Essential German Grammar: Teach Yourself

Jenny Russ

• Publisher: Teach Yourself
• Year: 2011
• eBook ISBN: 9781444130843
• Topic: Languages & Linguistics
• Subtopic: German Language
• Index: Languages & Linguistics

Is this the right book for me? Want to get more out of your study of German? Essential German Grammar is an up-to-date introduction to German grammar. You don't need to know a lot about grammar before you start. Everything is explained simply and there are lots of examples to illustrate each point. Unlike more traditional grammars, Essential German Grammar is structured so that you can look up language forms according to what you want to say, even if you don't know the grammatical term for them. If you already know some grammar, then you can use the 'reference grammar' section at the back of the book to look up the points you need.The course consists of 21 units illustrating the various uses to which the language can be put, for example, giving instructions or talking about the recent past. The more traditional reference grammar deals with grammatical structures, such as the imperative or the perfect tense. All grammatical terms are explained in the glossary at the back of the book. Each unit contains exercises for you to practise what you have learnt and there is a key at the back of the book for you to check your answers. The new page design in this edition means that the book is even easier to use and the main headings are in English so that you can find your way around the book quickly. This edition contains a 'taking it further' section which will direct you to further sources of real German. Essential German Grammar will help you to understand and manipulate German grammar with confidence because: - you need no prior knowledge of grammatical terminology to use it;
- the approach is accessible and supportive;
- the examples are clear and in context;
- exercises help you practise every point.Now in a brand new edition with new, easy-to-follow page design and interactive online features. Learn effortlessly with a new easy-to-read page design and interactive features: Not got much time?
One, five and ten-minute introductions to key principles to get you started. Author insights
Lots of instant help with common problems and quick tips for success, based on the author's many years of experience. Test yourself
Tests in the book and online to keep track of your progress. Extend your knowledge
Extra online articles to give you a richer understanding of the subject. Five things to remember
Quick refreshers to help you remember the key facts. Try this
Innovative exercises illustrate what you've learnt and how to use it.

1

Asking for and giving personal information

In this unit you will learn how to

• Say who you are

• State your nationality

• Say where you are from

• Say what your occupation is

• Give similar information about other people

• Ask for personal information about other people

Language points

• Subject pronouns

• Sein in the present tense

• Gender of nouns (nominative case)

• Plural of nouns

• Nouns and adjectives indicating nationality

• Ask questions (interrogative sentences)

• Negative sentences

To ask for and give personal information you will need the German equivalent of words like I, you, he, she, etc. These are known as pronouns. You will also need a verb. This shows an action or state, for example I cook, you buy, he is, etc. In this unit we will learn the verb sein, which means to be.

SAYING WHO YOU ARE

Ich bin Hans Schmidt.	I’m Hans Schmidt. (male)
Ich bin Inge Schneider.	I’m Inge Schneider. (female)

STATING YOUR NATIONALITY

Ich bin Deutscher.	I’m German. (male)
Ich bin Deutsche.	I’m German. (female)

Insight

Every noun in German begins with a capital letter, e.g. der Mann (the man), die Frau (the woman), das Kind (the child). You will notice that the endings are different in the two examples above, the -er referring to a male German, the -e to a female. These are both examples of so-called adjectival nouns. For more details see Reference grammar 5.2.

SAYING WHAT YOUR OCCUPATION IS

Ich bin Arzt.	I’m a doctor. (male)
Ich bin Ärztin.	I’m a doctor. (female)

Insight

You will again notice the different endings in the two examples above. Here, the endings denote the difference between male and female professions. Sometimes we make the same distinction in English, e.g. the actor (der Schauspieler), the actress (die Schauspielerin), the waiter (der Kellner), the waitress (die Kellnerin).

The sign (¨) is known as an umlaut and can occur only above the vowels a, o and u. The addition of the umlaut alters the pronunciation.

SAYING WHERE YOU COME FROM

Ich bin aus Berlin.	I’m from Berlin.
Ich bin aus Deutschland.	I’m from Germany.

GI...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Contents
• Meet the author
• Only got a minute?
• Only got five minute?
• Only got ten minutes?
• Introduction
• How to use this book
• 1 Asking for and giving personal information
• 2 Introducing and identifying people, places and things
• 3 Expressing existence and availability
• 4 Expressing location
• 5 Talking about the present
• 6 Expressing likes and dislikes
• 7 Expressing wants and preferences
• 8 Expressing permission and ability
• 9 Expressing obligation and necessity
• 10 Asking for and giving opinions
• 11 Talking about habitual actions
• 12 Expressing possession
• 13 Giving directions and instructions
• 14 Making requests and offers
• 15 Describing people, places and things
• 16 Referring to future plans and events
• 17 Describing the past
• 18 Talking about the past
• 19 Describing processes and procedures
• 20 Reporting what was said and asked
• 21 Expressing conditions
• Reference grammar
• Key to exercises
• Glossary of terms
• Taking it even further
• Credits
• Copyright