs German
English puts “to” directly before the verb: to learn, to eat, to call. German also uses zu, but the whole zu-infinitive normally sits at the end of the clause: Ich versuche, Deutsch zu lernen. After modal verbs like müssen, können, wollen, German uses the bare infinitive with no zu: Ich muss lernen.
Common triggers for zu + infinitive
Trigger
German
English
hoffen
Ich hoffe, dich bald zu sehen.
I hope to see you soon.
versuchen
Ich versuche, langsam zu sprechen.
I try to speak slowly.
es ist wichtig
Es ist wichtig, viel zu üben.
It is important to practise a lot.
Zeit haben
Ich habe keine Zeit, heute zu kochen.
I have no time to cook today.
vergessen
Ich habe vergessen, dich anzurufen.
I forgot to call you.
um … zu
Ich lerne, um die Prüfung zu bestehen.
I study in order to pass the exam.
Where zu goes
Verb type
Pattern
Example
normal verb
zu + infinitive
zu lernen
separable verb
prefix + zu + verb
anzurufen, aufzustehen
modal verb
no zu
Ich muss lernen.
Examples
I try to speak German.Ich versuche, Deutsch zu sprechen.
It is time to get up.Es ist Zeit, aufzustehen.
I am learning in order to pass the exam.Ich lerne, um die Prüfung zu bestehen.
I must work today.Ich muss heute arbeiten.
Cheat-sheet
After verbs like hoffen, versuchen, vergessen, use zu + infinitive at the end.
After adjectives and nouns like es ist wichtig or keine Zeit haben, use a comma and then the zu-infinitive.
With separable verbs, zu goes between the prefix and the verb: anzurufen, aufzustehen.
After modal verbs, use no zu: Ich kann kommen, ich muss lernen.
um … zu means “in order to” and explains the purpose.
Practice timer00:00
Übung — practise it
Answer each one. Get it wrong and you’ll see exactly why. Your progress saves automatically.
Warm-up — what does zu do?
1
In “Deutsch zu lernen”, what does zu mean?
to
zu + infinitive often matches English “to + verb”: zu lernen = to learn.
2
Which German word is the infinitive?
lernen
The infinitive is the dictionary form, usually ending in -en. The other forms are conjugated for a person.
3
“to cook” = ___ kochen
zu
For a normal verb, put zu directly before the infinitive: zu kochen.
4
True or false: In a zu-infinitive, the verb is conjugated for ich/du/er.
False
The second verb stays in the infinitive: zu lernen, zu gehen, zu essen. Only the main verb is conjugated.
5
Which phrase means “to speak German”?
Deutsch zu sprechen
The infinitive is sprechen, and zu stands before it: Deutsch zu sprechen.
Common triggers
6
Ich hoffe, dich bald ___.
zu sehen
After hoffen, German uses a zu-infinitive at the end: dich bald zu sehen.
7
Ich versuche, langsam ___ sprechen.
zu
versuchen is followed by a zu-infinitive: versuchen, langsam zu sprechen.
8
Es ist wichtig, jeden Tag ___.
zu üben
After es ist wichtig, the action comes as zu + infinitive: zu üben.
9
Ich habe keine Zeit, heute ___.
zu kochen
Zeit haben can take a zu-infinitive. The infinitive stays at the end: heute zu kochen.
10
Ich habe vergessen, meine Mutter ___ besuchen.
zu
After vergessen, use a zu-infinitive for the forgotten action: jemanden zu besuchen.
11
Which sentence is correct?
Ich plane, morgen zu lernen.
planen takes a zu-infinitive. The correct block is morgen zu lernen.
Word order and commas
12
Where does the zu-infinitive usually go?
at the end of its clause
German keeps the zu-infinitive as a block near the end: Ich versuche, Deutsch zu lernen.
13
Which sentence is correct?
Ich lerne, um die Prüfung zu bestehen.
um … zu wraps around the purpose clause, and the infinitive comes at the end: zu bestehen.
14
“in order to” = ___ … zu
um
Purpose is expressed with um … zu: Ich arbeite, um Geld zu verdienen.
15
Ich gehe in die Bibliothek, um ___.
zu lernen
After um, the infinitive still takes zu and stays at the end.
