1. Basic Phrases

Guten Morgen

goot-en mor-gen

Good Morning Good Morning Guten Tag

goot-en tahk

Hello/Good Day Hello/Good Day Guten Abend

goot-en ah-bent

Good Evening Good Evening Gute Nacht

goot-eh nakht

Good Night Good Night Tag / Hallo / Servus

tahk / hah-loh / sair-voohs

Hi / Hello / Hi & Bye (Southern Germany & Austria) tahk / hah-loh / sair-voohsHi / Hello / Hi & Bye Auf Wiedersehen

owf vee-dair-zayn

Goodbye Goodbye Grüß dich / Grüß Gott!

Hello! / Greetings! (Southern Germany & Austria) Hello! / Greetings! Tschüs / Tschau

tchews / chow

Bye! Bye! Gehen wir!

geh-en veer

Let's go! Let's go! Bis später

biss shpay-ter

See you later See you later Bis bald

biss bahlt

See you soon See you soon Bis morgen

biss mohr-gen

See you tomorrow See you tomorrow Bitte

bih-tuh

Please Please Danke (schön / sehr)

dahn-kuh shurn/zair

Thank you dahn-kuh shurn/zairThank you Bitte schön

bih-tuh shurn

You're welcome You're welcome Es tut mir leid.

ehs toot meer lite

I'm sorry I'm sorry Entschuldigen Sie

ehnt-shool-dih-gun zee

Excuse me Excuse me Verzeihung

Pardon me Pardon me Wie geht es Ihnen?

vee gayt es ee-nen

How are you? (formal) (formal) Wie geht's?

vee gayts

How are you? ( informal ) How are you? ( (Sehr) Gut / So lala

zair goot / zo lahlah

(Very) Good / OK (Very) Good / OK Schlecht / Nicht Gut

shlekht / nisht goot

Bad / Not good Bad / Not good Es geht.

ess gate

I'm ok. (informal) (informal) Ja / Nein

yah / nine

Yes / No Yes / No Wie heißen Sie?

vee hie-ssen zee

What's your name? (formal) (formal) Wie heißt du?

vee hiesst doo

What's your name? (informal) (informal) Ich heiße...

ikh hie-ssuh

My name is... [I am called...] [I am called...] Es freut mich.

froyt mikh

Pleased to meet you. Pleased to meet you. Gleichfalls.

glykh-fals

Likewise. Likewise. Herr / Frau / Fräulein

hair / frow / froi-line

Mister / Misses / Miss Mister / Misses / Miss Woher kommen Sie?

vo-hair koh-men zee

Where are you from? (formal) Where are you from? (formal) Woher kommst du?

vo-hair kohmst doo

Where are you from? (informal) Where are you from? (informal) Ich komme aus...

ikh koh-muh ows...

I'm from... I'm from... Wo wohnen Sie?

vo voh-nen zee

Where do you live? (formal) Where do you live? (formal) Wo wohnst du?

vo vohnst doo

Where do you live? (informal) Where do you live? (informal) Ich wohne in...

ikh voh-nuh in

I live in... I live in... Wie alt sind Sie?

vee alt zint zee

How old are you? (formal) How old are you? (formal) Wie alt bist du?

vee alt bisst doo

How old are you? (informal) How old are you? (informal) Ich bin ____ Jahre alt.

ikh bin ____ yaa-reh alt

I am ____ years old. I am ____ years old. Sprechen Sie deutsch?

shpreck-en zee doytch

Do you speak German ? (formal) (formal) Sprichst du englisch?

shprikhst doo eng-lish

Do you speak English? (informal) Do you speak English? (informal) Ich spreche (kein)...

ikh shpreck-uh kine

I (don't) speak... I (don't) speak... Verstehen Sie? / Verstehst du?

fehr-shtay-en zee / fehr-shtayst doo

Do you understand? (formal / informal) (formal / informal) Ich verstehe (nicht).

ikh fehr-shtay-eh nikht

I (don't) understand. I (don't) understand. Ich weiß (nicht).

ikh vise nikht

I (don't) know. I (don't) know. Können Sie mir helfen?

ker-nen zee meer hell-fen

Can you help me? (formal) (formal) Kannst du mir helfen?

