08/07/2015 FRIDAY 09:20 | WEB-GLOBUS
GERMAN FOR BEGINNERS. LEVEL A1
German sentences have a number of features that are unique to this language. They are always two-part, that is, they necessarily contain both main members - the subject and the predicate. Let us consider below the design features of German sentences.
1. German predicates are always expressed in verbal forms; in nominal predicates there must be a linking verb, including the present tense:
Karl ist Soziologe. - Karl is a sociologist.
2. In German sentences more than one negation can never be used:
Nina ist nie in Düsseldorf gewesen. - Nina has never been to Dusseldorf.
3. The German subject is always used in Nominativ and can be expressed either by a noun or by any other part of speech that is used in the meaning of a name:
Die Reisenden entdeckten einen schönen Bergsee. - The travelers came across a beautiful mountain lake (participle).
Sie hat Lilien gewählt. — She chose lilies (pronoun).
Vier mal vier ist sechzehn. - Four times four is sixteen (numerals).
Vom Kai zu tauchen ist verboten. - Jumping into the water from the embankment is prohibited (infinitive phrase).
4. Predicates in German sentences can be verbal (simple and compound) and nominal (always compound). Simple predicates consist of single verbs in finite forms, tenses and voices corresponding to the subject. Thus, simple verbal predicates can consist of a single verb (simple form) or the same verb paired with an auxiliary (complex form). Compound verbal predicates include two verbs, each of which has an independent meaning:
Der graue Kater sprang auf. - The gray cat jumped up (simple verb predicate in simple form).
Der graue Kater ist aufgesprungen. - The gray cat jumped up (simple verbal predicate in complex form).
Kann dein Kater auf den Kühlschrank aufspringen? - Can your cat jump on the refrigerator (compound verb predicate)?
Mein Kater ist ein sehr ruhiges Tier. - My cat is a very calm animal (compound noun predicate).
In addition to the main members, German sentences may contain secondary ones.
5. German objects can be case or prepositional. Non-prepositional objects in Akkusativ are called direct objects and are governed by transitive verbs. Other objects are called indirect and are controlled by intransitive verbs:
Diese Geschichte wurde dem alten Märchenbuch entnommen. - This story was taken from an old book of fairy tales (non-prepositional indirect object in Dativ).
Meine Verwandten gehen auf ein Verbrechen nicht ein. - My relatives will not commit a crime (prepositional indirect object in Akkusativ).
Helga näht ein Kleid für meine Schwester. - Helga is sewing a dress for my sister (direct object).
6. German circumstances can be of many different types: time, mode of action, place, purpose, cause, effect. They can be expressed by adverbs or nouns without prepositions or with prepositions:
In dieser Gegend gibt es viele Brunnen. - There are many sources in this area (adverbial location, noun with preposition).
Deshalb wurde sie mit Recht so genannt. - That’s why she was rightfully called that (two circumstances of the reason).
Diese Badeschuhe hat er zum Schwimmen im Meer gekauft. - He purchased these bathing slippers for bathing (swimming) in the sea (purpose circumstance).
7. German definitions according to their type are divided into coordinated and inconsistent (meaning those members of the sentence to which they are adjacent). The only obligatory condition is that this member of the sentence is always expressed by a noun. Agreed definitions are such insofar as they agree with nouns in case, gender and number. They occupy a place before the name and can be participles, adjectives, pronouns (interrogative, possessive, demonstrative):
Meine gelbe Tasche hat sie irritiert. - My yellow bag annoyed her (two agreed upon definitions: possessive pronoun and adjective).
Welchen Blumenstrauss möchten Sie bestellen? - What bouquet of flowers would you like to order (agreed definition: interrogative pronoun)?
Seine dritte Wahl hat sie erfreut. - His third choice pleased her (agreed definition: ordinal number).
Das Auto unserer Nachbarn steht immer in ihrer Garage. - Our neighbors' car is always in their garage ( inconsistent definition: noun in Genitiv).
When learning German, it is very important to learn how to write sentences correctly. Unlike Russian, constructing a sentence in German obeys strict rules, non-compliance with which leads to loss or distortion of meaning. Thus, in a simple declarative sentence, the predicate always comes in second place. If you move it to the beginning, the sentence is transformed into an interrogative or imperative.
For example:
Sie commen. They are coming.
Kommen Sie? Will you come?
