1. Verbs
Verbs in German end with -en or -n.
Like: Haben, spazieren, aufstehen, essen, werden, beginnen, sein.
1.1 Verb Konjugation im Präsens (Regelmäßig):
*Man means (one) and it always takes the same verb conjugation as (er and sie).
1.2 Unregelmäßige Verben:
Verbs like essen, nehmen and sein, etc. have different conjugation patterns than regular verbs.
Eg. Sein (to be):
1.3 Modalverben:
Modalverben are: Dürfen (allowed to/may), Können (can), Mögen (to like), Sollen (ought to), Müssen (must), Wollen & Möchten(to want).
*Möchten is conjugated like a regular verb.
1.4 Trennbare Verben:
- Ex: aufstehen, anrufen, einladen.
- Prefix (auf, an, ein, usw…) is ’cut’ and sent to the end of the sentence.
- Verb is conjugated like normal.
Ex: Ich wache jeden Tag um 6 Uhr auf. (I wake up at 6 o’clock everyday.)
P.S: Verbs are always in the second position in a normal sentence.
1.5 Unpersönliche Verben:
Impersonal verbs are verbs that can only be used with ‘es’.
Ex: Es regnet, es schneit, es gefällt, es donnert, …..
Es schneit schon den ganzen Tag. (It snowed the entire day.)
Es donnert bereits. (There’s a thunderstorm already.)
2. Nouns
2.1 Bestimmte Artikel (Nominativ):
- Definite articles refer to a specific object. (The)
*Not all nouns follow these rules but a lot do.
*Plurals always take Die.
Ex: das Buch → die Bücher
The book → the books
2.2 Unbestimmte Artikel (Nominativ):
- Indefinite articles refer to an unspecific object. (a/an)
*There is no indefinite article for plural because you can’t say “a dogs”.
2.3 Negation:
- “Kein” is used to negate a noun and changes according to the gender of the noun:
2.4 Possessivpronomen:
*To express possession of a noun,
*All nouns are capitalized even in the middle of a sentence.
3. Cases
*Articles and possessive pronouns change according to each case.
3.1 Nominativ:
*Nominative refers to the subject of the sentence.
*Articles in nominative are: der, die or das and ein or eine.
3.2 Akkusativ:
*Accusative refers to the direct object (the object that the subject acts on).
- Ex: Die Frau(subj.) kauft den Apfel (dir. obj.). (The woman is buying the apple.)
*The only article that changes in the accusative case is der to become den, hence ein also changes to become einen and kein to keinen. Fem. and Neut. articles and their possessive pronouns remain unchanged.
Personal & (masc.) possessive pronouns in accusative:
3.3 Dativ:
*Dative refers to the indirect object (the person or thing to which something is done for).
- Ex: Die Frau kauft dem Kind (indir. obj.) einen Apfel. (The woman is buying an apple for the child)
Articles in dative change to become:
Personal pronouns in dative:
Possessive pronouns in dative:
**It’s useful to know which verbs take dative and which take accusative, the majority of verbs take accusative.
3.4 Genitiv:
*Genitive is used to indicate possession and show who something belongs to; it answers the question “Wessen?” (whose). Equivalent to the apostrophe in English i.e Jack’s dog.
Articles in Genitive change to become:
Possessive pronouns change in Genitive as follows:
*Nouns in Genitive end with -s or -es.
Ex: Annas Hund (Anna’s dog)
*Genitive can also be used like this:
Von + Dative = Genitive
Ex: Die Form von dem Tisch Die → Form des Tisches.
(The shape of the table.)
3.5 Adjectival endings:
*The ending of an adjective depends on several things:
- The following noun’s gender (Fem, Masc, Neu.)
- Whether the noun is singular or plural.
- Whether the article is definite, indefinite or not used at all.
- Which case is used (nominative, accusative, dative, or genitive)
*Strong endings are used when there are no articles at all. As follows:
*In dative, the plural nouns gain an extra -n unless they already have an -n.
*They’re usually used with words like: etwas, mehr, wenig, viel, mehrer and einig or after a number. As they don’t show a certain gender.
