German Grammar Made Easy

Lisa Kahlen

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2017
• ISBN:
  9781317307143
• Edition: 2
• Topic: Languages & Linguistics
• Subtopic: German Language
• Index: Languages & Linguistics

German Grammar Made Easy is the ideal introduction to the basics of German grammar for anyone new to the language or looking to refresh their knowledge.

The Grammar features:

• concise and jargon-free explanations supported by examples
• exercises throughout to reinforce learning
• a "fast-track" option for more advanced learners
• a full answer key, making the Grammar ideal for self-study

German Grammar Made Easy presents the essential patterns and rules of the German language in a clear and accessible manner. It is the ideal Grammar for those wishing to supplement their learning and move beyond the phrasebook level.

1
VERBS

1.1 Talking about what you do

►► If you know what a verb is, go on to 1.1.1. You use a verb to talk about what someone or something does, is doing, has done or intends to do. A verb is often called a doing word.

Ask yourself if it is possible to ‘do’ something to find out if a word is a verb.

• I Which of these words are things you can do?
  1. run
  2. jeans
  3. sleep
  4. make
  5. easy
  6. eat
  7. under
  8. blue
  9. think
  10. after
• II Some verbs can be used as nouns. Which of the words in bold are being used as verbs? Tick each sentence which includes a verb in bold.
  1. Many people work 35 hours a week.
  2. Anne and Susanne study law in Berlin.
  3. The meeting will take place tomorrow morning.
  4. The canteen is looking for a new cook.
  5. I have to be at work at 8.30 am.
  6. Marianne will phone you tomorrow.
  7. Franz bought a new phone for his office.
  8. What did Reimund cook for you?
  9. They are meeting in the pub after their German class.
  10. I had to buy a new chair for my study.

1.1.1 What is the infinitive?

►► If you know what the infinitive is, go on to 1.1.2.

When you look up a verb in a dictionary, you will find the infinitive. This is the ‘name’ of the verb. In English, the infinitive consists of to verb, e.g. to read, to buy, to travel.

In German nearly all infinitives end in -en, a few end in -n.

Infinitives ending in -en

finden	to find
lernen	to learn
helfen	to help
üben	to practise
akzeptieren	to accept

Infinitives ending in -n

wandern	to hike
sammeln	to collect
lächeln	to smile
ändern	to change
kletern	to climb

Try to look for similarities between German and English. Some are obvious, for example finden means to find, sendento send, spekulierento speculate. Others are less obvious.

• III Here are more German infinitives. See how many you can match up with their English counterparts.

  a	gehen	1	to make/to do
  b	trinken	2	to bring/to take
  c	kommen	3	to sing
  d	sprechen	4	to feed
  e	waschen	5	to swim
  f	machen	6	to speak
  g	füttern	7	to come
  h	singen	8	to wash
  i	schwimmen	9	to go
  j	studieren	10	to study

• IV What do you think the German for these verbs would be? See if you can work it out.

  a	to organise	1	konzentrieren
  b	to repair	2	diskutieren
  c	to type	3	reparieren
  d	to send	4	surfen
  e	to surf	5	mai en
  f	to e-mail	6	senden
  g	to demonstrate	7	tippen
  h	to discuss	8	riskieren
  i	to concentrate	9	organisieren
  j	to risk	10	demonstrieren

Look out for verbs like manipulierento manipulate, akzeptierento accept, studierento study. The first part of the verb is the same in English as in German.

1.1.2 What is the stem of a verb?

►► If you already know what the stem is, go on to 1.1.3.

The infinitive of a verb in German consists of the stem and the ending -en or -...