Kommen Sie! Come!
Wir gehen nach Hause. We are going home.
Gehen wir nach Hause? We are going home?
Gehen wir nach Hause! Let's go home!
Note!
Incentive sentences (2l.singular and 2l.pl.) have other differences from narrative sentences. Interrogative sentences can* differ only in the location of the verb.
2l. units
Du fährst nach Deutschland. You are going to Germany. (in a declarative sentence the predicate comes second)
Fährst du nach Deutschland? Are you going to Germany? (it differs from a declarative sentence only in the word order - the predicate is placed in 1st place)
Fahr nach Deutschland! Go to Germany! (subject is missing, verb form does not match).
2l. plural
Ihr fahrt nach Deutschland. You are traveling to Germany. (predicate - second)
Fahrt ihr nach Deutschland? Are you traveling to Germany? (differs from a declarative sentence only in word order - the predicate comes first)
Fahrt nach Deutschland! Go to Germany! (no subject)
* In terms of syntax, interrogative sentences in German can be of two types:
- Without question word when the predicate is put in first place, and the subject is in second (we looked at examples of just such sentences above);
- With a question word, when the question word is in first place, followed by the predicate, and in third place is the subject.
Leben Sie in Dresden? Do you live in Dresden?
Wo leben Sie? Where do you live? (wo? - question word)
Read more about simple declarative, interrogative and incentive sentences in the article “German Grammar”.
Types of sentences in German
There are several types of sentences in German. Let's look at the diagram:
Offer
- Simple
- Undistributed
without minor members (Ich lese. I read.) - Common
with minor members (Ich lese dieses Buch. I am reading this book.) - Complex
- Compound
1. Meine Freunde gehen ins Kino, aber ich
bleibe zu Hause. My friends are going to
cinema, but I stay at home.
_____ ____ , aber _____ _____ .2. Es ist sehr kalt, darum gehe ich heute nicht
spazieren. It's very cold, so I'm not going
go for a walk today (I’m not going for a walk today).
_____ _____ ,darum ______ _____. - Complex
Nachdem ich gegessen habe, trinke ich
immer Kaffee. After eating I always drink
coffee.Morgen gehen wir spazieren, wenn
wir frei sind. Tomorrow we'll go
go for a walk if we are free.
Complex are called sentences consisting of several independent simple sentences united by a common meaning. Such sentences are connected by a comma or a coordinating conjunction/conjunctive word ( und- And, aber- But, oder- or, denn- because). In most cases, conjunctions do not affect the word order in a sentence (see example 1 in the diagram). However, there are conjunctions/conjunctive words that affect the word order in a complex sentence. These include: darum- That's why, deshalb- That's why, trotztdem- Despite this, also- hence others (example 2 in the diagram).
Complex sentences in German- these are complex sentences consisting of two or more simple ones, one of which is the main one, and the rest are subordinate clauses. The main clause and subordinate clauses can be connected by subordinating conjunctions ( wenn- If, weil- because, als- like others), as well as adverbs and pronouns ( welcher- Which, warum- Why, wohin- Where, dass- that, etc.)
Teilen Sie bitte mit, wohin Sie gehen. Please tell me where you are going.
Ich hoffe, dass du commst. I hope you come.
Wenn das Wetter gut ist, be sucht er seine Oma. If the weather is good, he will visit his grandmother.
When learning German, you need to pay close attention to subordinate clauses and the order of words in them. This will help you better understand native speakers, whose speech for the most part consists of complex sentences. And if everything is quite simple with complex sentences, complex sentences often cause difficulties in learning.
Let's look at the order of words in a subordinate clause using an example:
Nachdemdie Mutter gegessen hat, trinkt sie germen Tee. After eating, mom willingly drinks tea.
Nachdem die Mutter gegessen hat - subordinate clause.
- The union or allied word always comes first. In this case - nachdem.
- At the end of the subordinate clause, the modified part of the predicate is placed (here - hat).
- The unchangeable part of the predicate is always in the penultimate place (gegessen).
In addition, you need to remember the following features:
- If there is a negation nicht in a subordinate clause, it always comes before the predicate.
Wenn die Mutter zu Mittag nicht gegessen hat, trinkt sie Tee. If mom hasn't had lunch, she drinks tea.
- The reflexive pronoun appears in a subordinate clause before the subject noun, but after the subject if it is expressed by a pronoun.