16
True or false: The comma before a zu-infinitive is common when a new clause begins.
True
A comma is normally used before expanded zu-infinitive clauses: Ich hoffe, bald zu kommen.
Separable verbs and no zu after modals
17
Es ist Zeit, ___. (aufstehen)
aufzustehen
With separable verbs, zu goes between prefix and verb: auf + zu + stehen = aufzustehen.
18
Ich habe vergessen, dich ___. (anrufen)
anzurufen
anrufen is separable, so zu goes inside the verb: anzurufen.
19
“to shop” with einkaufen = ___
einzukaufen
The separable prefix ein- stays at the front, then zu, then kaufen: einzukaufen.
20
Ich muss heute ___.
arbeiten
After a modal verb like müssen, German uses the bare infinitive with no zu.
21
True or false: “Ich kann zu kommen” is correct German.
False
After können, use no zu: Ich kann kommen.
Build the sentence
22
Build: “I hope to come tomorrow.”
Ich hoffe morgen zu kommen
The main verb hoffe is conjugated, and the zu-infinitive zu kommen goes at the end.
23
Build: “It is important to learn German.”
Es ist wichtig Deutsch zu lernen
After Es ist wichtig, German uses the zu-infinitive block at the end: Deutsch zu lernen.
24
Build: “I am learning in order to pass the exam.”
Ich lerne um die Prüfung zu bestehen
um … zu gives the purpose, and the infinitive bestehen stays at the end.
25
Build: “I forgot to call you.”
Ich habe vergessen dich anzurufen
anrufen is separable, so the zu-form is anzurufen, not zu anrufen.
How to put a question inside another sentence with ob, wer, wo, wann, warum, and verb-final word order.
What is an indirect question?
An indirect question is a question inside another sentence. Instead of asking directly “Where does she live?”, you say “Do you know where she lives?”
German marks this inner question with ob for yes/no questions, or with a W-word like wo, wann, warum, wer.
The important German rule is word order: in the inner question, the conjugated verb goes to the end. Direct: Wo wohnt sie? Indirect: Weißt du, wo sie wohnt?
English vs German
English changes direct “Does he come?” to indirect “whether he comes” and drops the helper “does”. German changes the order more visibly: Kommt er? becomes ob er kommt. Use ob when the direct question can be answered yes or no; keep the W-word when the direct question begins with one.
Direct question → indirect question
Direct question
Indirect question
English
Kommt er?
Ich weiß nicht, ob er kommt.
I do not know whether he is coming.
Wo wohnt sie?
Weißt du, wo sie wohnt?
Do you know where she lives?
Wann beginnt der Kurs?
Ich frage, wann der Kurs beginnt.
I ask when the course starts.
Warum lernt er Deutsch?
Ich weiß nicht, warum er Deutsch lernt.
I do not know why he is learning German.
Kommt der Zug an?
Weißt du, ob der Zug ankommt?
Do you know whether the train arrives?
Examples
Can you tell me where the station is?Können Sie mir sagen, wo der Bahnhof ist?
I am not sure whether it is true.Ich bin nicht sicher, ob es stimmt.
Do you know when the film starts?Weißt du, wann der Film beginnt?
I do not know why he is late.Ich weiß nicht, warum er zu spät ist.
Cheat-sheet
Yes/no direct question → indirect question with ob: Kommt er? → ob er kommt.
W-question keeps its W-word: Wo wohnt sie? → wo sie wohnt.
In the inner question, the conjugated verb goes to the end.
Separable verbs join back together at the end: ankommen → ob er ankommt.
The whole sentence has a question mark only if the main sentence is a question: Weißt du, ob er kommt?
Practice timer00:00
Übung — practise it
Answer each one. Get it wrong and you’ll see exactly why. Your progress saves automatically.
Warm-up — direct or indirect?
1
Which sentence contains an indirect question?
Ich weiß nicht, wo du wohnst.
The question “wo du wohnst” is embedded inside another sentence, so it is indirect.
2
A yes/no indirect question uses …
ob
If the original question can be answered yes or no, German introduces the embedded question with ob.
3
“if/whether” in an indirect question = ___
ob
ob is the German word used for embedded yes/no questions: Ich weiß nicht, ob er kommt.
