Modern German Grammar

A Practical Guide

Ruth Whittle, John Klapper, Katharina Glöckel, Bill Dodd, Christine Eckhard-Black

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2013
• ISBN:
  9781136835520
• Edition: 3
• Topic: Lingue e linguistica
• Subtopic: Lingue

Modern German Grammar: A Practical Guide, Third Edition is an innovative reference guide to German, combining traditional and function-based grammar in a single volume.

The Grammar is divided into two parts. Part A covers grammatical categories such as word order, nouns, verbs and adjectives. Part B is organised according to language functions and notions such as:

• making introductions

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• asking for something to be done

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• delivering a speech

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• possibility

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• satisfaction.

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The book addresses learners' practical needs and presents grammar in both a traditional and a communicative setting. New to this edition, and building on feedback from the previous edition:

• The rules of the latest (and so far final) spelling reform have been implemented throughout.

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• Examples of usage have been updated and consideration given to Swiss and Austrian variants.

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• The chapter on register has been expanded and now includes youth language and frequently used Anglicisms in German.

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• The Index now has even more key words; it has also been redesigned to differentiate between German words, grammar terms, and functions, thus making it more user-friendly.

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The Grammar assumes no previous grammatical training and is intended for all those who have a basic knowledge of German, from intermediate learners in schools and adult education to undergraduates taking German as a major or minor part of their studies.

The Grammar is accompanied by a third edition of Modern German Grammar Workbook (ISBN 978-0-415-56725-1) which features exercises and activities directly linked to the Grammar.

Ruth Whittle is Lecturer, John Klapper is Professor of Foreign Language Pedagogy, Katharina Glöckel is the Austrian Lektorin and Bill Dodd is Professor of Modern German Studies – all at the University of Birmingham. Christine Eckhard-Black is Tutor and Advisor in German at the Oxford University Language Centre.

B. Functions

X

Social contact

60 Greeting

The following are the most common expressions for ‘to greet’ in German:

jmdn. grüßen ‘to greet sb.’

viele Grüße/einen schönen Gruß (an jmdn.) ‘many/best wishes (to sb.)’

jmdm. einen schönen Gruß sagen ‘to give/send sb. (one’s) best wishes’

jmdm. Grüße bestellen ‘to give/send regards to sb.’

jmdm. Wünsche aus*richten ‘to convey (good) wishes to sb.’

jmdn. jmdm. empfehlen ‘to convey sb.’s respects to sb.’ (formal)

sich jmdm. empfehlen ‘to send one’s regards to sb.’ (formal)

jmd. lässt jmdn. grüßen ‘sb. sends his/her regards’

jmdn. von jmdm. grüßen ‘to pass on sb.’s good wishes’

60.1Using du, ihr and Sie

For greeting, and indeed any interaction with Germans, it is very important that English-speaking learners of German become familiar with the following guidelines on the use of the familiar pronoun du (with its plural ihr) and the polite or distant Sie. Failure to use the correct form can cause offence.

(a) Use of du and ihr:

du/ihr is used when addressing:

(i) relatives and close friends

(ii) children up to about the age of 14 or 15

(iii) fellow pupils and students

(iv) colleagues in manual or blue-collar jobs

(v) animals, objects and God.

(b) Use of Sie:

Sie is used in all other circumstances, of which the following should be particularly noted:

(i) with adults who are strangers

(ii) by teachers when addressing pupils in the senior classes of secondary school

(iii) for all student–lecturer communication in higher education.

(c) When to start using du:

du is usually associated with first-name terms, but first names are, for example, used with Sie in the senior classes of secondary school. This is especially true in Gymnasien (grammar schools), although in other secondary schools the use of Sie with a first name is now becoming more common. Students will always use du when addressing each other. Increasingly, du is also coming to be used more in the workplace, partly as a reflection of a more democratic society. The point in a relationship at which the du form becomes appropriate is very difficult to define. Native English speakers are advised to follow the lead of Germans on this matter. It is normal for the older/more senior person to offer the du form to the younger/junior person. If ever in doubt, use Sie. The verbs corresponding to the pronouns du and Sie are jmdn. duzen and jmdn. siezen respectively:

Wollen wir uns duzen?

Shall we use the du form?

▶ See 35.6b; for das Du see 25.6c

(d) Spelling of du/ihr and Sie:

du/ihr and the related possessive adjectives, i.e. dein, etc. and euer, etc. (see 30.3), are written with small letters in all circumstances:

Ich danke dir für deine Hilfe.

Thank you for your help.

Was habt ihr im Sommer vor?

What do you have planned for the summer?

In all contexts the various forms of Sie and the possessive adjective Ihr are written with a capital letter:

Wann fahren Sie in die Stadt?

When are you going to town?

Wie geht es Ihnen/ Ihrem Mann?

How are you? / How is your husband?

▶ See 59.1 for spelling

60.2Initial greeting

(a) In spoken German a simple Hallo! is very common, especially among friends, colleagues and young people (see also 90.1). Grüß dich! ‘greetings’ is also frequently heard.

(b) Guten Tag ‘Good day’ is the standard greeting for a stranger or informal acquaintance and ca...