Ich möchte wissen, wofür du dich interessirt. I want to know what you are interested in.
Ich möchte wissen, wofür sich mein Freund interessiert. I want to know what my friend is interested in.
Word order in subordinate clauses. Table
Rule |
|
|
1. A subordinate clause can come before the main clause, after it, and can also be inserted into the main clause. |
Wenn ich frei bin, besuche ich dich. |
|
2. Conjunctions/conjunctive words always come first in subordinate clauses. |
Ich weiß, dass niemand kommt. |
|
3. In some cases, a preposition can appear before a conjunctive word. |
Er weiß nicht, mit
we'll come back. |
|
4. The modified part of the predicate is at the very end of the subordinate clause. |
Die Zeit zeigt, ob er Recht hat
. |
|
5. The unchangeable part of the predicate comes penultimate (before the changeable part of the predicate) |
Sie geht dorthin, whoa sie gehen muss. |
|
6. The negation nicht always comes before the predicate. |
Der Lehrer hat verstanden, dass ich diesels Buch noch nothing gelesen habe. |
|
7. The reflexive pronoun comes before the subject, if it is expressed as a noun, and after the subject-pronoun. |
Sagen Sie mir bitte, wofür Sie sich interesting? |
In German, any predicate necessarily includes a verb: cf. Russian offer"I'm glad" and the German "Ich" bin froh". The second feature of the German predicate is the constant place of the predicate and its parts in various types of sentences. The predicate with additions and circumstances forms a group predicate.
There are the following types of predicate:
1) verbal predicate;
2) predicate, expressed by a stable verb phrase;
3) nominal predicate.
Verb predicate.
Simple verb predicate consists of one verb in any form of tense, voice and mood: Ich lese. - I am reading. Ich las.- I read. Ich werde lesen. - I will read. Ich habe gelesen. - I read. Dieses Buch wild viel gelesen. - This book is read a lot.
There are two types of complex verbal predicate:
a) A complex verbal predicate consists of a verb with a specific meaning (expressing the beginning, end, repetition of an action) and the infinitive of a significant verb used with zu : Er began zu sprechen. - He spoke. He started talking. Er pflegt früh aufzustehen. - He tends to get up early. Es hörte auf zu regnen. - The rain is over.
b) A complex verbal predicate consists of a modal verb ( können, dürfen, müssen etc.) or a modal verb ( scheinen, brauchen etc.) and the infinitive of the significant verb; with modal verbs the infinitive is used without a particle zu , with modal verbs with a particle zu : Er muß arbeiten.- It must work. Er braucht heute nicht zu kommen. - He doesn’t have to come today.
c) A complex verbal predicate consists of verbs haben And sein and the infinitive of the significant verb used with zu- : Ich habe Ihnen viel zu sagen. - I have a lot to tell you. Der Text ist zu übersetzen. - The text can (needs) be translated.
Use modal verbs to express the meaning of possibility, necessity, desire). Verb können means an opportunity available due to certain conditions: Es regnet nicht mehr, er kann nach Hause gehen. - It’s not raining anymore, he can (he can) go home. Es regnet, er kann nicht nach Hause gehen. - It's raining, he can't go home. Es regnet nicht mehr, man kann nach Hause gehen. - It’s no longer raining, you can go home. Es regnet, man kann nicht nach Hause gehen. - It's raining, you can't go home. Können also means “to be able to”: Ich kann Schach spielen. - I can play chess.
Verb durfen means a possibility that exists due to someone's permission. For example, in sentences containing permission, prohibition, order: Sie dürfen hier nicht bleiben! - You shouldn't stay here! You can't stay here. You are not allowed to stay here. Man darf hier nicht rauchen! - You can't smoke here. Smoking is not allowed here!
Dürfen often used in interrogative sentences that ask for permission to do something: Darf ich nach Hause gehen? -Can I go home? Can I go home? Can I go home? Darf man hier rauchen? - Is it possible to smoke here? Is smoking allowed here?
Verb mussen has the meaning “should” (due to objective necessity or belief): Es ist spät, er muß nach Hause gehen. - It's late, he has to go home. It's late, he needs (he needs, he needs) to go home. Es ist spät, man muß nach Hause gehen. - It’s late, I need (need) to go home.