4
True or false: A W-word like wo or wann can introduce an indirect question.
True
Direct W-questions keep the same W-word when they become indirect: Wo ist er? → wo er ist.
5
Which is a direct question?
Wann beginnt der Kurs?
This is asked directly, with the W-word first and the verb second. The other two contain embedded questions.
ob for yes/no questions
6
Kommt er? → Ich weiß nicht, ___ er kommt.
ob
“Kommt er?” is a yes/no question, so the indirect form uses ob.
7
Hast du Zeit? → Ich frage, ob du Zeit ___.
hast
In the embedded question, the verb goes to the end: ob du Zeit hast.
8
Ist das richtig? → Ich weiß nicht, ob das richtig ___.
ist
sein is conjugated as ist, and in the ob-clause it moves to the end.
9
Which sentence is correct?
Weißt du, ob er heute kommt?
After ob, use subordinate word order: subject and other words first, conjugated verb at the end.
10
True or false: “ob” is used for “where”.
False
ob means whether/if. “Where” is wo.
W-words stay W-words
11
Wo wohnt sie? → Weißt du, ___ sie wohnt?
wo
A direct question with wo keeps wo in the indirect question.
12
Wann beginnt der Film? → Ich frage, wann der Film ___.
beginnt
The verb beginnt is conjugated for der Film and goes to the end of the indirect question.
13
Warum lernt er Deutsch? → Ich weiß nicht, ___ er Deutsch lernt.
warum
The direct question asks for a reason, so the indirect question uses warum, not ob.
14
Wer ist das? → Kannst du sagen, wer das ___?
ist
In the embedded question, the conjugated verb ist comes at the end: wer das ist.
15
Wie heißt du? → Ich frage, wie du ___.
heißt
The verb form stays heißt for du, but indirect-question word order sends it to the end.
16
Which means “where the station is”?
wo der Bahnhof ist
Indirect W-question order is W-word + subject + verb at the end: wo der Bahnhof ist.
Verb-final details
17
Ich weiß nicht, ob der Zug heute ___. (ankommen)
ankommt
In a subordinate clause, a separable verb joins back together and goes to the end: der Zug ankommt.
18
Weißt du, wann der Bus ___?
abfährt
abfahren is separable, but in an indirect question it rejoins at the end: wann der Bus abfährt.
19
Ich weiß nicht, warum Anna heute nicht ___. (kommen)
kommt
The conjugated verb belongs at the end of the embedded question: warum Anna heute nicht kommt.
20
Which sentence is correct?
Ich frage, wo du arbeitest.
The inner question uses verb-final order, and du needs the verb form arbeitest.
21
True or false: In “Ich weiß nicht, wo sie wohnt”, wohnt is at the end of the embedded question.
True
The embedded question is wo sie wohnt. Its conjugated verb is final, as required.
Build the sentence
22
Build: “I do not know whether he is coming.”
Ich weiß nicht ob er kommt
The main clause is Ich weiß nicht, and the embedded yes/no question uses ob with kommt at the end.
23
Build: “Do you know where she lives?”
Weißt du wo sie wohnt
The main yes/no question starts with Weißt. Inside, the W-question becomes wo sie wohnt.
24
Build: “I ask when the course starts.”
Ich frage wann der Kurs beginnt
The embedded W-question keeps wann, and the verb beginnt goes to the end.
25
Build: “Can you tell me where the station is?”
Können Sie mir sagen wo der Bahnhof ist
The polite main question starts with Können Sie; the embedded question has verb-final order: wo der Bahnhof ist.
How German focuses on the action with werden plus a past participle.
What is the passive voice?
The passive voice describes what happens to a thing or person, without making the doer the subject. English says “The letter is written” instead of “Anna writes the letter.”
German uses werden + past participle for this action-passive: Der Brief wird geschrieben.
At A2, the main point is recognition and simple present passive. The subject is the thing affected by the action, werden is conjugated, and the participle goes to the end.
English vs German
English passive often uses “be”: The house is built, the car is repaired. German does not use sein for this action-passive; it uses werden: Das Haus wird gebaut. If you name the doer, use von + Dativ: Der Brief wird von Anna geschrieben.