Ex:
- Mehr schlechtes Wetter. (More bad weather) (-es from Das wetter)
- Vier schöne Katzen. (Four beautiful cats) (-e from Die Katzen)
- Jedes Jahr. (Every year) (-es from Das Jahr)
Weak endings are used with definite articles:
Ex:
- Die laute Musik. (The loud music) (-e from Die Musik)
- Ich kaufe den schönen Hut. (I buy the beautiful hat) (-e from Der Hut)
Mixed endings are used with indefinite articles:
Ex:
- Ein gutes Buch. (A good book) (-es from Das Buch)
- Eine schwarze Katze. (A black cat) (-es from Die Katze)
**Demonstrative pronouns like: Dieser(this), jeder(every), jener(that), derjenige(the one), derselbe(same) take the same endings as the adjectives.
**If there are 2 or more successive adjectives they all take the same ending.
3.6 Reflexive Pronomen:
Reflexive pronouns in English are like: myself, himself, herself, yourself, ….
In German, reflexive pronouns are used with reflexive verbs like: sich anziehen, sich setzen, sich entspannen, sich erholen, … the ‘sich’ part changes according to the person who does the action and the verbs is conjugated like normal. Reflexive pronouns also change according to the case; whether it’s accusative or dative as follows:
Ex:
- Ich bin zu spät für den Unterricht, deshalb muss ich mich beeilen. (I’m so late for class so I have to hurry (myself).)
- Er rasiert sich. (He’s shaving (himself).)
*’Selbst’ can also be used to refer to someone.
Ex:
- Ich habe Elias selbst gefragt. (I asked Elias himself.)
- Ich selbst wollte das nicht machen. (I, myself, didn’t want to do that.)
3.7 Indefinite Pronouns:
Indefinite pronouns: Jemand (someone), Niemand (no one). Their endings change according to each case:
| Case | Indefinite Pronoun |
| Nominative | Jemand/Niemand |
| Accusative | Jemanden/Niemanden |
| Dative | Jemandem/Niemandem |
| Genitive | Jemand(e)s/Niemand(e)s |
**Kein can also be used to mean (none) and it takes the same endings as when used as a negation article.
Ex:
- Ich habe es jemandem / niemandem gegeben. (I gave it to someone/no one.)
- Es gibt gar keine. (there is none at all.)
4. Prepositions:
Prepositions in English are like: in, on, at, by, ….
4.1 Wechselpräpositionen:
There are prepositions that take both dative and accusative. These prepositions are known as wechselpräpositionen (alternating prepositions), and they are: an, auf, hinter, in, neben, über, unter, vor, zwischen.
These are all prepositions that indicate location. The difference is if it’s in accusative then it answers the question “Wohin?” (Where to?). If it’s in dative then then it answers the question “Wo?” (Where?).
Ex:
- Anna hängt das Bild an die Wand. (Akk.) (Anna hangs the picture on the wall.)
- Jetzt hängt das Bild an der Wand. (Dat.) (Now the picture is on the wall.)
- Meine Katze stellt sich über den Tisch. (Akk.) (My cat lies down over the table.)
- Jetzt liegt meine Katze über dem Tisch. (Dat.) (Now my cat is over the table.)
So, if it’s in accusative it indicates movement unlike in dative where there is no movement.
4.2 Präpositionen mit Akkusativ:
The most common prepositions in accusative are: gegen, bis, ohne, durch, für, um.
- Ich nehme eine Tablette gegen die Schmerzen. (I’m taking a pill for the pain.) (Literally: I am taking a pill against the pain.)
- John hat ein Geschenk für seine Mutter gekauft. (John bought a gift for his mother.)
- Er hat noch bis sechs Uhr Arbeit. (He still has work until 6 o’clock.)
- Meine Mutter trinkt gern Tee ohne Milch. (My mother like to drink tea without milk.)
- Wir möchten um die Welt reisen. (We want to travel around the world.)
- Morgen will ich mit dem Fahrrad durch den Park fahren. (Tomorrow, I want to ride my bike through the park.)
4.3 Präpositionen mit Dativ:
The most common prepositions in dative are: seit, zu, außer, gegenüber, mit, nach, bei, aus, ab, seit, von.
- Er macht ab nächstem Montag einen Kurs. (Starting from next Monday he’ll participate in a course.)
- Ihr kommt aus verschiedenen Ländern. (You (pl.) come from different countries.)
