Académique Documents
Professionnel Documents
Culture Documents
1 Saying hello
Vocabulary 1: Saying Hello Formally
"Guten Morgen!" ("Good Morning!") "Guten Tag!" ("Hello!" (literally "Good day!")) "Guten Abend!" ("Good evening!") 1. German speakers say "Hello!" in a number of ways. This partly depends on the time of day:
"Guten Morgen!" is said until about 10 a.m. "Guten Tag!" is said from about 10 a.m. to 5 or 6 p.m. (There is no equivalent phrase for "Good afternoon!" in German.) "Guten Abend!" is said after 5 p.m.
All of these greetings are used in formal situations when we might say "How do you do" in English, or when meeting people we don't know particularly well. When you expect or are hoping for service, it could be interpreted as impolite not to say "Guten Tag!" as an opener. 2. In informal situations however - amongst family, friends or young people -, the above greetings are often shortened or other greetings are used:
Vocabulary 2: Saying Hello Informally
3. Your greeting will also depend on your geographical location. In South Germany and Austria, you'll often hear "Gr Gott!" or "Servus!" in daylight hours, whilst in Switzerland you'll hear "Grezi":
Vocabulary 3: Saying Hello Regionally
"Gr Gott!" ("Hello!" ("May God greet you!")) "Gr dich!" ("Hello!" (informal: "I greet you!"))
Remember to shake hands! When Germans meet, their greetings can appear quite formal. Even if they see each other every day at work they will usually shake hands. If you enter a room full of people, a general greeting to all of them is usually sufficient, although you will probably shake hands with some of them at least. Strictly speaking, the older person should hold out their hand first. Close acquaintances and friends however frequently greet each other in Southern European style not with a handshake but with a kiss on the left cheek and a kiss on the right.
"Auf Wiedersehen!" ("Goodbye!") "Auf Wiederschauen!" (= South Germany and Austria) "Auf Wiederhren!" ("Goodbye!" (telephone)) "Gute Nacht!" ("Good night!") 1. When saying goodbye, it is also necessary to distinguish between formal and informal registers:
The standard form for saying goodbye in German is "auf Wiedersehen!". It means "Until we see each other again", as does the South German and Austrian variant "auf Wiederschauen". As you obviously can't "see" people on telephones however, you use the phrase "auf Wiederhren" - "until we hear from each other again" - when you put down the receiver. When you are saying goodbye at night, you would say "gute Nacht!". Vocabulary 5: Saying Goodbye Informally
"Bis spter!" ("See you later!") "Servus!" (S. Germany & Austria)
2. When you are saying farewell to friends and young people the above expressions can also be used. Be aware that:
The word "tschs" (sometimes spelled "tschss") is the most common farewell phrase amongst friends, having the sense of "See you!" or "Bye!". It originally comes, like the Spanish "adis" and the French "adieu", from the Latin "ad deum", and means literally "God be with you". You might occasionally find "ciao" Germanized as "tschau". One should really only use "bis spter" to meaning "See you later the same day". The word "servus" can either mean "hello" or "goodbye" according to context. You will hear it primarily in Southern Germany and Austria.
German nouns As you will have noticed, all German nouns - such as "Morgen", "Tag", "Abend" and "Nacht" - are always written with a capital letter. This has the advantage for the learner of making them much easier to spot! On the other hand, adjectives - such as "guten" in "guten Abend" - are not capitalized unless they occur at the beginning of a sentence.
du The familiar or informal form "du" is used when talking to relatives, close friends and children. It does not start with a capital letter. The plural of "du" is "ihr". Sie The formal form "Sie" is used when you need to be more polite. It is the usual form of address when talking to an adult whom you don't know well or at all. A child would always say "Sie" to an adult outside his or her own family. "Sie" always starts with a capital letter. The plural form of "Sie" is also "Sie". 2. Whether to use "Sie" or "du" can be a terrible dilemma for native and non-native speakers alike. It is quite possible for two neighbours to live next door to each other for decades and still call each other "Herr X" or "Frau Y" and refer to each other using "Sie"!
It is equally possible for two colleagues to work in the same office all their life and still call each other "Sie" and not be on first name terms. As the "Sie" form carries with it great respect, it thus remains the norm amongst employees, although there is a growing trend towards work colleagues being on first name terms with each other and as a consequence using the "du" form. When meeting someone in a work environment, you should always use "Sie". The inappropriate use of "du" to someone in a position of authority in a German-speaking country can appear disrespectful and cause a great deal of offence. When getting to know new friends and colleagues, it is advisable to wait for the German speaker to ask you to address them with "du", which should then be interpreted as an offer of friendship. 3. In other areas of social interaction however, you will be expected to use "du", and may be seen as being cold and aloof if you do not. University students invariably call each other "du" even when they're meeting for the first time, as do members of certain other groups which place a high value on solidarity (e.g. blue-collar workers, soldiers, sportsmen). How are you? The choice between "du" and "Sie" is not just one of social niceties. It also affects the grammar of a sentence - and verb endings in particular. Even an apparently simple construction like "How are you" needs to be remembered in three ways:
Grammar 2: Wie geht es...?
How are you? "Wie geht es Ihnen?" "Wie geht es dir?" "Wie geht es euch?"
1. You will discover in subsequent chapters that "Ihnen", "dir" and "euch" are the dative forms of "Sie", "du" and "ihr". "Wie geht es Ihnen / dir?" literally means: "How goes it for you?" 2. In all three of the above contexts, you might also use "Wie geht's?" ("How are things?"). This phrase neatly sidesteps the issue of whether you should refer to the person to whom you are talking as "du" or "Sie", although it is a quite informal greeting.
in the different contexts. In our first conversation, Frau Mller meets her boss Doctor Schmidt as he comes in for work in the morning. Even though they have worked together for some time, they still use the formal "Sie" to address each other.
Conversation 1: Im Bro
Herr Dr. Schmidt Frau Mller Herr Dr. Schmidt Frau Mller Herr Dr. Schmidt Frau Mller Herr Dr. Schmidt
Guten Morgen, Frau Mller. Guten Morgen, Herr Doktor Schmidt. Wie geht es Ihnen? Sehr gut, danke. Und Ihnen? Leider nicht sehr gut. Oh, das tut mir Leid. Auf Wiedersehen, Herr Doktor Schmidt. Auf Wiedersehen.
Glossary das Bro im Bro Herr Frau The office In the office Mister "Frau" is the title used for both maried and single women and approximates to the English Ms., Mrs. or Miss.
Wie geht es "How are you?" As this is an office environment, Ihnen? the formal version is used. Sehr gut, danke. "Very well, thank you". This is short for "Mir geht es sehr gut, danke" ("I'm very well, thank you"), which you could also say at this point.
Und Ihnen? "And you?" This is short for: "Und wie geht es Ihnen?", which you could also say in full if you wished. Leider nicht "Not so good." The word "leider" on its own means sehr gut. "unfortunately". Oh, das tut "Oh, I'm sorry." As in English, this can mean that mir Leid. you are sorry to hear something or sorry because of something that you have done.
1. In German, people greet each other by name more often than we do in Englishspeaking countries. If someone is a doctor of any kind, this title immediately follows "Herr" or "Frau" - e.g. "Herr Doktor Schmidt", or "Frau Professor Meyer". As a general rule, you should avoid using first names in formal circumstances, unless you
are speaking to a child. 2. The formal use of Frulein to translate "Miss" is outdated and should be avoided, not least because the literal translation of Frulein is "little woman"! You should instead use Frau. 3. Asking how someone is is normally a mere conversational formality, and the correct response is some form of "Fine thanks!" (see above). Compared to AngloSaxon countries however, asking about somebody's health is a comparatively private question in Germany, and on a bad day the person asked may give you a detailed run-down on his or her precise state of health! At the station In our second conversation, schoolfriends Michael and Franz bump into each at the station and briefly exchange greetings. They naturally use the informal "du" to address each other.
Conversation 2: Am Bahnhof
Tag, Franz. Hallo, Michael. Wie geht es dir? Gut, danke. Und dir? Prima, danke. Tschs. Tschs. Bis spter.
Glossary The station At the station "How are you?" As these are two young friends who are meeting, they use the informal "du" form. "Great, thank you". The word "prima" should really only be used in informal contexts. Again, you could also say "Mir geht es prima, danke" at this point.
I am...
"Ich bin..."
"Ich bin Herr Schmidt" "Ich bin Frau Braun" "Ich bin Thomas" "Ich bin Ute"
2. When you are introducing other people, you can indicate your relationship to them either before their name or after it. In both cases you would start with the words "Und das ist...":
Vocabulary 7: Introducing other people
And this is... ...my husband Johann ...my wife Sandra ...my son, Markus
"Und das ist..." "...Johann, mein Mann" "...meine Frau Sandra" "...mein Sohn Markus"
...my daughter Britta "...Britta, meine Tochter" You will notice that the German possessive "my" is spelled "mein" when it refers to a male person, but "meine" when it refers to a female. This will be explained in subsequent chapters. What's your name? There are two main ways of asking someone their name and telling them your own. Each of these constructions has two different forms, depending on whether you are in a formal or informal context:
Vocabulary 8: What's your name?
What's your name? Wie heien Sie? Wie heit du? Wie ist Ihr Name? Wie ist dein Name?
(Literally: "How is your name?") There are thus two versions of the German possessive adjective "your", just as there are two words for the pronoun "you":
"Sie" has the pronoun "Ihr". Note the capital letters! "du" has the pronoun "dein".
As the word for name (der Name) is masculine, the possessive "dein" has the same ending as "mein" when it referred to a male person earlier in this section. We will discuss pronouns and possessive adjectives in more detail in the next section.
Pronoun 1st Person 2nd Person 3rd Person ich du Sie er sie es "I" "you" "he" "she" "it"
Possessive mein dein Ihr sein ihr sein "my" "your" "his" "her" "its"
Pronoun 1st Person 2nd Person 3rd Person wir ihr Sie sie "we" "you" "they"
Present tense of German verbs The present tense of the vast majority of German verbs is formed from the infinitive of the verb - the part of speech which equates to the English "to do", "to speak" etc. In German, the infinitive almost always ends in "-en". To construct the individual forms, remove the "-en" from the infinitive and add personal endings to the remaining stem as follows:
Singular ich heie du heit Sie heien er/sie/es heit Plural wir heien ihr heit Sie heien sie heien We are called You are called (informal/formal) They are called I am called You are called (informal/formal) He/she/it is called
The verb "heien" is an example of a "weak" or "regular" verb in that it takes the regular personal endings for a verb in the present tense. The only distinction is that the verb endings for the "du" person is usually "-st" and not "-t" as here. The reason why it is "du heit" and not "du heist" is a logical one if that were the case, you would have three "s"'s in a row! The verb "sein" (= to be) Unfortunately, by no means all verbs are regular. The other verb which we have encountered so far - and also the most commonly used German verb! - is irregular:
Grammar 6: The verb "sein" (= to be)
Singular ich bin du bist Sie sind er/sie/es ist Plural wir sind ihr seid Sie sind sie sind We are You are (informal/formal) They are I am You are (informal/formal) He/she/it is
Anna Mller Margarete Schfer Anna Mller Natascha Schfer Anna Mller Margarete Schfer Anna Mller Natascha Schfer
Guten Tag. Ich heie Frau Mller. Und wie heien Sie? Guten Tag, Frau Mller. Freut mich. Mein Name ist Frau Schfer und das ist Natascha, meine Tochter. Hallo Natascha! Hallo! (looking at Frau Schfer's pram) Und wie heit du? Das ist mein Sohn Winfried. Darf ich mich verabschieden, Frau Mller? Auf Wiedersehen! Schnen Tag noch. Danke. Ihnen auch. Tschs, Natascha! Tschs!
Glossary Freut mich Darf ich mich verabschieden? Schnen Tag noch Ihnen auch Pleased to meet you! "May I say goodbye?" Used in formal contexts only. Have a nice day! "The same to you!" This is of course the formal version of the pronoun
The student Sophie Gerland introduces herself to Professor Robert Jaspert on her first day at the Freie Universitt Berlin (Free University of Berlin).
Conversation 4: An der Universitt
Guten Tag, Professor Jaspert. Darf ich mich vorstellen? Mein Name ist Gerland. (Gibt ihm die Hand.) Guten Tag, Frau Gerland. Bitte nehmen Sie Platz.
Glossary
die Universitt an der Universitt Darf ich mich vorstellen? (Gibt ihm die
The university At the university "May I introduce myself?" Used as a polite phrase in a formal conversation. "She shakes hands with him." Literally: "She
gives him the hand". Not shaking hands in this highly formal context would appear rude. "Please sit down." Note that Professor Jaspert uses the polite "Sie" form when speaking to Sophie, even though she is only 18 years old. He also calls her "Frau Gerland", and not "Frulein" or "Sophie".
Sophie Gerland Barbara Zacharias Marko Tredup Barbara Zacharias Marko Tredup
Hallo Barbara! Darf ich vorstellen? Das ist mein Freund Marko. (Gibt ihm die Hand.) Hallo Marko! Hallo Barbara! Nett, dich kennen zu lernen. Danke, gleichfalls.
Glossary
Darf ich vorstellen? (Gibt ihm die Hand) mein Freund Nett, dich kennen zu lernen. Danke, gleichfalls
"May I introduce?" When introducing someone else, you omit the pronoun "mich" which you use when introducing yourself. Although the fellow students naturally use "du" to each other, they still shake hands on being introduced to each other. Here: "my boyfriend". It is also the word which is used for a "any male friend". "Nice to meet you". An informal response to being introduced. Note that "dich" is the accusative form of the pronoun "du". "Thank you, likewise". Or: "The same to you".
Mutter, darf ich dir meine Freundin Sophie vorstellen? Freut mich, Sie kennen zu lernen, Sophie.
Sophie
Mother "May I introduce ... to you?" Marko uses "dir" (the dative form of "du") because he is talking to his mother. Were he to be speaking in more formal circumstances he would say "Darf ich Ihnen ... vorstellen?" Here: "my girlfriend". It is also the word which is used for a "any female friend".
meine Freundin
Freut mich, Sie "Pleased to meet you." This is a more formal kennen zu version of "Freut mich" which we met in the lernen. first conversation. Note that Frau Tredup calls Sophie "Sie", even though the latter is the same age as her son Marko. Angenehm "Pleased to meet you". It literally just means "pleasant". It is interchangable with "Freut mich" as a polite response when being introduced to someone.
(Sie geben sich They shake hands. Once more, shaking hands die Hand) is an essential part of social etiquette in this context.
10.
Michael
Gisela
20.
Kurt
Elisabeth
These are probably names which the outsider would recognise as "typically German". Yet recent years have seen parents choosing quite different names for their children. According to the German Language Society (GfdS), the ten names most commonly given to babies in 2002 and 2003 were as follows:
The most popular names given to German babies 2003 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. Boys Maximilian Alexander Leon Paul Lukas Felix Luca David Tim Jonas Girls Marie Sophie Maria Anna/e Lea(h) Laura Lena Leonie Julia Sara(h) 2002 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. Boys Alexander Maximilian Paul Leon Lukas Jonas Tim David Niklas Luca Girls Marie Sophie Maria Anna/e Laura Lea Katharina Sarah Julia Lena
Trends It is true to say that fewer traditional or religious names are chosen now than at the start of the century. In an ongoing survey carried out by the German magazine Familie Online for example, 42% of parents stated that they chose the name of the offspring "because they liked it", and 21% "because it was an unusual name". Names are indeed becoming more individual. The nineties witnessed the birth of children named Fritzi-Bo, Sammy-Joy, and Dana-Fee. Whilst only 9% of parents surveyed chose the name of their baby because of biblical connotations, it is clear from the above list that biblical names are by no means dying out - in the mid-1990's they even experienced a renaissance, as evidenced by Boris Becker calling his son Noah. German parents are also increasingly drawing on a broader range of cultures and backgrounds when naming their children. Italian names are becoming ever more popular, especially girls' names such as Chiara and Gina. Regional variations within Germany In South Germany it is more common to find children with two or three first names (such as Franz Josef). In the former East Germany (GDR), parents still tend to give their sons shorter names such as Tim or Tom than those in the West. For girls, the name Michelle is much more common in the East than in the West. Here is the list of the most popular names given to children born in 1996 in Eastern and Western Germany: (Source: Gesellschaft fr deutsche Sprache e.V. (GfdS))
1996: Names given to babies in West and East Germany West 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. Boys Alexander Lukas Maximilian Daniel Michael Christian Philipp Marcel Jan Tobias Girls Maria Julia Katharina Anna/e Laura Marie Sophie Lisa Sara(h) Lena East 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. Boys Maximilian Lukas Philipp Florian Kevin Max Felix Paul Tom Erik Girls Maria Lisa Laura Anna/e Sophia Julia Sara(h) Michelle Vanessa Jessica
Austria and Switzerland In Austria and particularly in Switzerland - where German is but one of four languages spoken -, the variations in name are even more pronounced. The top 10 names given to babies in the year 2000 are listed below for both countries. Note that the Swiss statistics refer to German-speaking Switzerland only! (Sources: Landesverwaltung Steiermark (Austria), Bundesamt fr Statistik (Switzerland)):
2000: Names given to babies in Austria and Switzerland Boys 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. Lukas Florian Michael Daniel Alexander Philipp Fabian Dominik Stefan Matthias Girls Julia Anna Sarah Lisa Katharina Laura Vanessa Viktoria Lena Michelle 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. Boys Luca Jan Simon Joel Lukas David Fabian Marco Noah Jonas Girls Laura Michelle Sarah Lea Julia Jasmin Vanessa Celine Nina Sara
In Switzerland, the difference between the various language groupings is quite pronounced. In German-speaking Switzerland (die Deutschschweiz), Laura has been the most popular name given to female babies since 1995, whereas Luca has been the most popular boys' name since 1997.
In French-speaking areas however, La took over from Laura as top girls' name in 1998, whereas David has been the most important boys' name since 1994. In the Ticino, the Italian-speaking region of Switzerland, Sara and Luca became the most popular names given to babies in the year 2000, whereas Laura and Fabio lead the way in the Rumantsch-speaking regions.
Anna Mller is uncertain how Natascha Schfer spells her Christian name, and decides to ask her.
Conversation 7: N-a-t-a-s-c-h-a
How do you write that? "Capital s." Or literally "big s". If you wanted to say "small s", you would say "kleines s".
Maria Strau goes to the bank to withdraw some money. She gives her details to Herr Klein behind the counter.
Conversation 8: Die Bank
Maria Strau Herr Klein Maria Strau Herr Klein Maria Strau
Guten Morgen. Mein Name ist Maria Strau. Wie buchstabiert man das? Das buchstabiert man: groes s, t, r, a, u, scharfes s. Bitte wiederholen Sie das, langsam. Groes s, t, r, a, u, scharfes s.
Glossary die Bank Wie buchstabiert man das? Das buchstabiert man... scharfes s the bank How do you spell that? It's spelt... "scharfes s" (literally "sharp s") is the name for the "" symbol. It sounds exactly like the "ss" sound. Could you repeat that, slowly?
The pronoun "man" equates to "on" in French, in that it is used when talking about what people in general do - i.e. "one", "you", "they" etc. It takes the third person singular ("er/sie/es") verb endings. I didn't quite catch that! There are a number of other useful phrases which you can use if you haven't quite understood and would like somebody to repeat something:
Could you repeat that?
Wie bitte? ("What did you say?") Noch mal langsam bitte! ("Say that again please, slowly.")
Bitte wiederholen Sie das, langsam. ("Could you repeat that slowly?")
Where are you from? Woher kommen Sie? Woher kommst du? Woher sind Sie? Woher bist du?
You might wish to ask somebody where they live. There is one main phrase for this, but remember to distinguish between the "Sie" and "du" forms depending on the person to whom you are talking!
Vocabulary 2: Where do you live?
Questions 1. You may have noticed that there are different words for "where" in German. "Woher" means "from where", whereas "wo" is the word which is used when no movement is involved. In subsequent chapters we shall also encounter "wohin" which means "to where": 2. Note the word order in German when a question is being asked. The question word comes first, followed by the verb and then the subject of the sentence. We have now met several examples of this:
"Wie geht es Ihnen?" (= "How are you?") "Wie heit du?" (= "What is your name?")
"Wie ist Ihr Name?" ("What is your name?") "Woher kommst du?" ("Where do you come from?") "Wo wohnen Sie?" ("Where do you live?") "Wie schreibt man das?" (= "How do you write that?") "Wie buchstabiert man das?" (= "How do you spell that?")
Present tense of German verbs (2) You will have noted that the verbs "wohnen" (= "to live") and "kommen" (= "to come") used above have the same endings as "heien" in the previous chapter.
Grammar 1: The verb "wohnen" (= to live)
Singular ich wohne du wohnst Sie wohnen er/sie/es wohnt Plural wir wohnen ihr wohnt Sie wohnen sie wohnen We live You live (informal/formal) They live I live You live (informal/formal) He/she/it lives
1. Note that the present tense of a German verb has two possible English translations, e.g. "er wohnt" could either mean "he lives"or "he is living" depending on context. Unlike English, German has no separate form to indicate continuing action. 2. You may also have noted that the endings for the "wir", "sie" (plural) and "Sie" forms are the same for all verbs. Helpfully, in regular verbs their verb form will be exactly the same as the infinitive.
Grammar 2: The verb "kommen" (= to come)
Singular ich komme du kommst Sie kommen er/sie/es kommt Plural wir kommen ihr kommt Sie kommen sie kommen We come You come (informal/formal) They come I come You come (informal/formal) He/she/it comes
Note however that the verb "kommen" is only a regular verb in the present tense. In the vast majority of other German tenses it is irregular and its various forms need to be learned off by heart!
Die Stadt Basel Bern Braunschweig Brssel Genf Hannover Kln Lissabon
Warschau Warsaw
Countries The vast majority of countries have their names written differently in German from how we would spell them in English. Here is a selection of the most important ones:
Vocabulary 4: Das Land - The Country
Das Land Andorra Australien Belgien Brasilien Bulgarien China Dnemark Deutschland England Estland
Country Andorra Australia Belgium Brazil Bulgarien China Denmark Germany England Estonia
Finnland Frankreich Griechenland Grobritannien Indien Irland Island Israel Italien Japan Kanada Kolumbien Kroatien Lettland Liechtenstein Litauen Luxemburg Mazedonien Mexiko Moldawien Monaco Neuseeland Norwegen sterreich Polen Portugal Rumnien Russland Schottland Schweden Slowenien Spanien Sdafrika Sdkorea Tunesien
Finland France Greece Great Britain India Ireland Iceland Israel Italy Japan Canada Colombia Croatian Latvia Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Macedonia Mexico Moldova Monaco New Zealand Norway Austria Poland Portugal Romania Russia Scotland Sweden Slovenian Spain South Africa South Korea Tunisia
Putting everything together To say which city and country you come from or live in, you use the appropriate preposition. Prepositions - words like "in", "on" and "over" - stand in front of a noun or pronoun and relate it to the rest of the sentence. The two prepositions which we need for this section are "in" (= in) and "aus" (= from, out of):
Grammar 3: Prepositions
I'm from... ich komme aus - England - Exeter er ist aus - Hamburg - Deutschland
(Literally: "He is from Hamburg/Germany") Where do you live? Wo wohnst du? I live in... ich wohne in - Wien - sterreich sie wohnt in - Polen - Warschau
(Literally: "She lives in Poland/Warsaw") Simple enough? Unfortunately not. For all German nouns have a gender and so far we have merely established the rules for neuter nouns...
Considering the nouns with which we have come into contact so far for example, a name is masculine in German (der Name), a city is feminine (die Stadt), whereas the word for a country is neuter (das Land). Overall, about 45% of German nouns are masculine, 35% are feminine and 20% are neuter. Although there is no apparent rationale for this classification, guidelines for predicting genders do exist. Yet these rules are far from watertight - indeed there are exceptions to most of them. Against all natural logic, the word for a girl is neuter in German (das Mdchen)! The author Mark Twain famously complained about German nouns: "In German, a young lady has no sex, while a turnip has. Think what overwrought reverence that shows for the turnip, and what callous disrespect for the girl." The unpalatable truth is that whenever you learn a German noun, you have to learn its gender, just as Germans do. The definite article The best way to remember German genders is to learn each noun not as a single, isolated word, but together with the word for "the" that goes with it. We call "the" and its German equivalents the definite article, and unlike English nouns, the definite article in German is used to make the gender of German nouns obvious. Here are the genders of some of the nouns that we have met so far together with the appropriate form of the definite article:
Grammar 4: Gender and the definite article
Masculine der Mann (= the man) der Sohn (= the son) der Freund (= the male friend) der Tag (= the day)
Feminine die Frau (= the woman) die Tochter (= the daughter) die Freundin (= the female friend) die Nacht (= the night)
Neuter das Kind (= the child) das Mdchen (= the girl) das Bro (= the office) das Land (= the country)
Compound nouns Many German nouns are a combination of two or more shorter words - we call them compound nouns. The gender is always that of the last element in the compound noun:
Grammar 5: Compound nouns
Noun der Name (= the name) die Frau (= the woman) das Land (= the country)
Compound noun der Vorname (= the Christian name) die Hausfrau (= the housewife) das Ausland (= abroad)
When you explain that you come from any of these countries, you also have to include the definite article with the preposition - but this article changes from "die" to "der". We shall see in a subsequent section that this is because it is now in the dative case.
Grammar 6: Prepositions and feminine countries
Where are you from? Woher kommen Sie? ich komme aus der Schweiz (Trans.: "I come from Switzerland")
Woher ist Andrea? sie ist aus der Ukraine (Trans.: "She is from the Ukraine") Where do you live? Wo wohnt Mehmet? er wohnt in der Trkei (Trans.: "He lives in Turkey") Plural Countries A small number of countries are written in the plural in German. In this case the definite article changes from "die" to "den":
Phrases ich komme aus den USA (Trans.: "I come from the USA")
sie ist aus den Vereinigten Staaten (Trans.: "She is from the United States")
Notes 1. Note that "die Niederlande" adds an "-n" when we write "in den Niederlanden" or "aus den Niederlanden". This again is a result of the noun now being in the dative case. 2. "Amerika" is often used to translate "the United States", particularly in conversation. It should really only be used to translate the continent of America however. It is a neuter noun and is thus used without a definite article. 3. A few countries are masculine in German, particularly in the Middle East - "der Libanon" (= Lebanon), "der Irak" (= Iraq) "der Iran" (= Iran), "der Jemen" (= Yemen). They too are almost always used with the definite article, which changes from "der" to "dem" when you are describing where you are from.
2.5 Nationalities
Nouns of nationality The German construction for saying which nationality you are is different from in English. Whereas English uses an adjective - i.e. "I am English" -, German uses a noun without a different article - "Ich bin Englnder" (literally: "I am Englishman"). And just as there are different words for "friend" depending on the gender of the person concerned, you would need to employ the feminine version of the noun if the
person being described is a woman - "Ich bin Englnderin" (literally: "I am Englishwoman"):
Nationality table Listed below are the nouns of nationality for the countries which we have encountered so far. Note that:
The vast majority of feminine nouns end in "-in". The major exception is an important one however - "die Deutsche" ("the German woman"). With a few exceptions (der Ungar, der Israeli, der Zypriot), the names of male inhabitants listed below either end in "-e" or "-er". This is a little misleading however. For as we shall see in Chapter 11, the masculine nouns that end in "-e" can in fact take a number of endings depending on the case that they are in and whether they are preceded by an article. For the moment we have given you the endings that you will need to translate "He is a ..." The word for a German man - "der Deutsche" - is an adjectival noun. This type of noun will also be discussed in Chapter 11. Vocabulary 7: Ich bin Englnder(in)
Male Inhabitant Andorraner Australier Belgier Brasilianer Bulgare Chinese Dne Deutscher
Female Inhabitant Andorranerin Australierin Belgierin Brasilianerin Bulgarin Chinesin Dnin Deutsche
England Estland Finnland Frankreich Griechenland Grobritannien Indien Irland Island Israel Italien Japan Kanada Kolumbien Kroatien Lettland Liechtenstein Litauen Luxemburg Mazedonien Mexiko Moldawien Monaco Neuseeland die Niederlande Norwegen sterreich Polen Portugal Rumnien Russland Schottland Schweden die Schweiz die Slowakei
Englnder Este Finne Franzose Grieche Brite Inder Ire Islnder Israeli Italiener Japaner Kanadier Kolumbianer Kroate Lette Litauer Luxemburger Mazedonier Mexikaner Moldawier Monegasse Neuseelnder Hollnder Norweger sterreicher Pole Portugiese Rumne Russe Schotte Schwede Schweizer Slowake
Englnderin Estin Finnin Franzsin Griechin Britin Inderin Irin Islnderin Israeli Italienerin Japanerin Kanadierin Kolumbianerin Kroatin Lettin Litauerin Luxemburgerin Mazedonierin Mexikanerin Moldawierin Monegassin Neuseelnderin Hollnderin Norwegerin sterreicherin Polin Portugiesin Rumnin Russin Schottin Schwedin Schweizerin Slowakin
Liechtensteiner Liechtensteinerin
Slowenien Spanien Sdafrika Sdkorea die Tschechische Republik Tunesien die Trkei die Ukraine Ungarn die USA Wales Zypern
Slowene Spanier Sdafrikaner Sdkoreaner der Tscheche Tunesier der Trke der Ukrainer Ungar (US)Amerikaner Waliser Zypriot
Slowenin Spanierin Sdafrikanerin Sdkoreanerin die Tschechin Tunesierin die Trkin die Ukrainerin Ungarin (US)Amerikanerin Waliserin Zypriotin
Peter Withe Klaus Wagner Peter Withe Klaus Wagner Peter Withe Klaus Wagner Peter Withe
Guten Tag. Guten Tag. Sind Sie vielleicht Auslnder? Ja, ich bin Englnder. Woher kommen Sie? Ich komme aus Birmingham. Sie sind also kein Amerikaner? Nein, ich komme nicht aus den USA. Und Sie?
Klaus Wagner
Ich bin Deutscher. Ich komme aus Norddeutschland. Aber ich wohne hier in Bayern. Mein Name ist Wagner, Klaus Wagner. Und wie heien Sie? Ich heie Withe, Peter Withe.
Peter Withe
Glossary das Caf im Caf der Auslnder Sind Sie vielleicht Auslnder? The caf In the caf A male "foreigner". A female foreigner would be "die Auslnderin". "Are you a foreigner by any chance?" Peter's German accent is not as authentic as he thinks! Note that "Auslnder" is used in exactly the same way as all other nationalities - without a definite article. The literal translation is "Are you perhaps foreigner?" In almost all other contexts, "vielleicht" would be translated as "perhaps". Be very careful of this word in German! It doesn't mean English "also" but "therefore" or "so". "So you're not American?" The word "kein" literally means "not an". "North Germany". This is one word only in German - a compound noun. This means "Bavaria". Many German regions with which we are familiar turn out to have very different names in German.
vielleicht also
Darf ich vorstellen, Herr McNaught aus Glasgow. Frau Melzig aus Hannover. Guten Tag, Herr McNaught. Willkommen in Hannover. Sind Sie Schotte? Ja, er ist Schotte. Er ist in der Nhe von Glasgow geboren.
Herr McNaught Frau Melzig Herr McNaught Herr Loss Herr McNaught Herr Slomka Herr McNaught Herr Loss
Sind Sie Deutsche? Nein. Mein Mann ist Deutscher, aber ich komme aus der Schweiz. Und wie ist Ihr Name, bitte? Das ist Herr Slomka. Woher sind Sie, Herr Slomka? Ich bin aus Moskau. Aha! Sie sind Russe! Sind Sie hier auf Geschftsreise? Nein. Er wohnt hier.
Glossary
der Sitzungssaal im Sitzungssaal Willkommen in Hannover Sind Sie Schotte? ja / nein in der Nhe von Glasgow Er ist ... geboren
The conference room In the conference room "Welcome to Hanover". Note that German uses a different preposition to English in this context. Are you Scottish? "yes / no". But you knew that already, didn't you? This somewhat lengthy construction simply means "near Glasgow". "He was born..." Note that the word "geboren" is always placed right at the end of the clause, after the place in which the person was born. but here Are you here on business?
2.8 Professions
Der Beruf The German construction for explaining what your job is involves the German word for profession - "der Beruf". You have a choice of word order with this construction, and can also choose whether to say "ich bin Manager von Beruf" or simply "ich bin Manager".
Was sind Sie von Beruf? von Beruf bin ich Arzt Was bist du von Beruf? ich bin Arzt (von Beruf) What's her job? Was ist sie von Beruf? She's a... von Beruf ist sie rztin sie ist rztin (von Beruf)
You will have noticed that we use exactly the same construction for professions as we do for nationalities. Whereas in English we would say "I'm a doctor", in German you would say "Ich bin Arzt" (literally - "I am doctor"). Once more, the verb which you will need throughout is the irregular verb "sein". And just as there are two words for "a friend" or "a German" depending on the gender of the speaker, there are also two forms of each profession which need to be learned to employ the feminine version of the noun if the person being described is a woman - "Ich bin rztin". Table of professions Listed below are the names of the most commonly used German professions with their male and female variants.
Vocabulary 8: Professions
Profession Actor Artist Author Bank clerk Business(wo)man Car mechanic Chemist Civil servant Doctor Engineer Farmer Hairdresser Journalist Lawyer Lecturer
Male Variant Schauspieler Knstler Schriftsteller Bankangestellter Geschftsmann Automechaniker Chemiker Beamter Arzt Ingenieur Landwirt Friseur Journalist Rechtsanwalt Dozent
Female Variant Schauspielerin Knstlerin Schriftstellerin Bankangestellte Geschftsfrau Automechanikerin Chemikerin Beamtin rztin Ingenieurin Landwirtin Friseuse Journalistin Rechtsanwltin Dozentin
Nurse Pensioner Photographer Politician Postman Professor Salesperson Secretary Student Taxi driver Teacher Waiter
Krankenpfleger Rentner Fotograf Politiker Brieftrger Professor Verkufer Sekretr Student Taxifahrer Lehrer Kellner
Krankenschwester Rentnerin Fotografin Politikerin Brieftrgerin Professorin Verkuferin Sekretrin Studentin Taxifahrerin Lehrerin Kellnerin
Grammar 1) As you will have noted from the above list, the suffix "-in" is often added in the feminine form - i.e. Kellner + "-in" = Kellnerin. 2) Sometimes the female equivalent modifies slightly with the addition of an "Umlaut" - i.e. Arzt + "-in" = rztin. 3) Occasionally the male form ends in "-in", and the female equivalent in "-e" - i.e. Bankangestellter - "-r" = Bankangestellte. 4) There are sometimes different words altogether for male and female jobs - i.e. Krankenpfleger (male) and Krankenschwester.
Mslm Can Mareike Herda Mslm Can Mareike Herda Mslm Can
Was sind Sie eigentlich von Beruf, Frau Herda? Von Beruf bin ich Lehrerin. Ach nein! Mein Bruder ist auch Lehrer. Das gibt's doch gar nicht! Wo arbeitet er? Hier in Berlin? Nein, nein. Er ist Deutschlehrer in der Trkei. Wir sind beide in der Trkei geboren.
Und was sind Sie von Beruf? Ich bin Gemsehndler. Arbeiten Sie hier in der Stadt? Ja. Ich arbeite in einem kleinen Gemseladen in der Nhe von hier.
Glossary actually; in fact Switching the word order around such that "von Beruf" comes first places slightly more emphasis on the profession. Literally "Oh no!", but the sense is one of surprise: "Really?!" my brother "too; also". Not to be confused with the German word "also" meaning "therefore" (see below). Be very careful of this word in German! It doesn't mean English "also" but "therefore" or "so". "Well I never! You don't say!". A polite expression of great surprise. "Where does he work?". There is no German equivalent of the English word "does". "Er arbeitet" is the sole German translation for "he works", "he is working" and "he does work". "German teacher". Note that this is written as one word in German. We were born .... both of us greengrocer in the city in a little greengrocer's shop near here
eigentlich von Beruf bin ich... Ach nein! mein Bruder auch
also
Deutschlehrer Wir sind ... geboren wir beide der Gemsehndler in der Stadt in einem kleinen Gemseladen in der Nhe von hier
Present tense of the verb "arbeiten" We have met a new verb in this section - "arbeiten" (= "to work"). Although it is a regular verb, some of the endings are slightly different as the stem of the verb ends in "t". To prevent a build-up of unpronouncable and teeth-damaging consonants, an extra "-e" is added before the "du", "er/sie" and "ihr" endings.
Singular ich arbeite du arbeitest Sie arbeiten er/sie/es arbeitet Plural wir arbeiten ihr arbeitet Sie arbeiten sie arbeiten We work You work (informal/formal) They work I work You work (informal/formal) He/she/it works
Location The Federal Republic of Germany is the largest of the German-speaking countries. It is located in Central Europe, and has nine neighbours - Denmark to the North, Netherlands, Belgium, Luxemburg and France to the West, Switzerland and Austria to the South, and the Czech Republic and Poland to the East. This central location has been more pronounced since 3rd October 1990, when Germany was reunited. Due to its central position Germany functions within the EU and NATO as a bridge to the Central and Eastern European states and is an important location for European and global relations. Reunified Germany now is now the sixth largest country in Europe with an area of 137,826 square miles (356,970 sq. km.). Western Germany comprises just over twothirds of this - 96,095 square miles compared with 41,731 square miles in the former Eastern Germany. Germany extends 876 kilometres from its northern border with Denmark to the Alps in the south, and (at its widest) 650 kilometres from the Belgian border in the west to the Polish frontier in the east. The total length of the country's borders is 3,758 kilometres. Population Germany has a population of approximately 82.163 million, the largest in Europe after the Russian Federation, followed by the United Kingdom (58.9 million), France (58.5 million) and Italy (57.5 million). About one fifth of this population live in the former GDR. The Federal Republic of Germany is a densely populated country, with a population density of 230 persons per square kilometre. More than half the German people live
in towns with a population of between 2,000 and 100,000. There are 86 larger towns and cities with more than 100 000 inhabitants spread throughout the country. The five largest cities are Berlin, the official capital with a population of 3,458,800, Hamburg (1,708,500), Munich (1,232,800), Cologne (964,400), and Frankfurt (646,400). There are 7,363,600 foreigners currently living in Germany, which is equal to 8.9% of the population. Just over two million of these come from Turkey, with other sizable immigrant communities coming from the former Yugoslavia, Italy, Greece, Africa and Eastern Europe. Climate The Federal Republic's climate is determined by its location in a zone of temperate climatic conditions with frequent weather changes. There is precipitation all the year round. In the winter the average temperature is between 1.5C in the lowland areas and -6C in the mountains. In the warmest month of the year, July, temperatures are between 18C in low-lying regions and 20C in the sheltered valleys of the south. Progressing from the northwest to the east and southeast, the maritime climate gradually changes into a more continental climate. Geography The whole of northern Germany, through which run the Weser, the Elbe, and smaller rivers, is set in the North European Plain. The Rhine Basin encompasses some of the most beautiful landscape and best wine-growing regions in Europe. Towards the east, this consists of morainic hills containing fertile loess soil. More than a quarter of the whole of Germany is covered with forest. Among the major ranges of the midGerman highlands are the Teutoburger Wald, the Harz Mountains, the Sauerland, Westerwald, and Taunusgebirge. In the west are the Ruhr coalfields, while in the east there are large lignite deposits. Southward the ground gradually rises to the Black Forest (der Schwarzwald), and the Swabian Jura, with dense pine forests and moorland, and potash, salt, and other minerals. In Bavaria, further south, the land becomes rugged. Here are patches of mountain pasture and lakes; to the east is the deep Danube valley. Economy Germany is one of the most highly-industrialised and economically powerful countries in the world. The economic system is classed as a social market economy within which competition has become very pronounced. Unemployment is a problem, not only in the new Federal States. The major sectors of the economy are manufacturing industry, service industries and trade, and transport. Great political importance is attached to environmental protection which is a major concern of the people.
Germany was originally occupied by Teutonic tribes who were driven back across the Rhine by Julius Caesar in 58 BC. When the Roman empire collapsed eight Germanic kingdoms were created, but in the 8th century Charlemagne consolidated these kingdoms under the Franks. The region became part of the Holy Roman Empire in 962, and almost 200 years later was invaded by the Mongols. A period of unrest followed until 1438 when the long rule of the Habsburgs began. The kingdom, now made up of hundreds of states, was torn apart during the Thirty Years War; when this ended with the Peace of Westphalia in 1648, the Elector of Brandenburg-Prussia emerged as a force ready to challenge Austrian supremacy. By the end of the Napoleonic Wars, the alliance of 400 separate German states that had existed within the Holy Roman Empire (962-1806) had been reduced to thirty-eight. At the Congress of Vienna these were formed into a loose grouping, the German Confederation, under Austrian leadership. The Confederation was dissolved as a result of the Austro-Prussian War (1866), and in 1867 all northern Germany formed a new North German Confederation under Prussian leadership. This was in turn dissolved in 1871, and the new German Second empire proclaimed. After Germany's defeat in World War I, the Weimar Republic was instituted, to be replaced in 1933 by the Third Reich under Adolf Hitler. History: 1945 to 1990 In 1945 the victorious Allies divided defeated Germany into four zones of occupation: American, British, French and Soviet. The original intention was to denazify and unite Germany. But with the advent of the Cold War, ideological differences between the Allied powers became apparent, and two German states were formed in 1949: the western Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) and the eastern German Democratic Republic (GDR). The FRG embedded itself in key Western economic and security organizations, the EC and NATO, while the communist GDR was on the front line of the Soviet-led Warsaw Pact. In 1953 East German workers revolted against the communist government, demanding higher salaries, more work and democratic elections. Faced by a steady flow of workers moving from East to West, the GDR government constructed the "antifascist protective wall" which divided Berlin into two. This Wall was 165 kilometres in length and between three and four metres in height. In the West, Konrad Adenauer, as Chancellor (1949-63), was determined to see eventual reunification of Germany and refused to recognize the legal existence of the German Democratic Republic. A crisis developed over Berlin in 1958, when the Soviet Union demanded the withdrawal of Western troops and, in 1961, when it authorized the erection of the Berlin Wall. The Berlin situation began to ease in 1971, during the chancellorship of the social democrat Willy Brandt (1969-74) with his policy of Ostpolitik. This resulted in treaties with the Soviet Union (1970), Poland (1970), Czechoslovakia (1973), and one of mutual recognition and co-operation with the German Democratic Republic (1972), with membership of the UN following in 1973. Economic recovery was assisted after the war by the Marshall Plan. The challenge of rebuilding shattered cities and of absorbing many millions of refugees from eastern
Europe was successfully met, as was that of re-creating systems of social welfare and health provision. The Federal Republic joined NATO in 1955, when both army and airforce were reconstituted; large numbers of US and British troops remained stationed there. In 1957 it signed the Treaty of Rome, becoming a founder-member of the European Economic Community in 1958. Although the pace of economic growth slackened, the economy remained one of the strongest in the world, under a stable democratic regime. History: The present day The decline of the USSR and the end of the Cold War allowed for German reunification. Establishing the terms of political union proceeded quickly in the months following the collapse of the GDR's communist order in late 1989, with reunification itself following on October 3, 1990. This brought together one of the most affluent capitalist countries with one of the most prosperous socialist countries from the Eastern bloc. Yet despite this background, economic and social reunification remains a work in progress. During the forty years they existed side by side, the Federal Republic of Germany and the German Democratic Republic developed very different political, economic and social institutions. Forty years of state ownership and a command economy have left eastern Germany's industry obsolete and unable to compete in the German marketplace. Modernization of the infrastructure of the former GDR and the privatization of its industries has placed a burden on taxpayers in East and West. Economic disparities between east and west still remain. Eastern Germany is home to roughly a fifth of the country's residents, for example, but accounts for only about a tenth of its GDP. The unemployment rate in the east - 17 percent at the beginning of September 2000 - is more than double the rate in the west. In short, the euphoria sparked by the opening of the Berlin Wall has gradually given way to a more sober realization of the full magnitude of the task of rebuilding the east from the ground up. Relocating the seat of German government eastwards from Bonn to new official capital Berlin in 1999 is a symbol however that closing social gaps between east and west must remain the German government's highest priority.
Facts and figures As you can see from the table below, Bayern (Bavaria) is the largest Land in terms of area, whilst Nordrhein-Westfalen (North Rhine-Westphalia) has the largest population. If you click on the names of each federal state, you will be taken to the homepage of the Land. Many of these homepages also have English versions.
The Sixteen German Lnder Land Baden-Wrttemberg Bayern Berlin Brandenburg Bremen Hamburg Hessen Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Niedersachsen Nordrhein-Westfalen Rheinland-Pfalz Capital Stuttgart Munich --------Potsdam ----------------Wiesbaden Schwerin Hanover Dsseldorf Mainz Population (millions) 10.37 12.04 3.45 2.55 0.68 1.71 6.03 1.82 7.82 17.95 3.88 Area (km) 35,751 70,554 889 29,476 404 755 21,114 23,421 47,348 34,072 19,846
The English translation of the German Lnder names Many of these German Lnder have English equivalents - although the English version of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern is no less of a mouthful! Note in particular the very different German name for what we call Bavaria.
English translations of German Lnder
German Bayern Hessen MecklenburgVorpommern Niedersachsen Nordrhein-Westfalen Rheinland-Pfalz Sachsen Sachsen-Anhalt Thringen
English Bavaria Hesse Mecklenburg WestVorpomerania Lower Saxony North Rhine-Westphalia Rhineland-Palatinate Saxony Saxony-Anhalt Thuringia
In the next chapter, we will visit the only German Land which is made up of territory from both East and West Germany - the new capital Berlin.
Claudia Stenzel
Anna Mller Claudia Stenzel Anna Mller Claudia Stenzel Anna Mller Claudia Stenzel Anna Mller Claudia Stenzel Anna Mller Claudia Stenzel Anna Mller Claudia Stenzel Anna Mller Claudia Stenzel Anna Mller Claudia Stenzel Anna Mller
Ich heie Anna Mller. Wie alt sind Sie, Frau Mller? Ich bin fnfzig Jahre alt. Woher kommen Sie? Sind Sie aus Berlin? Ich wohne jetzt in Berlin, ich komme aber aus Linz. Wo ist Linz? Linz liegt in sterreich. Was sind Sie von Beruf? Von Beruf bin ich Sekretrin. Sind sie verheiratet? Ja, ich bin verheiratet, Frau Stenzel. Haben Sie auch Kinder? Ja, wir haben zwei Kinder. Wir haben einen Sohn und auch eine Tochter. Wie heit Ihr Sohn, und wie alt ist er? Unser Sohn heit Lukas. Er ist zwanzig Jahre alt. Und Ihre Tochter? Unsere Tochter heit Julia. Sie ist siebzehn Jahre alt.
Glossary
please "How old are you?" This construction will be explained in detail in the next section. Note that Claudia is using the polite "Sie" form when addressing Frau Mller. "I am 50 years old." See next section for explanation. "Are you from Berlin?" In many questions, the verb is the first element followed by the subject of the sentence. "Where is Linz?" For questions which ask "Who?", "Where?" or "Why?" for example, the question word comes first, followed by the verb and then the subject of the sentence. "Linz is in Austria." Literally: "Linz lies in Austria." You could also say: "Linz ist in sterreich." This means "secretary". Note the feminine "in" suffix to describe Anna Mller. "Are you married?" Again note the word order for questions without a question word. Yes, I am married. This is the word for "children". Whereas English nouns (except for "children"!) tend to end in "-s" in the plural, German has a whole range of plurals which need to be learned along with the gender.
ich bin fnfzig Jahre alt Sind Sie aus Berlin? Wo ist Linz?
Linz liegt in sterreich die Sekretrin sind Sie verheiratet? ja, ich bin verheiratet Kinder
haben Sie auch Do you also have children? Kinder? Ja, wir haben zwei Kinder Wir haben einen Sohn... ... und eine Tochter Ihr Sohn unser Sohn Wie alt ist er? er ist zwanzig Jahre alt Ihre Tochter unsere Tochter "Yes, we have two children." Although the verb "haben" ("to have") might look regular, it is in fact irregular (see next section). we have a son... ... and a daughter your son Our son How old is he? he is twenty years old your daughter our daughter
Singular wie alt bin ich? wie alt bist du? wie alt sind Sie? wie alt ist er/sie? Plural wie alt sind wir? wie alt seid ihr? wie alt sind Sie? wie alt sind sie? (How old are we?) (How old are you?) (How old are they?) (How old am I?) (How old are you?) (How old is he/she?)
Singular ich bin 20 Jahre alt du bist 20 Jahre alt Sie sind 20 Jahre alt er ist 20 Jahre alt sie ist 20 Jahre alt Plural wir sind 20 Jahre alt (We are 20 years old) (I am 20 years old) (You are 20 years old)
ihr seid 20 Jahre alt (You are 20 years old) Sie sind 20 Jahre alt sie sind 20 Jahre alt (They are 20 years old)
Different types of questions In the previous chapter we looked at word order in questions where there are specific question words. If you remember, the question word comes first, followed by the verb and then the subject of the sentence:
"Wie geht es Ihnen?" ("How are you?") "Woher kommst du?" ("Where do you come from?") "Wo wohnen Sie?" ("Where do you live?")
We have seen from the previous conversation however that if there is no specific question word in the clause, you should put the verb first, followed by the subject of the sentence:
"Sind Sie verheiratet?" ("Are you married?") "Haben Sie Kinder?" ("Do you have children?") "Darf ich mich verabschieden?" ("May I say goodbye?")
Present tense of the verb "haben" The German verb "haben" (= "to have") is another common German verb which is irregular. The "-b-" of the stem disappears in both the "du" and the "er/sie" forms of the present tense:
Grammar 1: The verb "haben" (= to have)
Singular ich habe du hast Sie haben er/sie/es hat Plural wir haben ihr habt Sie wohnen sie haben We have You have (informal/formal) They have I have You have (informal/formal) He/she/it has
Willkommen im Studio! Wer sind Sie? Mein Name ist Mslm Can. Was sind Sie von Beruf? Ich bin Gemsehndler hier in
Kreuzberg. Claudia Stenzel Mslm Can Claudia Stenzel Mslm Can Sind sie verheiratet? Nein, ich bin nicht verheiratet. Ich habe auch keine Kinder. Haben Sie Geschwister? Ja, ich habe einen Bruder und zwei Schwestern. Sie wohnen alle in der Trkei. Haben Sie Haustiere? Ja, meine Eltern haben einen Hund. Und mein Grovater hat eine Katze. Und wie heien sie? Der Hund heit Rex und die Katze heit Mieze. Die Katze mag den Hund nicht. Und er mag sie auch nicht!
Glossary Wer sind Sie? "Who are you?" In this context this seems to be quite an abrupt way of asking somebody's name! Mslm is a greengrocer. Don't you remember? Kreuzberg is a region of Berlin inhabited by people of many nationalities. Click here to visit the official homepage of Kreuzberg. "I am not married." Just as in English, the German word for not - "nicht" - precedes an adjective. "I don't have any children." Literally: "I have no children". The German word "kein(e)" means "not any" or "no(ne)". "Do you have any brothers or sisters?" The useful word "Geschwister" means "brothers and sisters". "I have a brother". The next section will explain the endings on the indefinite article "einen". "I am 50 years old." See next section for explanation. This means "everyone; all of them". The full sentence would thus be translated as "They all live in Turkey". "Pets". One pet would be "ein Haustier". "My parents". The word "Eltern" is only used in the plural. This is the word for a "dog". The next
ich bin nicht verheiratet ich habe keine Kinder Haben Sie Geschwister? ich habe einen Bruder zwei Schwestern alle
section will explain the endings on the indefinite article "einen". mein Grovater eine Katze Mieze Die Katze mag den Hund nicht my grandfather Mslm's grandfather has "a cat". "Mieze" approximates to the English "puss" or "pussy". "The cat doesn't like the dog". Literally: "The cat likes the dog not." Although the German word for "not" - "nicht" - precedes an adjective (see above), it follows the object of a sentence. "Er" (= "he") refers back to the masculine noun "der Hund", while "sie" (= "she") refers back to the feminine noun "die Katze".
er...sie
Guidelines for forming the plural It will later be possible to determine a number of rules as to which noun takes which plural ending. For the moment, we will restrict ourselves to pointing out a few general guidelines - but (as ever!) there are a large number of exceptions to these rules!
1. Feminine nouns
Feminine nouns are the most predictable in their plural form. The majority of them add "-en": i.e. Frau + "-en" = Frauen. Feminine nouns which end in "-in" (such as those describing professions and nationalities) add "-nen" in the plural: i.e. Freundin + "-nen" = Freundinnen. Or: Englnderin + "-nen" = Englnderinnen. Yet take care: some feminine nouns also forms their plurals in other ways, such as Nchte and Tchter!
Masculine ein Mann ("a man") ein Freund ("a friend") ein Sohn
Feminine eine Frau ("a woman") eine Freundin ("a friend") eine Tochter
Neuter ein Kind ("a child") ein Bro ("an office") ein Mdchen
The plural of definite and indefinite articles The definite article of a plural noun is always "die", regardless of gender, as the table below displays:
Grammar 4: Plural of the definite article
Singular der Mann ("the man") Plural die Mnner ("the men") die Frauen ("the women") die Kinder ("the children") die Frau ("the woman") das Kind ("the child")
Just as in English, the indefinite article disappears in the plural in German. So just as the plural of "a son" in English is "sons", the plural of "ein Sohn" is "Shne". The word "kein" The simple translation of the German word "kein" is "no" as in Mslm Can's statement: "Ich habe keine Kinder" (= I have no children). However "kein" is also used to translate "not a". The literal translation "nicht ein" should be avoided. Thus you could either translate "Ich habe keine Kinder" as "I don't have any children" or "I haven't got any children". As far as endings are concerned, "kein" behaves just like the indefinite article "ein":
Grammar 5: The word "kein"
Feminine
But these are only the endings for "kein" when it is the subject of a sentence i.e. in a sentence such as "No child was unhappy". But "kein" is used most often to describe the objects of sentences and takes quite different endings. We will discover what these are in the next section.
Nominative Masculine Feminine Neuter Plural der Mann die Frau das Kind die Eltern
The accusative of the indefinite article The same phenomenon came be observed when the indefinite article is used: 1) Ein Hund mag eine Katze. ("A dog likes a cat.") 2) Eine Katze mag einen Hund. ("A cat likes a dog.")
Grammar 7: The indefinite article
Nominative Masculine Feminine Neuter ein Mann eine Frau ein Kind
The accusative of "kein" Logically enough, the negative "kein" declines in exactly the same way as "ein" in the accusative: 1) Ein Hund mag keine Katze. ("A dog doesn't like a cat.") 2) Eine Katze mag keinen Hund. ("A cat doesn't like a dog.")
Nominative Masculine kein Mann Feminine Neuter Plural keine Frau kein Kind keine Eltern
Remember in particular that while "nicht" negates a verb (or an adjective or adverb), "kein" negates a noun. So the opposite of "Ich habe ein Kind" is not "Ich habe nicht ein Kind" but "Ich habe kein Kind".
Masculine My Your (sing.) His Her Its Our Your (plural) Their Her Its mein dein Ihr sein ihr sein unser euer Ihr ihr ihr sein
Feminine meine deine Ihre seine ihre seine unsere eure Ihre ihre ihre seine
Neuter Plural mein dein Ihr sein ihr sein unser euer Ihr ihr ihr sein meine deine Ihre seine ihre seine unsere eure Ihre ihre ihre seine
Once again, we find that the endings on all possessive adjectives change when they are in the accusative. We require a second table to explain these fully:
Grammar 10: Accusative of possessive adjectives
Masculine My Your (sing.) His Her Its Our Your (plural) Their Her Its meinen deinen Ihren seinen ihren seinen unseren euren Ihren ihren ihren seinen
Feminine meine deine Ihre seine ihre seine unsere eure Ihre ihre ihre seine
Neuter Plural mein dein Ihr sein ihr sein unser euer Ihr ihr ihr sein meine deine Ihre seine ihre seine unsere eure Ihre ihre ihre seine
Grammatical points 1) Be very careful to distinguish between Ihr (= "your" (polite)) and ihr (= "their; her"). The capital letter is crucial here! 2) The spelling of the various forms of euer, which means "your" when you are addressing more than one person informally, can prove difficult. When an ending is
added to "euer", the second "-e-" of the stem disappears. So whilst "your child" is "euer Kind", "your children" translates as "eure Kinder", and "your cat" is "eure Katze".
eins zwei drei vier fnf sechs sieben acht neun zehn
elf zwlf dreizehn vierzehn fnfzehn sechzehn siebzehn achtzehn neunzehn zwanzig
Notes 1) "Eins" is used for counting and when you are reading out telephone numbers or a list of lottery numbers. When it precedes a noun - e.g. "one house", then you should use "ein(e)" as discussed in the previous sections on the indefinite article. 2) All numbers other than "eins" do not add endings - i.e. "vier Jahre", "acht Mnner". 3) Sometimes "zwo" is used instead of "zwei" in spoken German to make sure that the similar-sounding "zwei" and "drei" are not confused, especially over the phone.
4) Numbers "thirteen" to "nineteen" are formed by adding the suffix "-zehn" to the appropriate number. Note however that "sechs" loses its final "-s" in "sechzehn", and that "sieben" likewise loses its "-en" in "siebzehn". 5) The German word for "zero" is "null". How the numbers are written Although Germany uses the same numbers as English, they are written in a slightly different way:
The German number one consists not only of a straight vertical line, but also a second line slanting down diagonally to the left. The German number seven is always crossed with a horizontal bar. This is what distinguishes it from the number one.
barricaded shut and that all the furniture has been placed on the roof! Their first task as a a married couple is thus to rescue their furniture and get into their house without any outside help. In other rural areas, the first task of the bride and groom on leaving the church is to saw through a log using a 2-man log saw. Not very practical if you're wearing a wedding dress or a tuxedo... Given the strenuous and expensive nature of a traditional wedding, it seems hardly surprising that an increasing number of Germans forsake the additional chuch ceremony (die kirchliche Trauung) and make do with a simple civil ceremony (die zivile Trauung) at a registry office (das Standesamt). This civil ceremony is required by law. The money thus saved can then be spent on on the honeymoon (die Flitterwochen). To marry or not to marry? As in other European countries, marriage (die Ehe) no longer holds such a central place in German society as it used to. Firstly, more marriages now end in divorce (die Ehescheidung) than ever before. In 1960, only 0.9 out of 1000 Germans had been part of a marriage that ended in divorce. By 1990 this figure had more than doubled to 1.9 per thousand inhabitants. One in three marriages now ends in divorce, with a record 194,408 divorces being registered in the year 2000. Secondly, fewer Germans choose to get married in the first place. There were only 442,000 marriages in Germany in 1993 compared to 690,000 marriages in 1960. The decline in the number of marriages is particularly pronounced in the former GDR, where the number of marriages dropped by over 50 per cent between 1990 and 1993. This can be explained partially by the dramatic social changes in the former East Germany brought about by reunification and partially by the fact that under socialism many couples had chosen to marry primarily in order to secure better accommodation and child-care benefits. More and more couples are choosing instead to live as non-married partners (der Partner; die Partnerin) in a so-called Lebenspartnerschaft (partnership for life), a relationship that is now recognised and protected by civil law. Between 1972 and 1990, the number of such households increased sevenfold, to 963,000, or 2.7 percent of all households. And by 1999 there were 2.1 million unmarried (unverheiratet) German couples living together which meant that one couple in ten did not have a marriage certificate. In the new German states and in the eastern part of Berlin, living together outside of marriage is very common: one couple in eight have no marriage certificate. Many of these are young couples who are choosing to live together before getting married. In 1992 the average age at first marriage had risen to 29.0 for men and 26.5 for women in the old Lnder, compared with 27.1 for men and 25.1 for women in the new Lnder. To have children or not to have children? Equally noticeable is the falling birth rate in Germany with more and more couples choosing not to have children. For about 25 years the birth rate has been one third below the level necessary to replenish the population. In 1950 the average number of persons in German households was 3.0. By 1990 this figure had declined to 2.3. In the early 1990s, only foreign families were regularly having two or more children, with the Turkish subgroup being the largest in terms of family size. The slump in the birth-rate has been particularly pronounced after reunification in the east of Germany where a combination of high female unemployment and the dismantling of the GDR's child-care system has dissuaded women from starting a family.
The Federal Government has become increasingly aware of the need to promote family life and as of 1 January 2001 new legislation governing child-raising benefit came into force, entitling both parents to apply for child-raising leave simultaneously and spend up to 30 hours a week in part-time work. The aim was to redress the traditional role division between the sexes whereby mothers typically stayed at home to look after their children, which had an adverse effect on their professional lives. The one area in which marriage is on the increase is in the gay and lesbian communities. From August 2001 onwards, same-sex couples can marry in registry offices and enjoy all the rights that heterosexual spouses have in areas such as inheritance and health insurance. Foreign partners of German gays and lesbians are also now allowed to join them in Germany.
Neffen Cousins
Vocabulary 5: Female family members Singular wife partner mother stepmother mother-in-law grandmother sister stepsister twin sister sister-in-law daughter granddaughter stepdaughter daughter-in-law aunt niece cousin (female) die Frau die Partnerin die Lebenspartnerin die Mutter die Stiefmutter die Schwiegermutter die Gromutter die Oma die Schwester die Stiefschwester die Zwillingsschwester die Schwgerin die Tochter die Enkelin die Stieftochter die Schwiegertochter die Tante die Nichte die Cousine Plural Frauen Partnerinnen Lebenspartnerinnen Mtter Stiefmtter Schwiegermtter Gromtter Omas Schwestern Stiefschwestern Zwillingsschwestern Schwgerinnen Tchter Enkelinnen Stieftchter Schwiegertchter Tanten Nichten Cousinen
Vocabulary 6: Neuter family members Singular girl child grandchild stepchild only child das Mdchen das Kind das Enkelkind das Stiefkind das Einzelkind Plural Mdchen Kinder Enkelkinder Stiefkinder Einzelkinder
Vocabulary 7: Plural family members English brothers and sisters parents grandparents step-parents parents-in-law twins Haben Sie Familie? Do you have any family? Haben Sie Kinder? Do you have any children? ich habe einen Sohn I have a son ich habe keine Kinder I have no children Hast du Geschwister? Do you have any brothers or sisters? ich habe eine Stiefschwester I have a step-sister ich habe keine Geschwister I have no brothers or sisters ich bin Einzelkind I am an only child ich bin verheiratet I am married ich wohne mit einem Partner zusammen ich wohne mit einer Partnerin zusammen I live with my partner ich bin geschieden I am divorced ich bin ledig I'm not married ich bin verwitwet I am widowed German Geschwister Eltern Groeltern Stiefeltern Schwiegereltern Zwillinge Vocabulary 8: Family phrases
Vocabulary 10: Pets (feminine) Singular bee cat cow crow goat goose hen lizard mouse owl die Biene die Katze die Kuh die Krhe die Ziege die Gans die Henne die Eidechse die Maus die Eule Plural Bienen Katzen Khe Krhen Ziegen Gnse Hennen Eidechsen Muse Eulen
Vocabulary 11: Pets (neuter) Singular animal chick guinea-pig horse insect pet rabbit sheep das Tier das Kken das Meerschweinchen das Pferd das Insekt das Haustier das Kaninchen das Schaf Plural Tiere Kken Meerschweinchen Pferde Insekten Haustiere Kaninchen Schafe
Man(n)'s best friend? The poster states proudly: "Wir gehren zusammen!" - "We belong together". And it is immediately apparent to the outsider that Germans adore their dogs. Cats are much less visible in German cities - there is a law which says they have to be kept in, and this is respected in Germany. Dogs, on the other hand, are taken everywhere. It's not unusual to see them in restaurants with their own water bowls supplied by the proprietor. This is in part because German dogs have traditionally been well-behaved - they all have to be registered and vaccinated against rabies (die Tollwut), as this is prevalent in many areas among wildlife. You will also see signs in every park pointing out the strict "pooper-scooper" laws and designating special areas for dogs to swim in so that the rest is more pleasant for human bathers. There are however several initiatives to help owners. Some parks or streets have a special area designated as a "Hundeklo" (= "doggy loo"). In popular dog-walking areas you will see vending machines (der Automat) for bags and scoops to get rid of mess, and bins are also provided. In Vienna, for example, certain areas are clearly designated as either "dog-free" (das Hundeverbot), "dog zones" (die Hundezone) or "a suitable place to walk your dogs" (der Hundeauslaufplatz).
Dog ownership however is one area in which the Germans are inclined to turn a blind eye to the regulations. John Hooper, Berlin correspondent for The Guardian recently wrote: "There are more dogs in Berlin than in most of Germany's other big cities put together. And an astonishing number can be found off their leads, not just rambling in the parks, but ambling along pavements, lounging in cafes and bars, and even in restaurants and clubs. Even members of the most popular breed, the pit bull terrier, roam about unhindered, along with rottweilers, dobermans and other dogs that look as if they eat a poodle or two for breakfast." Until recently that is. The tragic death of a six-year-old Turkish boy in Hamburg at the hands of a pit-bull terrier and a Staffordshire terrier in July 2000 finally provoked the authorities into action after a growing number of children had been attacked by fighting dogs (der Kampfhund) ("fighting dogs"). Since then a number of measures have been introduced on a regional level to control how dangerous dogs are kept. These include stricter implementation of "der Leinenzwang", the requirement that certain dogs are kept on a leash in public, and the "der Maulkorbzwang", the requirement that certain dogs are muzzled. Some commentators have gone as far as to suggest that all dogs, regardless of breed, should be kept on a leash when out in public. And in Berlin, anyone owning pitbulls, American Staffordshire terriers, bull terriers or Tosa Inu must have them sterilised. These measure have proved unpopular with dog owners, and they are digging their heels in for a long battle with the authorities. Pet Sounds The noises made by animals are written in different ways in different languages.
While English dogs go "woof, woof", French dogs go "ouah, ouah", Albanian dogs go "ham, ham", Greek dogs go "gav, gav", Korean dogs go "mung, mung", Italian dogs go "bau, bau" - and German dogs go "wau, wau"!
Kellnerin Ken McNaught Kellnerin Ken McNaught Kellnerin Ken McNaught Kellnerin Ken McNaught Kellnerin Ken McNaught Kellnerin Ken McNaught Kellnerin Ken McNaught Kellnerin Ken McNaught
Guten Morgen! Guten Morgen! Bitte schn? Was bekommen Sie? Kaffee, bitte. Eine Tasse oder ein Knnchen? Eine Tasse. Mit Milch und Zucker? Mit Milch aber ohne Zucker. Mchten Sie sonst noch etwas? Und ein Stck Sachertorte. (Sie kommt zurck.) Bitte sehr. Ein Stck Sachertorte, eine Tasse Kaffee. Vielen Dank. Ich mchte gleich zahlen. Das macht neun Euro fnfzig, bitte. Zehn Euro. Bitte schn. Stimmt so. Ich danke Ihnen. Auf Wiedersehen!
Kellnerin
Auf Wiedersehen!
Glossary das Caf im Caf die Kellnerin bitte schn The caf in the caf waitress This is essentially an invitation to speak. We might translate it by "What can I get you?" "Bitte" normally means "please".
Was bekommen "What can I get you?" This is one of many Sie? ways of asking in German what a customer wants. der Kaffee die Tasse das Knnchen coffee cup This is the word for a "pot" of coffee. In some cafs you might be required to order a pot of coffee rather than a cup. milk sugar without "With milk but without sugar." As in English, the definite article is omitted in this context. "Would you like anything else?" The waitress naturally uses the polite form "Sie" to address her customers. a piece This is a variety of chocolate gateau, invented in 1832 by Metternich's Viennese cook, Franz Sacher. See the picture at the top of the page or click here for a recipe. This is a what the waitress says when she puts your food in front of you. We might possibly translate it by "There you go". (She comes back) This means "Many thanks". It expresses more gratefulness than the word "danke". immediately I would like to pay immediately "It comes to...". Literally: "This makes..." nine euros fifty (cents)
die Milch der Zucker ohne mit Milch aber ohne Zucker Mchten Sie sonst noch etwas? das Stck die Sachertorte
bitte sehr
(Sie kommt zurck) vielen Dank gleich ich mchte gleich zahlen das macht... neun Euro fnfzig
bitte schn
Ken gives the waitress the money and thus uses the same phrase as she had done when she brought him the food. Literally: "(That's) correct like that". We would translate it by saying "Keep the change!" Literally: "I thank you." It is simply another variant of "Thanks!".
Herr Aksoy Sonja Malchow Herr Aksoy Sonja Malchow Herr Aksoy Sonja Malchow Herr Aksoy Sonja Malchow Herr Aksoy Sonja Malchow Herr Aksoy Verena Offenberg Herr Aksoy Verena Offenberg Herr Aksoy
Guten Morgen! Guten Morgen! Bitte schn? Was wnschen Sie? Ich mchte gerne eine Bratwurst, bitte. Eine groe oder eine kleine? Eine kleine, bitte. Mit Ketschup und Pommes? Mit Ketschup aber ohne Pommes. Mchten Sie auch ein Brtchen? Ja, bitte. Gerne. Ein Euro achtzig, bitte. Und ich nehme eine Currywurst. Ein Euro siebzig, bitte. Zehn Euro. (She hands over a ten euro note.) Danke sehr! Und sechs Euro und fnfzig zurck. Guten Appetit!
Verena Offenberg
Danke schn!
Glossary der Imbiss This is one of several words for a "snack bar". You might also see the words "der Schnellimbiss", "die Imbissbude" or "die Wrstchenbude" ("sausage stand"). "What would you like?" Having started with "Bitte schn", the conventional request for information, Herr Aksoy chooses to ask more specifically. "I would like...". "Ich mchte..." on its own could be also be used here without "gerne". Note that anything that you ask for will be in the accusative case! "A (fried) sausage". Usually served with a roll. The German reputation for eating sausages is certainly borne out by the choice offered at their snack bars! a big (sausage)... "...or a small (sausage)?" If the noun has already been mentioned immediately beforehand, it does not need to be repeated when you are describing it by means of an adjective. please Unsurprisingly, this means "ketchup". Until the recent German spelling reform, it was spelled the same way as the English word. "Chips". From the French "Pommes frites". While "Pommes frites" is the version listed in German dictionaries, you are just as likely to hear "Pommes". "Would you like...?" See the conversation in the first section.
eine Bratwurst
das Brtchen "A bread roll". All nouns ending in "-chen" are neuter - including "das Mdchen". The suffix "chen" means "little" or "small". gerne Another word that is difficult to translate. "Gerne" on its own means "happily" or "willingly". The combination "Ja, gerne" translates as a more enthusiastic version of "Yes please!" "One euro eighty (cents)". "A curried sausage". Very few German words
begin with "c", and many of those that do are as here - imported from other languages. "One euro seventy (cents)". "many thanks" (literally: "thanks very") Literally "back", but here we would translate it as "in return". "Enjoy your food!" or "bon appetit".
Bitte" is also used as a response to "danke", which is the German equivalent of "thanks" or "thank you". "Bitte" then means "You're welcome!" or "Don't mention it!". This acknowledgement of thanks is not simply a matter of politeness - it can be impolite not to follow a "danke" with a "bitte", since to a German speaker you may appear to be refusing their thanks. "Danke" is often followed by either "schn" or "sehr". If so, then the "bitte" response will be similarly modified. The following table listens the pattern of responses:
Vocabulary 1: "Danke" and "bitte"
Thanks! danke danke schn danke sehr vielen Dank ich danke Ihnen/dir
You're welcome! bitte bitte schn bitte sehr any of the above any of the above
The other forms of saying thanks - "vielen Dank" (= many thanks) and "ich danke Ihnen/dir" (= I thank you) have no specific predetermined answer, but do require some form of "bitte (schn/sehr)".
raise prices on the sly. The price of everyday times staples such as bread and restaurant meals have been particularly affected, with price rises of 100% being registered on some consumer staples. Consumer groups and tabloid newspapers have rechristened the new currency "der Teuro", which is a play on the German word for expensive "teuer". As the alleged price increases were not reflected in the rate of inflation, the German government was initially slow to react to popular discontent. Having been overcharged for a sandwich in May 2002 however, Finance Minister Hans Eichel called for a consumer boycott of businesses which had tried to cash in on the currency changeover. Consumer affairs minister Renate Knast has also convened a meeting with retail and trade groups to push for "a return to fair prices." But the overall impression remains that the changeover to the new currency has been much more successful than Euro-sceptics had predicted. Although an opinion poll conducted in February 2002 showed that 48% of Germans regret the loss of the mark, a roughly equal number said that they were satisfied with the new euro currency.
There are of course no fixed exchange rates for currencies of countries which are not in the Eurozone. In June 2002, one euro was worth 0.643 British pounds (and one British pound was thus worth 1.555 euros). One euro was also worth 0.945 United States dollars.
specific architectural style. Gateways and windows are intended to symbolise the European spirit of openness and co-operation, whereas bridges symbolise the close co-operation and communication between Europe and the rest of the world. The 5 euro note represents the classical architectural style, the 10 euro note has a romanesque design, the 20 euro note has a gothic motif, the 50 euro note represents the renaissance period, the 100 euro note depicts the baroque and rococo periods, the 200 euro note displays iron and glass architecture and the 500 euro note depicts modern 20th Century architecture.
Euro banknotes
5 Euro (5) 10 Euro (10) 20 Euro (20) 50 Euro (50) 100 Euro (100) 200 Euro (200) 500 Euro (500)
German euro coins The eight denominations of coins vary in size, colour and thickness according to their values. Alongside the one and two euro coins, there are six coins of the smaller denomination the cent (der Cent). One hundred cents are equal to one euro. The front of each coin features one of three designs common to all twelve euro area countries showing different maps of Europe surrounded by the twelve stars of the European Union. The reverse side of each coin shows individual designs relating to the respective member state. (Euro coins can of course be used anywhere in the euro area, regardless of their national sides.) The one and two euro coins have the eagle, the traditional symbol of German sovereignty on the back. The 10, 20 and 50 cent coins have the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin. The 1, 2 and 5 cent coins have an oak twig on the reverse - a symbol of continuity, as this motif was also to be found on the German pfennig coins which have just been phased out.