kahnst doo meer hell-fen

Can you help me? (informal) Can you help me? (informal) Natürlich / Gerne

nah-tewr-likh / gair-nuh

Of course / Gladly nah-tewr-likh / gair-nuhOf course / Gladly Kann ich Ihnen helfen?

kahn ikh ee-nen hell-fen

May I help you? (formal) (formal) Kann ich dir helfen?

kahn ikh deer hell-fen

May I help you? (informal) May I help you? (informal) Wie bitte ?

vee bih-tuh

What? Pardon me? Pardon me? Wie heißt ___ auf deutsch?

vee heist ___ owf doytch

How do you say ___ in German? How do you say ___ in German? Wo ist / Wo sind... ?

voh ist / voh zint

Where is / Where are... ? Where is / Where are... ? Es gibt...

ess geept

There is / are... There is / are... Was ist los?

vahs ist lohs

What's the matter? What's the matter? Das macht nichts.

dass makht nikhts

It doesn't matter. It doesn't matter. Das ist mir egal.

dass ist meer eh-gahl

I don't care. I don't care. Keine Angst!

ky-nuh ahngst

Don't worry! Don't worry! Ich habe es vergessen.

ikh hah-buh ess fehr-geh-sen

I forgot. I forgot. Jetzt muss ich gehen.

yetz mooss ikh geh-en

I must go now. I must go now. Ich habe Hunger / Durst.

ikh hah-buh hoong-er / dirst

I'm hungry / thirsty. I'm hungry / thirsty. Ich bin krank / müde

ikh bin krahnk moo-duh

I'm sick / tired. I'm sick / tired. Ich habe Langeweile.

ikh hah-buh lahn-guh-vy-luh

I'm bored. I'm bored. Ich möchte / Ich hätte gern...

ikh merkh-tuh / ikh heh-tuh gairn

I'd like... ikh merkh-tuh / ikh heh-tuh gairnI'd like... Das gefällt mir.

dahs geh-fehlt meer

I like it. dahs geh-fehlt meerI like it. Prima / Toll / Super!

pree-mah / tohl / zoo-pair

Great / Fantastic! pree-mah / tohl / zoo-pairGreat / Fantastic! Gesundheit!

geh-soont-hyt

Bless you! Bless you! Herzlichen Glückwunsch!

herts-likh-en glewk-voonsh

Congratulations! Congratulations! Sei ruhig!

zy roo-hikh

Be quiet! (informal) Be quiet! (informal) Willkommen!

vil-koh-men

Welcome! Welcome! Viel Glück!

feel glewk

Good luck! Good luck! Schauen Sie mal! / Schau mal!

show-en zee mal / show mal

Look! (formal / informal) (formal / informal) Bitte schön?

Yes? / What would you like to order? Yes? / What would you like to order? Was darf's sein?

What can I get you? / How can I help you? What can I get you? / How can I help you? Sonst noch etwas?

Anything else? Anything else? Bitte schön.

Here you go. (handing something to someone) Here you go. (handing something to someone) Zahlen bitte!

The check, please! The check, please! Stimmt so.

Keep the change. Keep the change. Ich bin satt.

I'm full. I'm full. Mir ist schlecht.

I feel sick. I feel sick. Es tut mir weh.

It hurts. It hurts. Ich liebe dich.

ikh leeb-uh dikh

I love you. (informal) I love you. (informal) Du fehlst mir.

I miss you. (informal) I miss you. (informal) Alles ist in Ordnung.

Everything is fine. Everything is fine. Wie wäre es mit ... ?

How about...? How about...? Was für ein...?

What kind of (a)...? What kind of (a)...? Nicht wahr?

[general tag question] [general tag question]

Ich is not actually pronounced ikh, unless you are speaking a northern dialect of German. If you are speaking a southern dialect, then it is more like ish. There is no equivalent sound in English. In standard German, it is somewhere between ish and ikh. Technically, it is a voiceless palatal fricative and its voiced counterpart is the y sound in yes. is not actually pronounced, unless you are speaking a northern dialect of German. If you are speaking a southern dialect, then it is more like ish. There is no equivalent sound in English. In standard German, it is somewhere between ish and ikh. Technically, it is a voiceless palatal fricative and its voiced counterpart is the y sound in yes.