With denial mussen almost never used; instead of mussen a verb with a modal meaning is used brauchen - need to: Sie brauchen morgen nicht zu kommen. - You don't need to come tomorrow. Wed: Sie müssen morgen kommen. - You need to come tomorrow.
Verb sollen has the meaning “must” (by virtue of someone’s order, instruction, etc.): Er soll bleiben.- He must stay. Let him stay. Er soll nicht bleiben. - He shouldn't stay. Sollen often used in interrogative sentences that ask about the need to do something: Sollen wir hier bleiben? - Should we stay here? Should we stay here? Should we stay here? Soll man bleiben? Need to stay? Stay?
Please note that Russian one-part sentences with “can”, “cannot”, “need”, etc. + infinitive in German always correspond to two-part sentences (i.e. sentences with a subject and predicate): Can I go? - Darf ich gehen? I have to go. - Ich muß gehen. You can't leave! - Man darf nicht gehen.
Also, Russian one-part sentences with an infinitive in German correspond to two-part sentences: Transfer? - Soll ich übersetzen? Sollen wir übersetzen? Soll man übersetzen? Should I read? - Soll ich lesen? They don't understand this. - Das können sie nicht verstehen.
Verb wollen means desire or intention: Er will das wissen.- He wants to know. Am Abend wollen wir ins Theater gehen. - In the evening we are going (want, intend) to go to the theater . Wollen Wollen wir nach Hause gehen! Let's go home! Let's go home!(Compare the use of 1st person plural imperative. Gehen wir nach Hause! - Let's go home! Let's go home).
Verb wollen may have a weakened modal meaning; in this case the combination wollen with the infinitive close in meaning to futurum: Ich will alles tun, was ich kann. - I will do everything, What Can.
Verb mögen has two main meanings:
a) mögen means “let, must; Maybe": Er mag morgen kommen. - Let him come tomorrow. (He should come tomorrow.)(Wed: also use mögen in this meaning in subordinate clauses containing indirect speech).
6) mögen means “to want, to desire”, in this meaning mögen used in the preterite conjunctiva: Ich möchte Sie etwas fragen. - I would like to ask you something. I want to ask you something. I want to ask you something.
Verb lassen - ließ - gelassen used as a modal verb in two ways:
a) lassen vt has the meaning of “command, ask, force”: Der Dekan läßt Sie morgen kommen.- The Dean tells you (asks you) to come tomorrow. Der Lektor läßt uns viel lesen. - The teacher makes us read a lot.
Pay attention to compliance lassen Russian "let": Lassen Sie ihn sprechen. - Let him speak. In this case, in Russian it is also used next option: Lassen Sie ihn sprechen. - Let him talk. Lassen Sie mich sprechen. - Let me tell you.
Besides this verb lassen is part of the following expressions: sich (Dat.) etw. nähen lassen - sew something for yourself. (or: give to yourself What -l. sew): Ich lasse mir ein neues Kleid nähen.- I am sewing myself a new dress. I let them sew me a new dress. etw. reparieren fassen - to give for repairs: Er ließ seine Uhr reparieren. - He gave his watch to be repaired, sich (Akk.) rasieren lassen - shave (at the barbershop): Er läßt sich immer hier rasieren. - He always shaves here.
Lassen also used in incentive sentences: Laß(t) uns nach Hause gehen! - Let's go home, (cf.: the use of the modal verb in the same meaning wollen ).
b) lassen sich - has the meaning of opportunity (i.e. is a synonym können ): Das läßt sich machen.- It can be done. Das läßt sich nicht machen. - This cannot be done. Dieser Text läßt sich leicht übersetzen. - This text is easy to translate.
Verb combination lassen with another verb when translated into Russian is often indecomposable, i.e. its meaning is not derived from the sum of the meanings of these two semantic verbs (for example: Er laßt uns viel lesen.- He forces us a lot read ), but has another Russian equivalent, in which the meaning lassen not directly reflected, for example: mit sich reden lassen - to be accommodating, sich (Dat.) etwas gefallen lassen - to endure, endure smth.. In the dictionary, the translation of such combinations into Russian should be found in the dictionary entry for lassen . Lassen can also form a complex verb with other verbs: fallenlassen - to drop.