German euro coins
1 Cent
2 Cent
5 Cent
10 Cent
20 Cent
50 Cent
1 Euro (1)
2 Euro (2)
How to express the euro notes and coins in German Compound nouns are used in German to translate items such as a "five euro note" or a "two cent piece". Such nouns begin with a capital letter and their gender is determined by the final element of the compound noun. The German word for a banknote is der Schein (-e) and the word for a coin is die Mnze (-n). When describing specific denominations of coin however, das Stck (-e) is used in German compound nouns instead of "die Mnze". It literally means "piece" in the same way as the English "twenty pence piece".
der Schein (-e) (note) das Eurostck (-e) (one euro coin) das Zweieurostck (-e) (two euro coin) der Fnfeuroschein (-e) (five euro note) der Zehneuroschein (-e) (ten euro note) der Zwanzigeuroschein (-e) (twenty euro note) der Fnfzigeuroschein (-e) (fifty euro note) der Hunderteuroschein (-e) (hundred euro note) der Zweihunderteuroschein (-e) (two hundred euro note)
die Mnze (-n) (coin) das Centstck (-e) (one cent coin) das Zweicentstck (-e) (two cent coin) das Fnfcentstck (-e) (five cent coin) das Zehncentstck (-e) (ten cent coin) das Zwanzigcentstck (-e) (twenty cent coin) das Fnfzigcentstck (-e) (fifty cent coin)
Remember to use a comma and not a full stop to separate euros and cents!
der Euro (euro) das Pfund (pound) der Franken (Swiss franc) der Yen (Japanese yen) die Mark die D-Mark die deutsche Mark (German mark)
der Cent (cent) der Dollar (dollar) der Rappen (Swiss centime) der Rubel (Russian rouble)
Note therefore that while there are three different ways of expressing the former German currency, none of them were the word "Deutschmark" - which only existed in English! How to express prices When we express prices in English, the currency itself will be in the plural if the number is greater than one e.g. "three euros and eighty cents", "two pounds fifty" etc. In German prices however, the currency is always in the singular in prices regardless of the amount - drei Euro achtzig, zwei Pfund fnfzig. Similarly, although one euro consists of a hundred cents, the word "Cent" is only written in the singular in German prices - i.e. zwlf Euro (und) zehn Cent (= twelve euros and ten cents). Note that in written German, a comma is invariably used in prices where we would put a decimal point in English. Thus 3,99 (or 3,99 ) means "three euros and ninety-nine cents". In shops and supermarkets however, price tickets can either display a comma or a decimal point, as the price tags below display. When a price ends in a round number of euros, as in the list of drinks prices on the board in the picture below, it is most commonly written as 5,- etc. The reverse is also true. Whereas English uses a comma to split up large numbers, German uses a decimal point. So " 2.635" means "two thousand six hundred and thirty-five euros" - not "two point six three five euros"!
21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30
einundzwanzig zweiundzwanzig dreiundzwanzig vierundzwanzig fnfundzwanzig sechsundzwanzig siebenundzwanzig achtundzwanzig neunundzwanzig dreiig
31 32 40 45 50 54 60 70 80 90
einunddreiig zweiunddreiig vierzig fnfundvierzig fnfzig vierundfnfzig sechzig siebzig achtzig neunzig
Explanation 1. The biggest difficulty which English-speakers experience with German numbers is that cardinal numbers above twenty appear to be formed "backwards". Whereas we say "twenty-four", German says "vierundzwanzig" (= four and twenty) like the "fourand-twenty blackbirds" in the nursery rhyme "Sing a Song of Sixpence". This takes a lot of getting used to! Note in particular the difference between 45 and 54 in the list above. English-speakers often get such similar pairs of numbers the wrong way round. 2. Note too that German numbers greater than twelve are seldom written as words, except on cheques. When they are written out, each number is one continuous word - i.e. "achtundsiebzig" whereas we would write "seventy-eight". 3. The German equivalent of the suffix "-ty" (as in "forty", "fifty" etc.) is "-zig". There is one exception to this however: the German for "thirty" is "dreiig". 4. Be very careful of endings when using numbers containing "ein(e)". For example: - 1,20 is written as ein Euro zwanzig as "der Euro" is a masculine noun. - DM 1,20 however is written as eine Mark zwanzig as "die Mark" is a feminine noun. - 21,00 is written as einundzwanzig Euro. There are no endings on "ein" here as it appears in the middle of another number. - 21,21 is likewise written as einundzwanzig Euro einundzwanzig.
Anna Mller Mann Anna Mller Frau Anna Mller Kellner Anna Mller Kellner Anna Mller Margarete Schfer Kellner Margarete Schfer Kellner Anna Mller
Guten Tag. Ist hier noch frei? Nein, hier ist leider besetzt. Entschuldigen Sie bitte. Ist hier noch frei? Ja, natrlich. Nehmen Sie Platz! Vielen Dank. Guten Tag. Sie wnschen bitte? Tee, Kaffee, Kakao, Cola, Limonade, Wein? Ich mchte gerne ein Knnchen Tee, bitte. Mit Milch oder mit Zitrone? Mit Zitrone, bitte. Und ich nehme ein Glas Wein. Nein, ein Bier! Ein groes oder ein kleines? Ein kleines. Ja. Mchten Sie auch die Speisekarte? Ja, bitte. Gerne.
Glossary das Restaurant im Restaurant Ist hier noch frei? entschuldigen Sie bitte leider hier ist leider besetzt natrlich nehmen Sie Platz This is written as in English but it is pronounced quite differently. in the restaurant "Is this seat taken?" Literally: "Is here still free?" "Excuse me please". This is the most polite way of gaining somebody's attention. unfortunately "Unfortunately, this seat is taken". The word "besetzt" is also used to translate "engaged" both for a phone-line and a toilet cubicle. of course; naturally "Take a seat". This is a word-for-word translation of the English, with the indefinite article being omitted. Both this phrase and "Entschuldigen Sie, bitte" are requests / instructions. In the "Sie" form, this means that the subject and the verb are reversed such that the verb is the first element in the sentence.
der Kellner der Tee der Kakao die (Coca)Cola die Limonade der Wein ein Knnchen Tee die Milch die Zitrone
waiter tea cocoa No need to translate this one, but note that this is feminine in German. It is "das Coke" however! lemonade "wine". Most alcoholic drinks turn out to be masculine. "A pot of tea". As with the glass of wine, the word for "of" is omitted in German after a noun of quantity. milk This means "lemon". Tea is usually drunk in German-speaking countries with lemon - and from a glass. If you want milk rather than lemon you will need to ask for "Tee mit Milch". immediately and I'll have... glass This means "a glass of wine". Here too there is no word for "of" in German after the noun of quantity. The German for "beer" is one of the few words for alcoholic beverages which is neuter, not masculine. "a large (beer) or a small (beer)". As in the earlier section, the noun does not need to be repeated. We will discuss adjective endings in a later section. Would you also like...? "The menu". Literally: "The food card". You might also hear it reduced to "die Karte".
das Bier
ein groes oder ein kleines? Mchten Sie auch...? die Speisekarte
Kellner
Margarete Schfer Kellner Margarete Schfer Kellner Anna Mller Kellner Anna Mller Margarete Schfer Kellner Anna Mller
Ja, wir mchten bestellen. Was htten Sie gern? Ich htte gern Hhnchen mit Kartoffeln und Salat, bitte. Gerne. Und fr Sie? Ich mchte Schweineschnitzel mit Pommes frites. Ja... Und zu trinken? Ein Glas Weiwein, bitte. Und noch ein Bier! Bitte sehr. Danke.
Glossary schon Haben Sie schon gewhlt? Wir mchten bestellen already Have you already chosen? "We would like to order." Note that - as in English - the infinitive of the verb "bestellen" comes at the end of the clause. "Chicken". As this noun is another one which ends in "-chen", we know that it must be neuter. potato salad; lettuce So far we have seen this word when a customer is saying what he or she would like. When spoken by a waiter, as here, it means "Of course!" or "You're welcome!" And for you? pig; pork cutlet, chop "Pork cutlet, escalope of pork". This is another example of those compound nouns which are so common in German. Remember that the gender of the compound noun will always be determined by the last element - here "das Schnitzel". And to drink?
das Hhnchen
Und zu trinken?
"A glass of white wine". "Weiwein" is another compound noun, coming from "wei", the adjective for "white" and "der Wein" (= wine). still; yet "Another beer". You would say "eine" for a feminine noun. So "another cup of tea" would be "Noch eine Tasse Tee". Yet another nuance of "bitte"! Although the waiter isn't actually bringing them anything, he still says "bitte sehr" to confirm the transaction.
bitte sehr
Anna Mller Sehr gut! Mchten Sie noch etwas bestellen? Darf ich Ihnen einen Nachtisch bringen? Wir haben heute Erdbeeren mit Vanilleeis und Sahne. Nein, danke, die Rechnung, bitte. Ja, zusammen oder getrennt? Ja, kleinen Moment bitte. Das macht siebenundzwanzig Euro sechzig, bitte. Ja, danke schn.
Glossary so This approximates to "well then". It never means the English "so" as in "a logical conclusion". "Did you enjoy your meal?". The literal meaning is: "Did it taste to you?"
"Excellent!" But then Margarete has had two beers by now... very good "Something else". This always has the sense of an additional something rather than "something different". "dessert". It literally means "after-table". "may I...?" Just like "Ich mchte...", it is always followed by the infinitive of the verb which it governs. "May I bring you a dessert?". And it is "einen Nachtisch", because the masculine noun "der Nachtisch" is the object of the sentence. today "strawberry". As we have seen, many feminine nouns end in "-e", and form a plural in "-en". "vanilla ice-cream". This is another German compound noun, coming from "die Vanille" (= "vanilla") and "das Eis" (= "ice cream"). As "das Eis" is the final element of the compound noun, it determines the gender. cream "Not for me". Note that the German word for "not" - "nicht" - follows the noun to which it refers. (Could we have) the bill, please? together... "...or separately?" The waiter is thus asking them whether they wish to pay together or separately. "One moment, please". Literally: "A little moment please". "It comes to....". Literally: "This makes...". Twenty-seven euros sixty Thirty Is that right?
das Vanilleeis
kleinen Moment, bitte das macht... siebenundzwanzig Euro sechzig dreiig stimmt so?
Here is a summary of the vocabulary covered in this section, together with some other words for food and drink which you may find useful. Many of these nouns are not used in the plural - in most cases as in English - and so only the singular form will be given. Unless otherwise indicated, you should assume that any verbs given are regular (in the present tense at least).
Vocabulary 5: Food and drink (masc.) English cake cocoa coffee dessert juice - apple juice - orange juice ketchup salad sugar tea wine - red wine - white wine German der Kuchen (plural - Kuchen) der Kakao der Kaffee der Nachtisch der Saft - der Apfelsaft - der Orangensaft der Ketschup der Salat der Zucker der Tee der Wein - der Rotwein - der Weiwein
Vocabulary 6: Food and drink (fem.) Singular bill coca-cola cream cup gteau lemon lemonade menu milk potato sachertorte sausage die Rechnung die (Coca-)Cola die Sahne die Tasse die Torte die Zitrone die Limonade die Speisekarte die Milch die Kartoffel die Sachertorte die Wurst Kartoffeln Sachertorten Wrste Speisekarten Tassen Torten Zitronen Plural Rechnungen
Vocabulary 7: Food and drink (neuter) Singular beer bread roll caf chicken glass ice cream - vanilla ice cream piece pig; pork - pork cutlet pot restaurant das Bier das Brtchen das Caf das Hhnchen das Glas das Eis - das Vanilleeis das Stck das Schwein - das Schweineschnitzel das Knnchen das Restaurant Stcke Schweine - Schweineschnitzel Knnchen Restaurants Brtchen Cafs Hhnchen Glser Plural
Vocabulary 8: Food and drink (verbs) English to bringen to choose to get; receive to order German bringen whlen bekommen bestellen
Vocabulary 9: Food and drink (phrases) ist hier noch frei? Is this seat taken? hier ist besetzt this seat is taken nehmen Sie Platz! Take a seat!
haben Sie schon gewhlt? Have you already chosen? was bekommen Sie? What would you like? was mchten Sie? What would you like? mchten Sie sonst noch etwas? Would you like anything else? mchten Sie noch etwas bestellen? Would you like anything else? und zu trinken? And to drink? ich mchte... I would like... ich htte gerne... I would like... guten Appetit! Bon appetit! hat es Ihnen geschmeckt? Did you enjoy your meal? ich mchte gleich zahlen I would like to pay now die Rechnung, bitte The bill, please kleinen Moment, bitte! Just one moment please! zusammen oder getrennt? are you paying together or separately? das macht 20 Euro It comes to 20 euros
Turkish and Chinese restaurants - although Indian cuisine has yet to catch on to the extent that it has in Great Britain. What have become popular and very common are take-aways on the American pattern, delivering pizzas, Chinese and Mexican food to your home. In the country you are more likely to come across "eine Gaststtte", "ein Gasthaus" or "eine Gaststube", a combination of pub, restaurant and caf which invariably offers local delicacies. Take a look at the menu boards which are hung outside all German restaurants to see what they are offering! What you will not find in either town or country is an equivalent for the British "caff" or "greasy spoon". Cafs in German-speaking countries are in general more upmarket, with tablecloths, carpets and upholstered chairs. Restaurant etiquette When entering a restaurant in a German-speaking country, it is customary for the diner to find their own seat rather than waiting to be designated one. You should also not be surprised if another party asks if they may sit at your table. This is common practice on the European mainland. And do not be offended if the people in that party do not engage in conversation with you. They are rarely interested in making friends, just looking for a seat in a crowded restaurant. It used to be the case that you would address the waiter as Herr Ober and waitresses as Frulein. These forms of address are out of date nowadays however and should be avoided. If you want to order or pay you should make a sign with your hand (but do not click your fingers!) and say something along the lines of Kann ich bestellen, bitte? (= "May I order, please"?). Paying and tipping Credit cards are nearly always accepted in large restaurants nowadays but in more humble establishments hard cash is still the usual means of payment. If you want to pay by credit card, it is always advisable to ask before you order. Paying for the meal is almost always done at your table with the waitress or waiter who served you. It is not necessary to tip 15%, because a 15% gratuity is included in the prices as a service fee (in addition to a 15% value added tax). It is nevertheless usual to leave a tip in restaurants, cafs and other places where your bill is brought to your table. This is done by rounding the bill up. If a bill is under 10 euros you round the sum up to the next full mark or next but one - i.e. 11,50 would be rounded up to 12. If the bill comes to more than 10 euros you should allow 5% for a tip, rising to 10% in a more upmarket establishment. Leaving the tip on the table after you have paid is unknown in Germany. Waiters and waitresses are accustomed to receiving their tip as part of the bill, not by looking for the tip on the table after you have left. If you let them give you your full change (and then leave a tip on the table) they will think that you are unhappy with their service. Only if you are really dissatisfied with the quality of service that you have received should you not leave any tip at all - a token tip of a few cents will have the same effect. Snacks
One of the most striking aspects about a German city is the number of kiosks (der Kiosk), sausage stalls (die Wrstchenbude) or snack bars (der Imbiss, der Schnellimbiss) on each street corner. They are most well-known for offering Bratwurst - a fried or grilled sausage - or curried sausage (Currywurst). In Austria, you may come across "Steckerlfisch" - grilled fish on a stick. You can also get chips there (Pommes, Pommes frites), but don't be alarmed if you are offered mayonnaise along with tomato sauce to put on them! Such kiosks and snack bars serve beer as well as soft drinks, and many will offer a very good ground coffee. The preference for coffee over tea in mainland Europe continues unabated. You may be offered tea in a caf or restaurant, but most Germans drink it with lemon or just black. Iced tea is becoming increasingly popular as a summertime beverage. The traditional German kiosk and snack bar is however under attack from a variety of overseas food outlets, American fast food (hamburgers, pancakes et al.) being the most visible competitor. But you will also find Turkish kebabs, Italian pizzas and French crpes doing a roaring trade on street corners.
Chapter 5: Asking for directions 5.1 Where is the Hotel Ravenna (1)
Having arrived in Berlin for his conference, Ken McNaught now needs to find his way around in the big city. He knows that his hotel - the "Hotel Ravenna" (marked by an "X" in our diagram) - is in the road called Harbigstrasse which in the Charlottenburg region of Berlin, but he is having trouble finding it. Whilst in Position 1 on our diagram, standing on the corner of two roads called Waldschulallee and Messedamm, he meets a passer-by (ein Passant) and asks for directions.
Entschuldigen Sie bitte. Ja bitte? Wo finde ich das Hotel Ravenna? Ach ja, ich wei... Da gehen Sie bitte fnfhundert Meter geradeaus, und die nchste Strae rechts, und dann finden Sie das Hotel Ravenna auf der rechten Seite. Wie bitte? Immer geradeaus, dann die nchste rechts die Harbigstrae. Danke schn! Bitte schn. Viel Spa in Berlin!
Glossary der Passant wo ist...? das Hotel entschuldigen Sie bitte Ja, bitte the passer-by where is...? the hotel Excuse me please? Another nuance of "bitte"! This time it approximates to "Yes, how may I help?"
wo finde ich...? das Hotel Ravenna ach ja, ich wei da gehen Sie bitte... fnfhundert Meter geradeaus
"Where can I find...?" The word for "can" is omitted in the German construction. The names of most German hotels follow the word for "hotel". oh yes, I know "You go...". Our old friend "bitte" is added for an extra touch of politeness. five hundred metres "Straight on." Later in the conversation the passer-by will say "immer geradeaus", which equates to "keep straight on" - (literally "always straight on"). street; road on the right the next road on the right "Then you will find..." There is no word here for "will" - the present tense can be used in German to translate the immediate future. "on the right-hand side". In practice this is interchangeable with "rechts". This means "Pardon me?". Never be embarrassed about asking somebody to repeat directions, particularly when you are new to a language! The passer-by does not repeat "Strae" here. As we saw in the previous section, it is clear that the adjective refers back to the feminine noun "street". "Enjoy yourself!". The literal meaning is "Much fun!"
die Strae rechts die nchste Strae rechts dann finden Sie... auf der rechten Seite Wie bitte?
viel Spa
Herr Loss Passant Herr Loss Passant Herr Loss Passant Herr Loss Passant Herr Loss Passant Herr Loss Passant Herr Loss Passant
Entschuldigen Sie bitte. Ja? Wie komme ich zum Hotel Ravenna? Gehen Sie hier geradeaus. Hier geradeaus? Richtig. Nehmen Sie dann die erste Strae rechts. Das ist die Jaffeestrae. Die zweite Strae rechts? Nein, nicht die zweite sondern die erste Strae rechts! Die erste Strae rechts? Ja, ganz richtig. Dann nehmen Sie bitte die erste Strae links. Das ist die Harbigstrae. Die Harbigstrae? Ja, genau. Und das Hotel Ravenna ist auf der linken Seite. Vielen Dank. Auf Wiedersehen! Auf Wiedersehen!
Glossary Wie komme ich...? "How do I get to...?" Literally: "How do I come to...?" As there is only one present tense in German, the word for "do" is omitted in the German construction. "...to the Hotel Ravenna". The word "zum" is short for "zu dem". It is only used for masculine and neuter nouns - for feminine nouns you would say "zur". straight on here right; correct "Take...". Note again the inverted word order of the polite request. the first road on the right
die zweite the second road on the right Strae rechts nicht... sondern... ganz richtig "Not ... but..." In this case, "nicht" precedes the noun to which it refers. "Quite right". The word "ganz" is quite tricky in that it can mean "quite" or very according to context. the first road on the left...
auf der linken "On the left-hand side". In practice this is Seite interchangeable with "links".
Entschuldigen Sie bitte. Ja? Wo ist denn hier die nchste Telefonzelle?
Passantin
Die nchste Telefonzelle ist gleich hier um die Ecke. In der Nhe vom Brandenburger Tor. Und wo gibt es hier eine Apotheke? Eine Apotheke oder eine Drogerie? Eine Apotheke. Sie gehen geradeaus und dann die vierte Strae links. An der Ampel rechts und dann stehen Sie direkt vor der Apotheke. Ist das weit? Nein, nur fnf Minuten zu Fu.
Glossary die Passantin Wo ist denn hier...? passer-by (female) "Wo ist...?" is the basic phrase used to translate "Where is...?". The additional words "denn hier" merely add a sense of conversational emphasis, and can be omitted. telephone box "The nearest telephone box." The endings of the adjective "nchst-" depend on the gender of the noun, and the case - i.e. whether it is in the nominative or the accusative case. just here; right here around the corner
in der Nhe von "Near...". When the preposition "von" is followed by the definite article, this becomes "vom" for a masculine or neuter noun, and "von der" for a feminine noun. das Brandenburger Tor Wo gibt es hier...? "The Brandenburg Gate" is probably Berlin's most famous landmark. We have included a picture of it in the top left-hand corner of each page in this chapter. Another variant of "Where is...?" Note that in this construction, the thing which you are looking for is in the accusative case, whereas it is in the nominative case for the "Wo ist..." construction. This of course affects the endings on each noun. This is a "chemist's shop" which is staffed by qualified pharmacists who can prescribe medication for straightforward ailments without a doctor's prescription.
die Apotheke
die Drogerie
We would also translate this as a "chemist's shop", but it is one that merely sells toothpaste, toilet articles and cough sweets. "Traffic lights". This is a singular noun in German. "Right at the traffic lights". The definite article "die" becomes "der" after the preposition "an" which takes the dative case. "Then you stand...". The verb "stehen" is regular in the present tense. directly "In front of the chemists shop". This is another preposition which takes the dative case. Is it far? only
die Ampel an der Ampel rechts dann stehen Sie... direkt vor der Apotheke Ist das weit? nur
Passant
Ja bitte?
Ken Gibt es hier in der Nhe ein Postamt? McNaught Passant Ja, hier ganz in der Nhe. In der Schillingstrae etwa zwei Minuten von hier.
Ken Und wo ist die Schillingstrae? McNaught Passant Sie gehen geradeaus und dann links. Nehmen Sie die erste Strae rechts und dann finden Sie das Postamt auf der linken Seite.
Ken Und wo gibt es hier einen U-Bahnhof? McNaught Passant Da gehen Sie bitte circa sechshundert Meter geradeaus, die nchste rechts und dann gehen Sie ganz einfach die Schillingstrae entlang, an der Polizeiwache vorbei, und dann stehen Sie direkt davor.
Glossary hier in der Nhe hier ganz in der Nhe das Postamt near here very near here "Post office". You will often hear the word "die Post" used for this, which also means the post office as an institution. approximately two minutes from here "Where is an underground station round here?" As "es gibt" takes the accusative case, the masculine noun "ein U-Bahnhof" becomes "einen U-Bahnhof". approximately; about six hundred metres quite simply
etwa zwei Minuten von hier Wo gibt es hier einen UBahnhof? circa sechshundert Meter ganz einfach
die Schillingstrae "Along the Schillingstrae". The preposition entlang "entlang" follows the noun to which it refers. die Polizeiwache "Police station". It is indicated on German
maps by a green star on a white circular background. an der Polizeiwache vorbei direkt davor Welcher UBahnhof ist das? past the police station
directly in front of it "Which underground station is that?" If the noun following "which" was a feminine noun, it would be "welche" and if it was a neuter noun, it would be "welches".
5.5 Prepositions
Prepositions which take the accusative case Prepositions are words such as "in", "on" and "over" which stand in front of a noun or pronoun to relate it to the rest of the sentence. In German, when these prepositions are used, the words for "the" (der/die/das) and "a" (ein) alter their endings depending on the case in which they are used. We are already familiar with the accusative case, and have explained how "der" changes into "den" in the accusative case, and "ein" changes into "einen". This same change from "der" to "den" also happens after certain prepositions - we say that these prepositions "take" the accusative case. Some of the more commonly used German prepositions are listed below:
Grammar 1: Accusative prepositions
Example durch das Hotel through the hotel die Strae entlang along the street fr den Mann for the man um die Ecke round the corner
The dative case Many prepositions however take a case which is new to us - the dative case. For the definite article, the dative case means that both the masculine "der" and the neuter "das" change into "dem", and the feminine "die" changes into "der". As regards to the indefinite article, the dative case means that both the masculine and the neuter "ein" change into "einem", whereas the feminine "eine" changes into "einer". Some of the most commonly used German prepositions that take the dative case are:
Example an der Ampel (at the traffic lights) in einem Restaurant (in a restaurant) 5 Minuten von der Apotheke (five minutes from the chemist's) vor dem Hotel (in front of the hotel) Wie komme ich zum Hotel? (How do I get to the hotel?)
There is an additional difficulty however, in that some prepositions can either take the accusative or the dative case, depending on context. The prepositions "an", "in" and "vor" take the dative case when they are describing a fixed position, but the accusative case when they are describing movement - "Er geht in das Hotel". We will look at this in more detail in a subsequent chapter. The prepositions "von" and "zu" on the other hand, always take the dative case.
Masculine Feminine Neuter Nominative Accusative Dative der Mann den Mann dem Mann die Frau die Frau der Frau das Kind das Kind dem Kind
Merging of prepositions with the definite article You will already have noted that certain prepositions tend to merge with the definite article - but never with the indefinite article. The following contracted forms are almost always preferred to the non-contracted forms:
Grammar 4: Dative prepositions
Example Ich bin am U-Bahnhof (I am at the underground station) Wir sind im Caf (We are in the caf)
Zehn Minuten vom Bahnhof (Ten minutes from the station) Wie komme ich zum Hotel? (How do I get to the hotel?) Sie geht zur Bank (She goes to the bank)
The indefinite article The endings for the indefinite article "ein" in the three cases which we have met so far are printed below. Note that "kein" also declines in the same way.
Grammar 5: Indefinite article in the dative case
Masculine Nom. ein Mann Acc. Dat. einen Mann einem Mann
Possessive adjectives The endings for the possessive adjectives are as follows. We have given "mein" as an example, but the others decline in the same way.
Grammar 6: Possessive adjectives in the dative case
Fem.
Neut.
The only exception to this rule is the possessive adjective "euer" (= your). This possessive loses the "-e-" of its stem when it adds endings.
Grammar 7: The possessive "euer" in the dative case
Masc. Nom. euer Mann Acc. Dat. euren Mann eurem Mann
5.7 Adjectives
When adjectives follow a noun When an adjective - or "describing word" - follows the verb "to be" as in the phrase "Ist es weit?" (= Is it far?) in one of the conversations in this chapter, or in the question "Wie alt bist du?, adjectives in this position do not have endings in German. When an adjective is given as a one word response to a question, there are also no endings. For example, when the waiter asks the diners in Chapter 4 whether they had enjoyed their meal - "Hat es Ihnen geschmeckt?" (= Did you enjoy your meal?), Anna and Margarete reply with adjectives without endings - "Ausgezeichnet!" (= Excellent!) and "Sehr gut!" (= Very good!). Adjectives before a noun Adjectives standing in front of a noun add endings to show whether that noun is singular or plural, what its gender is, and what case it stands in. The endings the adjective adds depend on what sort of article is standing before it. The endings for an adjective which follows the definite article "der" are as follows:
Grammar 8: Adjective endings after the definite article
Masculine Nom. Acc. Dat. der gute Mann den guten Mann dem guten Mann
Feminine die gute Frau die gute Frau der guten Frau
Neuter das gute Kind das gute Kind dem guten Kind
The indefinite article "ein" - along with "kein" - has the following endings, depending on the gender of the noun which follows it and the case that this noun is in.
Grammar 9: Adjective endings after the indefinite article
Masculine Nom. ein guter Mann Acc. Dat. einen guten Mann
Adjectives after possessive adjectives take exactly the same endings as those which follow the indefinite article:
Grammar 10: Adjectives after possessive adjectives
Masculine Nom. ihr guter Mann Acc. Dat. ihren guten Mann ihrem guten Mann
Feminine ihre gute Frau ihre gute Frau ihrer guten Frau
Neuter ihr gutes Kind ihr gutes Kind ihrem guten Kind
Examples To work out the endings on an adjective you need to know three things:
What is the gender of the noun - masculine, feminine or accusative? What case is the noun in in this sentence - nominative, accusative or dative? What type of article precedes the adjective - definite "ein" or indefinite "ein"? Or is it preceded by a possessive adjective "mein etc."?
Thus for the sentence "Wo ist die nchste Apotheke?", we know that the ending on the adjective is "-e" because:
"die Apotheke" is a feminine noun It is in the nominative case in the above sentence - i.e. it is the subject of the clause It is preceded by the definite article "die"
And in the sentence "Wo gibt es hier den nchsten U-Bahnhof?", we know that the adjective ending is "-en" because:
"der U-Bahnhof" is a masculine noun It is in the accusative case in the sentence - i.e. it is the object of the clause It is preceded by the definite article "den"
der erste der zweite der dritte der vierte der fnfte
der elfte der zwlfte der dreizehnte der vierzehnte der fnfzehnte
der sechste der siebte der achte der neunte der zehnte
When the ordinal number follows an indefinite article, the adjective endings must therefore change. For the purposes of the table below, imagine again that we are dealing with a masculine noun:
ein erster ein zweiter ein dritter ein vierter ein fnfter ein sechster ein siebter ein achter ein neunter ein zehnter
ein elfter ein zwlfter ein dreizehnter ein vierzehnter ein fnfzehnter ein sechzehnter ein siebzehnter ein achtzehnter ein neunzehnter
Ordinal numbers from twenty upwards Ordinal numbers from twenty upwards are formed by adding "-st-" to the number itself. Adjective endings are then added in the usual way:
Grammar 13: Ordinal numbers greater than 19 (def. article)
20 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30
der zwanzigste der zweiundzwanzigste der dreiundzwanzigste der vierundzwanzigste der fnfundzwanzigste der sechsundzwanzigste der siebenundzwanzigste der achtundzwanzigste der neunundzwanzigste der dreiigste
31 der einunddreiigste 32 der zweiunddreiigste 40 der vierzigste 45 der fnfundvierzigste 50 der fnfzigste 54 der vierundfnfzigste 60 der sechzigste 70 der siebzigste 80 der achtzigste 90 der neunzigste
Size and population Berlin currently has a population of 3.45 million inhabitants. It is a multicultural city, with more than 430,000 people from 184 different nations living there. Lower rents for residential accommodation in the eastern boroughs and the greater supply of jobs in the western boroughs led to a new mixture of the population soon after unification. It is both a city and a federal state, fulfils both federal state functions and municipal functions. Berlin has an area of around 891 square kilometres - as large as Munich, Stuttgart and Frankfurt am Main put together and unites a large number of urban districts, centres and boroughs which are completely different in character. In the inner part of the city, the buildings of the Kulturforum on the southern edge of the Tiergarten and the modern office and shopping complex on Potsdamer Platz link the western city around the Kurfrstendamm with the eastern city in the historical centre of Berlin between the Brandenburg Gate and Alexanderplatz. To the north of the Tiergarten, the government and parliament buildings are being built in the meander of the River Spree. Architecture In addition to the architecture of the 19th and 20th century, the new cityscape is dominated by buildings designed by top international architects. The outstanding example is the Reichstag, which has been redesigned by Norman Foster and now has a glass dome which is open to visitors. Architects such as Helmut Jahn, Renzo Piano, Hans Kollhoff and Richard Rogers have designed offices, shops and apartments in the restored Potsdamer Platz. Frank OGehry has designed a new building on Pariser Platz for the DG Bank and Aldo Rossi's residential complex in the Schtzenstrae has also attracted positive comment.
Freedom is indivisible, and when one man is enslaved, all are not free. When all are free, then we can look forward to that day when this city will be joined as one and this country and this great Continent of Europe in a peaceful and hopeful globe. When that day finally comes, as it will, the people of West Berlin can take sober satisfaction in the fact that they were in the front lines for almost two decades. All free men, wherever they may live, are citizens of Berlin, and, therefore, as a free man, I take pride in the words "Ich bin ein Berliner." Did Kennedy really call himself a doughnut? Stirring stuff, no doubt, but Kennedy's actual German has been a source of controversy ever since 1961. For as we have learned, to say that you come from a certain place necessitates the construction: "Ich bin Englnder", "Ich bin sterreicherin" etc. - i.e. a construction without the definite article. So by saying "Ich bin ein Berliner" instead of "Ich bin Berliner", some people have concluded that Kennedy had made an embarrassing mistake. For the word, "der Berliner" has two meanings, not only "a citizen of Berlin" but also "a jelly doughnut", and by using the definite article in his speech Kennedy has been interpreted as outing himself as a tasty culinary delicacy! Similarly, if you said "Ich bin ein Hamburger" instead of "Ich bin Hamburger", you might be seen to be implying not that you came from Hamburg but that you are a quarterpounder with cheese...! In fact, Kennedy inadvertently outing himself a jelly donut is an urban myth. For one thing, he was told to say this sentence by his translator - who was a German. For another, the crowd patently understood what Kennedy was saying, and cheered him instead of laughing. Whilst not worrying too much about the distinction for the time being, there are many regions of Germany where the definite article can be used to describe your profession and where you live. This is particularly the case in Bavaria and in the north-east of Germany where Berlin is located. Furthermore, if you claim that a "Berliner" can be a type of character as well as a place of birth, then the grammatical rule as to whether you use the definite article or not in this context becomes very blurred. So what lessons should we learn as students of German? We would still recommend omitting the definite article when describing your profession and where you live. You should nevertheless be aware that native Germans who include the article are not trying to indicate that they are nutty as a fruitcake. Or a jelly donut. Or a hamburger for that matter.
Having attended his conference, Herr McNaught now needs to get back to Zoo Station in Berlin - or to give it its proper name "Berlin Zoologischer Garten" - in order to catch his train home. We find him in the Whlertstrae in the North-East of the city asking for help at "ein Zeitungskiosk" - one of the many kiosks selling newspapers and cigarettes which you will see in any major German city.
Conversation 1: Der Zeitungskiosk
Ken McNaught
Ich htte gerne eine Berliner Zeitung und einen Stadtplan, bitte.
Kioskbetreiber Einen groen oder einen kleinen Stadtplan? Ken McNaught Ken McNaught Was kostet der groe?
Kioskbetreiber Fnf Euro. Ja, den nehme ich. Und wie komme ich am besten zum Bahnhof Zoo? Ich wollte eigentlich mit der Straenbahn fahren. An der Haltestelle steht aber niemand.
Kioskbetreiber Nehmen Sie ein Taxi! Oder fahren Sie mit der U-Bahn. Es gibt einen U-Bahnhof gleich um die Ecke. Nehmen Sie die erste Strae links, das ist die Chausseestrae. Ken McNaught Danke sehr!
Whlertstrae
Glossary der Zeitungskiosk "The newspaper kiosk." This is a compound noun formed from "die Zeitung" (= newspaper) and "der Kiosk" (= kiosk). As with all compound nouns, it takes the gender of the final element in the compound noun. kiosk owner tobacco goods "Die Zeitung" is the word for "a newspaper". "Berliner" is both the adjective formed from Berlin and the name of an inhabitant of Berlin. Click here to visit the homepage of this newspaper. A "map of the city". This is another compound noun coming from "die Stadt" (= the city) and "der Plan" (= map; plan). "Big ... small". It is "einen" and not "ein" because both words are implicitly still in the accusative case. "What does the big one cost?". Note the word order - the question word comes first, followed by the verb and then the subject of the sentence. "I'll take that one." Unlike in English, it is quite possible for the object of the clause to be the first word in a German clause. This is because the endings of German pronouns clearly tell us which is nominative and which is accusative. This is an alternative to "Wie komme ich..." in the previous section. A rough translation would be: "What is the best way to get to...?" station A "zoo", fairly obviously, but note that the full form of this noun - "der zoologische Garten" is also used in German. in fact "I wanted to..." This is always followed by the infinitive of the verb. It is an irregular verb (see verb tables).
der Stadtplan
die Straenbahn A "tram" - or quite literally "street-car". These are almost exclusively to be found in East Berlin, and are marked by red squares and numbers on our map. mit (+ Dative) This preposition means "with" and always takes the dative case. It never has contracted forms with the definite article. This means "to travel by tram" or literally "to
mit der
Straenbahn fahren
travel with the tram". Note that the definite article is used in the German construction while we do not use it in the English construction. The verb "fahren" is also irregular - see following sections. This means "a stop (bus, tram etc.)". "At the bus-stop". As with "die Ampel" (traffic-lights), the word for a "stop" takes the preposition "an (+ Dative)" to translate "at". This means "nobody". The full meaning of the sentence is "But there is nobody standing at the bus-stop". This means "taxi". The plural varies according to where you are in the country. In most parts of the country you will see "Taxis", but in Berlin and the north of Germany the plural is "Taxen". This means "the Underground". "Mit der UBahn fahren" means "to travel by underground".
niemand
das Taxi
die U-Bahn
Entschuldigen Sie, wo bekomme ich einen Fahrschein? Da steht ein Fahrkartenautomat. Dort hinten. Ach so. Aber ich habe kein Kleingeld. Dann mssen Sie am Schalter fragen. (He goes to the ticket office.) Guten Tag. Ich mchte zum U-Bahnhof Zoologischer Garten fahren. Welche Linie geht dahin, bitte? Am besten nehmen Sie die Linie U6 Richtung Alt-Mariendorf. Steigen Sie am U-Bahnhof Friedrichstrae um. Wie bitte?
Ken
McNaught Beamtin Ja, Sie mssen leider umsteigen. Sie steigen drei Stationen weiter am U-Bahnhof Friedrichstrae um und fahren dann mit der S3 Richtung Charlottenburg. Mit der S3? Ja, das ist die S-Bahn. Richtung Charlottenburg? Ja, da ist Endstation. Und was kostet ein Fahrschein bei Ihnen? Haben sie keine Jahreskarte? Nein, ich bin hier auf Geschftsreise. Das macht zwei Euro zehn. So.... und wann fhrt der nchste Zug? In fnf Minuten, um Viertel nach elf.
Glossary wo bekomme ich...? der Fahrschein "Where can I get...?" Note that there is no word for "can" in the German version. This means "the ticket". You might also see two alternative words for "ticket" "die Fahrkarte" or "der Fahrausweis". This is a male "commuter". A female commuter is "die Pendlerin". "Ticket machine". See the picture below. All underground stations in Berlin have automatic ticket machines. You simply choose the type of ticket you require and insert your money. Click here to see a screenshot of the instructions on the front of a German ticket machine. "Over there at the back". "Hinten" means "at the back", whilst "vorne" means "at the front". Oh, I see This means "change" - literally "little money". Ken McNaught has no change for the ticket machine, so has to ask at the counter. "Then you'll have to...." The verb
Ken McNaught Beamtin Ken McNaught Beamtin Ken McNaught Beamtin Ken McNaught Beamtin Ken McNaught Beamtin
dort hinten
"mssen" is an irregular verb (see subsequent sections). am Schalter zum...fahren This means "at the counter". "Der Schalter" is a masculine noun. He wants to travel to Zoo Station. The verb "fahren" is used when you use a means of transport; "gehen" is used for going somewhere on foot. the (train, bus) line "Which line goes there?". The "-e" ending on "welche" is added because "die Linie" is a feminine noun. "The ticket clerk (female)". This word is also used to translate a "civil servant". your best bet would be to take... This means "in the direction of AltMariendorf". "Die Richtung" is the German word for "direction". "At the underground station". Note that "an" is the preposition used here and that "an + dem" are contracted to form the single word "am". This means "to change (bus, train, tram)". Here it is two words with the separable prefix going to the end of the clause, whereas the infinitive "umsteigen" is written as only one word. An explanation of German separable verbs is given on Page 6 of this chapter. "Three stations onwards". Both "der Bahnhof" and "die Station" can be used to translate "underground station". is the conventional abbreviation for "der Untergrund" (= the Underground). is the normal abbreviation for "die SBahn (Schnellbahn)", which might best be translated as "suburban railway" (see the picture of two old-fashioned S-Bahn trains at the bottom of this page). that's the last stop "A yearly (travel) pass". This is the cheapest way to travel round Berlin and most major German cities. We've had this before. It means "I'm here on business". Remember? "When does the next train depart?" "Wann?" is the question word used when
die Linie welche Linie geht dahin? die Beamtin am besten nehmen Sie... Richtung AltMariendorf am U-Bahnhof
ich bin hier auf Geschftsreise Wann fhrt der nchste Zug?
you want to ask the precise physical time of something. um Viertel nach elf at a quarter past eleven
Frau Wendt
Busfahrer Ich fahre nicht direkt zum Flughafen. Sie mssen zwei Stationen vor der Endstation aussteigen und dann in die Linie U1 umsteigen. Frau Wendt Ach nein!
Busfahrer Am besten nehmen Sie die Linie U1 bis Mckernbrcke und dann die U7 bis JakobKaiser-Platz (Richtung Rathaus Spandau). Und am Jakob-Kaiser-Platz nehmen Sie den Airport Express X9 zum Flughafen Tegel. Frau Wendt Und wann fhrt der nchste Airport Express?
die Endstation
terminus
vor der Endstation "Before the terminus". Thus "vor" can either mean "in front of" when you are referring to a place or "before" when you are referring to time or place. aussteigen This means "to get off" a train or a bus or "to get out" of a car. It is also a separable verb like "umsteigen" This means "until Mckernbrcke". The preposition "bis" takes the accusative case. "Spandau Town Hall". This is one "Endstation" of the U7 underground line. Click here to find Rathaus Spandau on a map of the Berlin transport system.(Hint: Spandau is in the West of the city!) The square "In Jakob-Kaiser Square". Note that German uses the preposition "an" whereas we would say "in the square" in English. The name of the bus which connects Tegel Airport to Berlin city centre. Many products and public services in German-speaking countries are given English names in order to sound cool. "At half-past twelve". When telling the time, German prefers to think of it being "half to the hour" rather than "half past" as in English. How to tell the time in German will be explained fully in Chapter 8.
Um halb eins
Guten Morgen. Morgen. Einmal nach Kassel, bitte. Einfach oder hin und zurck?
Ken McNaught Beamtin Ken McNaught Beamtin Ken McNaught Beamtin Ken McNaught Beamtin Ken McNaught Beamtin Ken McNaught Beamtin Ken McNaught Beamtin Ken McNaught Beamtin Ken McNaught Beamtin Ken McNaught Beamtin
Einfach. Und ist das erster oder zweiter Klasse? Zweiter Klasse. Haben Sie eine BahnCard? Nein. Ich habe keine BahnCard. Die Fahrkarte ohne BahnCard kostet dreiig Euro und vierzig Cent. So...und der nchste Zug nach Kassel fhrt um halb zehn? Ja, in ungefhr zehn Minuten, um 09.28. Fhrt der Zug pnktlich? Selbstverstndlich! Von welchem Gleis? Von Gleis 9. Und ist das ein ICE-Zug? Nein, das ist ein Regional Express. Es gibt keinen InterCity-Zuschlag. Muss ich in Weimar umsteigen? Nein, der Zug fhrt direkt. Wann kommt der Zug in Kassel an? Um elf Uhr dreizehn. Danke sehr. Auf Wiedersehen. Bitte sehr. Auf Wiedersehen.
Glossary
der Bahnhof der Hauptbahnhof das Reisezentrum die Abfahrtstafel einmal nach Kassel
The station The central station The travel centre The departure board "One ticket". It literally means "once". The preposition "nach" always takes the
dative case. You should use it when you are travelling to a town or country provided that the country is neuter. einfach... This means "single" as in a "single ticket". As we have seen earlier, the literal meaning of the word is "simple". "...or return?" Literally: "there and back". class This means "first or second class". Note the endings on the ordinal numbers. A BahnCard from the German railway company Deutsche Bahn entitles you to substantial reductions on the entire German rail network and on most regional buses for the duration of one year. The ticket This preposition meaning "without" always takes the accusative case. This means "half-past nine" and not "half-past ten". See Chapter 8. approximately This means "to go", when you are not travelling by foot. It is an irregular verb. train punctually Is the train on time? of course This means "platform" when you are asking from which platform a train departs. In fact, "das Gleis" literally means the railway track itself. from which platform? An "ICE train". "ICE" stands for InterCity Express. A "regional express train". This is a stopping train, but it is faster than you might assume. A "supplement". You have to pay a supplementary charge to travel on an ICE train. But as Ken's train is not an ICE, the official informs him that there is no supplement to pay. direct; directly "This is a direct train". Literally: "This
...oder hin und zurck? die Klasse erster oder zweiter Klasse die BahnCard
die Fahrkarte ohne halb zehn ungefhr fahren der Zug pnktlich Fhrt der Zug pnktlich? selbstverstndlich das Gleis
der Zuschlag
train travels directly". ankommen This means "to arrive". The verb "ankommen" is a separable verb, a type of verb which will be discussed in detail on Page 6 of this chapter. When does the train arrive in Kassel? at 11:13
Singular ich fahre du fhrst Sie fahren er/sie/es fhrt Plural wir fahren ihr fahrt Sie fahren sie fahren We travel You travel (informal/formal) They travel I travel You travel (informal/formal) He/she/it travels
Singular ich muss du musst Sie mssen er/sie/es muss Plural wir mssen ihr msst Sie mssen sie mssen We have to You have to (informal/formal) They have to I have to You have to (informal/formal) He/she/it has to
Singular ich nehme du nimmst Sie nehmen er/sie/es nimmt Plural wir nehmen ihr nehmt Sie nehmen sie nehmen We take You take (informal/formal) They take I take You take (informal/formal) He/she/it takes
Singular ich will du willst Sie wollen er/sie/es will Plural wir wollen ihr wollt Sie wollen sie wollen We want You want (informal/formal) They want I want You want (informal/formal) He/she/it wants
+ + + +
= = = =
(to get out) einsteigen (to get in) umsteigen (to change)
Word order in separable verbs If the separable verb is the first (and often only) verb in a sentence or clause, these two elements separate. The main verb - also called the stem - assumes its normal position in the sentence, but the prefix is placed right at the end. Look at the following examples:
Grammar 6: Separable verbs in a normal clause
Clause Wann fhrst du ab? ("When do you depart?") Wann kommt der Zug an? ("When does the train arrive?") Er steigt in Mnchen aus. ("He gets out in Munich.") Bitte steigen Sie ein! ("Please get in!") Sie steigen hier um. ("You change here.")
But if the separable verb is the second verb in a sentence, it does not split up and behaves just like any other verb. Note too that when a separable verb is the second verb in the sentence, it will always remain in the infinitive form. The separable verb will be the second verb in a sentence when it follows what is known as a modal verb. These verbs will be explained in detail in Chapter 8, but for now you should note that we have already met three of them: "mssen" ("to have to"), "wollen" ("to want") and "mgen" ("to like") - although we have only encountered the latter in the form "ich mchte" ("I would like").
Grammar 7: Separable verbs after a modal verb
Clause Wann mssen Sie abfahren? ("When do you have to depart?") Wo wollen Sie umsteigen? ("Where do you want to change?")
mgen
Which prefixes are separable? The following common prefixes are always separable when attached to a main verb:
Grammar 8: Separable prefixes
The following prefixes are separable when they precede certain verbs and inseparable when they precede others:
Grammar 9: Occasionally separable prefixes
durch("through") um("change")
hinter("behind") unter("under")
ber("over") wieder("again")
Don't worry if you can't remember all of these - this will take some time. For the moment you should try to remember which verbs that we encounter during this course are separable and how they should be used. We will always indicate which verbs are separable in our vocabulary lists.
etc. If a German location uses "an" to translate "at", then you should use "zu" to describe movement towards such a place, and "von" to describe movement away from it. Thus when describing a bus stop you would say:
die Bushaltestelle = the bus-stop an der Bushaltestelle = at the bus-stop zur Bushaltestelle = to the bus-stop von der Bushaltestelle = from the bus-stop
The following table explains this pattern for some more of the nouns which we have met so far.
Grammar 10: Movement to and from places taking "an"
To the... zum Flughafen zum Gleis zum Platz zum Bahnhof zur Ampel
From... vom Flughafen vom Gleis vom Platz vom Bahnhof von der Ampel
platform der Gleis square station traffic lights der Platz der Bahnhof die Ampel
Neuter countries We can construct a similar pattern for countries, but only those which are neuter. Here of course different prepositions are used and no definite articles. Note that all three prepositions "in", "nach" and "aus" take the dative case:
Deutschland = Germany in Deutschland = in Germany nach Deutschland = to Germany aus Deutschland = from Germany Grammar 11: Movement to and from countries
Transport aeroplane bicycle bus car ferry lorry moped motor-bike S-Bahn ship taxi train tram das Flugzeug das Rad der Bus das Auto die Fhre der Lastwagen das Mofa das Motorrad die S-Bahn das Schiff das Taxi der Zug die Straenbahn
I travel by... ich fahre mit dem Flugzeug du fhrst mit dem Rad er fhrt mit dem Bus sie fhrt mit dem Auto wir fahren mit der Fhre ihr fahrt mit dem Lastwagen sie fahren mit dem Mofa ich fahre mit dem Motorrad Sie fahren mit der S-Bahn wir fahren mit dem Schiff du fhrst mit dem Taxi sie fhrt mit dem Zug ihr fahrt mit der Straenbahn sie fahren mit der U-Bahn
Going somewhere by foot As all of these actions involve motorised transport - or in the case of the bicycle, transport on wheels, you use the verb "fahren" (= to go; travel) to translate them. When you are going somewhere by foot however, you use the verb "gehen" (= to go; travel) e.g. "Ich gehe zum Bahnhof" or "Wir gehen zur Bushaltestelle". If you wish to emphasise that you are walking as opposed to taking some means of transport, you could also say "Ich gehe zu Fu" - "I'm going by foot".
Masculine Nominative welcher Mann? Accusative welchen Mann? Dative welchem Mann?
Here are a few sample sentences showing the use of the interrogative adjective.
Welcher U-Bahnhof ist das? ("Which underground station is that?") Welche Linie geht dahin? ("Which line goes there?") Welchen Zug nehmen Sie? ("Which train are you taking?") Von welchem Gleis? ("From which platform?") Mit welchem Bus fhrst du? ("With which bus are you travelling?")
Bicycle (das Fahrrad; das Rad) When you visit Germany you will probably be surprised by the number of bicycles. Students in particular are very fond of using bicycles as a means of transport. In smaller towns it can be worthwhile to get hold of a second-hand bicycle. You can always sell it again when you leave. There are second-hand bicycle shops in many towns or you can look at advertisements in the newspaper. Car (das Auto) A particularly useful aspect of German student life is the concept of car-sharing. At some colleges and universities you will find a car-sharing notice-board (das Mitfahrerbrett) where you can look and see whether someone is travelling to the destination which you require. In larger towns and cities there are also car-sharing centres (die Mitfahrzentrale) offering a wide range of car-sharing arrangements. The combined cost of the journey and the centre's service fee is usually well below what you would have to pay on public transport. And likewise of course, if you yourself are intending to drive somewhere you can reduce your expenses by taking one or more people with you. The telephone number of the car-sharing centres can be found in town magazines or the Yellow Pages under "car-sharing arrangements" (die Mitfahrvermittlung). Just ring and ask whether there is a car-sharing arrangement to the place you want to go on the day you want to travel or offer to take people with you in your car if you are driving yourself. The centre will write down the amount to be paid or received. As a passenger you are not required to contribute to any other costs. Underground trains (die U-Bahn) and suburban trains (die S-Bahn) As a general rule, underground trains travel shorter distances within the city centre, whereas suburban trains unite the city with surrounding regions and commuter belts. Their routes often intertwine however, and it is by no means uncommon for an "UBahn" to travel above ground, whilst the "S-Bahn" is travelling below ground!. Bus (der Bus) and tram (die Straenbahn) In most German towns and citites, the main terminal or bus station (der Busbahnhof) will be near the main railway station, and information centres there will provide you with timetables and the latest information. A bus-stop is called die Bushaltestelle or just die Haltestelle. Most larger towns and cities also have a tram network (die Straenbahn). The word for a "tram-stop" is the rather cumbersome compound noun die Straenbahnhaltestelle. There are no conductors on the vast majority of German buses and trams. You buy a ticket from the driver himself or from a ticket machine (der Fahrkartenautomat) which will probably be cheaper as you then get the chance of getting some of the reductions "die Ermigung" which are on offer. You can recognise a bus-stop or a tram-stop by a green letter "H" on the sign. Tickets There are at least three commonly used German words for a ticket - der Fahrschein, die Fahrkarte and der Fahrausweis. You can either buy a single ticket (der Einzelfahrschein) and (die Einzelfahrkarte) or a ticket which is valid for several trips (die Sammelkarte) or (die Mehrfahrkarte). These are always better value for money than a single ticket, and become more of a bargain the more journeys that you need to make.
Many cities offer tourists tickets which are valid for a whole day (die Tageskarte) or an entire weekend (die Wochenendkarte). These are more often than not valid for every means of public transport. Commuters can buy a yearly ticket (die Jahreskarte) which offer even greater savings. One of the most confusing factors about German tickets for overseas tourists is that the price of a ticket is often determined by which zone of the city (die Tarifzone) you are in. You will need to study a map of the local transport network to sort this out. Another practice which leads to confusion is the necessity for each passenger (der Fahrgast) to have their ticket "cancelled" (i.e. stamped) by a special machine called der Entwerter (ticket validator; ticket canceller). Only then is your ticket valid, as most machines print a date and time on your ticket. This cancelling machine will either be on the train platform, at the bus-stop, or on the bus or tram itself. Whilst there are not inspectors on every bus, tram or U-Bahn, you can expect to pay a heavy fine if you are caught without a valid ticket - or without one which has been cancelled!
Frankfurt, for example, in just over three and one-half hours, and once a new high speed track is completed the trip from Frankfurt to Cologne will be less than an hour. The ICE trains are supplemented by InterCity (IC) and InterRegio (IR) express trains. The latter usually run every two hours, have a maximum speed of 200 kilometres per hour, and link major cities to the medium-sized ones and to holiday destinations in Germany and neighbouring countries. They often use double-decker trains nowadays and are timetabled to connect with the railway's long-distance network. Despite their names, der Schnellzug (D) (literally: "the fast train") and der Eilzug (E) (= a fast stopping train) are much slower than the ICE trains, whereas der Nahverkehrszug (= literally: "local transport train") will stop at all the local stations before reaching its final destination. Buying a ticket When booking a train ticket in Germany, it certainly pays to ask if there are any special reductions (Ermigungen). There are also of course reduced fares and special deals for senior citizens (Senioren) and children and teenagers (Junioren), as well as special holiday tickets (das Ferienticket) (see left). Travellers might also consider the Schnes Wochenende Ticket (= literally: "Nice Weekend Ticket"). This provides weekend travel on local trains only for up to five persons travelling together. But the perhaps the biggest price-slasher for the regular visitor is die BahnCard, a railpass valid for a whole year, giving you a 25% reduction on all fares. It costs 50 euros for second class travel and 100 euros for first class travel. Other versions of the BahnCard give you 50% and 100% reduction on train travel, but you need to pay more for them.
Gehst du bitte jetzt einkaufen? Jawohl! Hast du eine Einkaufsliste fr mich? Nein, ich sage dir alles. Erst hol bitte vom Bcker ein kleines Weibrot und zehn frische Brtchen. Sie sind billiger im Supermarkt, und wir fahren heute Nachmittag dorthin.
Na gut! Dann kauf beim Metzger ein halbes Pfund Hackfleisch und 250 Gramm gekochten Schinken. Ich kaufe Fleisch lieber in der Altstadt, und heute Nachmittag fahren wir auch dorthin. Na gut! Vom Gemsegeschft brauche ich dann einen Kopfsalat, anderthalb Pfund kleine feste Tomaten, eine schne Gurke, zehn Pfund Kartoffeln und ein Pfund grne Bohnen. Die Sachen fr den Salat und das andere Gemse eilen nicht, und morgen ist doch Markt. Na gut, aber ich brauche unbedingt Eier von Lidl. Nein, brauchst du nicht. Wir haben doch viele. Eier kriegen wir dann auch noch vom Markt. Na gut, dann brauchst du nicht einkaufen gehen.
Glossary die Einkaufsliste (n) einkaufen einkaufen gehen shopping list to do the shopping "To go shopping". In this construction, both "einkaufen" and "gehen" are infinitives. Only the second verb "gehen" declines (i.e. changes its endings), whereas "einkaufen" remains the same. now
jetzt
Gehst du bitte jetzt Will you please go and do the shopping einkaufen? now? jawohl! "Yes, of course". This is often used ironically in response to somebody who is trying to boss you around! In this context it means "to tell", but it can also mean "to say". "I'll tell you everything". Note that the person to whom you are speaking ("dir") is in the dative case, whereas what you tell them ("alles") is in the accusative case. This means "first", as in the first thing in a list of things which need to be done. This means "to fetch". The word "hol" is the imperative form i.e. the form used to give commands. We have here the informal form used when talking to
erst holen
someone whom you would call "du". The polite form is "holen Sie". der Bcker (-) das Weibrot The baker "A loaf of white bread". In another context this could also mean "white bread" in general. Likewise "das Brot" could either mean "a loaf of bread" or just "bread". "fresh". The endings on adjectives following numbers will be explained later in this chapter. "A bread roll". All German nouns which end in "-chen" are neuter. The suffix "chen" means "little" or "small". "cheaper". The adjective "billig" means "cheap", adding "-er" is how you form the comparative. The supermarket afternoon "This afternoon" - literally "today afternoon". "to there". This is used when movement is implied. All right then! This means "to buy". The form "kauf" is the informal "du" form of the imperative which we saw earlier with "hol". The butcher at "At the butcher's". "Bei dem" is shortened to "beim" in the same way as the definite article is reduced with many other prepositions. pound half a pound mincemeat This means "boiled". The reason for the adjective endings will be explained in this chapter. "ham". The form "kauf" is the imperative form which we saw earlier on in this section with "hol". meat "preferably". It is often used with a verb to translate "prefer to". Thus "Ich kaufe lieber" means "I prefer to..."
frisch
das Brtchen
billiger
der Supermarkt der Nachmittag (e) heute Nachmittag dorthin na gut! kaufen
der Schinken
die Altstadt das Geschft (-e) das Gemsegeschft brauchen der Kopfsalat (-e) anderthalb fest schn die Gurke (-n) die Bohne (-n) grne Bohnen die Sache (-n) der Salat (-e) ander...
old (part of) town This means "shop, store". It is also the general term for "business". This is another word for a "greengrocer's shop". to need "lettuce". Literally: "head salad" (!) "one and a half". You will also see the word "eineinhalb" used to translate this. firm "nice". It can also mean "beautiful" in other contexts. cucumber bean green/French beans thing, item salad "other". It is never used in the root form "ander", but only in its declined form in front of a noun. "vegetables". Note that this is a singular noun in German. (they) are not urgent "tomorrow". Be careful not to write this with a capital letter, for then it would mean "morning"! after all market tomorrow is market-day after all definitely; absolutely egg The name of a German supermarket chain. You can visit their homepage by clicking here. This means "you don't need them". The pronoun "them" is omitted is this clause. many, a lot "to get". This is quite a conversational word which should not be used in formal German. "You don't need to go shopping". In other words, "brauchen" can either be used with a direct object or another infinitive, here
doch der Markt morgen ist doch Markt unbedingt das Ei (-er) Lidl
"einkaufen gehen".
Anna Mller Mslm Can Anna Mller Mslm Can Anna Mller Mslm Can Anna Mller Mslm Can Anna Mller Mslm Can Anna Mller Mslm Can Anna Mller Mslm Can Anna Mller Mslm Can Anna Mller
Ein Kilo pfel, bitte! Wir haben da verschiedene pfel, englische, franzsische, spanische... Englische. Englische... so, ein Pfund pfel. Dann noch ein Kilo Birnen, bitte! Mchten Sie eine se Birne oder eine saure? Ah, ich nehme eine se, bitte. Saure Birnen schmecken mir nicht! So, bitte. Mchten Sie sonst noch etwas? Ich htte gern zwei Pfund Karotten. Da, zwei Pfund polnische Karotten. Dann noch eineinhalb Pfund Zwiebeln. Da htten wir rote, weie und normale Zwiebeln. Weie bitte. Und ich htte gerne zwei Pfund Trauben. Ja, ich habe verschiedene Sorten. Welche mchten Sie denn, grne oder schwarze? Ich htte gerne die grnen. Ja, sie schmecken lecker! So, bitte schn. Was kosten die Bananen?
Mslm Can Anna Mller Mslm Can Anna Mller Mslm Can Anna Mller Mslm Can Anna Mller Mslm Can
Ein Euro vierzig das Pfund. Und die Apfelsinen? Sie kosten neunzig Cent das Stck. Oh, sie sind leider viel zu teuer. Ich gehe lieber auf den Markt. Sonst noch etwas? Das wr's. Was macht das zusammen? Das macht sechsundzwanzig Euro und siebzig. Da sind dreiig Euro. Danke schn. Und drei Euro und dreiig Cent bekommen Sie zurck. Vielen Dank.
Glossary
das Gemsegeschft (-e) im Gemsegeschft der Apfel (pl. - pfel) das Kilo
The greengrocer's
in the greengrocer's apple "A kilogram(me)". The shortened form is more common when a product (such as apples) is specified afterwards. here, there "various". We might translate this sentence by saying "We have many different types of apple". "English". Note that adjectives of nationality are written with small letters in German. French Spanish Then I'd like... This is the word for a "pear". Because of the shape, this is also the word for a light-bulb. sweet This means "sour". Note in particular that
da verschiedene
when adjectives which end in "-er" take adjective endings, the "-e" disappears. Thus it is here "saure pfel". ...schmecken mir nicht This means "I don't like sour pears". The verb "schmecken" means "to taste", so this literally means "They don't taste (very good) to me". The thing that you do or do not like the taste of is always the subject of the sentence, whilst the person who doesn't like the taste is always in the dative case.
Mchten Sie sonst "Would you like anything else?". We have noch etwas? already met "sonst noch etwas" on its own. ich htte gern "I would like". We have already met "Ich mchte gern", which is another variant of this expression. This means "carrot". You might also see "carrot" translated by "die Mhre (-n)". Polish "One and a half". We have already met "anderthalb", which means the same thing. onion "We have...". A politer way of saying "da haben wir". red white This means "normal", surprisingly enough, but is pronounced slightly differently. This means "grape". You might also see "die Weintraube (-n)". sort, type black "the green (ones)". There is no need in German to repeat a noun or a pronoun. tasty, delicious they taste delicious banana "One euro forty per pound". The definite article is used in German where we would use the preposition "per". No, not a variety of apple, but an "orange". You might also translate this by "die Orange (-n)". Ninety cents "each". We have already seen that "das Stck" usually means "a piece". far too expensive
die Karotte (-n) polnisch eineinhalb die Zwiebel (-n) da htten wir... rot wei normal die Traube (-n) die Sorte (-n) schwarz die grnen lecker sie schmecken lecker die Banane (-n) Ein Euro vierzig das Pfund die Apfelsine (-n)
I prefer to go... This means "to the markt". You would translate "at the market" by "auf dem Markt". that's all what does that come to?
Anna Mller Die Verkuferin Anna Mller Die Verkuferin Anna Mller Die Verkuferin Anna Mller Die Verkuferin Anna Mller Die Verkuferin Anna Mller Die Verkuferin Anna Mller Die Verkuferin Anna Mller Die Verkuferin Anna Mller Die
Entschuldigen Sie bitte. Ja, bitte. Knnen Sie mir helfen? Was suchen Sie denn? Wo gibt's hier denn Milch? Milch? Gleich hier vorne links. Bei den Milchprodukten. Und wo finde ich Marmelade? Ganz hinten im letzten Gang. Im dritten Regal. Ich brauche auch noch Kekse. Ich glaube, da hinten rechts. Und wo ist der Joghurt? Im nchsten Gang links. Oben oder unten? In der Mitte. Wo findet man Waschmittel? Hier unten, bei den Haushaltswaren. Ich suche auch Fisch. Im vorletzten Gang, bei der Tiefkhlkost.
Verkuferin Anna Mller Die Verkuferin Anna Mller Die Verkuferin Und Pralinen? Tut mir Leid, das wei ich auch nicht. Fragen Sie doch mal an der Kasse. Ich danke Ihnen. Nichts zu danken.
Glossary der Supermarkt im Supermarkt die Verkuferin (-innen) ja, bitte helfen (+ Dative) knnen Sie mir helfen? suchen wo gibt es hier...? The supermarket in the supermarket sales assistant (female) "Yes" (implying willingness to help) This means "to help". The person whom you are helping is in the dative case in German. can you help me? to look for "Where is..?" This is one of many constructions for this phrase which you will find in this section. The object which you are looking for is always in the accusative case in this construction. milk dairy produce Although "bei" maintains its general meaning of "at" here, we would probably translate this as "amongst the dairy produce" or "in the dairy produce section". Note too that the plural "Milchprodukte" adds an "-n" when in the dative case. The reason for this will be explained later. at the front at the front on the left No, not marmalade but "jam". The nearest equivalent to British marmalade is "die Orangenmarmelade". Note the slightly different spelling in German too! at the back right at the back the last... In a supermarkt, we would translate this by
"aisle". It is the general word for a passage, hallway or corridor in a building. "shelf". Note that while we say "on the third shelf", German uses the equivalent of "in the third shelf". This means "biscuit, cookie" to believe, think (fruit) juice apple juice drink at the top at the bottom middle; centre in the middle Note that Anna uses the impersonal "man" form here - it isn't solely used by men! Often, as here, it has the sense of the passive i.e. "Where can this be found?" washing powder down here household goods fish the last but one... frozen food chocolates This is short for "das/es tut mir Leid", which we met in Chapter 1 and means "I'm sorry". I don't know that either to ask "The checkout". In other contexts you might wish to translate this word by "counter" or "desk". at the checkout "don't mention it, you're welcome". Literally: "Nothing to thank for".
der Keks (-e) glauben der Saft der Apfelsaft das Getrnk (e) oben unten die Mitte in der Mitte wo findet man...?
das Waschmittel hier unten die Haushaltswaren der Fisch (-e) der/die vorletzte... die Tiefkhlkost die Pralinen tut mir Leid das wei ich auch nicht fragen die Kasse (-n)
When Anna Mller gets to the checkout with her goods, the salesperson ("der Verkufer") reads out what she has bought as he runs it over the scanner. He's funny that way.
Conversation 4: An der Kasse
Der Verkufer: Zwei Dosen Tomaten, eine Tiefkhl-Pizza, vier Packungen Nudeln, eine Schachtel Pralinen, ein halbes Pfund Butter, ein 3-Kilo-Paket Waschmittel, fnf 1-Liter-Flaschen Orangensaft, eine Tafel Schokolade, ein Glas Erdbeermarmelade, drei Liter Milch, eine Packung Taschentcher, zwei Tuben Zahnpasta, ein Becher Margarine, 500 Gramm Emmentaler Kse, eine Tte Bonbons, sechs Flaschen Mineralwasser, acht Becher Himbeerjoghurt. Macht zusammen zweiundsiebzig Euro fnfundachtzig. Vielen Dank und auf Wiedersehen!
Glossary die Dose (-n) die Tomate (-n) die Pizza (-s) die Tiefkhl-Pizza (s) die Packung (-en) die Nudeln (pl.) die Schachtel (-n) die Butter das Paket (-e) die Flasche (-n) der Orangensaft die Tafel (-n) die Schokolade "tin" or "can" tomato pizza frozen pizza packet, pack pasta; noodles Here a "box" of chocolates. It can also be used to translate a "pack" of cigarettes. butter A "packet". Note the hyphens in 3-KiloPaket. bottle orange juice "bar" of chocolate "chocolate". The general term for "chocolate", whereas Pralinen is what you would find in a box of chocolates. Here it means a "jar" of jam, whereas in other contexts it simply means "glass". strawberry
die strawberry jam Erdbeermarmelade (n) das Taschentuch die Tube (-n) hanky; handkerchief "tube". Note the different pronunciation
in German! die Zahnpasta der Becher (-) die Margarine der Kse Emmentaler Kse die Tte (-n) das Bonbon (-s) unten das Waschmittel das Wasser das Mineralwasser die Himbeere (-n) der Joghurt toothpaste tub margarine "cheese". Although this ends in an "-e", this noun is masculine. Emmentaler cheese bag A "sweet". You might also see "der Bonbon" used for this. at the bottom washing powder water mineral water raspberry "Yoghurt". You might occasionally see it written as "das Joghurt" or "der/das Jogurt". raspberry yoghurt (This) comes to...
Der Verkufer Anna Mller Der Verkufer Anna Mller Der Verkufer Anna Mller Der Verkufer
Guten Tag. Sie wnschen? Guten Tag! Ich htte ganz gerne 200 Gramm von dieser Pfeffersalami bitte. Ja, gerne. Darf's ein bisschen mehr sein? 220 Gramm? Nein, das ist ein bisschen viel. Haben Sie noch einen Wunsch? Ja, geben Sie mir bitte ein Stck Gouda Kse. 500 Gramm. So.... Ich habe 480 Gramm, ist das recht?
Anna Mller Der Verkufer Anna Mller Der Verkufer Anna Mller Der Verkufer Anna Mller Der Verkufer Anna Mller Der Verkufer Anna Mller Der Verkufer Anna Mller Der Verkufer Anna Mller Der Verkufer Anna Mller
Ist gut, ja, das reicht. Das ist in Ordnung. Auerdem noch einen Wunsch? Dann nehme ich 5 Frankfurter Wrstchen. Wie teuer sind sie? Hier steht kein Preis darauf. 5 Frankfurter Wrstchen, acht Euro neunundneunzig. Ja, das ist in Ordnung. Kommt noch etwas dazu? Ich htte gerne noch sechs Scheiben von dem Schwarzwlder Schinken. Alles klar. Wre das alles? Ja, das wre alles. Nein, Moment mal. Ich mchte ein Vollkornbrot und zehn frische Brtchen bitte. Was kosten die Brtchen? Brtchen kosten zwanzig Cent das Stck. Haben Sie sonst noch einen Wunsch? Ich htte gerne ein Stck Kuchen...nur wei ich noch nicht von welchem! Was knnen Sie mir empfehlen? Die Zitronentorte ist sehr gut... oder dieser Apfelstrudel ist eine unserer Spezialitten. So eine groe Auswahl! Ich nehme ein Stck Marmorkuchen, bitte. Bitte schn... macht achtundzwanzig Euro vierundfnfzig insgesamt. Hier, bitte. Kleiner habe ich leider nicht. Das macht nichts. So, und hier ist Ihr Kleingeld. Vielen Dank. Ich danke auch. Auf Wiedersehen
Glossary die Feinkosthandlung Sie wnschen? "delicatessen". You might also see "der Feinkostladen" used to translate this. "What would you like?". It is just another way of saying "Was wnschen Sie?"
salami pepper "pepper salami". As we have seen earlier, the gender of a German compound noun is determined by its second element (= die Salami). this "200 grammes of this...". "Von" can either mean "from" or "of" depending on context. You need to use it here as Anna is specifying which salami she wants. a little more Do you mind it being a little over? a little too much wish Do you want anything else? "please give me...". Note that "geben" is another verb which takes the dative case. "Is that OK?". Just like its English equivalent "right", the word "recht" can have a number of meanings. that's enough (that's) OK, all right! "besides; in addition". The phrase as a whole is another variant on "Sonst noch einen Wunsch?" Note that "einen Wunsch" is in the accusative case. An adjective meaning "from Frankfurt". Just like "Emmentaler" earlier on in this chapter, the word "Frankfurter" does not add adjective endings because the adjective is formed from the name of a place. "small sausage". The combination "Frankfurter Wrstchen" would be translated as a "frankfurter". "How expensive are they?" This is simply another variant for asking how much something costs. "price". Also the word for a "prize". on it
ein bisschen mehr darf's ein bisschen mehr sein? ein bisschen viel der Wunsch (pl. Wnsche) haben Sie noch einen Wunsch? geben Sie mir bitte... ist das recht?
Frankfurter
hier steht kein Preis there is no price on it darauf kommt noch etwas dazu? die Scheibe (-n) der Schwarzwald Yet another way of asking the customer if she wants anything else! slice "Black Forest". The adjective "Schwarzwlder" means "from the Black Forest". "all right, OK". The word "klar" literally means "clear". Would that be all? that will be all just a moment a loaf of coarse wholemeal bread "not yet". Thus the whole clause would be translated as "I don't know yet". which I don't know which cake I want a piece of... "to recommend". This verb is irregular in the present tense.
alles klar wre das alles? das wre alles Moment mal das Vollkornbrot noch nicht welcher ... von welchem empfehlen
was knnen Sie mir "What can you recommend (to me)?". The empfehlen? verb "empfehlen" is another one whereby the person being recommended something is in the dative case. die Zitrone (-n) die Torte (-n) lemon flan; cake
die Zitronentorte (- lemon flan n) der Apfelstrudel die Spezialitt (en) die Auswahl so eine groe Auswahl! der Marmorkuchen (-) insgesamt kleiner kleiner habe ich leider nicht apple strudel "speciality". The apfelstrudel is "one of our specialities". selection What a large selection! "marble cake". "Der Marmor" is the word for "marble". "in total". It all comes to ("macht") 28,54 in total. smaller "I'm sorry I don't have anything smaller". We assume that she has offered him a fifty euro note or even a higher denomination. German shop-keepers can be quite reluctant to give change for
banknotes of high denomination. (das) macht nichts ich danke auch it doesn't matter This is a practical response if a shopkeeper uses a "danke" construction at the end of a conversation instead of "bitte".
7.6 Quantities
Some grammatical points When asking for a quantity "of" something in German, the word for "of" is omitted.