- Ich arbeite bei einer kleiner Firma. (I work at a small company.)
- Wir lernen Türkisch seit 2010. (We’ve been learning Turkish since 2010.)
- Außer einem Kaffee bestellt er nichts. (He didn’t order anything except for coffee.)
- Gegenüber meinem Haus ist eine Bibliothek. (There is a library across from my house.)
4.4 Präpositionen mit Genitiv:
The most common prepositions in genitive are: Innerhalb, außerhalb, trotz, während, wegen/aufgrund, (an)statt.
- Wegen/Aufrgrund meines Wunches Ärztin zu warden, habe ich mich für ein Medizinstudium entschieden. (Because of/Due to my wish to become doctor, I decided to study medicine.)
- (An)statt eines Autos kaufte er sich ein Fahrrad. (Instead of buying a car, he bought himself a bike.)
- Trotz des kalten Wetters spielen die Kinder im Garten. (The children are playing in the garden in spite of the cold weather.)
- Während des Unterrichts spricht niemand. (No one talks during class.)
- Wir wohnen außerhalb/innerhalb der Stadt. (We’re living outside/inside the city.)
* Innerhalb & außerhalb can also be used for time.
* Wegen & aufgrund have the same meaning but aufgrund is more formal.
4.5 Kombinierte Präpositionen:
Prepositions and the following articles of a noun can combine to become shorter.
Ex: Von + dem = vom, bei + dem = beim, Zu + der = zur, an + dem = am, and so on…
Ich gehe zur Schule. (I’m going to school.)
Am Mittwoch gehe ich ins Kino. (On Wednesday I’ll go to the cinema.)
4.6 ‘Da’ mit Präpositionen:
‘Da’ combines with prepositions and most of the time it changes their meanings.
It usually refers to things that have been previously mentioned in a sentence or things that are clearly being talked about from the context.
Ex: Da + auf = Darauf, Da + mit = Damit, Da + bei = Dabei, Da + für = Dafür, Da + über = Darüber
- Hast du dein Handy dabei? (Do you have your phone with you?)
- Was willst du damit machen? (What do you want to do with it?)
- ich habe nicht darüber nachgedacht. (I haven’t thought about it.)
5. Tenses
5.1 Präsens:
The present tense is simply used to describe something happening at the moment, and takes regular verb conjugations.
Ex:
- Ich lese das Buch jetzt. (I’m reading the book now.)
- Jetzt trinke ich meinen Tee. (Now I’m drinking my tea.)
5.2 Perfekt:
Present perfect is used to describe something in the past, and it uses the auxiliary verbs ‘Haben’ or ‘Sein’ + (verb in infinitive + partizip II). If the verb indicates that there is movement, like: fahren, gehen, spazieren, laufen, …. then ‘Sein’ is used, any other verb takes ‘Haben’.
Ex:
- Ich bin nach Japan geflogen. (I flew to Japan.)
- Heute haben wir viel Tee getrunken. (We drank a lot of tea today.)
- Wir sind mit unseren Freunden 3km gelaufen, dann haben wir eingekaufen. (We ran 3 km with our friends, then we went shopping.)
- Gestern habe ich viel gearbeitet. (I worked a lot yesterday.)
If the verb is seperable then the -ge (Partizip) comes after the seperable part. Ex: angerufen, aufgestanden, ferngesehen, ….
5.3 Präteritum:
Imperfect past tense or simple past, is also used to describe an event that happened in the past but Präteritum is used more in texts, articles, novels, …. Unlike Perfekt which is used more frequently when talking in a regular conversation.
Verbs and their conjugation change in Präteritum, most important ones:
Ex:
- Letztes Jahr lernte ich Deutsch. (Last year I learned German.)
- Wir waren bei Oma. (We were with grandma.)
- Sie hatte zu viel Arbeite, deshalb arbeitete sie bis Mitternacht. (She had too much work, that’s why she worked until midnight.)
5.4 Plusquamperfekt:
Pluperfect or past perfect describes an event that took place before the present perfect. It’s basically Präteritum and Perfekt combined; the auxiliary verbs ‘Haben’ or ‘Sein’ are used in their simple past form so, ‘Hatte’ and ‘War’.
Ex:
- Er hatte gut Fußball gespielt. (He had played football well.)