Modal verbs are more often used in simple tense forms than in complex ones; this is how the preterite is used more often , than perfect. Modal verbs können, mögen, dürfen (the latter in the form of preterite conjunctiva durfte ), müssen, sollen And wollen in combination with infinitive II, less often with infinitive I, can be used to express various types of assumptions; In this meaning, modal verbs are translated into Russian as follows:
A) können, mögen in combination with infinitive II, less often with infinitive I, are translated into Russian with the words “perhaps, maybe, perhaps, it seems” and the personal form of the verb: Er kann (mag) nach Hause gegangen sein. - Perhaps (maybe, perhaps, it seems) he went home. Er kann (mag) krank sein. - Perhaps (maybe, perhaps, it seems) he is sick.
However, when translating an interrogative sentence, “perhaps, maybe”, etc. are usually omitted: Wann kann (mag) er nach Hause gegangen sein? - When did he go home? (When could he go home?).
b) durfen in the preterite conjunctiva (i.e. in the form durfte ) in combination with infinitive II, less often with infinitive I, is translated into Russian with the words “apparently, apparently, perhaps, it seems” and the personal form of the verb: Er dürfte schon nach Hause gegangen sein. - He apparently (apparently, perhaps, it seems) has already gone home. Er dürfte krank sein. - He is apparently (apparently, perhaps, it seems) sick.
(If there is a negation, a translation option with the words “hardly” is also possible: Das dürfte nicht richtig sein. - This is hardly correct.)
However, when translating an interrogative sentence “apparently, apparently”, etc. usually omitted: Dürfte es richtig sein? -It's right? Dürfte er sich geirrt haben? - Was he wrong?
V) mussen in combination with infinitive II, less often with infinitive I, is translated into Russian with the words “it must be, probably, very likely, obviously” and the personal form of the verb: Er muß nach Hause gegangen sein. - He must have (probably, very likely, obviously) gone home. Er muß krank sein. - He must be (probably, very likely, obviously) sick.
G) sollen in combination with infinitive II, less often with infinitive I, is translated into Russian with the words “they say, report”, etc. and subsequent subordinate clause: Er soll nach Hause gegangen sein. - They say he went home. Er soll krank sein. - They say he is sick. Die Delegation soll Moskau schon verlassen haben. - They report that the delegation has already left Moscow.
The specified combination can also be translated into Russian with the words “according to information, according to reports,” etc. and the personal form of the verb. Die Delegation soll Moskau schon verlassen haben.- According to available information, the delegation has already left Moscow. Sollen in the above meaning can be used in a sentence in which it is already clear from the context that someone else’s words are being conveyed: Es wird gemeldet, die Delegation soll nach Kiew gefahren sein. - They report that the delegation has left for Kyiv.
d) wollen in combination with infinitive II, less often with infinitive I, is translated into Russian with the words “he claims”, “he says” and a subsequent subordinate clause, which may contain the word “supposedly”: Er (sie) will selbst dabei gewesen sein. - He (she) claims that he (allegedly) was present at the same time.
Verbs haben And sein can also be used in a modal meaning in special phrases:
1) haben + zu + The infinitive, as a rule, has the meaning of obligation, necessity: Ich habe noch zu arbeiten. - I have to (I need) to work more. Wir haben noch eine Stunde zu fahren. - We (need) to go for another hour. Ich hatte noch zu arbeiten. - I had (I needed) to work more.
Synonym of combination haben + zu + infinitive are modal verbs mussen And sollen with infinitive: Ich habe noch zu arbeiten. = Ich muß (soll) noch arbeiten.
Less often haben + zu + the infinitive has the meaning of possibility: Er hat nichts zu sagen.- He can’t say anything. He has nothing to say. Er hat viel zu berichten. - He can tell you a lot. He has something to report.
2) sein + zu + The infinitive expresses, depending on the context: a) the meaning of obligation, necessity, b) the meaning of possibility; combination sein + zu + the infinitive has a passive meaning.
A) Die Rechnung ist gleich zu bezahlen.- The invoice must be paid immediately. The bill must be paid immediately. Die Rechnung war gleich zu bezahlen. - The bill had to be paid immediately. Die Versammlung ist von allen zu besuchen. - Everyone must come to the meeting.
b) Das ist leicht zu tun. - It (can) be done easily. Diese alte Maschine ist nicht mehr zu benutzen. - This old car can no longer be used. Das war leicht zu tun. - It (could) be easy to do.