Present passive
Active
Passive
English passive
Anna schreibt den Brief.
Der Brief wird geschrieben.
The letter is written.
Der Arzt untersucht den Patienten.
Der Patient wird untersucht.
The patient is examined.
Man öffnet das Geschäft um 9 Uhr.
Das Geschäft wird um 9 Uhr geöffnet.
The shop is opened at 9 o’clock.
Hier spricht man Deutsch.
Hier wird Deutsch gesprochen.
German is spoken here.
werden in the present tense
Person
werden
ich
werde
du
wirst
er/sie/es
wird
wir
werden
ihr
werdet
sie/Sie
werden
Examples
German is spoken here.Hier wird Deutsch gesprochen.
The shop is opened at 9.Das Geschäft wird um 9 Uhr geöffnet.
The letter is written by Anna.Der Brief wird von Anna geschrieben.
The car has been repaired.Das Auto ist repariert worden.
Cheat-sheet
Present passive = werden + Partizip II: wird gemacht, wird geöffnet, wird geschrieben.
The participle normally stands at the end of the clause.
The doer is optional. If you name the doer, use von + Dativ.
Do not translate English passive with sein automatically. Action-passive uses werden, not ist.
For a light A2 past passive, recognise ist … worden: Das Auto ist repariert worden.
Practice timer00:00
Übung — practise it
Answer each one. Get it wrong and you’ll see exactly why. Your progress saves automatically.
Warm-up — active or passive?
1
Which English sentence is passive?
The letter is written.
The letter is the thing receiving the action. The doer is not the subject, so the sentence is passive.
2
German present passive is built with …
werden + Partizip II
For the action-passive, German uses a form of werden plus the past participle at the end.
3
Das Haus ___ gebaut. (The house is being built.)
wird
Das Haus is singular, so the werden-form is wird: Das Haus wird gebaut.
4
True or false: In passive sentences, the doer must always be named.
False
Passive often leaves the doer unnamed: Hier wird Deutsch gesprochen. Naming the doer is optional.
5
Which sentence is passive?
Der Brief wird geschrieben.
wird geschrieben is werden plus participle, so it is present passive.
werden forms
6
Der Brief ___ geschrieben.
wird
Der Brief is singular, like er, so the correct form is wird.
7
Die Tür ___ geöffnet. (The door is opened.)
wird
Die Tür is singular feminine, so the verb form is still wird.
8
Die Briefe ___ geschrieben.
werden
Die Briefe is plural, so the werden-form is werden.
9
Wir ___ gefragt. (We are asked.)
werden
For wir, the present-tense form is werden.
10
Ihr ___ informiert.
werdet
For ihr, werden becomes werdet.
The participle at the end
11
Das Geschäft wird um 9 Uhr ___.
geöffnet
Passive needs the past participle, not the infinitive or present form: wird geöffnet.
12
Hier wird Deutsch ___.
gesprochen
The participle of sprechen is gesprochen. In passive it stands with wird.
13
Der Kaffee wird ___. (made)
gemacht
The participle of machen is gemacht, giving wird gemacht.
14
Which sentence is correct?
Das Auto wird repariert.
The finite verb wird is in position 2, and the participle repariert comes at the end.
15
True or false: The participle in present passive is usually the last verb word.
True
German bracket word order puts the conjugated werden early and the participle at the end.
The doer with von
16
“by Anna” in a passive sentence = ___ Anna
von
The doer of a passive action is introduced with von: von Anna.
17
Der Brief wird ___ Anna geschrieben.
von
Anna is the doer, so German uses von before her name.
18
Der Patient wird ___ Arzt untersucht. (by the doctor)
vom
von takes the Dativ. der Arzt becomes dem Arzt, and von dem contracts to vom.
19
Die E-Mail wird von der Lehrerin ___.
geschrieben
Even with the doer named, the passive verb is still wird + Partizip II: wird geschrieben.
20
True or false: von is followed by the dative case.
True
von is a dative preposition, so der Arzt becomes dem Arzt: vom Arzt.
Build and recognise
21
Das Auto ist repariert worden. This is …
past passive
ist … worden is the Perfekt passive pattern. Present passive would be Das Auto wird repariert.