- Ich war in Berlin nur einmal gewesen. (I had only been in Berlin once.)
- Ich hatte nichts davon gewusst. (I knew nothing about it.)
5.5 Futur I:
Future is used to describe intentions for the future or make assumptions about something that will happen in the future. It uses the auxiliary verb ‘Werden’ + verb in infinitive.
Ex:
- Morgen werde ich viel arbeiten. (Tomorrow I’ll work a lot.)
- Nächstes Jahr werden wir in der Universität sein. (Next year we’ll be in the university.)
- Wirst du morgen spazieren gehen? (Will you go on a walk tomorrow?)
6. Conjunctive, Conjunctions and Clauses:
6.1 Konjunktiv I:
Conjunctive I is used in indirect speech like when you want to rephrase something said by someone. Verbs and conjugations change.
All verbs are conjugated like this:
Ex:
- Du sagst, du habest verschlafen und seist deshalb zu spät. (You say that you overslept and that you are therefore too late.)
- John sagt, er habe ihn gefragt. (John said that he asked him.)
- Sie denkt, sie müsse früh ins bett gehen. (She thought that she should go to bed early.)
6.2 Konjunktiv II:
Conjunctive 2 is used for things that are not real, be it wishes, advices, or suggestions. It can also be used to ask more politely for something. Verbs usually change dramatically in Konjunktiv II.
Irregular verbs usually take their form in Präteritum + Umlaut:
Ex:
- Wir würden gern etwas essen. (We’d like to have something to eat.)
- Sie wäre gern am Strand. (She’d like to be at the beach.)
- Ich hätte nichts gesagt. (I wish I didn’t say anything.)
- Könnten Sie mir bitte helfen? (Could you please help me?)
6.3 Konjunktionen:
*Conjunctions in English are like: because, although, but, or, …
*They are words that connect two sentences, and there are two types subordinating conjunctions, those affect the word order, and coordinating conjunctions that have no effect on the word order.
Common coordinating conjunctions:
Ex:
- Ich möchte ein Spiel spielen, aber ich habe keine Zeit. (I want to play a game, but I have no time.)
- Ich bin sehr beschäftigt, denn ich habe viel zu tun. (I’m very busy because I have a lot to do.)
- Ich möchte keinen Fisch, sondern eine Katze. (I don’t want a fish, but rather a cat.)
- Möchtest du ins Kino oder in den Park gehen? (Do you want to go to the cinema or the park?)
- In diesem Garten gibt es Zitronen- und Apfelbäume. (There are lemon and apple trees in this garden.)
Common subordinating conjunctions:
| Conjunction | Meaning |
| Bevor | Before |
| Wenn/Falls | When, if |
| Bis | Until |
| Dass | That |
| Nachdem | After |
| Ob | If |
| Weil | Because |
| Obwohl | Although/even though |
| Als (time) | When |
Ex:
- Ich bestelle mir noch einen Kaffee, bevor ich bezahle. (I order another coffee before I pay.)
- Ich überlege, bis nächstes Jahr einen Teilzeitjob zu machen, weil ich Geld verdienen möchte. (I’m considering doing a part time job until next year, because I want to earn money.)
- Ich habe mich gefragt, ob du mit mir wandern und danach gemeinsam zu Mittag essen möchtest? (I was wondering if you would like to hike with me and then have lunch together afterwards?)
- Obwohl er sagte, dass er nicht nach draußen gehen möchte, hat er seine Zeit im Park genossen. (Although he said that he didn’t want to go outside, he enjoyed his time in the park.)
- Nachdem ich gegessen habe, gehe ich ins Kino. (After I have eaten, I’ll go to the cinema.)
- Wenn/Falls es kühler wird, nehme ich eine Jacke mit. (If it’s cold I’ll take a jacket with me.)
*These conjunctions send the conjugated verb to the end of the sentence.
*’Wenn’ is used with an event that is more likely to happen, ‘Falls’ with the less likely events.
*’Als’ is used to represent a time in the past that will not be repeated and cannot be used for the future like: Als ich ein kind war. (when I was a child.) ‘Wenn’ is used with events that either are in the future or a past that can be repeated.
*When using these conjunctions as the first sentence, it scores more marks when writing, like example no. 5 or 6.