Grammar 1: Nouns of quantity
German ein Stck Kuchen ein Glas Bier eine Portion Pommes eine Flasche Wein
Note too that even following numerals greater than one, masculine and neuter nouns of weight, measurement or value must remain in the singular:
Grammar 2: Plurals of nouns of quantity
English three pieces of cake two glasses of beer six pairs of shoes ten English pounds for a few dollars more
German drei Stck Kuchen zwei Glas Bier sechs Paar Schuhe zehn englische Pfund um ein paar Dollar mehr
English seven portions of chips eleven bottles of wine sixteen cups of tea
German sieben Portionen Pommes elf Flaschen Wein sechzehn Tassen Tee
Feminine nouns for currencies remain singular however. Thus the former German currency "die Mark" never took a plural ending - i.e. "zwanzig Mark", "drei Mark 50". German weights and measures German uses the metric system and the basic unit of weight is the gram - das Gramm - which equates to 0.0353 ounces. One ounce equals 28 Gramm. Note again here that the quantity is singular in German whereas we would say 28 grams in English. The pound - das Pfund - is also used in German-speaking countries, but note that a German pound is slightly heavier than an English pound. One Pfund is equal to 500 Gramm, whereas one English pound equates to 454 grams.
Grammar 4: Weights and measures
Weight 100g ein Viertelpfund ein halbes Pfund ein Pfund das Kilo(gramm)
Gramm 100 Gramm 125 Gramm 250 Gramm 500 Gramm 1000 Gramm
German-speaking countries use the litre - das Liter - to measure liquids. One litre is equivalent to 1.7 pints. One Liter is made up of 1000 Milliliter.
100 101 102 103 110 150 151 200 300 346
hundert hundert(und)eins hundertzwei hundertdrei hundertzehn hundertfnfzig hunderteinundfnfzig zweihundert dreihundert dreihundertsechsundvierzig
Explanation 1. German numbers above 100 are combined in the same way as numbers above 20. All you do is add the word for 100, 200 etc in front of the two-figure number which we learned to construct in Chapter 4: 7 + 60 = siebenundsechzig; 400 + 7 + 60 = vierhundertsiebenundsechzig. 2. Note that Germans normally say hundertzwei where we would say "one hundred and two", and tausend where we would say "one thousand". "Ein" is however normally inserted in complex numbers such as tausendeinhundert (=1100). 3. It is possible (but wholly optional), to insert "und" between "hundert" and "eins" in the German for 101, and also between "tausend" and tens or units, e.g. tausend(und)eins, siebentausend(und)elf. 4. Years are usually stated in hundreds: - 1998 is written: neunzehnhundertachtundneunzig. - The year 2000 is however written as das Jahr zweitausend and 2001 is written as zweitausendeins.
1000 1001 1009 1010 1052 1100 2000 2003 2010 5000 10000
tausend tausend(und)eins tausend(und)neun tausendzehn tausendzweiundfnfzig tausendeinhundert zweitausend zweitausenddrei zweitausendzehn fnftausend zehntausend
Larger numbers Long numbers (i.e. those with more than one element) are rarely written out in full. In practice, complex numbers are rarely written fully except on cheques, and figures are used in written German more often than is usual in English. Numbers higher than a thousand are written with spaces every three digits - not with commas as in English, i.e. Germans would write 123 678 and not 123,678 as in English.
Vocabulary 3: Larger numbers
123 678 1 000 000 2 000 000 10 000 000 5 276 497 1 000 000 000 2 000 000 000 10 000 000
zwei Millionen
zehn Millionen
zwei Milliarden
zehn Milliarden
Explanation 1) The numbers eine Million and eine Milliarde are treated as separate nouns. They thus have a plural ending where necessary - i.e. drei Millionen fnfhunderttausend.
2) The plural form is also used when one million is followed by a decimal: 1,4 Millionen Euro. This is spoken as einskommavier Millionen Euro.
Country Andorra Australien Belgien Brasilien Bulgarien China Dnemark Deutschland England Estland Finnland Frankreich Griechenland Indien Irland Island Israel Italien Japan
Adjective andorranisch australisch belgisch brasilianisch bulgarisch chinesisch dnisch deutsch englisch estlndisch estnisch finnisch franzsisch griechisch indisch irisch islndisch israelisch italienisch japanisch
Translation Andorran Australian Belgian Brazilian Bulgarian Chinese Danish German English Estonian Finnish French Greek British Indian Irish Icelandic Israeli Italian Japanese
Grobritannien britisch
Kanada Kolumbien Kroatien Lettland Liechtenstein Litauen Luxemburg Mazedonien Mexiko Moldawien Monaco Neuseeland die Niederlande Norwegen sterreich Polen Portugal Rumnien Russland Schottland Schweden die Schweiz die Slowakei Slowenien Spanien Sdafrika Sdkorea die Tschechische Republik Tunesien die Trkei die Ukraine Ungarn
kanadisch kolumbianisch kroatisch lettisch litauisch luxemburgisch mazedonisch mexikanisch moldawisch monegassisch neuseelndisch niederlndisch norwegisch sterreichisch polnisch portugiesisch rumnisch russisch schottisch schwedisch schweizerisch Schweizer slowakisch slowenisch spanisch sdafrikanisch sdkoreanisch tschechisch
Canadian Columbian Croatian Latvian Lithuanian Luxembourgish Macedonian Mexican Moldovan Monegasque New Zealand Dutch Norwegian Austrian Polish Portuguese Romanian Russian Scottish Swedish Swiss Slovakian Slovenian Spanish South African South Korean Czech
liechtensteinisch Liechtensteinian
Grammatical Points 1. Unlike English, adjectives referring to countries take a small letter in German. Thus "my German uncle" would be translated as "mein deutscher Onkel". 2. Adjectives of nationality take adjective endings in exactly the same way as other adjectives. 3. There are two different adjectives to translate "Swiss". The first of these "schweizerisch" behaves like any other adjective of nationality. The second however "Schweizer" always starts with a capital letter and never takes adjective endings. Thus "Swiss eggs" could either be translated as "schweizerische Eier" (= with endings) or "Schweizer Eier" (= without endings). Colours In the course of the conversations in the first few sections of this chapter, we have encountered some more German adjectives for colours to add to the ones which have already featured in earlier chapters. Here is a list of the most important ones:
Vocabulary 5: Colours
All of these adjectives take the normal adjectival endings - i.e. "rote pfel", "grne Trauben". There are however four common colours which do not take adjectival endings and thus behave like Schweizer above. These colours are:
Vocabulary 6: Colours that do not decline
beige pink
beige rosa
orange purple
orange lila
Such adjectives do however often take on suffixes such as "-farben" and "-farbig", both meaning "-coloured". When they do so normal adjectival endings are added i.e. "ein lila Kleid" or "ein lilafarbenes Kleid" (a purple dress).
The endings for an adjective which follows such endings, which we call the strong declension, are given below. First the singular endings:
Grammar 5: Singular endings in the strong declension
Singular
Masculine
Plural Nominative zwei grne Bohnen Accusative zwei grne Bohnen Dative zwei grnen Bohnen
Weak declension We can now complete the endings tables for the other declensions by adding their plural forms. Firstly for adjectives following the definite article - also known as the weak declension. Note too the way that the definite articles decline in the plural:
Grammar 6: Singular endings in the weak declension
Sing.
Masculine
Feminine
Neuter das deutsche Bier das deutsche Bier dem deutschen Bier
Nom. der deutsche Kse die deutsche Wurst Acc. Dat. den deutschen Kse dem deutschen Kse die deutsche Wurst der deutschen Wurst
Plural
Nom. die grnen Bohnen Acc. Dat. die grnen Bohnen den grnes Bohnen
Mixed declension Finally, here is the "mixed" declension - namely the form of the adjective when it follows the indefinite article or a personal possessive. Note again the plural adjective endings, and the way in which "mein" ("dein", "sein" etc.) declines in the plural:
Grammar 7: Singular endings in the weak declension
Sing.
Masculine
Feminine eine deutsche Wurst eine deutsche Wurst einer deutschen Wurst
Neuter ein deutsches Bier ein deutsches Bier einem deutschen Bier
Nom. ein deutscher Kse Acc. Dat. einen deutschen Kse einem deutschen Kse
Plural Nom. meine grnen Bohnen Acc. Dat. meine grnen Bohnen meinen grnen Bohnen
Singular ich I
Plural wir we
du Sie er sie es
Comments English speakers need to take particular care when translating the English pronoun it. As all German nouns have one of three genders, so too do pronouns - a masculine noun must therefore have a masculine pronoun regardless of whether it is a living thing or an inanimate object. For example:
Der Hund mag die Katze. Er mag die Katze. (The dog likes the cat. It likes the cat.) Die Katze mag den Hund. Sie mag den Hund. (The cat likes the dog. It likes the dog.) Hier ist das Pferd. Es heit Shergar. (Here is the horse. It is called Shergar.) Hier ist der Kaffee. Er schmeckt gut. (Here is the coffee. It tastes good.)
Singular mich me dich Sie ihn sie es you (informal) you (formal) him her it
Plural uns us euch you (informal) Sie sie you (formal) they
Examples We have already met several examples of the accusative of the personal pronoun in set phrases in earlier chapters:
Das freut mich. (That pleases me.) Es freut mich, Sie kennen zu lernen, Herr Deisler. (I'm pleased to meet you, Mister Deisler.) Gr dich! (Literally: I greet you.)
Die Frau mag uns, Sebastian. (The woman likes us, Sebastian.)
Once again you should to be careful of German genders when you translate the English pronoun "it":
Der Hund mag die Katze. Der Hund mag sie. (The dog likes the cat. The dog likes it.) Die Katze mag den Hund. Die Katze mag ihn. (The cat likes the dog. The cat likes it.) Ich mag das Pferd. Ich mag es. (I like the horse. I like it.) Hier ist der Kaffee. Ich kaufe ihn. (Here is the coffee. I'll buy it.)
Examples Examples of how to use the dative of the personal pronoun will be given in the next section, when we look at verbs which take the dative case. Once again however, the problem of translating English "it" in the dative should be noted:
Der Hund spielt mit der Katze. Der Hund spielt mit ihr. (The dog plays with the cat. The dog plays with it.) Die Katze spielt mit dem Hund. Die Katze spielt mit ihm. (The cat plays with the dog. The cat plays with it.) Ich spiele mit dem Pferd. Ich spiele mit ihm. (I am playing with the horse. I'm playing with it.)
(N.B. A noun or pronoun in the accusative case is called a direct object. A verb which takes a direct object is called a transitive verb. A noun or pronoun in the dative case is called an indirect object.) We have met several examples of verbs taking the dative case in this chapter, and they can be split into four types. Firstly verbs which simply take a dative object:
Knnen Sie mir helfen? ("Can you help me?") Ich danke Ihnen. ("(I) thank you.")
Verbs that take both the dative and the accusative case Secondly, a number of verbs take both a direct and an indirect object. As a general rule, the person to whom to you are giving something (or from whom you are taking something) will be in the dative case, whereas the thing that you are giving to them (or taking from them) will be in the accusative case:
Ich sage dir alles... ("I'll tell you everything...") Geben Sie mir bitte ein Stck Gouda Kse. ("Please give me a piece of Gouda cheese.") Was knnen Sie mir empfehlen? ("What can you recommend to me?")
Thus in the above examples the personal pronouns "dir" and "mir" are in the dative case. What is being told / given / recommended to them is in the accusative case. In the first two examples this would be "alles" and "ein Stck Gouda Kse". In the third example it would be the interrogative pronoun "was". Verbs where the dative object equates to the English subject The final groups of verbs are ones which can take a lot of getting used to for an English speaker, as the indirect object of the German construction corresponds to the subject of the English equivalent. The most common examples of such verbs are those which express the English "to like": "gefallen" (= the general verb for liking something) and "schmecken" (= to like food):
Saure Birnen schmecken mir nicht. ("I don't like sour pears.") Das Kleid gefllt ihr nicht. ("She doesn't like the dress.")
In both of these cases the noun or pronoun which is in the dative case in the German sentence - "mir" and "ihr" would be the subject in the English construction. Likewise, the subject of the German verb (i.e. the noun that is in the nominative case) would either be the object of the English verb - "saure Birnen" or "das Kleid". It logically follows that the subject of the German sentence will determine the endings on the verb. If (as here) this is an inanimate object, the verb will be in the third person. The verb will have singular endings if the subject is singular ("das Kleid"), plural endings if the subject is a plural one ("saure Birnen").
Impersonal verbs Another type of construction in which what would be the subject of an English sentence is in the dative case in a German sentence are the so-called impersonal verbs. These are verbs in which the grammatical subject of the sentence is "es", a non-specific "it". We have met two of the most common impersonal verbs already:
Es tut mir Leid. ("I'm sorry.") Wie geht es Ihnen? ("How are you?") Mir geht es gut. ("I'm very well.")
Singular ich empfehle du empfiehlst Sie empfehlen Plural wir empfehlen ihr empfehlt Sie empfehlen sie empfehlen We recommend You recommend (informal/formal) They recommend I recommend You recommend (informal/formal)
Singular ich gebe du gibst Sie geben er/sie/es gibt Plural wir geben ihr gebt Sie geben We give You give (informal/formal) I give You give (informal/formal) He/she/it gives
sie geben
They give
Singular ich gefalle du gefllst Sie gefallen er/sie/es gefllt Plural wir gefallen ihr gefallt Sie gefallen sie gefallen We please You please (informal/formal) They please I please You please (informal/formal) He/she/it pleases
Singular ich helfe du hilfst Sie helfen er/sie/es hilft Plural wir helfen ihr helft Sie helfen sie helfen We help You help (informal/formal) They help I help You help (informal/formal) He/she/it finds
The verb endings for the imperative depend on the person to whom you are talking. In both of the above cases the "du" form is used, as Anna Mller is talking to a member of her own family. The other pronouns for "you" in German have their own form of the imperative:
Formation 1. The "du" form of the imperative is formed by dropping the final "-en" of the infinitive and adding "-e" to the end of the word. This "-e" ending is usually dropped in spoken German and quite often in written German as well. The "-e" is always kept however with verbs whose stem end in "-d", "-t", "-ig" and "-m" or "-n" after another consonant. 2. The "ihr" form of the imperative is exactly the same as the "ihr" form of the regular present tense. 3. The "Sie" form of the imperative is exactly the same as the "Sie" form of the regular present tense BUT the word order is reversed - the verb always precedes the pronoun. 4. Note in particular that the "Sie" form of the imperative is the only one in which the pronoun is used in the command; you must omit the pronoun in the "du" and "ihr" forms. Irregular verbs Most irregular verbs with "-e-" in the stem change this to "-i-" or "-ie-" in the "du" form, just as they do in the regular present tense. Such verbs never add the ending "-e" in the "du" form. The "ihr" and "Sie" forms remain unaffected. This works out as follows for the three irregular verbs of this kind that we have already encountered:
Grammar 16: Irregular imperatives
nehmen nimm! nehmt! nehmen Sie! sein sei! seid! seien Sie!
Note from the above table that the verb "sein" is also irregular in the imperative. It too never adds the final "-e" in the "du" form of the imperative.
The verbs "knnen" and "wollen" do not have an imperative. The "wir" form There is also a "wir" form of the imperative which equates to "Let's do something" rather than being an order. Just like the "Sie" form of the imperative, you merely take the normal "wir" form of the present tense verb and follow it with the adverb: - i.e. "Gehen wir!" (= "Let's go!"); "Machen wir!" (= "Let's do!")
Shops
Vocabulary 8: Types of shop baker butcher's chemist's corner store department store drugstore food store health food shop die Bckerei (-en) die Metzgerei (-en) die Apotheke (-n) der Tante-Emma-Laden (pl. - Tante-Emma-Lden) das Kaufhaus (pl. - Kaufhuser) die Drogerie (-n) das Lebensmittelgeschft (e) der Bioladen (pl. - Biolden) das Reformhaus (pl. - Reformhuser) der Markt (pl. - Mrkte) - der Weihnachtsmarkt (pl. - Weihnachtsmrkte) das Geschft (-e) der Laden (pl. - Lden) der Supermarkt (pl. - Supermrkte)
bread roll butter carrot cheese chocolate chocolates cornflakes cucumber dairy produce drink egg fish flan; cake frozen food fruit juice grape ham honey jam lemon - lemon flan lettuce marble cake margarine meat milk mincemeat mineral water onion orange - orange juice pasta pear pepper - pepper salami pizza
das Brtchen (-) die Butter die Karotte (-n) die Mhre (-n) der Kse die Schokolade die Pralinen (pl.) die Cornflakes (pl.) die Gurke (-n) die Milchprodukte (pl.) das Getrnk (-e) das Ei (-er) der Fisch (-e) die Torte (-n) die Tiefkhlkost der Saft die Traube (-n) der Schinken der Honig die Marmelade die Zitrone (-n) - die Zitronentorte (-n) der Kopfsalat der Marmorkuchen die Margarine das Fleisch die Milch das Hackfleisch das Mineralwasser die Zwiebel (-n) die Orange (-n) die Apfelsine (-n) - der Orangensaft die Nudeln (pl.) die Birne (-n) der Pfeffer - die Pfeffersalami die Pizza (-s)
raspberry salad salami sausage - small sausage strawberry - strawberry jam sweet tomato vegetables water yoghurt
die Himbeere (-n) der Salat die Salami die Wurst (pl. Wrste) - das Wrstchen (-) die Erdbeere (-n) - die Erdbeermarmelade das Bonbon (-s) die Tomate (-n) das Gemse das Wasser der Joghurt (-s)
Note also the difference between a German chemist's and a drugstore. The chemist's (die Apotheke) dispense drugs and medicines. Some drugs don't require a prescription, whereas others do. Drugs are generally cheaper on prescription, but you obviously have to see a doctor. It is also possible to buy cosmetics and some health foods in an Apotheke. A drugstore (die Drogerie) on the other hand sells mainly toiletries, cosmetics and films etc, although it will sell some medicines if they are not on prescription. More upmarket and thus more expensive than a Drogerie is "die Parfmerie", where you can get mainly perfumes and cosmetics. Markets Almost all towns, big or small, have one or two markets days a week, often on Wednesday or Saturday mornings. This can vary however - some towns have a permanent market open throughout the week. Quite a few of the stalls are run by local vegetable growers, and are of very high standard. Particularly attractive for visitors are the Christmas markets ("Weihnachtsmrkte"), at which you can buy sweets, pastries and hand-carved Christmas decorations. Re-cycling To a much greater extent than in other countries Germany practises the re-cycling of waste products. A "throw-away mentality" (die Wegwerfmentalitt) is frowned upon and people are encouraged to purchase environmentally friendly products (umweltfreundliche Produkte) which are recognisable by the symbol of the "blue angel" (der blaue Engel) - see below - and which can be recycled at places indicated by the green dot symbol (der grne Punkt). Citizens are also informed by brochures produced by the municiple authorities how to sort their rubbish (die Mlltrennung), i.e. put different kinds of material into different dustbins. Consequently there are dustbins and containers for used paper, glass (which is sorted according to colour), packaging material, organic waste, and residual waste. Yellow sacks are used for recyclable material, green for biodegradable material and black for the rest. The yellow and green bags are taken away free of charge, but you have to pay to have the rest collected. In the street, rubbish is put into the appropriate bin for recycling. Glass bottles should not be thrown into containers on Sundays or at night because of the noise. Mail order Home shopping has affected German buying habits severely - according to the German Mail Order Association, Germany ranks second in the world among homeshopping giants behind the USA. The Association reported that in 1996, 49% of Europe's mail-order trade came from German citizens. They also reported that there are at least 20 main mail order companies, 12 of which are based in Germany and of these twelve, two are the largest houses in the world. This means that around 350 million catalogues are printed each year, which works out to be about four catalogues per person or at least 10 catalogues per household in Germany. Catalogue houses advertise heavily and you are almost guaranteed to receive something unsolicited from them in the mail. Sometimes it's the catalogue itself or a postcard inviting you to order the catalogue. Larger houses, such as Otto, Heine or Quelle send regular post card invitations asking 'occupants' to fill-in the card and return it to receive a free gift.
Anna Mller Frau Krug Anna Mller Frau Krug Anna Mller Frau Krug Anna Mller Frau Krug
Guten Morgen, Frau Mller am Apparat. Hat die Frau Doktor Weber einen Termin frei? Ja, natrlich, Frau Mller. Um 10.20 Uhr haben wir einen Termin frei, oder zehn Minuten spter um halb elf. Ist das in Ordnung? Wie spt ist es jetzt? Es ist zehn Uhr fnf. Nein, das schaffe ich nicht. Haben sie einen spteren Termin frei? Der nchste ist um 11.00 Uhr. Ist Ihnen das Recht? Um 11:00 Uhr? Ja, da kann ich. Vielen Dank, auf Wiederhren. Auf Wiederhren.
Good morning, Frau Mller speaking. Does Doctor Weber have a vacant appointment? Yes, of course, Ms. Mller. We have an appointment at 10:20 or ten minutes later at half-past ten. Is that OK? What time is it now? It is 10:05. No, I can't manage that. Do you have a later appointment that's not taken? The next one is at eleven o'clock. Is that OK by you?
At eleven o'clock? Yes, I can manage that. Thank you very much, goodbye. Goodbye.
Glossary der Termin (e) die rztin (innen) appointment This is the word to describe the profession of "doctor". The masculine is "der Arzt" (pl. rzte). When you are using "doctor" in connection with a name, you would use the word "der Doktor" regardless of gender - i.e. Frau Doktor Weber.
Hat (sie) einen "Does she have a vacant appointment?". The Termin frei? word "frei" literally means "free". natrlich um 10.20 Uhr of course "At 10.20". Note that this is said "um zehn Uhr zwanzig", although "Uhr" actually follows "zwanzig" when it is written. later "At half-past ten". Literally: "half (to) eleven". Is that OK? to do; manage I can't make that "A later appointment". The comparative of the adjective also takes adjective endings. This will be discussed in more detail later. "The next one", as in the next appointment. As "der Termin" is a masculine noun, the gender of the definite pronoun will also be masculine. Spoken = "um elf Uhr" - "at 11 o'clock". Is that all right for you? "I can manage that". The verb for "manage" can be omitted after the modal verb "knnen" goodbye (on phone)
spter um halb elf ist das in Ordnung? schaffen das schaffe ich nicht ein spterer Termin der nchste
um 11.00 Uhr ist Ihnen das Recht? da kann ich auf Wiederhren
In the following conversation, Marko Tredup also attempts to make an appointment with his doctor. Once again, things don't go to plan and times need to be altered.
Conversation 2: Ein Termin mit dem Arzt
Marko Tredup Herr Friedrich Marko Tredup Herr Friedrich Marko Tredup Herr Friedrich Marko Tredup Herr Friedrich
Guten Tag. Mein Name ist Tredup. Wann hat Herr Doktor Becker Sprechstunde? Dienstags bis donnerstags von 12 Uhr bis 14 Uhr. Kann ich bitte heute in die Sprechstunde kommen? Moment mal, Herr Tredup... Knnen Sie um 12.40 Uhr kommen? Leider nicht. Ich kann Ihnen einen Termin um 13.10 Uhr geben. Wenn das Ihnen nicht passt, mssen Sie leider bis morgen warten. h ... muss ich mal nachschauen. Ja, 13.10 Uhr ist mir Recht. Vielen Dank, auf Wiederhren. Auf Wiederhren.
Marko Tredup Herr Friedrich Marko Tredup Herr Friedrich Marko Tredup Herr Friedrich Marko Tredup Herr Friedrich
Good afternoon. My name is Tredup. When does Doctor Becker have his surgery? Between Tuesday and Thursday, from 12 o'clock until 2 o'clock. Could I come to the doctor's surgery today? One moment, Herr Tredup... Could you come at 12:40? Unfortunately not. I can give you an appointment at 13:10. If that isn't suitable, I'm afraid that you will have to wait until tomorrow. Erm ... I'll have to have a look. Yes, 13:10 is fine by me. Many thanks, goodbye. Goodbye.
Glossary
heute
today
die Sprechstunde surgery; consultation hour (-n) dienstags bis donnerstags Moment mal leider nicht passen (+ Dative) wenn das Ihnen nicht passt bis morgen warten h... nachschauen Tuesdays until; (here) to Thursdays one moment! unfortunately not This means "to suit". It is another verb that takes a dative object. if that doesn't suit you; if that isn't suitable until tomorrow to wait erm... This is a separable verb meaning "to have a look". We assume that Marko Tredup is consulting his diary or appointments book.
12.40 Uhr ist mir "12.40 is fine by me". This is the answer to Recht the phrase: "Ist das Ihnen Recht?"
Anna Mller Herr Walle Anna Mller Herr Walle Anna Mller
Schmidt & Co., guten Tag. Walle, von der Firma Kindt AG, kann ich bitte Herrn Doktor Schmidt sprechen? Das tut mir Leid. Er ist noch in einer Besprechung. Kann ich Ihnen helfen? Vielen Dank. Ich rufe spter noch mal an. Auf Wiederhren. Bitte schn. Wiederhren.
Anna Mller
Walle, from the Kindt AG company, can I speak to Doctor Schmidt please? I'm sorry, he's still in a meeting. May I help you? Many thanks. I'll call back later. Goodbye. Don't mention it. Goodbye.
Glossary Co. die Firma (pl. Firmen) AG Herrn Doktor Schmidt sprechen die Besprechung anrufen spter noch mal Wiederhren This is the abbreviation for the German word for "company". company An abbreviation for "Aktiengesellschaft". This means a "(public) limited company". When the word for Mr. - "der Herr" - is in the accusative and dative case, it adds an extra "n", becoming "den Herrn". This means "to speak to". It is an irregular verb. meeting This means "to ring up". It is a separable verb. later again Short for "Auf Wiederhren", which means "Goodbye" on the telephone.
Firma Aksoy, Zacharias am Apparat, guten Morgen. Mein Name ist Dblin, knnten Sie mich bitte mit Frau Hartmann verbinden? Moment bitte, ich verbinde. Da meldet sich niemand. Frau Hartmann ist im Moment
nicht an ihrem Arbeitsplatz. Herr Dblin Barbara Zacharias Herr Dblin Barbara Zacharias Knnte ich vielleicht Herrn Schneider sprechen? Er spricht gerade auf einer anderen Leitung. Mchten Sie spter noch mal anrufen oder soll er Sie zurckrufen? Vielen Dank. Ich rufe zurck. Auf Wiederhren. Wiederhren.
Barbara Zacharias Herr Dblin Barbara Zacharias Herr Dblin Barbara Zacharias Herr Dblin Barbara Zacharias
The Aksoy company, Zacharias speaking, good morning. My name is Dblin, could you please connect me with Ms. Hartmann? One moment please, I'm connecting you now. There's no response. Ms. Hartmann is not at her desk at the moment. Could I speak to Mr. Schneider perhaps? He's talking on another line at the moment. Would you like to call back later or would you like him to ring you back? Thanks very much. I'll call back. Goodbye. Goodbye.
Glossary Zacharias am Apparat verbinden sich melden da meldet sich niemand im Moment der Arbeitsplatz am Arbeitsplatz gerade die Leitung (-en) auf einer "Zacharias speaking". As "der Apparat" means (in some contexts) "the telephone", this literally means "on the phone". to connect to answer (telephone) "Nobody is answering". We could also say: "There's no response". at the moment Here: "work station; place of work". It's also the word for a "job". at her(/his etc.) work station at the moment; just (telephone) line on another line
anderen Leitung zurckrufen soll er Sie zurckrufen? ich rufe zurck This means "to ring back". It is a separable verb. "Would you like him to ring you back?" Note the usage of the modal verb "sollen". I'll call back
Marko Tredup Frau Wolf Marko Tredup Frau Wolf Marko Tredup Frau Wolf Marko Tredup Frau Wolf Marko Tredup Frau Wolf Marko Tredup Frau Wolf
Bro Roth, Tredup am Apparat. Knnte ich bitte mit Frau Professor Roth sprechen? Frau Professor Roth ist zur Zeit nicht im Hause. Wer ist am Apparat? Wolf, von der Firma Grnschnabel in Leipzig. Mchten Sie eine Nachricht hinterlassen? Ja, gern. Es geht um einen Termin fr nchste Woche. Knnte sie mich sobald wie mglich zurckrufen? Das geht in Ordnung, Frau Wolf. Wie ist Ihre Telefonnummer? Wir haben jetzt eine neue Nummer, die lautet 25 13 07. 25 13 07 - und welche Vorwahl hat Leipzig? Leipzig hat die 0341. Die 0341. Und haben Sie eine Faxnummer? Die Faxnummer lautet 25 13 21.
Marko Tredup
Frau Wolf Could I speak to Professor Roth please? Marko Tredup Professor Roth is not in the building at the moment. Who's speaking?
Frau Wolf Ms. Wolf, from the Grnschnabel company in Leipzig. Marko Tredup Would you like to leave a message?
Frau Wolf Yes please. It's about an appointment for next week. Could she ring me back as soon as possible? Marko Tredup Marko Tredup Marko Tredup That's fine, Ms. Wolf. What's your telephone number? 251307 - and what is the dialling code for Leipzig? 0341. And do you have a fax number?
die Zeit zur Zeit das Haus (pl. Huser) nicht im Hause wer ist am Apparat? die Nachricht (en) hinterlassen es geht um... der Termin (-e) die Woche (-n) nchste Woche sobald wie
new
die Nummer (-n) number lauten die Vorwahl die Faxnummer (-n) This means "to be" when you are giving information such as a number. dialling code fax number
Guten Tag, hier ist der automatische Anrufbeantworter des Fremdenverkehrsbros Velten, Telefon- und Faxnummer 03304 17 46 89. Im Moment ist unser Bro geschlossen. Unsere ffnungszeiten sind: montags bis freitags von 9 Uhr bis 13 Uhr und von 15 bis 17 Uhr 30. Am Samstag ist das Fremdenverkehrsbro Velten von 9 Uhr bis 13 Uhr geffnet. Am Sonntag ist es geschlossen. Falls Sie eine Nachricht hinterlassen mchten, sprechen Sie bitte nach dem Signalton. Vielen Dank fr Ihren Anruf.
Conversation 6: The answerphone
Hello, this is the answerphone of the tourist information office in Velten. Our telephone and fax number is 03304 17 46 89. Our office is closed at the moment. Our opening hours are from nine o'clock to one o'clock and from three to five thirty Mondays to Fridays. On Saturdays the tourist information office in Velten is open from 9 until 1. It is closed on Sundays. If you wish to leave a message, please speak after
am Samstag
Wie spt ist es? (Literally: "How late is it?") Wie viel Uhr ist es? (Literally: "How much of the clock is it?")
Both of the above phrases equate to the English "What time is it?" or "What's the time?". You can add the word for "please" if you wish to be more polite - "Wie spt ist es bitte?". The answer to the question will be: "Es ist ... Uhr" (= It is ... o'clock). Although "die Uhr" is a feminine noun, you would translate "It is one o'clock" as "Es ist ein Uhr". If you said "Es ist eine Uhr", this would mean "This is a clock/watch"!
As you will have probably guessed: "Es ist Mittag" means "It is midday" "Es ist Mitternacht" means "It is midnight".
In the morning, afternoon, evening Although A.M. and P.M. are not used in German-speaking countries, you can make times formed using the 12-hour clock more clear by adding the adverbs for "in the morning", "in the afternoon" etc.:
Grammar 3: morgens, abends usw.
Es ist neun Uhr morgens/vormittags (It's nine o'clock in the morning) Es ist drei Uhr nachmittags (It's three o'clock in the afternoon) Es ist sieben Uhr abends (It's seven o'clock in the evening)
Es ist Viertel nach zehn (It is a quarter past ten) Es ist halb elf (It is half past ten) Es ist Viertel vor elf (It is a quarter to eleven) Expressing "half past" is thus much more tricky. The half hour is counted in German in relation to the following full hour, not the preceding hour as in English. Thus "halb elf" is half past ten and not - as you might expect from the English - half past eleven. Just think of it as being "half to eleven".
Es ist zwanzig
Es ist
Es ist halb
nach zwlf
eins
Es ist fnfundzwanzig vor eins (Es ist fnf nach halb eins)
As in English, you will also hear a fuller version using "die Minute (-n)", the German word for a minute. It is more common to use it when you are giving a number of minutes which is not a multiple of five: Es ist vierundzwanzig Minuten vor neun (It is twenty-four minutes to nine) Es ist siebzehn Minuten nach fnf (It is seventeen minutes past five) Using prepositions Make a note of the prepositions used in the following key German time phrases:
Grammar 6: Prepositions in time phrases
um halb acht (at half past seven) gegen halb acht (at about half past seven) von zehn (Uhr) bis zwlf (Uhr) (from ten (o'clock) to twelve (o'clock)) zwischen drei (Uhr) und fnf (Uhr) (between three (o'clock) and five (o'clock))
Written 13.00 Uhr 18.00 Uhr 21.00 Uhr 0.00 Uhr 24.00 Uhr
Spoken dreizehn Uhr achtzehn Uhr einundzwanzig Uhr null Uhr vierundzwanzig Uhr
Minutes after the hour When expressing the number of minutes after an hour in the German 24-hour system, you add the number of minutes after the word "Uhr" in spoken German. In written German however, the word "Uhr" comes after the minutes. Although midnight can be expressed in the German 24-hour clock either as null Uhr or vierundzwanzig Uhr, you can only use null Uhr when you need to express that it is a number of minutes past midnight. You cannot however say "halb null", just as you cannot say "halb dreizehn", "Viertel nach/vor dreizehn" etc. Thus the times shown on the previous page would be expressed as follows using the 24-hour system:
Odd numbers of minutes The twenty-four clock can of course also be used to express times where the minutes are not divisible by five: Es ist sechzehn Uhr neunundzwanzig / 16.29 Uhr Es ist zwanzig Uhr zweiundzwanzig / 20.22 Uhr Es ist dreiundzwanzig Uhr sechsundfnfzig / 23.56 Uhr And a German speaking clock always uses the twenty-four system, giving the number of seconds (= die Sekunde (-n)) along with the time in hours and minutes: Es ist zehn Uhr dreiundvierzig Minuten dreiig Sekunden (It is ten thirty-four and thirty seconds) Be punctual! Punctuality (die Pnktlichkeit) is taken very seriously in Germany. It goes without saying that strict punctuality is expected for business appointments. Note however that if somebody invites you for dinner at 7 o'clock, then that is the time that you are expected to turn up. Arriving "fashionably late" by ten or fifteen minutes - as is common in Britain - is viewed as a social faux pas. So if you find yourself running late, make sure to ring up in advance and inform your hosts! There is slightly more leeway given in academic circles. When university students have an appointment with their tutors or professors, they should of course be
punctual (pnktlich). Yet German universities have a tradition of beginning their classes fifteen minutes after the hour. This quarter-hour is known as the akademisches Viertel. Classes which begin fifteen minutes after the hour are designated "c.t." (= cum tempore) and would be listed as beginning at 9.00 c.t., 10.00 c.t., etc. Courses which begin precisely on the hour are designated "s.t." (= sine tempore) and would be listed as beginning at 9.00 s.t., 10.00 s.t., etc.
N.B. Samstag is the word used to translate "Saturday" in southern Germany, whereas Sonnabend is used in certain parts of northern Germany (including Berlin). On Monday(s) To translate "on Monday" etc., you should precede the day of the week by "am" - i.e. am Montag, am Dienstag, am Mittwoch etc. This is because all days of the week are masculine. Most of them are compound nouns whose final element is der Tag, the German word for "day", but the other two - Mittwoch and Sonnabend - are also masculine. There are specific adverbs to translate "on Mondays" etc., when this implies "every Monday". Note that the fact that these words do not start with a capital letter:
Grammar 9: On Mondays etc.
sonntags (on Sundays) montags (on Mondays) dienstags (on Tuesdays) mittwochs (on Wednesdays)
donnerstags (on Thursdays) freitags (on Fridays) samstags / sonnabends (on Saturdays)
Notable days in the calendar A number of notable days in the calendar are compounds of the names of German
days of the week.They are therefore used the same way grammatically - "am Karfreitag" means "on Good Friday":
Grammar 9: Notable days of the week
Ostersonntag (Easter Sunday) Pfingstmontag (Whit Monday) Rosenmontag (Monday before Ash Wednesday) Faschingsdienstag (Shrove Tuesday)
The German modal verbs are a group of six verbs which affect the mood of a sentence, approximating to words like "can", "must" and "will" in English. Great care needs to be taken with their usage as each verb has a number of different meanings in different uses of their various tenses. Word order All of these modal verbs need to be used with a second verb in the infinitive form. This second verb is always placed at the end of the sentence. Here are some examples which we have already met in this course:
Grammar 10: Word order with modal verbs
Clause Darf ich Ihnen einen Nachtisch bringen? ("May I bring you a dessert?") Kann ich Ihnen helfen?
("Can I help you?") mgen mssen sollen wollen Mchten Sie eine Nachricht hinterlassen? ("Would you like to leave a message?") Sie mssen leider bis morgen warten. ("You'll have to wait until tomorrow.") Soll er Sie zurckrufen? ("Would you like him to ring you back?") Ich wollte mit der Straenbahn fahren. ("I wanted to travel by tram.")
If the infinitive following a modal verb comes from a separable verb, then it does not split up and behaves like any other verb:
Grammar 11: Modal verbs followed by a separable verb
Clause Ich rufe zurck. BUT: Knnten Sie mich sobald wie mglich zurckrufen? ("Could you ring me back as soon as possible?") Du rufst an. BUT: Mchten Sie spter noch mal anrufen? ("Would you like to ring back later?") Sie fahren ab. BUT: Wann mssen Sie abfahren? ("When do you have to leave?")
mgen
mssen
The same construction also appears with gehen (= to go) and brauchen (= to need):
Ich gehe jetzt einkaufen. (I'm going shopping now.) Du brauchst das nicht tun. (You don't have to do that.)
Modal verbs without the infinitive Unlike in English, German modal verbs can sometimes be used without a following infinitive, provided that the meaning of the omitted infinitive is clear from the context. This occurs most often in conversation, and predominantly with verbs of motion:
Ja, da kann ich. (Yes, I can manage that.) Frau Mller will zum Bahnhof (fahren). (Frau Mller wants to go to the station.)
Barbara Zacharias muss ins Bro (gehen). (Barbara Zacharias has to go into the office.) Ich mchte ein Eis (haben). (I would like to have an ice cream.)
Singular ich kann du kannst Sie knnen er/sie/es kann Plural wir knnen ihr knnt Sie knnen sie knnen We can You can (informal/formal) They can I can You can (informal/formal) He/she/it can
Singular ich knnte du knntest Sie knnten er/sie/es knnte Plural wir knnten ihr knntet Sie knnten sie knnten We could You could (informal/formal) They could I could You could (informal/formal) He/she/it could
When asking questions, you would use the present tense of "knnen" if you are merely asking for a simple statement of fact, and the conditional if you are trying to be more polite.
Kann ich Ihnen helfen? (Can I help you?)
Knnen Sie um 12.40 Uhr kommen? (Can you come at 12:40?) Kann ich bitte Herrn Doktor Schmidt sprechen? (Can I please speak to Doctor Schmidt?) Knnte ich vielleicht Herrn Schneider sprechen? (Could I perhaps speak to Mr. Schneider?) Knnten Sie mich bitte mit Frau Hartmann verbinden? (Could you please connect me with Frau Hartmann?)
As you can tell from the third and fourth example in this list, the distinction between the "moods" implied by the two forms of the verb can often be very small. The person asking for Doctor Schmidt would not be deemed to be impolite for having used the present tense of "knnen". When you are not asking a question, but merely stating your ability to do something, the conditional of the verb indicates that you would be able to do something depending on circumstances.
Ich kann Ihnen helfen. (I can help you.) Ich knnte Ihnen helfen. (I could help you.) Wir knnen heute in die Sprechstunde kommen. (We are able to come to the surgery today.) Wir knnten heute in die Sprechstunde kommen. (We might be able to come to the surgery today.)
Ich mchte... The verb mgen ("to like") is unique amongst modal verbs in that it is the conditional form, and not the present tense, which is used with a following infinitive. We will deal with the present tense of the verb mgen and how it is used in the next chapter.
Grammar 14: Conditional of "mgen" (= would like to)
Singular ich mchte du mchtest Sie mchten er/sie/es mchte Plural wir mchten ihr mchtet Sie mchten mchten We'd like to You'd like to (informal/formal) They'd like to I'd like to You'd like to (informal/formal) He/she/it would like to
It translates as a more polite (and more restrained) way of saying "I want to" than "ich will". Thus in the final example below, it would appear rude to say: "Wollen Sie spter noch mal anrufen?".
Ich will eine Nachricht hinterlassen. (I want to leave a message.) Ich mchte eine Nachricht hinterlassen. (I would like to leave a message.) Mchten Sie spter noch mal anrufen? (Would you like to ring back later?)
Singular ich verbinde du verbindest Sie verbinden er/sie/es verbindet Plural wir verbinden ihr verbindet Sie verbinden sie verbinden We connect You connect (informal/formal) They connect I connect You connect (informal/formal) He/she/it connects
The present tense of verbs with stems ending in "-t" The same principle is true for verbs whose stem ends in "-t", such as "warten" (= to wait), "lauten" (= to be) and "antworten" (= to answer). These verbs also add an extra "-e-" before the normal verb endings in the "du", "ihr" and "er/sie/es" forms of the present tense.
Grammar 16: The present tense of "warten"
Singular ich warte du wartest Sie warten er/sie/es wartet Plural wir warten ihr wartet Sie warten sie warten We wait You wait (informal/formal) They wait I wait You wait (informal/formal) He/she/it waits
The present tenses of the other aforementioned "-t-" verbs would give us the following examples:
Die Nummer lautet: 28 50 67. (The number is 285067.) Ihr antwortet nicht! (You're not answering me!)
The irregular verb "sprechen" We have also come across a further verb which has an irregular present tense. The verb "sprechen" (= to speak) changes the stem vowel from "-e-" to "-i-" in the "du" and "er/sie/es" forms of the present tense.
Grammar 17: The present tense of "sprechen"
Singular ich spreche du sprichst Sie sprechen er/sie/es spricht Plural wir sprechen ihr sprecht Sie sprechen sie sprechen We speak You speak (informal/formal) They wait I speak You speak (informal/formal) He/she/it speaks
plurals of nouns will be indicated in brackets. Unless otherwise indicated, you should assume that any verbs given are regular (in the present tense at least).
Vocabulary 1: Das Telefon English answerphone appointment beep; tone call - emergency call - local call - long-distance call - telephone call car-phone connection dial (of phone) dialling code dialling tone directory enquiries engaged tone extension 2689 fax machine line message mobile phone number - fax number - mobile phone number - telephone number phonecard receiver ringing tone speaking clock German der (automatische) Anrufbeantworter (-) der Termin (-e) der Signalton der Anruf (-e) das Gesprch (-e) - der Notruf - das Ortsgesprch (-e) - das Ferngesprch (-e) - der Telefonanruf (-e) das Autotelefon (-e) die Verbindung (-en) die Whlscheibe (-n) die Vorwahl der Whlton die Auskunft die Fernsprechauskunft das Besetztzeichen Apparat 2689 die Faxmaschine (-n) die Leitung (-en) die Nachricht (-en) das Handy (-s) die Nummer (-n) - die Faxnummer (-n) - die Handynummer (-n) - die Telefonnummer (-n) die Telefonkarte (-n) der Hrer (-) das Rufzeichen (-) die Zeitansage
die Zentrale (-n) das Telefon (-e) der Apparat (-e) der Telefonapparat (-e) das Telefonbuch (pl. bcher) die gelben Seiten (pl.)
Vocabulary 2: Telephone (phrases) Bro Geyer Mr./Ms. Geyer's office Zacharias am Apparat Zacharias speaking Scharping, von der Firma Easyjet Mr./Ms. Scharping, from the Easyjet company Wer ist am Apparat? Wer spricht? Who's speaking? Kann ich Ihnen helfen? Can I help you? Kann/knnte ich Herrn Doktor Schmidt sprechen? Can/could I speak to Doctor Schmidt? Knnte ich mit Herrn Krauss sprechen? Could I speak with Mr. Krauss? Knnten Sie mich mit Frau Gerstner verbinden? Could you put me through to Frau Gerstner? Er spricht gerade an einer anderen Leitung He's speaking on another line at the moment Sie ist zur Zeit nicht im Hause She's not in the building at the moment im Moment ist/hat unser Bro geschlossen our office is closed at the moment unser Bro ist/hat geffnet our office is open unsere ffnungszeiten sind... our opening hours are... Mchten Sie eine Nachricht hinterlassen? (= inseparable verb)
Would you like to leave a message? falls Sie eine Nachricht hinterlassen mchten... in case you want to leave a message... sprechen Sie bitte nach dem Signalton please speak after the tone mchten Sie spter noch mal rufen? Would you like to ring back later? soll er Sie zurckrufen? Would you like him to ring you back? knnte sie mich sobald wie mglich zurckrufen? Could she ring me back as soon as possible? ich rufe zurck I'll call back wie ist Ihre Telefonnummer? what is your telephone number? meine Telefonnmmer lautet... my telephone number is... welche Vorwahl hat Berlin? what is the dialling code for Berlin? haben Sie eine Faxnummer? do you have a fax number? wann hat Herr Doktor Grn Sprechstunde? When does Doctor Grn have his surgery? Haben Sie einen Termin frei? Do you have a vacant appointment? Er ist noch in einer Besprechung He's still in a meeting Moment mal... One moment... ich muss mal nachschauen I'll have to have a look ist das Ihnen Recht? Is that all right with you? das ist mir Recht that's all right with me ist das in Ordnung? is that OK with you? das ist in Ordnung
that's OK with me wenn das Ihnen nicht passt if that isn't suitable for you Ich rufe spter noch mal an I'll ring back later vielen Dank fr Ihren Anruf many thanks for your call auf Wiederhren goodbye
During the year 2000 there was an unprecedented boom in the European mobile communications market, both with respect to absolute growth in the number of users and the associated handset sales, not least in Germany where the number of mobile phones in use more than doubled. By the end of the year 2000, Germany had the greatest number of mobile phone users in any European country, clearly ahead of Italy and the UK. Deutsche Telekom more than doubled its number of mobile phone subscribers from 9 million to 19 million. A mobile phone is known as das Handy in Germany. This is the result of German marketing executives giving the new phone a trendy American sounding name in an attempt to help it sell in the Federal Republic. Despite the fact that no other nation English-speaking or otherwise - refers to a mobile phone in this way, das Handy remains the German word for a mobile phone. The Gesellschaft fr Deutsche Sprache (German Language Society) based in Wiesbaden even launched a competition in 1996 to come up with a more "solid" i.e. German-sounding variant. 1195 (!) alternative names were suggested by the German public, including Handgurke, BUMM, Anrufli, Calli, Foni, Mini, Mobi, Nervi, Rufli, Sacki, Schnelli, Speaki, Telli, Tragi, Digifon, Handfon, Kultfon, Lightfon, Minifon, Pocketfon, Praktifon, Schnulofon, Superfon, Funktel, Handtel, Kablotel, Manutel, Portel, Tragetel, Taschtel or Mobitel. But all of these more Germanic-sounding names for a mobile phone failed to grab the public's imagination. The fact that many of the names proposed for this competition - such as der Yuppielutscher (= yuppie lollipop) or das Protzofon (= show-off phone) - were less than complimentary is indicative of the hostility with which the mobile phone has been greeted in some quarters of German society. Already you can see a `no handy' sign modelled on the no-smoking symbol - a drawing of a mobile in a red circle with a diagonal red bar across it - in hotel lobbies and restaurants. In his book "Hand in Handy", a witty analysis of the mobile phone phenomenon, journalist Hellmuth Karasek depicts das Handy as a status symbol for German children as well as an executive toy which itself looks doomed to be replaced by the satellite phone.
- 110 to call the police - 112 for fire and ambulance You can ring directory enquiries on: - 11833 for a domestic number - 11834 for an international enquiry How to give and receive telephone numbers German telephone numbers are usually said in pairs. This is not true however for the dialling code, so (0475) 24 88 79 would be given as null vier sieben fnf vierundzwanzig achtundachtzig neunundsiebzig. If there is an odd number of digits in a German phone number, the first digit is usually isolated and the followed digits are then spoken in pairs, for example 2 34 47 95. When numbers are said over the telephone or as part of a public announcement, you will also often hear "zwo" instead of "zwei". This is to avoid any confusion as "zwei" could be confused with "drei" if the line is bad. This also applies to compound numbers such as 82 which might be said as "zwoundachtzig" over the phone.
Sekretrin Firma Aksoy, schnen guten Tag. Sophie Gerland Barbara Zacharias Sophie Gerland Barbara Zacharias Sophie Gerland Mein Name ist Gerland, knnte ich Frau Zacharias, Apparat 2467, kurz sprechen? Zacharias. Hallo, Barbara, hier ist die Sophie. Hallo, Sophie. Geht's dir gut? Ja, es geht so. Du, ich habe folgenden Vorschlag. Am Sonnabend, dem elften Oktober gibt es ein schnes Hndelkonzert im Schloss Charlottenburg. Hndel hre ich
besonders gern und Schloss Charlottenburg ist bestimmt sehenswert. Ich mchte also gern ins Konzert gehen - aber lieber nicht allein. Mchtest du mitkommen? Barbara Zacharias Sophie Gerland Barbara Zacharias Sophie Gerland Barbara Zacharias Sophie Gerland Barbara Zacharias Sophie Gerland Barbara Zacharias Sophie Gerland Na klar, ich komme gern mit. Das ist eine tolle Idee. Soll ich dir auch eine Karte besorgen? Ja, das ist nett von dir. Wo liegt das Schloss? Am Spandauer Damm. Hinter dem gyptischen Museum, glaube ich. Das gyptische Museum liegt gegenber der Sammlung Berggruen, oder? Kann sein. Wo wollen wir uns treffen? Vor dem U-Bahnhof Sophie-Charlotte-Platz? Oder vielleicht am Schlosseingang? Sagen wir am Schlosseingang um Viertel vor sieben? Abgemacht! Wollen wir heute Abend in die Disko gehen? Ach nein, dazu habe ich keine Lust. Ich mchte heute nicht tanzen gehen.
Secretary Sophie Gerland Secretary Barbara Zacharias Sophie Gerland Barbara Zacharias Sophie Gerland
The Aksoy company, a very good day to you. My name is Gerland, could I please have a quick word with Ms. Zacharias on extension 2467? One moment, I'll put you through. Zacharias. Hello, Barbara, it's Sophie. Hello, Sophie. How are things? Things are OK. Listen, I've got the following suggestion for you. On Saturday the eleventh of October there's a nice concert of Hndel's
music at Charlottenburg Palace. I particularly like listening to Hndel and Charlottenburg Palace is certainly worth seeing. So I'd like to go to the concert - but I'd prefer not to go on my own. Would you like to come with me? Barbara Zacharias Sophie Gerland Barbara Zacharias Sophie Gerland Barbara Zacharias Sophie Gerland Barbara Zacharias Of course, I'd love to come! That's a great idea. Would you like me to get a ticket for you as well? Yes, that's nice of you. Where is the Palace? On the Spandauer Damm. Behind the Egyptian Museum, I think. The Egyptian Museum is opposite the Berggruen collection, isn't it? Could be. Where shall we meet? In front of the underground station at Sophie-CharlottePlatz? Or perhaps at the entrance to the Palace? Shall we say at the entrance to the Palace at a quarter to seven? Agreed! Shall we go to the disco tonight? Oh no, I don't feel like doing that. I don't want to go out dancing today.
Glossary schnen guten Tag kurz der Augenblick (e) ich verbinde Sie hallo! a very good day to you briefly This is another word for a "moment". We would translate it here as "One moment". I'll connect you; I'll put you through The informal greeting is used because the two colleagues are on "du" terms with each other. Using the definite article is common in colloquial spoken German when asking or giving your name. It simply means "It's Sophie here".
die Sophie
Are you well?; how are things? things are OK "the following". Unlike English, the definite article is usually omitted. It takes "strong" adjective endings when not preceded by a definite article.
der Vorschlag (pl. suggestion - Vorschlge) am Sonnabend Oktober am Sonnabend, dem elften Oktober das Konzert (-e) das Hndelkonzert (e) das Schloss Schloss Charlottenburg As Sophie comes from Berlin, she uses the North German word for Saturday. October "On Saturday, the eleventh of October". The reason why "the eleventh of October" is in the dative case will be explained in the following sections. concert A concert featuring the works of Georg Friedrich Hndel. Note the umlaut in his surname - it is invariably omitted in English! A "castle", "palace" or "stately home". It is also the word for a "lock". The pleasure mansion or "palace" of Queen Sophie-Charlotte, built in Berlin in 1695. Click here for an introduction to the mansion and its gardens. to hear, listen to "I like listening to Hndel". Unlike in English, the object of a German sentence can be placed at the start of a clause or sentence. certainly; definitely worth seeing to go to the concert alone; on one's own This is a separable verb meaning "to come with someone". Unlike in English you do not need to supply a noun or pronoun in German to indicate the person being accompanied. Thus "Ich komme mit" means "I'm coming with you (her/him etc.)". "Of course!" You would only use this in conversation amongst friends. A word such as "natrlich" should be used in more formal circumstances. I'd be happy to come. great; excellent
hren Hndel hre ich gern bestimmt sehenswert ins Konzert gehen allein mitkommen
na klar
idea ticket This means "to get". The thing which you are getting (here: "die Karte") is in the accusative case; the person for whom you are getting it (here: "dir") is in the dative case. Literally: "to lie". You would use it in this context to say where buildings "are situated". Normally the word for a "dam" or a "dyke", you will also find it (as here) in names of roads - such as Berlin's most famous street the "Kurfrstendamm". "Spandauer Damm" equates to "Spandau Road". Click here to locate Spandauer Damm on a map of Berlin. This is the preposition meaning "behind". It takes the dative case when you are referring to position, and the accusative case when movement in involved.
liegen
hinter
das Museum (pl. - This means "museum". Note the unusual Museen) plural. gyptisch das gyptische Museum Egyptian The Egyptian Museum in Berlin contains one of the most important collections of Egyptian culture, inlcuding works of art from the time of King Echnaton of Tell el-Amarna. Click here to visit a web-site devoted to the museum. In German only. This is a preposition meaning "opposite". It always takes the dative case. collection The Berggruen Collection is a private art collection in Berlin containing works of art from the classical modernist period. You can see works by Picasso, Braque, Klee, Laurens and Giacometti here. Click here for more information. isn't it?; right? "Could be". Note the use of the modal verb. "to meet". This is a reflexive verb (see Chapter 10).
wo wollen wir uns "Where shall we meet?". This is a set phrase treffen? where the modal verb wollen has the sense of implying a future action. vor This is the preposition meaning "in front of". It takes the dative case when you are referring to position, and the accusative
case when movement is involved. Sophie-Charlotte- "Sophie-Charlotte Square". Charlottenburg Platz Palace was Queen Sophie-Charlotte's pleasure mansion. Click here to locate the underground station at Sophie-CharlottePlatz on a map of Berlin. der Eingang (pl. - Eingnge) am Schlosseingang sagen wir... abgemacht! die Disko (-s) wollen wir... in die Disko gehen? ach nein dazu habe ich keine Lust tanzen entrance This means "at the entrance to the Palace". German makes a single compound noun out of this concept. Shall we say...? "Agreed!; done!" The verb "abmachen" is a separable verb meaning "to agree". "disco". You might also see "die Disco" or "die Diskothek". Shall we go to the disco? Oh, no!; no, no! I don't feel like doing that; I don't want to do that. This means "to dance". "To go dancing" is thus "tanzen gehen".
Hallo, Lukas! Was mchtest du heute Abend machen? Wollen wir vielleicht etwas zusammen unternehmen? Ja, gern! Was schlgst du vor? Ich wrde sehr gerne ins Kino gehen. Was fr Filme siehst du gerne? Krimis und spannende Abenteuerfilme. Ja, so was mag ich auch gerne.
Tredup Lukas Mller Marko Tredup Lukas Mller Marko Tredup Was luft heute im Kino? Moment mal, ich schaue mal nach. Der Wievielte ist heute? Heute ist Donnerstag, der vierzehnte Mrz. Im Odeon gibt es "Hennen Rennen". Der Film fngt um 20:15 Uhr an. Wir knnen auch erst um elf gehen. Da gibt es noch eine Sptvorstellung. Was fr ein Film ist das? Das ist ein Zeichentrickfilm. Nein, so was finde ich zu kindisch. Was luft sonst noch? Morgen ist Freitag, der fnfzehnte Mrz, stimmt's? Im Cosima gibt es morgen "Romeo und Julia" von William Shakespeare. Der Regisseur ist Baz Luhrmann. Das ist eine Liebesgeschichte. Nein, so was finde ich langweilig. Das interessiert mich berhaupt nicht. Wie wr's mit bermorgen? Tut mir Leid, da kann ich nicht. Ich muss am Wochenende zu Hause bleiben und packen.
Conversation 2: Let's go to the cinema!
Lukas Mller Marko Tredup Lukas Mller Marko Tredup Marko Tredup Lukas Mller Marko Tredup Lukas Mller Marko Tredup Lukas Mller
Hello, Lukas! What would you like to do this evening? What about doing something together perhaps? Yes, I'd like that! What do you suggest? I'd really like to go to the cinema. What type of films do you like? Thrillers and exciting adventure films. Yes, that's the sort of thing I like too. What's on at the cinema today?
Marko Tredup Lukas Mller Marko Tredup Lukas Mller Marko Tredup Lukas Mller Marko Tredup
One moment, I'll have a look. What's the date today? Today is Thursday, the fourteenth of March. There's "Chicken Run" at the Odeon. The film starts at 8.15. We could also wait until eleven o'clock to go. There's a late showing on then. What sort of film is it? It's a cartoon film. No, things like that are too childish for me. What else is on? Tomorrow is Friday, the fifteenth of March, right? There's William Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet" at the Cosima. The director is Baz Luhrmann. That's a love story. Oh no, I find things like that boring. That's doesn't interest me at all. How about the day after tomorrow? Sorry, I can't manage it. I've got to stay at home at the weekend and pack.
Glossary machen unternehmen vorschlagen (sep.) das Kino (-s) ich wrde sehr gerne ins Kino gehen was fr...? der Film (-e) This very common verb can either mean "to make" or (as here) "to do". Literally: "to undertake", this inseparable verb can also be translated as "to do". A separable verb meaning "to suggest" cinema I would really like to go to the cinema
"What sort of...". The noun which follows it will be in the accusative case. film
This irregular verb means "to see" or occasionally "to watch". This is a "crime film" or "thriller". You tend to hear it more often than the longer version "der Kriminalfilm". exciting adventure film A more conversational form of "so etwas". Both mean "things like that". The third person singular from the modal verb "mgen" (see explanation on Page 10 of this chapter). "I also like things like that". Note again that the object of the sentence can come at the start of a phrase in German. An irregular verb meaning "to run". This means "at the cinema". Note the different preposition in German. What's on at the cinema today? What's the date today? Tuesday "The fourteenth of March". There is no word for "of" in the German phrase. "In the Odeon (cinema)". The word for "cinema" (das Kino) is not repeated at this point in the conversation, but it is understood as being there, so the gender of Odeon must be the same as das Kino, namely neuter. This is the literal German translation of the cartoon film Chicken Run and was used as the German title of the film because of the fortuitous rhyme! Click here for more information about the German version of this film. This is a separable verb meaning "to begin". It is irregular. not until eleven o'clock showing (of a film); performance
so was mag ich auch gerne laufen im Kino was luft heute im Kino? der Wievielte ist heute? Dienstag der vierzehnte Mrz im Odeon
Hennen Rennen
die Sptvorstellung late showing (-en) was fr ein Film ist das? What sort of film is that?
der Zeichentrickfilm (e) zu kindisch was luft sonst noch? Mittwoch stimmt's? im Cosima Romeo und Julia von William Shakespeare der Regisseur (-e)
cartoon (film)
This means "too childish". Note this usage of "zu" before an adjective. What's on apart from that? Wednesday is that right? "At the Cosima (cinema)". This is also neuter for the reasons outlined above. Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare director
die love story Liebesgeschichte (n) langweilig interessieren berhaupt nicht das interessiert mich berhaupt nicht wie wr's mit...? bermorgen da kann ich nicht boring to interest not in the slightest; not at all That doesn't interest me at all
das Wochenende (- weekend ) am Wochenende zu Hause bleiben packen at the weekend at home remain to pack
Barbara Zacharias Sophie Gerland Barbara Zacharias Sophie Gerland Barbara Zacharias Sophie Gerland Barbara Zacharias
Sag mal, httest du Lust, morgen frh einen Einkaufsbummel zu machen? Ja, warum nicht? Wann und wo wollen wir uns treffen? Um halb zehn vor der Bckerei am Hackeschen Markt - oder ist das vielleicht zu frh? Kein Problem. Ich bin Frhaufsteherin. Wo ist die Bckerei? Die Bckerei ist neben dem Blumengeschft. Und wo ist das Blumengeschft? Unter dem Fitness-Center. Nein, es gibt Wohnungen ber dem Blumengeschft. Das Blumengeschft ist gegenber der Bibliothek. Und wo ist der S-Bahnhof? Der S-Bahnhof ist hinter der Post. Die Post ist zwischen dem Reisebro und der Sparkasse. Alles klar? Alles klar! Bis morgen dann! Bis morgen!
Conversation 3: The shopping spree
Sophie Gerland Barbara Zacharias Sophie Gerland Barbara Zacharias Barbara Zacharias Sophie Gerland Barbara Zacharias Sophie Gerland Barbara Zacharias Sophie Gerland Barbara Zacharias
Tell me, would you like to go on a shopping spree with me tomorrow morning? Yes, why not? When and where shall we meet? At half past nine in front of the baker's at the Hackescher Markt - or is that perhaps too early? That's no problem. I'm an early riser. Where is the baker's? The baker's is next to the florist's. And where is the florist's? Below the fitness centre. No, there are flats above the florist's. The florist's is opposite
the library. Sophie Gerland Barbara Zacharias Sophie Gerland Barbara Zacharias And where is the S-Bahn station? The S-Bahn station is behind the post office. The post office is between the travel agency and the savings bank. Is that OK? OK! See you tomorrow then! See you tomorrow!
Glossary sag mal! httest du Lust... "Tell me!" "Sag" is the imperative of the verb "sagen" (= to say). "Would you like to..." This construction is always followed by a comma, and then a clause ending with the word "zu" and the infinitive of a second verb. tomorrow morning
morgen frh
der shopping spree Einkaufsbummel () einen Einkaufsbummel machen warum nicht? die Bckerei (-en) zu frh das Problem (-e) kein Problem! die Frhaufsteherin (innen) neben to go on a shopping spree
why not? bakery too early problem no problem This means an "early riser". The masculine version would be der Frhaufsteher. This is a preposition meaning "next to". It takes the dative case when position is being described, and the accusative case when movement is being described. flower flower shop
This is a preposition meaning "beneath" or "under". It takes the dative case when
position is being described, and the accusative case when movement is being described. das Fitness-Center fitness centre (-) die Wohnung (en) ber flat, apartment This is a preposition meaning "above". It also takes the dative case when position is being described, and the accusative case when movement is being described. This is a preposition meaning "opposite". It always takes the dative case. library S-Bahn station This is a preposition meaning "behind". It also takes the dative case when position is being described, and the accusative case when movement is being described. post-office This is a preposition meaning "between". It also takes the dative case when position is being described, and the accusative case when movement is being described. travel agency savings bank everything OK? until tomorrow
das Reisebro (-s) die Sparkasse (-n) alles klar? bis morgen
Entschuldigung. Ich mchte eine Puppe kaufen. Wo finde ich die Abteilung fr Spielwaren? Die Spielwarenabteilung ist im ersten Stock. Sie mssen also in den ersten Stock. Und wo kann ich hier eine Jacke
bekommen? Fr einen Mann oder eine Frau? Fr eine Frau. Also, da mssen Sie in den dritten Stock. Damenjacken finden Sie im dritten Stock bei Damenbekleidung. Pralinen sind wohl bei Lebensmitteln im Untergeschoss, oder? Nein, nicht im Untergeschoss. Wir haben eine besondere Abteilung fr Swaren im sechsten Stock. Wir mchten auch eine Bettdecke kaufen. Welcher Stock ist das? Bettdecken sind bei Bettwsche ganz oben im sechsten Stock. Da mssen Sie hinauf. Und Portmonees? Portmonees sind bei Taschen im Untergeschoss. Sie mssen also ins Untergeschoss. Und wo knnen wir hier einen Kugelschreiber bekommen? Kugelschreiber sind bei Schreibwaren im Erdgeschoss. Sie mssen also ins Erdgeschoss. Wo sind hier Topfplanzen? Topfplanzen? Sie sind beim Gartenbedarf im fnften Stock. Vielen Dank. Gern geschehen.
Conversation 4: The department store
Excuse me. I'd like to buy a doll. Where can I find the toy department? The toy department is on the first floor. So you'll have to go to the first floor. And where can I get a jacket here? For a man or a woman?
Barbara Zacharias Shop assistant Sophie Gerland Shop assistant Barbara Zacharias Shop assistant Sophie Gerland Shop assistant Barbara Zacharias Shop assistant Sophie Gerland Shop assistant Sophie Gerland Shop assistant
For a woman. Well, for that you'll have to go to the third floor. You will ladies' jackets on the third floor in with the ladies' wear. I take it that the chocolates are in the food department in the basement, right? No, not in the basement. We have a special department for them amongst the confectionery on the sixth floor. We'd also like to buy a blanket. Which floor is that? Blankets are with the bedding right up on the sixth floor. You'll have to go up there for that. And purses? Purses are in the bag department in the basement. So you'll have to go to the basement. And where can we get a fountain pen here? Fountain pens are with the stationery on the ground floor. So you'll have to go to the ground floor. Where are your potted plants? Potted plants? They're with the garden equipment on the fifth floor. Thank's very much. You're welcome.
Glossary die Puppe (-n) die Abteilung (-en) Spielwaren (pl.) die Spielwarenabteilung doll department "toys". The singular word for a toy is "das Spielzeug". "The toy department". As we have seen before, German tends to make a
(-en) der Stock im ersten Stock Sie mssen also in den ersten Stock
compound noun where English uses two or more separate words "floor (of shop); storey". It's also the word for a "stick". "On the first floor". Note the preposition used in German here. "So you'll have to go to the first floor". The preposition "in" is used with the accusative case when it denotes motion, and in the dative case ("im ersten Stock") when it denotes position. As the preposition makes it clear that there is motion involved, the verb for "to go" is omitted here. jacket for this you'll have to go... lady A "lady's jacket". A man's jacket would be "die Herrenjacke" "Ladies' wear". You would translate "menswear" by "die Mnnerbekleidung". in the ladies' wear department chocolates
die Jacke da mssen Sie... die Dame die Damenjacke (-n) die Damenbekleidung bei Damenbekleidung Pralinen (pl.)
die Lebensmittel (pl.) This means "groceries; food". Thus "bei Lebensmitteln" means "in the food department". das Untergeschoss im Untergeschoss oder? besondere Swaren (pl.) die Bettdecke (-n) welcher Stock ist das? die Bettwsche (-n) ganz oben hinauf basement in the basement "right"? Normally "oder" is the conjunction meaning "or". particular; special confectionery blanket; duvet which floor is that? bedding right at the top "up". The full sentence could be translated as "You'll have to go up there". This is the new spelling of the German word for "purse". The old spelling of the word was "das Portemonnaie". "bag". Somewhat confusingly, it is also the word for "pocket".
"So you'll have to go to the basement". The word "ins" is a contraction of "in das". The accusative case again denotes motion. "ballpoint pen; biro" stationery ground floor on the ground floor to the ground floor pot plant potted plant garden garden equipment you're welcome; it's my pleasure
der Kugelschreiber Schreibwaren (pl.) das Erdgeschoss im Erdgeschoss ins Erdgeschoss der Topf (pl. Tpfe) die Pflanze (-n) die Topfpflanze (-n) der Garten (pl. Grten) der Gartenbedarf gern geschehen
Barbara Zacharias Assistentin Barbara Zacharias Assistentin Barbara Zacharias Assistentin Barbara Zacharias Sophie Gerland Barbara Zacharias Assistentin
Entschuldigung, knnten Sie mir bitte helfen? Gerne, was darf ich Ihnen denn zeigen? Ich suche ein T-Shirt. Aus Baumwolle? Ja, aus Baumwolle. Ja, htten Sie es gerne selbst oder mchten Sie es verschenken? Ich suche ein T-Shirt fr meine Schwester. Wann hat sie Geburtstag? Am einunddreiigsten Januar. Welche Farben haben Sie da? In gelb, rot, schwarz, beige, hellblau,
dunkelblau... Sophie Gerland Barbara Zacharias Assistentin Barbara Zacharias Assistentin Barbara Zacharias Assistentin Barbara Zacharias Assistentin Barbara Zacharias Assistentin Barbara Zacharias Sophie Gerland Barbara Zacharias Sales assistant Barbara Zacharias Sales assistant Barbara Zacharias Sales assistant Barbara Zacharias Sales assistant Auch in grn, sehe ich. Ja, denn knnten Sie mir bitte ein grnes T-Shirt zeigen? Ja, gerne. Welche Gre muss es denn sein? Sie ist etwas kleiner als ich, ich glaube so Gre S. S oder M? Hm, S reicht, glaube ich. Sehen Sie mal, ein grnes T-Shirt mit rundem Ausschnitt. Kann ich vielleicht ein T-Shirt in Gre M sehen? Gerne, schauen Sie, das ist es in Gre M. Ja, ich nehme das T-Shirt in Gre M. Was kostet es? Sechzehn Euro. Ist das billig oder teuer? Sechzehn Euro fr ein T-Shirt. Das ist nicht teuer. Das ist ein preiswertes T-Shirt.
Conversation 5: Buying Clothes
Excuse me, could you help me please? Of course, what might I show you? I'm looking for a T-shirt. Made of cotton? Yes, made of cotton. Yes, would you like it for yourself or are you going to give it as a present? I'm looking for a T-shirt for my sister. When is her birthday?
Barbara Zacharias Sales assistant Sophie Gerland Barbara Zacharias Sales assistant Barbara Zacharias Sales assistant Barbara Zacharias Sales assistant Barbara Zacharias Sales assistant Barbara Zacharias Sales assistant Barbara Zacharias Sophie Gerland
On the thirty-first of January. Which colours do you have? We have it in yellow, red, black, beige, light blue, dark blue... Also in green, I see. Yes, so could you show me a green T-shirt please? Yes, of course. Which size do you require? She is a little smaller than I am, I think about a small size. Small or medium? Hmm, small will be about right, I think. Here you are, a green T-shirt with a round neck. Could I perhaps see a T-shirt in the medium size please? Of course, here you are, that's it in the medium size. Yes, I'll take the T-shirt in the medium size. What does it cost? Sixteen euros. Is that cheap or expensive? Sixteen euros for a T-shirt. That's not expensive. It's a T-shirt that is good value for money.
Glossary zeigen This means "to show". The thing which you are showing is in the accusative case. The person to whom you are showing it ("Ihnen") is in the dative case. What may I show you? T-Shirt to look for
die Baumwolle aus Baumwolle selbst verschenken der Geburtstag (-e) wann hat sie Geburtstag? Januar am einunddreiigsten Januar die Farbe (-n) welche Farben...? hellblau dunkelblau die Gre (-n) welche Gre muss es denn sein? klein etwas kleiner als ich (Gre) S ich glaube so Gre S (Gre) M reichen S reicht Sehen Sie mal rund der Ausschnitt (-e) mit rundem Ausschnitt
cotton made of cotton This means "self" i.e. the full question reads: "Would you like it for yourself?" to give sth as a present birthday when is her birthday? January on the thirty-first of January
colour which colours...? light blue dark blue size which size do you need? small a little smaller than me small (size) I think she's a small size. medium (size) to be sufficient "Small" will do Look!; Here you are! (= polite imperative) round neck (of shirt) This means "with a round neck". Note the strong adjective endings on "rund" as there is no article preceding the adjective. This is another verb meaning "to look" or "to see". good value a T-Shirt which is good value (for money)
After buying a present for Barbara's sister, Sophie remembers that she needs to buy presents for her brother and her aunt. What does she decide on in both cases? What is a "Sonderangebot"?
Conversation 6: Zwei Geschenke
Sophie Gerland Barbara Zacharias Sophie Gerland Barbara Zacharias Sophie Gerland Barbara Zacharias Sophie Gerland Barbara Zacharias Sophie Gerland Barbara Zacharias Sophie Gerland
Ich mchte ein Geburtstagsgeschenk fr meinen Bruder. Wann hat er Geburtstag? Im Sommer. Und wann genau? Am sechzehnten Juli. Wie wr's mit einer CD? CDs sind in der zweiten Etage - in der Elektroabteilung. Was fr Musik mag er? Er findet Popmusik gut. Magst du Popmusik nicht? Nein, ich hre lieber klassische Musik. Ich hre gern Rock und Techno. (Spotting a stall with jewellery.) Ich mchte auch ganz gerne ein Geschenk fr meine Tante Kthe kaufen. Sie hat am dritten Juni Geburtstag. Was darf es sein? Ein Armband, eine Brosche? Eine Brosche. Gefllt Ihnen hiervon etwas? Diese vielleicht? Nein, die gefllt mir nicht. Oder diese? Die gefllt mir besser, aber ich glaube, die ist ein bisschen zu teuer. Hey, guck mal, hier sind Sonderangebote! Diese Armbnder sind billiger. Wie gefallen sie dir?
Assistent Sophie Gerland Assistent Sophie Gerland Assistent Sophie Gerland Barbara Zacharias
Sophie Gerland Assistent Sophie Gerland Assistent Sophie Gerland Sophie Gerland Barbara Zacharias Sophie Gerland Barbara Zacharias Sophie Gerland Barbara Zacharias Sophie Gerland Barbara Zacharias Sophie Gerland Barbara Zacharias Sophie Gerland Sales assistant Sophie Gerland Sales assistant Sophie
Die gefallen mir gut. Ich glaube, ich werde dieses Armband kaufen, das silberne. Ja. Soll ich dieses Armband als Geschenk verpacken? Das wre sehr nett, ja bitte. Dann knnen Sie mir zur Kasse folgen und dort bezahlen. Ja, gut. Danke schn.