22
Which is the passive version of “Man spricht hier Deutsch”?
Hier wird Deutsch gesprochen.
The impersonal passive uses wird plus the participle gesprochen.
23
Build: “The letter is written.”
Der Brief wird geschrieben
The subject is Der Brief, the werden-form is wird, and the participle is geschrieben.
24
Build: “German is spoken here.”
Hier wird Deutsch gesprochen
Starting with Hier makes wird position 2, and the participle goes to the end.
25
Build: “The shop is opened at 9 o’clock.”
Das Geschäft wird um 9 Uhr geöffnet
Present passive is wird geöffnet; the time phrase comes before the final participle.
How German talks about the future with present tense plus a time word, or with werden plus an infinitive.
What is the future tense?
The future is how you talk about something after now: tomorrow, next week, next year. English often uses “will” or “going to”.
German has a future form with werden + infinitive: Ich werde dich anrufen. The conjugated form of werden sits in the normal verb position, and the main verb goes to the end as an infinitive.
But everyday German often uses the present tense with a clear time word: Morgen fahre ich nach Berlin. That can mean “I’m going to Berlin tomorrow” or “I will go to Berlin tomorrow.”
English vs German
English usually needs “will” or “going to” to mark future time. German often lets a time word do that job: Morgen arbeite ich. Use werden + infinitive for predictions, promises, plans you want to mark clearly as future, or when there is no strong time word.
Two common ways to talk about the future
Way
German
English
present + time word
Morgen fahre ich nach Köln.
Tomorrow I’m going to Cologne.
werden + infinitive
Ich werde dich anrufen.
I will call you.
prediction
Es wird morgen regnen.
It will rain tomorrow.
promise
Ich werde pünktlich sein.
I will be on time.
werden in the present tense
Person
werden
ich
werde
du
wirst
er/sie/es
wird
wir
werden
ihr
werdet
sie/Sie
werden
Examples
Next year I’ll move to Germany.Nächstes Jahr ziehe ich nach Deutschland.
I will help you.Ich werde dir helfen.
It will rain tomorrow.Es wird morgen regnen.
We will see.Wir werden sehen.
Cheat-sheet
Everyday future often uses present tense + time word: Morgen komme ich.
Future with werden = conjugated werden + infinitive at the end.
werden is irregular in the singular: ich werde, du wirst, er/sie/es wird.
Do not put the infinitive right after werden if other information belongs in the middle: Ich werde morgen arbeiten.
Do not confuse future with passive: future has an infinitive at the end; passive has a participle.
Practice timer00:00
Übung — practise it
Answer each one. Get it wrong and you’ll see exactly why. Your progress saves automatically.
Warm-up — future meaning
1
Which word clearly points to future time?
morgen
morgen means tomorrow, so it can make a present-tense German sentence refer to the future.
2
Natural everyday German for “I’m flying to Berlin tomorrow” is …
Morgen fliege ich nach Berlin.
German often uses present tense with a future time word. Because Morgen is first, the verb fliege must be second.
3
“next year” = nächstes ___
Jahr
das Jahr is neuter, so the time expression is nächstes Jahr.
4
True or false: German can use the present tense for a future plan if the time is clear.
True
With words like morgen, am Montag, or nächstes Jahr, the present tense is a normal way to express future plans.
5
Which sentence has future meaning without werden?
Am Montag arbeite ich.
Am Montag can point to a coming Monday, so the present tense can describe a future plan.
werden forms
6
Ich ___ dir helfen.
werde
For ich, the form is werde: Ich werde dir helfen.
7
du + werden = du ___
wirst
werden is irregular in the singular. The du-form is wirst, not werdst.
8
Er ___ morgen kommen.
wird
For er/sie/es, the werden-form is wird.
9
Wir ___ sehen.
werden
For wir, the form is werden, followed by the infinitive at the end.
10
Ihr ___ pünktlich sein.
werdet
For ihr, the correct form is werdet.
11
Sie (formal) ___ eine E-Mail bekommen.
werden
Formal Sie uses the same verb form as plural sie: werden.
Infinitive at the end
12
Ich werde dich morgen ___.
anrufen
Future with werden uses the bare infinitive at the end. It is not a zu-infinitive.