Synonyms for sein + zu + infinitive are modal verbs müssen, sollen, können with the passive infinitive: Die Rechnung ist gleich zu bezahlen. = Die Rechnung muß (soll) gleich bezahlt werden. - The bill must be paid immediately. Das ist leicht zu tun. = Das kann leicht getan werden.- It (can be) easily done.
Translation into Russian of verbs with modal meaning: glauben, scheinen, suchen, verstehen, wissen . These verbs are called modal verbs because... Unlike modal verbs, their main meaning is not modal. So, for example, the main meaning suchen "to seek" and its modal meaning is "to try".
With the infinitive of another verb, they acquire a modal meaning and are translated as follows:
1) glauben – seem (+ object in dat. case): Ich glaube Sie zu kennen. - It seems to me that I know you. Er glaubte diesen Mann zu kennen. - It seemed to him that he knew this man. Er glaubt alles verstanden zu haben. - He thought he understood everything.
2) scheinen - seem: Er scheint diesen Mann zu kennen. - He seems to know this man. Er schien diesen Mann zu kennen. - It seemed (that) he knew this man. Er scheint, alles vergessen zu haben. - It seems (that) he forgot everything. Er scheint klug (zu sein). - He seems smart.
3) suchen - try, try: Er sucht uns zu helfen. - He is trying (trying) to help us. Er suchte uns zu überzeugen. - He tried (tried) to convince us.
4) verstehen - be able to: Er versteht zu überzeugen. - He knows how to convince.
5) wissen - be able to, be able to: Er weiß zu schweigen. - He knows how to remain silent. Er weiß zu überzeugen. - He knows how to convince. Ich weiß Ihnen nicht zu helfen. - I can not help you.
German sentences (sentences) have a number of significant differences from Russian ones:
- They always two-part, that is, they necessarily contain both main members - the predicate (predicate) and the subject (subject), which is especially clearly demonstrated by German impersonal and indefinitely personal sentences, for example:
In dieser Stadt baut man heutzutage viele Hochhäuser. – Many high-rise buildings are being built in this city today.
Es wurde wesentlich dunkler. – It has become significantly darker.
- German predicates always expressed in verb forms; in nominal predicates there must be a linking verb, including the present tense, for example:
Karl ist Soziologe. – Karl is a sociologist.
- In German sentences More than one negation can never be used, for example:
Nina ist nie in Düsseldorf gewesen. – Nina has never been to Dusseldorf.
The German subject is always used in Nominativ and can be expressed either by a noun or by any other part of speech that is used in the meaning of a name:
- Diese Strecke hat wenig Verkehrszeichen. – There are few road signs in this area (noun).
- Dieser Kranke macht unseren Doktor verrückt. – This patient is driving our doctor crazy (substantivized adjective).
- Die Reisenden entdeckten einen schönen Bergsee. – The travelers came across a beautiful mountain lake (participle).
- Autofahren fällt ihr schwer. – Driving a car is difficult for her (substantivized infinitive).
- Sie hat Lilien gewählt. — She chose lilies (pronoun).
- Vier mal vier ist sechzehn. – Four times four is sixteen (numerals).
- Vom Kai zu tauchen ist verboten. – Jumping into the water from the embankment is prohibited (infinitive phrase).
- Indefinite personal and impersonal pronouns - see examples above.
Predicates in German sentences. can be verbal (simple and compound) and nominal (always compound). Simple predicates consist of single verbs in finite forms, tenses and voices corresponding to the subject. Thus, simple verbal predicates can consist of a single verb (simple form) or the same verb paired with an auxiliary (complex form). Compound verbal predicates include two verbs, each of which has an independent meaning. Nominal predicates consist of connectives and a nominal part. For example:
- Der graue Kater sprang auf. – The gray cat jumped up (simple verb predicate in simple form).
- Der graue Kater ist aufgesprungen. – The gray cat jumped up (simple verbal predicate in complex form).
- Kann dein Kater auf den Kühlschrank aufspringen ? – Can your cat jump on the refrigerator (compound verb predicate)?
- Mein Kater ist ein sehr ruhiges Tier. – My cat is a very calm animal (compound noun predicate).