Conversation 6: Two presents
I'd like to get a birthday present for my brother. When is his birthday? In summer. And when exactly? On the sixteenth of July. How about a CD? CDs are on the second floor - in the electrical department. What sort of music does he like? He thinks that popmusic is good. Don't you like pop music? No, I prefer to listen to classical music. I like listening to rock and techno. (Spotting a stall with jewellery.) I'd also quite like to buy a present for my aunt Kthe. Her birthday is on the third of June. How can I help you? A bracelet or a brooch? A brooch. Do you like anything here? This one perhaps? No, I don't like that one.
Gerland Sales assistant Sophie Gerland Barbara Zacharias Sophie Gerland Sales assistant Sophie Gerland Sales assistant Sophie Gerland Or this one? I like that one more, but I think that it's a bit too expensive. Hey, look, there are some special offers here! These bracelets are cheaper. Do you like them? Yes, I like them. I think I'll buy this bracelet, the silver one. Yes. Would you like me to wrap up this bracelet as a present? Yes please, that would be very nice of you. Could you follow me to the till then and pay there? Yes, fine. Thank you.
Glossary das Geschenk (-e) das Geburtstagsgeschenk (-e) der Sommer im Sommer genau Juli die CD (-s) present birthday present
summer in summer exact; precise July This means (unsurprisingly!) "compact disc". The full German version is only one word - "die Compactdisc". how about a CD? This is another word meaning "the floor (of a building)". It and "der Stock" are interchangeable. on the second floor
die Musik was fr Musik...? die Popmusik ich hre lieber... klassisch die klassische Musik der Rock der Techno Juni was darf es sein? das Armband (pl. Armbnder) die Brosche (-n) gefallen
music what sort of music... pop music I prefer to listen to... classical classical music This means both "rock music" and "a skirt". techno (music) June "How may I help?" This means "bracelet". It can also mean a "watchstrap". brooch This irregular verb literally means "to please". It is however a very common way of saying that you like something. Thus "das gefllt mir" (literally: "That is pleasing to me") means "I like that". of these things here do you like any of the things here? It means "this one". The word for "one" is not given in German, as the endings on the word for "this" indicate the gender of the noun, and thus tell the reader which previously mentioned noun is being referred to. better a little too expensive Another word for "to look"! Unlike "sehen" and "schauen", this verb is strictly conversational and should not be used in written German. "Look!" This is the "du" form of the imperative. special offer This means "cheaper". To form the comparative of most adjectives, you add "-er" to the end. "I like them". The verb is in the third person plural because there is more than one brooch. silver
silbern
das silberne als Geschenk verpacken das wre sehr nett die Kasse (-n) folgen
It means "the silver one". It is neuter as it refers back to "das Armband". This means "as a present". The indefinite article is omitted in German. to wrap (up) that would be very nice of you till; checkout This means "to follow". The person whom you are following is always in the dative case. to follow to the till to pay
Januar (January) Februar (February) Mrz (March) April (April) Mai (May) Juni (June)
Juli (Juli) August (August) September (September) Oktober (October) November (November) Dezember (December
In Austria, the word for January is Jnner. You would translate "in January", "in February" etc. as im Januar, im Februar. All German months are masculine. The German word for a month is der Monat (-e).
Asking and giving the date There are two phrases that you can use to ask the date in German. Both of them employ a "how many" construction.
Grammar 2: What's the date today?
Den Wievielten haben wir heute? (Literally: "The how many-th do we have today?")
To answer the question you would use any of the following responses, depending on context. The masculine form of the definite article is used because all days of the week are masculine. As in English the ordinal number is used to specify the date.
Grammar 3: Today is...
"Der Wievielte ist heute?" Heute ist der Vierte (Literally: "Today is the fourth") Heute ist der vierte Mai (Literally: "Today is the fourth of May") Heute ist Mittwoch, der vierte Mai (Literally: "Today is Wednesday the fourth of May") "Den Wievielten haben wir heute?" Heute haben wir den Vierten (Literally: "Today is the fourth") Heute haben wir den vierten Mai (Literally: "Today is the fourth of May")
The first question requires you to use the nominative case when giving the date; the second question requires you to give the case in the accusative case. As the adjective follows the definite article, you need to use the weak declension. Writing the date Unlike English which has several variations ("May 4", "May 4th", "4th May" etc.), the abbreviated form of the German date is always written the same way - der 4. Mai. If you are also giving the date you would write: 4. Mai 2001 At the head of letters, the date is given in the order day, month, year preceded by the definite article in the accusative case. Thus "May 4, 2001" would appear in a letter heading as den 4.5.2001. You can also precede the date by stating your location - i.e. Exeter, den 4.5.2001. Dates in German Unlike English which has several variations (May 2, May 2nd, 2nd May etc.), dates in German are always written the same way - der 2. Mai.
At the head of letters, the accusative form is used, preceded by the name of the place Exeter, den 2. Mai 2001. Dates written all in numbers are also found in German, particularly in business letters - e.g. Exeter, den 2.5.2001.
Monday May 2nd 2001 With reference to your letter of the 2.5.2001 Prepositions in dates
Montag, der 2. Mai 2001 Bezug nehmend auf Ihr Schreiben vom 2.5.2001
"On" with days and dates is translated by "an" (+ Dative) with the definite article, conflated to "am", whether there is a definite article in English or not:
On the first of next month am nchsten Ersten "In" with months is translated by "in" (+ Dative) with the definite article, conflated to "im", whether there is a definite article in English or not:
in June
im Juni
last June voriges Jahr im Juni next June im Juni nchsten Jahres BUT:
When giving the year when something happened in German, the year is usually given on its own without any preposition, although "im Jahre" can be added in more formal language:
She died in 1963 Sie starb 1963 Sie starb im Jahre 1963
Date of birth Current usage of "geboren" is as follows: "Ich bin geboren" is used when no other circumstances or only the place of birth are mentioned: "Ich wurde geboren" is used if further circumstances, such as the date, are given: Referring to people who are dead, either passive may be used:
I was born in Hamburg I was born in 1983 in Blubberhouses Goethe was born in 1749 in Frankfurt Date of birth: 2nd May 2001 Place of birth: Hanover
Ich bin in Hamburg geboren Ich wurde 1983 / im Jahre 1983 in Blubberhouses geboren Goethe wurde / war 1749 in Frankfurt geboren Geburtsdatum: 02.05.2001 Geburtsort: Hannover
Other phrases
From April onwards From April 5th onwards From next Tuesday From the 21st to the 30th It will be ready by Friday
ab April; vom April an vom 5. April an von kommendem Dienstag an vom 21. bis zum 30. Es wird bis Freitag fertig
Es wird bis zum 12. fertig um den 15. November (herum) in den Achtzigerjahren; in den 80er-Jahren
Years The German word for a year is "das Jahr (-e)" You have two options when translating "in 2001", neither of which is identical with the English version. The German equivalents are either "im Jahre 2001" or simply "2001" without a preposition. When years are spoken, they are done so in two blocks up to 1999 much as in English. Thus 1999 would be neunzehnhundertneunundneunzig (literally: "nineteen hundred ninety-nine"). Note that the word "hundert" is always included in German whereas it can be omitted in English. The year 2000 is das Jahr zweitausend, 2001 is written as zweitausendeins.
16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30
A German calendar (der Kalender) showing the current month and day. Note the German abbreviations that are used for the days of the week. On which day? To say "on which day" something is happening, you need to use "am" followed by the date in the dative case:
Grammar 4: An welchem Tag?
Wann / An welchem Tag gehen Sie? (When / On which day are you going?) Wir gehen am vierten Mai (We're going on the fourth of May) Wir gehen am Vierten
(We're going on the fourth) Wir gehen am Mittwoch, dem/den vierten Mai (We're going on Wednesday, the fourth of May) Wir gehen am 4. Mai (We're going on May 4th) Wir gehen am 4.5.2001 (spoken: am vierten, fnften, zweitausendeins) (We're going on 4.5.2001) In the third response, you can either use the dative or the accusative of the definite article when you are giving the day of the week followed by the date. It is more formal to use the dative of the article. Note in particular the word order when you say on what day your birthday falls. The word "Geburtstag" will always be the final element in the clause:
Wann hast du Geburtstag? (When is your birthday?) Ich habe am vierten Mai Geburtstag. (My birthday is on the fourth of May.)
Major festivals Below are a few important events on the German calendar along with the preposition that you would use when stating what you are doing on that day.
Grammar 5: Major festivals
(In south German, "an" is often used rather than "zu" with these festivals.) This morning/afternoon/evening The table below gives the phrases needed to say at what part of the day you wish to do something:
Grammar 6: This morning etc.
Why is "heute Morgen" used to translate "this morning" whereas "morgen frh" is used for "tomorrow morning"? Because "morgen Morgen" would sound absurd! Always make sure that you are using small and capital letters correctly with this word - "Morgen" = morning; "morgen" = tomorrow.
an Kevin geht ans Fenster. (Acc.) ("Kevin is going towards the window.") Kevin steht am Fenster. (Dat.) ("Kevin is standing at the window.") auf Ich gehe auf die Post. (Acc.) ("I'm going to the post office.") Das Buch liegt auf dem Tisch. (Dat.) ("The book is on the table.") hinter Franziska luft hinter die Post. (Acc.) ("Franziska runs behind the post office.") Der S-Bahnhof ist hinter der Post. (Dat.) ("The S-Bahn station is behind the post office.")
in Sie mssen in den ersten Stock gehen! (Acc.) ("You'll have to go to the first floor.") Damenjacken finden Sie im dritten Stock. (Dat.) ("You'll find ladies jackets on the third floor.") neben Ulla legt die Zeitung neben das Buch. (Acc.) ("Ulla puts the newspaper next to the book.") Das Schloss liegt neben dem Blumengeschft (Dat.) ("The castle is next to the florist's.") ber Wir fahren ber die Brcke. (Acc.) ("We're driving over the bridge") Es gibt Wohnungen ber dem Blumengeschft. (Dat.) ("There are flats above the florist's.") unter Das Kind luft unter das Bett. (Acc.) ("The child runs under the bed.") Die Katze liegt unter dem Bett. (Dat.) ("The cat is lying under the bed.") vor Der Bus fhrt vor das Hotel. (Acc.) ("The bus drives up in front of the hotel.") Der Bus ist vor dem Hotel. (Dat.) ("The bus is in front of the hotel.") zwischen Ich laufe zwischen das Reisebro und die Sparkasse. (Acc.) ("I'm running between the travel agency and the savings bank.") Die Post ist zwischen dem Reisebro und der Sparkasse. (Dat.) ("The post office is between the travel agency
This does not mean however that all prepositions of motion take the accusative case. We have already seen that "aus", "nach", "von" and "zu" always take the dative case, even when they indicate motion. It is much better to remember the three different groupings which we have encountered so far:
Grammar 8: Prepositions and cases
Accusative (bis, durch, fr, gegen, ohne, um) Dative (aus, bei, gegenber, mit, nach, seit (= since), von, zu) "Two-way" prepositions (an, auf, hinter, in, neben, ber, unter, vor, zwischen) Merging of prepositions with the definite article We have already seen in an earlier chapter that certain prepositions tend to merge with the definite article in the dative case. This is also true with certain prepositions in the accusative case, although fewer prepositions require this contraction in the accusative case than they do in the dative case:
Grammar 9: Prepositions and the definite article
Prep.
Example
an + das = ans Du gehst ans Telefon. (You're going to the phone.) in + das = ins Gehen wir ins Kino! (Let's go to the cinema!)
Whilst you might hear some other contractions in spoken German (i.e. "aufs", "durchs", "frs", "bers", "ums", "unters", they are quite colloquial and you should use the uncontracted forms in formal writing.
Singular ich mag du magst Sie mgen I like You like (informal/formal)
er/sie/es mag Plural wir mgen ihr mgt Sie mgen sie mgen
The irregular verb "mgen" is the only one of the modal verbs which does not have to be followed by an infinitive. When it takes a direct object, it simply means to like something. The usage of "gern" is optional:
Magst du die Brosche? Ja, ich mag sie. (Do you like the brooch? Yes, I like it.) Mgt ihr Abenteuerfilme? Nein, wir mgen sie nicht. (Do you like adventure films? No, we don't like them.) Mag er Popmusik? Ja, er mag Popmusik gern. (Does he like pop music? Yes, he likes pop music.)
The verb "gefallen" The second verb which can used to express likes and dislikes is the irregular verb "gefallen", which means "to please":
Grammar 11: The verb "gefallen" (= to please)
Singular ich gefalle du gefllst Sie gefallen er/sie/es gefllt Plural wir gefallen ihr gefallt Sie gefallen sie gefallen We please You please (informal/formal) They please I please You please (informal/formal) He/she/it pleases
The verb takes the dative case, such that "das gefllt mir" means "that pleases me". But it is equally used to translate "I like it", whereby the English speaker must remember that it in the German construction, it is the thing which is being liked which is the subject of the sentence. The person doing the liking is in the dative case. The addition of "gut" for emphasis is an optional extra. For example:
Gefllt dir die Brosche? Ja, sie gefllt mir. (Do you like the brooch? Yes, I like it.)
Gefallen euch Abenteuerfilme? Nein, sie gefallen uns nicht. (Do you like adventure films? No, we don't like them.) Gefllt ihr das Schloss? Ja, es gefllt mir ganz gut. (Does she like the stately home? Yes, see likes it.)
Gerne You would use "mgen" and "gefallen" to describe whether you like objects or not. To explain what you like doing, simply add the adverb "gern(e)" after the verb denoting the action in question. If you don't like doing an action, add nicht gern(e):
Grammar 12: Gern(e)
Hndel hre ich gern. ("I like listening to Hndel.") Hndel hre ich nicht gern. ("I don't like listening to Hndel.") Was essen Sie gern? ("What do you like to eat?") Ich esse gern Pommes frites. ("I like eating chips.")
Unfortunately some of the most commonly used German adjectives and adverbs have comparatives which are exceptions to this rule: either the vowel "modifies" i.e. adds an umlaut - or a different word is used entirely:
Grammar 14: Comparative - exceptions
Comparative grer (bigger) lter (older) besser (better) lieber (more gladly)
The comparative using "mgen" As the optional adverb used with "mgen" is "gern", you need to use "lieber" (= the comparative of "gern") if you wish to use this verb to say that you prefer something:
Grammar 15: Comparative with "mgen"
Wir mgen Berlin (gern). ("We like Berlin.") Wir mgen Berlin lieber. Wir mgen lieber Berlin. ("We prefer Berlin.") Welchen Wein mgen Sie lieber? ("Which wine do you prefer?") Ich mag Rotwein lieber. Ich mag lieber Rotwein. ("I prefer red wine.")
By extension, as you use "gern(e)" to describe what you like doing, you will also use "lieber" to describe what you prefer doing:
Grammar 16: Comparative with verbs
Ich hre Hndel gern. ("I like listening to Hndel.") Ich hre Hndel lieber. Ich hre lieber Hndel. ("I prefer listening to Hndel.")
Welchen Wein trinken Sie lieber? ("Which wine do you prefer to drink?") Ich trinke Rotwein lieber. Ich trinke lieber Rotwein. ("I prefer to drink red wine.") The comparative using "gefallen" As the optional adverb used with "gefallen" is "gut", you need to use "besser" (= the comparative of "gut") if you wish to use this verb to say that you prefer something:
Grammar 17: Comparative with "gefallen"
Diese Stadt gefllt uns (gut). ("We like this city.") Diese Stadt gefllt uns besser. ("We prefer this city.") Was gefllt dir besser? ("What do you like better?") Das Armband gefllt mir besser. ("I prefer the bracelet.")
Singular ich htte du httest Sie htten er/sie/es htte Plural wir htten ihr httet We would have You would have I would have You would have (informal/formal) He/she/it would have
We have already seen several usages of the conditional form of "haben". It also tends to have the sense of a polite request:
Grammar 20: Conditional sentences with "haben"
Was htten Sie gern? ("What would you like?") Ich htte gerne ein Bier. ("I would like a beer.") Htten Sie es gern selbst? ("Would you be buying it for yourself?") Ich htte gern Frau Arndt gesprochen. ("I would like to speak to Ms. Arndt.")
Occasionally the distinction between the normal present tense and the conditional is a very small one. The following two sentences mean much the same thing - the first is more direct, the second slightly more tentative:
Hast du Lust, morgen frh einen Einkaufsbummel zu machen? (Are you interested in going on a shopping spree tomorrow morning?) Httest du Lust, morgen frh einen Einkaufsbummel zu machen? (Would you be interested in going on a shopping spree tomorrow morning?)
Singular ich wre du wr(e)st Sie wren er/sie/es wre Plural wir wren ihr wrt Sie wren sie wren We would be You would be (informal/formal) They would be I would be You would be (informal/formal) He/she/it would be
In this chapter we have met some conditional usages of the verb "sein". Sentences containing such forms tend to be hypothetical in meaning:
Grammar 21: Conditional sentences with "sein"
Das wre seht nett. ("That would be very nice.") Wie wre es mit einer CD? ("How about a CD?") Wie wre es mit bermorgen? ("How about the day after tomorrow?")
Singular ich fange an du fngst an Sie fangen an er/sie/es fngt an Plural wir fangen an ihr fangt an Sie fangen an sie fangen an We begin You begin (informal/formal) They begin I begin You begin (informal/formal) He/she/it begins
Singular ich laufe du lufst Sie laufen er/sie/es luft Plural I run You run (informal/formal) He/she/it runs
Singular ich sehe du siehst Sie sehen er/sie/es sieht Plural wir sehen ihr seht Sie sehen sie sehen We see You see (informal/formal) They see I see You see (informal/formal) He/she/it sees
Singular ich schlage vor du schlgst vor Sie schlagen vor er/sie/es schlgt vor Plural wir schlagen vor ihr schlagt vor Sie schlagen vor sie schlagen vor We suggest You suggest (informal/formal) They suggest I suggest You suggest (informal/formal) He/she/it starts
"Dieser" can also be used as a pronoun meaning "this one". It then of course takes the same endings as in the table above:
Welches Kind arbeitet gut? - Dieses. (Which child works well? - This one.) Welchen Mann siehst du? - Diesen. (Which man do you see? - That one.)
You will have noticed that "dieser" takes the same endings as the definite article. It also takes the same adjective endings - the weak declension which we met in Chapter 5:
Grammar 27: Adjective endings after "dieser"
Masculine Nom. dieser gute Mann Acc. Dat. diesem guten Mann
Neuter dieses gute Kind dieses gute Kind diesem guten Kind
The demonstrative "jener" Although the pronoun "jener" means "that", it is really only used in certain formal registers or to contrast with "dieser", which should otherwise be used to translate "that":
Ich will nicht dieses Armband kaufen, sondern jenes. (I don't want to buy this bracelet, but that one.) Willst du diese Brosche oder jene? (Do you want this brooch or that one?)
"Jener" adds the same endings as "dieser" and the definite article and adjectives following "jener" will be in the weak declension:
Grammar 28: The declination of "jener" (= that)
bathroom fittings die Badezimmerausstattung bedding book car accessories carpet cheap children's wear clearance sale closed die Bettwsche das Buch (pl. - Bcher) das Autozubehr der Teppich (-e) billig die Kinderbekleidung der Rumungsverkauf geschlossen
clothing confectionery cosmetics curtains customer customer service electrical appliance escalator expensive fashion - young people's fashion floor (of shop) furniture gardening equipment gift glassware groceries ground floor jewellery ladies' shoes ladies' wear lift leather goods lighting section menswear men's shoes music open opening hours photography section porcelain
die Bekleidung Swaren (pl.) die Kosmetik die Gardine (-n) der Kunde (-n); die Kundin (-nen) der Kundendienst das Elektrogert (-e) die Rolltreppe (-n) teuer die Mode - die Junge Mode der Stock (no pl.) die Etage (-n) das Mbel (no pl.) der Gartenbedarf der Geschenkartikel (-) das Glas die Lebensmittel (pl.) das Erdgeschoss der Schmuck Damenschuhe (pl.) die Damenbekleidung der Fahrstuhl (pl. - Fahrsthle) die Lederwaren (pl.) das Lampenstudio (-s) die Herrenbekleidung Herrenschuhe (pl.) die Musik geffnet die ffnungszeiten (pl.) der Fotoshop (-s) das Porzellan
present price reduced sales receipt souvenir special offer sports goods stationery summer sale television till tobacco goods toilet toys video store winter sale
das Geschenk (-e) der Preis (-e) reduziert der Kassenbon (-s) das Andenken (-) das Sonderangebot (-e) Sportartikel (pl.) Schreibwaren (pl.) der Sommerschlussverkauf (SSV) der Fernseher (-) die Kasse (-n) Tabakwaren (pl.) die Toilette (-n) Spielwaren (pl.) die Videothek (-en) der Winterschlussverkauf (WSV)
All of which still means that if you run out of fresh milk on Sundays, then you are out of luck. You will have to go to the station or airport where fresh goods can be sold on Sundays. At kiosks and petrol station shops (der Tankstellenshop), you will find durable items such as long-life milk, cold drinks, sweets etc. Flower shops usually open for a couple of hours around lunchtime on Sundays and cake shops (die Konditorei) are allowed to ensure that everyone can have a piece of fresh gateau at the Sunday afternoon coffee and cake (Kaffee und Kuchen) sessions. Occasionally department stores, particularly furniture stores, open on a Sunday for people to go and look and get advice - but they are not allowed to buy things. These Sundays are referred to as open days (der Tag der offenen Tr). Under Austrian law, stores may stay open from 0600 until 1930 on work days. In tourist areas they are allowed to conduct business until 2000, even on Sundays. In Germany, Austria and Switzerland however, pub opening hours are much more relaxed than in Britain - in general they open at around 11 a.m. and stay open till midnight or beyond. Sales You can get particularly good bargains in the summer sales (der Sommerschlussverkauf (SSV)) and winter sales (der Winterschlussverkauf (WSV)). Strictly speaking the sales only begin on the last Monday in July and the last Monday in January, selling goods left over from the previous season at considerably reduced rates. Just look for the German word for "reduced" - reduziert. However, most shops start offering reduced-price articles and special offers long before the official date so that all that is left on the shelves when the real sales begin are often sub-standard goods specially manufactured for the sales.
Claudia Stenzel
Mareike Ich stehe um halb sieben Uhr auf... Herda Claudia Stenzel Sie haben es gut! Ich stehe um fnf Uhr auf.
Mareike Ich frhstcke gegen sieben und gehe um halb Herda acht aus dem Haus. Ich bin Lehrerin auf einer Grundschule und wohne in einem Vorort. Ich fahre mit dem Bus zur Schule, etwa 10 Minuten. Claudia Stenzel Wann arbeiten Sie?
Mareike Ich hab's ziemlich gut, denn mittwochs und Herda freitags habe ich die erste Stunde frei. Das heit, ich fange erst um Viertel vor neun an. Und ich bin jeden Tag um halb zwei fertig. Um Viertel vor zwei verlasse ich die Schule. Claudia Stenzel Gefllt Ihnen die Arbeit?
Mareike Ja, die Arbeit gefllt mir gut, aber ich mag nicht Herda in Berlin wohnen. Die Stadt ist mir zu gro. Claudia Stenzel Und was machen Sie nachmittags?
Mareike Ich arbeite! Ich mache Schularbeiten und hre Herda dabei ein bisschen Musik - oder ich gehe einkaufen. Das mache ich eigentlich nicht so gerne aber es muss sein. Um halb fnf hole ich meinen Freund von der Arbeit ab. Claudia Stenzel Wann essen Sie Abendbrot?
Mareike Normalerweise essen wir um halb sieben Herda Abendbrot. Claudia Stenzel Und was machen Sie abends?
Mareike Nach dem Abendbrot sehen wir im Herda Wohnzimmer fern. Zweimal in der Woche gehe ich zu einer Aerobicstunde. Ich mache gern Aerobic, es macht Spa und ich bleibe fit. Mein Freund treibt gern Sport. Jeden Mittwoch spielt er Federball oder Handball im Sportzentrum. Wir haben auch viele gute Freunde, und wir unternehmen oft etwas zusammen. Claudia Stenzel Was zum Beispiel?
Mareike Jeden Freitagabend treffen wir uns zum Kegeln. Herda Und nach dem Kegeln gehen wir dann noch ein Bier trinken. Es gibt viele Kneipen. Es ist natrlich viel los in Berlin! Meistens sind wir vor zwei Uhr nie zu Hause. Aber normalerweise gehen wir zwischen halb elf und elf ins Bett.
Conversation 1: A day in my life
Claudia Stenzel
Mareike I get up at half-past six... Herda Claudia Stenzel You're lucky! I get up at five o'clock.
Mareike I have breakfast at about seven o'clock and Herda leave the house at about half-past seven. I'm a primary school teacher and live in the suburbs. I travel to school on the bus, it takes about ten minutes. Claudia Stenzel When are your working hours?
Mareike I'm pretty lucky, because I have the first hour Herda off on Wednesdays and Fridays. That means that I don't start until a quarter to nine. And I finish every day at half-past one. I leave school at a quarter to two. Claudia Stenzel Do you enjoy your work?
Mareike Yes, I enjoy the work a lot, but I don't like Herda leaving in Berlin. I find the city too big. Claudia Stenzel And what do you do in the afternoon?
Mareike I work! I do school work and listen to some Herda music while I'm doing it - or I go shopping. I don't really like doing that but it has to be done. At half-past four I pick up my boyfriend from work. Claudia Stenzel When do you have your evening meal?
Mareike We normally have our evening meal at halfHerda past six. Claudia Stenzel And what do you do in the evening?
Mareike After tea we watch television in the living room. Herda I attend an aerobics class twice a week. I enjoy doing aerobics, it's fun and I keep fit. My boyfriend enjoys doing sport. He plays badminton or handball every Wednesday in the sports centre. We also have a lot of good friends, and we often do something together. Claudia Stenzel What for example?
Herda
After bowling we then go and have a beer. There are a lot of bars. Of course there's a lot going on in Berlin! More often than not we don't get back home before two o'clock. But we normally go to bed between half-past ten and eleven o'clock.
Glossary das Leben (-) der Alltag wie ist Ihr Alltag? aufstehen (sep.) Sie haben es gut! frhstcken gegen sieben aus dem Haus gehen die Grundschule (-n) auf einer Grundschule life everyday life what's your everyday life like? This separable verb means "to get up". (Literally: "to stand up") "You're lucky!" (Literally "You have it good".) The "es" is invariable. This means "to have breakfast". It is an inseparable verb. "At about seven o'clock". The word "Uhr" is often omitted in the German construction. to leave the house primary school This means "in a primary school". Although the preposition "auf" usually means "on", it can also be used with certain nouns to mean "to" (with the accusative case) or "in" (with the dative case). suburb school "I travel to school". Mareike doesn't say in die Schule, because the bus isn't actually entering the school. about 10 minutes; approximately 10 minutes. fairly
der Vorort (-e) die Schule (-n) ich fahre zur Schule etwa 10 minuten ziemlich
ich hab's ziemlich I'm pretty lucky gut denn die Stunde (-n) frei haben das heit for; because This also means "a school class" as well as "an hour". to have off this means...
not until a quarter to nine This means "every day". It is one of many German time phrases which is in the accusative case no matter where it comes in the sentence. It means "finished" in this context. It can also mean "ready" of a meal. I find the city too big to do school work A very useful word which means "while I'm/you're (etc.) doing it". I don't really like doing that This separable verb means "to fetch". What you are fetching is in the accusative case. This means "boyfriend" here - you have to work it out from the context. evening meal; tea normally living room This is a separable verb meaning "to watch television". The prefix "fern" is invariable but the "sehen" element of the verb declines in exactly the way which we have already encountered. twice twice a week
fertig
verlassen (insep.) to leave die Stadt ist mir zu gro Schularbeiten machen dabei das mache ich nicht so gerne abholen (sep.) der Freund (-e) das Abendbrot normalerweise das Wohnzimmer (-) fernsehen (sep.)
die Aerobicstunde aerobics class (-n) Aerobic machen der Spa es macht Spa fit Sport treiben jeden Mittwoch to do aerobics fun it's fun fit (!) to do sport every Wednesday
badminton Handball is a much more popular sport in German-speaking countries than it is in Britain. to undertake; to do for example "Every Friday evening". Another time phrase which is always in the accusative case. Note too that "Friday evening" is one word in German. to go bowling; to play skittles "We meet to go bowling." The grammatical construction with the second verb will be explained in a later section. to drink
wir gehen ein Bier we go and have a beer trinken die Kneipe (-n) es ist viel los meistens vor zwei Uhr nie zu Hause das Bett (-en) ins Bett gehen bar; pub there's a lot going on mostly before two o'clock never at home bed to go to bed
Claudia Wie sieht Ihr typischer Tag aus? Stenzel Anna Mller Ich stehe gegen sechs Uhr auf. Ich gehe ins Badezimmer und dusche. Danach bin ich ganz schn wach. Dann gehe ich in die Kche und frhstcke mit der Familie. Zum Frhstck esse ich eine Grapefruit und trinke einen Frchtetee ich mache eine Dit. Ich muss abnehmen.
Stenzel Anna Mller Seit fnf Wochen. Ich bemhe mich, aber es ist nicht einfach!
Claudia Und was drfen Sie essen? Stenzel Anna Mller Viel Gemse und Obst, wenig Fleisch.
Claudia Und wie viel Kalorien drfen Sie essen? Stenzel Anna Mller Tausend.
Claudia Drfen Sie Alkohol trinken? Stenzel Anna Mller Nein, Alkohol darf ich nicht trinken.
Claudia Was essen Sie zum Abendbrot? Stenzel Anna Mller Wir essen abends alle zusammen und wir essen sehr gesund. Das Abendbrot besteht normalerweise aus Suppe (meine Lieblingssuppe ist Gulaschsuppe!), Fleisch, Brot, Kse und Quark. Nach dem Abendbrot rumen die Kinder den Tisch und wir waschen ab.
Claudia Was machen Sie gern in Ihrer Freizeit? Stenzel Anna Mller Abends? Nichts Besonderes. Ich faulenze gern. Vielleicht sehe ich mir ein paar Fernsehsendungen an.
Claudia Was sehen Sie gern im Fernsehen? Stenzel Anna Mller Seifenopern, Talkshows, Quizsendungen, die Nachrichten. Ich sehe mir alles an!
Claudia Was fr Hobbys haben Sie? Stenzel Anna Mller Ich interessiere mich fr Reisen. Im Sommer bleibe ich nicht gern zu Hause - ich langweile mich zu Tode! Im Winter fahren wir in die Berge. Ich liebe den Schnee und ich laufe sehr gern Ski. Im Frhling und im Herbst fahren wir gern nach Werder. Dort kann man herrlich segeln und spazieren gehen. Ich wandere gern durch den Wald. Ich fotografiere auch leidenschaftlich gern. Ich habe meinen Fotoapparat immer dabei.
Claudia What does your typical day look like? Stenzel Anna Mller I get up at about six o'clock. I go into the bathroom and have a shower. I'm really quite awake afterwards. Then I go into the kitchen and have breakfast with my family. I have grapefruit for breakfast and drink a fruit tea I'm on a diet. I have to lose weight.
Claudia How long have you been on a diet for? Stenzel Anna Mller For five weeks. I'm making an effort, but it isn't easy!
Claudia And what are you allowed to eat? Stenzel Anna Mller A lot of vegetables and fruit, but not much meat.
Claudia And how many calories are you allowed to eat? Stenzel Anna Mller A thousand.
Claudia Can you drink alcohol? Stenzel Anna Mller No, I'm not allowed to drink alcohol.
Claudia What do you eat for tea? Stenzel Anna Mller We all eat together in the evening and we eat very healthily. Our evening meal normally consists of soup (my favourite soup is goulash soup!), meat, bread, cheese and soft curd cheese. After tea the children clear the table and we do the washing-up.
Claudia What do you like doing in your spare time? Stenzel Anna Mller In the evenings? Nothing in particular. I like lazing about. I might watch a few TV programmes.
Claudia What do you like watching on the television? Stenzel Anna Mller Soap operas, talk shows, quiz programmes, and the news. I watch everything!
Anna Mller
I'm interested in travel. I don't like staying at home in the summer - I get bored to death! In winter we go to the mountains. I love the snow and I really like skiing. In spring and in autumn we like going to Werder. You can have a wonderful time sailing and walking there. I like rambling in the forest. I'm also mad about photography. I always have my camera with me.
Glossary aussehen (sep.) typisch das Badezimmer (-) duschen danach ganz schn wach to look (like) typisch bathroom to shower afterwards This means "really quite awake". When "ganz schn" precedes an adjective it has an emphatic sense. kitchen for breakfast This means "to eat". It is an irregular verb. grapefruit fruit tea diet This means "to lose weight". To gain weight is "zunehmen". Both verbs are separable. how long...? Although seit literally means "since", this translates as "for five weeks". to make an effort a lot of vegetables fruit "Not much meat". Note that neither "viel" nor "wenig" have endings when used this way. calorie
die Kche (-n) zum Frhstck essen die Grapefruit (s) der Frchtetee (s) die Dit (-en) abnehmen (sep.) wie lange...? seit fnf Wochen sich bemhen viel Gemse das Obst wenig Fleisch
der Alkohol alle zusammen gesund wir essen gesund bestehen aus (+ Dat.) die Suppe (-n) die Lieblingssuppe (n) die Gulaschsuppe (-n) der Quark rumen abwaschen die Freizeit nichts Besonderes faulenzen ein paar die Fernsehsendung (-en) sich etwas ansehen
alcohol all together healthy we eat healthily This means "to consist of". The verb "bestehen" is inseparable. soup This means "favourite soup". You can add "Lieblings-" to the front of any noun to create this effect. goulash soup soft curd cheese to clear to do the washing up. As "waschen" is an irregular verb, so too is "abwaschen". free time; spare time nothing much; nothing in particular to laze about a few TV programme
This means "to watch something". The programme that is being watched is in the accusative case whilst the reflexive pronoun referring back to the person doing the action is in the dative case. The verb "ansehen" is both separable and reflexive. This means "television" as in "the medium of television", as opposed to a "TV set", which is translated by "der Fernseher". soap opera talk show quiz programme This means "the news". The singular of this noun - die Nachricht (-en) - means "a piece of news". hobby
das Fernsehen
die Seifenoper (n) die Talkshow (-s) die Quizsendung (-en) die Nachrichten (plural) das Hobby (-s)
This reflexive verb means "to be interested in". The reflexive pronoun referring back to the person doing the action is in the accusative case. to travel "I'm interested in travelling". If the thing in which you are interested is a verb, you use the infinitive form of the verb starting with a capital letter. summer in summer to be bored I'm bored to death winter in winter mountains snow to ski spring in spring autumn in autumn wonderful to sail to go for a walk to ramble; to hike wood, forest to take photos "I'm mad about..." The word "leidenschaftlich" on its own means "passionately". camera with me/you etc.
der Sommer im Sommer sich langweilen ich langweile mich zu Tode der Winter im Winter der Berg (-e) der Schnee Ski laufen der Frhling im Frhling der Herbst im Herbst herrlich segeln spazieren gehen wandern der Wald (pl. Wlder) fotografieren ich ... leidenschaftlich gern der Fotoapparat (-e) dabei
Now it is the turn of Jens Hoffmann (below right) to be interviewed. Try to work out what he does during his lunchtime break and why his route home depends on the weather. Which football team does he support?
Conversation 3: Jens Hoffmann
Claudia Stenzel
Jens Ich stehe ziemlich frh auf, so gegen halb Hoffmann sieben. Ich gehe ins Badezimmer und wasche mich. Normalerweise rasiere ich mich - aber am Wochenende nicht immer! Dann ziehe ich mich an und lese den Tagesspiegel. Diese Zeitung gefllt mir am besten. Zum Frhstck esse ich Mesli, vielleicht eine Scheibe Brot oder ein Brtchen und zwei Tassen Kaffee. Claudia Stenzel Welche Sorte trinken Sie am liebsten?
Jens Am allerliebsten trinke ich brasilianischen Hoffmann Kaffee. Claudia Stenzel Wann gehen Sie normalerweise aus dem Haus?
Jens Das kommt darauf an. Normalerweise um Hoffmann sieben Uhr zwanzig. Claudia Stenzel Und wie kommen sie zur Arbeit?
Jens Ich gehe zu Fu zum Bro - aber nur wenn es Hoffmann nicht regnet! Ich wohne in einer Dreizimmerwohnung im Stadtzentrum, nicht weit von meinem Bro entfernt. Ich komme um Viertel vor acht im Bro an. Claudia Stenzel Haben sie Mittagspause?
Jens Die Mittagspause ist von halb eins bis halb Hoffmann zwei. Zu Mittag esse ich in einem kleinen italienischen Restaurant, vielleicht eine Pizza oder Spagetti oder etwas hnliches. Ich esse gern auswrts und ich esse am liebsten italienische Gerichte. Claudia Stenzel Wann verlassen Sie das Bro?
Jens Ich bin um siebzehn Uhr dreiig mit der Arbeit Hoffmann fertig. Dann gehe ich aus dem Bro. Wenn die Sonne scheint, gehe ich durch den Park zurck nach Hause. Um zehn vor sechs bin ich wieder zu Hause. Dann mache ich das Abendessen. Nach dem Abendessen bin ich
oft wirklich mde und ruhe mich vor dem Fernseher aus. Jeden Donnerstagabend leihe ich mir ein Video aus. Ich sehe mir gern alte Horrorfilme und Komdien an. Claudia Stenzel Was machen Sie in Ihrer Freizeit? Haben Sie Hobbys?
Jens Tja, eigentlich habe ich nicht viel Freizeit. Ich Hoffmann interessiere mich fr Literatur und gehe regelmig ins Theater... Claudia Stenzel Was fr Bcher lesen Sie gerne?
Jens Meistens Romane und Kurzgeschichten. Ich Hoffmann treibe nicht gern Sport aber ich sehe mir gern Fuballspiele an. Claudia Stenzel Welche Fuballmannschaft mgen Sie lieber: Hertha Berlin oder Bayern Mnchen?
Jens Ich mag weder Hertha noch Bayern. Ich bin Hoffmann TeBe-Fan. Claudia Stenzel Wie bitte?
Claudia Stenzel
Jens I get up quite early, at about half-past six. I Hoffmann go into the bathroom and have a wash. I usually have a shave - but not always at the weekend! Then I get dressed and read the Tagesspiegel. I like this newspaper most of all. For breakfast I have muesli, perhaps a slice of bread or a roll and two cups of coffee. Claudia Stenzel What sort of coffee do you like drinking the most?
Jens I like drinking Brazilian coffee most of all. Hoffmann Claudia Stenzel When do you normally leave the house?
Jens That depends. Usually at twenty past seven. Hoffmann Claudia Stenzel And how do you get to work?
Jens I walk to the office - but only when it doesn't Hoffmann rain! I live in a three-room flat in the city
centre, not far from my office. I get to the office at a quarter to eight. Claudia Stenzel Do you have a lunch-break?
Jens The lunch-break is between half-past twelve Hoffmann and half-past one. I have lunch in a small Italian restaurant, perhaps a pizza or spaghetti or something like that. I like eating out and I like eating Italian dishes most of all. Claudia Stenzel When do you leave the office?
Jens I finish work at five thirty. Then I leave the Hoffmann office. If the sun is shining, I walk home through the park. I get back home at ten to six. Then I cook my evening meal. After tea I'm often really tired and relax in front of the television. Every Thursday evening I rent a video. I like watching old horror films and comedies. Claudia Stenzel What do you do in your spare time? Do you have any hobbies?
Jens Well, I don't actually have much spare time. Hoffmann I'm interested in literature and go to the theatre regularly... Claudia Stenzel What kind of books do you like reading?
Jens Mainly novels and short stories. I don't like Hoffmann doing sport but I enjoy watching football matches. Claudia Stenzel Which football team do you prefer: Hertha Berlin or Bayern Munich?
Jens I don't like Hertha or Bayern. I'm a TeBe fan. Hoffmann Claudia Stenzel I'm sorry?
Glossary normal sich waschen normal This reflexive verb means "to have a wash". It is also an irregular verb.
sich rasieren das Wochenende (n) am Wochenende immer nicht immer sich anziehen lesen Der Tagesspiegel
to have a shave weekend at the weekend always not always This is a separable verb meaning "to get dressed". This is an irregular verb meaning "to read" This is a Berlin daily newspaper which literally translates as "Daily Mirror" but is actually a broadsheet. Click here to read the latest edition of the newspaper on the Internet! newspaper muesli most most of all that depends to get to work only when it's raining room three-room flat
die Zeitung (-en) das Mesli am liebsten am allerliebsten das kommt darauf an zur Arbeit kommen nur wenn es regnet das Zimmer (-) die Dreizimmerwohnung (-en)
das Stadtzentrum (pl. city centre -zentren) entfernt nicht weit ... entfernt distant "Not far away from". The thing from which you are not far away - here "the office" - is in the dative case and is preceded by "von" i.e. "nicht weit von meinem Bro entfernt". This means "to arrive". Note that the place where you are arriving is in the dative case even though motion is involved. lunch-hour; lunch-break to have lunch spaghetti
ankommen
hnlich etwas hnliches auswrts essen das Gericht (-e) verlassen die Sonne (-n) scheinen der Park (-s) nach Hause gehen wieder das Abendessen (-) oft wirklich mde sich ausruhen
similar something similar to eat out dish; meal This irregular verb means "to leave". sun This means "to shine". In other contexts it can also mean "to appear". park to go home again This is another word for "evening meal" or "tea". often really tired This separable and reflexive verb means "to have a rest".
der Donnerstagabend Thursday evening (-e) sich etwas ausleihen This means "to borrow or rent". The object that you are renting is in the accusative case. The reflexive pronoun referring back to the person doing in the borrowing is in the dative case. video horror film comedy well... literature regularly theatre to go to the theatre novel short story sport to do sport football game football game
das Video (-s) der Horrorfilm (-e) die Komdie (-n) tja die Literatur regelmig das Theater (-) ins Theater gehen der Roman (-e) die Kurzgeschichte (n) der Sport Sport treiben der Fuball das Spiel (-e) das Fuballspiel (-e)
Currently the biggest football team in Berlin. Cynics would say that this has a lot to do with the favouritism of the Berlin media and local football associations. Click here to visit the club's homepage. This is the club that we call "Bayern Munich", the biggest team in German football. If you like them, click here. If you don't like them, click here. neither ... nor (football) fan favourite team
Bayern Mnchen
weder ... noch der Fan (-s) die Lieblingsmannschaft (-en) Tennis Borussia Berlin
Despite their name, Tennis Borussia Berlin - or TeBe - are a football club based in the Charlottenburg area of Berlin. Click here to visit their homepage. This is also the team supported by the author of this German course!
Wann wachst du auf? Ich wache um sieben Uhr auf. Ich stehe auf, gehe ins Badezimmer und wasche mir die Hnde. Ich wasche mir das Gesicht und putze mir die Zhne. Ich ziehe mir das Hemd, die Hose und die Schuhe an. Um Viertel nach sieben ist Frhstck. Trgst du keine Socken? Doch!
Claudia Stenzel Lars Weber Claudia Stenzel Lars Weber Claudia Stenzel Lars Weber Claudia Stenzel Lars Weber Claudia Stenzel Lars Weber Claudia Stenzel Lars Weber
Und wann gehst du in die Schule? Kurz nach halb acht. Mutti bringt mich in die Schule. Gefllt dir die Schule? Manchmal. Ich hasse Hausaufgaben! Am Abend muss ich immer lernen! Gefllt dir Mathe? Nein, natrlich nicht! Gefllt dir Sport? Ja. Finde ich Klasse! Was gefllt dir am besten? Schwimmen und Wasserball. Was machst du gern in deiner Freizeit? Skateboarden. Das macht Spa. Ich spiele gern drauen. Ich bin auch Inlineskater. Meine Schwester fhrt gern Rad. Sie hat ein nagelneues rotes Mountainbike. Ich interessiere mich auch fr Briefmarken. Ich sammle sie gern. Wann gehst du ins Bett? Gegen neun Uhr. Ich ziehe mich aus, nehme ein Bad, und ziehe mir den Schlafanzug an. Ich habe mein eigenes Schlafzimmer!
Conversation 4: A day in my life
When do you wake up? I wake up at seven o'clock. I get up, go into the bathroom and wash my hands. I wash my face and clean my teeth. I put my shirt, my trousers and my shoes on. Breakfast is at a quarter past seven. Don't you wear any socks?
Claudia Stenzel
Lars Weber Claudia Stenzel Lars Weber Claudia Stenzel Lars Weber Claudia Stenzel Lars Weber Claudia Stenzel Lars Weber Claudia Stenzel Lars Weber Claudia Stenzel Lars Weber
Yes I do! And when do you go to school? Just after half-past seven. Mummy takes me to school. Do you like school? Sometimes. I hate homework! I always have to study in the evenings! Do you like maths? No, of course not! Do you like sport? Yes. I think it's great! What do you like the most? Swimming and water polo. What do you like doing in your spare time? Skateboarding. It's fun. I like playing outside. I'm also an inline skater. My sister likes cycling. She's got a brand new red mountain bike. I'm also interested in stamps. I like collecting them. When do you go to bed? About nine o'clock. I get undressed, have a bath, and put my pyjamas on. I've got my own bedroom!
Glossary aufwachen (sep.) This is a separable verb meaning "to wake up".
die Hand (pl. Hnde) das Gesicht (er) putzen der Zahn (pl. Zhne) das Hemd (-en) die Hose (-n) der Schuh (-e) tragen die Socke (-n) doch
hand face to clean tooth shirt This means "(a pair of) trousers". It is a singular noun in German. shoe This is an irregular verb meaning "to wear" or "to carry". sock This means "yes" and it is used like the French "si" after someone has asked a question in the negative. Mummy sometimes to hate This means "homework". It is a plural noun in German. in the evening to learn; to study This means "maths". It is short for die Mathematik. great!; cool! This means "swimming". To form a verbal noun in German, you simply put a capital letter in front of the infinitive of a verb. All verbal nouns are neuter in gender. water polo This means "skateboarding". It is another verbal noun. outside Unsurprisingly, this means "inline skater". It is another example of just how many English words are entering the German language. She likes riding her bike. This means "brand new". It literally translates as "as new as a nail"!
Mutti manchmal hassen die Hausaufgaben (pl.) am Abend lernen die Mathe Klasse! das Schwimmen
der Wasserball das Skateboarden drauen (insep.) der Inlineskater (-) (sie) fhrt gern Rad nagelneu
(-s) die Briefmarke (- (postage) stamp n) sammeln This means "to collect". Verbs ending in "eln" tend to drop the "-e-" of the infinitive in the first person singular - i.e. "ich sammle". This means "to get undressed". It is both irregular and separable. bath to have a bath This means "pyjamas". It is a singular noun in German. own bedroom
sich ausziehen das Bad (pl. Bder) ein Bad nehmen der Schlafanzug (pl. -anzge) eigen das Schlafzimmer ()
Wie ist das Wetter hier in Berlin? Im Sommer ist es ziemlich hei und trocken. Im Winter ist es oft neblig und sehr kalt - besonders in der Nacht. Wir haben ab und zu viel Schnee und Glatteis. Das kann ich mir gut vorstellen! Im Frhling ist es warm aber oft strmisch und im Herbst ist es khl und wolkig - wir haben fast die ganze Zeit Regen. Und wie ist das Wetter heute? Schlecht, oder? Im Moment ist es mild. Es ist sonnig aber auch windig. Ich sehe keine schwarzen Wolken! Wie viel Grad sind es? Wei ich nicht. Es sind wohl etwa vierzehn Grad. Hoffentlich kommt das
schne Wetter noch. Hren wir uns die Wettervorhersage im Radio an! (Sie macht das Radio an.) Wettervorhersage Und jetzt die Wettervorhersage bis morgen abend. Im Norden stark bewlkt, Gewitter oder Regenschauer. Starker Wind aus Nordost. In der Mitte bewlkt oder bedeckt, wiederholt gibt es ein paar Tropfen Regen. Schwacher Wind aus Ost bis Sdost. In Sddeutschland heiter und trocken, keine Niederschlge. Hchsttemperaturen elf bis siebzehn Grad. Temperaturen im Sendegebiet: Berlin - 14 Grad; Neuruppin - 16 Grad; Angermnde - 15 Grad; Frankfurt an der Oder - 15 Grad; Finsterwalde - 12 Grad; Cottbus - 13 Grad. Tiefsttemperaturen in der Nacht zum Montag um den Gefrierpunkt. In Norddeutschland leichter Frost bis minus drei Grad. Vereinzelt Gewitterschauer.
Conversation 5: The Weather
What is the weather like here in Berlin? In summer it is fairly hot and dry. In winter it is often foggy and very cold particularly in the night. Every now and then we get a lot of snow and ice. I can imagine that! In spring it is warm but often stormy and in autumn it is cool and cloudy we have rain almost all the time. And what's the weather like today? Bad, isn't it? At the moment it's mild. It's sunny but also windy. I can't see any black clouds! What's the temperature? Don't know. It's probably about fourteen degrees. Hopefully the nice weather will come. Let's listen to the weather forecast on the radio! (She
Sophie Gerland Barbara Zacharias Sophie Gerland Barbara Zacharias Sophie Gerland Barbara Zacharias
turns the radio on.) Weather forecast And now the weather forecast until tomorrow evening. In the north, heavy clouds, thunderstorms or rain showers. Strong wind from the northeast. In the middle of Germany, cloudy or overcast, with a few drops of rain on several occasions. A slight wind from the east to the south-east. In South Germany it will be fine and dry, with no precipitation. The highest temperature will be between eleven and seventeen degrees. Temperatures in our broadcast area: Berlin - 14 degrees; Neuruppin - 16 degrees; Angermnde - 15 degrees; Frankfurt an der Oder 15 degrees; Finsterwalde - 12 degrees; Cottbus - 13 degrees. Lowest temperatures between Sunday night and early Monday morning around the freezing point. In North Germany there will a slight frost which could reach minus three degrees. Occasional thundery showers.
Glossary das Wetter (-) wie ist das Wetter? hei trocken der Winter im Winter neblig in der Nacht ab und zu das Glatteis sich etwas vorstellen weather what's the weather like? hot dry winter in winter foggy; misty in the night now and then (black) ice We have already met the verb "vorstellen" when it takes a direct object and means "to introduce somebody". When it takes a reflexive pronoun in the dative case however it means "to imagine something". spring
der Frhling
im Frhling warm strmisch der Herbst im Herbst khl wolkig fast die ganze Zeit der Regen schlecht mild sonnig windig die Wolke (-n) der Grad (-e) wie viel Grad sind es? wei ich nicht wohl etwa hoffentlich sich etwas anhren
in spring warm stormy autumn in autumn cool; cold cloudy almost the whole time rain bad mild sunny windy cloud degree "What is the temperature?" Literally: "How many degrees is it?" don't know probably approximately hopefully This means "to listen to something". The thing that you are listening to is in the accusative case, whereas the reflexive pronoun referring back to the person doing the listening is in the dative case. weather forecast
die Wettervorhersage (-n) das Radio im Radio anmachen (sep.) bis morgen abend der Norden im Norden der Regenschauer (-) stark
radio on the radio This means "to switch on". It is a separable verb. until tomorrow evening the north in the north rain shower This normally means "strong", but when used in weather phrases it can also mean "heavy".
bewlkt stark bewlkt das Gewitter (-) der Wind (-e) der Nordosten aus Nordost
cloudy with heavy clouds (thunder-)storm wind the north-east This means "from the north-east". Note that the shorter form of the part of the compass without "-en" is used in this construction. middle; centre in the middle (i.e. between North and South Germany) overcast repeatedly drop weak the east the south-east from the east to the south-east This means "South Germany". The shorter form of the part of the compass is used in the compound noun. fine; clear dry This means "precipitation". It is used very commonly in weather forecasts but not in conversational German. temperature This means "highest temperature". It is often used in the plural in weather forecasts. broadcast area (i.e. the area to which the radio station is broadcasting) This means "lowest temperature". It is often used in the plural in weather forecasts. This literally means "in the night to Monday", but equates to "Sunday night and early Monday morning". This means "freezing point". You might also hear "null Grad" used to translate this. around the freezing point
die Mitte (-n) in der Mitte bedeckt wiederholt der Tropfen (-) schwach der Osten der Sdosten aus Ost bis Sdost Sddeutschland
heiter trocken der Niederschlag (pl. -schlge) die Temperatur (en) die Hchsttemperatur (-en) das Sendegebiet (e) die Tiefsttemperatur (en) in der Nacht zum Montag der Gefrierpunkt
um den
Gefrierpunkt Norddeutschland leicht der Frost minus drei Grad vereinzelt der Gewitterschauer () North Germany light frost minus three degrees isolated; occasional thundery shower
es schneit ("It's snowing") es blitzt ("There's lightning") die Sonne scheint ("The sun is shining")
Other weather phrases resemble their English equivalents in that they use "Es ist..." (= It is...) followed by the appropriate adjective. The adjectives themselves can also be quite similiar to the English version.
Vocabulary 2: Wie ist das Wetter? Es ist...
es ist sonnig ("It's sunny") es ist hei ("It's hot") es ist heiter ("It's fine") es ist trocken ("It's dry") es ist wolkig ("It's cloudy") es ist bedeckt ("It's overcast") es ist khl ("It's cool")
es ist warm ("It's warm") es ist schwl ("It's sultry") es ist schn ("It's nice") es ist mild ("It's mild") es ist bewlkt ("It's cloudy") es ist neb(e)lig ("It's misty") es ist kalt ("It's cold")
es ist eisig ("It's icy") es ist regnerisch ("It's rainy") es ist wechselhaft ("It's changeable")
German weather nouns Nouns relating to German weather phenomena are listed below. Plurals are given in brackets. Some of these nouns are usually only found in German weather forecasts and not in conversational German.
Vocabulary 3: German weather nouns
der Blitz (-e) (lightning flash) die Brise (-n) (breeze) das Eis (ice) das Gewitter (-) (thunderstorm) der Hagel (hail) der Niederschlag (pl. -schlge) (precipitation) der Schauer (-) (shower) die Sonne (sun) die Temperatur (-en) (temperature) die Wolke (-n) (cloud)
die B (-en) (squall) der Donner (thunder) der Frost (frost) das Glatteis (black ice) der Nebel (fog; mist) der Regen (rain) der Schnee (snow) der Sturm (pl. Strme) (storm) der Wind (-e) (wind)
Notes on nouns 1. To specify which type of shower you are experiencing, form a compound noun using "der Schauer":
"der Hagel" + "der Schauer" = "der Hagelschauer" (brief hailstorm)
"der Regen" + "der Schauer" = "der Regenschauer" (shower of rain) "der Schnee" + "der Schauer" = "der Schneeschauer" (snow shower)
Similar compounds can also be made with "der Sturm". As with all compound nouns, such nouns have the gender of the final element of the compound noun, and form the plural in the same way as this final element:
"der Hagel" + "der Sturm" = "der Hagelsturm" (hailstorm) "das Gewitter" + "der Sturm" = "der Gewittersturm" (thunderstorm) "der Schnee" + "der Sturm" = "der Schneesturm" (snowstorm)
2. Whereas English speaks of "temperature" in the singular, German uses the word almost exclusively in the plural - "die Temperaturen". This is also true of the other compounds of the noun which we have met in this chapter: "die Hchsttemperaturen" (highest temperature) and "die Tiefsttemperaturen" (lowest temperature). 3. We have also encountered some other words in this section's conversations where the usage of singular and plural is different from in English:
"die Hausaufgaben" (plural) = homework (singular) "die Hose" (singular) = trousers (plural) "der Schlafanzug" (singular) = pyjamas (plural)
Note that German uses the definite article when translating "in spring etc.". In practice, this means that you precede each of the seasons by "im" - "im Frhling / Frhjahr", "im Sommer", "im Herbst", "im Winter". Points of the compass Similarly, the points of the compass are all masculine in German. To say "in the north etc.". In practice, you also precede each of the compass points by "im" - "im Norden", "im Westen", "im Sden", "im Osten".
Vocabulary 5: Points of the compass
When used as the first element in compound nouns however, the points of the compass drop the final "-en". Any compound noun thus formed will always take the gender of the final element of the compound.
der Nordwesten (the North-West) der Sdwesten (the South-West) Nordengland (the North of England) Westfrankreich (the West of France)
der Nordosten (the North-East) der Sdosten (the South-East) Sddeutschland (South Germany) Ostbelgien (the East of Belgium)
Notes on the compass 1. When wind directions are given in weather forecasts, the shorter forms of the points of the compass tend to be used:
Schwacher Wind aus Nordost (= A light wind from the north-east) Starker Wind aus West bis Sdwest (= A strong wind from the west to the south-west)
2. If you wish to describe what the temperature is in the middle of a country, you should say "in der Mitte". The element "Mittel-" in a compound geographical noun is used to indicate centrality:
Mittelamerika (= Central America) Mitteleuropa (= Central Europe)
are called reflexive. In English, reflexive verbs end in "-self" or "-selves" - e.g. "I hurt myself", "she flatters herself", "they're giving themselves a break". Not all German reflexive verbs however can be translated by "-self". In fact, whilst most English reflexive verbs are also reflexive in German, there are a number of German reflexive verbs that are not reflexive in English. Some of them have English equivalents which use "get" (i.e. to get dressed, to get washed, to get shaved), whereas some of them describe physical actions for which we do not use a reflexive verb. Many other German reflexive verbs however do not fall into either of these two categories (i.e. to be interested, to relax).
The infinitive of a German reflexive verb German reflexive verbs consist of a simple verb together with the reflexive pronoun in the accusative or (in certain circumstances) the dative case. In the infinitive form, the reflexive pronoun (sich) precedes the verb itself. Here is the infinitive form of the reflexive verbs taking an accusative pronoun which we have encountered in this and earlier chapters:
sich anziehen (to get dressed) sich ausziehen (to get undressed) sich interessieren (to be interested) sich rasieren (to have a shave) sich vorstellen (to introduce oneself)
sich ausruhen (to relax) sich bemhen (to make an effort) sich langweilen (to be bored) sich treffen (to meet) sich waschen (to get washed)
Notes 1. The verb treffen (= to meet) is only used reflexively in the plural. In this context, the reflexive pronoun denotes reciprocity and is the equivalent of each other: We
Wir treffen uns morgen. (We will meet each other tomorrow.) Wo treffen sie sich? (Where are they meeting each other?)
will
meet
more
reflexive
verbs
of
this
sort
in
subsequent
chapters.
2. When using sich interessieren, you should employ the preposition fr followed by a noun in the accusative case to say what it is that you are interested in. If your interest is an activity, you should express this by using the infinitive of the German verb, spelling it with a capital letter. This is called a verbal noun.
Paula interessiert sich fr Fuball. (Paula is interested in football.) Interessieren Sie sich fr Lesen? (Are you interested in reading?)
Reflexive and non-reflexive verbs Most of the verbs which we have met on the previous page can either be used as a reflexive verb followed by a reflexive pronoun in the accusative case, or as a normal verb using a personal pronoun in the accusative case. In the second case the action of the verb is being carried out to somebody else.
Grammar 2: Reflexive and non-reflexive verb pairs
sich anziehen (to get dressed) sich ausziehen (to get undressed) sich interessieren (to be interested) sich langweilen (to be bored) sich rasieren (to have a shave) sich treffen (to meet) sich vorstellen (to introduce oneself) sich waschen (to wash oneself)
jemanden anziehen (to dress somebody) jemanden ausziehen (to undress somebody) jemanden interessieren (to interest somebody) jemanden langweilen (to bore somebody) jemanden rasieren (to shave somebody) jemanden treffen (to meet somebody) jemanden vorstellen (to introduce somebody) jemanden waschen (to wash somebody)
Notes 1. In dictionaries, verbs which take a direct object are listed as in the table above, namely preceded by jemanden or its abbreviated form jdn.. The word jemand is the German word for somebody. In the accusative case (as here), it adds "-en". To use the verb, simply replace jemanden with the accusative of the noun to which you are referring. 2. Care needs to be taken in distinguishing between the reflexive and non-reflexive usages of a verb:
Claudia wscht sich. (Claudia washes herself.) Claudia wscht das Kind. (Claudia washes the child.) Er stellt sich vor. (He introduces himself.) Er stellt ihn vor. (He introduces him (i.e. somebody else).)
Sie treffen sich. (They meet each other.) Sie treffen sie. (They meet them (i.e. some other people).)
Singular ich rasiere mich du rasierst dich Sie rasieren sich er rasiert sich Plural wir rasieren uns ihr rasiert euch Sie rasieren sich sie rasieren sich We shave ourselves You shave yourselves (informal/formal) They shave themselves I shave myself You shave yourself (informal/formal) He shaves himself
If the reflexive verb is also separable, then the separable prefix of the verb will follow the pronoun (and any other elements of the clause). Of the verbs which we have encountered so far, this is true for sich anziehen, sich ausruhen, sich ausziehen and sich vorstellen:
Grammar 4: The present tense of "sich anziehen"
Singular ich ziehe mich an du ziehst dich an Sie ziehen sich an er/sie/es zieht sich an I get dressed You get dressed (informal/formal) He/she/it gets dressed
Plural wir ziehen uns an ihr zieht euch an Sie ziehen sich an sie ziehen sich an We get dressed You get dressed (informal/formal) They get dressed
Present tense of reflexive verbs with a modal verb When reflexive verbs are preceded by a modal verb, the infinitive of the verb itself is used, but the reflexive pronoun agrees with the subject of the verb. The reflexive pronoun in such cases is identical to the appropriate pronoun in the present tense of the reflexive verb:
Grammar 5: The infinitive of a reflexive verb after a modal verb
Singular ich muss mich waschen I must have a wash du musst dich waschen You must have a wash Sie mssen sich waschen (informal/formal) er muss sich waschen Plural wir mssen uns waschen We must have a wash ihr msst euch waschen You must have a wash Sie mssen sich waschen (informal/formal) sie mssen sich waschen They must have a wash He must have a wash
Singular ich stelle mir vor du stellst dir vor Sie stellen sich vor er/sie stellt sich vor Plural I imagine You imagine (informal/formal) He/she imagines
wir stellen uns vor ihr stellt euch vor Sie stellen sich vor sie stellen sich vor
Great care must be taken with using this particular verb. As we have seen, when sich vorstellen takes a reflexive pronoun in the accusative case, it means "to introduce oneself". And when it takes a non-reflexive object in the accusative case it means "to introduce somebody else":
Ich stelle ihn vor (I introduce him (= accusative)) Ich stelle mich vor (I introduce myself (= accusative)) Ich stelle mir vor (I imagine (= dative))
Other reflexive verbs taking a dative pronoun We have already seen in Chapter 7 that a number of German verbs such as sagen, geben and empfehlen take both a dative and an accusative object. The dative object is usually a person whereas the accusative object is usually a thing. The same construction is found with certain reflexive verbs. The reflexive pronoun, which is an integral part of the verb, is in the dative case, but the verb also has an accusative object. Here is a list of such verbs which we have encountered in this chapter.
sich etwas anhren (to listen to something) sich etwas ausleihen (to borrow something)
sich etwas ansehen (to watch something) sich etwas vorstellen (to imagine something)
Notes 1. All of these four verbs happen to be separable. This by no means always true of verbs taking a reflexive pronoun in the dative case! 2. To use these verbs, replace etwas (= something) with an appropriate noun in the accusative case. For example:
Ich hre mir die Wettervorhersage an. (I'm listening to the weather forecast.) Wir sehen uns die Quizshow an. (We're watching the quiz show) Du leihst dir das Video aus. (You borrow the video.)
The complete present tense of "sich ansehen" with an accusative noun is thus as follows:
Grammar 8: The present tense of "sich ansehen"
Singular ich sehe mir den Film an du siehst dir den Film an Sie sehen sich den Film an er sieht sich den Film an sie sieht sich den Film an Plural wir sehen uns den Film an ihr seht euch den Film an Sie sehen sich den Film an sie sehen sich den Film an We watch the film You watch the film (informal/formal) They watch the film I watch the film You watch the film (informal/formal) He watches the film She watches the film
Reflexive verbs concerning the body The dative reflexive pronoun is used in German with certain verbs when they refer to doing things to parts of the body (sich waschen) and putting on or taking off articles of clothing (sich anziehen, sich ausziehen). The dative reflexive pronoun must be used when you specify which part of your body you are washing or which article of clothing you are putting on or taking off. Furthermore, the definite article is used to refer to the specific part of the body, whereas in English the possessive (my, your, his etc.) is used. It is therefore the task of the dative reflexive pronoun to indicate possession.
ich wasche mir die Hnde du wscht dir das Gesicht ich ziehe mir das Hemd an du ziehst dir die Schuhe aus
I wash my hands You wash your face I put my shirt on You take your shoes off
Great care must therefore be taken to distinguish between the following pairs of verbs:
Ich wasche mich. (I'm having a wash.) Ich wasche mir die Hnde. (I'm washing my hands.) Du ziehst dich an. (You get dressed.) Du ziehst dir die Hose an. (You put your trousers on.)
The same construction is also used in German to translate "to clean one's teeth". The full present tense of this construction is given below.
Grammar 10: The present tense of "sich die Zhne putzen"
Singular ich putze mir die Zhne du putzt dir die Zhne Sie putzen sich die Zhne er/sie putzt sich die Zhne Plural wir putzen uns die Zhne ihr putzt euch die Zhne Sie putzen sich die Zhne sie putzen sich die Zhne We clean our teeth You clean your teeth (informal/formal) They clean their teeth I clean my teeth You clean your teeth (informal/formal) He/she cleans her teeth
As the stem of the verb putzen ends in "-z-", note that the "du" form of the verb adds "-t", and not "-st" - du putzt.
Here is the present tense of two such verbs which we have encountered in this chapter: sammeln (= to collect) and wandern (= to ramble; to hike).
Grammar 11: Present tense of "sammeln" (= to collect)
du sammelst Sie sammeln er/sie/es sammelt Plural wir sammeln ihr sammelt Sie sammeln sie sammeln
You collect (informal/formal) He/she/it collects We collect You collect (informal/formal) They collect
Singular ich wand(e)re du wanderst Sie wandern er/sie/es wandert Plural wir wandern ihr wandert Sie wandern sie wandern We ramble You ramble (informal/formal) They ramble I ramble You ramble (informal/formal) He/she/it rambles
New irregular verbs Here is the present tense of the new irregular verbs which we have met in this chapter.
Grammar 13: Present tense of "essen" (= to eat)
Singular ich esse du isst Sie essen er/sie/es isst Plural wir essen ihr esst Sie essen sie essen We eat You eat (informal/formal) They eat I eat You eat (informal/formal) He/she/it eats
Singular
ich lese du liest Sie lesen er/sie/es liest Plural wir lesen ihr lest Sie lesen sie lesen
I read You read (informal/formal) He/she/it reads We read You read (informal/formal) They read
Singular ich trage du trgst Sie tragen er/sie/es trgt Plural wir tragen ihr tragt Sie tragen sie tragen We wear You wear (informal/formal) They wear I wear You wear (informal/formal) He/she/it wears
Singular ich treffe du triffst Sie treffen er/sie/es trifft Plural wir treffen ihr trefft Sie treffen sie treffen We meet You meet (informal/formal) They meet I meet You meet (informal/formal) He/she/it meets
Sie verlassen er/sie/es verlsst Plural wir verlassen ihr verlasst Sie verlassen sie verlassen
Singular ich wasche du wschst Sie waschen er/sie/es wscht Plural wir waschen ihr wascht Sie waschen sie waschen We wash You wash (informal/formal) They wash I wash You wash (informal/formal) He/she/it washes
Singular ich wei du weit Sie wissen er/sie/es wei Plural wir wissen ihr wisst Sie wissen sie wissen We know You know (informal/formal) They know I know You know (informal/formal) He/she/it knows
Main Verb fangen (to catch) holen (to fetch) kommen (to come) lassen (to let; to leave) leihen (to lend, borrow) machen (to do; to make) nehmen (to take)
Compound Verb anfangen (to begin) abholen (to pick up) ankommen (to depend; to arrive) verlassen (to leave) ausleihen (to lend, borrow) anmachen (to switch on) abnehmen (to lose weight) unternehmen (to do; undertake) zunehmen (to gain weight) ansehen (to look at) aussehen (to look like) fernsehen (to watch television) aufstehen (to get up) bestehen (to consist) aufwachen (to wake up) abwaschen (to do the washing up) anziehen (to put on) ausziehen (to take off)
Just as the gender and plural of compound nouns are determined by the final element of the noun, the declension of a compound verb is determined by the final element. Thus although all the compounds of "sehen" are irregular, they are not listed separately in verb tables as it suffices to learn the endings of "sehen" to be able to decline them all!
Ich sehe keine schwarzen Wolken (I can't see any black clouds) Du siehst oft fern (You often watch television) Anna sieht sich die Talkshow an (Anna watches the talk show)
And although we may only have come across the compounds of verbs such as fangen, lassen and wachen, we know how they will decline if we learn the endings of verbs such as anfangen, verlassen and aufwachen. Other types of compound verbs German compound verbs are not only formed by adding prefixes, but also by adding other parts of speech. As the following four examples show, it is also possible to add nouns and other verbs to form a compound verb:
Grammar 21: Other forms of compound verbs
Notes Although these compound verbs are written as two words, they behave in the same way as verbs with a separable prefix. This means that it is only the second element which declines - even if the first element is another verb as with einkaufen gehen and spazieren gehen. It also means that, like a separable prefix, the first element is positioned at the end of a German clause. For example:
Thomas fhrt gern Rad. (Thomas likes cycling.) Lufst du gern Ski? (Do you like skiing?) Heute Nachmittag gehe ich einkaufen. (I'm going shopping this afternoon.) Wir gehen jeden Abend spazieren. (We go for a walk every evening.)
Singular
ich darf du darfst Sie drfen er/sie/es darf Plural wir drfen ihr drft Sie drfen sie drfen
I am allowed to You are allowed to (informal/formal) He/she/it is allowed to We are allowed to You are allowed to (informal/formal) They are allowed to
Usage of "drfen" The verb "drfen" corresponds to English "be allowed to" or "can" (in the sense of having the permission to do something).
Was drfen Sie essen? (What are you allowed to eat?) Drfen Sie Alkohol trinken? (Can you drink alcohol?)
Great care must be taken when translating the English word "can" into German. You need to distinguish between two different possible meanings of "can": "to be able to do something" (= "knnen") and "to have permission to do something" (= "drfen"). For example:
Ich kann Rad fahren. (I can (= know how to) ride a bicycle.) Ich darf Rad fahren. (I can (= have permission to) ride a bicycle.) Andrea kann Deutsch. (Andrea can (= knows how to) speak German.) Andrea darf nach Deutschland fahren. (Andrea is able to (= has permission to) go to Germany.)
Singular ich muss du musst Sie mssen er/sie/es muss Plural wir mssen ihr msst We must You must I must You must (informal/formal) He/she/it must
Usage of "mssen" The verb "mssen" corresponds to English "must" or "to have to". For example:
Ich muss abnehmen. (I must lose weight.) Am Abend muss ich immer lernen. (In the evenings I have to study.)
The negative of "drfen" and "mssen" Great care must be taken when using "drfen" and "mssen" in the negative. Although "mssen" is used to translate "must", it is "nicht drfen" which is used to translate "mustn't" in the sense of "not being allowed to do something". The words "nicht mssen" are instead used to translate "don't have to". For example:
Michael darf das nicht tun. (Michael must not do that.) Michael muss das nicht tun. (Michael does not have to do that.) Alkohol darf ich nicht trinken. (I'm not allowed to drink alcohol.) Alkohol muss ich nicht trinken. (I don't have to drink alcohol.)
Word order with adverbs The positioning of adverbs in a German sentence can be tricky as German word order is quite specific on this point. For the moment it will suffice to note that if you put an adverb or adverbial phrase at the start of the sentence, then the verb must come next followed immediately by the subject of the clause. This is known as inverted word order. Note too that German adverbial phrases are not separated from the rest of the clause by a comma when they occur at the start of the sentence.
Hoffentlich kommt das schne Wetter noch. (Hopefully the good weather will still come.) Manchmal fahren wir in die Berge. (Sometimes we go into the mountains.) Im Moment ist es mild. (At the moment the weather is mild.) Zweimal in der Woche gehe ich zu einer Aerobicstunde. (Twice a week I go to an aerobics class.)
General word order It is not only adverbs however which can be placed at the start of a German clause. You may have noticed that - unlike in English - it is also possible to emphasise an accusative or dative object by putting it at the start of a sentence. This is because in German, it is the the case endings, not the word order, which tell us who is doing what to whom, i.e. what is the subject and what are the objects. Thus the following pairs of sentences have the same basic meaning, even though the subject of the clause is in first position only in the first sentence in each pair. Note how the case endings change depending on who is doing what to whom!
Grammar 24: Inverted word order
Die Katze sieht den Hund. Den Hund sieht die Katze. (The cat sees the dog.) Der Hund sieht die Katze. Die Katze sieht der Hund. (The dog sees the cat.) Ich sehe dich. Dich sehe ich. (I see you.) Du siehst mich. Mich siehst du. (You see me.) Der Mann hilft dem Kind. Dem Kind hilft der Mann. (The man helps the child.) Das Kind hilft dem Mann. Dem Mann hilft das Kind. (The child helps the man.)
