You are here:

 Beginners Lessons Lesson 1 New Grammar

Lesson 1 - New Grammar

  

Here you will find everything about new German grammar in this lesson.

If you want to train yourself after learning, then click on the button Grammar Practice.

First of all, you will get to know the German personal pronouns (nominative case).

Form German Phonetic Script English Subject Form
1. person singular ich [ɪç] I
2. person singular (familiar) du [du:] you
3. person singular er [e:ɐ] he
3. person singular sie [zi:] she
3. person singular es [ɛs] it
1. person plural wir [vi:ə] we
2. person plural ihr [i:ə] you
3. person plural sie [zi:] they
polite form (singular/plural) Sie [zi:] you (polite form)

These forms are all nominative forms. The nominative case is the first case. You ask "Who" which means: Who is the acting part of the sentence? Or: Who is doing something? So, the subject of a sentence which the verb refers to always takes the nominative case. Here is an example:

German Phonetic Script English
Ich verstehe Deutsch. [ɪç fɛɐ'ʃte:ə dɔytʃ] I understand German.

"Ich" is the subject of the sentence, so the acting part of the sentence. "verstehe" is the predicate. Predicates always consist of all parts which belong to the verb of the sentence). "Deutsch" is the object (in this case it is an accusative object). We shall get to the other cases in the next lessons.

Now we get to the conjugation of the verbs in this lesson. Some of them are irregular. In fact, there are a lot of German irregular verbs. You simply have to learn them by heart. Here, you will learn how to conjugate them in the Present Tense:

Form German Phonetic Script English
infinitive sprechen ['ʃprɛçən] to speak
1. person singular ich spreche [ɪç 'ʃprɛçə] I speak
2. person singular du sprichst [du: ʃprɪçst] you speak
3. person singular er/sie/es spricht [e:ɐ/zi:/ɛs ʃprɪçt] he/she/it speaks
1. person plural wir sprechen [vi:ə 'ʃprɛçən] we speak
2. person plural ihr sprecht [i:ə ʃprɛçt] you speak
3. person plural sie sprechen [zi: 'ʃprɛçən] they speak
polite form Sie sprechen [zi: 'ʃprɛçən] you speak

You can see that the verb "sprechen" changes the stem vocal in the second and third person singular.

Form German Phonetic Script English
infinitive verstehen [fɛɐ'ʃte:ən] to understand
1. person singular ich verstehe [ɪç fɛɐ'ʃte:ə] I understand
2. person singular du verstehst [du: fɛɐ'ʃte:st] you understand
3. person singular er/sie/es versteht [e:ɐ/zi:/ɛs fɛɐ'ʃte:t] he/she/it understands
1. person plural wir verstehen [vi:ə fɛɐ'ʃte:ən] we understand
2. person plural ihr versteht [i:ə fɛɐ'ʃte:t] you understand
3. person plural sie verstehen [zi: fɛɐ'ʃte:ən] they understand
polite form Sie verstehen [zi: fɛɐ'ʃte:ən] you understand

This verb does not change the stem vocal.

Form German Phonetic Script English
infinitive sein [zain] to be
1. person singular ich bin [ɪç bɪn] I am
2. person singular du bist [du: bɪst] you are
3. person singular er/sie/es ist [e:ɐ/zi:/ɛs ɪst] he/she/it is
1. person plural wir sind [vi:ə zɪnt] we are
2. person plural ihr seid [i:ə zait] you are
3. person plural sie sind [zi: zɪnt] they are
polite form Sie sind [zi: zɪnt] you are
       

The verb "sein" is irregular like it is in other languages, too.

Form German Phonetic Script English
infinitive kommen ['kɔmən] to come
1. person singular ich komme [ɪç 'kɔmə] I come
2. person singular du kommst [du: kɔmst] you come
3. person singular er/sie/es kommt [e:ɐ/ zi:/ɛs kɔmt] he/she/it comes
1. person plural wir kommen [vi:ə 'kɔmən] we come
2. person plural ihr kommt [i:ə kɔmt] you come
3. person plural sie kommen [zi: 'kɔmən] they come
polite form Sie kommen [zi: 'kɔmən] you come

 

Form German Phonetic Script English
infinitive kennen ['kɛnən] to know
1. person singular ich kenne [ɪç 'kɛnə] I know
2. person singular du kennst [du: kɛnst] you know
3. person singular er/sie/es kennt [e:ɐ/zi:/ɛs kɛnt] he/she/it knows
1. person plural wir kennen [vi:ə 'kɛnən] we know
2. person plural ihr kennt [i:ə kɛnt] you know
3. person plural sie kennen [zi: 'kɛnən] they know
polite form Sie kennen [zi: 'kɛnən] you know

The verbs "kommen" and "kennen" do not change their stem vocals, either.