13
Wir werden morgen nach Hause ___. (go)
gehen
The main verb is an infinitive at the end: werden … gehen.
14
Es wird morgen ___.
regnen
Future uses werden + infinitive. regnen is the infinitive.
15
Which sentence is correct?
Ich werde morgen arbeiten.
The conjugated verb werde is in position 2, and the infinitive arbeiten goes to the end.
16
True or false: “Ich werde zu kommen” is the normal future form.
False
Future uses a bare infinitive with no zu: Ich werde kommen.
Present future or werden future?
17
Best everyday translation: “Tomorrow I’ll call you.”
Morgen rufe ich dich an.
A time word makes the future clear, and with Morgen first the verb must be second: rufe.
18
Best for a prediction: “It will rain.”
Es wird regnen.
Predictions commonly use werden + infinitive. regnen is the infinitive, not a participle.
19
Nächste Woche ___ ich meine Freundin. (besuchen, present future)
besuche
With the future time phrase Nächste Woche, the present tense besuche is natural.
20
Which sentence is a promise with werden?
Ich werde pünktlich sein.
A promise about the future can use werde plus the infinitive sein.
21
True or false: “Morgen gehe ich zum Arzt” can mean “I’m going to the doctor tomorrow.”
True
The present tense gehe plus Morgen is a normal German future expression.
Build and contrast
22
Future or passive? “Das Auto wird repariert.”
passive
repariert is a participle here, so wird repariert is passive. Future would need an infinitive: wird reparieren.
23
Future or passive? “Der Mechaniker wird das Auto reparieren.”
future
reparieren is an infinitive at the end, so this is werden + infinitive future.
24
Build: “I will help you.”
Ich werde dir helfen
helfen takes the dative pronoun dir, and the infinitive stays at the end.
25
Build: “Tomorrow we are going to Cologne.”
Morgen fahren wir nach Köln
With Morgen in position 1, the present-tense verb fahren is position 2 and expresses a future plan.
26
Build: “It will rain tomorrow.”
Es wird morgen regnen
The prediction uses wird in position 2 and the infinitive regnen at the end.
The Big Picture (A2) — the same three systems, more moving parts
Fold every A2 rule — new cases, adjective endings, subordinate clauses — into Role, Agreement, Structure.
The model stays the same
A2 does not replace the A1 mental model. It adds more signals to the same three systems, so one sentence can now make several systems work together.
Role gains the Dative and Genitive cases, two-way prepositions (movement = Accusative, location = Dative), and reflexive pronouns.
Agreement gains the big one — adjective endings — plus comparatives, superlatives, and the relative-pronoun form.
Structure gains subordinate clauses with weil, dass, wenn, ob, W-words and relative pronouns, plus more verb brackets: Plusquamperfekt, Konjunktiv II, zu + infinitive, Passiv, and Futur. The model does not change; the number of signals per sentence grows.
English vs German
A2 is where the three systems regularly interact inside one sentence. A relative clause, for example, carries Agreement because the pronoun matches its noun in gender and number, Role because its case comes from its job inside the relative clause, and Structure because the conjugated verb goes to the end. The mental model does not change; you simply read more signals at once.
adjective endings (strong/weak/mixed), comparative & superlative, relative-pronoun form
Structure
verb-second, questions, modal/Perfekt bracket
subordinate clauses (verb last), Plusquamperfekt, Konjunktiv II, zu+Infinitiv, Passiv, Futur
Role = all four cases as jobs
Case
Job — question
Example (masculine)
Nominativ
doer — wer?
der Mann → Der Mann liest.
Akkusativ
directly affected — wen/was?
den Mann → Ich sehe den Mann.
Dativ
receiver / beneficiary — wem?
dem Mann → Ich gebe dem Mann das Buch.
Genitiv
possessor / of… — wessen?
des Mannes → das Auto des Mannes
Agreement = adjective endings complete the package
Article situation
Phrase (Nominativ masc.)
Why that ending
with der (weak)
der gute Mann
der already shows the case → adj. takes -e
with ein (mixed)
ein guter Mann
ein shows nothing → adj. must show it: -er
no article (strong)
guter Wein
nothing else shows it → adj. carries the full signal
Structure = the conjugated verb, main vs subordinate
Clause
Verb position
Example
Main clause
2nd
Ich bleibe zu Hause.