Notes In each of these pairs there is a slight difference in that the first element in each sentence is always being stressed. Whereas the first sentence in each pair stresses therefore who is performing the action i.e. seeing or helping, the second sentence stresses more who is being seen or being helped. Certain nouns, pronouns, definite and indefinite articles have identical endings in the nominative and accusative cases. In most instances, common sense will tell you who is performing the action. For example, in the clause "Bier darf Thomas nicht trinken", it should hopefully be clear that it is Thomas who not allowed to drink beer and not vice versa. Yet the phrase "sie sieht sie" could have six different meanings: 1) "she sees her"; 2) "she sees them"; 3) "she sees it (= feminine noun)"; 4) "it sees her"; 5) "it sees them"; 6) "it sees it"!
abends (in the evening) bald (soon) danach (afterwards) dann (then) frh (early) gleich (at once) gleichzeitig (at the same time)
nachher (afterwards) nachts (in the night) nun (now) oft (often) rechtzeitig (in good time) schon (already) selten (rarely)
heute (today) immer (always) jetzt (now) lange (for a long time) manchmal (sometimes) morgen (tomorrow) morgens (in the morning) Adverbs for days of the week
sofort (immediately) spt (late) tglich (every day) vormittags (in the morning) zuerst (at first) zuletzt (at last)
sonntags (on Sundays) montags (on Mondays) dienstags (on Tuesdays) mittwochs (on Wednesdays)
donnerstags (on Thursdays) freitags (on Fridays) samstags / sonnabends (on Saturdays)
To translate "on Tuesday mornings", "on Wednesday evenings" etc., form a compound noun consisting of the name of the day followed by the adverb for the appropriate part of the day - "morgens", "vormittags", "abends" and "nachts". Such compound adverbs do not start with a capital letter. For example:
Wir treffen uns freitagabends zum Kegeln. (We meet on Friday evenings and go bowling.) Ich leihe mir donnerstagnachmittags ein Video aus. (I rent a video on Thursday afternoons.) Wir spielen sonnabendvormittags Fuball. (We play football on Saturday morning.)
Adverbial phrases We have also encountered a number of adverbial phrases with which you can express the time in German. These are listed below:
Vocabulary 9: Adverbial phrases of time
am Montag (on Monday) am Morgen (in the morning) am Vormittag (in the morning) am Nachmittag (in the afternoon) am Abend (in the evening) in der Nacht (in the night) die ganze Zeit (the whole time) zweimal in der Woche (twice a week)
jeden Montag (every Monday) jeden Morgen (every morning) jeden Vormittag (every morning) jeden Nachmittag (every afternoon) jeden Abend (every evening) jede Nacht (every night) im Moment (at the moment)
Notes Both "der Morgen" and "der Vormittag" can be used to translate the English word "morning". Many adverbial time phrases in German are in the accusative case. This is the case for "jeden Tag", "jede Nacht" etc. and also for the phrase "die ganze Zeit". To translate "on Tuesday morning" or "every Wednesday evening", form a compound noun from the name of the day and the part of the day. As the gender of the compound noun is determined by the gender of the final element, the endings on "am" and "jede(n)" remain unchanged. For example:
Jeden Freitagabend treffen wir uns zum Kegeln. (Every Friday evening we meet up and go bowling.) Jeden Donnerstagnachmittag leihe ich mir ein Video aus. (Every Thursday afternoon I rent a video.) Am Sonnabendvormittag spielen wir Fuball. (We play football on Saturday morning.)
auerdem (besides)
dazu (in addition) eben (even, just) eigentlich (actually) gern (gladly) gleichfalls (likewise) hoffentlich (hopefully) leider (unfortunately) mglicherweise (possibly)
normalerweise (normally) pltzlich (suddenly) selbstverstndlich (of course) sonst (otherwise) vielleicht (possibly) wahrscheinlich (probably) wirklich (really)
Other such adverbs include: "glcklicherweise" (= "fortunately"), "natrlicherweise" (= "naturally") and "unglcklicherweise" (= "unfortunately"). Adverbs of place
Vocabulary 11: Adverbs of place
dort (there) dorthin (there (= motion)) drauen (outside) geradeaus (straight on) hier (here) hinten (at the back)
oben (at the top) rechts (on the right) berall (everywhere) unten (at the bottom) vorne (at the front)
Adverbs of degree There is a further group of adverbs which precede other adjectives or adverbs to emphasise or tone down the word which they are qualifying. These are known as adverbs of degree.
Vocabulary 12: Adverbs of degree
uerst (extremely) besonders (especially) etwas (somewhat) fast (almost) ganz (quite) genug (enough) hchst (extremely, highly)
kaum (scarcely) meistens (mostly) sehr (very) vllig (completely) ziemlich (fairly) zu (too)
Notes Adverbs of degree qualify other adjectives or adverbs but do not themselves add endings. Like all adverbs they are invariable. For example:
Es ist sehr neblig und uerst kalt. (It is very foggy and extremely cold.) Im Frhling ist es besonders strmisch. (In spring it is particularly stormy.) Sein neuer Film ist ganz gut. (His new film is pretty good.)
Im Sommer ist es ziemlich trocken und oft zu hei. (In summer it is pretty dry and often too hot.) In der Nacht kann ich kaum sehen. (I can hardly see at night.) Die rztin ist etwas nervs. (The doctor is a little nervous.)
The only exception to this pattern is the adverb "genug" (= enough), which as in English follows the adjective or adverb which it qualifies:
Es ist heute warm genug. (It is warm enough today.) Das Fahrrad war nicht gut genug. (The bicycle wasn't good enough.)
Wir mgen Berlin (gern). ("We like Berlin.") Wir mgen Berlin lieber. ("We prefer Berlin.") Wir mgen Berlin am liebsten. ("We like Berlin most of all.") Welchen Wein mgen Sie lieber? ("Which wine do you prefer?") Ich mag Rotwein lieber. ("I prefer red wine.") Ich mag Rotwein am liebsten. ("I like red wine most of all.")
To add even more emphasis to your preferences, you could also use "am allerliebsten" to describe something which you like "more than anything else". For example:
Was magst du am allerliebsten? (What do you like more than anthing else?)
Am allerliebsten mag ich Fuball. (I like football more than anything else.)
The superlative of "gern" when used with other verbs You will recall that we can use the adverb "gern(e)" with other verbs to describe things that you like doing. By extension therefore, you use "am liebsten" - the superlative of "gern(e)" with verbs other than "mgen" to describe what you like doing most of all:
Ich esse gern Kse. ("I like (to eat) cheese.") Ich esse lieber Kse. ("I prefer (to eat) cheese.") Ich esse am liebsten Kse. ("I like (to eat) cheese most of all.") Welchen Wein trinken Sie am liebsten? ("Which wine do you like (drinking) most of all?") Ich trinke am liebsten Weiwein. ("I like (to drink) white wine most of all.")
Once again you could use "am allerliebsten" to add even more emphasis:
Welche Sorte trinken Sie am allerliebsten? (What sort do you like drinking more than anthing else?) Am allerliebsten trinken wir brasilianischen Kaffee. (We like Brazilian coffee more than anything else.)
The superlative using "gefallen" As the optional adverb used with the verb "gefallen" is "gut", you need to use "am besten" (= the superlative of "gut") if you wish to use "gefallen" to say that you like something "most of all":
Grammar 26: Superlative using "gefallen"
Diese Stadt gefllt uns (gut). ("We like this city.") Diese Stadt gefllt uns besser. ("We prefer this city.")
Diese Stadt gefllt uns am besten. ("We like this city most of all.") Was gefllt dir am besten? ("What do you like the most?") Das Armband gefllt mir am besten. ("I like the bracelet most of all.")
Ich gehe ins Badezimmer. ("I go into the bathroom.") Ich gehe in die Kche. ("I go into the kitchen.") Ich bin im Badezimmer. ("I am in the bathroom.") Ich bin in der Kche. ("I am in the kitchen.") Ich gehe aus dem Badezimmer. ("I go out of the bathroom.") Ich gehe aus der Kche. ("I go out of the kitchen.")
Notes German also uses the preposition "in" (+ Accusative) where we would not necessarily do so in English:
Gehen wir ins Konzert! (Let's go to the concert!) Herr Dr. Schmidt geht regelmig ins Theater. (Dr. Schmidt regularly goes to the theatre.) Ich gehe ins Stadtzentrum! (I'm going to the city centre.) Im Winter fahren wir in die Berge. (In winter we go into the mountains.)
For a number of German buildings and public places, you should use the preposition "zu" (+ Dative) for motion towards, "an" (+ Dative) to translate position ("at" or "in") and "von" (+ Dative) to translate motion away. We have already dealt with this grammatical point in Chapter 6, where the correct prepositions for travelling to and from countries are also explained. When using the separable verb ankommen (= "to arrive"), the place where you arrive is in the dative case:
Ich komme um Viertel vor acht im Bro an. (I arrive in the office at a quarter to eight.) Wann kommt sie am Flughafen an? (When does she arrive at the airport?)
Note too that the same prepositions are used for travelling to and from towns and cities as are used for travelling to (neuter) countries.
Wir fahren nach Werder. ("We travel to Werder.") Mareike wohnt in Berlin. ("Mareike lives in Berlin.") Peter kommt aus Nrnberg. ("Peter comes from Nuremberg.") Prepositions with "die Schule"
Grammar 29: Die Schule
Lars geht in die Schule. ("Lars goes to school.") Mutti bringt mich in die Schule. ("Mummy takes me to school.") Mareike fhrt zur Schule. ("Mareike drives to school.") Lars ist in der Schule. ("Lars is at school.") Sie ist Lehrerin auf einer Grundschule. ("She teaches in a primary school.") Um drei Uhr verlasse ich die Schule. ("I leave school at three o'clock.")
Notes As a school is a building which you can be "inside", the preposition used for going
into a school is "in" (+ Accusative). It cannot be used in the third example however as Mareike is driving to school. To use the German preposition "in" here would imply that she drove her car into the school building itself! As the example suggests, you should instead use the preposition "zu" (+ Dative), which indicates motion up to, but not inside a place or building. The preposition used for being physically inside a school is "in" (+ Dative). The prepositions "auf" (+ Dative) or "an" (+ Dative) are used with academic institutions at which a person is employed. The verb "verlassen" equates to "to leave" in English. It is used to describe movements out of buildings as opposed to rooms. "Verlassen" is a transitive verb, which means that it has to be followed by an accusative (direct) object - i.e. "die Schule". You cannot simply say "Ich verlasse". Prepositions with "das Haus" "Das Haus" is literally the German word for a house. Even though a large number of Germans live in a flat (= "die Wohnung"), "das Haus" is nevertheless used to translate "home".
Grammar 30: Das Haus
Ich gehe nach Hause. ("I go home.") Ich bin zu Hause. ("I am at home.") Ich gehe aus dem Haus. Ich verlasse das Haus. ("I leave home.")
In older German, some masculine and neuter nouns, particularly those of one syllable, added "-e" in the dative singular. This is now extremely uncommon in modern German. The practice persists however with certain set phrases involving "das Haus" - the phrases "nach Hause" kommen and "zu Hause sein" always add the additional "-e". It is rare however to find the "-e" in the expression "aus dem Haus gehen". You must of course never add it in the expression "ich verlasse das Haus", as the noun is here in the accusative case. Prepositions used with meals Note the different prepositional constructions used to translate the different meals of the day:
Grammar 31: Prepositions and meals
Zum Frhstck esse ich Mesli. ("I have muesli for breakfast.")
Zu Mittag esse ich eine Pizza. ("I have a pizza for lunch.") Zum Abendbrot esse ich Fisch. ("I have fish for tea.")
The German word for "lunch" is "das Mittagessen", but the phrase for "to have lunch" is "zu Mittag essen". You would use the construction "zum Mittagessen" when you are describing what there is for lunch - i.e. "Zum Mittagessen gibt es eine Pizza" ("There is pizza for lunch").
Vocabulary 13: The verb "tragen" tragen (du trgst, er trgt) to wear (see Chapter 10.11) was trgst du? was tragen Sie? what are you wearing? ich trage einen grauen Mantel I'm wearing a grey coat Lars trgt eine blaue Hose Lars is wearing blue trousers Trgst du eine Brille? Do you wear glasses? Anja trgt keine Socken Anja is not wearing any socks Vocabulary 14: Clothing - anziehen was soll ich anziehen? what shall I wear? sich (+ Acc.) anziehen (ich ziehe mich an) to get dressed (see Chapter 10.8) sich (+ Dat.) etwas anziehen to put something on (see Chapter 10.10) ich ziehe mir die Jacke an
I put my coat on sich (+ Acc.) ausziehen (du ziehst dich aus) to get undressed (see Chapter 10.8) sich (+ Dat.) etwas ausziehen to take something off (see Chapter 10.10) du ziehst dir die Schuhe aus You take your shoes off sich (+Acc.) umziehen (er zieht sich um) to get changed
Vocabulary 15: Clothing - other verbs etwas (+ Acc.) anhaben to have something on ich habe die schwarzen Schuhe an I've got my black shoes on etwas (+ acc.) anprobieren to try something on Robert probiert diesen Sakko an Robert is trying this sports jacket on einen Hut aufprobieren to try a hat on Katja probiert den gelben Hut auf Katja is trying the yellow hat on sich (+ Dat.) den Hut aufsetzen to put one's hat on ich setze mir den Hut auf I put my hat on den Hut abnehmen to take one's hat off Mirjam nimmt den Hut ab Mirjam takes her hat off
English anorak apron belt bikini blouse blouson boot bow-tie bra bracelet (pair of) briefs (pl.) cap cardigan (pl.) clothes (pl.) coat culottes (pl.) dinner-jacket dress dressing-gown duffle-coat (pair of) dungarees (pl.) earring fur coat glasses (pl.) glove gym shoe handkerchief hat headscarf
German der Anorak (-s) die Schrze (-n) der Grtel (-) der Bikini (-s) die Bluse (-n) das/der Blouson (-s) der Stiefel (-) die Fliege (-n) der Bstenhalter (-) der BH (-s) das Armband (pl. -bnder) der Slip (-s) die Mtze (-n) die Strickjacke (-n) die Kleider (pl.) die Kleidung (no pl.) der Mantel (pl. - Mntel) der Hosenrock (pl. rcke) der Smoking (-s) das Kleid (-er) der Bademantel (pl. mntel) der Morgenrock (pl. rcke) der Dufflecoat (-s) die Latzhose (-n) der Ohrring (-e) der Pelzmantel (pl. mntel) die Brille (-n) der Handschuh (-e) der Turnschuh (-e) das Taschentuch (pl. tcher) der Hut (pl. - Hte) das Kopftuch (pl. tcher)
der Stckelschuh (-e) die Jacke (-n) die Jeans (-) der Jumper (-) das Hschen (-) der Schlpfer (-)
(pair of) lederhosen die Lederhose (-n) (pl.) mini-skirt necklace petticoat polo-neck sweater pyjamas (pl.) pullover raincoat sandal scarf shirt shoe shorts (pl.) skirt slipper sock sports jacket sports shirt stocking suit suit (for women) sun-glasses sweatshirt swimming trunks swimsuit tie (pair of) tights der Minirock (pl. -rcke) die Halskette (-n) der Unterrock (pl. -rcke) der Rollkragenpulli (-s) der Schlafanzug (pl. anzge) der Pullover (-) der Pulli (-s) der Regenmantel (pl. mntel) die Sandale (-n) der Schal (pl. -s or -e) das Hemd (-en) der Schuh (-e) die Shorts (pl.) der Rock (pl. - Rcke) der Hausschuh (-e) der Pantoffel (-n) die Socke (-n) der/das Sakko (-s) das Sporthemd (-en) der Strumpf (pl. Strmpfe) der Anzug (pl. - Anzge) das Kostm (-e) die Sonnenbrille (-n) das Sweatshirt (-s) die Badehose (-n) der Badeanzug (pl. anzge) die Krawatte (-n) der Schlips (-e) die Strumpfhose (-n)
tracksuit trainer trousers (pl.) T-shirt underpants underwear uniform vest watch waistcoat wellington boot wristwatch
der Trainingsanzug (pl. anzge) der Trainingsschuh (-e) die Hose (-n) das T-Shirt (-s) die Unterhose (-n) die Unterwsche (no pl.) die Uniform (-en) das Unterhemd (-en) die Uhr (-en) die Weste (-n) der Gummistiefel (-) die Armbanduhr (-en)
although a car driver who is already paying licence fees for a radio at his home address does not need a separate licence for a car registered in his/her name. Another major distinction to Britain is that licences in Germany are not merely determined "per household" but on the principle of who has access to the television and radio in a given accommodation. Thus a child who lives with their parents but who has a personal income above a certain level has to pay "Rundfunkgebhren" for any TV sets and radios in his/her own room, as do pensioners living with their sons and daughters. Non-married couples are also treated differently in Germany. Whichever of the two partners has the TV and radio licence registered under their name can have as many radios and TV sets as they like, but the other partner must pay a licence fee for any additional sets that he/she has in their room. And students are only exempted from paying licence fees in their university accommodation if their total income (including grants) is below a certain amount! You must apply to the municipal authorities to be exempted from paying licence fees. Similar licensing agreements exist in the other German-speaking countries, although the licensing situation in Switzerland is comparatively liberal. Unlike in Germany, you only need to register and pay the licence fee once if you share accommodation with your partner and you also do not need to have a separate licence for a holiday home which is not rented out commercially. Click here for more details. Cable and satellite In 1981 the Federal Constitutional court recognised the right of the individual German Lnder to grant broadcasting licences to private companies, and the broadcasting law of 1987 allowed the creation of private broadcasting companies to compete with public stations. The entertainment channel Sat 1 became Germany's first private television station in 1985, quickly followed by a number of other national and local private broadcasters which can be received via cable and satellite. Many of these (such as RTL, Pro7, Vox and Kabel 1 and Neun Live) are light entertainment channels, broadcasting a mixture of films, talkshows, soaps and series. Others are purely specialist broadcasters: N24 and N-TV (owned by CNN and Time Warner) are rolling news channels, Bloomberg TV concentrates on business news, the encrypted channel Premiere is a film channel, DSF is a German sports broadcaster, and both MTV Deutschland and Viva are music broadcasters. The impact on the German media scene of the finanical collapse of the Kirch media group, which owns Sat 1, Pro Sieben, Kabel 1, N24, DSF and Neun Live, in April 2002 has yet to fully evaluated. As the pay TV wing of Kirch has broadcasting rights to German Bundesliga football, as well as to the football World Cup and Formula 1 motor racing, jobs may well be at risk in the sproting world as well as in television. Public broadcasters have also taken the opportunities offered by cable and satellite broadcasting to create a number of new channels. 3Sat offers the best cultural and
documentary programmes from the German, Swiss and Austrian public channels, Arte is a Franco-German cultural co-production, Phoenix is a German current affairs programme, whereas Ki.Ka is a channel for children. Reception of German programmes in Britain There are currently over 30 (!) German-language channels broadcasting their programmes unencrypted via the ASTRA satellite, including ARD, ZDF and all the German "third programmes". A large number of German radio stations also broadcast via the ASTRA satellite, although many of them are digital channels only and you will need a special digital receiver in order to listen to them. As in Britain, this may be an option worth considering, as the number of digital TV channels - such as those offered by ARD Digital - are on the rise. A number of German TV stations allow you to view their programmes via the Internet. Some of them - such as N-TV, Phoenix and Deutsche Welle TV (the German equivalent of BBC World Service) broadcast their TV programme as a livestream. Other broadcasters allow you to watch the current edition of certain programmes as a "video on demand" option. Viewing habits in Germany
According to a survey of viewing habits carried out on behalf of ARD, 90.2% of Germans watch television several times a week. Only 83.6% of Germans said that they read a newspaper or listened to the radio regularly each week. The viewing figures are slightly higher for women (91.3%) than they are for men (89.1%), and in terms of age groups, the over 60's watch the most television (95.5%), whereas the 20-39 year olds watch the least (85.4%). In 2001, German households spent an average of 333 minutes per week compared with 275 minutes in 1992. There was a pronounced regional difference: families in the former GDR spend an average of 375 minutes per week watching the box, whereas "West" Germans spent only 323 minutes doing so. The same study showed that RTL had leapfrogged Das Erste (ARD) in 2001 to become the most popular TV channel, with the families surveyed watching it for 28 minutes per day, closely followed by Das Erste (26 mins), ZDF and the regional "third programmes" (25 mins). They are followed by channels which are broadcast only on satellite and cabel - Sat 1 (19 mins), ProSieben (15 mins) and Kabel 1 (10 mins). A regional difference is again apparent, with citizens of the former GDR spending much more time - 33 minutes per day - watching both RTL and the regional third programmes.
Here is a list of words and phrases connected with general hobbies and leisure activities. Note again that there are two ways of saying what your favourite hobby is. You can either:
use "am liebsten" followed by the verb OR say "mein Lieblingshobby ist" followed by a verbal noun or the noun describing the activity the translation of "my favourite leisure activity" shows you just how long German compound nouns came be - "meine Lieblingsfreizeitsbeschftigung"! Vocabulary 16: Leisure - Verbs Sein Lieblingshobby ist Angeln Am liebsten angelt er His favourite hobby is fishing. Mein Lieblingssport ist Eishockey Am liebsten spiele ich Eishockey My favourite sport is ice hockey. Lieblingsfavourite was machen Sie gern in Ihrer Freizeit? what do you like doing in your spare time? Haben Sie Hobbys? Do you have any hobbies? Am Abend liest Kai gern Kai likes reading in the evening Ich spiele gern Fuball, Karten usw. I like playing football, cards etc. sich interessieren fr (+ Accusative) to be interested in (see Chapter 10.8) wir interessieren uns fr Musik we're interested in music er interessiert sich fr Lesen he's interested in reading wofr interessierst du dich? wofr interessieren Sie sich? what are you interested in?
bar bird-watching book to go bowling - bowling alley camera to play cards to play chess to cook to dance - to go dancing disco DIY to draw to do dressmaking embroidery to be fun gardening - to do gardening to go out to hike; to ramble hobby interest jigsaw to knit to laze about leisure leisure activity leisure centre literature to do the lottery model-making
die Bar (-s) die Vogelkunde das Buch (pl. - Bcher) kegeln die Kegelbahn (-en) der Fotoapparat (-e) die Kamera (-s) Karten spielen Schach spielen kochen tanzen - tanzen gehen die Diskothek (-en) die Disko (-s) das Do it yourself zeichnen schneidern die Stickerei Spa machen die Gartenarbeit - grtnern ausgehen (sep.) wandern (For "-ern" verbs, see Chapter 10.11) das Hobby (-s) das Interesse das Puzzlespiel (-e) stricken faulenzen die Freizeit die Freizeitsbeschftigung (en) das Freizeitzentrum (pl. zentren) die Literatur Lotto spielen der Modellbau
- to make models music to listen to music to go bowling novel to paint - painting (as hobby) photography - to take photographs pub radio to listen to the radio to read to sew to sing spare time stamp - to collect stamps to watch television theatre - to go to the theatre to travel to go on a trip to go for a walk youth club zoo
- basteln (For "-eln" verbs, see Chapter 10.11) die Musik Musik hren kegeln der Roman (-e) malen - die Malerei die Fotografie - fotografieren die Kneipe (-n) das Lokal (-e) das Radio Radio hren lesen (irreg.) nhen singen die Freizeit die Briefmarke (-n) - Briefmarken sammeln (For "-eln" verbs, see Chapter 10.11) fernsehen (sep.) das Theater (-) - ins Theater gehen reisen einen Ausflug machen spazieren gehen das Jugendzentrum (pl. zentren) der Zoo (-s) der Tiergarten (pl. -grten)
As in Britain, football is by far the most popular spectator sport in Germany. The football clubs of Borussia Dortmund and FC Schalke 04 both attract an average over 60,000 fans per home game in the German Bundesliga, the top division in German football. In third place in terms of attendance is Germany's most successful club in terms of national and international titles - FC Bayern Mnchen. Bayern have won the German championship more than anyone else (17 times) and have also won the European Cup / Champions League four times, most recently in 2001. But there are also literally thousands of smaller football clubs throughout Germany. With more than 6.3 million members, the Deutscher Fuball-Bund (DFB) (= German Football Federation) has the largest membership of any sports organisation in Germany. The success of the German national team has also contributed to the mass appeal of "Knig Fuball" (= King Football). Germany has won the World Cup three times (1954, 1974, 1990) and has been runners-up on a further four occasions (1966, 1982, 1986, 2002). And footballing heroes such as Uwe Seeler, Franz Beckenbauer, Lothar Matthus and Jrgen Klinsmann have proved excellent sporting ambassadors for the nation abroad. German success at the 2002 World Cup Finishing runners-up at the 2002 World Cup in Japan and Korea was a sensational achievement for the team managed by popular ex-international Rudi Vller. For despite having won the European Championships in 1996, the German national squad had been widely perceived to be in decline. With not enough gifted players coming through the ranks, the Deutscher Fuball-Bund (DFB) launched programmes campaigns aimed at spotting and developing young German talent. Former international striker Jrgen Klinsmann urged German children to start playing street football again in their spare time as he had done as a boy. Expectations in Germany were thus quite low when the 2002 World Cup got started. Germany had required a playoff against Ukraine to qualify at all after an unconvincing qualifying campaign which had included a 5-1 home defeat against England in the Olympic Stadium in Munich. Yet Germany grew in confidence as the tournament progressed. An 8-0 victory over Saudi Arabia, in which Miroslav Klose scored a hat-trick, laid the foundation for Germany to top a tricky frist-round group which also included Cameroon and Ireland. It was then the turn of defenders such as Sebastian Kehl to shine, as successive 1-0 victories over Paraguay, USA and hosts South Korea took the Nationalelf through to a clash in the finals with Brazil. Although an unfortunate error by goalkeeper Oliver Kahn ultimately handed Brazil a 2-0 victory, he was subsequently voted the player of the tournament by international journalists. And Kahn was cheered louder than anyone when the German team received a heroes welcome on their return to Frankfurt on July 1, 2002 Golden years until 2006? Uli Hoeness, the general manager of Bayern Munich, predicted after the tournament that German football would now experience "golden years". On one level this seems plausible, not least because Germany itself will be hosting the next World Cup finals in 2006. On another level however, domestic football is crying out for the kind of shot in the arm which the unexpected success in the Far East could provide. TV viewing figures for the Bundesliga have been dropping steadily for years. Whereas in
the 1995/96 football season, an average of 6.83 million viewers watched "ran", the Saturday night Bundesliga highlights programme broadcast by Sat 1, the figure had dropped to a mere 4.33 million viewers by December 2001. And the pay TV channel Premiere, which has been showing all of the Bundesliga matches live for the last two seasons has only managed to attract 2.4 million paying customers. Most damagingly of all, the financial crisis affecting the Kirch media group leaves German football in as uncertain a position as British football after the collapse of ITV Digital. Many big clubs such as Eintracht Frankfurt and 1.FC Kaiserslautern are already in extreme financial difficulties. Other Sports The German sporting landscape is quite different from that in Britain. Cricket and rugby have very little support in Germany, although rugby union is gradually establishing a presence in some towns and cities. Darts and snooker also enjoy a very limited media presence in Germany. Winter sports on the other hand enjoy a much greater popularity in the Federal Republic than in the UK. The opportunities for alpine and cross-country skiing, snowboarding and tobogganing make Germany's mountainous regions a favourite destination for tourists. Both speed skating and in particular ice hockey are big spectator in Germany, with an average of 4,765 fans attending matches in the German ice-hockey league DEL. Germany in fact topped the medal table at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, winning twelve gold, sixteen silver and seven bronze medals. The speed skaters Claudia Pechstein and Anni Friesinger were in record-breaking form. Switzerland finished tenth in the medals table, and Austria finished twelfth. Alongside basketball, volleyball and - increasingly - American football, handball is a good example of a sport that is much more popular in Germany than it is in Britain. More than five thousand handball clubs with 838,000 members belong to the German handball association Deutscher Handball-Bund (DHB). Germany's cycling boom has developed steadily throughout the 1990s, triggered by the reunification of the country which brought the GDR's highly successful amateur cyclists into the professional fold. Deutsche Telekom, Europe's largest telecommunications and internet service provider, sponsors a cycling team which won the Tour de France two years running, in the shape of the Dane Bjarne Riis in 1996 and then homegrown star Jan Ullrich in 1997, who has also finished runner-up in the race four times in the last six years. Another German cyclist, Erik Zabel, managed won the Tour de France points jersey for Team Telekom six years in a row (1996-2001). It is testimony to the popularity of cycling in Germany that both Ullrich and Zabel regularly triumph in annual national sporting polls. Other German sports have similarly benefited from the success of individual athletes. Single-minded Ferrari driver Michael Schumacher has won the Formula 1 championship four times, and is joined on the start grid by his brother Ralf as well as compatriots Heinz-Harald Frentzen and Nick Heidfeld. The tennis boom initiated by the Wimbledon victories of Boris Becker, Steffi Graf and Michael Stich lasted for much of the 1990s, although in recent times the pool of German tennis talent seems to have dried up somewhat.
Bernhard Langers victories in the US Masters in 1985 and 1993 can be seen to have triggered interest in golf - the number of golf clubs in the Federal Republic increased by 70% in the 1990s to its current figure of over 500. Yet these are primarily private clubs with high membership fees, targetted at the business community, the well-off and overseas tourists. The absence of public municipal golf courses will possibly prove as detrimental to the sport's growth as the lack of public courts has to tennis.
to fish football golf - to play golf gymnastics handball hockey to hunt ice hockey to ice skate to jog judo long jump to luge motorcycling motorracing mountaineering polo riding to ride to row rugby to sail shooting skateboard to ski skijumping sport - type of sport - to do sport sports centre sports club stadium to swim - to go swimming swimming pool
angeln der Fuball der Golf - Golf spielen die Gymnastik der Handball der Hockey jagen der Eishockey Schlittschuh laufen joggen das Judo der Weitsprung rodeln der Motorradsport der Rennsport das Bergsteigen das Polo der Reitsport reiten rudern das Rugby segeln das Schieen das Skateboarden Ski fahren; Ski laufen das Skispringen der Sport (no pl.) die Sportart (-en) Sport treiben das Sportzentrum (pl. zentren) der Sportverein (-e) das Stadion (pl. - Stadien) schwimmen - schwimmen gehen das Schwimmbad (pl. -
- to do gymnastics - turnen
bder) table tennis tennis to train triathlon volleyball water polo weightlifting windsurfing to wrestle das Tischtennis das Tennis trainieren der Triathlon der Volleyball der Wasserball das Gewichtheben das Windsurfing ringen
Marko Tredup Ursula Wagner Marko Tredup Ursula Wagner Marko Tredup Ursula Wagner Marko Tredup Ursula
Guten Tag. Haben Sie ein Zimmer frei? Fr heute Abend? Ja, fr heute Abend. Mchten Sie ein Einzelzimmer oder ein Doppelzimmer? Ein Einzelzimmer bitte. Mit Dusche oder mit Bad? Mit Dusche. Ich schaue mal nach... ja, natrlich, wir haben
Wagner Marko Tredup Ursula Wagner Marko Tredup Ursula Wagner Marko Tredup Ursula Wagner Marko Tredup Ursula Wagner Marko Tredup Ursula Wagner Marko Tredup Ursula Wagner Marko Tredup Ursula Wagner Marko Tredup Ursula Wagner Marko Tredup Ursula Wagner
ein Einzelzimmer frei. Und das ist mit Dusche und WC. Wie lange bleiben Sie? Drei Nchte, vom sechzehnten bis zum neunzehnten Juli. Also das heit am 16., 17. und 18. Juli? Ja, genau. Ich fahre am 19. Juli wieder ab. Und mchten Sie Halbpension haben oder nur bernachtung mit Frhstck? Nur bernachtung mit Frhstck. Was kostet das? In unseren Hotels kostet ein Einzelzimmer 85 Euro pro Nacht, und das ist inklusive Frhstck, Bedienung und Mehrwertsteuer. Das ist ziemlich viel fr einen Studenten. Um wie viel Uhr wird das Frhstck serviert? Das ist ab sieben Uhr im Restaurant, hier geradeaus. Wo ist der Parkplatz fr das Hotel? Mein Auto steht hier auf der Strae. Wir haben eine Tiefgarage mit 200 Stellpltzen. Ausgezeichnet. Und welche Freizeiteinrichtungen haben Sie hier? Ein Solarium haben wir ... Fitnessraum, Sauna und Schwimmbecken auch. Prima, das freut mich! Werden Kreditkarten akzeptiert? Ja, wir akzeptieren alle groen Kreditkarten. Gut. Ich nehme das Zimmer. Wrden Sie sich bitte eintragen? Gerne. (He signs the register.) Wollen Sie mir jetzt bitte folgen? Hier ist Ihr Schlssel, ich zeige Ihnen Ihr Zimmer. Es ist im obersten Stock und Ihre Zimmernummer ist 426. Der Portier trgt Ihr Gepck nach oben.
Conversation 1: At the reception desk (1)
Marko Tredup Ursula Wagner Marko Tredup Ursula Wagner Marko Tredup Ursula Wagner Marko Tredup Ursula Wagner Marko Tredup Ursula Wagner Marko Tredup Ursula Wagner Marko Tredup Ursula Wagner Marko Tredup Ursula Wagner Marko Tredup Ursula Wagner Marko Tredup Ursula Wagner Marko
Hello. Do you have any vacancies? For this evening? Yes, for this evening. Would you like a single room or a double room? A single room please. With shower or bath? With shower. Let me have a look... yes, of course, we have a single room free. And this is with shower and toilet. How long will you be staying? Three nights, from the sixteenth to the nineteenth of July. So that would be on the 16th, 17th and 18th of July? Yes, precisely. I'll be departing on the 19th July. And would you like half-board or just bed and breakfast? Just bed and breakfast. What does that cost? A single room costs 85 euros per night, and that includes breakfast, service and VAT. That's quite a lot for a student. What time is breakfast served? From seven o'clock onwards in the restaurant, straight in front of you. Where is the hotel car park? My car is here in the street. We have an underground car park with 200 parking spaces. Excellent. And what leisure facilities do you have here? We have a solarium, and also a fitness room, a sauna and a swimming pool. Great, I'm pleased to hear that! Do you accept
Tredup Ursula Wagner Marko Tredup Ursula Wagner Marko Tredup Ursula Wagner
credit cards? Yes, we accept all major credit cards. Good. I'll take the room. Would you like to sign the register? With pleasure. (He signs the register.) Follow me please. Here is your key, I'll show you your room. It's on the top floor and your room number is 426. The porter will carry your luggage upstairs.
Glossary das Ambiente der Empfang am Empfang die Empfangsdame (-n) heute Abend das Einzelzimmer () ambience reception (desk) at the reception desk receptionist this evening single room
das Doppelzimmer (- double room ) die Dusche (-n) das Bad (pl. Bder) nachschauen (sep.) der WC (-s) vom ... bis zum am 16., 17. und 18. Juli ja, genau abfahren (sep.) die Halbpension die bernachtung (en) shower bath to have a look toilet; WC from ... to "On the sixteenth, seventeenth and eighteenth of July". Note the abbreviated form in German. yes, exactly to leave, depart half-board overnight stay
bed and breakfast per night This preposition means "inclusive of; including". It takes the genitive case, which we shall discuss in Chapter 12. service value added tax, VAT quite a lot This means "for a student". "Der Student" is a weak masculine noun and "Studenten" is the accusative singular of this (see explanation on Page 9 of this chapter). at what time? to serve This means "is served". It is an example of the passive mood in German. This means "from seven o'clock onwards". The preposition "ab" takes the dative case. straight ahead (of you) Here it means "car park". It can also mean "parking space". underground car park (parking) space
hier geradeaus der Parkplatz (pl. pltze) die Tiefgarage (-n) der Stellplatz (pl. pltze)
die leisure facility Freizeiteinrichtung (en) das Solarium (pl. ien) der Fitnessraum (pl. -rume) die Sauna (-s) solarium fitness room sauna
das Schwimmbecken swimming pool (-) das freut mich die Kreditkarte (-n) akzeptieren werden Kreditkarten akzeptiert? sich eintragen (sep.) I'm pleased to hear that credit card to accept are credit cards accepted? This is a separable and reflexive verb meaning "to sign the register".
wrden Sie...?
This means "would you like to...?" Using the conditional form "wrden Sie" is a polite way of asking someone to do something. This also means "would you like to...?" Using the modal verb "wollen" is another polite way of asking someone to do something. to follow key This means "to show". The object that you are showing is in the accusative case and the person to whom you are showing the object is in the dative case. top on the top floor room number porter This means "to carry" in this context. It can also mean "to wear". luggage upstairs
wollen Sie...?
oberst im obersten Stock die Zimmernummer (-n) der Portier (-s) tragen das Gepck nach oben
Guten Tag. Ich mchte ein Zimmer fr mich und meine Familie reservieren, bitte. Wir sind zwei Erwachsene und zwei Kinder. Ja, klar. Die Kinder sind wohl beide unter zwlf Jahren, oder? Ja, sie sind erst siebeneinhalb und neuneinhalb Jahre alt. Sie knnen also kostenlos in Ihrem Zimmer bernachten. Wir haben Drei- und Vierbettzimmer fr Familien. Wie lange wollen Sie bleiben? Eine Woche.
Frau Schulz
Ursula Wagner Frau Schulz Ursula Wagner Frau Schulz Ursula Wagner
Also vom sechzehnten bis zum dreiundzwanzigsten Juli? Ja, richtig. Und mchten Sie Halbpension haben, oder nur bernachtung mit Frhstck? hmm ... Halbpension, bitte. Was kostet das? In unseren Hotels kostet ein Doppelzimmer mit Bad und Balkon 100 Euro pro Nacht, und das ist inklusive Frhstck, Bedienung und Mehrwertsteuer. Halbpension kostet zustzlich 20 Euro pro Tag. Alles klar. Haben Sie spezielle Wnsche? Ja. Mein Mann ist behindert. Hat das Hotel Ausstattung fr Rollstuhlfahrer? Ja, natrlich. Wir haben zwei Handicapzimmer fr Behinderte im Erdgeschoss. Sie sind rollstuhlgerecht eingerichtet und etwas grer als die brigen Zimmer. Das Hotel hat natrlich auch einen Lift zu allen Stockwerken. Wir mssen unbedingt ein ruhiges Zimmer haben, wenn mglich in einer Nichtraucheretage. Ja, das ist kein Problem. Wir haben fnfzehn Nichtraucherzimmer. Wir mchten auch Satellitenfernsehen haben. In unseren Hotelzimmern gibt es einen Kabelfernseher mit Kabel-TV, Hausvideo und Fernbedienung. Ist das Hotel familienfreundlich? Ja, wir haben einen Kinderspielplatz fr unsere Gste. Haustiere sind leider aber nicht erlaubt. Gut. Wir nehmen das Zimmer. Bitte fllen Sie das Anmeldeformular aus. Angenehmen Aufenthalt!
Conversation 2: At the reception desk (2)
Frau Schulz Ursula Wagner Frau Schulz Ursula Wagner Frau Schulz Ursula Wagner Frau Schulz Ursula Wagner
Hello. I'd like to reserve a room for myself and my family please. We're two grown-ups and too children. Yes, of course. I assume that the children are both younger than twelve, yes? Yes, they are only seven and half and nine and a half years old. Then they can spend the night in your room free of charge. We have rooms with three beds and four beds for families. How long do you plan to stay? A week. That would be from the sixteenth to the twenty-third of July? Yes, that's right. And would you like half-board or just bed and breakfast? Um ... half-board, please. How much does that cost? A double room with a bath and a balcony costs 100 euros per night, and that includes breakfast, service and VAT. Half-board costs an additional 20 euros per day. That's fine. Do you have any special wishes? Yes. My husband is disabled. Does the hotel have wheelchair facilities? Yes, of course. We have two handicap rooms for disabled guests on the ground floor. They are furnished so as to be suitable for wheelchairs and are a little bigger than the other rooms. The hotel naturally also has a lift to all floors. We absolutely have to have a quite room, if possible on a non-smoking floor. Yes, that's no problem. We have fifteen nonsmoking rooms. We'd also like satellite television. In our hotel rooms there are cable TV sets with
Frau Schulz Ursula Wagner Frau Schulz Ursula Wagner Frau Schulz Ursula Wagner
cable TV, in-house video and remore control. Is the hotel family-friendly? Yes, we have a children's playground for our guests. Unfortunately pets are not allowed. Good. We'll take the room. Please fill out the registration form. Enjoy your stay!
Glossary reservieren der/die Erwachsene wohl to reserve, book adult This means "no doubt". You could translate this by starting the sentence "I assume that...". This means "only" and is used with time phrases. seven and a half nine and a half free of charge This means "to stay the night". It is an inseparable verb. room with three beds room with four beds to stay This means "additionally". The full meaning is "an additional 20 euros". wish; desire disabled facilities; equipment wheelchair wheelchair user
erst siebeneinhalb neuneinhalb kostenlos bernachten das Dreibettzimmer () das Vierbettzimmer () bleiben zustzlich der Wunsch (pl. Wnsche) behindert die Ausstattung (-en) der Rollstuhl (pl. sthle) der Rollstuhlfahrer (-)
das Handicapzimmer (- handicap room ) der/die Behinderte This means "a disabled person". It is an adjectival noun.
das Erdgeschoss im Erdgeschoss rollstuhlgerecht einrichten eingerichtet etwas grer als brig der Lift (-e or -s) das Stockwerk (-e)
ground floor on the ground floor suitable for wheelchairs furnish furnished a little bigger than other lift; elevator This is another word for a "floor" or "storey". It tends to be used when you need to refer to "floors" in the plural. absolutely we absolutely have to... quiet if possible non-smoking floor no problem non-smoking room
unbedingt wir mssen unbedingt... ruhig wenn mglich die Nichtraucheretage (-n) kein Problem das Nichtraucherzimmer () das Satellitenfernsehen der Kabelfernseher (-) das Kabel-TV das Hausvideo die Fernbedienung familienfreundlich der Kinderspielplatz (pl. -pltze) der Gast (pl. - Gste) das Haustier (-e) erlaubt ausfllen (sep.) das Anmeldeformular (-e) angenehm der Aufenthalt (-e) angenehmen Aufenthalt!
satellite TV (i.e. as a medium) cable television set cable TV (i.e. as a medium) in-house video remote control family-friendly children's playground guest pet allowed to fill out registration form pleasant stay This means "enjoy your stay!". Note that the phrase is in the accusative case in German.
Ursula Guten Morgen. Hier das Hotel Ambiente Wagner Dresden. Wie kann ich Ihnen helfen? Detlef Grn Guten Morgen. Hier Herr Grn von der Firma Kster & Hermann in Chemnitz. Ich mchte fr ein paar Kollegen Zimmer reservieren.
Ursula Ja, gerne. Wie viele Personen sind das? Wagner Detlef Grn Elf Personen, das wren also elf Einzelzimmer, und Vollpension fr alle.
Ursula Und fr welches Datum, bitte? Wagner Detlef Grn Fr den 7. und 8. Oktober, also zwei Nchte insgesamt.
Ursula Ich schaue mal nach... Ja, das wre mglich. Wagner Haben Sie spezielle Wnsche? Detlef Grn Ja, wir brauchen zwei Seminarrume.
Ursula Kein Problem. Fnf klimatisierte Wagner Konferenzrume mit modernen Tagungseinrichtungen stehen unseren Gsten zur Verfgung. Die Tagungspauschale ist 25 Euro pro Person. Detlef Grn Haben alle Zimmer Telefon und Minibar?
Ursula Ja, wir haben dreiig stilvolle Businesszimmer Wagner mit separatem Schlaf-, Wohn- und Arbeitsbereich. In smtlichen Businesszimmern gibt es Direktwahltelefon, PC- und Telefaxanschluss, Radiowecker, Farbfernseher, Schreibtisch und Minibar. Wir haben natrlich auch eine Hausbar mit offenem Kamin. Detlef Grn Gibt es eine Gruppenermigung?
Ursula Ja, bei Gruppen von elf bis fnfzehn Personen Wagner kostet ein Businesszimmer nur 95 Euro pro Nacht. Detlef Grn Gut. Kann ich Sie auch noch fragen... Zwei von meinen Kollegen sind Vegetarier...
Ursula Das ist kein Problem. Unser Restaurant ist auch Wagner fr Vegetarier geeignet. Es gibt ein Vegetariermen mit internationalen und regionalen Spezialitten und Ihre Kollegen kommt mit Sicherheit zu ihrem Recht. Detlef Grn Alles klar. Wo liegt das Hotel? Wie weit ist es zum Stadtzentrum?
Ursula Das Hotel befindet sich in ruhiger Lage nahe der Wagner Elbe im Stadtteil Laubegast, circa sechs Kilometer vom Stadtzentrum entfernt. Direkt vor dem Hotel befindet sich eine Straenbahnhaltestelle. Die Verkehrsanbindungen zu allen wichtigen Autobahnen sind optimal. Detlef Grn Das freut mich. Und was fr Freizeitmglichkeiten gibt es in der Nhe vom Hotel?
Ursula Recht viele! Am besten schicke ich Ihnen einen Wagner Prospekt. Geben Sie mir bitte die Adresse von Ihrer Firma. Detlef Grn Kster & Hermann GmbH, Hauptstrae 57, 09117 Chemnitz.
Ursula Und auf welchen Namen gehen die Zimmer? Wagner Detlef Grn Detlef Grn. Meine Telefonnummer lautet 0371 6 57 68 41. Meine Faxnummer lautet 0371 6 57 68 42.
Ursula Alles klar. Sie mssen die Reservierung Wagner schriftlich besttigen, bitte.
Good morning. This is the Hotel Ambiente in Dresden. How may I help you? Good morning. This is Herr Grn from the Kster & Hermann company in Chemnitz. I would like to book some rooms for some colleagues of mine. Yes, of course. How many people would that be? Eleven people, so that would be eleven single rooms, and full board for everyone. And for which date would that be please?
For the 7th and 8th of October, so that's two nights in total. I'll just have a look... Yes, that would be possible. Do you have any special wishes? Yes, we shall require two seminar rooms. No problem. Our guests have five airconditioned conference rooms at their disposal with modern conference facilities. The conference charge is 25 euros per person. Do all rooms have telephone and mini-bar? Yes, we have thirty stylish business rooms with separate sleeping, living and working areas. In all of our business rooms there is a direct-dial telephone, PC connection, fax connection, radio alarm clock, colour TV set, desk and mini-bar. Of course we also have a house bar with an open fire. Is there a reduction for groups? Yes, for groups of eleven to fifteen people a business room only costs 95 euros per night. Good. Could I also ask... Two of my colleagues are vegetarians... That's no problem. Our restaurant is also suitable for vegetarians. There is a vegetarian menu with international and regional specialities and your colleagues will certainly be well-treated. That's fine. Where is the hotel? How far is it to the city centre? The hotel is situated in a quiet location near to the River Elbe in a district called Laubegast, which is about six kilometres from the city centre. There is a tram stop directly outside the hotel. The transport connections to all important motorways are excellent. That's good to hear. And what leisure opportunities are there in the vicinity of the hotel? Quite a lot! The best thing would be if I sent you a brochure. Please give me the address of your company. Kster & Hermann Ltd., Hauptstrae 57, 09117
Chemnitz. And in what name should I book the rooms? Detlef Grn. My telephone number is 0371 657 6841. My fax number is 0371 657 6842. OK. You need to confirm your reservation in writing please.
Glossary die Firma (pl. - Firmen) Chemnitz der Kollege (-n) die Person (-en) das wren also... die Vollpension company; firm This city in Saxony was called KarlMarx-Stadt during the GDR period. colleague person that would make... full board
das Datum (pl. - Daten) date insgesamt das Seminar (-e) der Seminarraum (pl. rume) klimatisiert die Konferenz (-en) der Konferenzraum (pl. -rume) modern die Tagung (-en) die Tagungseinrichtungen (pl.) zur Verfgung stehen in total seminar seminar room air-conditioned conference conference room modern conference conference equipment
This means "to be available". It literally translates as "to stand at someone's disposal". The person to whom the objects are available (here "unseren Gsten") is in the dative case. flat rate This is often translated as "conference package" and means the flat rate charged for attending a conference. mini-bar
stilvoll das Businesszimmer (-) separat der Bereich (-e) der Schlafbereich (-e) der Wohnbereich (-e) der Arbeitsbereich (-e) Schlaf-, Wohn- und Arbeitsbereich
stylish business room separate area sleeping area living area working area This means "sleeping, living and working area". When two or more compound nouns are listed which share a common final element, this final element can be omitted for the first noun(s) in the list and is replaced by a hyphen. all
smtliche (pl.)
das Direktwahltelefon (- direct-dial telephone e) der Anschluss (pl. schlsse) der PC (-s) der PC-Anschluss (pl. schlsse) das Telefax der Telefaxanschluss (pl. -schlsse) PC- und Telefaxanschluss der Radiowecker (-e) der Farbfernseher (-) der Schreibtisch (-e) die Hausbar (-s) offen der Kamin (-e) der offene Kamin die Gruppe (-n) die Ermigung (-en) connection PC; personal computer computer connection fax fax connection PC and fax connection radio alarm clock colour television set desk house bar open chimney open fire group reduction
die Gruppenermigung group reduction (-en) der Vegetarier (-) geeignet vegetarian This means "suitable". Note that the person for whom the object is suitable normally precedes the adjective itself.
das Men (-s) das Vegetariermen (s) international regional die Spezialitt (-en) mit Sicherheit sie kommen zu ihrem Recht das Stadtzentrum (-en) sich befinden die Lage (-n) in ruhiger Lage nahe (+ Dative)
menu vegetarian menu international regional speciality certainly they will be well-treated city centre This is a reflexive verb meaning "to be situated". This can either mean "situation" or (as here) "location". in a quiet location This is a preposition meaning "near to" or "close to". It takes the dative case. River Elbe district; part of town This is a district in the south-east of Dresden. kilometre not far away directly tram stop
die Elbe der Stadtteil (-e) Laubegast der Kilometer (-) nicht weit ... entfernt direkt die Straenbahnhaltestelle (-n) die Verkehrsanbindungen (pl.) wichtig die Autobahn (-en) optimal was fr...? die Freizeitmglichkeiten (pl.) in der Nhe von (+ Dat.) recht viele schicken
transport connections
near quite a lot This means "to send". Note that the object that you are sending is in the
accusative case whereas the person to whom you are sending the object is in the dative case. am besten schicke ich... der Prospekt (-e) geben Sie mir... (pl.) "The best thing would be if I sent you". Note that German uses the present tense for this construction. brochure This is the imperative of the verb "to give". Note that the object that you are giving is in the accusative case whereas the person to whom you are giving the object is in the dative case. address This means "limited company" or "Ltd.". As it is short for "Gesellschaft mit beschrnkter Haftung", you can see why the abbreviation is used! This translates as "in whose name...?". In this instance, the twoway preposition "auf" takes the accusative case. Note that the weak masculine noun "der Name" adds an "-n" in the accusative case (see explanation on Page 9 of this chapter). German telephone numbers are normally said in pairs. If (as in this case) there is an odd number of digits in the phone number, the first digit is given separately and the following digits are then spoken in pairs. fax number OK; fine reservation in writing to confirm
6 57 68 41
die Faxnummer (-n) alles klar die Reservierung (-en) schriftlich besttigen
Herzlich willkommen in der Pension Sonnenhof! Unsere beliebte und gastfreundliche Pension befindet sich
im Nordwesten von Dresden, im Grnen aber dennoch verkehrsgnstig gelegen (nur 25 Minuten Fahrtzeit vom Stadtzentrum entfernt). Ganzjhrig geffnet. Appartements und Zimmer Wir bieten komplett ausgestattete Ferienwohnungen und Appartements, sowie gemtliche Gstezimmer fr Reisende und Suiten mit Blick auf die Elbe oder ins Grne. Alle Zimmer sind fr Rollstuhlfahrer geeignet und verfgen ber Klimaanlage und ein Badezimmer mit Dusche/WC, teilweise Badewanne. Zusatzbett auf Anfrage. Parkanlage Unseren Gsten steht eine groe Parkanlage mit Terrasse, Gartenrestaurant und Liegesthlen zur Verfgung. Hauseigener Parkplatz. Schsische Kche Wir verwhnen Sie in unserem Restaurant mit einem reichhaltigen Frhstck, gepflegten Getrnken und kulinarischen Genssen am Abend (3-Gang-Men). Es gibt auch ein Vegetarier- und Kindermen. Freizeiteinrichtungen Ein heller freundlicher Aufenthaltsraum mit Farb-TV steht unseren Gsten zur Verfgung. In 10 Gehminuten ist das Hallenbad erreichbar. In unmittelbarer Umgebung: Eisbahn, Minigolf, Vergngungspark und Kasino. Exzellente Verkehrsanbindungen Unsere Pension ist problemlos erreichbar. Aus Richtung Norden fhren die Autobahnen A 13 und A 14, aus Richtung Osten und Westen die A 4 sowie aus Richtung Sden die A 9 und A 72 nach Dresden. Ab Hauptbahnhof direkt per S-Bahn: S3 oder S35 Haltestelle Pankstrae (Entfernung 250 Meter). Von unserer Pension aus erreichen Sie einfach und schnell alle Sehenswrdigkeiten! Preise Alle Preise auf Anfrage. Sonderpreise in der Vor- und Nachsaison. Kinderermigung ab 12 Jahren. Unsere Gste kommen als Fremde und gehen als Freunde!
A very warm welcome to the Sonnenhof Guest-House! Our popular and hospitable guest-house is situated in the north-west of Dresden - in the countryside but nevertheless conveniently located (only a 25 minute journey from the city centre). Open all the year round. Apartments and rooms We offer fully furnished holiday flats and apartments, as well as comfortable guest rooms for travellers and suites that look out on the River Elbe or the countryside. All of our rooms are suitable for wheelchair users and have airconditioning and a bathroom with shower/toilet, some of them have a bath. Additional beds available on request. Park A large park with terrace, garden restaurant and deckchairs is at our guests' disposal. Car park that belongs to the hotel. Saxon cuisine We spoil you in our restaurant with a lavish breakfast, excellent drinks and culinary delights in the evening (3 course menu). There is also a vegetarian menu and a children's menu. Leisure facilities A bright friendly recreation room with colour TV is at our guests' disposal. The indoor swimming pool is only 10 minutes walk away. In the immediate vicinity are an ice rink, crazy golf, amusement park and a casino. Excellent travel connections You can get to our guest-house without any difficulties. From the north, the A 13 and A 14 motorways go to Dresden, as does the A 4 from the east and the west and the A 9 and the A 72 from the south. From the central station the S-Bahn brings you directly here: take the S3 or the S35, and the Pankstrae bus-stop is 250 metres away. You can reach all the attractions of Dresden easily and quickly from our guest-house! Prices All prices are available on request. Special prices at the start of the season and in late season. Child reduction from 12 years upwards. Our guests arrive as strangers and leave as friends!
Glossary der Prospekt (-e) herzlich willkommen die Pension (-en) beliebt gastfreundlich brochure a very warm welcome guest-house popular hospitable
im Nordwesten von (+ in the north-west of Dat.) im Grnen dennoch verkehrsgnstig gelegen die Fahrtzeit (-en) ganzjhrig geffnet das Appartement (-s) bieten in the countryside nevertheless conveniently situated (for travel) journey time all the year round open apartment This means "to offer". The person to whom the object is being offered is in the dative case, whereas the thing that is being offered is in the accusative case. completely; fully furnished fully furnished flat holiday flat as well as comfortable; cosy guest room This is the word for a "traveller". It is an adjectival noun (see explanation on Page 7 of this chapter). suite look; glance This means "looking out on", with the object that is being looked out on in the accusative case. The German title of the book and film "A Room With A View" was "Zimmer mit Blick". This means "the countryside". It is another adjectival noun.
komplett ausgestattet komplett ausgestattet die Wohnung (-en) die Ferienwohnung (en) sowie gemtlich das Gstezimmer (-) der/die Reisende
die Suite (-n) der Blick (-e) mit Blick auf (+ Acc.)
das Grne
looking out over the countryside This means "to have" or "to possess". Unlike "haben" it does not take a direct object, but instead requires "ber" followed by the accusative case. air-conditioning (system) This can mean "partially", but here it means "some of them". bath tub some of them have a bath tub This means an "additional bed". "Zusatz" (= additional) can be used as the first element in a number of compound nouns. park terrace garden restaurant deckchair belonging to the hotel car park This means "Saxon". Dresden is in Saxony. This means "cuisine" in this context. It more commonly means "kitchen", as we have already seen. This means "to pamper or spoil somebody". substantial This can mean "sophisticated" in other contexts, but when it refers to food and drink it means "excellent". drink; beverage culinary delight; pleasure course (of meal) three course menu children's menu bright friendly
die Klimaanlage (-n) teilweise die Badewanne (-n) teilweise Badewanne das Zusatzbett (-en)
die Parkanlage (-n) die Terrasse (-n) das Gartenrestaurant (-s) der Liegestuhl (pl. sthle) hauseigen (adj.) der Parkplatz (pl. pltze) schsisch die Kche
das Getrnk (-e) kulinarisch (-) der Genuss (pl. Gensse) der Gang (pl. Gnge) das 3-Gang-Men (-s) das Kindermen (-s) hell freundlich
der Aufenthaltsraum (pl. -rume) Farb-TV die Gehminute (-n) in 10 Gehminuten das Hallenbad (pl. bder) erreichbar unmittelbar die Umgebung in unmittelbarer Umgebung die Eisbahn (-en) das Minigolf der Vergngungspark (-s) das Kasino (-s) exzellent die Verkehrsanbindungen (pl.) problemlos problemlos erreichbar die Richtung (-en) aus Richtung Norden fhren
day room; recreation room colour TV minute's walk in 10 minutes walk indoor swimming pool can be reached; reachable immediate surroundings; vicinity in the immediate vicinity ice-rink crazy golf amusement park casino excellent transport connections
without any problems can be reached without any problems direction from the north This normally means "to lead", but it means "to go" when it describes a road. motorway German motorways start with the letter "A". central station This means "with the S-Bahn". The preposition "per" is used as an alternative to "mit" to describe travelling on means of transport. It is used without a following definite article and can take the accusative or (sometimes) the dative case. the Pankstrae stop distance The German word for "metre" is officially neuter, but often appears in as
a masculine noun in colloquial usage and sometimes even in print. von unserer Pension aus erreichen einfach schnell die Sehenswrdigkeit (-en) alle Preise auf Anfrage der Sonderpreis (-e) die Saison (-s) die Vorsaison (-s) die Nachsaison (-s) die Kinderermigung (-en) ab 12 Jahren als from our guest-house to reach; to get to easily quick(-ly) attraction; sight all prices available on request special price (holiday) season start of the season late season child reduction from 12 years upwards In this context, it means "as" although in can mean "than" when used with the comparative. This means "stranger". It is another adjectival noun.
der/die Fremde
Frau Dbritz
Sophie Guten Tag, mein Name ist Gerland. Ich htte Gerland gern ein Zweibettzimmer mit Dusche in einem Hotel in Dresden reserviert. Ich reise mit einer Bekannten von mir. Frau Dbritz Ja gut, und von wann bis wann?
Frau Dbritz
Moment, bitte. Oh, das tut mir Leid, smtliche Hotels sind fr diese Zeit schon voll belegt.
Sophie Voll belegt? Schade. Hm, was mache ich denn Gerland da? Knnen Sie mir eine Pension oder ein Hotel garni in der Nhe empfehlen? Frau Dbritz Versuchen Sie es mal in der Pension Schmidt, die Telefonnummer lautet 0351 49 56 98. Aber wir sind jetzt in den Sommermonaten und alle Unterknfte sind bereits ausgebucht...
Sophie Knnen Sie mir Informationen ber Gerland Jugendherbergen in Dresden geben? Frau Dbritz Ja, natrlich. Die Jugendherberge Dresden "Rudi Arndt" liegt in der Sdvorstadt und das Jugendgstehaus Dresden befindet sich wenige Minuten Fuweg vom historischen Stadtkern entfernt, gegenber dem World-Trade-Center. Beide Jugendherbergen sind geeignet fr Jugendliche, Studenten und Schulklassen.
Sophie Gibt es bestimmte Regeln und Vorschriften in Gerland den Herbergen? Frau Dbritz Man muss sptestens vor 19 Uhr in der Jugendherberge eintreffen. Man darf nicht rauchen. Man darf keinen Alkohol mitbringen. Man muss nach dem Essen abwaschen. Man muss einen gltigen Herbergsausweis haben...
Sophie Auweia! Ich habe keinen Herbergsausweis! Ich Gerland werde langsam verrckt! Frau Dbritz Wie wr's mit einem Campingplatz? Haben Sie einen Wohnwagen, ein Wohnmobil oder ein Zelt...?
Sophie Ich habe ein altes Zelt. Knnte ich einen Gerland Stellplatz reservieren? Frau Dbritz Da muss ich mal nachschauen. Eine Reservierung ist normalerweise ab 4 Nchten und gegen Anzahlung mglich. Aber mitten in der Hauptsaison ist es unbedingt erforderlich, frhzeitig Unterknfte zu reservieren!
Hello, Dresden tourist information office. Hello, my name is Zacharias. I'd like to book a room with two beds and a shower in a hotel in Dresden. I'll be travelling with one of my acquaintances.
Yes OK - from when to when? From the twentieth to the twenty-fourth of August.
Frau One moment please. Oh, I'm sorry, all Dauml;britz hotels are already fully booked for this period. Barbara Zacharias Fully booked? Oh, that's a shame. Hmm, what will I do now? Could you recommend a guest-house or a bed and breakfast in the vicinity?
Frau You could try the Schmidt guest-house, Dauml;britz the telephone number is 0351 495698. But we're now in the summer months and all of the accommodation is already booked... Barbara Zacharias Frau Dbritz Could you give me some information about youth hostels in Dresden? Yes, of course. The youth hostel "Dresden Rudi Arndt" is situated in the southern suburb and the youth hostel Dresden is only a few minutes walk from the historic town centre, opposite the World Trade Centre. Both youth hostels are suitable for young people, students and school classes. Are there certain rules and regulations in the hostels? You must arrive in the youth hostel before seven o'clock in the evening. Smoking is forbidden. You must not bring any alcohol with you. You have to do the washing-up after meals. You have to have a valid youth hostel card... Oh dear! I don't have a youth hostel card! I think I'm going mad! What about a camp site? Do you have a tent, a dormobile or a caravan? I have an old tent. Could I book a pitch for the tent? I'll have to have a look. A reservation is usually possible if you are staying more than four nights and on payment of a deposit. But in the middle of high season it is aboslutely necessary to book accommodation in good time!
Glossary ich htte gern ... reserviert das Zweibettzimmer () reisen I would like to reserve room with two beds
to travel
der/die Bekannte (- This means "acquaintance" or "friend" and n) is an adjectival noun von wann bis wann? voll belegt Sie haben es gut! from when to when? full; fully occupied "You're lucky!" (Literally "You have it good".) The "es" is invariable in this construction. What a pity / shame! what shall I do now?
das Hotel garni (-s, This is is the German expression for a -s) "bed and breakfast". Note that both words add an "-s" in the plural. empfehlen This means "to recommend". The object that is being recommended is in the accusative case, the person to whom the object is being recommended is in the dative case. to try why not try...? summer month already fully booked This means "a piece of information". Whereas English uses "information" only in the singular, German uses "die Information" in the plural unless you are referring to one specific piece of information.
versuchen versuchen Sie es mal... der Sommermonat (-e) bereits ausgebucht die Information (en)
Informationen ber information about (+ Acc.) die Jugendherberge youth hostel (-n) "Rudi Arndt" A lot of German youth hostels are named after people.
die Vorstadt (pl. stdte) die Sdvorstadt das Gstehaus (pl. -huser) das Jugendgstehaus (pl. -huser) sich befinden der Fuweg (-e) wenige Minuten Fuweg von historisch der Stadtkern (-e) gegenber (+ Dat.) das World-TradeCenter (-)
suburb southern suburb guest house This is another word for "youth hostel"
to be situated walk; footpath only a few minutes walk from historic city centre opposite This means "World Trade Centre" and is one of the many European trade centres to belong to the World Trade Centre Association. one and a half The word "geeignet" follows the person for whom the object is suitable unless there is a long list of such people. The German word for "young person" is another adjectival noun. The German word for "student" is a weak masculine noun. See explanation on Page 7 of this chapter. school class certain rule regulation hostel before seven o'clock in the evening This is a separable verb meaning "to arrive". Like "ankommen", the place in which you are arriving is in the dative case even though motion is involved. to smoke you are not allowed to smoke alcohol
die Schulklasse (n) bestimmt die Regel (-n) die Vorschrift (-en) die Herberge (-n) vor 19 Uhr eintreffen (sep.)
This means "to bring with you". meal to do the washing-up valid
der youth hostel card Herbergsausweis (e) auweia! werden langsam verrckt ich werde langsam verrckt wie wr's mit...? der Campingplatz (pl. -pltze) der Wohnwagen () das Wohnmobil (e) das Zelt (-e) der Stellplatz (pl. pltze) oh dear! to become slowly; gradually mad I think I'm going mad how about...? camp site caravan dormobile; camper van tent In this context this means a "pitch for a tent" on a camping site. As we have seen already in this chapter, it can also mean a parking space in a car park. This means "from 4 nights", i.e. you can book a pitch for your tent if you are staying longer than four nights. deposit This means "if you pay a deposit". It is one of many instances where the German language uses a noun where English uses a verb. in the middle of high season absolutely necessary; essential in good time; early This is an infinitive clause meaning "to reserve ..." We will look at this from a grammatical perspective in subsequent chapters.
ab 4 Nchten
mitten in (+ Dative) die Hauptsaison (s) unbedingt erforderlich frhzeitig ... zu reservieren
The man der Mann die Mnner den Mnnern The guest der Gast die Gste den Gsten The hotel room das Hotelzimmer die Hotelzimmer den Hotelzimmern The hotel das Hotel die Hotels den Hotels The woman die Frau die Frauen den Frauen The speciality die Spezialitt die Spezialitten den Spezialitten Singular Plural Dative plural Singular Plural Dative plural Singular Plural Dative plural Singular Plural Dative plural Singular Plural Dative plural Singular Plural Dative plural
Examples from this chapter You will already have seen the following instances in this chapter where an "-n" has been added to nouns in the dative plural:
Wir haben eine Tiefgarage mit 200 Stellpltzen. (We have an underpground garage with 200 parking spaces.) (Singular = der Stellplatz; Plural = die Stellpltze; Dative Plural = den Stellpltzen) Das Hotel hat einen Lift zu allen Stockwerken. (The hotel has a lift to all floors.) (Singular = das Stockwerk; Plural = die Stockwerke; Dative Plural = den Stockwerken) In smtlichen Businesszimmern gibt es Direktwahltelefon. (There is a direct-dial telephone in every business room.) (Singular = das Businesszimmer; Plural = die Businesszimmer; Dative Plural = den Businesszimmern) Das steht unseren Gsten zur Verfgung. (This is available to our guests.) (Singular = unser Gast; Plural = unsere Gste; Dative Plural = unseren Gsten)
In the following examples however, the nouns in the dative plural do not add an extra "-n":
In unseren Hotels kostet ein Einzelzimmer 85 Euro pro Nacht. (In our hotels a single room costs 85 euros per night.) (Singular = unser Hotel; Plural = unsere Hotels; Dative Plural = unseren Hotels) Bei Gruppen von 11 bis 15 Personen ... (With groups of eleven to 15 people ...) (Singular = die Person; Plural = die Personen; Dative Plural = den Personen) Die Verkehrsanbindungen zu allen wichtigen Autobahnen sind optimal. (Travel connections to all important motorways are excellent.) (Singular = die Autobahn; Plural = die Autobahnen; Dative Plural = den Autobahnen)
Determiners and adjectives in the dative plural As you will have noticed, the dative plural of the definite article is "den", regardless of the gender of the noun. All other determiners (i.e. articles, possessives and all other items that "determine" adjective endings) also end in "-n" in the dative plural - i.e. diesen, meinen, deinen, seinen, ihren, unseren, euren, Ihren, allen, smtlichen, welchen etc. All adjective endings in the dative plural also end in "-en" - regardless of whether they are in the weak, mixed or strong declension:
Weak declension in Ihren groen Hotelzimmern ("in your big hotel rooms")
aus diesen roten Autos ("out of these red cars") zu allen wichtigen Autobahnen ("to all important motorways") bei smtlichen internationalen Gruppen ("with all international groups") Mixed declension nach meinen ersten Nchten ("after my first nights") vor euren letzten Abenden ("before your final evenings") mit keinen besonderen Wnschen ("with no particular wishes") Strong declension mit modernen Tagungseinrichtungen ("with modern conference facilities") mit gepflegten Getrnken und kulinarischen Genssen ("with excellent drinks and culinary delights") in zwei guten Studios ("in two good studios")
Notes Both words meaning "all" - "alle" and "smtliche" - take weak adjectival endings.
der/die Bankangestellte (bank employee) der Beamte (civil servant) der/die Behinderte (disabled person) der/die Bekannte (acquaintance) der/die Deutsche (German) der/die Erwachsene (adult) der/die Gefangene (prisoner)
der/die Jugendliche (young person) der/die Obdachlose (homeless person) der/die Reisende (traveller) der/die berlebende (survivor) der/die Verlobte (fianc(e)) der/die Verwandte (relative) der/die Vorsitzende (chairperson)
Notes 1. Although formed from adjectives, adjectival nouns are written with a capital letter. 2. "Die Beamtin", a female civil servant, is not an adjectival noun. It declines just like a normal feminine noun ending in "-in" and has the plural "die Beamtinnen". The declension of adjectival nouns German adjectival nouns take exactly the same endings as adjectives would in the same grammatical context. Let us take for example one of the most common adjectival nouns to have been incorporated into the German language - "der Deutsche" (= the German man). It has an "-e" ending because it is:
masculine singular in the nominative case in the weak declension (i.e. it follows the definite article "der")
Likewise the feminine equivalent "the German woman" is "die Deutsche", because this adjectival noun is feminine, singular, nominative and in the weak declension. (It may help you at first to imagine the adjectival noun followed by "Mann" or "Frau". "Der Deutsche" has the same endings as "der deutsche Mann" and "die Deutsche" has the same endings as "die deutsche Frau".) The full table of endings for adjectival nouns in the weak declension is as follows:
Notes 1. Adjectival nouns have the same endings as above after other determiners which require the weak declension such as "dieser", "jener", "welcher", "alle" and "smtliche":
Mit welchem Deutschen redet er? (To which German (man) is he speaking?) Smtliche Behinderten sind hier. (All of the disabled people are here.) Man muss allen Obdachlosen helfen. (We must help all the homeless people.)
2. Note in the following examples how the endings of the determiner and the adjectival noun serve to distinguish between different genders and numbers of people:
Welche Verwandte besuchen Sie? (Which (female) relative are you visiting?) Welche Verwandten besuchen Sie? (Which relatives are you visiting?) Welchen Verwandten besuchen Sie? (Which (male) relative are you visiting?) Die Empfangsdame spricht mit dem Vorsitzenden. (The receptionist is speaking to the chairman.) Die Empfangsdame spricht mit der Vorsitzenden. (The receptionist is speaking to the chairwoman.) Die Empfangsdame spricht mit den Vorsitzenden. (The receptionist is speaking to the chairpersons.)
declension", i.e. when the adjectival noun follows "ein", "kein" or one of the possessives.
Grammar 5: Adjectival nouns in the mixed declension
Notes 1. The following examples show how adjectival nouns are used with the possessives:
Ihr Verlobter ist Arzt. (Her fianc is a doctor.) Seine Verlobte ist rztin. (His fiance is a doctor.) Wir verhandeln mit unseren Angestellten. (We're in discussions with our employees.)
2. Note once again how the ending of both the determiner and the adjectival noun indicates the gender and the number of the noun:
Ich reise mit einer Bekannten von mir. (I'm travelling with one of my acquaintances (female).) Ich reise mit einem Bekannten von mir. (I'm travelling with one of my acquaintances (female).) Sie arbeitet fr ihren Verwandten. (She's working for her relative (male).) Sie arbeitet fr ihre Verwandte. (She's working for her relative (female).) Sie arbeitet fr ihre Verwandten. (She's working for her relatives.)
Strong declension This is how adjectival nouns decline in the strong declension i.e. after "viele" (many), numbers and when they are not preceded by a determiner.
Grammar 6: Adjectival nouns in the strong declension
Singular
Masculine
Feminine
Notes 1. In practice the singular of the strong declension is rarely used. 2. The following examples shos how the strong declension of adjectival nouns is used in different contexts:
Viele Reisende brauchen Businesszimmer. (Many travellers require business rooms.) Wir fahren mit drei Gefangenen. (We're travelling with three prisoners) Fremde haben keinen Zutritt. (No access for strangers!)
Adjectives with adjectival nouns When adjectival nouns are preceded by adjectives, these adjectives - logically enough - have the same endings as the adjectival nouns. For example:
Wir helfen den kalten berlebenden. (We are helping the cold survivors.) Ein alter Bekannter von mir spielt auch Squash. (An old friend of mine also plays squash.) Junge Erwachsene haben oft viele Probleme. (Young adults often have a lot of problems.) Ich fahre zu meiner franzsischen Verlobten. (I'm travelling to my French fiance's house.)
Neuter adjectival nouns Adjectival nouns that refer to things or abstract concepts are neuter. We have met only one of these so far - "das Grne", which can means "green" but also means "the countryside". It it is often used with the preposition "in" as in the examples below:
Unsere Pension befindet sich im Grnen. (Our guest-house is in the countryside.) Eure Verwandten fahren ins Grne. (Your relatives are going to the countryside.) Wir bieten Suiten mit Blick ins Grne. (We offer suites which look out on the countryside.)
Singular Nominative Accusative Dative Nominative Accusative Dative der Student den Studenten dem Studenten der Name den Namen dem Namen
Plural die Studenten die Studenten den Studenten die Namen die Namen den Namen
Examples
Ihr Bruder ist Student. (Her brother is a student (= nominative).) Das ist ziemlich viel fr einen Studenten. (That's quite a lot for a student (= accusative).) Meine Schwester ist mit einem Studenten verlobt. (My sister is engaged to a student (= dative).) Alle Studenten mssen nach dem Essen abwaschen! (All of the male students (= nominative) must wash up after the meal!) Wie ist Ihr Name? (What is your name (= nominative)?) Auf welchen Namen geht das Zimmer? (In what name (= accusative) should I book the room?)
Male nationalities ending in "-e" These include many of the masculine nouns describing nationalities that we met in Chapter 2.
