Archive for 'Language'
Nach dem Weg fragen – Asking for directions in German Posted by Sandra Rösner on Jun 25, 2012
You are on a visit to Germany and got lost. The best thing you can do now is to ask someone how to get to the place you want to go to. The most common question to ask for directions is: Wie komme ich zu (zum;zur)/nach … ? – How do I get to…
German adjectives, part 2 – The weak declension Posted by Sandra Rösner on Jun 22, 2012
In my last post I began to talk about forming simple sentences with adjectives in German. You learned that there is no need to decline adjectives in so-called “to be” sentences or, in other words, when you put the adjective after the noun. Unfortunately, things are getting more complicated when you want to put the…
What’s he/she/it like? – German adjectives, part 1 Posted by Sandra Rösner on Jun 21, 2012
Adjectives are those words that describe nouns. With them, your statements become more meaningful. So, do not hesitate and start to incorporate them in your sentences. In German, you can place an adjective on two positions in a sentences, either before a noun or after it. When you put an adjective after a noun, you…
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…
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…