Subordinate (weil/dass/wenn/ob)
LAST
…, weil ich müde bin.
Relative clause
LAST
der Mann, der dort steht
Verb bracket (Perfekt/Passiv/Futur/zu)
2nd + very end
Das Haus wird gebaut. / Ich werde kommen. / Ich versuche zu schlafen.
Examples
I'm giving the child the book because it's his birthday.Ich gebe dem Kind das Buch, weil es Geburtstag hat.
I'm going into the school. / I am in the school.Ich gehe in die Schule. / Ich bin in der Schule.
The man who is standing there is my father.Der Mann, der dort steht, ist mein Vater.
The house is being built.Das Haus wird gebaut.
I would like a coffee.Ich hätte gern einen Kaffee.
Cheat-sheet
Role: who does it (Nominativ), what is affected (Akkusativ), who receives or benefits (Dativ), and who possesses it (Genitiv)?
With in, an, auf, über, unter, vor, hinter, neben, and zwischen: wohin? → Akkusativ; wo? → Dativ.
weil, dass, wenn, ob, W-word indirect questions, and relative clauses put the conjugated verb LAST.
The adjective ending fills whatever the article did not already show: weak after der, mixed after ein, strong with no article.
One sentence can run all three systems at once. Check Role, Agreement, and Structure separately.
Seven-step routine: 1. What is the conjugated verb? 2. Main clause, question, or subordinate clause? 3. Who is the doer? (Nominative) 4. What is directly affected? (Accusative) 5. Who receives/benefits? (Dative), and who possesses? (Genitive) 6. Which words form one noun group? 7. Do article, adjective and noun agree in gender + number + case?
Practice timer00:00
Übung — practise it
Answer each one. Get it wrong and you’ll see exactly why. Your progress saves automatically.
Name the system
1
Which system explains the contrast in die Stadt (movement) vs in der Stadt (location)?
Role
Role: the two-way preposition assigns Accusative for a destination (in die Stadt) and Dative for a location (in der Stadt).
2
Which system explains der schnelle Zug but ein schneller Zug?
Agreement
Agreement: der already shows masculine Nominative, so the adjective is weak schnelle; ein does not show that signal, so the adjective supplies -er.
3
Which system explains that obwohl sends the conjugated verb to the end?
Structure
Structure: obwohl introduces a subordinate clause, so its conjugated verb goes last.
4
Which system first chooses Genitive in das Auto des Mannes?
Role
Role chooses Genitive because the man is the possessor; Agreement then carries that signal in des and the noun ending -es.
5
Which system explains the reflexive pronoun in Er wäscht sich?
Role
Role: sich is the Accusative object receiving the action performed by the subject.
6
Which system explains the bracket wird … gebaut?
Structure
Structure: the Passiv uses conjugated werden in position 2 and the participle at the end.
7
In der Mann, den ich kenne, which systems determine the form den?
Role and Agreement
Agreement gets masculine singular from der Mann; Role makes the pronoun Accusative because it is the object of kenne. The full relative clause also uses Structure to put the verb last.
Structure: main vs subordinate & brackets
8
Build the indirect question.
Ich weiß nicht , ob er kommt .
Structure: weiß is second in the main clause; ob introduces an indirect question and sends kommt to the end.
9
Ich bleibe zu Hause, weil ich müde ___.
bin
Structure: weil introduces a subordinate clause, so the conjugated verb bin comes last.
10
Das ist der Mann, der hier ___ (wohnen).
wohnt
Structure: a relative clause places its conjugated verb last; wohnt agrees with the singular subject der.
11
Bevor er kam, ___ ich schon gegessen.
hatte
Structure: the Plusquamperfekt bracket is hatte … gegessen, marking an event earlier than the Präteritum event kam.
12
Build the passive sentence.
Das Fenster wird geöffnet .
Structure: Passiv uses wird as the conjugated verb in position 2 and geöffnet at the end.
13
Build the future sentence.
Ich werde morgen kommen .
Structure: Futur uses werde in position 2 and the infinitive kommen at the end.