Verbs (predicates) are always assigned a specific place in a sentence. depending on the type of the latter. If we are dealing with a simple sentence. in Indikativ (narrative), then the second place will always be assigned to a verb in a simple form or to an inflected part of a verb in a complex or compound form. In the second case, immutable verb part goes to the end of the statement. In the case of using an interrogative sentence. the verb comes first if there is no question word, for example:
- In den Alpen wachsen Pfifferlinge und Steinpilze. – Chanterelles and porcini mushrooms grow in the Alps (simple predicate – verb).
- Peter wurde von seinen Kollegen gelobt. – Peter was praised by his colleagues (simple predicate - verb, passive construction).
- In unserer Mannschaft war Bettina die beste Dolmetscherin. – In our team, Bettina was the best translator (nominal predicate – compound).
- Wird Otto von seinem Freund abgeholt ? – Will Otto’s friend meet him (simple predicate – verb in complex form, no question word)?
In addition to the main members in German sentences. minor ones may be present. German objects (objects) can be case (non-prepositional) or prepositional. Non-prepositional objects in Akkusativ are called direct objects and are governed by transitive verbs. Other objects are called indirect objects and are governed by intransitive verbs. For example:
- Er wurde dieses Postens entsetzt. – He was removed from this position (unprepositional indirect addition in Genitiv).
- Diese Geschichte wurde dem alten Märchenbuch entnommen. – This story was taken from an old book of fairy tales (non-prepositional indirect object in Dativ).
- Seine Gäste können in diesem kleinen Hotel übernachten. – His guests can spend the night in this small hotel (prepositional indirect object in Dativ).
- Meine Verwandten gehen auf ein Verbrechen nicht ein. – My relatives will not commit a crime (prepositional indirect object in Akkusativ).
- Helga näht ein Kleid für meine Schwester. - Helga is sewing a dress for my sister (direct object).
They can be of very different types, as in Russian: time, mode of action, place, purpose, cause, effect. They can be expressed by adverbs or nouns (without prepositions or with prepositions). For example:
- In dieser Gegend gibt es viele Brunnen. – There are many sources in this area (adverbial circumstance, noun with preposition).
- Übermorgen schlafen sie sich aus. – The day after tomorrow they will sleep off (adverb of time).
- Alle Aufträge wurden sehr schnell verteilt. – All orders were distributed very quickly (circumstance of the course of action).
- Deshalb wurde sie mit Recht so genannt. - That’s why she was rightfully called that (two circumstances of the reason).
- Diese Badeschuhe hat er zum Schwimmen im Meer gekauft. – He purchased these bathing slippers for bathing (swimming) in the sea (purpose circumstance).
- Infolge des Regenwetters haben wir eine Überschwemmung erlebt. – Due to rainy weather, we experienced a flood (circumstance of the investigation).
German definitions according to their type are divided into coordinated and inconsistent (meaning with those members of the sentence to which they are adjacent). The only obligatory condition is that this member of the sentence is always expressed by a noun. Agreed definitions are such insofar as they agree with nouns in case, gender and number. They take place before the name and can be participles, adjectives, pronouns (interrogative, possessive, demonstrative). Inconsistent definitions can be expressed by nouns in Genitiv or with prepositions, cardinal numbers, and infinitives. For example:
- Dieser nebelige Abend war etwas ungewöhnlich. – This foggy evening was somewhat unusual (two agreed upon definitions: demonstrative pronoun and adjective).
- Meine gelb e Tasche hat sie irritiert. – My yellow bag annoyed her (two agreed definitions: possessive pronoun and adjective).
- Welchen Blumenstrauss möchten Sie bestellen? – What bouquet of flowers would you like to order (agreed definition: interrogative pronoun)?
- Der stellvertretende Firmenleiter ist nachOslo gefahren. – The deputy head of the company went to Oslo (agreed definition: participle Partizip I).
- Die erhaltenen Briefe lagen auf dem Regal. – The letters received were lying on the shelf (agreed definition: participle Partizip II).
- Seine dritte Wahl hat sie erfreut. – His third choice pleased her (agreed definition: ordinal number).
- Das Auto unserer Nachbarn steht immer in ihrer Garage. – Our neighbors' car is always in their garage (inconsistent definition: noun in Genitiv).
- Die Kuchen für die Gäste sind fertig. – The pies are ready for the guests (inconsistent definition: noun with a preposition).
- Zehn Staaten haben sich an dieser internationalen Aktion beteiligt. – Ten states took part in this international action (unagreed definition: cardinal number).