Form German Phonetic Script English
infinitive mögen ['mø:gən] to like
1. person singular ich mag [ɪç ma:k] I like
2. person singular du magst [du: ma:kst] you like
3. person singular er/sie/es mag [e:ɐ/zi:/ɛs ma:k] he/she/it likes
1. person plural wir mögen [vi:ə 'mø:gən] we like
2. person plural ihr mögt [i:ə 'mø:kt] you like
3. person plural sie mögen [zi: 'mø:gən] they like
polite form Sie mögen [zi: 'mø:gən] you like

This verb changes the stem vocal only in the singular persons.

Concerning the infinitive of the German verbs, you see that almost every infinitive ends with -en (e.g. sprechen = to speak, verstehen = to understand etc.). Some verbs end with -n. The verb "sein" (= to be) is also an exception.

Generally, you can say that Present Tense has the following endings

Form German Endings English
infinitive verstehen   to understand
1. person singular ich verstehe -e I understand
2. person singular du verstehst -st you understand
3. person singular er/sie/es versteht -t he/she/it understands
1. person plural wir verstehen -en we understand
2. person plural ihr versteht -t you understand
3. person plural sie verstehen -en they understand
polite form Sie verstehen -en you understand

So, the forms of the Present Tense consist of the main part of the verb (infinitive without the ending -en or -n) + the respective ending.

As mentioned before, there are quite some irregular German verbs. But there is also a good message for you: In German, we do not have any progressive tenses!

Now, we come to the articles and nouns. There are three forms of nouns: masculine (m), feminine (f) and neuter (nt) nouns. The nouns also have respective articles. Here are examples of the singular (sg) and plural (pl) forms:

Singular Forms Definite German Article Phonetic Script Definite English Article
masculine der [de:ɐ] the
feminine die [di:] the
neuter das [das] the
Plural Forms Definite German Article Phonetic Script Definite English Article
masculine die

[di:]

 the
feminine
neuter
Singular Forms Indefinite German Article Phonetic Script Indefinite English Article
masculine ein [ain] a/an
feminine eine ['ainə] a/an
neuter ein [ain] a/an
Plural Forms Indefinite German Article Phonetic Script Indefinite English Article
masculine - - -
feminine - - -
neuter - - -

The forms of the definite and indefinite articles which are shown above are all nominative forms. We shall get to the other cases in the next lessons. Regarding the plural forms of the definite articles, there is only one form ("die") for every noun. Concerning the plural of the indefinite articles we do not have any like it is in English. Other languages might have plural forms for the indefinite articles, like "des" in French, for example.

The articles stand in front of the noun. In other languages, there might not exist articles at all, for example in Thai language. Now, here is one example for using the articles in combination with the nouns:

Singular Forms Noun with Definite Article Phonetic Script English Translation
masculine der Mann m [de:ɐ man] the man
feminine die Frau f [di: frau] the woman
neuter das Kind nt [das kɪnt] the child
Plural Forms Noun with Definite Article Phonetic Script English Translation
masculine die Männer m pl [di: 'mɛnɐ] the men
feminine die Frauen f pl [di: 'frauən] the women
neuter die Kinder nt pl [di: 'kɪndɐ] the children
Singular Forms Noun with Indefinite Article Phonetic Script English Translation
masculine ein Mann m [ain man] a man
feminine eine Frau f ['ainə frau] a woman
neuter ein Kind nt [ain kɪnt] a child
Plural Forms Noun with Indefinite Article Phonetic Script English Translation
masculine Männer m pl ['mɛnɐ] men
feminine Frauen f pl ['frauən] women
neuter Kinder nt pl ['kɪndɐ] children

Please keep in mind that these forms are all nominative forms. The declination of the nouns and the plural forms are a bit more complicated in the German language.

Nevertheless, you shall now learn about the plural forms of those nouns which appear in the first lesson:

Singular Form with Definite Article   Phonetic Script English Translation
der Herr m [de:ɐ hɛr] the Gentleman
der Mann m [de:ɐ man] the man
die Frau f [di: frau] the lady, the woman
das Kind nt [das kɪnt] the child
der Tag m [de:ɐ ta:k] the day
die Stadt f [di: ʃtat] the town, the city
Plural Form with Definite Article   Phonetic Script English Translation
die Herren m pl [di: 'hɛrən] the Gentlemen, Messrs
die Männer m pl [di: 'mɛnɐ] the men
die Frauen f pl [di: 'frauən] the ladies, the women
die Kinder nt pl [di: 'kɪndɐ] the children
die Tage m pl [di: 'ta:gə] the days
die Städte f pl [di: 'ʃtɛ:tə] the towns, the cities

 

Now let us have a look at the nouns in combination with the indefinite article:

Singular Form with Indefinite Article   Phonetic Script English Translation
ein Herr m [ain hɛr] a Gentleman
ein Mann m [ain man] a man
eine Frau f ['ainə frau] a lady, a woman
ein Kind nt [ain kɪnt] a child
ein Tag m [ain ta:k] a day
eine Stadt f ['ainə ʃtat] a town, a city
Plural Form with Indefinite Article   Phonetic Script English Translation
Herren m pl ['hɛrən] Gentlemen, Messrs
Männer m pl ['mɛnɐ] men
Frauen f pl ['frauən] ladies, women
Kinder nt pl ['kɪndɐ] children
Tage m pl ['ta:gə] days
Städte f pl ['ʃtɛ:tə] towns, cities

There are some nouns which have masculine and feminine forms, for example those which we also had in this lesson:

Singular Form with Definite Article   Phonetic Script English Translation
derr Amerikaner m [de:ɐ ameri'ka:nɐ] the American (man)
die Amerikanerin f [di: ameri'ka:nərɪn] the American (woman)
der Engländer m [de:ɐ 'ɛŋlɛndɐ] the Englishman
die Engländerin f [di: 'ɛŋlɛndərɪn] the Englishwoman
Plural Form with Definite Article   Phonetic Script English Translation
die Amerikaner m pl [di: ameri'ka:nɐ] the Americans (men)
die Amerikanerinnen f pl [di: ameri'ka:nərɪnən] the Americans (women)
die Engländer m pl [di: 'ɛŋlɛndɐ] the Englishmen
die Engländerinnen f pl [di: 'ɛŋlɛndərɪnən] the Englishwomen

We shall also combine the nouns with the indefinite article:

Singular Form with Indefinite Article   Phonetic Script English Translation
ein Amerikaner m [ain ameri'ka:nɐ] an American (man)
eine Amerikanerin f ['ainə ameri'ka:nərɪn] an American (woman)
ein Engländer m [ain 'ɛŋlɛndɐ] an Englishman
eine Engländerin f ['ainə 'ɛŋlɛndərɪn] an Englishwoman
Plural Form with Indefinite Article   Phonetic Script English Translation
Amerikaner m pl [ameri'ka:nɐ] Americans (men)
Amerikanerinnen f pl [ameri'ka:nərɪnən] Americans (women)
Engländer m pl ['ɛŋlɛndɐ] Englishmen
Engländerinnen f pl ['ɛŋlɛndərɪnən] Englishwomen

Please also keep in mind that these forms are only nominative forms.

We also have one adjective in this lesson (schön = beautiful, nice).

If we say

German Phonetic Script English
Die Stadt ist schön. [di: ʃtat ɪst ʃø:n] The city is nice.

the adjective is not adjusted to the noun. However, if the adjective is standing directly in front of the noun, it is adjusted. In the German language, adjectives are always standing in front of the noun. In other languages, it might be different.

Singular Form with Definite Article   Phonetic Script English Translation
der schöne Mann m [de:ɐ 'ʃø:nə man] the beautiful man
die schöne Stadt f [di: 'ʃø:nə ʃtat] the nice city
das schöne Kind nt [das 'ʃø:nə kɪnt] the beautiful child
Plural Form with Definite Article   Phonetic Script English Translation
die schönen Männer m pl [di: 'ʃø:nən 'mɛnɐ] the beautiful men
die schönen Städte f pl [di: 'ʃø:nən 'ʃtɛ:tə] the nice cities
die schönen Kinder nt pl [di: 'ʃø:nən 'kɪndɐ] the beautiful children
Singular Form with Indefinite Article   Phonetic Script English Translation
ein schöner Mann m [ain 'ʃø:nɐ man] a beautiful man
eine schöne Stadt f ['ainə 'ʃø:nəʃtat] a nice city
ein schönes Kind nt [ain 'ʃø:nəs kɪnt] a beautiful child
Plural Form with Indefinite Article   Phonetic Script English Translation
schöne Männer m pl ['ʃø:nə 'mɛnɐ] beautiful men
schöne Städte f pl ['ʃø:nə 'ʃtɛ:tə] nice cities
schöne Kinder nt pl ['ʃø:nə 'kɪndɐ] beautiful children

I think now we you have learned enough about definite and indefinite articles and the singular and plural forms of the nouns, also in combination with adjectives. You can practice if you click the button Grammar Practice. There are several examples which help you to keep in mind the above mentioned rules.

Now, we get to the last grammar rule. We shall now look at positive sentences and questions. We shall get to the negative sentences in the next lessons.

Positive Sentence Phonetic Script English Translation
Sie versteht Deutsch. [zi: fɛɐ'ʃte:t dɔytʃ] She understands German.
Subject + Predicate + Object    

If we have a question, then we simply switch subject and predicate as follows:

Question Phonetic Script English Translation
Versteht sie Deutsch? [fɛɐ'ʃte:t zi: dɔytʃ] Does she understand German?
Predicate + Subject + Object   Literally: Understands she German?

Here we are at the end of your first German grammar lesson. This was a longer introduction. You may now have the impression that German grammar is very complicated. Most probably, the declension of the nouns and their plural forms are the most difficult grammar subjects which the German language has to offer. However, you have the opportunity to repeat everything by clicking the button Grammar Practice.