2. Pronunciation

German Vowels English Pronunciation [i] viel meet, eat [y] kühl ee rounded / long vowel [ɪ] Tisch mitt, it [ʏ] hübsch ih rounded / short vowel [e] Tee mate, wait [ø] schön ay rounded / long vowel [ɛ] Bett met, wet [œ] zwölf eh rounded / short vowel [a] Mann mop, not [ɑ] kam ah / longer vowel than [a] [u] gut boot, suit [ʊ] muss put, soot [o] Sohn coat, goat [ɔ] Stock caught, bought [ə] e bitt cut, what [ɐ] er Wett uhr / also short vowel like [ə]

Highlighted vowels do not exist in English.

words spelled with ö and ü can be pronounced with a long or short vowel, so determining the pronunciation based on the spelling is not possible. The other umlauted letter, ä, is generally pronounced as [e], though it can be pronounced as [ɛ] in some dialects. A general rule for pronunciation, however, states that the short vowels / ɪ ʏ ʊ ɛ ɔ / must be followed by a consonant, whereas the long vowels / i y u e ø o / can occur at the end of the syllable or word. Notice thatwithandcan be pronounced with a long or short vowel, so determining thebased on the spelling is not possible. The other umlauted letter,, is generally pronounced as [e], though it can be pronounced as [ɛ] in some dialects. A general rule for pronunciation, however, states that the short vowels / ɪ ʏ ʊ ɛ ɔ / must be followed by a consonant, whereas the long vowels / i y u e ø o / can occur at the end of the syllable or word.

German Diphthongs English Pronunciation [aɪ] ein, mein n, m eye, buy, why [aʊ] auf, kaufen f, kfen cow, now, how [ɔɪ] eu, Gebäude , Gebde toy, boy, foil

German Consonants

There are a few German consonants that do not exist in English, and some consonant combinations that are not common in English. Notice that the pronunciation of the German r changes according to the location in the countries that speak German, i.e. [R] in northern Germany and [r] in southern Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

Spelling IPA Sample words How to pronounce: ch (with vowels e and i) [ç] Chemie, mich, nicht Make yuh sound voiceless (no vibration of vocal cords) ch (with vowels a, o, u) [x] Buch, lachen, kochen Make kuh sound a fricative (continuous airflow) pf [pf] Apfel, Pferd, Pfanne Pronounce together as one sound z [ts] Zeit, Zug, Tanz Pronounce together as one sound j [j] ja, Januar, Junge yuh qu [kv] Quote, Quiz, Quitte kv st / sp (at beginning of syllable) [ʃt] / [ʃp] Stadt, sprechen sht / shp sch [ʃ] schenken, schlafen sh th [t] Theater, Thron v [f] Vater, verboten w [v] Wasser, warm ß [s] Straße, groß s (before vowel) [z] Salz, seit, Sitz

In addition, the sounds [b], [d], and [g] lose their voicing at the end of a syllable, so they are pronounced as their voiceless counterparts [p], [t], and [k], respectively. However, the spelling does not reflect the pronunciation.

Stress

Stress generally falls on the first syllable of the word, except in words borrowed from other languages, where the stress falls on the last syllable (especially with French words.)

3. Alphabet

a ah j yoht s ess b bay k kah t tay c tsay l el u oo d day m em v fow e ay n en w vay f eff o oh x eeks g gay p pay y irp-se-lon h hah q koo z tset i ee r ehr





ß (es-zet), pronounced like [s]. However, this letter is only used after long vowels or diphthongs, and it is not used at all in Switzerland. There is another letter in written German,ß (es-zet), pronounced like [s]. However, this letter is only used after long vowels or diphthongs, and it is not used at all in Switzerland.

4. Nouns & Cases

All nouns have a gender in German, either masculine, feminine or neuter. There really isn't a lot of logic to which nouns are which gender, so you must memorize the gender of each noun.

masculine, as are nouns ending in -ant, -ast, -ich, -ig, -ismus, -ling, -or and -us. 1. Male persons or animals, the seasons, months, and days are all, as are nouns ending in -ant, -ast, -ich, -ig, -ismus, -ling, -or and -us.

feminine, as are nouns ending in -a, -anz, -ei, -enz, -heit, -ie, -ik, -in, -keit, -schaft, -sion, -sis, -tät, -tion, -ung and -ur. 2. Female persons or animals, and numerals are all, as are nouns ending in -a, -anz, -ei, -enz, -heit, -ie, -ik, -in, -keit, -schaft, -sion, -sis, -tät, -tion, -ung and -ur.