Grammar 8: Weak masculine nouns - nationalities
der Chinese (Chinese man) der Dne (Dane (male)) der Este (Estonian man) der Finne (Finnish man) der Franzose (Frenchman) der Grieche (Greek (male)) der Ire (Irishman) der Kroate (Croatian man) der Lette (Latvian man)
der Portugiese (Portuguese man) der Rumne (Romanian man) der Russe (Russian (male)) der Schotte (Scotsman) der Schwede (Swede (male)) der Slowake (Slowak (male)) der Slowene (Slovenian man) der Tscheche (Czech man) der Trke (Turk (male))
Other weak masculine nouns ending in "-e" Other weak masculine nouns ending in "-e" that we have encountered so far or are in common usage include:
Grammar 9: Weak masculine nouns ending in "-e"
der Affe (ape) der Buchstabe (letter of alphabet) der Bulle (bull; policeman) der Bursche (boy; lad) der Experte (expert) der Hase (hare; rabbit) der Jude (Jew (male)) der Junge (boy)
der Knabe (boy; lad) der Kollege (colleague (male)) der Kunde (customer (male)) der Lwe (lion) der Name (name) der Neffe (nephew) der Sklave (slave (male)) der Zeuge (witness (male))
Notes 1. As we shall see in the following chapter, both "der Buchstabe" and "der Name" belong to a separate subdivision of weak masculine nouns and behave differently in the genitive case. 2. You would only use "der Experte", "der Jude", "der Kollege", "der Kunde", "der Lwe", "der Sklave", and "der Zeuge" if you are speaking of male experts, Jews, colleagues etc. The female equivalents have their own separate German noun, all of which end in "-in" - "die Expertin (-innen)", "die Jdin (-innen)", "die Kollegin (innen)", "die Kundin (-innen)", "die Lwin (-innen)", "die Sklavin (-innen)" and "die Zeugin (-innen)". Masculine nouns coming from the Greek and other foreign languages This is particularly the case with masculine nouns ending in "-and", "-ant", "-ent", "ist", "-krat" and "-log(e)". These primarily (but not exclusively) refer to human beings:
Grammar 10: Weak masculine nouns with certain endings
der Architekt (architect) der Biologe (biologist) der Brokrat (bureaucrat) der Demokrat (democrat) der Diplomat (diplomat) der Elefant (elephant) der Fotograf (photographer) der Journalist (journalist)
der Katholik (Catholic) der Komponist (composer) der Monarch (monarch) der Philosoph (philosopher) der Polizist (policeman) der Prsident (president) der Soziologe (sociologist) der Student (student)
Other German masculine nouns There are a few native German weak masculine nouns which do not end in "-e" in the nominative singular:
Grammar 11: Other weak masculine nouns
der Bayer (Bavarian) der Frst (prince) der Graf (count) der Held (hero)
der Nachbar (neighbour) der Narr (fool) der Oberst (colonel) der Prinz (prince)
Note the irregular declension of "der Herr". This weak masculine noun adds "-en" throughout the plural, but "-n" in the singular for all cases other than the nominative.
Grammar 12: Declension of "der Herr"
Singular Nominative Accusative Dative der Herr den Herrn dem Herrn
Welcher? Auf welchen Namen gehen die Zimmer? ("In which name should I book the rooms?") Fr welches Datum? ("For which date?") Von welchem Gleis fhrt der Zug? ("From which platform does the train leave?") Mit welchem Bus fhrst du?
("Which bus are you travelling on?") Invariable interrogatives Um wie viel Uhr wird das Frhstck serviert? ("At what time is breakfast served?") Von wann bis wann? ("From when to when?")
Was fr...? Although the question phrase "was fr...?" (= what kind of...?) is comprised of a pronoun and a preposition, it should be considered as a single concept which behaves according to the rules outlined above. This means that the case of the noun that follows "was fr...?" depends on the role of the phrase in the clause and not on "fr" - i.e. it does not mean that any noun following "was fr...?" is automatically in the accusative case. Equally, "was fr...?" can be preceded by a preposition which then determines the case of any subsequent noun. Look at the following examples using the weak masculine noun "der Mensch" (see previous page):
Grammar 14: Questions involving "was fr...?"
Nominative Was fr ein Mensch ist er? ("What kind of a person is he?") Accusative Was fr einen Menschen siehst du? ("What sort of a person can you see?")</EM< td> Was fr Freizeitmglichkeiten gibt es im Hotel? ("What sort of leisure facilities are there in the hotel?") Dative Mit was fr einem Menschen ist deine Schwester verlobt? ("With what sort of man is your sister engaged?") In was fr einer Pension bernachten wir? ("What sort of guest-house are we spending the night in?")
Questions involving "wie...?" Note the following different question constructions involving "wie...?" that we have encountered in this chapter:
Grammar 15: Questions involving "wie...?"
Wie lange bleiben Sie? ("How long are you staying?") Um wie viel Uhr wird das Frhstck serviert? ("At what time is breakfast served?") Wie kann ich Ihnen helfen? ("How may I help you?") Wie viele Personen sind das? ("How many people will that be?") Wie weit ist es zum Stadtzentrum? ("How far is it to the city centre?")
Notes 1. Note the type of constructions required for responding to the question "Wie weit ist es zum Stadtzentrum?":
Wie weit ist es zum Stadtzentrum? (How far is it to the city centre?) Das Hotel ist circa sechs Kilometer vom Stadtzentrum entfernt. (The hotel is approximately six kilometres away from the city centre.) Unsere Pension ist nur 25 Minuten Fahrtzeit vom Stadtzentrum entfernt. (Our guest-house is only 25 minutes travel away from the city centre.) Die Jugendherberge befindet sich nur wenige Minuten Fuweg vom Stadtkern entfernt. (The youth hostel is only a few minutes walk from the city centre.) Der Gasthof liegt nur 15 Gehminuten vom Stadtzentrum entfernt. (The inn is only 15 minutes walk from the city centre.) Das Stadtzentrum ist etwa 15 Gehminuten entfernt. (The city centre is about 15 minutes walk away.)
2. When in German-speaking countries, remember to give all distances in metres and kilometres, and not yards and miles!
Das ist ab sieben Uhr im Restaurant ("That is from seven o'clock onwards in the restaurant") Kinderermigung ab 12 Jahre(n) ("Child reductions for 12-year-olds and above.") Eine Reservierung ist ab 4 Nchte(n) mglich. ("A reservation is possible for stays of longer than four nights.") Ab Hauptbahnhof direkt per U-Bahn ("From the central station you can travel directly using the underground") The prepositions "per" and "pro" Take care not to confuse these two prepositions. The German preposition "pro" should be used to translate English "per". The German preposition "per" on the other hand is used mainly in commercial German to translate "by" as in a means of doing something, often a means of transport. Both "per" and "pro" take the accusative case, but are almost always used without a following determiner.
Grammar 17: The prepositions "per" and "pro"
Pro Was ist der Preis pro Tag? ("What is the price per day?") Ein Einzelzimmer kostet 85 Euro pro Tag. ("A single room costs 85 euros per day.") Die Tagungspauschale ist 25 Euro pro Person. ("The conference charge is 25 euros per person.") Die pfel kosten 50 Cent pro Stck. ("The apples cost 50 cents each.") Per Wie Sie uns per Bahn finden: ("How you can find us by rail:") So erreichen Sie unser Hotel per Straenbahn: ("This is how you can reach our hotel by tram:") per Post ("by post")
The preposition "bis" In practice, "bis" is used on its own only with names, adverbs and a few time phrases. Otherwise it is followed by another preposition which determines the case of the following noun. We shall look at "bis" in more detail in subsequent chapters, but for the moment note the construction required to express the date until which you plan to stay somewhere and how to travel "as far as" a place:
Grammar 18: The preposition "bis"
Von wann bis wann bleiben Sie hier? ("From when until when are you staying here?") Wir bleiben vom ersten bis zum siebten Februar. ("We're staying from the first to the seventh of February.") Sie bleibt vom 20. August bis zum 24. August. ("She's staying from the twentieth to the twenty-fourth of August.") Wie weit ist es bis zum Hotel? ("How far is it to the hotel?") Mit dem Bus Linie 27 fahren Sie direkt bis zur Pension. ("You can travel directly to the guest-house using bus number 27.") BUT: von acht Uhr bis neun Uhr ("from eight o'clock until nine o'clock") Ihr fahrt nur bis Dresden. ("You're only travelling as far as Dresden.")
Notes 1. If you need reminding about how to express dates in German, click here to return to the appropriate page in Chapter 9. 2. Note another construction that you can use to describe the duration of your stay:
Und fr welches Datum, bitte? (And for which date, please?) Fr den 14. und 15. Mrz, also zwei Nchte. (For the fourteenth and the fifteenth of March, that makes two nights.)
Singular ich werde du wirst Sie werden er/sie/es wird Plural wir werden ihr werdet Sie werden sie werden We become You become (informal/formal) They become I become You become (informal/formal) He/she/it becomes
The German irregular verb "werden" has a number of uses. Its basic meaning is "to become" and it can be combined with both adjectives and nouns:
Es wird kalt. (It's getting cold.) Ich werde langsam verrckt! (I think I'm going mad!) Britta will Lehrerin werden. (Britta wants to become a teacher.) Es wird Winter. (Winter is coming.)
In addition to this "werden" is used as an auxiliary verb to form the future tense (which we shall look at in the next chapter) and the passive voice which we shall examine here. The passive voice What is the passive voice? The passive voice is where the subject of the verb experiences the action rather than performs it:
He was seen (= passive). (He saw (= active).) You are being helped by us (= passive). (We are helping you (= active).)
How is the passive voice formed? As the examples above indicate, the passive in English is formed with parts of the verb "to be" and the past participle. This is only one of two possibilities in German, both of which however include the past participle. As we shall not learn how to construct the past participle until a later chapter, it will suffice for the moment to be able to identify it in German passages:
For the vast number of verbs, the past participle will start with "ge-" and end with either "-t" or "-en" - e.g. "gemacht" (= done), "geschlossen" (= closed).
Verbs that end in "-ieren" or that have inseparable prefixes also end in "-t" or "-en" but do not start with "ge-". These include two of the past participles that we have encountered in this chapter - "akzeptiert" (= accepted) and "serviert" (= served).
What is the distinction between the two forms of the German passive? If a state is being described as opposed to an action, the present tense of the German passive like its English equivalent - consists of the present tense of "sein" and the past participle.
Das Geschft ist heute geschlossen. (The shop is closed today.) Haustiere sind nicht erlaubt. (Pets are not allowed.)
But if an action is being described as opposed to a state, the present tense of the German passive consists of the present tense of "werden" and the past participle.
Das Geschft wird jetzt geschlossen. (The shop is being closed now.) Wann wird das Frhstck serviert? (When is breakfast served?) Werden Kreditkarten akzeptiert? - Ja, wir akzeptieren alle groen Kreditkarten. (Are credit cards accepted? - Yes, we accept all major credit cards.)
Note the word order in all of the above clauses. The verbs "sein" and "werden" occur in the same position as a main verb would in a clause, whereas the past participle comes at the end of the sentence. There will be an extensive explanation of the passive, the past participle and the distinction between a state and an action in a subsequent chapter.
Drei- und Vierbettzimmer (Implied: "Dreibettzimmer und Vierbettzimmer") (Translation: "rooms with three and four beds") PC- und Telefaxanschluss (Implied: "PC-Anschluss und Telefaxanschluss") (Translation: "PC connection and fax connection") Schlaf-, Wohn- und Arbeitsbereich (Implied: "Schlafbereich, Wohnbereich und Arbeitsbereich") (Translation: "sleeping area, living area and
working area") Vegetarier- und Kindermen (Implied: "Vegetariermen und Kindermen") (Translation: "vegetarian menu and children's menu") Hyphens and compound nouns Hyphens are also used to break up individual compound nouns that would otherwise be difficult to read. This is particularly true in compound nouns were one element is an abbreviation such as "der PC-Anschluss", "der/die HIV-Infizierte" (= HIV-infected person) or "die VIP-Lounge" (= VIP lounge). One of the changes introduced recently in the German spelling reforms has made it possible to have three (!) of the same letters in a row in a German compound noun. This occurs when the first element of a compound noun ends with a double letter and the second element of the compound noun starts with the same letter. Before the spelling reforms, only two of the three letters would have been written. It is still an accepted variant however to split up such compound nouns with a hyphen, and this version is more common when you have three vowels in a row.
Grammar 21: Same three letters in a row!
3 Consonants die Balletttnzerin ("die Ballett-Tnzerin") (ballet dancer) der Rollladen ("der Roll-Laden") (shutter) die Brennnessel ("die Brenn-Nessel") (stinging nettle) der Schlussstrich ("der Schluss-Strich") (final stroke)
3 Vowels die Teeei ("die Tee-Ei") (tea infuser) der Kaffeeersatz ("der Kaffee-Ersatz") (coffee substitute) die Hawaiiinseln ("die Hawaii-Inseln") (Hawaii islands) die Armeeeinheit ("die Armee-Einheit") (army unit)
Common first elements in compound nouns In Chapter 10 we looked at main verbs that appear as the second element in a number of compound verbs. On a similar theme, you may have noticed how certain parts of speech form the first element in many compound nouns and colour the element which follows in a particular way. For example:
Grammar 22: First elements in compound nouns
(bathing)
(swimming costume) die Badehose (swimming trunks) der Bademantel (bathrobe) die Badewanne (bath tub) das Badezimmer (bathroom) das Einzelkind (only child) das Einzelzimmer (single room) die Fernbedienung (remote control) das Ferngesprch (long-distance call) das Fernsehen (television) der Hauptbahnhof (central station) die Hauptstadt (capital city) das Sonderangebot (special offer) der Sonderpreis (special price) das Zusatzbett (additional bed) die Zusatzzahl (additional number)
Einzel(individual)
Fern(distance)
Haupt(central)
Sonder(special)
Zusatz(additional)
Street names (der Straenname) German street names are usually one or two words long, depending on the nature of the first element of the name. Whereas streets named after people tend to written as one word - e.g. Schillerstrae, Brahmsweg -, cities and regions that appear in street names are for example usually written as a separate word - e.g. Berliner Strae, Frankfurter Allee, Leipziger Platz. The signpost below bears this out. Lothringer Weg is written as two words as it is named after the German word for the region of Lorraine (= Lothringen). Goetheallee on the other hand is written as one word as it celebrates Germany's most famous writer Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832). The second element of a German street name is normally a type of thoroughfare as listed in the table below:
Vocabulary 1: Types of German roads
die Allee (-n) (avenue) die Chaussee (-n) (avenue; highway) der Damm (pl. - Dmme) (road (lit: dam)) die Gasse (-n) (lane; alley) die Landstrae (-n) (country road) der Pfad (-e) (path; track) der Platz (pl. - Pltze) (square)
der Ring (-e) (ring road) der Steig (-e) (path) die Strae (-n) (road; street) das Ufer (-) ((river-)bank) der Weg (-e) (way; road) die Zeile (-n) (row)
Other road names do not contain a type of thoroughfare, but instead describe a landmark in the vicinity of the road - i.e. Am Park, Am Hauptbahnhof, An der Brcke (= bridge). The postcode (die Postleitzahl) Germany pioneered the idea of post codes back in the early sixties, and the rest of the world imitated the concept. The German word for a postcode is "die Postleitzahl (-en)", which is often abbreviated to "PLZ". The current postcode system was introduced on 1 July 1993 to take account of postreunification Germany. All addresses now have a five-digit code, with the first two numbers indicating the region and the last three narrowing it down to a specific area of a town or a village. Hence the reason why German addresses are so much shorter than British ones - the postcode supplies all the requisite information. Below is a
map showing the regions of Germany to which the first number of the post code corresponds.
Unlike British postcodes, German postcodes precede the name of the place in addresses. In addition, when writing to one of the German-speaking countries from abroad, people sometimes prefix the postcode with the international country code for the sake of clarity. As Germany has the international country code "D", this produces such postcodes as D-10825 Berlin and D-01069 Dresden. A similar principle applies when writing from overseas to addresses in the other German-speaking countries. Austria has the international country code "A", Switzerland has "CH" and Liechtenstein "FL". As postcodes in these countries have four digits, this produces such postcodes as A-9010 Klagenfurt, CH-4012 Basel or FL9490 Vaduz. These international country codes are now however increasingly seen as archaic. The correct convention for addressing international letters is not to prefix the postcode with a country code, but to ensure that the country name is written in capital letters in the language of the origin country on a line of its own at the end of the address e.g. "10825 Berlin, Deutschland", "9010 Klagenfurt, sterreich", "4012 Basel, Schweiz", "9490 Vaduz, Liechtenstein". German addresses look different to English ones.
Frau
Herrn
Line 1: the person's basic title (Mr = Herrn, Mrs or Ms = Frau, Miss = Frulein) followed by any other title or rank (Professor, Major etc.). This is except for Dr. and Dipl.-Ing (Diplomingenieur) which precede the name on Line 2. N.B. There is an "n" after Herr in addresses because this is an accusative. Line 3: the street, with the house number after it. Line 4: the place, preceded by the postcode (die Postleitzahl). The postcode may be preceded by "D" for Germany, "A" for Austria or "CH" for Switzerland on letters from outside the country itself. A district of a large town will often be added after the name of the town and joined with a hyphen (e.g. Berlin-Tegel). Line 5: the country itself. When writing to someone staying with a family or friend, use "bei" plus the surname, e.g. bei Schmidt. This is then placed on Line 3, after the addressee and before the street name. Writing to a firm If the name of the company is a person's name, the word Firma can be placed on Line 1. The name of the department and person you want follows the firm's name, and if you writing to a person, precede it with "z.H." = zu Hnden (for the attention of).
Linie 1 Firma Linie 2 Winni Schfer Linie 4 Harbigstrae 13 Linie 5 14055 Berlin
If you are writing to a specific person with a specific post within a company, you can put:
Linie 1 An Herrn Linie 2 Mike Lnsmann Linie 3 Personaldirektor Linie 5 Industriestrae 78 Linie 6 77649 Offenburg
N.B. In typed or printed business mail there is often a blank line before the place on an envelope, but not when the name of the firm is typed on the heading of the letter itself. Thus on an envelope you might see:
Linie 1 An Herrn Linie 2 Mike Lnsmann Linie 3 Personaldirektor Linie 5 Industriestrae 78 Linie 6 Linie 7 77649 Offenburg
The Austrian post office's guide to addressing an envelope however clearly states that no blank lines should be included on an envelope see the separate section on setting out an envelope. Dear Sir... Yours Faithfully
1) If you do not know the person's name
If you are writing to a firm or an institution and do not know the name of the person to whom you are writing, use "Sehr geehrte Damen und Herren," (= Dear Sir or Madam). You should only use "Sehr geehrte Herren," or "Sehr geehrte Damen," if you are sure that the people to whom you are writing are all male or all female. In all cases you should close the letter - "Mit freundlichen Gren". If you are writing a business letter as a representative of a company, you could also use "Mit besten Empfehlungen".
If you are a writing to one individual woman whose name you do not know, open with "Sehr geehrte gndige Frau" and close with "Mit vorzglicher Hochachtung". 2) If you know the person's job title, but not their name If you are writing (say) to the head of personnel of a company (= "der Personaldirektor"), start with "Sehr geehrter Herr Personaldirektor,". End as usual with "mit freundlichen Gren". 3) If you know the person's name
Dear Mr and Mrs Wagner Sehr geehrte Frau Wagner, sehr geehrter Herr Wagner, An important point to remember is that Herr / Frau is retained when writing to someone who has a title:
Dear Professor Lauster Sehr geehrte Frau Professor Lauster, If you are writing to somebody with a title, you should not write their Christian name. Thus the opening formula to write to Dr. Marie Huana is Sehr geehrte Frau Dr. Huana. In all cases, "mit freundlichen Gren" would be an acceptable closing formula. A possible (if rather formal) alternative when writing to a female professor would be: "Ich verbleibe, sehr geehrte Frau Professor, mit vorzglicher Hochachtung Ihr / Ihre..." N.B. The usage of feminine endings with German titles varies. The feminine endings are no longer used with "Frau Doktor" and "Frau Professor", but they are used with Frau Studienrtin (= "secondary school teacher"). 4) When writing to someone in the same profession
Sehr geehrter Herr Kollege; Sehr geehrte Frau Kollegin, Lieber Kollege; Liebe Kollegin,
5) When writing to a person in a very important position In this case it is usual practice to omit the name:
Letter-writing vocabulary
Letter headings and initials
our reference your reference our person responsible concerning, re: with reference to in replying please quote
unser Zeichen Ihr Zeichen unser Sachbearbeiter Betreff: Oder: Betr.: Bezug: bei Beantwortung bitte angeben
sich um den Posten der Bankkauffrau bewerben (to apply for the post of bank clerk)
Hiermit mchte ich mich um die ausgeschriebene Stelle als Lehrer bewerben. (I would like to apply for the advertised job as a teacher.) in die engere Wahl gezogen werden (to be short-listed) Bewerbung als Leiter der Anzeigenabteilung. (Application for the post of head of the advertising department.) Ich beziehe mich auf Ihre Stellenanzeige in der heutigen Ausgabe der "Berliner Zeitung" und mchte Sie bitten, mir nhere Angaben ber die Stelle zuzusenden. Oder: Ich nehme Bezug auf Ihre Anzeige in der heutigen Ausgabe der "Berliner Zeitung" und wre Ihnen dankbar, wenn Sie mir nhere Angaben ber die Stelle zusenden wrden.. (In reply to your advertisement in today's "Berliner Zeitung", I should be grateful if you could send me further details of this post.) In Beantwortung Ihrer Stellenanzeige in der FAZ wre ich Ihnen fr die Bercksichtigung meiner Bewerbung sehr verbunden. (In response to your advertisement in "Frankfurter Allgemeine", I would be grateful if you could consider my application.) Ich mchte mich um die Stelle eines Marketingmanagers bewerben, die Sie im "Spiegel-Online" vom August ausgeschrieben haben. Oder: Hiermit bewerbe ich mich auf Ihre Anzeige im "Spiegel-Online" vom August fr die ausgeschriebene Stelle eines Marketingmanagers. (I wish to apply for the post of marketing manager which you advertised in the August edition of "Spiegel-Online".) Mit Bezug auf Ihre Anzeige in der "Tageszeitung" bewerbe ich mich fr die oben erwhnte Position. (With reference to your advertisement in the "Tageszeitung", I would like to apply for the aforementioned position.) Ihrer Anzeige in der Juli-Ausgabe von "Kicker" entnehme ich, dass... (I see from your advertisement in the July edition of "Kicker" that ...) Bewerbungen mssen bis sptestens 13. Juni eingehen. (The closing date for applications is the 13th June.)
To whom am I writing? personnel office personnel officer die Personalabteilung der Personaldirektor; die Personaldirektorin Oder: der Leiter der Personalabteilung die Personalfhrung "An die Geschftsfhrung"
"To the Personnel Officer" "An den Personaldirektor" personnel management "To the Management" Asking for more details Knnten Sie mir bitte .... bersenden? (Could you please send me ...?) Fr weitere Einzelheiten wenden Sie sich an: (For more details, contact:) Ich beziehe mich auf Ihre Stellenanzeige in der heutigen Ausgabe der "Berliner Zeitung" und mchte Sie bitten, mir nhere Angaben ber die Stelle zuzusenden. Oder: Ich nehme Bezug auf Ihre Anzeige in der heutigen Ausgabe der "Berliner Zeitung" und wre Ihnen dankbar, wenn Sie mir nhere Angaben ber die Stelle zusenden wrden. (In reply to your advertisement in today's "Berliner Zeitung", I should be grateful if you could send me further details of this post.) Asking for a reply to a letter Auf mein Schreiben vom 27. Oktober habe ich noch keine Antwort erhalten. I have received no reply to my letter of 27 October. Bitte besttigen Sie den Empfang dieses Schreibens. Please acknowledge receipt of this letter. Ich danke im voraus fr eine postwendende Antwort. I would be grateful for a reply by return of post. Ich wrde mich freuen, bald von Ihnen Nachricht zu erhalten. I look forward to hearing from you soon.
Being offered a post Wir freuen uns, hiermit die Stelle eines / einer ..... anbieten zu knnen. (We are happy to offer you the post of ...) Mit Bezug auf Ihr Schreiben vom Montag den 12. Januar kann ich Ihnen nun die Position des Systemanalytikers in unserer Firma anbieten. (Further to your letter of Monday the 12th of January, I would like to offer you the post of systems analyst in our firm.) Dieses Angebot gilt bei verbindlicher Bestellung vor dem 24. Mrz des nchsten Jahres. (This offer is subject to your firm acceptance by 24th March next.) Bitte setzen Sie sich mit uns in Verbindung, damit die ntigen Vorbereitungen getroffen werden knnen. (Please contact us in order to make the necessary arrangements.) Being turned down for a post Es tut mir leid, Ihnen mitteilen zu knnen, dass ... (I regret to inform you that...) Wir mssen Ihnen leider mitteilen, dass der Posten schon besetzt wurde. (We regret to inform that the post has already been filled.) Wir mssen Ihnen leider mitteilen, dass Sie nicht in die engere Wahl gekommen sind. (We regret to inform you that your name has not been put on our short list.) Nach eingehenden berlegungen kamen wir zu dem Entschluss, dass wir Ihnen im Moment keine Anstellung in unseren Bros anbieten knnen. (After lengthy considerations we decided that we do not have any work for you in our offices at the moment.) Wir werden Ihren Lebenslauf und Ihre Bewerbung zu unseren Akten legen. (We will keep your CV and application form on file.) Wir werden Ihre Bewerbung zu einem spteren Zeitpunkt bercksichtigen, da wir regelmig zustzliches Personal oder Ersatzpersonal suchen.
(We will keep your application on file as we regularly look for replacement staff.) Bei knftigen Stellenangeboten knnen Sie sich gerne um einen hnlichen Posten bewerben. (Please do not hesitate to reply to future advertisements for a similar post.) Ich hoffe, dass diese Entscheidung keine zu groe Enttuschung fr sie bedeutet. (I hope that you do not feel too disappointed by this decision.) Curriculum vitae General phrases der Lebenslauf (curriculum vitae) Anbei sende ich Ihnen meinen Lebenslauf (Please find enclosed my C.V.) Wie Sie meinem Lebenslauf entnehmen knnen, habe ich schon in Deutschland gearbeitet. (As you will see from my C.V., I have worked in Germany before.) Aus meinem beiliegenden Lebenslauf erfahren Sie Nheres ber meine akademische Laufbahn. (You will learn more about my academic career from the C.V. enclosed within.) Skills skills computer skills - data processing skills - I am familiar with word processors - I am familiar with Word 6.0 - I am familiar with DataBase3 I can type well - typing speed Kenntnisse (pl.) PC-Kenntnisse (pl.) - EDV-Kenntnisse (pl.) - Ich bin mit der Textverarbeitung vertraut - Textverarbeitung (Word 6.0) ist mir gelufig - DataBase3 ist mir gelufig Ich kann gut Maschine schreiben - die Schreibgeschwindigkeit
- typewritten driving licence - I've lost my driving licence my organisational ability my sound knowledge of the field to come up to your expectations
- Maschine geschrieben der Fhrerschein - mir wurde der Fhrerschein entzogen mein organisatorisches Knnen meine fundierten Sachkenntnisse (pl.) Ihren Erwartungen entsprechen
Ich bin stets bemht, meine beruflichen Kenntnisse zu verbessern. (I have always tried to improve my career skills.) Ich besuchte Kurse in Betriebswirtschaft und Datenverarbeitung. (I have taken courses in business management and data processing.) Ich habe einen Abendkurs in Broorganisation belegt. (I have taken a night-school course in office management.) Spezialkenntnisse (pl.) auf dem Fachgebiet der Psychologie (Special knowledge in the field of psychology) Ich bin sicher, dass ich alle mir anvertrauten Aufgaben als Sekretrin zu Ihrer vollsten Zufriedenheit ausben wrde. (I am confident that I could fulfil all the tasks which you would require of a secretary.) Sie hat die ihr bertragenen Aufgaben stets zur vollsten Zufriedenheit erledigt. (She carried out her work to our complete satisfaction.) Language skills Englisch ist meine Muttersprache. (English is my first language.) Haben Sie irgendwelche Sprachkenntnisse? (Do you know any languages?) Ich habe gute mndliche und schriftliche deutsche Sprachkenntnisse.
(I speak and write German well.) Ich spreche flieend Deutsch. (I speak fluent German.) Meine Deutschkenntnisse sind ziemlich eingerostet. (My German is a little rusty.) Mein Handelsdeutsch erwarb ich am Goethe-Institut in London. (I learned business German at the Goethe Institute in London.) Ich habe gute Anfangskenntnisse im Italienischen. (I have some knowledge of Italian.) Ich habe Grundkenntnisse in Russisch. (I have a working knowledge of Russian.) Ich habe Kurse in Spanisch und Franzsisch mit Erfolg belegt. (I have successfully taken courses in Spanish and French.) Ich kann Schwedisch lesen. (I can read Swedish.) Ich verstehe kein Griechisch. (I don't understand Greek.) Ich mchte meine Sprachkenntnisse verbessern. (I want to improve my language.) Ich wrde meine Sprachkenntnisse gerne etwas mehr einsetzen. (I would like to make better use of my languages.) deutschen Sprachunterricht erteilen (to give German lessons) einen Text aus dem Deutschen ins Englische bersetzen. (to translate a text from German into English)
Ich kann nicht gut bersetzen. (I'm not very good at translation.) die zweisprachige Sekretrin (bilingual secretary) Work experience "previous employment" die Berufsbezeichnung der Ferienjob (-s) Dienstjahre (pl.) "berufliche Ttigkeiten" job title holiday job length of service
Meine offizielle Berufsbezeichnung ist ... (My official job title is ...) Ich arbeite zur Zeit in diesem Bereich. (I am currently working in this field.) Ich bin seit 5 Jahren hier ttig. (I have been working here for 5 years.) Ich bin seit 1998 in dieser Stelle. (I started the job in 1998.) Seit vier Jahren bin ich als Sekretrin in einer aufstrebenden kleinen Firma ttig. (I have been a secretary in a small but ambitious company for 4 years.) Die letzten sechs Jahre war ich in der Exportabteilung von EMI ttig. (I was working in the export dept. of EMI for the last 6 years.) Ich habe die ntige Erfahrung fr diese Stelle. (I have the necessary experience for this job.)
Erfahrung in diesem Bereich ist erwnscht, aber nicht unbedingt erforderlich. (Experience in the field is preferable but not essential.) Ich verfge ber Berufserfahrung in der Werbebranche. (I have experience of working in advertising.) Ich verfge ber 2 Jahre Broerfahrung. Oder: Ich habe zwei Jahre Broerfahrung. (I have 2 years experience of office work.) Ich habe drei Jahre Erfahrung in diesem Bereich. (I have 3 years experience of this kind of work.) viel Berufserfahrung im Bankwesen haben (to have a lot of experience in banking) Ich habe zwar keine Erfahrung auf diesem speziellen Fachgebiet, habe aber ... (Although I have no experience of this type of work, I have ....) Ich bin ausgebildeter Ingenieur. (I was trained as an engineer.) Durch die dadurch gewonnenen Erfahrungen bin ich mit den Aufgaben einer Sekretrin bestens vertraut. (Thanks to this experience I am thoroughly familiar with the job of secretary.) Ich habe mehrere Ferienjobs ausgebt. (I have had many holiday jobs.) in meiner Funktion als Richter Oder: in meiner Eigenschaft als Richter (in my function as judge) Qualifications - general die Qualifikationen (pl.) (qualifications)
Meine Qualifikationen sind folgende: (My qualifications are briefly as follows:) Ich habe die erforderlichen Qualifikationen fr die Stelle. (I have the necessary qualifications for the job.) Ich beendete meine schulische Laufbahn 1999. (I left school in 1999.) Ich graduierte von der Universitt Exeter in dem Fach moderne Sprachen (Deutsch & Franzsisch). (I graduated from Exeter University with a degree in Modern Languages (German & French).) The contract the contract - der Vertrag mit bestimmter Dauer - einen Vertrag unterzeichnen - Vertragsbedingungen (pl.) - ein vertraglich zugesichertes Recht der Arbeitsvertrag; der Vertrag - fixed term contract - to sign a contract - terms of contract - a contractual right
Anbei senden wir Ihnen drei Kopien Ihres Arbeitsvertrags. (Please find enclosed three copies of your contract.) Dieser Vertrag erfordert die Schriftform. (This contract must be drawn up in writing.) Bitte schicken Sie sobald wie mglich zwei unterschriebene Vertrge an meine Sekretrin zurck. (Please sign two copies of this contract and return it to my secretary as soon as possible.) Sollten Sie noch Fragen zu den Vertragsbedingungen haben, wenden Sie sich bitte an mich. (Should you have any further questions about the contract terms, please contact me.)
bei ICI unter Vertrag stehen (to be under contract to ICI) Habe ich das Recht auf Rcktritt aus diesem Vertrag? (Do I have the right to withdraw from this conract?)
Work permits work permit residence permit die Arbeitserlaubnis das Aufenthaltserlaubnis; die Aufenthaltsgenehmigung
Knnen Sie mir bitte Informationen bezglich Erhalt einer Aufenthaltserlaubnis zusenden? (Could you send me details about getting a residence permit?) Requests Knnten Sie bitte ...? (Could you please ....?) Drfte ich Sie bitten, das zu tun? (May I ask you to ...?) Ich wre Ihnen (sehr) dankbar, wenn Sie... Oder: Ich wre Ihnen zu Dank verpflichtet, wenn Sie... (I would be (very) grateful if you ...) Htten Sie die Liebenswrdigkeit, mir mitzuteilen, ob Sie ...? (Would you be kind enough to inform me whether you...?) Ich wte gerne, ob ich ... (I would like to know whether I ...)
Ich wte gerne, wie lange ich ... (I would like to know how long I ...) Ich verlasse mich darauf, dass Sie das tun. (I'm relying on you doing that.) Wir bestehen darauf, dass ... (We must insist that ...) Wir mchten Sie dringend bitten, das nicht zu tun. (We must insist that you do not do that.) Wir mchten Sie dringend auffordern, das zu tun. (You are urgently requested to do that.) Types of Letter the letter - a letter of application - handwritten letter - typewritten letter - draft letter circular parcel parcel post Sending a fax the fax to send somebody a fax fax machine fax number das Fax; das Telefax jdm ein Fax schicken die Faxmaschine; das Fax die Faxnummer der Brief (-e) - der Bewerbungsbrief (-e); - das Bewerbungsschreiben (-) - der handgeschriebene Brief - der Maschine(n) geschriebene Brief - der Entwurf die Wurfsendung das Pckchen; das Paket die Paketpost
Kann ich von hier aus ein Fax schicken? Can I send a fax from here? Ending a letter Ich hoffe, dass Sie meine Bewerbung wohlwollend in Betracht ziehen werden. (I hope that you will look favourably upon my application.) Fr weitere Ausknfte stehe ich Ihnen gerne jederzeit zur Verfgung. (Please feel free to ask for any further details which you may require.) Sollten Sie irgendwelche Fragen haben, werde ich sie Ihnen gerne beantworten. (Should you have any queries, I shall be pleased to discuss them with you.) Ich wrde mich freuen, bald von Ihnen Nachricht zu erhalten. Oder: Ich hoffe, bald von Ihnen zu hren. Oder: Ich sehe Ihrer Antwort mit Interesse entgegen. (I look forward to hearing from you soon.) Wir danken im voraus fr eine postwendende Antwort. Oder: Ich wre Ihnen dankbar, wenn Sie mir umgehend antworten wrden. (I would be grateful if you could reply by return of post.) Wenn ich sonst noch etwas fr Sie tun kann, setzen Sie sich bitte wieder mit mir in Verbindung. (If there is anything further that I can do for you, please do not hesitate to contact me.) Ich hoffe, Sie sind hiermit einverstanden. (I trust the foregoing is to your satisfaction.) Asking if work is available die Blindbewerbung; die Initiativbewerbung (unsolicited application) Ich schreibe Ihnen in der Hoffnung, dass Sie mir eine Stelle im Bereich ... anbieten knnen.
(I am writing to you in the hope that you will be able to offer me employment in the field of ...) Als Teil meines Universittsstudiums wrde ich gerne 6 Monate in Deutschland arbeiten. (As part of my university course, I would like to work in Germany for approximately 6 months.) ein Praktikum absolvieren (to go on work placement) Ich mchte mich hiermit erkundigen, ob es mglich wre, in Ihrer Firma ein sechsmonatiges / zwlfmonatiges Praktikum zu absolvieren. (I am writing to enquire about the possibility of joining your company for 6 / 12 months on work placement.) Haben Sie Stellen fr ....? (Do you vacancies for ....?) Ich habe mit Interesse erfahren, dass ... (I was interested to hear that ...) Ich mchte sehr gern in der Werbebranche arbeiten und wrde mich freuen, wenn Sie eine entsprechende Arbeit fr mich htten. (I would very much like to work in advertising and wonder whether you are able to offer me work in any capacity.) Ich mchte unbedingt im Verlagswesen / in der Werbebranche arbeiten. (I am very anxious to work in publishing / advertising.) Reasons for applying for a post Das Auslandsjahr ist obligatorischer Teil meines Studiums an der Universitt Exeter. (As part of my university course I am required to spend a year abroad.) Als Teil meines Universittsstudiums wrde ich gerne 6 Monate in Deutschland arbeiten. (As part of my university course, I would like to work in Germany for approximately 6 months.)
Ich interessiere mich ganz besonders fr diese Stelle, weil ich sehr gerne im Verlagswesen arbeiten mchte. (I am particularly interested in this job, because I am very keen to work in publishing.) Ich wrde meine Sprachkenntnisse gerne etwas mehr einsetzen. (I would like to make better use of my languages.) Ich wrde gerne wieder im Ausland arbeiten. (I would like to work in Germany again.) Ich mchte in Deutschland arbeiten, um meine Sprachkenntnisse zu verbessern und Erfahrungen in der Hotelbranche zu sammeln. (I wish to work in Germany in order to improve my languages and to gain experience of hotel work.) Ich mchte meinen Arbeitsplatz wechseln, weil ... (I would like to change jobs because...) Ich mchte mich verndern. (I would welcome a change.) aus persnlichen Grnden (for personal reasons) aus beruflichen Grnden (for professional reasons) Nachdem ich auf diesem Niveau nun seit einigen Jahren gearbeitet habe, strebe ich eine verantwortungsvollere Ttigkeit an. (Having worked at this level for some years, I am looking for a more responsible position.) Arranging a meeting mit jemandem einen Termin ausmachen (to arrange a time for a meeting)
Ich wre Ihnen sehr verbunden, wenn Sie mich den Termin baldmglichst wissen lassen. (I would be most obliged if you inform me of the date as soon as possible.) Bitte schlagen Sie einen gnstigen Termin fr unsere Besprechung vor. (Please suggest a convenient time and date for our meeting.) Ich habe in der Woche vom 20. Mrz Zeit fr eine Besprechung mit Ihnen. (I shall be free to meet you some time during the week commencing 20 March.) Der vorgeschlagene Termin kommt mir sehr gelegen / passt mir ausgezeichnet. (The suggested date suits me perfectly.) Tut mir leid, aber an diesem Tag / zu dieser Zeit geht es nicht. (I'm afraid I can't manage the date / time you suggest.) Ich komme gerne zu dem von Ihnen angegebenen Zeitpunkt zu Ihrem Bro. (I will be happy to meet you at your office at the time you suggest.) Ich bin am 2. Februar in Bonn und knnte Sie zwischen 14 und 17 Uhr treffen. (I will be in Bonn on 2 February, and would be free to meet you from 2pm to 5pm.) Sollten Sie den Termin fr unsere Besprechung ndern mssen, dann setzen Sie sich bitte so bald wie mglich mit mir in Verbindung. (Should you need to change the time / date of our meeting, please contact me as soon as possible.) eine Sitzung (auf morgen) vertagen (to postpone a meeting (until tomorrow)) Das Datum / die Zeit fr die Besprechung wurde auf .... vorverlegt. (The date / time of the meeting has been brought forward to ...) Das Datum / die Zeit fr die Besprechung wurde verschoben auf ... (The date / time of the meeting has been put back to ...) Wenn mglich, wrde ich die Besprechung gern vorverlegen / verschieben / absagen.
(I'd like to bring forward / postpone / cancel the meeting if possible.) Acknowledging receipt of a letter Vielen Dank fr Ihr Schreiben vom 13.Juni. (Thank you for your letter of 13th June.) Vielen Dank fr Ihr Schreiben, das ich gerade erhalten habe. (Thank you for your letter, which I have just received.) Vielen Dank fr Ihr Schreiben, das von X an mich weitergeleitet wurde. (Thank you for your letter, which X has passed on to me.) Vielen Dank fr die Zusendung Ihrer Broschre. (Thank you for sending me your brochure.) Bitte besttigen Sie den Empfang dieses Schreibens. (Please acknowledge receipt of this letter.) Accepting a job offer das Angebot annehmen (to accept the offer) Es freut mich sehr, Ihnen mitteilen zu knnen, dass ich Ihr Angebot fr die Stelle als ... mit Arbeitsbeginn am 28. Dezember gerne annehme. (I am very pleased to say that I would like to accept your offer of the post of ..., commencing on 28 December.) Ich freue mich, Ihnen mitteilen zu knnen, dass ... (I am happy to inform you that...) Ich wrde die Stelle, die Sie mir angeboten haben, sehr gerne annehmen. Wre es jedoch mglich, das Anfangsdatum auf den 1. April zu verschieben? (I would very much like to accept the post which you have offered me. Would it be possible however to postpone my starting date until the 1st of April?) Ich wrde Ihr Angebot sehr gerne annehmen, wenn Sie bereit wren, das Gehalt auf .... zu erhhen.
(I would be very glad to accept your offer if you agreed to increase the salary to ...) Hiermit besttige ich, dass ... (I hereby confirm that ...) Confidentiality "vertraulich" ("confidential") Ich wre Ihnen zu Dank verpflichtet, wenn Sie in dieser Sache uerste Diskretion walten lassen knnten. (I would be grateful if you could show the utmost discretion in this matter.) Ihre Antwort wird selbstverstndlich streng vertraulich behandelt. (Your answer will be treated in strict confidence.) Curriculum vitae: things to include abroad: - year abroad - term abroad activities: - activities outside work - cultural activities - sporting activities address birth: - date of birth - place of birth dissertation - dissertation topic education: - school education - university education im Ausland: - das Auslandsjahr - das Auslandssemester Ttigkeiten (pl.): - nebenberufliche Ttigkeiten - kulturelle Ttigkeiten - sportliche Ttigkeiten die Anschrift die Geburt: - das Geburtsdatum - der Geburtsort die Diplomarbeit - das Diplomarbeitsthema die Ausbildung: - die Schulbildung - das Studium
"enclosed" grant (university) job experience marital status: - single - married mark: - overall mark membership name: - full name photograph postgraduate studies skills: - computer skills - language skills - multimedia skills - other skills society, club: - a University society - a non-University society subject studied telephone number work experience Personal qualities competent hard-working punctual reliable trustworthy
"Anlage" das Stipendium berufliche Ttigkeiten (pl.) der Familienstand: - unverheiratet; ledig - verheiratet die Note: - die Gesamtnote die Mitgliedschaft der Name: - der vollstndige Name das Lichtbild postgraduatierte Studien (pl.) Kenntnisse (pl.): - PC-Kenntnisse (pl.) - Fremdsprachenkenntnisse (pl.) - Multimedia-Kenntnisse (pl.) - sonstige Kenntnisse (pl.) der Verein: - ein universitrer Verein - ein aueruniversitrer Verein das Studienfach die Telefonnummer das Praktikum
conscientious gewissenhaft
Ich bin kontaktfreudig. (I am an outgoing person.) Er ist ein uerst zuverlssiger Mitarbeiter. (He is a thoroughly reliable worker.) Ich habe Freude am selbstndigen Arbeiten. (I like taking responsibility.) Ich bin pflichtbewusst. (I have a sense of responsibility.) Im Umgang mit seinen Kollegen zeigte er sich stets hilfsbereit. (He was always helpful to his colleagues.) meine sorgfltige Arbeitsweise (a careful approach to my work) University vocabulary Exeter University at Exeter University to enrol at a university first-year student before starting University after graduating in 1999 die Universitt Exeter an der Universitt Exeter sich an einer Universitt einschreiben Student(in) im ersten Jahr bevor ich mit meinem Universittsstudium begann nach meiner Graduierung 1999
Als Teil meines Universittsstudiums wrde ich gerne 6 Monate in Deutschland arbeiten. As part of my university course, I would like to work in Germany for approximately 6 months.
Ich graduierte von der Universitt Exeter in dem Fach moderne Sprachen (Deutsch & Franzsisch). I graduated from Exeter University with a degree in Modern Languages (German & French).
Types of work to work - to work in advertising - to work in banking - to work in the hotel industry - to work in publishing holiday job - I have had many holiday jobs work placement - to go on a work placement full-time job - full-time occupation - to work full-time part-time job - part-time worker - I'm only working part-time - employed part-time - Can I do the job part-time? - She only teaches part-time self-employed - a self-employed person - to be self-employed freelance work for a publisher short-time work arbeiten - in der Werbebranche arbeiten - im Bankwesen ttig sein - in der Hotelbranche arbeiten - im Verlagswesen arbeiten der Ferienjob (-s) - Ich habe mehrere Ferienjobs ausgebt das Praktikum - ein Praktikum absolvieren die Ganztagsstelle; die ganztgige Arbeit - die Ganztagsbeschftigung - ganztgig arbeiten der Teilzeitjob (-s); die Teilzeitarbeit; die Teilzeitbeschftigiung (-en) - der/die Teilzeitbeschftigte - Ich arbeite nur Teilzeit - teilzeitbeschftigt - Kann ich auf Teilzeit arbeiten? - Sie unterrichtet nur stundenweise freiberuflich; selbstndig - der Freiberufler; die Freiberuflerin - freiberuflich fr eine Firma arbeiten freie Mitarbeit bei einem Verlag die Kurzarbeit
employee / white-collar worker skilled worker - semi-skilled worker - unskilled worker employer - equal opportunities employer
der/die Angestellte der Facharbeiter - die angelernte Arbeitskraft - der ungelernte Arbeiter; die ungelernte Arbeiterin der Arbeitgeber - ein Arbeitgeber, der Chancengleichheit praktiziert
English qualifications O Levels, GCSEs, Standard Grades A Levels, Higher Grades A Levels/Highers in German, French, Maths a degree (in ...) a diploma in industrial management OND (in ...) HND (in ...) MA (in ...) MBA MSc PhD (in...) Salary and conditions salary - salary increase das Gehalt - die Gehaltserhhung die mittlere Reife das Abitur (in Germany); die Matura (in Austria, Switzerland) Abitur/Matura in den Fchern Deutsch, Franzsisch, Mathematik akademischer Abschluss (in ...) Diplom in Betriebsfhrung zweijhriges Studium an einer technischen Fachschule (in...) dreijhriges Studium an einer technischen Fachschule (in...) der M.A. (in ...) der MBA (Magister in Betriebswirtschaftslehre) Magister der Naturwissenschaften (in ...) Dr. (der / des ...)
- an across the board salary increase - My present salary is X DM per annum - salaried employee - salary on application - salary review wage - minimum wage - guaranteed minimum wage - wage earner paid holidays - I have five weeks paid holiday to receive a bonus payment golden hello golden handshake contributory pension scheme employee benefits equal pay expense account expenses flexitime fringe benefits gross pay incentive scheme luncheon voucher maternity benefit maternity leave national insurance net pay
- die allgemeine Gehaltserhhung - Zur Zeit verdiene ich DM X im Jahr; Oder: Mein derzeitiges Gehalt ist DM X pro Jahr - der Gehaltsempfnger - Auskunft ber Gehalt auf Anfrage - die Gehaltsberprfung der Lohn - der Mindestlohn - der garantierte Mindestlohn - der Lohnempfnger der bezahlte Urlaub - Ich habe einen jhrlichen Anspruch auf fnf Wochen bezahlten Urlaub eine Prmie erhalten die Einstellungsprmie die hohe Abfindung bei Entlassung die beitragspflichtige Rentenversicherung Sachbezge (pl.) fr Angestellte gleicher Lohn (m.) das Spesenkonto Spesen (pl.) die Gleitzeit Lohnnebenleistungen (pl.) der Bruttolohn; das Bruttogehalt das Anreizsystem die Essensmarke das Mutterschaftsgeld der Mutterschaftsurlaub die Nationalversicherung der Nettolohn
non-contributory pension scheme paternity leave performance-related pay probationary period profit-sharing scheme redundancy agreement redundancy payment security of tenure statutory deductions take-home pay time-and-a-half
die beitragsfreie Rentenversicherung der Vaterschaftsurlaub Der leistungsbezogene Lohn die Probezeit der Gewinnbeteiligungsplan die Entlassungsvereinbarung die Entlassungsabfindung der Kndigungsschutz gesetzliche Abzge (pl.) der Nettolohn; das Nettogehalt die Arbeitszeit zu anderthalbfachem Tarif
Gehalt: ... pro Jahr zustzlich Kommission / Prmien und Firmenwagen Salary: ... p.a. plus commission / bonuses and a company car Ich wrde Ihr Angebot sehr gerne annehmen, wenn Sie bereit wren, das Gehalt auf .... zu erhhen. I would be very glad to accept your offer if you agreed to increase the salary to ... Sending a letter I'd like to send this letter... - by airmail - by registered post - express delivery - as cheaply as possible postage and packing postage rate surface mail express delivery recorded delivery Ich mchte diesen Brief ... schicken. - per Luftpost - per Einschreiben - per Express / per Eilboten - auf die billigste Art Porto und Verpackung Porto die Post auf dem Landweg / Seeweg die Eilzustellung die eingeschriebene Sendung
Datapost Freepost courier service poste restante by return of post postpaid prepaid envelope window envelope international reply coupon reply paid postcard address - business address - at the above address - sender's address: postcode P.O. Box 226 postmark "date as postmark" printed matter care of, c/o "private" "private and confidential" please forward
Datapost Freepost der Kurierdienst postlagernd postwendend portofrei der Freiumschlag der Fensterumschlag = der internationale Rckantowrtschein die Rckantwortkarte die Anschrift - die Geschftsadresse - unter obenstehender Adresse - Absender: die Postleitzahl (PLZ) Postfach 226 der Poststempel das Datum des Poststempels Drucksache (f.) per Adresse "vertraulich" "streng vertraulich" bitte nachsenden
jemandem einen Brief schicken, zusenden (to send somebody a letter) etwas mit getrennter Post senden (to send something in a separate letter) Wie lange wird dieser Brief brauchen?
(How long will this letter take to arrive?) Wie kann ich diesen Brief auf die schnellste Art schicken? (What's the quickest way of sending this letter?) Ich wei die Postleitzahl nicht. Wo knnte ich sie nachschlagen? (I don't know the postcode. Where can I look it up?) Ich lege einen frankierten Umschlag bei. (I enclose a stamped, addressed envelope) Offers and offering Wenden Sie sich bitte jederzeit an mich. (Please feel free to contact me at any time.) Ich kmmere mich gern um diese Sache. (I would be glad to take care of this matter.) Ich wre gerne bereit, das zu tun Oder: Ich wre mit Vergngen bereit, das zu tun. (I would be happy to ...) Booking accomodation Ich mchte bei Ihnen bernachtungen mit Frhstck buchen. (I would like to book bed-and-breakfast accommodation with you.) Ich wrde gerne ein Doppelzimmer fr meine Frau und mich sowie ein Zweibettzimmer fr unsere beiden Shne (beide unter 12 Jahren) reservieren. (I wish to book one double room for my wife and myself, and one twin-bedded room for our sons, who are both under 12 years of age.) Ich htte gerne ein Einzelzimmer mit Dusche fr zwei Nchte. (I'd like a single room with shower for two nights.) Ich mchte fr Herrn Namdar ein Einzelzimmer mit Bad fr die Woche nach dem 23. Februar selbst. Herr Namdar bezahlt seine Rechnung selbst. (I wish to reserve a single room with bath for one week from the 23rd February, in the
name of Herr Namdar. Herr Namdar will settle the bill himself.) Bitte betrachten Sie diese Reservierung als bindend, und halten Sie mir das Zimmer frei, auch wenn ich sehr spt am Abend ankommen sollte. (Please consider this a firm booking, and hold the room till I arrive, however late in the evening.) Ich htte gerne ein Zimmer mit Blick auf .... , wenn mglich. (If possible, I would like a room with a view of ...) Ich htte gerne ein ruhiges Zimmer. (I would like a room which isn't too noisy, please.) Was sind Ihre Preise? (What are your room rates?) Was kostet eine bernachtung mit Frhstck? (How much is a room per night, with breakfast?) Knnen Sie mir bitte ein Prospekt von Ihrem Hotel schicken? (Please send me a brochure about your hotel.) Wir wollen gegen Abend eintreffen, falls nicht dazwischenkommt. (We expect to arrive in the early evening, unless something unforeseen prevents us.) Bitte senden Sie die Rechnung an die obige Adresse. (Please send the bill to the above address.) Welche Kreditkarten nehmen Sie? (Which credit cards do you accept?) Knnen Sie mir vielleicht ein anderes Hotel empfehlen, das eventuell noch Zimmer frei hat? (Can you suggest another hotel that might have a vacancy?) Ich muss Ihnen leider mitteilen, dass ich aufgrund unvorhersehbarer Umstnde meine Zimmerreservierung fr die Woche ab dem 5. September stornieren muss.
(Owing to unforeseen circumstances, I am afraid that I must cancel the booking made with you for the week beginning September 5th.) Leider muss ich Sie bitten, meine Reservierung vom 24. August auf den 3. September umzubuchen. (I am afraid I must ask you to alter my booking from 24th August to 3rd September.) Thanks and best wishes Vielen Dank schon im voraus Oder: Ich danke Ihnen im voraus fr Ihre Bemhungen. (Thanks in anticipation) Vielen Dank, dass Sie sich die Mhe gemacht haben, mir zu schreiben. (Thank you for taking the trouble to write to me.) Ich danke Ihnen vielmals fr Ihre Zeit und Mhe. (I greatly appreciate the time and trouble which you took for us.) Ich danke Ihnen vielmals fr all Ihre Bemhungen. (Please accept my grateful thanks for all your efforts.) Application forms das Bewerbungsformular (-e); das Antragsformular (-e) (application form) ein Bewerbungsformular ausfllen (to complete an application form) Hiermit bersende ich Ihnen mein ausgeflltes Bewerbungsformular. (Please find herewith my completed application form.) Ich fge ein Bewerbungsformular bei. Bitte senden Sie es ausgefllt bis zum 10. Oktober an uns zurck. (I enclose an application form. Please fill it and return it by 10th October.)
Availability for work Ich knnte diese Stelle im Mai 2001 antreten Oder: Ich knnte Ihnen ab Mai 2001 zur Verfgung stehen. (I shall be available from May 2001.) Ich bin in unangekndigter Stellung. (I am not under notice to leave.) Ich verlasse die Firma auf eigenen Wunsch. (I am leaving the firm at my own request.) The job interview das Vorstellungsgesprch; das Einstellungsgesprch (the job interview) das Beurteilungsgesprch (appraisal interview) Ich stehe Ihnen jederzeit zu einem persnlichen Vorstellungsgesprch zur Verfgung. (I am available for a personal interview at any time.) ber ein Vorstellungsgesprch wrde ich mich sehr freuen. (I would welcome an interview.) Ich hoffe sehr, dass Sie mir die Gelegenheit zu einem persnlichen Vorstellungsgesprch gewhren werden. (I hope that you will allow me a personal interview.) Ich freue mich, Sie persnlich kennenzulernen. (I look forward to meeting you in person.) Wenn mglich, wrde ich lieber an einem Freitag zu einem Vorstellungsgesprch kommen. (If possible, I would prefer to have my interview on a Friday.) Wir mchten Sie hiermit am 20. Juni zu einem Vorstellungsgesprch bitten.
(We would be grateful if you could come here for an interview on the 20th June.) Ich komme gern am 20. Juni zu einem Vorstellungsgesprch in Ihr Bro. (I shall be delighted to attend for interview in your offices on 20th June.) Lassen Sie mich bitte wissen, ob dieser Termin Ihnen ungelegen ist. (Please let me know if this time is inconvenient.) Falls Ihnen dieser Termin nicht passt, setzen Sie sich bitte sofort mit uns in Verbindung. (Please contact us immediately if this is not convenient.) Sollte dieser Termin Ihnen ungelegen sein, wenden Sie sich bitte an meine Sekretrin zur Vereinbarung eines beiderseits akzeptablen Termins. (If this time is not convenient for you, I would appreciate it if you could let my secretary know, and I will arrange the interview for a date that it suitable for us both.)
Replying to a letter In Beantwortung Ihres Briefes (In reply to your letter) Bezug nehmend auf Ihr Schreiben vom 31 Juli ... (With reference to your letter of 31 July...) Mit Bezug auf Ihr Angebot mchten wir Sie bitten, ... (With reference to your offer we would like to ask you ...) Ich beziehe mich auf Ihre Anfrage vom 14. Februar und sende Ihnen in der Anlage ... (In response to your enquiry of the 14th February, I enclose ...) Ich nehme Bezug auf unser Gesprch vom 23. August (Further to our conversation of 23 August)
das Angebot ablehnen (to refuse the offer) Ich mchte Ihnen mitteilen, dass ich mich nach reiflicher berlegung leider gezwungen sehe, Ihr Angebot abzulehnen. (Having given your offer due consideration, I regret to say that I am forced to decline your offer.) Es tut mir wirklich leid, aber ich kann Ihr Angebot nicht annehmen. (I'm very sorry but I can't accept your offer.) Ich danke Ihnen herzlich fr die Einladung, muss aber leider ablehnen. (I'm afraid I cannot accept your kind invitation.) Es ist mir leider nicht mglich, das zu tun. (I'm afraid I will not be able to do that.) Ich bin nicht in der Lage, das zu tun. (I am not in a position to do that.) Ich kann Ihre Bitte nur unter grten Schwierigkeiten erfllen. (It will be very difficult for me to fulfil your request.)
References a reference a referee das Zeugnis (-sse); die Referenz (-en) die Referenz
Zeugnisse meiner frheren Arbeitgeber vorlegen (to provide references from my previous employers) Auf Verlangen kann ich Ihnen jederzeit Zeugnisse meiner frheren Arbeitgeber vorlegen.
Oder: Wenn Sie wnschen, kann ich Ihnen Referenzen von frheren Arbeitgebern vorlegen. (I can supply references from my previous employers, if you would like them.) Bitte setzen Sie sich nicht mit meinem derzeitigen Arbeitgeber in Verbindung. (Please do not contact my present employers.) Ich wre Ihnen sehr dankbar, wenn Sie mir gestatten wrden, Ihren Namen als Referenz nennen zu drfen. (I would very much appreciate it if I could include your name in my list of references.) Ich habe mich fr den Sommer um eine Stelle als Kellnerin beworben und wurde jetzt gebeten, ein Zeugnis vorzulegen. Wren Sie so freundlich, mir eines auszustellen? Ich wre Ihnen sehr dankbar dafr. (I have applied for a job of waitress for the summer and they have asked me to supply a reference. I wonder if you would be kind enough to write one for me? I would be very grateful.) Ich wre Ihnen sehr dankbar, wenn Sie mir so bald wie mglich ein Zeugnis ber meine Ttigkeit hier zuschicken knnten. (I would be very grateful if you would send me a reference relating to my time here as soon as possible.) Ich wre Ihnen sehr verbunden, wenn Sie mir ein Empfehlungsschreiben ausstellen knnten. (I would be very grateful if you could write a letter of recommendation on my behalf.) Da Sie mit meiner Arbeit vertraut sind, wre ich Ihnen dankbar, wenn Sie eine unparteiische Einschtzung meiner Fhigkeiten geben knnten. (As you are familiar with my work I would be grateful if you could give a fair evaluation of my capabilities.) jemandem als Referenz dienen (to be a referee for somebody) jemandem ein gutes Zeugnis ausstellen Oder: jemandem gute Referenzen ausstellen (to give somebody a good reference)
Man hat mich gebeten, ihm eine Referenz zu geben. (I have been asked to write a reference for him.) Wir wren Ihnen sehr dankbar, wenn Sie uns mitteilen knnten, ob sie Ihrer Meinung nach fr diesen Posten geeignet ist. (We would be grateful if you could let us know whether she is suitable for the post.) Knnten Sie uns bitte mitteilen, ob Sie ihn fr diese Ttigkeit empfehlen knnen? (Would you be kind enough to tell us whether you can recommend him for this post?) Ich bin gerne bereit, Ihnen nhere Auskunft ber Ellen Bogen zu geben. (I am happy to provide information about Ellen Bogen.) Ich kann Ihnen Bill Anz bestens empfehlen. (I can strongly recommend Bill Anz.) Ich bin berzeugt, dass Harry Bo fr den Posten in Ihrer Firma sehr geeignet ist. (I am convinced that Harry Bo is suitable for the post in your firm)
Documents my application documents meine Bewerbungsunterlagen (pl.) the original document a copy of a document an authenticated copy medical certificate das Originaldokument (-e) die Zeugnisabschrift; die Zeugniskopie eine beglaubigte Kopie das amtsrztliche Zeugnis
You should never send the original documents, but instead approved copies Enclosing documents
In der Anlage bersende ich Ihnen meinen Lebenslauf und Referenzen. (Please find enclosed my C.V. and references.)
In der Anlage bersende ich Ihnen die blichen Bewerbungsunterlagen. (I have enclosed the customary application documents.) Aus meinem beiliegenden Lebenslauf erfahren Sie Nheres ber meine berufliche Laufbahn. (You will learn more about my career from the CV enclosed within.) In der Anlage sende ich Ihnen einen Scheck ber DM X. (I enclose a cheque for X Marks.) Fr Ihre Rckantwort lege ich einen frankierten Umschlag bei. (I enclose a stamped, addressed envelope for your reply.) Ich lege einen (internationalen) Antwortschein bei. (I enclose an international reply coupon.) Mit getrennter Post bersende ich Ihnen ... (I am sending under separate cover ...) Training training - training course - training officer - in-house training - off-the-job training - on-the-job training - vocational training trainee; apprentice - management trainee Responsibilities Ich war verantwortlich fr die Publicity. (I was responsible for publicity.) die Ausbildung - der Ausbildungskurs - der Ausbildungsleiter - die betriebsinterne Ausbildung - die auerbetriebliche Ausbildung - die innerbetriebliche Ausbildung - die Berufsausbildung der/die Auszubildende; der Azubi - der/die Management-Auszubildende
Ich bin dafr verantwortlich, dass ... Oder: Es ist meine Aufgabe, sicherzustellen, dass ... (I am responsible for ensuring that ...) Meine Aufgabe innerhalb der Firma ist es, ... zu ..... (My role within the company is to ...) Ich kmmere mich um alle Angelegenheiten, die mit ... zu tun haben. (I deal with all matters regarding ...) Ich war fr den tglichen Broablauf verantwortlich. (I looked after the day-to-day running of the office.) Zu meinen Aufgaben gehrte auerdem die Vereinbarung weiterer Termine. (I was also responsible for arranging private appointments.) Ein Teil meines Aufgabengebiets war ... (One of my responsibilities was ...)
German qualifications Diplom (Dipl.) Dipl.-Ing Dipl.-Kfm Fachabitur FH Gesellenprfung Lehre Meisterprfung Staatsexamen = diploma after 5-6 years at university = academically qualified engineer = business school graduate = A Levels in a specific subject = qualification from a Fachhochschule = craftman's certificate = apprenticeship = master craftman's certificate = first degree required before teacher training
Accommodation / relocation expenses Wrden Sie mir bei der Wohnungssuche behilflich sein? (Would you help me to find accommodation?)
Wir werden Ihnen gerne behilflich sein, vorbergehende Unterkunft zu finden. (We will help you to find temporary accommodation.) Wir werden kostenlos vorbergehende Unterkunft fr Sie arrangieren. (We will arrange temporary accommodation for you free of charge.) Wrden Sie fr meine Umzugskosten aufkommen? (Would you cover my relocation expenses?) Wir kommen fr Umzugskosten bis zu einer Summe von ..... auf (We will cover your relocation expenses up to ...)
Telephone and fax vocabulary telephone telephone number telephone extension extension number 213 telephone box telephone directory Yellow Pages directory enquiries answering machine cardphone carphone cellular telephone cordless telephone mobile telephone pager das Telefon die Telefonnummer die Durchwahl Apparat 213 die Telefonzelle das Telefonbuch das Branchenverzeichnis; die Gelben Seiten die (Fernsprech)auskunft der Anrufbeantworter das Kartentelefon das Autotelefon das Funktelefon das schnurlose Telefon das Handy (-s) der Funkrufempfnger; die Personenrufanlage
Ich bin jederzeit unter der Telefonnummer 123-4567 zu erreichen. (I can be contacted by phone at any time at the number 123-4567.) Ich bin jederzeit ber meinen Anrufbeantworter zu erreichen. (You can leave a message on my answering machine at any time.)
Orders and compulsion Ich bin verpflichtet, Sie darauf hinzuweisen, dass... (It is my duty to point out that...) Ich sehe mich gezwungen, das zu tun. (I am obliged / forced to do this.) Man ist (dazu) verpflichtet, das zu tun. (It is compulsory to do this.) Booking accomodation (2) accommodation "accommodation offered" "accommodation wanted" adjacent rooms air conditioned alarm call balcony chambermaid to check in to check out check-out time conference facilities conference room connecting rooms dining room die Unterkunft "Fremdenzimmer" "Zimmer / Wohnung gesucht" nebeneinanderliegende Zimmer klimatisiert der Weckruf der Balkon das Zimmermdchen sich anmelden abreisen die Abreisezeit die Konferenzrumlichkeiten das Konferenzzimmer angrenzende Zimmer der Speisesaal
double room emergency exit with en suite bathroom foyer full board function suite half board hotel reservation laundry service lobby lounge meeting room mini-bar night porter non-smoking room porter receipt reception receptionist (male) receptionist (female) room rates room service secretarial services single room suite twin beds valet service Postcodes
das Doppelzimmer der Notausgang mit Bad die Empfangshalle die Vollpension die Veranstaltungsrume die Halbpension die Hotelreservierung die Wscherei die Eingangshalle der Gesellschaftsraum der Besprechungsraum die Minibar der Nachtportier das Nichtraucherzimmer der Portier die Quittung der Empfang; die Rezeption der Empfangschef; der Herr am Empfang die Empfangsdame; die Dame am Empfang die Zimmerpreise (pl.) der Zimmerservice Schreibdienste (pl.) das Einzelzimmer die Suite zwei Einzelbetten der Reinigungsdienst
Germany Germany pioneered the idea of post codes (= Postleitzahlen) back in the early sixties, and the rest of the world imitated the concept. Under the current system established after reunification all addresses have a five-digit code, and letters are directed not just to cities, but to certain parts of cities. Hence the reason why German addresses are so much shorter than British ones - the postcode supplies all the requisite information.
Dates in German Unlike English which has several variations (May 2, May 2nd, 2nd May etc.), dates in German are always written the same way - der 2. Mai. At the head of letters, the accusative form is used, preceded by the name of the place Exeter, den 2. Mai 2001. Dates written all in numbers are also found in German, particularly in business letters - e.g. Exeter, den 2.5.2001.
Monday May 2nd 2001 With reference to your letter of the 2.5.2001
Montag, der 2. Mai 2001 Bezug nehmend auf Ihr Schreiben vom 2.5.2001
Prepositions in dates "On" with days and dates is translated by "an" (+ Dative) with the definite article, conflated to "am", whether there is a definite article in English or not:
On the first of next month am nchsten Ersten "In" with months is translated by "in" (+ Dative) with the definite article, conflated to "im", whether there is a definite article in English or not:
in June
im Juni
last June voriges Jahr im Juni next June im Juni nchsten Jahres
BUT:
When giving the year when something happened in German, the year is usually given on its own without any preposition, although "im Jahre" can be added in more formal language:
She died in 1963 Sie starb 1963 Sie starb im Jahre 1963
Date of birth Current usage of "geboren" is as follows: "Ich bin geboren" is used when no other circumstances or only the place of birth are mentioned: "Ich wurde geboren" is used if further circumstances, such as the date, are given: Referring to people who are dead, either passive may be used:
I was born in Hamburg I was born in 1983 in Blubberhouses Goethe was born in 1749 in Frankfurt Date of birth: 2nd May 2001 Place of birth: Hanover Other phrases
Ich bin in Hamburg geboren Ich wurde 1983 / im Jahre 1983 in Blubberhouses geboren Goethe wurde / war 1749 in Frankfurt geboren Geburtsdatum: 02.05.2001 Geburtsort: Hannover
From next Tuesday From the 21st to the 30th It will be ready by Friday It will be ready by the 12th Around November 15th In the 1980's Writing to friends
von kommendem Dienstag an vom 21. bis zum 30. Es wird bis Freitag fertig Es wird bis zum 12. fertig um den 15. November (herum) in den Achtzigerjahren; in den 80er-Jahren
Dear Dr. Jaekel, Sehr geehrter Herr Dr. Jaekel, Ending formula: mit freundlichen Gren, Dear friends, Liebe Freunde, Ending formula: mit besten Gren,
Es grt dich / Sie..., Ending formula in each case: Herzliche Gre von deinem / Ihrem (+ Dat.)... (followed by your own name) When writing to two people you can also close by saying: "Viele Gre an euch / Sie beide".
- Liebe Gre von ... (+ Dative), Possible ending formulae: - Viele liebe Gre - Viele Gre und Ksse von deinem / eurem ...(+ Dat.)
Please note that as of August 1998, the second person singular and plural ("du" and "ihr") and their various forms ("dich", "dir" and "euch") are no longer written with an initial capital letter in letters. The polite form "Sie" is however still written with a capital letter. Envelope layout
1) Basic rules There are some basic rules to be adhered to when writing the name and address on an envelope. These are: 1) Make sure that the address is written flush left - i.e. that the first letters of each line are written directly beneath each other.
2) The street name (= "b" in our graphic) should be placed on the last line but two when writing to a foreign country, and on the last line but one when writing to an addressee in the same country as you. 3) The postcode and city/region (= "c" and "d" in our graphic) should be placed on the last line but one when writing to a foreign country, and on the very last line when writing to an addressee in the same country as you. Separate the postcode and the city/region by a single space. When writing to a German-speaking country from Britain you should always include the international abbreviation. 4) The country to which you are writing should go on the very last line of a letter abroad. 5) Do not underline any part of the address or use any graphics. 6) The Austrian post office's guide to addressing an envelope states that no blank lines should be included on an envelope. In typed or printed business mail however there is often a blank line before the place on an envelope.
2) "Absender" When sending a letter, you should always put your own name and address on the envelope. Many companies print this on the top left corner of the front of the envelope, but if you do this, make sure that this is printed in small lettering so as not to distract from the address of the person to whom you are sending the letter! On handwritten envelopes, most Germans write their own address on the back, preceded by the word "Absender:". International Postcodes
International abbreviations As well as the four/five digit postcodes which determine cities and regions, you should also preface the postcode on a letter heading overseas with the appropriate international abbreviation (= internationales Kennzeichen) for the country where the addressee lives. Thus a letter to Germany might bear the postcode: D-05067. A letter to Austria might bear the postcode: A-9010. A letter to Switzerland might bear the postcode: CH-4012. A letter to Liechtenstein might bear the postcode: FL-9490. The following countries would prefer you to include their international abbreviation in letters posted from overseas:
A B
Austria Belgium
L LT LV MC MD MK N P PL RD RO S SI SK TN TR V YU
Luxembourg Lithuania Latvia Monaco Moldova Macedonia Norway Portugal Poland Dominican Republic Romania Sweden Slovenia Slovakia Tunisia Turkey Vatican City Yugoslavia
BG Bulgaria CH Switzerland CY Cyprus CZ D E EE F FL Czech Republic Germany Spain Estonia France Liechtenstein
DK Denmark
FIN Finland FO Faroe Islands GR Greece H HT I IS Hungary Haiti Italy Iceland HR Croatia
When sending a letter from one place in Germany to another, there is no need to add the international abbreviation. How to write a CV Introduction As with the letter of application, a German CV should be brief - one side, at most two. Unless otherwise stipulated, the CV should be typewritten and set out as a table (= "der tabellarische Lebenslauf"). Thus the requisite headings should appear on the left of the page followed on the right by a brief keyword description of your personal details. The advantages for an employer are clear: the information is clearly set out, and comparisons between candidates are much easier. The following information should be included (usually in this order): 1) Personal data ("die persnlichen Daten")
Number of children Kinderzahl: 2) School Education List all the schools which you attended and the years that you were there. After the name of each school, it would make sense to indicate in German which type of establishment this was - e.g. "Grundschule", "Gymnasium". You should also list all qualifications gained, again followed by the appopriate German equivalent in brackets - e.g. "Abitur", "Mittlere Reife". See the specific vocabulary section for help in this. 3) University career ("das Studium")
Name and location of university Name und Ort der Universitt: Subject(s) studied Studienfach:
(Main emphasis of studies) (Subject of dissertation) Level of qualification (Expected academic grade) You might also wish to list:
Terms spent abroad Auslandssemester: Year spent abroad Awards Publications Auslandsjahr: Frderpreise: Verffentlichungen: Postgraduate Studies Postgraduierte Studien:
4) Work experience ("Berufliche Ttigkeiten; Berufserfahrung") List any jobs which you have already had, and the dates of each employment. Although you may not have had much work experience at this point, the more jobs you can supply, the more active a person you appear. 5) Other skills ("Besondere Kenntnisse") Or in other words, anything impressive which you haven't managed to fit into the previous categories. This should include knowledge of foreign languages ("Sprachkenntnisse"), other than those which you have indicated on your earlier degree information. Be as specific as possible. The phrase "zwei Jahre Spanischunterricht" is less likely to convince a company than an honest assessment of your actual standard - e.g. "Grundkenntnisse in Italienisch" (a basic knowledge of Italian). It is better still to mention specific certificates which you have attained, particularly if they are business-related such as the "Cambridge Certificate for International Business and Trade". If you have attended a "Business German" course at the Foreign Language Centre, here would be the ideal place to mention it! Other skills which you might care to mention:
PC-Kenntnisse: Fhrerschein:
6) Hobbies ("Hobbys") Be sensible here - the aim is to show that you are a well-balanced individual with cultural and sporting inclinations and NOT somebody with so many extracurricular activities that work responsibilties would merely get in the way of your social life. Try to reduce the number of hobbies that you list to ones where you held positions of responsibility or achieved something tangible - e.g. Mitgliedschaft in universitren und aueruniversitren Vereinen (= membership of university societies and non-university groupings). 7) Date and place ("Ort und Datum") At the bottom of your CV you should give the name of the town in which you are writing the form, followed by a comma and the date - e.g. "Exeter, 01.10.2000". 8) Signature ("Unterschrift") Finally sign your CV in your own handwriting and on the left-hand side of the page. Beneath that you should then print your name. 9) Photograph ("Lichtbild") If there is not a specific place on an application form for a photograph of yourself then you should attach one on the first page of the CV, if possible in the top right hand corner. German employers tend to be quite picky about the quality of picture required - the quality of picture is deemed to correspond to the seriousness of your application. A passport picture will NOT suffice, and it should be slightly larger than that in size (4 x 5cm). Whether you choose a colour or a black and white picture is a matter of taste. The photograph The photograph "Das Lichtbild" If there is not a specific place on an application form for a photograph of yourself then you should affix one on the first page of the CV, if possible in the top right hand corner. German employers tend to be quite picky about the quality of picture required - the quality of picture is deemed to correspond to the seriousness of your application. A passport picture will not suffice, and it should be slightly bigger than this in size (4 x 5cm). Whether you choose a colour or a black and white picture is a matter of taste. On the letter of application itself, you should list the picture as one of the items enclosed, even if it is attached to the CV. photograph passport photo black and white picture das Lichtbild (-er); das Bewerbungsfoto (-s) das Passfoto das Schwarzweifoto
colour picture
das Farbfoto
Das Lichtbild auf dem Bewerbungsbogen leicht ankleben! (Please stick the picture onto the application form.) Das Lichtbild stellt den ersten optischen Eindruck Ihrer Person dar. (The photograph gives the first visual impression of your character.)
You should never send the original documents, but instead approved copies Qualifications - general die Qualifikationen (pl.) (qualifications) Meine Qualifikationen sind folgende: (My qualifications are briefly as follows:)
Ich habe die erforderlichen Qualifikationen fr die Stelle. (I have the necessary qualifications for the job.) Ich beendete meine schulische Laufbahn 1999. (I left school in 1999.) Ich graduierte von der Universitt Exeter in dem Fach moderne Sprachen (Deutsch & Franzsisch). (I graduated from Exeter University with a degree in Modern Languages (German & French).) University vocabulary Exeter University at Exeter University to enrol at a university first-year student before starting University after graduating in 1999 die Universitt Exeter an der Universitt Exeter sich an einer Universitt einschreiben Student(in) im ersten Jahr bevor ich mit meinem Universittsstudium begann nach meiner Graduierung 1999
Als Teil meines Universittsstudiums wrde ich gerne 6 Monate in Deutschland arbeiten. As part of my university course, I would like to work in Germany for approximately 6 months.
Ich graduierte von der Universitt Exeter in dem Fach moderne Sprachen (Deutsch & Franzsisch). I graduated from Exeter University with a degree in Modern Languages (German & French). Work experience "previous employment" die Berufsbezeichnung der Ferienjob (-s) Dienstjahre (pl.) "berufliche Ttigkeiten" job title holiday job length of service
Meine offizielle Berufsbezeichnung ist ... (My official job title is ...) Ich arbeite zur Zeit in diesem Bereich. (I am currently working in this field.) Ich bin seit 5 Jahren hier ttig. (I have been working here for 5 years.) Ich bin seit 1998 in dieser Stelle. (I started the job in 1998.) Seit vier Jahren bin ich als Sekretrin in einer aufstrebenden kleinen Firma ttig. (I have been a secretary in a small but ambitious company for 4 years.) Die letzten sechs Jahre war ich in der Exportabteilung von EMI ttig. (I was working in the export dept. of EMI for the last 6 years.) Ich habe die ntige Erfahrung fr diese Stelle. (I have the necessary experience for this job.)
Erfahrung in diesem Bereich ist erwnscht, aber nicht unbedingt erforderlich. (Experience in the field is preferable but not essential.) Ich verfge ber Berufserfahrung in der Werbebranche. (I have experience of working in advertising.) Ich verfge ber 2 Jahre Broerfahrung. Oder: Ich habe zwei Jahre Broerfahrung. (I have 2 years experience of office work.) Ich habe drei Jahre Erfahrung in diesem Bereich. (I have 3 years experience of this kind of work.) viel Berufserfahrung im Bankwesen haben (to have a lot of experience in banking) Ich habe zwar keine Erfahrung auf diesem speziellen Fachgebiet, habe aber ... (Although I have no experience of this type of work, I have ....) Ich bin ausgebildeter Ingenieur. (I was trained as an engineer.) Durch die dadurch gewonnenen Erfahrungen bin ich mit den Aufgaben einer Sekretrin bestens vertraut. (Thanks to this experience I am thoroughly familiar with the job of secretary.) Ich habe mehrere Ferienjobs ausgebt. (I have had many holiday jobs.) in meiner Funktion als Richter Oder: in meiner Eigenschaft als Richter (in my function as judge) Curriculum vitae: things to include abroad: - year abroad im Ausland: - das Auslandsjahr
- term abroad activities: - activities outside work - cultural activities - sporting activities address birth: - date of birth - place of birth dissertation - dissertation topic education: - school education - university education "enclosed" grant (university) job experience marital status: - single - married mark: - overall mark membership name: - full name photograph postgraduate studies skills: - computer skills - language skills - multimedia skills - other skills
- das Auslandssemester Ttigkeiten (pl.): - nebenberufliche Ttigkeiten - kulturelle Ttigkeiten - sportliche Ttigkeiten die Anschrift die Geburt: - das Geburtsdatum - der Geburtsort die Diplomarbeit - das Diplomarbeitsthema die Ausbildung: - die Schulbildung - das Studium "Anlage" das Stipendium berufliche Ttigkeiten (pl.) der Familienstand: - unverheiratet; ledig - verheiratet die Note: - die Gesamtnote die Mitgliedschaft der Name: - der vollstndige Name das Lichtbild postgraduatierte Studien (pl.) Kenntnisse (pl.): - PC-Kenntnisse (pl.) - Fremdsprachenkenntnisse (pl.) - Multimedia-Kenntnisse (pl.) - sonstige Kenntnisse (pl.)
society, club: - a University society - a non-University society subject studied telephone number work experience Enclosing documents
der Verein: - ein universitrer Verein - ein aueruniversitrer Verein das Studienfach die Telefonnummer das Praktikum
In der Anlage bersende ich Ihnen meinen Lebenslauf und Referenzen. (Please find enclosed my C.V. and references.) In der Anlage bersende ich Ihnen die blichen Bewerbungsunterlagen. (I have enclosed the customary application documents.) Aus meinem beiliegenden Lebenslauf erfahren Sie Nheres ber meine berufliche Laufbahn. (You will learn more about my career from the CV enclosed within.) In der Anlage sende ich Ihnen einen Scheck ber DM X. (I enclose a cheque for X Marks.) Fr Ihre Rckantwort lege ich einen frankierten Umschlag bei. (I enclose a stamped, addressed envelope for your reply.) Ich lege einen (internationalen) Antwortschein bei. (I enclose an international reply coupon.) Mit getrennter Post bersende ich Ihnen ... (I am sending under separate cover ...)
A Levels, Higher Grades A Levels/Highers in German, French, Maths a degree (in ...) a diploma in industrial management OND (in ...) HND (in ...) MA (in ...) MBA MSc PhD (in...) Language skills
das Abitur (in Germany); die Matura (in Austria, Switzerland) Abitur/Matura in den Fchern Deutsch, Franzsisch, Mathematik akademischer Abschluss (in ...) Diplom in Betriebsfhrung zweijhriges Studium an einer technischen Fachschule (in...) dreijhriges Studium an einer technischen Fachschule (in...) der M.A. (in ...) der MBA (Magister in Betriebswirtschaftslehre) Magister der Naturwissenschaften (in ...) Dr. (der / des ...)
Englisch ist meine Muttersprache. (English is my first language.) Haben Sie irgendwelche Sprachkenntnisse? (Do you know any languages?) Ich habe gute mndliche und schriftliche deutsche Sprachkenntnisse. (I speak and write German well.) Ich spreche flieend Deutsch. (I speak fluent German.) Meine Deutschkenntnisse sind ziemlich eingerostet. (My German is a little rusty.) Mein Handelsdeutsch erwarb ich am Goethe-Institut in London. (I learned business German at the Goethe Institute in London.)
Ich habe gute Anfangskenntnisse im Italienischen. (I have some knowledge of Italian.) Ich habe Grundkenntnisse in Russisch. (I have a working knowledge of Russian.) Ich habe Kurse in Spanisch und Franzsisch mit Erfolg belegt. (I have successfully taken courses in Spanish and French.) Ich kann Schwedisch lesen. (I can read Swedish.) Ich verstehe kein Griechisch. (I don't understand Greek.) Ich mchte meine Sprachkenntnisse verbessern. (I want to improve my language.) Ich wrde meine Sprachkenntnisse gerne etwas mehr einsetzen. (I would like to make better use of my languages.) deutschen Sprachunterricht erteilen (to give German lessons) einen Text aus dem Deutschen ins Englische bersetzen. (to translate a text from German into English) Ich kann nicht gut bersetzen. (I'm not very good at translation.) die zweisprachige Sekretrin (bilingual secretary) Types of work to work - to work in advertising arbeiten - in der Werbebranche arbeiten
- to work in banking - to work in the hotel industry - to work in publishing holiday job - I have had many holiday jobs work placement - to go on a work placement full-time job - full-time occupation - to work full-time part-time job - part-time worker - I'm only working part-time - employed part-time - Can I do the job part-time? - She only teaches part-time self-employed - a self-employed person - to be self-employed freelance work for a publisher short-time work employee / white-collar worker skilled worker - semi-skilled worker - unskilled worker employer - equal opportunities employer
- im Bankwesen ttig sein - in der Hotelbranche arbeiten - im Verlagswesen arbeiten der Ferienjob (-s) - Ich habe mehrere Ferienjobs ausgebt das Praktikum - ein Praktikum absolvieren die Ganztagsstelle; die ganztgige Arbeit - die Ganztagsbeschftigung - ganztgig arbeiten der Teilzeitjob (-s); die Teilzeitarbeit; die Teilzeitbeschftigiung (-en) - der/die Teilzeitbeschftigte - Ich arbeite nur Teilzeit - teilzeitbeschftigt - Kann ich auf Teilzeit arbeiten? - Sie unterrichtet nur stundenweise freiberuflich; selbstndig - der Freiberufler; die Freiberuflerin - freiberuflich fr eine Firma arbeiten freie Mitarbeit bei einem Verlag die Kurzarbeit der/die Angestellte der Facharbeiter - die angelernte Arbeitskraft - der ungelernte Arbeiter; die ungelernte Arbeiterin der Arbeitgeber - ein Arbeitgeber, der Chancengleichheit praktiziert
Skills skills computer skills - data processing skills - I am familiar with word processors - I am familiar with Word 6.0 - I am familiar with DataBase3 I can type well - typing speed - typewritten driving licence - I've lost my driving licence my organisational ability my sound knowledge of the field to come up to your expectations Kenntnisse (pl.) PC-Kenntnisse (pl.) - EDV-Kenntnisse (pl.) - Ich bin mit der Textverarbeitung vertraut - Textverarbeitung (Word 6.0) ist mir gelufig - DataBase3 ist mir gelufig Ich kann gut Maschine schreiben - die Schreibgeschwindigkeit - Maschine geschrieben der Fhrerschein - mir wurde der Fhrerschein entzogen mein organisatorisches Knnen meine fundierten Sachkenntnisse (pl.) Ihren Erwartungen entsprechen
Ich bin stets bemht, meine beruflichen Kenntnisse zu verbessern. (I have always tried to improve my career skills.) Ich besuchte Kurse in Betriebswirtschaft und Datenverarbeitung. (I have taken courses in business management and data processing.) Ich habe einen Abendkurs in Broorganisation belegt. (I have taken a night-school course in office management.) Spezialkenntnisse (pl.) auf dem Fachgebiet der Psychologie (Special knowledge in the field of psychology) Ich bin sicher, dass ich alle mir anvertrauten Aufgaben als Sekretrin zu Ihrer vollsten Zufriedenheit ausben wrde. (I am confident that I could fulfil all the tasks which you would require of a secretary.)
Sie hat die ihr bertragenen Aufgaben stets zur vollsten Zufriedenheit erledigt. (She carried out her work to our complete satisfaction.)
Personal qualities competent hard-working punctual reliable trustworthy kompetent fleiig pnktlich zuverlssig vertrauenswrdig
conscientious gewissenhaft
Ich bin kontaktfreudig. (I am an outgoing person.) Er ist ein uerst zuverlssiger Mitarbeiter. (He is a thoroughly reliable worker.) Ich habe Freude am selbstndigen Arbeiten. (I like taking responsibility.) Ich bin pflichtbewusst. (I have a sense of responsibility.) Im Umgang mit seinen Kollegen zeigte er sich stets hilfsbereit. (He was always helpful to his colleagues.) meine sorgfltige Arbeitsweise (a careful approach to my work) German qualifications
Diplom (Dipl.) Dipl.-Ing Dipl.-Kfm Fachabitur FH Gesellenprfung Lehre Meisterprfung Staatsexamen Training training - training course - training officer
= diploma after 5-6 years at university = academically qualified engineer = business school graduate = A Levels in a specific subject = qualification from a Fachhochschule = craftman's certificate = apprenticeship = master craftman's certificate = first degree required before teacher training
die Ausbildung - der Ausbildungskurs - der Ausbildungsleiter - die betriebsinterne Ausbildung - die auerbetriebliche Ausbildung - die innerbetriebliche Ausbildung - die Berufsausbildung der/die Auszubildende; der Azubi - der/die Management-Auszubildende
- in-house training - off-the-job training - on-the-job training - vocational training trainee; apprentice - management trainee Responsibilities
Ich war verantwortlich fr die Publicity. (I was responsible for publicity.) Ich bin dafr verantwortlich, dass ... Oder: Es ist meine Aufgabe, sicherzustellen, dass ... (I am responsible for ensuring that ...) Meine Aufgabe innerhalb der Firma ist es, ... zu ..... (My role within the company is to ...) Ich kmmere mich um alle Angelegenheiten, die mit ... zu tun haben.
(I deal with all matters regarding ...) Ich war fr den tglichen Broablauf verantwortlich. (I looked after the day-to-day running of the office.) Zu meinen Aufgaben gehrte auerdem die Vereinbarung weiterer Termine. (I was also responsible for arranging private appointments.) Ein Teil meines Aufgabengebiets war ... (One of my responsibilities was ...)
Model CV (1)
Lebenslauf Name: Anschrift: Martina Mustermann Im Spektefeld 23 D-13307 Berlin Telefonnummer: Geburtsdatum: Geburtsort: Eltern: 0123/45678 5. Juni 1983 Halle Erwin Mustermann, Maurermeister Lena Mustermann, Erzieherin
Schulbildung:
September 1993 - Juli 1995 Pestalozzi-Hauptschule Musterstadt seit September 1995 Hermann-Hesse-Realschule Musterstadt Schulabschluss: Lieblingsfcher: Auerschulische Ttigkeiten: Mittlere Reife voraussichtlich im Juli 1999 Mathematik, Englisch seit Juni 1996 Leiterin der Jugendgruppe "Kleine Schwalben" Juli 1998 Betriebspraktikum bei der Wieauchimmer GmbH Besondere Kenntnisse: Maschinenschreiben Textverarbeitung mit Word for Windows
Hobbys: Berufswunsch:
Model CV (2)
Alexandrinenstrae 43a D-10969 Berlin Tel: 030/123 4567 Geboren: Familienstand: 15.9.1962 in Braunschweig Verheiratet seit 1990, 3 Kinder
Schulbildung:
Studium:
Berufliche Ttigkeiten:
Juli 1989 - Juni 1991 Auslandsaufenthalt New York Freie Mitarbeit bei Reuters News Agency Seit Juli 1991 Personaldirektor bei der Spielwarenfirma Kinderschreck GmbH in Berlin-Neuklln
Kenntnisse:
PC-Kenntnisse (Textverarbeitung und Tabellenkalulation) Gute mndliche und schriftliche englische und franzsische Sprachkenntnisse Anfangskenntnisse Japanisch Fhrerschein Klasse 3
Model CV (3)
LEBENSLAUF NAME: ANSCHRIFT: Duncan George Disorderly 12 Letsby Avenue Exeter EX2 4QQ England Tel:(0044) 1392 987654 E-Mail: D.Disorderly@exeter.ac.uk GEBURTSDATUM: GEBURTSORT: 19.06.1975 Sellafield, England
AUSBILDUNG: 1986-1993 Queen Mary's Girls School, Sellafield (Gymnasium) Mai 1993 4 A Levels: German, French, Maths, Physics (Abitur in 4 Fchern: Deutsch, Franzsisch, Mathematik, Physik) 1993-1997 BSc in Mechanical Engineering II.1 (Diplom in Maschinenbau) Universitt Exeter 1997-1998 Master of Business Administration (Magister in Betriebswirtschaftslehre) Universitt Exeter
BERUFLICHE TTIGKEITEN: Juni 1998 - Juli 1998 Trainee Salesman (Firmenpraktikant) Marko Tredup KG, Hamburg Juli 1998 - heute Deputy Export Manager (Stellvertretender Leiter der Exportabteilung)
HOBBYS: SPRACHKENNTNISSE:
In meiner Freizeit leite ich eine Jugendgruppe Englisch (Muttersprache) Deutsch (flieend) Franzsisch (gute mndliche und schriftliche Kenntnisse)
WEITERE INFORMATIONEN:
PC-Kenntnisse Fhrerschein
Model CV (4)
Lebenslauf
Persnliche Daten Name: Nina Muster Adresse: Musterstr. 5 12345 Musterstadt Telefon: 0814 / 4711 Geburtsdatum: 5.10.1981
Geburtsort: Musterstadt Staatsangehrigkeit: deutsch Familienstand: ledig Eltern: Vater: Felix Muster, Bauingenieur Mutter: Beate Muster, geb. Glck, Hausfrau Geschwister: Bruder: Dennis Muster Geboren am: 13.05.1985
Schulische Daten September 1987 - Juli 1991: Musterschule Musterhausen Seit September 1991: Gymnasium von Musterhausen Juni 1999: Schulabschlu Abitur Lieblingsfcher: Physik, Mathematik, Geschichte
Firma XY Geschftsfhrung Herrn Jrg Klein Detmolder Strae 3 40213 Dsseldorf Beispielstadt, den 17. Januar 1999 Meine Bewerbung bei der XXXXX Sehr geehrter Herr Klein, Ihre Gesellschaften gehren zu einem der grten und wachstumsstrksten Unternehmen der Branche und bieten in Anzeigen immer wieder attraktive Aufgaben an. Ich knnte mir vorstellen, da Ihr Haus qualifizierten Fach- und Fhrungskrften auch darber hinaus interessante Perspektiven aufzeigen kann. Deshalb bewerbe ich mich bei Ihrer Unternehmensgruppe. Als Volljurist und gelernter "Sachmann" mit fundierten und zugleich vielseitigen Erfahrungen in der Branche, im Innen- und Auendienst, interessiere ich mich fr eine neue Aufgabe bei einem namhaften xxxx. Zehn Jahre bei der xxxx und etwa zweieinhalb Jahre bei einem xxxx Unternehmen sind meine Ausgangsposition. Fr den Einstieg stelle ich mir vor, eine Funktion im Auendienst zu bernehmen und denke dabei an den Vertrieb fr den privaten oder industriell, gewerblichen Bereich. So knnte ich wieder an meine bei der xxxx ausgebten Ttigkeit anknpfen. Aber auch ein anderer Weg, mit der Chance, Neues dazuzulernen, wrde mich sehr reizen. Vielleicht ergibt sich vor dem Hintergrund der aktuellen Entwicklung auf dem Gebiet des xxxx eine solche Mglichkeit im Bereich xxxx. Einschlgige Berufserfahrungen auf diesem Gebiet sind bei mir vorhanden. Gerne sende ich Ihnen, wie telefonisch vereinbart, mit diesem Schreiben meine Bewerbungsunterlagen. Ich wrde mich sehr freuen, wenn Sie die Einsatzmglichkeiten fr mich in Ihrem Hause prfen knnten. Mit freundlichen Gren xxxx Anlagen: Lichtbild, Lebenslauf, Zeugniskopie
Good unsolicited applications are personalised - i.e. the intended addressee of the letter is mentioned with both Christian name and surname in the firm's address. By simply writing to "the management", the applicant sends a negative signal. He has clearly not taken time to investigate the company and find out the name of its employees. In unsolicited applications, the letter-writer must seek the shortest possible path to the decision-maker in the department in which he seeks to work. Writing directly to a Head of Department often yields more positive results in Germany than simple writing to personnel departments. The reason for writing (Betreffzeile) is not punchy enough. The name of the firm can be taken for granted - why does the applicant not simply write "Bewerbung Vertriebsleiter" (Application for the post of Sales Manager), thus immediately telling the recipient which post he is interested in? As there as already been telephone contact between applicant and addressee, the "Betreffzeile" should be completed by the line "Unser Telefonat vom ..." (Re: Our telephone call of ...) so as to remind the recipient that he knows this man. This letterwriter only mentions the phone call in the final paragraph - by which time the company representative may well have thrown his letter in the bin! And if we assume that the function of the telephone call was to see if the firm needed a sales manager, the opening paragraph is very vague and does not suggest that the applicant knows that an opportunity might be available. A much better opening paragraph would therefore be: "Sie teilten mir mit, dass Sie im Bereich der gewerblich / industriellen Kunden expandieren wollen. Hierbei knnte ich Sie durch meine langjhrige Erfahrung auf diesem Gebiet untersttzen. Daher bewerbe ich mich." The main function of a letter of application should be to communicate the applicant's experience and skills as concisely and punchily as possible. Here again our letter-writer is found wanting, using too many relative clauses and over-complex sentences. The reader's attention naturally wanders, particularly if he/she has to read many such letters per day. Crisp (German) sentences should ideally be no longer than eight or nine words. Another error on behalf of the letter-writer is to talk in too much detail about the benefits of a new job for him. He should instead concentrate upon delineating what expertise he can offer the company. In unsolicited applications at least three positions of responsibility which the applicant has held should be mentioned - but only if they are relevant to the post itself Perhaps the most serious mistake is in the fourth paragraph, where the applicant undoes all his good work by suggesting another area in the company in which he would be prepared to work. In trying to display his flexibility, he instead inadvertently signals both career uncertainty and a degree of desperation to the reader! For clarity's sake, stick to applying for one particular post.
The idea of listing the enclosed items next to each other, instead of beneath each other as is usual, is perfectly acceptable in longish letters where the dangers of going on to a new sheet of paper is present. Model Letter 2 How effective is this letter of application? The form of letter heading is very compact and provides more room for the main body of the text - a detail depiction of the person applying for the post. It is by no means the most conventional of letter headings, but as formal requirements are met, it is acceptable. BUT there is no "Betreffzeile" - the brief key-word explanation of the purpose of the letter which should come before the body of the text. A minus point! Nor has the applicant remembered to list the documents which she has enclosed - another black mark. To the content: A plus point is the way in which the text is split up into clear and concise sections, which makes it easy to read. Note too how the writer of the letter relates the various elements of her career so as to give a clear sense of purpose and direction. The application for this job thus seems like a logical conclusion, and not a whim. Equally strong is the reference in the first line to a concrete episode, a conversation which the applicant had with the person to whom she is writing (and the fact what she has remembered her name is another advantage!). The conclusion of the letter is not exactly creative - but then there are no prizes for creativity in letters of application. The traditional formulae of greetings and good wishes are a safe option - particularly for non-native German speakers! Translation of Anna Morgner's letter of application Dear Ms Haupt, We have already exchanged initial details at your company's "Milk Round" presentation at the University of Cologne on the 6th May 1997. I was especially pleased to discover how much emphasis you placed on personality as opposed to the by now standard intellectual excellence. For in all my activities I have concentrated precisely upon personality development. Thus I was able to complete my psychology degree with a very high level of success and graduated from business school in eight terms. In order to not only possess theoretical knowledge, I looked for practical challenges, avoiding the circuitous route. In my function as assistant to the commercial manager of the Bau GmbH, I was required to display not only my knowledge of the field but above all social competence in completing the tasks allocated to me and a good deal of common sense. How good it is therefore that the motto of the "Kaufbank" is thinking on your feet. In my capacity as assistant, I fulfilled tasks on projects such as the introduction of a new
accounting system for building-sites, but also carried out the myriad chores of everyday working life. In accordance with my special subjects, my dissertation topic centred on the area of financing and investment accounting. the dissertation title "The private financing of municipal properties" and my specialised subjects of investment / financing and banking complement each other to form the perfect basis for starting out with the "Kaufbank". As a continuation of my previous efforts and of the possibilities for development offered by the "Kaufbank" through its focus on the areas of financing and real estate, I would like to start climbing the career ladder with you. The "Kaufbank", which requires charisma and the ability to think on your feet, and myself, who can offer both of these qualities, make a perfect combination in my eyes. If you also see it this way, I would be grateful for the opportunity of an interview. Yours faithfully,
Anna Morgner Model Letter 3 Guildo Horn Dieffenbachstrae 28 D-10967 Berlin Frau Christiane Schindler Fremdspracheninstitut Bettinastrae 9-11 D-14193 Berlin Berlin, 5. November 1998 Bewerbung Sehr geehrte Frau Schindler, von meinem Kollegen Ben Dover, der bis vor kurzem bei Ihnen beschftigt war, wei ich, dass Sie im kommenden Mrz neue Mitarbeiter einstellen wollen. Ich bin derzeit als Lehrer fr Deutsch als Fremdsprache bei einem Fremdspracheninstitut in Potsdam beschftigt. Da mein Vertrag jedoch auf Ende Dezember dieses Jahres befristet ist, suche ich nach einem neuen Bettigungsfeld.
Wie Sie meinem Lebenslauf entnehmen knnen, bringe ich die notwendigen Qualifikationen sowie einschlgige Berufserfahrung mit. Zu einem Vorstellungsgesprch stehe ich ab dem 18. Dezember jederzeit zur Verfgung. Sie knnen mich ab diesem Datum unter der folgenden Adresse erreichen: c/o Strittmatter Herzbergstrae 79 D-10365 Berlin Tel: (030) 5 47 20 Mit freundlichen Gren (handschriftlich unterschrieben)
Model Letter 4 Claudia Schiffer Niederwallstrae 10 70715 Stuttgart Softwarehaus Fiducia AG Dieselstrae 1 76227 Karlsruhe Stuttgart, 23. Mrz 1999 Bewerbung Sehr geehrte Damen und Herren, ich wende mich an Sie in der Hoffnung, dass Sie mir eventuell eine Stelle anbieten knnen. Wie Sie meinem Lebenslauf entnehmen knnen, verfge ich ber betrchtliche Berufserfahrung. Ich bin derzeit auf der Basis eines demnchst auslaufenden Zeitvertrags bei der Firma Evocom Informationssysteme GmbH in Stuttgart ttig und habe nun den Wunsch, in einem kleinen Team hier im Karlsruher Raum zu arbeiten. Ich hoffe, von Ihnen zu hren, und wrde Ihnen gerne auch Arbeitsproben vorlegen.
Walter Wall-Carpeting
Asking someone to send a reference to an employer Letter asking a referee to send a reference directly to a potential employer Sehr geehrter Frau Kovacec, ich bewerbe mich um den Posten der zweisprachigen Fremdsprachensekretrin bei Haut Como Cosmetic GmbH in Saarbrcken. Da Sie mich zur Fortfhrung meines Studiums der deutschen Sprache in jeglicher Weise anspornten und mir bei der Vorbereitung der Abschlussprfung beim Goethe-Institut behilflich waren, wre ich Ihnen sehr verbunden, wenn Sie mir ein Empfehlungsschreiben ausstellen knnten. Anbei sende ich Ihnen einen frankierten Briefumschlag, adressiert an Herrn Jansen, dem Personalleiter bei Haut Como Cosmetic GmbH. Mit freundlichen Gr Stella R. Trois Vocabulary a reference a referee das Zeugnis (-sse); die Referenz (-en) die Referenz
Zeugnisse meiner frheren Arbeitgeber vorlegen (to provide references from my previous employers) Auf Verlangen kann ich Ihnen jederzeit Zeugnisse meiner frheren Arbeitgeber vorlegen. Oder: Wenn Sie wnschen, kann ich Ihnen Referenzen von frheren Arbeitgebern vorlegen. (I can supply references from my previous employers, if you would like them.) Bitte setzen Sie sich nicht mit meinem derzeitigen Arbeitgeber in Verbindung. (Please do not contact my present employers.) Ich wre Ihnen sehr dankbar, wenn Sie mir gestatten wrden, Ihren Namen als
Referenz nennen zu drfen. (I would very much appreciate it if I could include your name in my list of references.) Ich habe mich fr den Sommer um eine Stelle als Kellnerin beworben und wurde jetzt gebeten, ein Zeugnis vorzulegen. Wren Sie so freundlich, mir eines auszustellen? Ich wre Ihnen sehr dankbar dafr. (I have applied for a job of waitress for the summer and they have asked me to supply a reference. I wonder if you would be kind enough to write one for me? I would be very grateful.) Ich wre Ihnen sehr dankbar, wenn Sie mir so bald wie mglich ein Zeugnis ber meine Ttigkeit hier zuschicken knnten. (I would be very grateful if you would send me a reference relating to my time here as soon as possible.) Ich wre Ihnen sehr verbunden, wenn Sie mir ein Empfehlungsschreiben ausstellen knnten. (I would be very grateful if you could write a letter of recommendation on my behalf.) Da Sie mit meiner Arbeit vertraut sind, wre ich Ihnen dankbar, wenn Sie eine unparteiische Einschtzung meiner Fhigkeiten geben knnten. (As you are familiar with my work I would be grateful if you could give a fair evaluation of my capabilities.) jemandem als Referenz dienen (to be a referee for somebody) jemandem ein gutes Zeugnis ausstellen Oder: jemandem gute Referenzen ausstellen (to give somebody a good reference) Man hat mich gebeten, ihm eine Referenz zu geben. (I have been asked to write a reference for him.) Wir wren Ihnen sehr dankbar, wenn Sie uns mitteilen knnten, ob sie Ihrer Meinung nach fr diesen Posten geeignet ist. (We would be grateful if you could let us know whether she is suitable for the post.) Knnten Sie uns bitte mitteilen, ob Sie ihn fr diese Ttigkeit empfehlen knnen?
(Would you be kind enough to tell us whether you can recommend him for this post?) Ich bin gerne bereit, Ihnen nhere Auskunft ber Ellen Bogen zu geben. (I am happy to provide information about Ellen Bogen.) Ich kann Ihnen Bill Anz bestens empfehlen. (I can strongly recommend Bill Anz.) Ich bin berzeugt, dass Harry Bo fr den Posten in Ihrer Firma sehr geeignet ist. (I am convinced that Harry Bo is suitable for the post in your firm)
Letters of application
How to write letters of application How to write a letter of application ("Wie schreibt man ein Bewerbungsanschreiben?") An ideal letter of application should cover one side of paper, and certainly no more than a side and a half. It must be typewritten, using an easily legible font (Times New Roman, Arial). Font size should be between 10-12 cpi. A laser printed version on high quality A4 paper is also essential. The following elements are essential for a letter of application: 1) Letter heading (Der Briefkopf) This should be placed on the left hand side of the paper (= linksbndig). It should include your own address ("die Anschrift") and telephone number ("die Telefonnummer"). You may also wish to include a fax number ("die Faxnummer") or E-Mail address ("die EMail-Adresse"). Then leave 2/3 lines of space. Be logical here: it is no use asking a German firm to contact you at an Exeter E-Mail address if you are not going to be here to answer it! 2) Address of the firm This should again be on the left hand side of the page (= linksbndig). The more precise you can make this the better. If you know the name and the post of the person to whom you are writing, you should include this. If not, try and specify a department of the company - e.g. "Personalabteilung" (= "personnel department"). A vague instruction such as "An die Geschftsfhrung" (= "To the management") suggests apathy and lack of initiative on behalf of the applicant.
3) Place and date (Ort und Datum) This should be on the right hand side of the page (= rechtsbndig). The town where you are writing the letter comes first, followed by a comma and then the date - e.g. Exeter, 1. Oktober 2000. 4) Reason for writing (die Betreffzeile) This should be on the left hand side of the page - as should all subsequent components of your letter. Here is where you give the reason for your application. This should be short and given in key words (= stichwortartig). Thus if you are applying for the job of sales manager, the words Bewerbung Vertriebsleiter" will suffice, as opposed to a vague formulation such as "Meine Bewerbung bei der Firma XXXX". Do not write the German word for concerning - "Betreff" - itself! If you have already been in telephone contact with the person to whom you are writing, you should mention it here, as this gives you an advantage over other applicants. This should also be written in the form of key words. For example: "Unser Telefonat vom 01.05.1999, Einstiegsmglichkeit Controlling" is a concise way of expressing "Re: Our telephone conversation of the 1st June 1999 about the possibility of my starting work in the controlling department"! 5) Dear Sir (= die Anrede) If you know the name of the person to whom you are writing, then use his/her name: "Sehr geehrter Herr XYZ" or "Sehr geehrte Frau XYZ". If you do not know the name of the person to whom you are writing, then you should you use the traditional business introduction "Sehr geehrte Damen und Herren". You will gain plus points if you ring up or E-mail beforehand to ask the name of the person to whom you should address your application. This is especially true if you are making a speculative enquiry to see whether work is available ("eine Initiativbewerbung"). If your letter reaches the wrong person, they may well throw it away! 6) Body of the text The aim of your letter is to advertise your qualities as concisely and relevantly as possible. An employer will pose the following questions: Why is the applicant writing to me of all people? Do I need what he/she has to offer? What makes him / her stand out? So as a general principle, avoid overcomplicated sentences ("Bandwurmstze") with too many unnecessary relative clauses ("Satzverschachtelungen"). You should firstly describe in a clear and precise form the post for which you are applying and your reasons for doing so. If you are applying for a post on the basis of a telephone call or other personal contact, you should mention this - e.g. "Sie teilten mir mit, dass Sie im Bereich der industriellen Kunden expandieren wollen. Hierbei knnte ich Sie durch meine langjhrige Erfahrung auf diesem Gebiet untersttzen. Daher bewerbe
ich mich." ("You told me that you were looking to expand your industrial customer-base. With my many years of experience in this area, I can help you in this goal. This is the reason for my application.) Then start a new paragraph, in which you describe the most important aspects of your academic career and work experience, so long as they are relevant to the post for which you are applying. The other stages of your career can be taken from your curriculum vitae. Bring out your strengths without exaggerating - the probationary period in your new job will clearly show if you have been lying! Make sure to emphasise any positions of responsibility and give concrete instances of when you used the skills which you have learned - e.g. "Organisatorische Fhigkeiten stellte ich bei ... unter Beweis". (I showed my organisational skills when ...)
N.B. For people who are just starting out on their career, it is not normal to suggest the salary which you would like to earn!
7) Concluding phrase ("die Schlussformulierung") Between the main text and the concluding phrase you should again leave a line. Write a short, collegial, and practical sentence expressing (say) that you would look forward to a meeting at the next possible opportunity. In many situations you are required to state the earliest possible date when you would be able to start work - this would also be a good point in your application to do so. 8) Greeting and signature ("Gruformel und Unterschrift") See vocabulary section for the various options - "Mit freundlichen Gren" is now the standard business greeting. Underneath your handwritten signature, you should also type your name (Christian name and surname will suffice). 9) "Enclosed" ("Anlagenvermerk") If you enclose documents with your letter of application it is essential to list them here. Leave 2/3 lines after you have typed your name, and then type the word "Anlagen". Then list beneath the various documents which you have enlcosed - e.g. Lebenslauf ("curriculum vitae"), Lichtbild ("photograph") etc. These enclosed documents should be listed one beneath the other, but be sensible - if you are running out of space on the page and have enclosed a number of documents, it makes more sense to list them all on the same line as opposed to starting a new page for one item. Which certificates should be included? Academic Certificates (= Zeugnisse) All stages of your academic and working career should ideally be backed up with
documentation (good quality copies only, never the originals!). If this isn't possible, it is advisable to provide an explanation for any absences on a separate piece of paper. If you have not yet finished your degree, you should provide a copy of your Vordiplom (= first diploma) if you have one, or if not a summary of the marks which you have already gained. As university authorities do not issue these, you should type your own, pointing out that the university may be contacted for confirmation of these marks. People starting work for the first time should also include documentation confirming periods of practical training, student jobs etc., particularly if the comments of your employers are likely to be positive! Vocabulary
the original document das Originaldokument (-e) a copy of a document die Zeugniskopie (-n); die Zeugnisabschrift (-en) an authenticated copy eine beglaubigte Kopie medical certificate das amtsrztliche Zeugnis
eine Notenbersicht bereits abgelegter Examensprfungen (An overview of the marks which I have already obtained) Die Noten knnen beim Prfungsamt der Universitt Exeter besttigt werden. (The marks can be confirmed by the examinations office of Exeter University.) Sie sollten nie Originaldokumente verschicken, immer nur beglaubigte Kopien. (You should never send the original documents, but instead approved copies.) Model Letter of Application 1 Martina Mustermann Bahnhofstrae 15 12345 Musterstadt Tel. 0123/56789 Musterfirma GmbH Frau Inge Schmidt Industriestrae 98-102 34567 Irgendwo
Musterstadt, 1. Oktober 1998 Bewerbung um eine Ausbildungsstelle als Industriekauffrau Ihre Anzeige im "Musterstdter Tagblatt" vom 28.9.1998 Sehr geehrte Frau Schmidt, durch Ihre Anzeige im Musterstdter Tagblatt habe ich erfahren, dass Sie mehrere Auszubildende suchen. Daher bewerbe ich mich um einen Ausbildungsplatz als Industriekauffrau. Ich besuche zur Zeit noch die Hermann-Hesse-Realschule in Musterstadt, die ich im Juli nchsten Jahres mit der Mittleren Reife abschlieen werde. Whrend eines vierwchigen Betriebspraktikums im Juli 1998 bei der Wieauchimmer GmbH habe ich einen ersten Einblick in die Arbeit von Industriekaufleuten gewonnen. Ich habe erlebt, wie sie Kosten kalkulieren und Auftrge abrechnen. Besonders gut gefallen hat mir auerdem der Umgang mit den Kunden. Nach diesem Praktikum habe ich mich fr eine Ausbildung zur Industriekauffrau entschieden und mich im Berufsinformationszentrum ausfhrlich ber diesen Beruf informiert. Meine guten Leistungen in Mathematik und meine in der Schule erworbenen Computerund Schreibmaschinenkenntnisse kann ich sicher gut in die Arbeit einbringen. Auch auf die Beratung von Kunden freue ich mich, da ich sehr kontaktfreudig bin und in meiner Freizeit eine Jugendgruppe leite. ber eine Einladung zu einem Vorstellungsgesprch wrde ich mich sehr freuen. Mit freundlichen Gren, (handschriftlich unterschreiben)
Martina Mustermann PS: Meine Bewerbung habe ich bereits nach den neuen Rechtschreibregeln verfasst
Anlagen: Lebenslauf Versetzungszeugnis Klasse 9 Zeugnis Betriebspraktikum bei der Wieauchimmer GmbH Model Letter of Application 2
Anna Baptiste 52 Festive Road Exeter Devon EX3 5LT An Frau Dr. Anna Konder Leiterin der Personabteilung Musterfirma GmbH Johnathan-Aitken-Strae 35 D-12623 Berlin Germany Exeter, 24. Mrz 1999 Bewerbung als Leiter der Exportabteilung Ihre Anzeige im "Dornacher Tagblatt" vom 22.3.1999 Sehr geehrte Frau Dr. Konder, hiermit mchte ich mich um die ausgeschriebene Stelle als Leiter der Exportabteilung in Ihrem Verlag bewerben. Neben Spezialkenntnissen auf dem Fachgebiet der Psychiatrie verfge ich ber Berufserfahrung in der Exportbranche. Auerdem habe ich gute deutsche Sprachkenntnisse und bin mit der internationalen Marktsituation vertraut. Ich bin kontaktfreudig und habe Freude am selbstndigen Arbeiten. In der Anlage bersende ich Ihnen meine Bewerbungsunterlagen sowie meinen Lebenslauf und Kopien meiner Zeugnisse. Fr weitere Ausknfte stehe ich Ihnen gerne jederzeit zur Verfgung. Ich wrde mich freuen, bald von Ihnen zu hren. Mit freundlichen Gren (handschriftlich unterschrieben)
Translation of Anna Baptiste's application Dear Dr. Konder, Re: Application for the post of Export Manager Ref.: Advertisement in the "Dornacher Tagblatt" of 22nd March 1999 I wish to apply for the above-mentioned post of Export Manager in your publishing house. In addition to my specialised knowledge in the field of psychiatry, I have experience of exporting. I also have a good command of written and spoken German and am well acquainted with the international market situation. I have an outgoing personality and enjoy working independently. Please find enclosed the documents in support of my application, as well as Curriculum Vitae and copies of my references. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you require any further information. I look forward to hearing from you. Yours faithfully (Signature) Anna Baptiste Model Letter of Application 3 Rhoda Hawes 34 Ambrosia Avenue Exeter Devon EX1 1LL Firma XYZ z. Hd. Frau Anke Ranke Personalreferentin Lipschitzallee 7b D-12351 Berlin Germany Exeter, den 25. August 1999 Bewerbung um einen Ausbildungsplatz als Touristik-Informations-Assistentin Ihre Anzeige in der "Sddeutschen Zeitung" vom 22. August 1999
Sehr geehrte Frau Ranke, mit Bezug auf Ihre Anzeige in der "Sddeutschen Zeitung" bewerbe ich mich fr die oben erwhnte Position. Meine Qualifikationen und Berufserfahrungen sind folgende: Ich graduierte von der Universitt in Exeter in dem Fach moderne Sprachen (Deutsch und Franzsisch). Mein Handelsdeutsch erwarb ich am Goethe-Institut in London. Nach meiner Graduierung 1999 arbeitete ich als Korrekturleserin bei einer Werbeagentur fr deren Monatsmagazin, das sich mit dem deutschen Grohandel befasste. Whrend dieser Zeit besuchte ich Abendkurse in Betriebswirtschaft und Datenverarbeitung. Ich bin sicher, dass ich alle mir anvertrauten Aufgaben als Touristik-InformationsAssistentin zu Ihrer vollsten Zufriedenheit ausben wrde. Ich spreche flieend Deutsch und hoffe, dass sie meine Bewerbung wohlwollend in Betracht ziehen werden. Mit freundlichen Gren (handschriftlich unterschrieben) Rhoda Hawes Anlagen: Lebenslauf Lichtbild Zeugnisabschriften Model Letter of Application 4 Laura Norder 45 Yokel Terrace Exeter Devon EX6 5EX England An Herrn Niclas Weiland Leiter der Personalabteilung Feurigstrae 16 D-10827 Berlin Germany Exeter, den 30. Oktober 1999
Bewerbung um einen Posten als Privatsekretrin Ihre Anzeige in der "Berliner Zeitung" vom 28. Oktober 1999 Sehr geehrter Herr Weiland, da ich seit drei Jahren als einzige Sekretrin in einer aufstrebenden kleinen Firma ttig bin, mchte ich mich nun auf Grund Ihrer Anzeige in der "Berliner Zeitung" vom 28.10.1999 um den Posten der Privatsekretrin bewerben. Als Privatsekretrin des Inhabers James Young plc in Exeter war ich nicht nur fr den tglichen Broablauf verantwortlich, sondern auch fr die gesamte Auslandskorrespondenz, vorwiegend in Deutsch, da wir viele unserer Produkte nach Deutschland und Osteuropa exportieren. Zu meinen Aufgaben gehrte auerdem die Vereinbarung privater Termine, das Selektieren von Telefongesprchen und Besuchern und die Organisation von Mr. Youngs Korrespondenz. Durch die dadurch gewonnenen Erfahrungen bin ich mit den Aufgaben einer Chefsekretrin bestens vertraut und werde Ihren Erwartungen entsprechen. Anbei sende ich Ihnen meinen Lebenslauf und stehe Ihnen jederzeit zu einem persnlichen Vorstellungsgesprch zur Verfgung. Ich bin jederzeit ber meinen Anrufbeantworter unter der Nummer 01392 - 987654 zu erreichen.
Anlagen: Lichtbild Lebenslauf Zeugniskopie Year abroad work Gordon Bennett 65 Quality Street Small Heath
Birmingham BH2 8TE Tel. (0044) 21 666 6666 Fa. Werner-Werbung Markstrae 20 D-13409 Berlin Birmingham, 14. Februar 1999 Bewerbung um eine Praktikantenstelle Sehr geeehrte Damen und Herren, als Teil meines Studiums an der Universitt Exeter muss ich mein Auslandsjahr (September 1999 Juli 2000) in einem deutschsprachigen Land verbringen. Ich mchte unbedingt in Berlin arbeiten, um meine Sprachkenntnisse zu verbessern und Erfahrungen in der Werbebranche zu sammeln. Da ich Ihre Firma durch Frau Silke Jones, die im vorigen Jahr fr neun Monate bei Ihnen war, kenne, erlaube ich mir, bei Ihnen anzufragen, ob Sie mir eine geeignete Praktikantenstelle anbieten knnten.. In der Anlage finden Sie meinen Lebenslauf und ein Empfehlungsschreiben. In der Hoffnung auf eine positive Antwort verbleibe ich mit freundlichen Gren (handschriftlich unterschrieben)
Gordon Bennett Anlagen Leaving a job Heinz Tetzner Merowingerstrae 33 50677 Kln Telefon (02 21) 9 31 24 40 Robotron GmbH Personalleitung Herrn Dr. Matthus
Heumarkt 45 50667 Kln Kln, 24. November 1998 Kndigung des Arbeitsverhltnisses zum 31.01.1999 Sehr geehrter Herr Dr. Matthus, hiermit kndige ich form- und fristgem mein Arbeitsverhltnis zum 31. Januar 1999. Ich bitte um ein qualifiziertes Zeugnis und Aushndigung der Arbeitspapiere zum Dienstzeitende. Mit freundlichem Gru Bernd Sommer
Sabine Hecht Steintorweg 17 20099 Hamburg Telefon (040) 24 63 14 Kilper Baustellenservice GmbH Herrn Kilper Oberaltenallee 12 21039 Hamburg Hamburg, 10. Februar 1999 Kndigung des Arbeitsverhltnisses zum 30.03.1997 Sehr geehrter Herr Kilper, wie mit Ihnen bereits persnlich besprochen, tritt mein Mann am 1. April 1999 eine neue Stelle als Buchhalter bei einer englischen Firma an. Dadurch bedingt werden wir in die Nhe von London ziehen und unsere Wohnung in Hamburg zum 1. Mai 1999 aufgeben. Aus den genannten Grnden kndige ich mein Arbeitsverhltnis zum 30. Mrz 1999 und bitte daher um ein qualifiziertes Zeugnis sowie um bergabe meiner Arbeitspapiere zum Zeitpunkt des Ausscheidens. Abschlieend mchte ich mich fr die vertrauensvolle Zusammenarbeit whrend meiner fnfjhrigen Firmenzugehrigkeit recht herzlich bedanken und wnsche Ihnen, Ihrer
Familie und allen Mitarbeitern der Kilpen Baustellenservice GmbH alles erdenklich Gute und viel Erfolg. Mit freundlichen Gren Sabine Hecht
Booking accommodation
Booking a hotel room for yourself Booking a hotel room for yourself Sehr geehrte Damen und Herren, ich wrde gerne ein Doppelzimmer fr meine Frau und mich sowie ein Zweibettzimmer fr unsere beiden Tchter (beide unter 12 Jahren) fr den 7., 8. und 9. September reservieren. Falls nichts dazwischenkommt, werden wir am 7. September um ca. 17.00 Uhr ankommen und am 9. September vormittags wieder abreisen. Bitte betrachten Sie diese Reservierung als bindend, und halten Sie uns die Zimmer frei, auch wenn wir sehr spt am Abend ankommen sollten. Ich wre Ihnen fr eine Zimmerreservierung auf der Rckseite Ihres Hotels sehr dankbar. Mit freundlichen Gren Frank N. Sense Booking a hotel room for someone else Booking a hotel room for sombody else Sehr geehrte Damen und Herren, ich mchte fr unseren Export-Verkaufsleiter ein Einzelzimmer mit Bad und Vollpension fr die Woche nach dem 24. September buchen. Fr seine Sekretrin wird ein Einzelzimmer auf der gleichen Etage bentigt. Wir wren Ihnen sehr dankbar fr die umgehende Besttigung der Reservierung vom 24. - 30. September einschlielich. Bitte lassen sie uns auch Informationen ber Ihre Preise zukommen und senden Sie die Rechnung an die obige Adresse. Mit freundlichen Gren
Annette Curton i.A. B. Styng Verkaufsleiter How to cancel / alter a booking Cancelling / amending a booking Sehr geehrte Damen und Herren, Ich muss Ihnen leider mitteilen, dass ich aufgrund unvorhersehbarer Umstnde meine Zimmerreservierung fr die Woche ab dem 12. Januar stornieren muss. Leider muss ich Sie auch bitten, meine Reservierung vom 3. Februar auf den 17. Februar umzubuchen Mit freunlichen Gren, Stan Dan Deliver
Translation Dear Sir or Madam, Owing to unforeseen circumstances, I am afraid that I must cancel the booking made with you for the week beginning January 12th. I am afraid that I must also ask you to alter my booking from February 3rd to February 17th. Yours faithfully, Stan Dan Deliver Asking for details
Julia Reich Mhnstrae 9 55130 Mainz Telefon (0 61 31) 4 00 49 Hotel Cafe Reiss Haifa-Allee 6 82467 Garmisch-Partenkirchen
Mainz, 10. April 1999 Bitte um Zusendung von Prospektmaterial Sehr geehrte Damen und Herren, mit Bezug auf Ihre Annonce in der Zeitschrift "Schne Ferien" mchte ich Sie bitten, mir Prospektmaterial ber Ihr Haus - inklusive Preise - zuzusenden. Vielleicht knnen Sie mir auch Ausknfte ber die Umgebung, die Ausflugsmglichkeiten und die Sehenswrdigkeiten geben. Im voraus herzlichen Dank! Mit freundlichen Gren Julia Reich
Accommodation vocabulary accommodation "accommodation offered" "accommodation wanted" adjacent rooms air conditioned alarm call balcony chambermaid to check in to check out check-out time conference facilities conference room connecting rooms dining room double room emergency exit with en suite bathroom foyer die Unterkunft "Fremdenzimmer" "Zimmer / Wohnung gesucht" nebeneinanderliegende Zimmer klimatisiert der Weckruf der Balkon das Zimmermdchen sich anmelden abreisen die Abreisezeit die Konferenzrumlichkeiten das Konferenzzimmer angrenzende Zimmer der Speisesaal das Doppelzimmer der Notausgang mit Bad die Empfangshalle
full board function suite half board hotel reservation laundry service lobby lounge meeting room mini-bar night porter non-smoking room porter receipt reception receptionist (male) receptionist (female) room rates room service secretarial services single room suite twin beds valet service
die Vollpension die Veranstaltungsrume die Halbpension die Hotelreservierung die Wscherei die Eingangshalle der Gesellschaftsraum der Besprechungsraum die Minibar der Nachtportier das Nichtraucherzimmer der Portier die Quittung der Empfang; die Rezeption der Empfangschef; der Herr am Empfang die Empfangsdame; die Dame am Empfang die Zimmerpreise (pl.) der Zimmerservice Schreibdienste (pl.) das Einzelzimmer die Suite zwei Einzelbetten der Reinigungsdienst
Ich mchte bei Ihnen bernachtungen mit Frhstck buchen. (I would like to book bed-and-breakfast accommodation with you.) Ich wrde gerne ein Doppelzimmer fr meine Frau und mich sowie ein Zweibettzimmer fr unsere beiden Shne (beide unter 12 Jahren) reservieren. (I wish to book one double room for my wife and myself, and one twin-bedded room for
our sons, who are both under 12 years of age.) Ich htte gerne ein Einzelzimmer mit Dusche fr zwei Nchte. (I'd like a single room with shower for two nights.) Ich mchte fr Herrn Namdar ein Einzelzimmer mit Bad fr die Woche nach dem 23. Februar selbst. Herr Namdar bezahlt seine Rechnung selbst. (I wish to reserve a single room with bath for one week from the 23rd February, in the name of Herr Namdar. Herr Namdar will settle the bill himself.) Bitte betrachten Sie diese Reservierung als bindend, und halten Sie mir das Zimmer frei, auch wenn ich sehr spt am Abend ankommen sollte. (Please consider this a firm booking, and hold the room till I arrive, however late in the evening.) Ich htte gerne ein Zimmer mit Blick auf .... , wenn mglich. (If possible, I would like a room with a view of ...) Ich htte gerne ein ruhiges Zimmer. (I would like a room which isn't too noisy, please.) Was sind Ihre Preise? (What are your room rates?) Was kostet eine bernachtung mit Frhstck? (How much is a room per night, with breakfast?) Knnen Sie mir bitte ein Prospekt von Ihrem Hotel schicken? (Please send me a brochure about your hotel.) Wir wollen gegen Abend eintreffen, falls nicht dazwischenkommt. (We expect to arrive in the early evening, unless something unforeseen prevents us.) Bitte senden Sie die Rechnung an die obige Adresse. (Please send the bill to the above address.) Welche Kreditkarten nehmen Sie?
(Which credit cards do you accept?) Knnen Sie mir vielleicht ein anderes Hotel empfehlen, das eventuell noch Zimmer frei hat? (Can you suggest another hotel that might have a vacancy?) Ich muss Ihnen leider mitteilen, dass ich aufgrund unvorhersehbarer Umstnde meine Zimmerreservierung fr die Woche ab dem 5. September stornieren muss. (Owing to unforeseen circumstances, I am afraid that I must cancel the booking made with you for the week beginning September 5th.) Leider muss ich Sie bitten, meine Reservierung vom 24. August auf den 3. September umzubuchen. (I am afraid I must ask you to alter my booking from 24th August to 3rd September.)
Writing to a bank
Asking for a loan Marco Walker Eisenacher Strae 16 10781 Berlin Berliner Bank AG Niederlassung Schneberg Bayerischer Platz 1 10779 Berlin Berlin, 2. Mrz 1999 Anfrage Konditionen fr einen Bankkredit Sehr geehrte Damen und Herren, wegen der geplanten Neuanschaffung eines Computers bitte ich Sie, mir Ihre Konditionen fr einen Kredit in Hhe von 5.500,00 DM zu nennen. Die Laufzeit sollte 2 Jahre betragen. Ich rechne mit einer monatlichen Ratenzahlung von ca. 250,00 DM. Die Kopie meiner Verdienstbescheinigung des Arbeitgebers fge ich bei. Ich freue mich auf Ihre baldige Antwort.
Mit freundlichen Gren Marco Walker Anlage: Verdienstbescheinigung (Kopie) Asking for an overdraft Marco Walker Eisenacher Strae 16 10781 Berlin Berliner Bank AG Niederlassung Schneberg Bayerischer Platz 1 10779 Berlin Berlin, 3. August, 1999 Girokonto 1462859 Antrag auf Gewhrung eines Dispositionskredits Sehr geehrte Damen und Herren, seit dem 1. Oktober 1992 bin ich Kunde Ihrer Bank. Zahlungen von dem oben genannten Girokonto wurden bisher ausnahmslos ber das Guthabensaldo ausgefhrt. Aufgrund kurzfristiger Liquidittsengpsse - meine Baufirma hat noch DM 2.000 Auenstnde - bitte ich um Einrichtung eines berziehungskredits in Hhe von 1.500,00 DM. Ich bitte um umgehende Bearbeitung meines Antrags. Mit freundlichen Gren Marco Walker Stating a change of address Ansgar Brinkmann Am Stadtpark 99 90499 Nrnberg Berliner Bank AG Niederlassung Nrnberg
Frankenhauser Strae 2 90456 Nrnberg Nrnberg, 30. August 1999 Girokonto 146532459: Umzug Sehr geehrte Damen und Herren, am 1. September 1999 werde ich nach Pansdorf umziehen. Mein Girokonto soll von der dortigen Filiale gefhrt werden. Meine neue Anschrift lautet: Koloniestrae 36 51879 Pansdorf Bisher habe ich die Kontoauszge selbst bei der Bank abgeholt. Zuknftig sollen die Auszge per Post an meine neue Anschrift verschickt werden. Mit freundlichen Gren Ansgar Brinkmann When cheques have been stolen Ansgar Brinkmann Am Stadtpark 99 90499 Nrnberg Berliner Bank AG Niederlassung Nrnberg-West Frankenhauser Strae 2 90456 Nrnberg Nrnberg, 17. Juni 1999 Girokonto 1457862342 Sperrung meiner Euroschecks und meiner Euro-Scheckkarte nach Diebstahl Sehr geehrte Damen und Herren, gestern wurde mir in Frth meine Aktentasche gestohlen. In ihr befanden sich unter anderem meine Euro-Scheckkarte sowie mein Scheckbuch. Selbstverstndlich habe ich den Diebstahl bei der Polizei sofort angezeigt. Dort riet man mir dringend, die Schecks und die Scheckkarte sofort sperren zu lassen.
Ich beantrage hiermit die Sperrung der Schecks und der Euro-Scheckkarte. Die Schecks tragen fortlaufend die Nummer 1123258 bis 1123265. Ich bitte um Ihre schriftliche Besttigung. Mit freundlichem Gru Ansgar Brinkmann Closing a bank account (1) Marco Walker Eisenacher Strae 16 10781 Berlin Berliner Bank Niederlassung Schneberg Bayerischer Platz 1 10779 Berlin Berlin, 18. Februar 1999 Kndigung des Girokontos 136465234 Sehr geehrte Damen und Herren, hiermit kndige ich das oben genannte Girokonto bei Ihrer Bank zum 1. Mrz 1999. Aus familiren Grnden werde ich Berlin verlassen und mich in Liechtenstein als Arzt niederlassen. Daher bentige ich das Konto bei Ihrer Bank nicht lnger. Bitte besttigen Sie mir die Kndigung. Mit freundlichem Gru Marco Walker Closing a bank account (2) Marco Walker Eisenacher Strae 16 10781 Berlin EINSCHREIBEN MIT RCKSCHEIN
Berliner Bank AG Niederlassung Schneberg Bayerischer Platz 1 10779 Berlin Berlin, 17. September 1999 Auflsung des Sparkontos 147741 Sehr geehrte Damen und Herren, ich bitte Sie, das beigefgte Sparbuch aufzulsen und den Betrag meinem Girokonto 112333358, Bankleitzahl 322 855 45 bei der Berliner Bank, Filiale Berlin-Lbars gutzuschreiben. Das Sparbuch unterliegt der gesetzlichen Kndigungsfrist. Mit freundlichen Gren Marco Walker Anlage: Sparbuch 147741 Letters of condolence Martin Bergmann Schumannstrae 21 01069 Dresden Telefon 03 51 / 4 95 10 81 Ricarda Krenz Anton-Graff-Strae 20 01309 Dresden Dresden-Laubegast, 10. Januar 1999 Liebe Frau Krenz, zum Heimgang Ihres lieben Vaters, den ich so sehr schtzte und verehrte, spreche ich Ihnen mein herzliches Beileid aus. Sie drfen berzeugt sein, da die Selbstlosigkeit und das politische Engagement, die Ihren Vater auszeichneten, all jenen, die ihn kannten, unvergessen bleiben werden. In aufrichtiger Anteilnahme
Martin Bergmann Registering with authorities Urs Bauer Schellingstrae 7 70177 Stuttgart Telefon 0711 / 6574500 Stadt Stuttgart Einwohnermeldeamt Fritz-Reuter-Strae 23 70255 Stuttgart Stuttgart, 7. Mai 1999 Anmeldung bei der Stadt Stuttgart nach Umzug Sehr geehrte Damen und Herren, am 6. Mai 1999 bin ich von 24159 Kiel, Eichhofstrae 31a nach Stuttgart umgezogen. Ich wohne nun in der Schellingstrae 7 in 70177 Stuttgart. Bitte senden Sie mir ein entsprechendes Anmeldeformular zu. Teilen Sie mir auch bitte mit, welche weiteren Dokumente fr die Anmeldung erforderlich sind. Mit freundlichen Gren Urs Bauer
Invitations
Accepting an invitation (1) Ulrike und Jens Fiedler Innere Klosterstrae 42 09111 Chemnitz Herrn Lothar Staiger Rudolf-Marek-Strae 18 09112 Chemnitz Chemnitz, 20. Oktober 1998
Einladung zum Abendessen Hallo Lothar, fr die nette Einladung zum Abendessen am nchsten Freitag danken wir recht herzlich. Wir kommen sehr gerne. Wir freuen uns, Sie und Ihre Frau wiederzusehen und verbleiben bis dahin mit herzlichen Gren Ulrike und Jens Fiedler Declining an invitation (1) Iris Naumann Saargemnder Strae 182 66129 Saarbrcken Frau Elke Schneider Kreuzstrae 15 66132 Saarbrcken Saarbrcken, 22. Oktober 1998 Einladung zur Geburtstagsfeier Liebe Elke, ich mchte mich ganz herzlich fr deine freundliche Einladung bedanken. Bedauerlicherweise kann ich am kommenden Freitag nicht kommen, da ich fr diesen Abend bereits eine Einladung von meinen Groeltern angenommen habe. Ich hoffe, da wir vielleicht nach der Party deinen Geburtstag feiern knnen. Wie wre es mit Sonntag? Bis dahin feiere schn und ganz herzliche Gre Deine Iris Accepting an invitation (2)
Edith Herzog Moltkestrae 14 33330 Gtersloh Eheleute Nicole und Andreas Scholz Avenwedder Strae 35 33335 Gtersloh Gtersloh, 11. Dezember 1998 Einladung zur Silvesterparty Liebe Nicole, lieber Andreas, ber Eure Einladung zur Silvesterparty habe ich mich riesig gefreut. Natrlich komme ich gerne an diesem Abend gegen 19.30 Uhr zu Euch nach Hause. Wir alle werden bestimmt eine Menge Spa miteinander haben. Falls ich noch etwas mitbringen kann, ruft mich doch einfach an. Wir sehen uns sptestens am 31. Dezember. Es grt Euch ganz herzlich Eure Edith Declining an invitation (2) Eheleute Birgit und Robert Weber Hochbaumstrae 27a 14167 Berlin Herrn Werner Gtz Stechlinstrae 8 10318 Berlin Berlin, 10. April 1999 Einladung zur Jubilumsfeier Sehr geehrter Herr Gtz
haben Sie aufrichtigen Dank fr die freundliche Einladung. Leider knnen wir am 22. April nicht kommen, da wir in dieser Zeit verreist sind. Wir hoffen auf Ihr Verstndnis und verbleiben mit den besten Wnschen auch an Ihre Frau Gemahlin Birgit und Robert Weber Invitation to a cocktail party
Irene und Dirk Lottner Tnisberger Strae 39 47839 Krefeld Telefon 0 21 51 / 81 30
Eheleute Helene und Markus Sprl Friedrichstrae 25 47798 Krefeld Krefeld, 13. Juni 1999 Liebe Frau Sprl, lieber Herr Sprl, es gehrt zu unseren liebgewonnenen Gewohnheiten, den Sommer mit einer CocktailParty zu begren. Auch in diesem Jahr mchten wir mit guten Freunden den Sommeranfang am 25. Juni 1999 in unserem Garten feiern. Wir hoffen, das Wetter spielt mit und alle Gste bringen gute Laune mit. Haben Sie Lust zu kommen? Sie wrden uns eine groe Freude machen. Ihre Irene und Dirk Lottner
Invitation to a birthday party Ute Malewski Von-Coels-Strae 232 52080 Aachen Kai Assmann Theaterstrae 63 52062 Aachen
Aachen, 5. August 1999 Geburtstagsfeier am 17. August 1999 Lieber Kai, kaum zu glauben, aber wahr: Am 16. August werde ich ganze 21. Jahr ! Ich mchte Dich aus diesem Anla ganz herzlich zu meiner Geburtstagsfeier um 20.00 Uhr im Pfarrzentrum Peter und Paula einladen. Bitte gib mir bis 14. August 1999 Bescheid, ob Du kommen kannst. Ich wrde mich sehr freuen. Bis dahin, liebe Gre Ute Invitation to a picnic Karin Prger Sandhofer Strae 31 68307 Mannheim Telefon 06 21 / 4 70 30 Herrn Uwe Frontzeck Kfertaler Strae 24 68167 Mannheim Mannheim, 2. Juni 1999 Hallo Uwe, das anhaltend strahlende Wetter und mein neuer Wagen haben mich auf die Idee gebracht, am kommenden Samstag, den 6. Juni 1999 irgendwo im Grnen ein Picknick zu veranstalten, zu dem ich Dich herzlich einladen mchte. Ich wei nicht, wo es sein wird, sondern nur, wann ich Dich abhole - nmlich genau um 11.00 Uhr vormittags. Wenn Du mich telefonisch nicht erreichst, so hinterlasse mir doch bitte eine Nachricht auf meinem Anrufbeantworter, damit ich wei, ob Du Lust hast, meine Einladung anzunehmen. Viele Gre
Karin
Letters of apology
Apologising for absence from studies Neil Downe Bodenmaiser Weg 4 10318 Berlin Telefon 0 30 / 21 56 96 Kleist-Gymnasium Herrn Oberstudienrat Eduard Knoblauch Lassaner Strae 11 12621 Berlin Berlin, 16. Februar 1999 Entschuldigung Sehr geehrter Herr Knoblauch, am Dienstag, dem 14. November 1999, konnte ich wegen einer starken Erkltung nicht am Unterricht teilnehmen. Ich bitte, mein Fernbleiben zu entschuldigen. Mit freundlichen Gren Neil Downe Apologising due to ill health Neil Downe Bodenmaiser Weg 4 10318 Berlin Telefon 0 30 / 21 56 96 Kleist-Gymnasium Schulleitung Herrn Oberstudiendirektor Dr. Wilhelm Schadow Lassaner Strae 11 12621 Berlin Berlin, 12. Juni 1999 Entschuldigung
Sehr geehrter Herr Dr. Fleischer, in der Zeit von 4. Juni 1999 bis 10. Juni 1999 konnte ich wegen eines grippalen Infekts nicht am Unterricht teilnehmen. Ein erstes rztliches Attest liegt Ihnen bereits vor. Die neue Bescheinigung von Herrn Dr. Staiger ist diesem Schreiben beigefgt. Ich besuche die Jahrgangsstufe 12. Mein Beratungslehrer ist Herr Wunderlich. Mit freundlichen Gren Neil Downe Anlage: rztliche Bescheinigung
Letters of complaint
Lost luggage (1) Friederike Wagner Spreeallee 4 24111 Kiel Telefon 0431 / 8 15 33 Deutsche Bahn AG Hauptbahnhof Kiel Gepckausgabe Bahnhofsplatz 5-9 24312 Kiel Kiel, 25. November 1998 Verlust meines Koffers Sehr geehrte Damen und Herren, am 23. November 1998 gab ich am Bahnhof meinen Koffer fr eine Geschftsreise nach Flensburg auf. Der Koffer sollte an diesen Ort vorausgeschickt und am Bahnhof von mir in Empfang genommen werden. Dort traf er aber nie ein. Bei dem vermiten Gepckstck handelt es sich um einen grauen Koffer aus Kunstleder. Das Gepckstck war mit meinem Namen und meiner Privatanschrift in Kiel versehen.