6.3 Clauses:
6.3.1 Main Clause:
*These are clauses that express a complete thought and can stand alone in a sentence.
*They consist of the usual subject, verb, object form but the subject and object can change places with no change in the meaning.
Ex:
- Der Hund fängt den Ball. (The dog catches the ball.)
6.3.2 Subordinate Clause:
*Sentences that can’t stand alone as they do not express complete thought.
*Usually start by a subordinating conjunction.
Ex:
- Ich treibe viel Sport, damit ich abnehmen kann. (I do a lot of sport, so that I can lose weight.)
- Ich konnte kein Wort Deutsch, als ich nach Deutschland kam. (I couldn’t speak a word of German when I came to Germany.)
- Weil er beschäftigt war, konnte er nicht mit uns spielen. (Because he was busy, he couldn’t play with us.)
6.3.3 Relative Clause:
*Relative clauses are used to refer to a noun that has been mentioned before, and so, to form them, we use relative pronouns of the same gender to refer back to said noun.
Ex:
- Das ist die Katze, die ich so liebe. (This is the cat, that I love so much.)
Relative pronouns also change according to each case:
*’Was’ and ‘Wer’ can also be used as relative pronouns like in English.
Ex:
- Die Frau, die das Auto hat, ist reich. (The woman who has a car, is rich) (Die refers to Die Frau)
- Das ist der Mann, den ich gestern im fernsehen gesehen habe. (That is the man that I saw yesterday on TV.) (Den refers to Der Mann)
- Der Mann, dem ich geholfen habe, war sehr dankbar. (The man that I helped was very grateful.) (Dem refers to Der Mann)
- Die Frau, deren Sohn ich geholfen habe, dankte mir. (The woman whose son I helped, thanked me.) (Deren refers to Die Frau.)
- Was ich gelernt habe, war sehr nützlich. (What I learned ws very useful.)
- Wer viel studiert, bekommt gute Noten. (Those who study a lot get good grades.)
6.4 Word Order of a Sentence:
Tekamolo, is an abbreviation for: Temporal (time), Kausal (reason), Modal (manner), Lokal (place). It can also be associated with W-frage: Wann? (when), Warum (why), Wie (how), Wo/Wohin (where/where to).
Ex:
- Peter ist am Mittwoch wegen seiner Umstände mit dem Zug nach Hamburg gefahren. (Peter will go to Hamburg by train because of his circumstances.)
Wann? → Am Mittwoch.
Warum? → Wegen seiner Umstände.
Wie? → Mit dem Zug.
Wohin? → Nach Hamburg.
When there are more pronouns and/or nouns word orders can change:
7. Verbs (Continued)
7.1 Negative Forms:
*’Kein’ is mainly used to negate nouns that are not preceded by any article.
Ex: Ich habe keine Arbeit. (I don’t have work.)
*’Nicht’(not), negates nouns that are preceded by an article. It can also negate any part of a sentence like a verb or an adjective or the entire sentence.
In a simple sentence, ‘nicht’ goes to the end after the verb.
Ex: Ich arbeite nicht. (I’m not working.)
‘Nicht’ is placed before:
- Adjectives
- Adverbs (not those of time e.g. gestern, morgen)
- Prepositions
Ex:
- Dieses Buch ist nicht alt. (This book is not old.)
- Er konnte gestern nicht kommen. (He could not come yesterday.)
- Es gibt nicht so viele Apotheken in die Gegend. (There aren’t that many pharmacies in the area.)
- Ich gehe nicht ins kino. (I’m not going to the cinema.)
7.2 Interrogative forms:
*Questions can be formed using the W-Frage:
Ex:
- Wie viel kostet dieser Hut? (How much does this hat cost?)
- Wie kann ich mein Ziel erreichen (How can I reach my goal?)
- Woher kommt er? (Where does he come from?)
*A question can be formed without using the W-Frage by switching the verb with the subject.
Ex:
- Hast du meine Brille irgendwo gesehen? (Did you see my glasses somewhere?)
- Kocht er gerne? (Does he like to cook?)
7.3 Imperative:
*Imperative is used to give orders and instructions.
*Du, ihr, and Sie are the only pronouns involved when using imperative as they all mean (you).
For the verb ‘sein’:
Du ⇒ Sei
Ihr ⇒ Seid
Sie ⇒ Seien
With Seperable verbs e.g. Aufpassen (To take care)
Du ⇒ Pass auf
Ihr ⇒ Passt auf
Sie ⇒ Passen auf
Ex:
- Vergessen Sie nicht, einen Regenschirm mitzunehmen, da es stark regnen könnte. (Don’t forget to bring an umbrella as it could rain heavily.)
7.3 Infinitivsätze:
*Used to link two clauses by using, um…zu… / anstatt…zu… / ohne…zu…
*In the second clause, the subject is dropped and the verb is converted back to its infinitive form, ‘zu’ is placed right before the infinitive verb.
*For seperable verbs, ‘zu’ is placed between the prefix and the verb like: auszustellen, vorzubereiten, aufzustehen, anzurufen, ….
Ex:
Ich lerne viel. Ich werde Ärztin. (I study a lot. I’m going to become a doctor.)
- Ich lerne viel, um Ärztin zu werden. (I study a lot in order to become a doctor.)
Anstatt Biologie zu lernen, gehe ich lieber mit meinen Freunden ins Kino. (Instead of studying biology, I prefer going to the cinema with my friends.)
Er überquerte die Straße, ohne nach links oder rechts zu schauen. (He crossed the street without looking left or right.)
These cannot be used with:
- Modal verbs
- Sense verbs e.g. sehen (to see)
- Movement verbs e.g laufen (to run)
- Bleiben, lassen and schicken
7.4 Passive:
*A passive sentence contains: subject, verb and possibly an agent.
Ex: The cat(subj.) was pet(verb) by me(agent).
*Passive is formed using werden + partizip II.
*Agents are introduced by using ‘von’ for people and ‘durch’ for things.
Ex:
- Das Auto wurde gekauft. (The car was bought.)
- Das Gebäude wurde von fleißigen Bauarbeitern gebaut. (The building was built by hardworking construction workers.)
- Das Fenster wurde durch den Wind geöffnet. (The window was opened by the wind.)
8. Adverbs
8.1 Adverbs of Time:
*Adverbs of time are used to answer questions regarding time: Wann? (when), Wie oft? (How often), Wie lange? (How long).
Common adverbs relating to days:
Common adverbs for time in general:
Adverbs for extended time frames:
| Adverb | Meaning |
| Heutzutage | Nowadays |
| Immer | Always |
| Jahrelang | For years |
| Bisher | Until now |
| Nie/Niemals | Never |
Ex:
- Heute habe ich viel gearbeitet, also möchte ich morgen viel Spaß haben. (I worked a lot today so tomorrow I want to have fun.)
- Heutzutage benutzt jeder Handy. (Nowadys everyone uses mobile phones.)
8.2 Adverbs of Place:
Common Adverbs of place
| Adverb | Meaning |
| Hier | Here |
| Dort | There |
| Links/Rechts | Left/Right |
| Oben/Unten | Up/Down |
| Vorne/Hinten | In front of/Behind |
| Überall/Nirgends | Everywhere/Nowhere |
| Irgendwo | Anywhere |
Ex:
- Das Haus meiner Eltern ist hier/dort. (My parents’ house is here/there.)
- Der Park hinter der Bibliothek ist wunderschön. (The park behind the library is wonderful.)
8.3 Comparatives and Superlatives:
*Comparatives in German are made by adding -er to a word like: laut ⇒ lauter.
*Superlatives are formed by adding -sten or -esten and sometimes is added before the word like: laut ⇒ am lautesten.
*Sometimes an umlaut must be added like: groß (big) ⇒ größer (bigger) ⇒ am größten (the biggest).
*The endings differ according to the case, gender, and whether a definite or an indefinite article is used:
Strong endings (Indefinite article):
Weak endings (definite article):
*Als means (as) but when making a comparative sentence it is used like (than) in English.
Ex:
- Ich bin älter als er. (I’m older than him)
*Am or an article can be used when making a superlative sentence.
Ex:
- Meine Prüfung war die einfachste. (Mine was the easiest exam.)
- Meine Flasche ist am vollsten. (My bottle is the fullest.)
Common irregular comparatives and superlatives:
8.4 Quantifiers:
*Words that are used to intensify a meaning
Ex:
- Meine Katze ist ziemlich klein. (My cat is quite small.)
- Das wetter war zu heiß. (The weather was so hot.)
- Dieser Rock ist total altmodisch. (This skirt is totally old fashioned.)
9. Numbers, Quantity, Dates and Time
9.1 Numbers (Ordinal and Cardinal):
9.1.1 Cardinal:
*Cardinal numbers are the usual numbers, e.g 0: null, 1:eins, 2:zwei, ….
9.1.2 Ordinal:
*Ordinal numbers are used to list things and show in which order they come, e.g 1st: erst, 2nd: zweite, 3rd: dritte.
*To simply write them in the numerical form place a (.) after the number, e.g 22. Zweiundzwanzigste.
*From numbers 1 to 19 -te is added, and from 20 and up -ste is added to the cardinal number.
Ex:
- Ich wohne in der (3.) dritte Stock. (I live in the third floor.)
9.2 Distances and Quantity:
Measuring time:
Measuring weight (Gewicht messen):
Ex:
Die Katze wiegt fünf Kilogramm (kg). (The cat weighs 5kg.)
Measuring length:
Ex: Heute bin ich 5km gelaufen. (Today I ran 5km.)
9.3 Dates:
*Dates in German are written in the dd.mm.yyyy format, so days come before the month, and days are read as ordinal numbers.
*When writing a date, usually, the preposition ‘am’ is written before it to mean (on the).
Ex: Am 22.08 werde ich graduieren/ Am zweiundzwanzigsten August werde ich graduieren/ 22. August werde ich graduieren. (On the 22nd of August I will graduate.)
Der 22.08 ist mein Abschlusstag. (22.08 is my graduation day.)
*If there is no article or preposition or an indefinite article is used, the ordinal number should end in -er. If there is a definite article it ends in -e. If used with prepositions then it ends with -en.
9.4 Telling Time:
Important words:
*To tell the exact time, you say the hour then ‘Uhr’ and then minutes.
Ex:
2:20 ⇒ zwei Uhr zwanzig
8:38 ⇒ acht Uhr achtunddreißig
*When using ‘nach’ and ‘vor’ you tell the minutes first.
*The right side will be used with ‘nach’ and the left with
‘vor’.
Ex of ‘nach’:
10:15 ⇒ viertel nach zehn (quarter after/past ten.)
13:20 ⇒ zwanzig nach dreizehn (20 after/past 1pm.) Nach vor
Halb is mentioned with the next hour like: 2:30 ⇒ halb drei
*When using ‘vor’, minutes and then the next hour is mentioned.
Ex of ‘vor’:
3:45 ⇒ viertel vor vier (quarter for/to 4)
7:50 ⇒ zehn vor acht (10 for/to 8)
*For the 5 minutes before and after halb ‘nach’ and ‘vor’ switch places and the next hour is also mentioned instead.
Ex:
3:35 ⇒ fünf nach halb vier or fünfundzwanzig vor vier (5 after/past half 4 or 25 for/to 4)
8:25 ⇒ fünf vor halb neun or fünfundzwanzig nach acht (5 for/to half 9 or 25 after/past 8)
9.5 Usage of ‘Seit’, ‘Vor’ and ‘Für’:
*’Seit’ is used to refer to a point in the past that is still happening, in other words, to tell for how long has something been happening, dative always follows.
Ex: Ich habe seit drei Jahren regelmäßig Sport getrieben. (I have been exercising regularly for 3 years.)
Ich arbeite hier seit 2018. (I work here since 2018.)
*’Vor’ when used for time is used to refer both to a time span and a specific point in time.
Ex: Ich bin vor einer Stunde in die Bibliothek gegangen. (I have been to the library an hour ago.)
*’Für’ is used to refer to something that happened and is over, it is always followed by accusative.
Ex: ich habe für 5 Tage in einer Konditorei gearbeitet. (I worked in a cake/pastry shop for 5 days.)
9.5 Expressions of Time:
*Using expressions for time helps us know in which tense will our sentence be, whether past, present, or future.
Ex: Gestern habe ich viel Sport getrieben. (Yesterday I exercised a lot.)
Am nächster Morgen werde ich viel laufen. (Next morning I will run a lot.)
Ich möchte heute mehr lesen. (I want to read more today.)
