Archive for the year 2012
Expressions with the German verb “haben” (to have) Posted by Sandra Rösner on Jun 20, 2012
It is always the right time to learn some new idiomatic expressions. In this post, I discuss the German verb “haben” (to have) and present it in combination with other words. IN the table below you find several idioms that contain the verb “haben”. German Pronunciation English die Gelegenheit haben dee gey-ley-guhn-hayt hah-buhn to…
How to introduce yourself/someone in German Posted by Sandra Rösner on Jun 18, 2012
Introducing someone to another one is always a good way to break the ice. The following phrases are very useful for introducing yourself and others. German Pronunciation English Darf ich mich vorstellen? Mein Name ist … dArf iH miH foR-shte-luhn? mayn nah-muh ist … May I introduce myself? My name is … Kennen Sie…
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? –…