neuter, as are nouns that end in -chen, -icht, -il, -it, -lein, -ma, -ment, -tel, -tum, and -um. Nouns referring to things that end in -al, -an, -ar, -ät, -ent, -ett, -ier, -iv, -o and -on, as well as most words with the prefix ge- and most nouns ending in -nis and -sal are also neuter. 3. Young persons or animals, metals, chemical elements, letters of the alphabet, hotels, restaurants, cinemas, continents, countries and provinces are all, as are nouns that end in -chen, -icht, -il, -it, -lein, -ma, -ment, -tel, -tum, and -um. Nouns referring to things that end in -al, -an, -ar, -ät, -ent, -ett, -ier, -iv, -o and -on, as well as most words with the prefix ge- and most nouns ending in -nis and -sal are also neuter.

All nouns in German are capitalized in writing.

All nouns (as well as pronouns and adjectives) have a case depending on what function they serve in the sentence. These may seem strange, but remember that English uses cases also; however, we would say direct object instead of accusative, or indirect object instead of dative. Although these cases may make learning new words difficult, they actually help with word order because the position of words in a sentence is not as fixed in German as it is in English. And the reason for that is because words can occur in these four cases:

Nominative subject of the sentence The girl is reading. is reading. Accusative direct objects the mountain.

I bought a gift. We seeI bought Dative indirect objects to the guide .

I gave my mom a gift. We talkI gavea gift. Genitive indicates possession or relationship of the girl.

The dog's tail. The bookThetail.

The nouns you look up in a dictionary will be in the nominative case.

5. Articles & Demonstratives

Definite Articles (The)

Masculine Feminine Neuter Plural Nominative der (dare) die (dee) das (dahs) die Accusative den (dane) die das die Dative dem (dame) der dem den Genitive des (dess) der des der





Indefinite Articles (A, An)

Masculine Feminine Neuter Nom. ein (ine) eine (ine-uh) ein Acc. einen (ine-en) eine ein Dat. einem (ine-em) einer (ine-er) einem Gen. eines (ine-es) einer eines





Demonstratives (This, That, These, Those) This / These That / Those

Masc. Fem. Neu. Pl. Masc. Fem. Neu. Pl. Nom. dieser diese dieses diese der die das die Acc. diesen diese dieses diese den die das die Dat. diesem dieser diesem diesen dem der dem den Gen. dieses dieser dieses dieser des der des der





Jener is an older word found in written German that was used to mean that or those, but today in spoken German the definite articles are used. Dort or da may accompany the definite articles for emphasis. Das is also a universal demonstrative and therefore shows no agreement. Notice the last letter of each of the words above. They correspond to the last letters of the words for the definite articles. Words that are formed this same way are called der-words because they follow the pattern of the der-die-das declension. Other der-words are: jeder-every, and welcher-which. Mancher (many) and solcher (such) are also der-words, but they are used almost always in the plural. is an older word found in written German that was used to mean that or those, but today in spoken German the definite articles are used.ormay accompany the definite articles for emphasis.is also a universal demonstrative and therefore shows no agreement. Notice the last letter of each of the words above. They correspond to the last letters of the words for the definite articles. Words that are formed this same way are calledbecause they follow the pattern of the der-die-das declension. Other der-words are:-every, and-which.(many) and(such) are also der-words, but they are used almost always in the plural.

6. Subject (Nominative) Pronouns

Subject Pronouns ich ikh wir veer we du doo you (familiar) ihr eer you (all) er, sie, es, man air, zee, ess, mahn he, she, it, one sie, Sie zee they, you (formal)





Man can be translated as one, we, they or the people in general. When referring to nouns as it, you use er for masculine nouns, sie for feminine nouns and es for neuter nouns. However, the definite articles der, die and das can be substituted for er, sie and es to show more emphasis. can be translated as one, we, they or the people in general. When referring to nouns as, you usefor masculine nouns,for feminine nouns andfor neuter nouns. However, the definite articlesandcan be substituted forandto show more emphasis.

7. To Be, to Have, & to Become

Present tense of sein - to be (zine) I am ich bin ikh bin we are wir sind veer zint you are (familiar) du bist doo bihst you (plural) are ihr seid eer zide he/she/it is er/sie/es ist air/zee/ess isst they/you (formal) are sie/Sie sind zee zint

Past tense of sein I was ich war ikh var we were wir waren veer vah-ren you were (familiar) du warst doo varst you (plural) were ihr wart eer vart he/she/it was er/sie/es war air/zee/es var they/you (formal) were sie/Sie waren zee vah-ren





Present tense of haben - to have (hah-ben) ich habe hah-buh wir haben hah-ben du hast hahst ihr habt hahbt er/sie/es hat haht sie/Sie haben hah-ben

Past tense of haben ich hatte hah-tuh wir hatten hah-ten du hattest hah-test ihr hattet hah-tet er/sie/es hatte hah-tuh sie/Sie hatten hah-ten





Present tense of werden - to become (vair-den) ich werde vair-duh wir werden vair-den du wirst veerst ihr werdet vair-det er/sie/es wird veert sie/Sie werden vair-den

Past tense of werden ich wurde voor-duh wir wurden voor-den du wurdest voor-dest ihr wurdet voor-det er/sie/es wurde voor-duh sie/Sie wurden voor-den

Haben is frequently used in expressions that would normally take to be in English.

Ich habe Hunger. = I am hungry.

Ich hatte Durst. = I was thirsty.

Ich habe Langeweile. = I am bored.

Ich hatte Heimweh. = I was homesick.

Ich habe Angst. = I am afraid. is frequently used in expressions that would normally takein English.= I am afraid.

ich hab' or hab' ich In everyday speech, the final -e on the ich conjugations can be dropped:or

8. Useful Words

and und oont isn't it? nicht wahr? nikht vahr but aber ah-ber too bad schade shah-duh very sehr zair gladly gern gehrn or oder oh-der immediately sofort zoh-fort here hier here sure(ly) sicher(lich) zikh-er-likh also auch owkh but, rather sondern zohn-dehrn both beide by-duh finally schließlich shleess-likh some etwas eht-vahss right! stimmt shtimt only nur noor anyway überhaupt oo-ber-howpt again wieder vee-der enough genug guh-nook hopefully hoffentlich hoh-fent-likh exact(ly) genau guh-now between zwischen zvish-en sometimes manchmal mahnch-mal therefore deshalb des-halp always immer im-er a lot, many viel(e) feel(uh) never nie nee really wirklich veerk-lish often oft ohft together zusammen tsoo-zah-men of course klar klahr all alle ahl-luh perhaps vielleicht fee-likht now jetzt yetst a little ein bisschen ine biss-khen so also al-zoh a little ein wenig ine vay-nikh another noch ein nohkh ine not at all gar nicht gar nikht already schon shone not a bit kein bisschen kine biss-khen

Es gibt is commonly used to mean there is/are and it is always followed by the accusative case. is commonly used to meanand it is always followed by the accusative case.

9. Question Words

Who wer vehr Whom (acc.) wen vain What was vahs Whom (dat.) wem vaim Why warum vah-room How come wieso vee-zo When wann vahn Where from woher vo-hair Where wo voh Where to wohin vo-hin How wie vee Which welche/-r/-s velsh-uh/er/es

10. Numbers / Die Nummern

null nool



eins ines 1st erste zwei tsvy 2nd zweite drei dry 3rd dritte vier feer 4th vierte fünf fewnf 5th fünfte sechs zecks 6th sechste sieben zee-bun 7th siebte acht ahkht 8th achte neun noyn 9th neunte 10 zehn tsayn 10th zehnte 11 elf elf 11th elfte 12 zwölf tsvurlf 12th zwölfte 13 dreizehn dry-tsayn 13th dreizehnte 14 vierzehn feer-tsayn 14th vierzehnte 15 fünfzehn fewnf-tsayn 15th fünfzehnte 16 sechzehn zeck-tsayn 16th sechzehnte 17 siebzehn zeep-tsayn 17th siebzehnte 18 achtzehn ahkh-tsayn 18th achtzehnte 19 neunzehn noyn-tsayn 19th neunzehnte 20 zwanzig tsvahn-tsikh 20th zwanzigste 21 einundzwanzig ine-oont-tsvahn-tsikh 21st einundzwanzigste 22 zweiundzwanzig tsvy-oont-tsvahn-tsikh 22nd zweiundzwanzigste 23 dreiundzwanzig dry-oont-tsvahn-tsikh 23rd dreiundzwanzigste 24 vierundzwanzig feer-oont-tsvahn-tsikh 24th vierundzwanzigste 30 dreißig dry-sikh 30th dreißigste 40 vierzig feer-tsikh 40th vierzigste 50 fünfzig fewnf-tsikh 50th fünfzigste 60 sechzig zekh-tsikh 60th sechzigste 70 siebzig zeep-tsikh 70th siebzigste 80 achtzig ahkh-tsikh 80th achtzigste 90 neunzig noyn-tsikh 90th neunzigste 100 (ein)hundert ine-hoon-duhrt



1,000 (ein)tausend ine-tow-zuhnt





(tsvoh) is used instead of zwei to avoid confusion with drei when talking on the telephone. The use of commas and periods is switched in German, though a space is commonly used to separate thousandths, i.e. 1,000 would be 1 000. When saying telephone numbers, you can either say each number individually or group them in twos. For years, you use the hundreds: 1972 is neunzehn hundert zweiundsiebzig; or the thousands: 2005 is zwei tausend fünf. Sometimes zwois used instead of zwei to avoid confusion with drei when talking on the telephone. The use of commas and periods is switched in German, though a space is commonly used to separate thousandths, i.e. 1,000 would be 1 000. When saying telephone numbers, you can either say each number individually or group them in twos. For years, you use the hundreds: 1972 is neunzehn hundert zweiundsiebzig; or the thousands: 2005 is zwei tausend fünf.

Wann sind Sie geboren? When were you born?

Ich bin in 1982 geboren. I was born in 1982. I was born in 1982.

11. Days of the Week / Die Tage

Monday Montag mohn-tahk Tuesday Dienstag deens-tahk Wednesday Mittwoch mit-vock Thursday Donnerstag don-ers-tahk Friday Freitag fry-tahk

( N & E Germany ) Saturday Samstag

Sonnabend zahms-tahk

zon-nah-bent Sunday Sonntag zon-tahk day der Tag (-e) dehr tahk morning der Morgen (-) mawr-gun afternoon der Nachmittag (-e) nakh-mih-tahk evening der Abend (-e) ah-bunt night die Nacht (ä, -e) nahkt today heute hoy-tuh tomorrow morgen mawr-gun tonight heute Abend hoy-tuh ah-bunt yesterday gestern geh-stairn last night gestern Abend geh-stairn ah-bunt week die Woche (-n) voh-kuh weekend das Wochenende (-n) voh-ken-en-duh daily täglich teh-glikh weekly wöchentlich wer-khent-likh

on a certain day or the weekend, use am. Add an -s to the day to express "on Mondays, Tuesdays, etc." All days, months and seasons are masculine so they all use the same form of these words: jeden - every, nächsten - next, letzten - last (as in the last of a series), vorigen - previous. In der Woche is the expression for "during the week" in Northern and Eastern Germany, while unter der Woche is used in Southern Germany, Austria and Switzerland. To saya certain day or the weekend, use. Add an -s to the day to express "on Mondays, Tuesdays, etc." All days, months and seasons are masculine so they all use the same form of these words:- every,- next,- last (as in the last of a series),- previous.is the expression for "during the week" in Northern and Eastern Germany, whileis used in Southern Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

12. Months of the Year / Die Monate

January Januar yah-noo-ahr (Austria) Jänner yeh-ner February Februar fay-broo-ahr March März mehrts April April ah-pril May Mai my June Juni yoo-nee July Juli yoo-lee August August ow-goost September September zehp-tehm-ber October Oktober ok-toh-ber November November no-vehm-ber December Dezember deh-tsem-ber month der Monat (-e) moh-naht year das Jahr (-e) yaar monthly monatlich moh-naht-likh yearly jährlich jehr-likh

in a certain month, use im. To saya certain month, use

Wann hast du Geburtstag? When is your birthday?

Mein Geburtstag ist im Mai. My birthday is in May. When is your birthday?My birthday is in May.

13. Seasons / Die Jahreszeiten

Winter der Winter dehr vin-ter Spring der Frühling dehr frew-ling Summer der Sommer dehr zom-mer Autumn der Herbst dehr hehrpst

in the + a season, use im. To say+ a season, use

14. Directions / Die Richtungen

right rechts left links straight geradeaus North der Norden South der Süden East der Osten West der Westen

im Norden = in the North

nach Osten = to the East

aus Westen = from the West Norden = in the NorthOsten = to the EastWesten = from the West

15. Colors & Shapes / Die Farben & Die Formen

orange orange square das Viereck pink rosa circle der Kreis purple violett / lila triangle das Dreieck blue blau rectangle das Rechteck yellow gelb oval das Oval red rot octagon das Achteck black schwarz cube der Würfel brown braun sphere die Kugel gray grau cone der Kegel white weiß cylinder der Zylinder green grün



turquoise türkis



beige beige



silver silber



gold gold









hell- before it, and to say that a color is dark, put dunkel- before it. Because colors are adjectives, they must agree in gender and number with the noun they describe if they are placed before the noun. However, not all adjectives agree, such as colors ending in -a or -e; nor do they agree when they are used as predicate adjectives. More about Adjectives in German III. To say that a color is light, putbefore it, and to say that a color is dark, putbefore it.

Das Viereck ist braun. The square is brown.

Das Rechteck ist hellblau. The rectange is light blue. The square is brown.The rectange is light blue.

16. Time / Die Zeit

What time is it? Wie spät ist es? vee shpayt isst ess (It is) 2 AM Es ist zwei Uhr nachts ess ist tsvy oor nahkts 2 PM Es ist zwei Uhr nachmittags tsvy oor nahk-mih-tahks 6:20 Es ist sechs Uhr zwanzig zex oor tsvahn-tsikh half past 3 Es ist halb vier hahlp feer quarter past 4 Es ist Viertel nach vier feer-tel nahk feer quarter to 5 Es ist Viertel vor fünf feer-tel for fewnf 10 past 11 Es ist zehn nach elf tsyan nahk elf 20 to 7 Es ist zwanzig vor sieben tsvahn-tsikh for zee-bun noon Es ist nachmittag nakh-mih-tahk midnight Es ist mitternacht mih-ter-nahk in the morning morgens / früh mawr-guns / frew in the evening abends aah-bunts It's exactly... Es ist genau... ess ist guh-now At 8. Um 8 Uhr. oom akht oor early(ier) früh(er) frew(er) late(r) spät(er) shpayt(er)





halb + number means half to, not half past, so you have to use the hour that comes next. Official time, such as for bus and train schedules, always uses the 24 hour clock. Notice that+ number means half to, not half past, so you have to use the hour that comes next.

17. Weather / Das Wetter

How's the weather today? Wie ist das Wetter heute? vie ist dahs vet-ter hoy-tuh It's hot Es ist heiß ess isst hise It's cold Es ist kalt ess isst kahlt It's beautiful Es ist schön ess isst shern It's bad Es ist schlecht ess isst shlehkt It's clear Es ist klar ess isst klahr It's icy Es ist eisig ess isst ise-ikh It's warm Es ist warm ess isst varm It's sunny Es ist sonnig ess isst zohn-ikh It's windy Es ist windig ess isst vin-dikh It's cloudy Es ist bewölkt ess isst beh-verlkt It's hazy Es ist dunstig ess isst doons-tikh It's muggy Es ist schwül ess isst schvool It's humid Es ist feucht ess isst foikht It's foggy Es ist nebelig ess isst neh-beh-likh It's snowing Es schneit ess schnite It's raining Es regnet ess rayg-net It's freezing Es friert ess freert It looks like rain. Es sieht nach Regen aus. es seet nahkh ray-gen ows The weather is clearing Das Wetter klärt sich auf. dahs vett-er klairt sikh owf

18. Family / Die Familie

Parents die Eltern Relative der Verwandte (-n) Mother die Mutter (ü) Man der Mann (ä, -er) Father der Vater (ä) Sir / Mister der Herr (-en) Son der Sohn (ö, -e) Woman / Ma'am / Mrs. / Ms. die Frau (-en) Daughter die Tochter (ö) Husband der Ehemann (ä, -er) Brother der Bruder (ü) Wife die Ehefrau (-en) Sister die Schwester (-n) Boy der Junge (-n) Grandparents die Großeltern Girl das Mädchen (-) Grandfather der Großvater (ä) Grandpa der Opa (-s) Grandmother die Großmutter (ü) Grandma die Oma (-s) Grandchildren die Enkelkinder Dad der Vati Grandson der Enkel (-) Mom die Mutti Granddaughter die Enkelin (-nen) Friend (m) der Freund (-e) Niece die Nichte (-n) Friend (f) die Freundin (-nen) Nephew der Neffe (-n) Partner / Significant Other (m) der Partner (-) Cousin (m) der Vetter (-n) Partner / Significant Other (f) die Partnerin (-nen) Cousin (f) die Kusine (-n) Marital Status der Familienstand Uncle der Onkel (-) Single ledig Aunt die Tante (-n) Married verheiratet Siblings die Geschwister Divorced geschieden Baby das Baby (-s) Male männlich Godfather der Pate (-n) Female weiblich Godmother die Patin (-nen) Child das Kind (-er) Step- der/die Stief- Toddler das Kleinkind (-er) -in-law der/die Schwieger- Teenager der Teenager (-) Brother-in-law der Schwager (ä) Adult der Erwachsene (-n) Sister-in-law die Schwägerin (-nen) Twin der Zwilling (-e)



The letters in parentheses indicate the plural form of the noun. Notice that sometimes an umlaut is placed over the main vowel of the word in the plural. For example, der Mann is singular (the man) and die Männer is plural (the men). For step- and -in-law relations, just add Stief- or Schwieger- before the main person, except in the case of brother-in-law and sister-in-law noted above. The plurals follow the pattern for the main person, i.e. die Schwiegermutter (singular) and die Schwiegermütter (plural) The letters in parentheses indicate the plural form of the noun. Notice that sometimes an umlaut is placed over the main vowel of the word in the plural. For example,is singular (the man) andis plural (the men). For step- and -in-law relations, just addorbefore the main person, except in the case of brother-in-law and sister-in-law noted above. The plurals follow the pattern for the main person, i.e.(singular) and(plural)

19. To Know People & Facts

kennen - to know people wissen - to know facts ich kenne ken-nuh wir kennen ken-nun ich weiß vise wir wissen vih-sun du kennst kenst ihr kennt kent du weißt vist ihr wisst vihst er/sie/es kennt kent sie/Sie kennen ken-nun er/sie/es weiß vise sie/Sie wissen vih-sun

Kennen is a regular, while wissen is irregular in the present tense.

must use the subject pronouns (ich, du, er...); however, I will leave them out of future conjugations. Youuse the subject pronouns (ich, du, er...); however, I will leave them out of future conjugations.

20. Formation of Plural Nouns

Plural nouns in German are unpredictable, so it's best to memorize the plural form with the singular. However, here are some rules that can help:

Feminine nouns usually add -n or -en. Nouns that end in -in (such as the female equivalents of masculine nouns) add -nen. 1.nouns usually addor. Nouns that end in(such as the female equivalents of masculine nouns) add

eine Lampe n zwei Lampe eine Tür en zwei Tür eine Studentin nen zwei Studentin eine Gabel n zwei Gabel

Masculine and neuter nouns usually add -e or -er. Many masculine plural nouns ending in -e add an umlaut as well, but neuter plural nouns ending in -e don't. Plurals that end in -er add an umlaut when the stem vowel is a, o , u or au. 2.andnouns usually addor. Many masculine plural nouns ending inadd an umlaut as well, but neuter plural nouns ending indon't. Plurals that end inadd an umlaut when the stem vowel isor

Masculine Neuter ein Rock öcke zwei Rck ein Heft e zwei Heft ein Mann änner zwei Mnn ein Buch ücher zwei Bch

Masculine and neuter singular nouns that end in -er either add an umlaut or change nothing at all. Many nouns with a stem vowel of a, o, u or au add an umlaut. Masculine and neuter singular nouns that end in -el also add nothing at all (with three exceptions: Pantoffel, Stachel, Muskel). 3.andsingular nouns that end ineither add an umlaut or change nothing at all. Many nouns with a stem vowel oforadd an umlaut.andsingular nouns that end inalso add nothing at all (with three exceptions: Pantoffel, Stachel, Muskel).

Masculine Neuter ein Bruder üder zwei Brder ein Fenster zwei Fenster ein Kegel zwei Kegel ein Mittel zwei Mittel

-s. 4. Nouns that end in a vowel other than an unstressed -e and nouns of foreign origin add