- Sein Wunsh zu übernachten wurde nicht akzeptiert. – His desire to spend the night was not accepted (= he was refused) (inconsistent definition: infinitive).
German sentences can have different order words - direct or reverse. The order of words is direct when the first place in the statement belongs to the subject, and reverse - if the subject follows the predicate (or its inflected part). For example:
- Die neue Kantine wurde im Erdgeschoss eingerichtet. – A new dining room was equipped on the ground floor (direct word order).
- Im Erdgeschoss wurde die neue Kantine eingerichtet. – A new dining room was equipped on the ground floor (word order reversed).
So far we have been talking about simple sentences. But German sentences can be not only simple, but also complex, including two or more simple ones. Complex sentences In German there are compound sentences (consisting of grammatically independent simple sentences connected by a coordinating connection) and complex sentences (consisting of grammatically dependent simple sentences connected subordinating connection). For example:
- Seine Krawatte passte ausgezeichnet zum Kleid seiner Braut und er war sehr stolz darauf. = Seine Krawatte passte ausgezeichnet zum Kleid seiner Braut. Er war sehr stolz darauf. “His tie matched the bride’s dress perfectly, and he was very proud of it.” (In this compound sentence, you can omit the conjunction “and”, and it will turn into two independent sentences.)
- Nachdem sie ihre Fahrräder repariert hatten, fuhren sie weiter. – After they repaired their bicycles, they moved on. (Here the sentence is complex, and its components simple sentences. are closely related to each other in meaning, that is, inseparable).
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All German grammar in human language!
The most important topics in German grammar (topics are best studied in the order in which they are published):
1. Sentence construction:
The German language has 3 schemes for constructing simple sentences. One way or another, any sentence in the German language fits into one of these schemes. First, let's remember a couple of terms: Subject - a noun in the nominative case (answering the question who? what?). The predicate is a verb. Circumstance - answers the question how, where, when, why,.... In other words, the circumstance clarifies the proposal. Examples of circumstances: today, after work, in Berlin, ...
And here are the proposal diagrams themselves:
- Subject -> predicate -> circumstances and everything else -> second verb, if present in the sentence.
- Circumstance -> predicate -> subject -> everything else -> second verb, if any
- (Question word) -> predicate -> subject -> everything else -> second verb, if any
2. Times:
There are 6 tenses in German (1 present, 3 past and 2 future):
Present tense (Präsens):
This is the simplest tense in German. To construct the present tense, you just need to put the verb in the correct conjugation:
Example: machen - to do
Examples:
Hans geht zur Arbeit. - Hans goes to work.
Der Computer arbeitet nicht. - Computer does not work.
Past tenses:
There are 3 past tenses in German. However, in fact, 2 times will be enough for you. The first is called "Präteritum" and the second "Perfekt". In most cases, both tenses are translated the same way into Russian. In official correspondence and in books "Präteritum" is used. IN oral speech"Perfekt" is usually used, although sometimes "Präteritum" slips in.
Präteritum:
Here we first encounter the concept of regular (strong) and irregular (weak) verbs. The forms of regular verbs change according to a clear pattern. Forms of irregular verbs need to be memorized. You will find them in.
Regular verb: machen (Infinitiv) -> machte (Präteritum)
Conjugations of the verb machen in Präteritum:
Examples:
"Du machtest die Hausaufgabe!" - “You did your homework!”
"Du spieltest Fussball" - "You played football"
Irregular verb gehen (Infinitiv) -> ging (Präteritum)
Example:
"Du gingst nach Hause!" - “You were going home!”
Future tenses:
In German there are "Futur l" and "Futur ll" for the future tense. The Germans do not use “Futur ll” at all, and they usually replace “Futur ll” with the present tense (Präsens) indicating the future as a clarification.
Example: "Morgen gehen wir ins Kino." - "Tomorrow we are going to the cinema."
If you indicate a circumstance of the future tense (tomorrow, soon, in a week, etc.), then you can safely use the present tense to express plans for the future.
If we still consider the time “Futur l”, then it is constructed as follows:
Subject -> auxiliary verb "werden" -> everything else -> semantic verb in the form "Infinitiv".
Example: "Wir werden ins Kino gehen." - "We'll go to the cinema."(verbatim: "We're going to the cinema.")
Conjugations of the verb "werden"
3. Cases:
Cases]
4. Compound and compound sentences:
