Archive for June, 2012
The Genitive Case: Possessive Adjectives Posted by Sandra Rösner on Jun 15, 2012
In German, there are eight adjectives that show possession: mein, dein, sein, ihr, unser, euer, and ihr. Possessive adjectives agree in number, gender and case with the noun (the thing being possessed) they are describing. Today, we have a closer look at the genitive case declension of these possessive adjectives. In order to decline…
European championship Posted by jan on Jun 14, 2012
Since a couple of days, the Europameisterschaft (European championship) 2012 is running in Poland and Ukraine. You might ask “Which sport?”. But if you are in Europe these days or if you know a little about European sports, there is only one answer: Fußball (soccer). Especially in Central Europe, people are crazy about this game…
The Genitive Case: Showing Possession, part 2 Posted by Sandra Rösner on Jun 13, 2012
In my last post I gave you some sentences to practice your new acquired knowledge about the German genitive case. So, before I start a new discussion, here is the key. 1. A: Wessen Handy ist das? (Whose cellphone is that?) B: (Doreen) Das ist Doreens Handy. (That is Doreen’s cellphone.) 2. A…
The Genitive Case: Showing Possession, part 1 Posted by Sandra Rösner on Jun 11, 2012
Most learners of German seem to fall into despair when it comes to the language’s grammar cases. And when I read explanations in grammar books how to construct a German sentence with the correct cases, I can understand your discontent. The problem with grammar and its explanations is that they are just condensed information about…
Get nosy: Information questions in German Posted by Sandra Rösner on Jun 8, 2012
When you learn a new language, you often might feel a bit insecure. You only know a limited number of words and you have only a sketchy understanding of grammar. You point to things and ask “Was ist das?” (vAs ist dAs? – What is that?) or ask “Was bedeutet das?” (vAs be-doy-tuht dAs? –…
The German verb “kommen” Posted by Sandra Rösner on Jun 6, 2012
When you get in contact with strangers you would certainly like to find out more about them. Among other things, you would probably like know where a person does come from. In order to ask someone in German where a person is from you need to know the German verb “kommen” (to come). In order…
Starting a conversation in German Posted by Sandra Rösner on Jun 5, 2012
The best way to learn German, or any other language, is using it in communicative situations, i.e. face-to-face situations. So, do not wait to speak German until you have learned some more grammar, but use every opportunity to speak German to test you newly acquired language skills. Formal Greetings and Salutations German Pronunciation English…