14
Ich versuche, ruhig ___ (schlafen).
zu schlafen
Structure: after versuchen, the infinitive group ends with zu schlafen.
15
Complete the Präteritum sentence: Gestern ___ ich krank.
war
Structure: war is the one conjugated Präteritum form of sein and stands in position 2.
16
Sie sagt, dass sie morgen ___ (kommen).
kommt
Structure: dass makes the second clause subordinate, so conjugated kommt goes to the end.
Role: which case & why
17
Ich helfe ___ Mann. (der, Dativ)
dem
Role: helfen assigns Dative; Agreement gives masculine Dative dem Mann.
Role: mit always assigns Dative, so der Bus becomes dem Bus.
20
Ich fahre ___ die Stadt. (movement)
in
Role: movement toward a destination answers wohin?, so the two-way preposition appears with Accusative: in die Stadt.
21
Ich bin in ___ Stadt. (die, location)
der
Role: a location answers wo?, so in takes Dative; Agreement changes feminine die to der.
22
Das ist das Spielzeug ___ Kindes. (das, Genitiv)
des
Role: the child is the possessor, so it takes Genitive; Agreement gives des Kindes with the noun ending -es.
23
Ich wasche ___. (reflexive Accusative)
mich
Role: with no other object, the reflexive pronoun is Accusative: Ich wasche mich.
24
Ich kaufe ___ ein Buch. (reflexive Dative)
mir
Role: ein Buch is already the Accusative object, so the beneficiary pronoun is Dative: mir.
Agreement: adjective endings & forms
25
der ___ Wein (gut)
gute
Agreement: der already shows masculine Nominative, so the weak adjective ending is -e: der gute Wein.
26
ein ___ Wein (gut)
guter
Agreement: ein does not show masculine Nominative, so the mixed adjective carries -er: ein guter Wein.
27
___ Wein schmeckt gut. (gut, no article)
Guter
Agreement: with no article, the adjective carries the strong masculine Nominative ending -er: Guter Wein.
28
mit dem ___ Auto (schnell)
schnellen
Agreement: after Dative dem, the weak adjective ending is -en: mit dem schnellen Auto.
29
eine ___ Tasche (schön)
schöne
Agreement: eine shows feminine Nominative, so the mixed adjective takes -e: eine schöne Tasche.
30
Das ist das ___ Auto. (schnell, superlative)
schnellste
Agreement: the attributive superlative stem schnellst- takes the weak -e after neuter Nominative das: das schnellste Auto.
31
Mein Fahrrad ist ___ als deins. (schnell)
schneller
Agreement and comparison: the predicative comparative is schneller; it has no extra adjective-declension ending after ist.
32
Der Mann, ___ ich kenne, wohnt hier.
den
Agreement copies masculine singular from der Mann; Role makes the relative pronoun Accusative as the object of kenne, giving den.
Run the full routine
33
Heute gibt die nette Lehrerin dem neuen Schüler ein deutsches Buch. Who is the receiver?
dem neuen Schüler
Step 5, Role: the student receives the book, so the noun group is Dative. Agreement makes the full package dem neuen Schüler.
34
Das ist das Auto des alten Mannes. Which noun group names the possessor?
des alten Mannes
Step 5, Role: the man is the possessor and therefore Genitive. Agreement gives des alten Mannes.
35
Build the sentence with a weil-clause.
Ich bleibe zu Hause , weil ich müde bin .
Structure: bleibe is second in the main clause, while weil sends bin to the end of the subordinate clause.
36
Build the sentence with an Accusative relative pronoun.
Der Mann , den ich kenne , wohnt hier .
Agreement links den to masculine Mann; Role makes it Accusative inside the relative clause; Structure places kenne last in that clause.
37
Which whole sentence passes all three system checks?
Heute fährt der nette Mann mit einem schnellen Auto.
Structure: fährt is second. Role: the doer is Nominative and mit assigns Dative. Agreement: der nette Mann and mit einem schnellen Auto have correct endings.
38
Which is the correct polite Konjunktiv-II request?
Ich hätte gern einen Kaffee.
Structure: hätte is the conjugated Konjunktiv-II form in position 2. Role makes einen Kaffee Accusative, and Agreement supplies einen.