Ich bitte Sie, Nachforschungen ber den Verbleib des Gepcks anzustellen, das einen Wert von ca. 1.500,-- DM darstellt. Mit freundlichen Gren Friederike Wagner Lost luggage (2) Ansgar Brinkmann Am Stadtpark 99 90409 Nrnberg Telefon 0911/ 356377 Deutsche Bahn AG Hauptbahnhof Hannover Fundbro Bahnhofsplatz 5-9 30451 Hannover Nrnberg, 12. April 1999 Verlust meines Reisegepcks Sehr geehrte Damen und Herren, am 9. April reiste ich mit dem ICE 1389 von Mnchen nach Hannover. Ich hatte einen Platz im Wagen 7, Sitz 11 gebucht. Der Zug fuhr um 10.25 Uhr in Mnchen ab und erreichte Dsseldorf-Hauptbahnhof um 14.08 Uhr. Da ich den D-Zug nach Wolfsburg unbedingt erreichen mute, lie ich in der Eile einen Koffer im Gepcknetz liegen. Es handelt sich um einen schwarzblauen Koffer der Marke "ExtraSafe" aus echtem Leder. Am Griff sind meine Initialen "A B" aufgeklebt. Im Koffer befinden sich einige Ausweispapiere (Geburtsurkunde, Studentenausweis, etc.) mit meinem Namen. Weiterhin enthlt er wichtige Vertragsdokumente sowie ein paar Geschenke fr meine Nichte. Falls der Koffer bei Ihnen abgegeben wurde oder noch gebracht wird, bitte ich um schnellstmgliche Nachricht, wann und wo ich ihn in Empfang nehmen kann. Mit freundlichen Gren Ansgar Brinkmann
Postal delay Michael Kocak Mnchener Strae 42 45145 Essen Telefon 02 01/23 21 61 Postamt Essen-West Vogelheimer Strasse 14 45326 Essen Essen, 7. Dezember 1998 Beschwerde ber die Postzustellung Sehr geehrte Damen und Herren, hiermit mchte ich mich ber die Zustellung meiner Post beschweren. Zur Zeit bewerbe ich mich bei einigen Unternehmen und versende die Bewerbungsunterlagen per Post. Da ich als Berufseinsteiger selbstverstndlich mit mehreren Rcklufern rechne, bat ich den Zusteller, Herrn Franz Beckenbauer, die zurckkommenden Umschlge nach Mglichkeit nicht zu knicken, da ich die verhltnismig teuren Bewerbungsmappen wiederverwenden mchte. Herr Beckenbauer versprach darauf zu achten und bei der Zustellung brauner DIN A4-Umschlge zu klingeln. Leider sind meine Wnsche nicht bercksichtigt worden. Erst vorgestern fand ich in meinem Briefkasten zwei vllig ramponierte Umschlge mit meinen kaum wiederverwendbaren Bewerbungsmappen. Ich bitte Sie darauf einzuwirken, da die Zustellung meiner DIN A4-Umschlge knftig sorgfltiger erfolgt. Mit freundlichen Gren Michael Kocak Faulty goods Katja Ostwald Frankfurter Strae 181
35392 Gieen Telefon 06 41/ 2 00 30 Wilhelm Busch Elektroanlagen-Installation Bismarckstrae 11 35390 Gieen Gieen, 13. Mai 1999 Reklamation Hi-Fi-Anlage "Tower of Power TP 5000" Sehr geehrter Herr Busch, vor drei Wochen kaufte ich in Ihrem Geschft eine Hi-Fi-Anlage "Tower of Power TP 5000" zum Preis von 1.200,-- DM. Eine Kopie der Quittung ist diesem Brief beigefgt. Leider mu ich Ihnen mitteilen, da ich mit dem Gert nicht zufrieden bin. Das Kassettendeck und die Lautsprecher sind defekt. Bitte schicken Sie einen Ihrer Kundendienst-Mitarbeiter, um die Stereoanlage zu prfen oder es gegen ein anderes Modell auszutauschen. Fr eine schnelle Erledigung der Angelegenheit danke ich Ihnen im voraus und verbleibe mit freundlichen Gren Katja Ostwald Anlage: Quittung ber den Kauf der Hi-Fi-Anlage "Tower of Power TP 5000"
Letters of congratulation
On the birth of a child Michael Schmidt Nachtigallenweg 10 04356 Leipzig Telefon 03 41 / 5 26 91 42 Familie Horst Gerber Buchbinderstrae 19 18055 Rostock Leipzig, 13.06.1999
Liebe Frau Gerber, lieber Herr Gerber, ich wnsche Ihnen und dem neuen Familienzuwachs alles Gute. Vor allem Ihnen, liebe Frau Gerber, wnsche ich baldige Erholung. Hoffentlich habe ich in Blde Gelegenheit, Ihren strammen Sohn persnlich kennenzulernen. Ich bin ganz sicher, dass er seiner groen Schwester Anja viel Freude bereiten wird. Herzlichst Ihr Michael Schmidt On somebody's engagement
Richard und Franziska Kirsten 38108 Braunschweig Telefon 0 53 09 / 53 59 Herrn Michael Clement Amalienstrae 47 90763 Frth Braunschweig, 17.08.1998 Lieber Herr Clement Ihnen und Ihrer Frau Michaela mchten wir zu Ihrer Vermhlung die herzlichsten Glckwnsche aussprechen. Fr Ihren gemeinsamen Lebensweg wnschen wir Ihnen zu allen Zeiten Glck, Harmonie und vor allem Gesundheit. Richard Kirsten, Franziska Kirsten
Deutsche Telekom AG Bezirksstelle Bochum Postfach 10 20 30 44801 Bochum Bochum, 04.10.1999 Fernsprechanschlu Sehr geehrte Damen und Herren, fr meine neubezogene Wohnung in der Varenholzstrae 26 in 44797 Bochum beantrage ich einen Telefonanschlu. Bitte senden Sie mir die entsprechenden Antragsformulare schnellstmglich zu. Mit freundlichen Gren Jrg Osthoff When moving house Simon Jentzsch Borchener Strae 23 33098 Paderborn Telefon (0 52 51) 6 94 25 Deutsche Telekom Niederlassung Paderborn An der Talle 46 33102 Paderborn Paderborn, 28. Mai 1999 Kndigung des Fernsprechanschlusses (0 52 51) 7 80 05 Sehr geehrte Damen und Herren, hiermit kndige ich meinen Fernsprechanschlu (0 52 51) 7 80 05 fristgerecht zum 1. Juli 1999. Mein Nachmieter mchte den Anschlu gerne zum gleichen Termin bernehmen. Ich bitte, die Endabrechnung an meine neue Adresse zu senden: Wilhelm Meister Borchener Strae 23 33098 Paderborn
Firma E. Rsler KG Bozener Strae 11-15 10825 Berlin Tel: 0 30 / 21 56 96 Fax: 0 30 / 21 56 98 Hotel Blauer Engel Prinzenallee 6 01069 Dresden Berlin, den 13. Juni 2002 Sehr geehrte Damen und Herren, wir mchten fr unseren Vorsitzenden Herrn Erhard Rsler eine Suite mit Loggia und Halbpension in einer Nichtraucheretage fr die Woche nach dem 18. August buchen. Fr seine Sekretrin bentigen wir ein Einzelzimmer auf der gleichen Etage. Bitte betrachten Sie diese Reservierung als bindend, und halten Sie die Zimmer frei, auch wenn unser Vorsitzender sehr spt am Abend ankommen sollte. Besttigen Sie uns bitte schriftlich die Reservierung und den Preis von 146 Euro pro Tag fr die Suite und zustzlich 29 Euro pro Tag fr Halbpension. Bitte schicken Sie uns auch Ihren Hotelprospekt zu. Mit freundlichen Gren,
Firma E. Rsler KG Bozener Strae 11-15 10825 Berlin Tel: 0 30 / 21 56 96 Fax: 0 30 / 21 56 98 Hotel Blauer Engel Prinzenallee 6 01069 Dresden Berlin, 13th June 2002 Dear Sir or Madam, We would like to book a suite with a balcony on a non-smoking floor and half-board for our chairman Erhard Rsler for the week commencing 18th August. We also require a single room on the same floor for his secretary. Please regard this reservation as definite and save the rooms for our chairman even if he should arrive very late in the evening. Please confirm this reservation in writing and confirm that the price of the suite will be 146 euros per day with an additional 29 euros per day for half-board. Please also send us a copy of your hotel brochure. Yours faithfully, Thomas Berger Marketing Department
Glossary der Brief (-e) ein Brief an (+ Acc.) KG (-s) der Engel (-) letter a letter to This means "limited partnership". It is short for "die Kommanditgesellschaft" This means "angel". The full title of the hotel translates as "Blue Angel", which was a famous Marlene Dietrich film! This means not an "alley" but an "avenue". honoured, esteemed lady gentleman This equates to the English "Dear Sir or Madam". It is the standard opening in a business letter where you do not know the name or gender of the recipient. This means "for our chairman". Note the accusative endings on this adjectival noun. Note too that the weak masculine noun "Herr" adds an "-n" here as it is also in the accusative case. suite balcony to book
die Allee (-n) geehrt die Dame (-n) der Herr (weak masc.) Sehr geehrte Damen und Herren fr unseren Vorsitzenden Herrn Rsler
die Sekretrin (- secretary innen) bentigen der/die gleiche auf der gleichen Etage betrachten als to require the same on the same floor to regard as
die Reservierung reservation (-en) bindend freihalten (sep.) auch wenn unser Vorsitzender binding; definite This is a separable verb ("frei-halten") meaning "to keep or save" a hotel room for someone even if Once again note the mixed declension endings on the adjectival noun.
spt spt am Abend sollte ankommen besttigen besttigen Sie uns... schriftlich der Preis (-e) zustzlich zuschicken (sep.)
late late in the evening This means "should arrive" and is a form of the conditional tense which shall be discussed in forthcoming chapters. to confirm please confirm for us... in writing price additionally This is a separable verb meaning "to send". The object that you are sending is in the accusative case, and the person to whom you are sending it is in the dative case.
der hotel brochure Hotelprospekt (e) der Gru (pl. Gre) greeting
mit freundlichen This literally means "with friendly greetings" Gren note the dative plural endings on the noun! It equates to the English "Yours..." at the end of a business letter. das Marketing die MarketingAbteilung (-en) marketing marketing department
Herrn Jan Walle Lehrter Pfad 34 10825 Berlin Herrn Doktor Armin Prill Bleicherweg 7 8002 Zrich
Frau Irmgard Krznaric Halker Zeile 4c 9490 Vaduz Frau Professor Andrea Widy Krtnerring 6/3a 1010 Wien
Notes 1. Why is it "Herrn" and not "Herr"? Because you are writing to the man in question, and he is thus in the accusative case. As we have seen in this chapter, "Herr" is a weak masculine noun and thus adds an extra "-n" in all cases other than the nominative singular. 2. If the person to whom you are writing has a title such as "doctor" or "professor", this title is preceded on the first line of the address by either "Herrn" or "Frau" depending on the gender of the addressee. 3. In many cases, the masculine form of the title is used regardless of the gender of the person possessing this title - e.g. "Frau Doktor", "Frau Professor". With some other titles however, the feminine form is used for a female addressee - e.g. "Frau Studienrtin" (= secondary school teacher). 2. The date and its position The date should be written on the right-hand side of the page. Unlike English which has several variations (May 2, May 2nd, 2nd May etc.), dates in German are always written the same way - der 2. Mai. At the head of letters, the accusative form is used, preceded by the name of the place from where you are writing - e.g. Exeter, den 25. Dezember 2002. Dates written all in numbers are also found in German, particularly in business letters - e.g. Exeter, den 25.12.2002. 3. Dear Sir or Madam The "Dear Sir or Madam..." line is written flush left on the page. If you are writing to a firm or an institution and do not know the name of the person to whom you are writing, use "Sehr geehrte Damen und Herren," which literally translates as "Very esteemed ladies and gentlemen" but equates to the English "Dear Sir or Madam". (You should only use "Sehr geehrte Herren," or "Sehr geehrte Damen," if you are sure that the people to whom you are writing are all male or all female.) The table below shows how you should start a letter when writing to someone whose name you know:
Sehr geehrter Herr Wagner, ("Dear Mr. Wagner,") Sehr geehrte Frau Wagner, ("Dear Mrs. Wagner,") Sehr geehrte Frau Wagner, sehr geehrter Herr Wagner, ("Dear Mr. and Mrs. Wagner") With titles Sehr geehrter Herr Doktor Prill, ("Dear Doctor Prill,") Sehr geehrte Frau Professor Widy, ("Dear Professor Widy,")
Notes 1. In this case the person to whom you are writing is in the nominative case. You can tell this by the adjective endings and the fact that "Herr" does not have an "-n" on the end. 2. Note again that "Herr" and "Frau" are retained when writing to someone who has a title. 3. If you are writing to somebody with a title, you should not write their Christian name. Thus the opening formula to write to Professor Andrea Widy is "Sehr geehrte Frau Professor Widy". 4. Body of the letter The first line of the body of a German letter is not indented, but is positioned flush left on the page. Note too that - unlike in English - the first word of the body of a letter does not start with a capital letter (unless it is a noun). Why? This is because this first word is only the start of a new clause, not a new sentence. Viewed from a grammatical perspective, it continues the sentence started on the previous line by "Sehr geehrte Damen und Herren,". 5. Ending a letter Whereas in English we must choose between "Yours faithfully" and "Yours sincerely" when concluding a business letter, the standard ending for a German letter is "Mit freundlichen Gren," (= with friendly wishes). As in English letters you then sign the letter and print your name beneath it.
Listed below is a two-page vocabulary guide to booking accommodation in Germanspeaking countries. We have also included symbols for each word or phrases that you may well find in tourist brochures or tourist offices. On this page you will find types of accommodation, stay and rooms as well as general accommodation phrases. On the next page you will find vocabulary for room facilities and hotel facilities. As ever, plurals of nouns are given in brackets.
Vocabulary 2: Types of accomodation der Campingplatz (pl. pltze) das Ferienhaus (pl. huser) die Ferienwohnung (-en) das Gasthaus (pl. huser) der Gasthof (pl. -hfe) die Herberge (-n) das Hotel (-s) das Hotel garni (-s -s) das Jugendgstehaus (pl. -huser) die Jugendherberge (-n) die Pension (-en) die Unterkunft (pl. knfte) das Wohnmobil (-e) der Wohnwagen (-) das Zelt (-e) camp site holiday home holiday flat inn inn hostel hotel bed and breakfast youth hostel youth hostel guest-house accommodation; place to stay dormobile; camper van dormobile; camper van tent
Vocabulary 3: Types of stay die Halbpension die bernachtung (-en) bernachtung mit Frhstck die Vollpension half-board overnight stay bed and breakfast full board
business room D T E D das Doppelzimmer (-) double room das Dreibettzimmer (-) room with three beds das Einzelzimmer (-) single room das Gstezimmer (-) guest room das Handicapzimmer (-) handicap room das Komfortzimmer (-) luxury room das Nichtraucherzimmer (-) no-smoking room die Nichtraucheretage (-n) no-smoking floor die Suite (-n) suite V Z das Vierbettzimmer (-) room with four beds das Zweibettzimmer (-) twin room
Vocabulary 5: Hotel phrases wie kann ich Ihnen helfen? how may I help you? knnen Sie mir Informationen ber das Hotel geben? can you give me some information about the hotel? smtliche Zimmer sind voll belegt all of the rooms are fully occupied alle Unterknfte sind bereits ausgebucht all accommodation is already fully booked das steht unseren Gsten zur Verfgung this is available to our guests das Hotel befindet sich... the hotel is situated... in ruhiger Lage in a quiet location in 10 Gehminuten erreichbar
can be reached with a ten-minute walk in unmittelbarer Umgebung in the immediate vicinity ganzjhrig geffnet open all the year round der hauseigene Parkplatz car park belonging to the hotel um wie viel Uhr wird das Frhstck serviert? at what time is breakfast served? werden Kreditkarten akzeptiert? are credit cards accepted? bitte betrachten Sie diese Reservierung als bindend please regard this reservation as binding bitte halten Sie (uns) das Zimmer frei... please keep the room (for us)... ...auch wenn wir sehr spt am Abend ankommen sollten ...even if we should arrive very late in the evening Preise auf Anfrage prices on request inklusive Mehrwertsteuer including value added tax Kinderermigung ab 12 Jahren child reduction from 12 years upwards Wollen Sie mir bitte jetzt folgen? Would you like to follow me please? im Erdgeschoss on the ground floor im obersten Stock on the top floor das Zimmer verfgt ber (+ Acc.) the room has... ein Zimmer mit Blick auf (+ Acc.) a room that looks out on... komplett ausgestattet fully furnished rollstuhlgerecht eingerichtet
furnished so as to be suitable for wheelchairs Vegetarier kommen zu ihrem Recht vegetarians are well-treated wie weit ist es zum Stadtzentrum? how far is it to the city centre? verkehrsgnstig gelegen conveniently situated wrden Sie sich bitte eintragen? would you like to sign the hotel register? bitte fllen Sie das Anmeldeformular aus please fill out the registration form Sie mssen die Reservierung schriftlich besttigen you must confirm the reservation in writing
das Hausvideo in-house video der Internetanschluss (pl. -schlsse) internet connection das Kabelfernsehen; das Kabel-TV cable television (as a medium) der Kabelfernseher (-) cable television set das Kinderbett (-en) cot die Klimaanlage (-n) air-conditioning klimatisiert air-conditioned die Loggia (pl. - Loggien) balcony die Minibar (-s) mini-bar der PC-Anschluss (pl. -schlsse) PC connection der Radiowecker (-) radio alarm clock das Satellitenfernsehen satellite TV der Schlafbereich (-e) sleeping area der Schlssel (-) key der Schreibtisch (-e) desk der Telefaxanschluss (pl. -schlsse) fax connection das Telefon (-e) telephone der WC (-s) toilet der Wohnbereich (-e) living area die Zimmernummer (-n) room number das Zusatzbett (-en) additional bed
der Airport-Shuttle (-s) airport shuttle das Anmeldeformular (-e) registration form die Anzahlung (-en) deposit gegen Anzahlung if you pay a deposit der Aufenthaltsraum (pl. -rume) day room; recreation room der Bahnhof-Shuttle (-s) station shuttle die Bar (-s) hotel bar die Bedienung service die behindertengerechte Ausstattung disabled facilities der Empfang (pl. -fnge) reception die Empfangsdame (-n) receptionist das englischsprachige Personal English-speaking staff die Ermigung (-en) reduction die Etage (-n) floor der Etagenservice floor service fahrradfreundlich catering for cyclists familienfreundlich catering for families der Fitnessraum (pl. -rume) fitness room die Freizeitmglichkeiten (pl.) leisure opportunities das Frhstcksbfett (-s) breakfast buffet die Garage (-n) garage / car park der Gast (pl. - Gste) guest gastfreundlich hospitable
das Getrnk (-e) drink; beverage die Gruppenermigung (-en) group reduction die Hausbar (-s) house bar Haustiere erlaubt pets allowed kinderfreundlich catering for children das Kindermen (-s) children's menu der Kinderspielplatz (pl. -pltze) children's playground der Konferenzraum (pl. -rume) conference room Kreditkarten akzeptiert credit cards accepted die (schsische) Kche (Saxon) cuisine der Lift (-e or -s) lift; elevator der Messe-Shuttle (-s) trade fair shuttle der Nachtportier (-s) night porter der offene Kamin open fire die Parkanlage (-n) park der Parkplatz (pl. -pltze) parking space der Portier (-s) porter der Prospekt (-e) brochure der/die Reisende traveller die Reservierung (-en) reservation das Restaurant (-s) restaurant die Sauna (-s) sauna das Schwimmbecken (-) swimming pool
der Seminarraum (pl. -rume) seminar room das Solarium (pl. -rien) solarium der Stock (no pl.) floor; storey das Stockwerk (-e) floor; storey die Tagungseinrichtungen (pl.) conference equpiment der Tagungsraum (pl. -rume) conference room die Terrasse (-n) terrace die Tiefgarage (-n) underground car park das Vegetariermen (-s) vegetarian menu die Verkehrsanbindungen (pl.) transport connections der Whirlpool (-s) whirlpool
It is becoming easier and easier however to book hotel rooms via the Internet. See the web links at the bottom of this page for a number of hotel reservation services and hotel search engines which can enable you you to book your ideal accommodation from the comfort of your own desk! Rooms in other types of accommodation As a general rule, prices in a German guest house (die Pension) or a bed and breakfast (das Hotel garni) will be cheaper than in a hotel, but in high season guest house prices in tourist areas can still be quite high. Look out for country inns (der Gasthof) that offer rooms. Many of them have their own butcher's and offer a wide variety of local specialities. Holiday flats (die Ferienwohnung), holiday homes (das Ferienhaus) and holiday villages (das Feriendorf) are gaining in popularity as a low-price vacation option. With environmental awareness in German-speaking countries being high, holidays on farms (Ferien auf dem Bauernhof) or in other "green" locations (such as stables or vineyards) are very popular. The German Agricultural Society (DLG) provides a comprehensive list of such approved holiday locations. Youth hostels Germany's 608 youth hostels are used not only by students, youth groups and school parties but also by hikers and tourists of all ages who seek an informal environment where you can meet people from a wide range of backgrounds. Most youth hostels are also suitable for families, offer sports facilities on their grounds and are wheelchair-accessible. The only requirement is that one must be a member of the German Youth Hostel Association (DJH). You may purchase a membership card directly from the German Youth Hostel Association or in the youth hostels themselves. So-called "Friends of Nature hostels" (das Naturfreundehaus) exist in locations of natural beauty such as mountain regions or walking areas. Many of them are youth guest houses or hiking centres, but it is possible for tourists, travellers and families to stay overnight. There are 500 such hostels in Germany alone and they range from simple boathouses and self-catering accommodation to recognised education centres. In mountainous areas you may also find a mountain hut (die Berghtte) that is willing to put up passing travellers for the night. Tourist boards Your first port of call when trying to find out more about accommodation and/or holidays in Germany should be the English homepage of the German National Tourist Board (GNTB). In addition to their excellent service for tourists, the sixteen German Lnder have their own tourist boards.
mentioned in official documents in 1206. The city derives its name from "Drezdany", the name of a village inhabited by Sorbs, and which literally means "the people from the marshy forest". It quickly became the capital of Saxony (in German: Sachsen), which became a major European power in 1697 when August the Strong of Saxony converted to catholicism and gained the Polish crown. Dresden became known internationally for its elaborately-decorated china which was manufactured from 1710 onwards in nearby Meien. In 1806 French troops occupied Dresden, and the city was the scene of Napoleon's last great military victory in August 1813 when 23,000 enemy soldiers died as French troops defeated Austrian forces under the command of General Schwarzenberg. Dresden grew quickly in size during the 19th Century and had a population of 632,710 by 1930 - by which time of course Saxony had become part of a unified Germany. The air-raid on Dresden in 1945 In 1945, during the latter stages of World War II, Dresden was perceived by the Allied forces to be a pivotal centre of communications as the Allied commander-inchief General Eisenhower was anxious to link up with the advancing Red Army in south Germany. Many factors spoke against it being a bombing target however. Dresden was a beautiful Baroque city known as the "Florence of the North". It had no war industry and little military value. The city was known to be overcrowded with some 200,000 refugees, mainly peasants from Silesia fleeing the Red Army. Despite this however, it was believed that air attacks on Dresden would sap the morale of the German populace and also provide retaliation for German attacks on London and other British cities. On the night of 13-14 February 1945, heavy and sustained air-raids were launched on Dresden by Britain's Bomber Command. 805 bombers dropped a total of 2690 tonnes of bombs on the city, followed by three more in daylight by the US 8th Air Force. A firestorm engulfing eight square miles flattened over 30,000 buildings, including many of great cultural importance such as the Frauenkirche (Church of Our Lady). The numbers of those who died in the bombing and the ensuing firestorm are still in dispute, with estimates varying from 55,000 to 250,000. Whatever the figure, it was probably greater than the 51,509 British civilians killed by the Luftwaffe during the whole of the Second World War and the 70,000 immediate deaths at Hiroshima after the dropping of the first atom bomb on 6th August 1945. 1949 to the present day After World War II, Dresden found itself in the Soviet occupation zone and thus became part of the German Democratic Republic. Saxony was dissolved as an administrational area and replaced by three regions: Dresden, Leipzig and Chemnitz. The city was located in what once was called the Tal der Ahnungslosen (Valley of the Clueless) - as the city is encircled by mountains and hills, the signals of the West German TV stations never seemed to reach peoples antennas, forcing them to watch the television channels of the socialist state broadcaster. German reunification in 1990 saw the reinstatement of Saxony as a German Land, with Dresden once again as its capital. In August 2002 large areas of Dresden were flooded, first by the Weieritz river and then by the River Elbe. The Elbe, which has a normal summer level of around two
metres on its way through Dresden, reached a height of over nine metres, thus beating the all-time high of 1845. 35,000 people had to be evacuated and 100,000 people were without electricity. The basement of the 19th-century Semper Opera House (pictured below) was filled with water to a depth of almost three metres, although most of the cultural artefacts in the building were thankfully brought to safety. The biggest clear-up operation in Dresden since 1945 looks set to cost the city millions of euros. Size and architecture Dresden currently has a population of 472,350 inhabitants, which makes it the fifteenth biggest city in Germany. The city owes its reputation as the "Florence of the North" to the baroque period, when it became one of the most glamorous European royal capitals. This period witnessed the construction of many of Dresden's most beautiful buildings such as the Zwinger, the Hofkirche and the Schaumburgpalais. Dresden's highlights include the magnificent palatial buildings around the Theaterplatz and the Brhl Terraces, and the many art treasures at the state museums. The reconstruction of Dresden's elegant landmarks after the air-raids of August 1945 was largely neglected by the GDR authorities. Inner-city areas that had only been lightly damaged by the bombing were largely left as they were. Instead a series of Soviet-style concrete buildings and housing blocks were added in areas such as Johannstadt, Gorbitz and Prohlis. Until 1989 the architecture of the city constituted a harsh contrast between decaying baroque splendour and concrete functionalism. It was only after reunification in 1990 that large scale reconstruction of the city got underway. Work was started in 1994 to rebuild the Frauenkirche (see picture left), the 18th Century baroque church at the heart of Dresden which had been in ruins since the bombing raids of 1945. Restoration work should be completed by the 800th anniversary of the city in 2006 and the new Frauenkirche will not only complete Dresden's city landscape but also provide Europe with a symbol of reconciliation between nations.
12.1 Am Studentenwerk
Having found a hotel room for a few days, Marko Tredup must now use his time in Dresden to find some student accommodation for when he starts at the Dresden University of Technology in October. He goes to seek advice from das Studentenwerk - the student administration of the university. Unfortunately it is Friday, the one day of the week on which the office is closed. Instead Marko meets fellow student Leon Arndt who gives him some information about the accommodation situation for students in Germany.
Conversation 1: Am Studentenwerk
Marko Ach, Entschuldigung, wo finde ich das Tredup Studentenwerk? Leon Arndt Das Studentenwerk befindet sich gleich um die Ecke im Hauptgebude.
Marko Und wann hat das Studentenwerk geffnet? Tredup Leon Arndt Tja, Pech gehabt! Die Sprechzeiten whrend der Semesterferien sind montags und mittwochs von 09.00 Uhr bis 12.00 Uhr und dienstags und donnerstags von 09.00 Uhr bis 15.00 Uhr. Freitags bleibt das Studentenwerk leider geschlossen.
Marko So ein Pech! Was mache ich denn jetzt? Kannst Tredup du mir eine Frage beantworten? Leon Arndt Ja, klar.
Marko Ab dem kommenden Semester werde ich hier an Tredup der Universitt Jura studieren. Bekommen alle Studenten einen Platz in einem Studentenwohnheim? Leon Arndt Nein, nicht alle. Die Wohnungssituation in Dresden ist uerst schwierig - besonders fr Studierende. Wegen der langen Wartezeiten bekommen Studienanfnger in der Regel kein Zimmer in einem Wohnheim. Du musst zumindest fr das Wintersemester eine Unterkunft auf dem privaten Wohnungsmarkt oder bei Freunden finden.
Marko Aber ich habe keine Freunde oder Bekannte in Tredup Dresden! Leon Arndt Das schwarze Brett befindet sich ganz in der Nhe der Mensa. Vielleicht wirst du da etwas finden.
Marko Das schwarze Brett? Was ist denn das? Tredup Leon Arndt Das ist eine riesige Tafel mit bunten Anzeigen. Sie ist ber und ber mit Mietangeboten und Mietgesuchen beklebt.
Marko Danke fr den Tipp! Ich kenne mich hier nicht Tredup aus! Welches Fach studierst du an der Uni? Leon Arndt Ich studiere Germanistik. brigens: Ich suche auch eine Unterkunft. Whrend meines Sommerkurses habe ich ein Zimmer in einem Studentenwohnheim, aber fr die Zeit danach suche ich eine mblierte Wohnung.
Marko Oh, excuse me, where can I find the student Tredup administration? Leon Arndt The student administration is just round the corner in the main building.
Marko And when is the student administration open? Tredup Leon Arndt Ah, you're unlucky there! The consulting hours during the university vacation are from 09:00 to 12:00 on Mondays and Wednesdays and between 09:00 and 15:00 on Tuesdays and Thursdays. On Fridays the student administration is unfortunately closed.
Marko That's just my luck! What am I going to do now? Tredup Can you answer a question for me? Leon Arndt Yes, of course.
Marko From the coming term onwards I'm going to be Tredup studying law here at the university. Do all students get a place in halls of residence? Leon Arndt No, not all of them. The accommodation situation in Dresden is extremely difficult particularly for students. Due to the long waiting periods first year students don't normally get a room in halls of residence. For the winter term at least you have to find a place to stay on the private accommodation market or with friends.
Marko But I don't have any friends or acquaintances in Tredup Dresden! Leon Arndt The notice board is very near the refectory. Perhaps you'll be able to find something there.
Marko The notice board? What's that then? Tredup Leon Arndt It's a massive board with colourful adverts. It's completely covered in offers of accommodation and requests for accommodation.
Marko Thanks for the tip! I don't know my way around Tredup here! What subject are you studying at the university? Leon Arndt I'm studying German. I'm also looking for a place to stay, by the way. I've got a room in halls of residence during my summer course but I'm looking for a furnished flat for the period
after that.
das Studentenwerk (- student administration e) gleich um die Ecke das Hauptgebude () hat ... geffnet just (a)round the corner main building This means "is open" and is an alternative to "ist offen". The word "geffnet" is the past participle of "ffnen", the verb meaning "to open". bad luck you're unlucky there! consulting time This preposition means "during" and takes the genitive case. semester; term university vacation on Mondays on Wednesdays on Tuesdays on Thursdays on Fridays This means "closed" and is the past participle of "schlieen", the verb meaning "to close". that's just my luck! now Marko uses the "du" form as he is speaking to a fellow student. This means "to answer". The thing that you are answering (here "die Frage") is in the accusative case. The person whose question etc. you are answering (here: "mir") is in the dative case. from... onwards coming; forthcoming
das Pech Pech gehabt! die Sprechzeit (-en) whrend das Semester (-) die Semesterferien (pl.) montags mittwochs dienstags donnerstags freitags geschlossen
ab (+ Dat.) kommend
die Universitt (-en) an der Universitt Jura studieren ich werde studieren bekommen (insep.) der Platz (pl. Pltze) das Studentenwohnheim (-e) die Situation (-en) die Wohnungssituation schwierig besonders der/die Studierende
university at university This means "law" when you are referring to it as a university subject to study This means "I will study" and is the future tense of the verb. to get; to receive This means "a place" in this context. (student) halls of residence
situation accommodation situation difficult particularly This is an adjectival noun and is another word for "a student". Thus a male student would be "der Studierende" and a female student would be "die Studierende". For the endings on adjectival nouns, see the previous chapter. This is another preposition that takes the genitive case. It means "because of". wait; waiting period first year student; fresher usually; as a rule halls of residence at least winter term place to stay private housing market In this context, "bei" means lodging "with" someone when they are the owners of the accommodation (such as your parents). If you are sharing
wegen
die Wartezeit (-en) der Studienanfnger (-) in der Regel das Wohnheim (-e) zumindest das Wintersemester (-) die Unterkunft (pl. knfte) privat der Wohnungsmarkt (pl. -mrkte) bei (+ Dat.)
accommodation with someone as equal partners, you should use "mit". das schwarze Brett (- This means "notice board" and despite er) the literal translation, most of them aren't black! in der Nhe (+ Gen.) ganz in der Nhe die Mensa (pl. Mensen) du wirst finden riesig This means "near" and is another phrase that takes the genitive case. very near refectory; canteen you will find This means "huge" or "massive" ans is used more in conversational German than written German. This means "board" in this context. As we have seen, it can also mean a "bar" of chocolate! colourful advertisement completely accommodation offer request for accommodation This means "covered over" and comes from the verb "bekleben" meaning "to stick something on something". tip This is a separable and reflexive verb meaning "to know one's way around". subject This is the shortened form of the German word for "university" and is used mainly in spoken German. at the university This means "German" as a university subject. In schools and colleges, the subject is called "Deutsch". moreover course summer course afterwards furnished flat; apartment
bunt die Anzeige (-n) ber und ber das Mietangebot (-e) das Mietgesuch (-e) beklebt
der Tipp (-s) sich auskennen das Fach (pl. Fcher) die Uni (-s)
brigens der Kurs (-e) der Sommerkurs (-e) danach mbliert die Wohnung (-en)
Nachmieter gesucht? Suche gnstige 2-Zimmer-Wohnung in Dresden. Am besten sofort! Komme am Sonntagabend nach Dresden und wrde mir gerne Montag, Dienstag und Mittwoch ein paar nette ruhige Neubauwohnungen ansehen. Wenn mglich ohne Ofenheizung, ohne Kaution und bis 300 warm. Lage egal - Loschwitz / Wachwitz jedoch optimal. Ich freue mich auf eine schnelle Nachricht von euch, also bis dahin... Bei Interesse ruft mich an: 0 36 43/52 63 39
Suche preiswertes Zimmer! Hallo, ich bin Anglistikstudent aus Nrnberg und suche dringend fr sechs Monate vom 01.10.02 bis zum 01.4.03 ein helles mbliertes Zimmer zur Untermiete (WG, Wohnheim oder privat) oder ein Einzelappartement. - nur Zentralheizung oder Etagenheizung! - kein EG. - zwischen 250-350 Euro Warmmiete. Ich bin WG-erprobt, nett und umgnglich. Ich brauche wenig Platz, bringe viel gute Laune mit und freue mich ber eine E-mail oder einen Anruf! Kontaktperson: Gert Wahnschaffe Telefon: 0911/457667 E-Mail-Adresse: gert_wahnschaffe@hotmail.com
Suche nette und gemtliche Wohngemeinschaft! Auf Grund meines Umzugs nach Dresden (Hochschulwechsel) suche ich zum 01.03.2003 ein helles Zimmer, mindestens 19 Quadratmeter / Altbau. Nach
Mglichkeit ruhige Lage, mglichst zentral und gute Verkehrsanbindung! Ich bin 20 Jahre alt, studiere seit einem halben Jahr Medizin und vermisse total das WG-Leben. Ich mchte nicht mehr alleine wohnen und mchte raus aus meiner eigenen Studentenwohnung! Ich denke mal, ich bin recht gesellig und kein allzu schwieriger Charakter. Ich kann monatlich maximal 200 Euro (kalt) ausgeben. Hoffe auf baldige Antwort! MfG, Markus. Meldet euch schnell unter: (03804) 561900
Looking for a follow-on tenant? I'm looking for a reasonably priced 2 room flat in Dresden. Preferably immediately! I'm coming to Dresden on Sunday evening and would like to look at a few nice and quiet newly-built flats on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. If possible without stove heating, without deposit and up to 300 including heating. I don't mind about the location, but Loschwitz / Wachwitz would be perfect. I look forward to getting your prompt replies, so until then... If you're interested, call me: 0 36 43/52 63 39
I'm looking for a reasonably priced room! Hallo, I'm an English student from Nuremberg and I'm urgently looking for a bright furnished room where I can be a tenant (shared flat, hall of residence, private) or a one-person apartment for six months from 01.10.02 to 01.04.03. - only central heating or whole-floor heating! - not on the ground floor. - between 250-350 euros rent including heating. I have experience of living in a shared flat, and I'm friendly and easy to get on with. I won't take up much space, I'm very cheerful and I look forward to receiving an e-mail or a phone call from you!
I'm looking for nice and friendly shared accommodation! As a result of my moving to Dresden (change of university), I'm looking for a bright room for March 1, 2003: at least 19 square metres / old building. A quite location if possible, as central as possible and good traffic connections! I'm 20 years old, have been studying medicine for half a year and really miss life in a shared flat. I don't want to live alone any more and want to get out of my own student flat! I think I'm pretty sociable and not too much of a difficult character. I can pay a maximum of 200 euros per month (without heating). I hope for a prompt response! Best wishes, Markus. Contact me soon on the number: (03804) 561900
Glossary First advert der Nachmieter (-) This can be translated approximately as "next tenant". More accurately, it means the person who takes over a flat or room from someone else. This would translate as "Looking for a new tenant?" or more literally "Is a follow-on tenant being looked for?" as it is the passive that is implied here - i.e. "Nachmieter wird gesucht". The word "gesucht" is the past participle of the verb "suchen". "I'm looking for..." The pronoun "ich" is omitted here for the sake of brevity.
Nachmieter gesucht?
suche...
gnstig die 2-ZimmerWohnung (-en) am besten sofort komme... am Sonntagabend sich etwas ansehen
reasonably priced This means a "two-room flat". It could also be written in full as "die Zweizimmerwohnung". ideally; if possible immediately "I'm coming...". See "suche...". on Sunday evening In this context it means "to look at something". We have already used it to describe "watching TV programmes". In both cases the thing that you are looking at is in the accusative case and the dative pronoun refers back to the person doing the "looking".
ich wrde mir gerne This means "I would like to look at". Note ... ansehen that the infinitive comes at the end of the sentence. nett ruhig nice quiet
die Neubauwohnung newly-built flat (-en) wenn mglich der Ofen (pl. fen) die Ofenheizung if possible oven; heater This means "stove heating". This is the (unpopular!) way in which a number of flats in old buildings are still heated. This means the "deposit" that you put down on a flat. It does NOT mean "caution"! In this context, this means "300 including heating". You would use "kalt" when heating costs are not included in the rent. location I don't care about the location however optimal; perfect This means "to look forward to". The reflexive pronoun is always in the accusative case. Note that if you use "sich freuen" with a different preposition it means something different. message; piece of news so
300 warm
die Lage (-n) Lage egal jedoch optimal sich freuen auf (+ Acc.)
until then interest if you are interested This means "to ring somebody up". The person whom you are calling is in the accusative case. "Ring me up!" This is the second person plural "ihr" form of the imperative. The polite "Sie" form is not used here as the advertiser is aiming his appeal at people of his own age group. Second advert reasonable; good value This means "English" as a university subject. English student (female) "I'm looking for..." The pronoun "ich" is omitted here for the sake of brevity. urgently bright subtenancy a room where I could be a tenant This means a shared flat. It is short for "die Wohngemeinschaft". apartment one-person apartment
preiswert die Anglistik die Anglistikstudentin suche... dringend hell die Untermiete ein Zimmer zur Untermiete die WG (-s) das Appartement (s) das Einzelappartement (-s) die Zentralheizung die Etagenheizung EG die Warmmiete (-n) erprobt WG-erprobt umgnglich der Platz die Laune (-n) sich freuen ber (+
central heating heating system that covers one floor of a building This is short for "das Erdgeschoss", meaning ground floor. rent including heating experienced experienced in living in shared flats friendly; sociable In this context it means "space" or "room". mood If you use "sich freuen" with the
Acc.) die E-Mail (-s) der Anruf (-e) die Kontaktperson (-en) die E-Mail-Adresse (-n) gemtlich die Wohngemeinschaft (-en) auf Grund (+ Gen.)
preposition "ber (+ Acc.)", this means "to be happy about". e-mail telephone call (person to) contact e-mail address Third advert comfortable; friendly This means "shared flat". It usually gets abbreviated to "die WG". This preposition means "because of" and takes the genitive case. It can also be written as one word - "aufgrund". This means "a move" as in "moving house". This is another word for "university", and can also mean "college". change
der Umzug (pl. Umzge) die Hochschule (-n) der Wechsel (-)
der change of university Hochschulwechsel () zum 01.03.2003 mindestens das Quadratmeter (-) for March 1, 2003 at least This means "square metre". German accommodation adverts tend to deal in room sizes more than the number of rooms. In spoken German "Quadratmeter" may be masculine. old building possibility if possible central as central as possible transport connection
der Altbau (pl. Altbauten) die Mglichkeit (en) nach Mglichkeit zentral mglichst zentral die Verkehrsanbindung (-en) ein halbes Jahr studiere ... seit einem halben Jahr die Medizin
vermissen (insep.) total das WG-Leben (-) nicht mehr ich mchte nicht mehr... alleine
to miss This adverb means "totally" and should be used in conversational German only life in a shared flat no longer; no more I don't want to ... any more This adverb means "alone" and can be written with or without an "-e" at the end of the word. "I want to get out". The verb of motion itself can be omitted in this construction. own student flat
ich mchte raus... eigen die Studentenwohnung (-en) denken ich denke mal recht gesellig allzu schwierig der Charakter (-) monatlich maximal 200 Euro kalt ausgeben (sep.)
to think I think quite; fairly sociable too; all too difficult character per month a maximum of 200 euros In this context this means "without heating" This is a separable verb meaning "to spend". The money that you spend is in the accusative case. This means "to hope for". Once again the pronoun "ich" has been omitted here. quick; early answer This is an informal abbreviation of "mit freundlichen Gren" (with best wishes). Don't use it in business letters! This is a reflexive verb meaning "to get in touch". The reflexive pronoun is always in the accusative case. "Contact me on the number..." The imperative is once again being used in the familiar "ihr" form of the second person plural, as Bettina's advert is aimed at her
sich melden
fellow students.
Wir suchen eine/n Nachmieter/in! Wir werden ausziehen und unsere Maisonettewohnung in einem ruhigen Dresdner Vorort (bigau) wird bald frei. Neubau, 81m. Kochecke, Diele, Wohnzimmer, Badezimmer mit WC & Bidet, 2 Balkone, Parkett, Tiefgaragenstellplatz inklusive, Nachtspeicherheizung. Komplett renoviert, schne Aussicht. Sehr hohe Decke. WG-geeignet, gute Verkehrsanbindung. Die Kaltmiete betrgt 490 + 210 Heiz- und Nebenkosten also insgesamt 700 warm. Besichtigung am 28. September. Ab 30.09.02 zu beziehen. Weitere Informationen unter: Festnetz: (0371) 467856 Handy: 0160/576835 E-Mail: A.Prill@gmx.de
Altbauwohnung zu vermieten! Wer mchte fr die Zeit meiner Abwesenheit (20.10. bis 30.12.2002) in meiner sonnigen Dreizimmerwohnung im Hochparterre wohnen? Zentrale Wohnanlage (Dresdner Neustadt), an der Elbe gelegen, 68 qm. Wohnkche, Bad mit Duschkabine, Fubodenheizung, modern mbliert, hochwertige Ausstattung, Kabel-TV, Holzboden, Aufzug im Haus, 295 inklusive. Ich freue mich auf Eure Anrufe! Kontaktperson:
Eigentumswohnung zu vermieten! Ab Anfang Oktober zu beziehen: Neubauwohnung in Dresden-Cotta. Erdgeschoss, ca. 84 m Wohnflche bestehend aus: 1 Wohnzimmer, 1 Schlafzimmer, 1 Kochnische, 1 Arbeitszimmer, 1 Bad, 1 WC, 1 Abstellraum in Wohnung + kleine Loggia/Terrasse + Keller. Kche, Bad und Vorzimmer eingerichtet, Schlafzimmer mit Kleiderschrank vorhanden, Wohnung wird renoviert, Heizung und Warmwasser mit Fernwrme (geringe Heizkosten im Winter). Parkplatz vor dem Haus vorhanden, Grnstreifen vor dem Balkon. Sehr verkehrsgnstig, gute Einkaufsmglichkeiten. Monatliche Miete: EUR 375,-- (kalt), Nebenkosten 121 Euro bei 2 Personen. Besichtigung nach Vereinbarung. Rckfragen: Andreas Fricke: 0351/431824 E-Mail: Fricke3@yahoo.com
We're looking for a follow-on tenant! We will be moving out and our maisonette flat in a quiet Dresden suburb (bigau) will soon become free. New building, 81 square metres. Kitchen/cooking area, hall, living room, bathroom with toilet & bidet, 2 balconies, parquet flooring, space in an underground car park, night storage heating. Completely renovated, pleasant view. Very high ceiling. Suitable for a shared flat, good transport connections. The rent excluding heating costs amounts to 490 + 210 for heating and additional costs which makes a total of
700 including heating. Viewing on 28th September. Can be occupied from 30.09.02. For further details, contact: Landline: (0371) 467856 Mobile phone: 0160/576835 E-Mail: A.Prill@gmx.de
Flat in an old building to let! Who would like to live in my sunny three-room flat on the upper ground floor for the time of my absence (20.10. to 30.12.2002)? Central location (Dresdner Neustadt), situated by the River Elbe, 68 square metres. Combined kitchen and living room, bathroom with shower cubicle, underfloor heating, high-quality modern furnishings, cable TV, wooden floor, lift in building, 295 inclusive. I look forward to your phone calls! Contact: Jessica Dbritz Office: 0351/2576835 Private: 0351/345736 (Answer phone!)
Owner-occupied flat to let! Ready to be occupied from the start of October: Newlybuilt flat in Dresden-Cotta. Ground floor, approximately 84 square metres living space consisting of: 1 living room, 1 bedroom, 1 kitchenette, 1 study, 1 bathroom, 1 WC, 1 store room in flat + small balcony/terrace + cellar. Kitchen, bath and anteroom furnished, bedroom with wardrobe, flat is being renovated, heating and warm water via district heating (low heating costs in the winter). Parking space available in front of the building, grass verge in front of the balcony. Very conveniently situated, good shopping facilities. Monthly rent: 375 EUR (excluding heating costs),
additional costs for 2 people 121 euros. Viewing by arrangement. Queries: Andreas Fricke: 0351/431824 E-Mail: Fricke3@yahoo.com
Glossary First advert eine/n Nachmieter/in Note the different endings to show that the offer is open to both male and female applicants! This means "to move out". We have encountered this verb before in the reflexive form. maisonette flat This is the adjective that comes from "Dresden". It is invariable, i.e. it never changes its endings no matter which case it is in or what kind of determiner it follows. suburb new building The total size of the flat in square metres. kitchen / cooking area hall living room bathroom bidet parquet flooring
ausziehen
der Vorort (-e) der Neubau (pl. Neubauten) 81m die Kochecke (-n) die Diele (-n) das Wohnzimmer (-) das Badezimmer (-) das Bidet (-s) das Parkett (-e)
der Tiefgaragenstellplatz space in an underground car park (pl. -pltze) inklusive die Nachtspeicherheizung komplett renovieren renoviert included night storage heating completely to renovate renovated
view This means "high". When "hoch" adds adjective endings, the "-c-" is omitted. Hence "die hohe Decke". ceiling suitable for a shared flat rent excluding heating costs This means "to come to" or "to amount to". It declines in the same way as the irregular verb "tragen" (see verb tables). heating costs additional costs in total viewing to occupy can be occupied from... further information landline mobile phone Second advert
die Heizkosten (pl.) die Nebenkosten (-) insgesamt die Besichtigung (-en) beziehen (insep.) ab ... zu beziehen weitere Informationen (pl.) das Festnetz das Handy (-s)
die Altbauwohnung (en) vermieten (insep.) Wohnung zu vermieten wer mchte ... wohnen? fr die Zeit (+ Gen.)
flat in an old building to rent out flat to let; flat for rent "Who would like to live...?" This means "for the time of" and is a construction that takes the genitive case. sunny
sonnig
die Dreizimmerwohnung three-room flat (-en) das Hochparterre (-s) im Hochparterre die Wohnanlage (-n) die Neustadt (pl. stdte) an der Elbe gelegen 68 qm upper ground floor on the upper ground floor location new (part of) town situated by the River Elbe Short for "68 Quadratmeter" (= 68 square metres)
die Wohnkche (-n) das Bad die Duschkabine (-n) der Fuboden (pl. bden) die Fubodenheizung modern hochwertig die Ausstattung der Holzboden (pl. bden) der Aufzug (pl. -zge) das Haus (pl. - Huser)
combined kitchen and living room This can sometimes mean "bath" as well as "bathroom". shower cubicle floor underfloor heating modern high-quality In this context, this means "furnishings". wooden floor This is another word for a "lift" Although this normally means "house", it can also be a generally word for a "building" in which individual flats are located.
der Anrufbeantworter (- answer phone ) Third advert die Eigentumswohnung (-en) der Anfang (pl. Anfnge) Anfang Oktober owner-occupied flat start; beginning This means "at the beginning of October". Note the absence of articles and prepositions in the German phrase! This is short for "circa", meaning "approximately". living space This means "84 square metres of living space". In practice this comprises the space taken up by lving room, dining room and bedroom. This means "consisting of". It is the present participle of the verb "bestehen". bedroom kitchenette study storeroom balcony
bestehend aus
das Schlafzimmer (-) die Kochnische (-n) das Arbeitszimmer (-) der Abstellraum (pl. rume) die Loggia (pl. -
Loggien) die Terrasse (-n) der Keller (-) das Vorzimmer (-) eingerichtet terrace cellar anteroom; hall furnished
der Kleiderschrank (pl. - wardrobe schrnke) vorhanden renovieren wird renoviert present; there to renovate This means "is being renovated". It is an example of the passive which we met in the previous chapter. heating warm water district heating low grass verge convenient for transport shopping facilities
die Heizung das Warmwasser die Fernwrme gering (adj.) der Grnstreifen (-) verkehrsgnstig die Einkaufsmglichkeiten (pl.) bei 2 Personen die Vereinbarung (-en) nach Vereinbarung die Rckfrage (-n)
Dreier-WG im 2. OG. Uni-Nhe (Johannstadt). Circa 1 Minute zur Bushaltestelle. Wohnungsgre gesamt 85m. Das Zimmer ist ca. 24 m gro mit Doppelbett, Schrank und Sessel - Sdseite, Altbau mit Stuck. Wir benutzen gemeinschaftlich eine groe Wohnkche mit Backofen und Herd. Sofort Warmwasser durch Wasserboiler. Eine Waschmaschine ist da, der Khlschrank zieht leider aus. Weiterhin: groes Badezimmer mit Badewanne, gratis Parkplatz, Garten. Miete: ca. 170 + 34 Strom/Gas. Die Kaution betrgt 160. Sofort beziehbar! Bitte meldet euch bei mir ab 18 Uhr! Anna (0351) 3 53 24 26
Angebot: Vermietung auf Zeit Biete ein freies unmbliertes Zimmer in einer 3-RaumWohnung in einem Wohnblock am Rathaus Blasewitz ab frhestens 01.11.02 bis mindestens 04/2003. Bestens renoviert, groer Sdbalkon, Kche, Elektroheizung, neu gefliestes Bad, Kellerabteil. Internetanschluss vorhanden. Grillplatz im Hof. Kaltmiete: 200 Euro. Das Zimmer ist wegen meines Auslandsaufenthalts an eine Frau zu vermieten. Auslndische Studentinnen willkommen. Anfragen bitte per E-mail (F.Copado@t-online.de) oder telefonisch. Ich bin unter 0351/269889 zu erreichen.
Einzimmerwohnung in Striesen (Wormser Str.) Suche Nachmieter fr helle 35qm-Wohnung zum 01.10.02. Gefliestes Wannenbad, Kinderzimmer mit eingebautem Kleiderschrank, Einbaukche, Mansarde. Nahe Universitt. WBS erforderlich. Preis: 195,10 Euro / Monat Einmalige Zahlung: 300,00 Euro (fr Kaution) Thomas Adler (thom_adler@bbv.de) Telefonnummer: 0371/2 45 94 60
Zimmer in Studenten-WG frei! Desperately seeking flatmate! Single room in threeperson shared flat on the second floor. Near the university (Johannstadt). Approximately 1 minute from the bus stop. Flat size in total 85 square metres. The room is approximately 24 square metres in size with a double bed, wardrobe and armchair - south side, old building with stucco. We have communal usage of a large combined kitchen and living room with oven and cooker. Warm water immediately thanks to a hot-water tank. A washing machine is there, the fridge is unfortunately moving out. Furthermore: large bathroom with a bath tub, free parking space, garden. Rent: approx. 170 + 34 electricity / gas. The deposit amounts to 160. Can be moved into immediately! Please get in touch with me from 6 o'clock onwards! Anna (0351) 3 53 24 26
Offer: Fixed period lease I'm offering an available unfurnished room in a threeroom flat in a block of flats near the Blasewitz town hall from 01.11.02 at the earliest until at least April 2003. Excellently renovated, large south-facing balcony, kitchen, electric heating, recently tiled bath, cellar compartment. Internet connection available. Barbecue area in the courtyard. Rent excluding heating costs: 200 euros. The room is available due to a stay abroad and is to be rented to a woman. Overseas students are welcome. Inquiries by e-mail (F.Copado@t-online.de) or telephone please. I can be reached on 0351/269889.
I'm looking for a follow-on tenant for a bright 35 sq. metre flat for 01.10.02. Tiled bath, children's bedroom with built-in wardrobe, fitted kitchen, attic room. Near the university. Permit for subsidised housing required. Price: 195.10 euros per month One-off payment: 300.00 euros (for deposit) Thomas Adler (thom_adler@bbv.de) Telephone number: 0371/2 45 94 60
Glossary First advert die Studenten-WG (-s) der Mitbewohner () shared student flat housemate (male)
die Mitbewohnerin (- This means "a female housemate". Note innen) again how difficult it can be in German to show that an offer applies to both genders! dringend gesucht This translates as "desperately looking for a housemate" or literally "housemate is desperately looked for". This is another passive construction where the word "wird" is omitted for reasons of space - it should be "Mitbewohner/in wird dringend gesucht". single room three-person shared flat This is an abbreviation of "im zweiten Obergeschoss" meaning "on the second floor". upper floor; top floor near the university bus stop size of flat double bed cupboard armchair
das Obergeschoss Uni-Nhe die Bushaltestelle (n) die Wohnungsgre (-n) das Doppelbett (en) der Schrank (pl. Schrnke) der Sessel (-)
south side This means "stucco" and must not be confused with "das Stck", which is the German word for "piece". to use communally oven cooker hot-water tank washing machine
benutzen (insep.) gemeinschaftlich der Backofen (fen) der Herd (-e) der Wasserboiler () die Waschmaschine (-n)
der Khlschrank (pl. fridge; refrigerator -schrnke) ausziehen This means "to move out". We assume that the housemate who is leaving is taking the fridge with them. furthermore bathtub This adverb means "free of charge". It cannot add adjectival endings. garden electricity gas ready to move to get in touch with me Second advert das Angebot (-e) die Vermietung (en) auf Zeit bieten Biete... unmbliert die 3-RaumWohnung (-en) der Wohnblock (-s) das Rathaus (pl. huser) frhestens offer renting out; letting out for a fixed period to offer I'm offering... unfurnished This is another word for a "three-room flat". block of flats town hall at the earliest
weiterhin die Badewanne (-n) gratis der Garten (pl. Grten) der Strom das Gas (-e) beziehbar meldet euch bei mir
mindestens bestens
der Sdbalkon (-s or south-facing balcony -e) die Elektroheizung neu gefliest das Kellerabteil (-e) das Internet der Internetanschluss (pl. -schlsse) der Grillplatz (pl. pltze) der Hof (pl. Hfe) wegen (+ Gen.) der Aufenthalt (-e) der Auslandsaufenthalt (-e) an eine Frau zu vermieten auslndisch die Anfrage (-n) per E-Mail telefonisch erreichen ich bin ... zu erreichen die Einzimmerwohnung (-en) Wormser Str. electric heating recently tiled cellar compartment internet internet connection
The room "is to be let to a woman". overseas; foreign inquiry; question by e-mail by telephone to reach I can be reached ... Third advert one-room flat
"Wormser" is the adjective for the German city of Worms in Rheinland-Pfalz. "Str." is short for "die Strae". This is an abbreviation for "35 Quadratmeter", meaning "35 square metres". for October 1, 2002 tiled bath
35qm
) eingebaut der Schrank (pl. Schrnke) die Einbaukche (n) die Mansarde (-n) WBS built-in cupboard; wardrobe fitted kitchen attic room This is short for "der Wohnberechtigungsschein" which is a "permit for subsidised housing". necessary; required one-off payment
Silke Kitschler Marko Tredup Silke Kitschler Marko Tredup Silke Kitschler Marko Tredup Silke Kitschler Marko Tredup
Silke Kitschler am Apparat. Guten Tag. Guten Tag. Ich heie Marko Tredup. Ich rufe wegen des Zimmers an. Ist das Zimmer schon vergeben? Nein, es ist noch nicht vergeben. Wie gro ist das Zimmer bitte? Es ist circa 25 Quadratmeter gro. Und wie ist das Zimmer? Es ist hell und gemtlich. Und was fr ein Haus ist das - ein Einfamilienhaus? Ein Reihenhaus?
Silke Kitschler Marko Tredup Silke Kitschler Marko Tredup Silke Kitschler
Hier muss ein Irrtum vorliegen. Wir wohnen in einer sanierten Altbauwohnung! Wie viele Zimmer hat die Wohnung? Sie hat eine Wohnkche, ein Wohnzimmer, ein Badezimmer und zwei Schlafzimmer. Die Wohnung hat eine Wohnflche von 82 qm. Wie liegt die Wohnung? Sie liegt sehr ruhig im Seitenflgel eines Altbaus in der Altstadt. Im dritten Stock. Die Nachbarn sind alle sehr leise. Wir haben nie Probleme mit ihnen. Ist es eine Mietwohnung oder eine Eigentumswohnung? Eine Mietwohnung. Und wo liegt die Wohnung genau? In der Wilsdruffer Strae. Sdlich der Elbe und nordstlich des Rathauses. Von unserem Fenster aus kann man das Rathaus sehen. Wie viele Leute wohnen in Ihrer Wohngemeinschaft? Drei. Ich, mein Freund Andreas, und unsere Mitbewohnerin Marlene. Aber sie wird nicht mehr hier sein. Wann kann man einziehen? Marlene wird Mitte Oktober ausziehen. Sie wird heiraten und mit ihrem Verlobten in ein Zweifamilienhaus umziehen. Wie hoch ist die Monatsmiete? 180 Euro kalt. 180 Euro kalt? Was bedeutet das? Das heit, die Miete fr die Wohnung ist 180 Euro im Monat, aber ohne die Kosten fr Elektrizitt. Du musst also etwa 65 Euro dazurechnen. Also, insgesamt 245 Euro im Monat? Das ist ziemlich viel. Kann ich mir das Zimmer
Marko Tredup Silke Kitschler Marko Tredup Silke Kitschler Marko Tredup Silke Kitschler Marko Tredup Silke Kitschler Marko Tredup Silke Kitschler Marko Tredup Silke Kitschler
Marko Tredup
ansehen? Silke Kitschler Ja, natrlich. Morgen oder bermorgen, nach 18 Uhr. Ich zeige dir die Wohnung und wir trinken einen Kaffee zusammen.
Silke Kitschler Marko Tredup Silke Kitschler Marko Tredup Silke Kitschler Marko Tredup Silke Kitschler Marko Tredup Silke Kitschler Marko Tredup Silke Kitschler Marko Tredup Silke Kitschler
Hello, Silke Kitschler speaking. Hello, my name is Marko Tredup. I'm ringing up about the room. Has the room already been taken? No, it's not yet been taken. How big is the room please? It's about 25 square metres in size. And can you describe the room? It's bright and comfortable. Und what sort of house is it - a detached house? A terraced house? There must be some kind of mistake here. We live in a flat in an old renovated building! How many rooms does the flat have? It has a combined kitchen / living room, a living room, a bathroom and two bedrooms. The flat has a living area of 82 square metres. How is the flat situated? It has a very quiet location in the side wing of an old building in the old part city of the city. On the third floor. The neighbours are all very quiet. We never have any problems with them. Is it a rented flat or an owner-occupied flat? A rented flat. And where is the flat located exactly?
Tredup Silke Kitschler Marko Tredup Silke Kitschler Marko Tredup Silke Kitschler In the Wilsdruffer Strae. South of the River Elbe and north-east of the town hall. You can see the town-hall from our window. How many people live in your shared flat? Three. Myself, my boyfriend Andreas, and our flatmate Marlene. But she won't be here any more. When would it possible to move in? Martine will be moving out in the middle of October. She's going to get married and will be moving to a semi-detached house with her fianc. How high is the rent each month? 180 Euro without heating costs. 180 Euro without heating costs? What does that mean? That means that the rent for the flat is 180 euros per month without electricity costs. So you'll have to add on about 65 euros. So that makes 245 euros per month in total? That's quite a lot. Can I have a look at the room? Yes, of course. Tomorrow or the day after, after 6 o'clock in the evening. I'll show you the flat and we'll have a cup of coffee together.
Marko Tredup Silke Kitschler Marko Tredup Silke Kitschler Marko Tredup Silke Kitschler
Glossary vergeben was fr ein Haus...? das Einfamilienhaus (pl. -huser) This means "taken" or "let" when it refers to accommodation. what sort of house...? detached house
das Reihenhaus (pl. - terraced house huser) der Irrtum (pl. Irrtmer) vorliegen (sep.) error This separable verb means "to exist" or
"to be present". The meaning of this sentence thus equates to "There must be some kind of mistake". saniert (adj.) This adjective means "renovated". It is the past participle of the verb "sanieren" (= to renovate). how is the flat situated? side wing This means "neighbour". It is another weak masculine noun (see previous chapter). quiet rented flat
wie liegt die Wohnung? der Seitenflgel (-) der Nachbar (-n)
die owner-occupied flat Eigentumswohnung (en) sdlich (+ Gen.) This preposition means "south of". All such prepositions of direction take the genitive case. north-east of window from our window This noun means "people" and is only used in the plural form. In this context this means "my boyfriend". flatmate (female) to move in This means "in the middle of October". Note the absence of articles and prepositions in the German version. This means "to move out". Remember that when this verb is reflexive (sich ausziehen), it means "to get undressed". This means "to get married". This means "fianc". It is an adjectival noun (see previous chapter).
nordstlich (+ Gen.) das Fenster (-) von unserem Fenster aus die Leute (pl.) mein Freund die Mitbewohnerin (innen) einziehen (sep.) Mitte Oktober
ausziehen (sep.)
das Zweifamilienhaus This means "semi-detached house". (pl. -huser) Another word for this is "das Doppelhaus". umziehen (sep.) This separable verb means "to move
house". Remember that when this verb is reflexive (sich umziehen), it means "to get changed". hoch This means "high". We have already seen in this chapter that this adjective loses its "-c-" when it adds adjective endings - e.g. "die hohe Decke" (= the high ceiling). monthly rent This means "to mean"! Like all German verbs beginning with the prefix "be-", it is inseparable. per month costs electricity This is a separable verb meaning "to add on". In this context this means "tomorrow". the day after tomorrow
im Monat die Kosten (pl.) die Elektrizitt dazurechnen (sep.) morgen bermorgen
Marko Tredup
(Er klingelt.)
Silke Moment. Ich mache die Tr auf! Kitschler Marko Tredup Hallo, ich bin der Marko. Ich komme wegen der Anzeige. Ist das Zimmer noch frei?
Silke Ja, komm herein! Herzlich willkommen bei uns! Kitschler Ich zeige dir mal die Wohnung. So, hier ist zuerst der Flur. Leg deinen Mantel an der Garderobe ab! Marko Tredup (Er kommt herein und legt seinen Mantel ab.)
Silke Hier rechts vom Flur findest du das Kitschler Badezimmer. Es gibt eine Duschkabine, ein neu gefliestes Bad, einen WC, ein
Waschbecken und einen groen runden Spiegel. Marko Tredup Gibt es gengend Warmwasser?
Silke Ja, dank dem Wasserboiler ist gengend Kitschler Warmwasser immer vorhanden. Hier vorne am Ende des Flurs ist die Wohnkche, siehst du, dort rechts? Es ist ein kombiniertes Zimmer wir haben kein Esszimmer. Aber der Esstisch ist ziemlich lang. Marko Tredup Ist die Kche gut ausgestattet?
Silke Ja, sie ist sehr modern ausgestattet. Wir haben Kitschler einen Elektroherd, einen Mikrowellenherd, einen Khlschrank, einen Gefrierschrank, einen Geschirrspler, eine Waschmaschine, eine Kaffeemaschine und einen Toaster... Nein, das stimmt nicht, das ist Marlenes Toaster. Sie wird ihn mitnehmen. Marko Tredup Sehr praktisch! Und das Zimmer vorne links mit dem Doppelbett?
Silke Das ist mein Schlafzimmer. Ich teile das Kitschler Zimmer mit meinem Freund Andreas. Er ist momentan nicht hier. Das ist Andreas' Stereoanlage in der Ecke. Und hier links neben der Wohnungstr ist das Wohnzimmer. Das Sofa, die Schrankwand und der Couchtisch sind altmodisch aber elegant. Wir benutzen den Farbfernseher und den Videorecorder gemeinschaftlich. Marko Tredup Das Wohnzimmer ist wirklich hbsch!
Silke So, und links nebenan ist Marlenes Zimmer ... Kitschler h ... das Gstezimmer. Es ist im Moment ein bisschen unordentlich. Marko Tredup Das macht nichts! Was fr Mbel gibt es im Zimmer?
Silke Es gibt zwei weiche Einzelbetten, einen Kitschler gerumigen Kleiderschrank, ein kompaktes Bcherregal und eine hohe Stehlampe. Ein bequemer Sessel steht im rechten Winkel neben dem Nachttisch und das Zimmer hat auch zwei gepolsterte Sthle. In der anderen Ecke steht ein viereckiger Schreibtisch mit einer Lampe darauf. Natrlich wird Marlene den Wecker und den Computer mitnehmen. Marko Das Zimmer ist ein bisschen dunkel, findest du
Tredup
nicht?
Silke Trotz der dunklen Wnde ist es eigentlich ganz Kitschler hell. (Sie zieht die Vorhnge auf.) Wollen wir eine Tasse Kaffee trinken? Setz dich! Ich gehe in die Kche und mache Kaffee.
Marko Tredup
Silke Just a moment. I'm opening the door! Kitschler Marko Tredup Hallo, I'm Marko. I've come about the advertisement. Is the room still free?
Silke Yes, come in! A very warm welcome to our Kitschler flat! I'll just show you the flat. So, first of all this is the hall. Take your coat off and hang it on the coat-rack! Marko Tredup (He comes in and takes off his coat.)
Silke Over here on the right of the hall you'll find the Kitschler bathroom. There's a shower cubicle, a re-tiled bath, a toilet, a wash-basin and a large round mirror. Marko Tredup Is there enough warm water?
Silke Yes, there's always enough warm water Kitschler available thanks to the hot-water tank. Here in front of us at the end of the hall is the combined kitchen and living room, do you see, there on the right? It's a combined room - we don't have a dining room. But the dining table is fairly long. Marko Tredup Is the kitchen well-equipped?
Silke Yes, it has very up-to-date equipment. We Kitschler have an electric cooker, a microwave oven, a fridge, a freezer, a dishwasher, a washing machine, a coffee machine and a toaster... No, that's not true, it's Marlene's toaster. She'll be taking it with her. Marko Tredup Silke Very practical! And the room at the front on the left with the double bed? That's my bedroom. I share the room with my
Kitschler boyfriend Andreas. He's not hier at the moment. That's Andreas' stereo system in the corner. And here on the left by the front door is the living room. The sofa, the wall unit and the coffee table are old-fashioned but elegant. We use the colour TV and the video recorder communally. Marko Tredup The living room is really pretty!
Silke Right, and next to it on the left is Marlene's Kitschler Zimmer ... erm ... the guest room. It's a bit untidy at the moment. Marko Tredup That doesn't matter! What kind of furniture does the room have?
Silke There are two soft single beds, a spacious Kitschler wardrobe, a compact bookshelf and a tall standard lamp. There's a comfortable armchair in the right-hand corner by the bedside table and the room also has two upholstered chairs. In the other corner there's an oblong desk with a lamp on it. Marlene will of course take the alarm-clock and the computer with her. Marko Tredup The room's a bit dark, don't you think?
Silke Despite the dark walls it's actually quite bright. Kitschler (She opens the curtains.) Shall we have a cup of coffee? Sit down! I'll go into the kitchen and make some coffee.
Glossary klingeln aufmachen (sep.) die Tr (-en) hereinkommen (sep.) to ring the doorbell This is a separable verb meaning "to open". door This is a separable verb meaning "to come in". "Komm herein!" is the imperative form when speaking to a "du" (see earlier chapter). Although Marko and Silke used "Sie" when speaking to each other on the telephone, they use "du" when they meet and recognise that they are both of student age. first of all
komm herein!
zuerst
hall; corridor This is a separable verb meaning "to take off an item of item clothing". "Leg ab" is the imperative form when speaking to a "du" (see earlier chapter). coat-rack on the right-hand side of the hall shower cabinet
das Waschbecken (- wash-basin ) rund (adj.) der Spiegel (-) gengend dank (+ Dat.) der Wasserboiler () das Ende (-n) am Ende (+ Gen.) siehst du? kombiniert das Esszimmer (-) der Esstisch (-e) lang gut ausgestattet der Elektroherd (e) round mirror sufficient This is a preposition meaning "thanks to". It always takes the dative case. hot-water tank end at the end of do you see? combined dining room dining table long well-equipped electric cooker
der Mikrowellenherd microwave oven (-e) der Khlschrank (pl. fridge -schrnke) der Gefrierschrank (pl. -schrnke) der Geschirrspler (-) die Kaffeemaschine (-n) der Toaster (-) das stimmt (nicht) mitnehmen (sep.) freezer dishwasher coffee machine toaster that's (not) true This is a separable verb meaning "to take something with you". There is no need to express "with you (etc.)" in the German
construction. praktisch das Doppelbett (en) teilen momentan die Stereoanlage (n) die Wohnungstr (en) das Sofa (-s) die Schrankwand (pl. -wnde) der Couchtisch (-e) altmodisch elegant practical double bed to share at the moment stereo system front door of the flat sofa wall unit coffee table old-fashioned elegant
der Videorecorder (- video recorder; VCR ) gemeinschaftlich hbsch nebenan links nebenan das Gstezimmer () unordentlich das macht nichts das Mbel (-) weich das Einzelbett (-en) gerumig der Kleiderschrank (pl. -schrnke) kompakt das Bcherregal (e) die Stehlampe (-n) bequem der Sessel (-) der Winkel (-) der Nachttisch (-e) communally pretty next to it next to it on the left guest room untidy that doesn't matter piece of furniture soft single bed spacious wardrobe compact bookshelf standard lamp comfortable armchair corner This means "bedside table". Be careful not to misspell this as "der Nachtisch"
which means "dessert"! gepolstert der Stuhl (pl. Sthle) viereckig upholstered chair This adjective can either mean "square" or "rectangular". It literally means "having four corners". desk lamp on it alarm clock computer This preposition means "despite" and takes the genitive case. wall to open (curtains) carpet This is a reflexive verb meaning "to sit down". "Setz dich" is the imperative form when speaking to a "du" (see earlier chapter).
der Schreibtisch (e) die Lampe (-n) darauf der Wecker (-) der Computer (-) trotz (+ Gen.) die Wand (pl. Wnde) aufziehen (sep.) der Vorhang (pl. hnge) sich setzen (ref.)
Singular ich werde kaufen du wirst kaufen Sie werden kaufen er/sie/es wird kaufen Plural wir werden kaufen ihr werdet kaufen Sie werden kaufen We will buy You will buy (informal/formal) I will buy You will buy (informal/formal) He/she/it will buy
Notes on word order 1. The infinitive of the main verb in the future tense should always be placed at the end of a clause or sentence.
Aber sie wird nicht mehr hier sein. (But she won't be here any more.) Marlene wird Mitte Oktober ausziehen. (Marlene will be moving out in the middle of October.)
2. When a clause is "inverted" - i.e. in a question or when an adverb is the first element -, the auxiliary verb "werden" precedes the subject and the infinitive is again placed at the end of the clause.
Wann wirst du einziehen? (When will you move in?) Natrlich wird Marlene den Wecker und den Computer mitnehmen. (Of course Marlene will take the alarm clock and the computer with her.) Ab dem kommenden Semester werde ich hier Jura studieren. (From this term onwards I shall be studying law here.)
3. It is not necessary to repeat the auxiliary verb "werden" when the same noun is the subject of two or more future verbs in the same sentence.
Sie wird heiraten und dann in ein Zweifamilienhaus umziehen. (She will get married and will then move into a semi-detached house.)
The future tense and the present tense In practice, the future tense is used much less frequently in German than it is in English. As we have seen in previous chapters, the present tense is often used indicate a future action, especially when an adverb already shows that the event takes place in the future:
Wir kommen morgen. (We will be coming tomorrow.) bermorgen fhrt er nach Hause. (He'll be going home the day after tomorrow.) Ich bin gleich fertig. (I'll be ready in a moment.) Ich gehe in die Kche und mache Kaffee. (I'll just go into the kitchen and make some coffee.) Heute Abend schreibe ich den Brief. (I'll write the letter this evening.)
The future tense is mainly used to refer to the future if the present tense could be misunderstood.
Ich werde keine Antwort bekommen. ("I won't get an answer". The present tense might imply that you "aren't getting an answer".)
Kai wird wieder bei der Post arbeiten. ("Kai will be working for the post office". Using the present tense would imply that Kai "is working for the post office again".)
Modal verbs and the future tense Take care to distinguish between "werden" and "wollen" when expressing the future tense - English "will" is not the same as German "will"! Whereas the auxiliary verb "werden" should be used to translate a future action, "wollen" should only be used to translate what a person "plans" or "intends" to do.
Wir werden jetzt nach Italien fahren. (We are going to go to Italy now.) Wir wollen jetzt nach Italien fahren. (We intend to go to Italy now.) Wir mchten jetzt nach Italien fahren. (We would like to go to Italy now.)
In first person plural questions "wollen" has the sense of English "Shall we...?":
Wollen wir eine Tasse Kaffee trinken? (Shall we have a cup of coffee?) Was wollen wir heute machen? (What shall we do today?)
Distinguishing between different forms of "werden" As we have seen in the previous chapter, the auxiliary verb "werden" can be used to indicate a number of different tenses and moods in German. You should take care to distinguish between the future (= werden + Infinitive) and the passive (werden + Past Participle).
Wird Lutz die Wohnung sanieren? (Will Lutz renovate the flat?) Die Wohnung wird schon saniert! (The flat is already being renovated.)
Note too that when "werden" is used with an adjective it means "to become":
Wir werden ausziehen und unsere Wohnung wird bald frei. (We will move out and our flat will soon become free.)
primarily to denote possession and also after certain prepositions. The genitive endings of nouns in the singular and plural are listed below along with the genitive endings of the definite article:
Grammar 2: Genitive case of nouns and definite articles
Singular Masculine Feminine Neuter des Mannes (of the man) der Frau (of the woman) des Mdchens (of the girl)
Plural der Mnner (of the men) der Frauen (of the women) der Mdchen (of the girls)
The basic rules for genitive endings 1. No endings are added to feminine singular nouns or to any plural nouns in the genitive case. The definite article in both of these cases is "der". 2. Masculine and neuter nouns in the singular add either "-s" or "-es". The definite article in both of these cases is "des". Genitive singular endings: "-s" or "-es"? How do you decide whether you should add "-s" or "-es" to the genitive singular of masculine and neuter singular nouns? "-es" should be added:
with nouns ending in "-s", "-ss/-", "-x" or "-z" (usually) with nouns ending in "-sch", "-st" or "-zt" with neuter nouns ending in "-nis": the ending then becomes "-nisses" Grammar 3: Genitive endings involving "-es"
Nominative "-s" "-ss/-" das Haus (the house) das Erdgeschoss (the ground floor) das Ma (the measure) "-x" "-z" "-nis" der Reflex (the reflex) der Platz (the square) das Ereignis (the event)
Genitive des Hauses (of the house) des Erdgeschosses (of the ground floor) des Maes (of the measure) des Reflexes (of the reflex) des Platzes (of the square) des Ereignisses (of the event)
N.B. Foreign nouns ending in "-s" or "-x" usually have no ending in the genitive e.g. "des Organismus" (= of the organism), "des Rhythmus" (= of the rhythm), "des Index" (= of the index). However some key foreign words such as "der Bus" and "der Kongress" are now deemed to have been assimilated into the German language and thus add "-es" in the genitive - "des Busses" (= of the bus), "des Kongresses" (= of the congress). "-s" should be added:
with nouns ending in a vowel (but not adjectival nouns and weak masculine nouns) with nouns ending in a vowel + "-h" with proper names with foreign names that do not end in "-s", "-x" or "-z" with nouns of more than one syllable ("polysyllabic nouns") where the stress is not on the final syllable Grammar 4: Genitive endings involving "-s"
Nominative Vowel Vowel + -h Names der Schnee (the snow) der Schuh (the shoe) Goethe (Goethe) Klinsmann (Klinsmann) Foreign nouns das Hotel (the hotel) der Klub (the club) Unstressed polysyllabic nouns der Abend (the evening)
Genitive des Schnees (of the snow) des Schuhs (of the shoe) Goethes (of Goethe) Klinsmanns (of Klinsmann) des Hotels (of the hotels) des Klubs (of the club) des Abends (of the evening)
Other nouns There are no clearcut rules for the large number of nouns that do not fall into the groupings listed above. The choice between "-s" and "-es" is governed by such unclassifiable factors as style, rhythm and ease of pronunciation. It is thus highly likely that you will find both endings used for certain masculine and neuter nouns when they are in the genitive case. As a very rough guideline, "-es" is more likely to be found:
in in in in
monosyllabic words words where the stress falls on the final syllable words ending with two consonants formal written German
Using the dictionary As the choice of genitive endings for masculine and neuter nouns can prove difficult for beginners, try looking up the correct ending in a dictionary. A good EnglishGerman dictionary will normally list the genitive ending after the gender and before the nominative plural ending for a noun. For example:
der Biss m "-es" -e (m = masculine) (genitive = des Bisses) (plural = Bisse) das Mdchen nt "-s" (nt = neuter) (genitive = des Mdchens) (plural = Mdchen) das Kind nt "-(e)s" -er (n = neuter) (genitive = des Kinds or des Kindes) (plural = Kinder)
die Wohnung des Arztes ("the (male) doctor's flat") die Wohnung der rztin ("the (female) doctor's flat") der Keller des Hauses ("the cellar of the house") das Zimmer der Kinder ("the children's room")
The genitive can also be used in German to link nouns or noun phrases where English would normally use "of":
Grammar 6: The genitive case meaning "of"
die Abfahrt des Zuges ("the departure of the train") die Farbe des Fernsehers ("the colour of the TV set") die Sanierung des Hauses ("the renovation of the house")
ein Strahl der Hoffnung ("a ray of hope") Genitive: before or after? As you will see from the above examples, the German genitive usually follows the noun on which it depends - e.g. "die Wohnung des Arztes" (= the doctor's flat). The only exception to this is that proper names and personal names in the genitive case usually come first. Unlike in English, there is no apostrophe before the genitive "-s" on personal names. Names ending in "-s", "-x" and "-z" usually add an apostrophe after the final letter of the name in the genitive case:
Grammar 7: The genitive of proper names
No apostrophes das ist Marlenes Toaster ("that's Marlene's toaster") links nebenan ist Marlenes Zimmer ("Marlene's room is next to it on the left") Goethes Bcher ("Goethe's books") Deutschlands Grenzen ("Germany's borders") das ist Andreas Stereoanlage ("this is Andrea's stereo system") BUT: das ist Andreas' Stereoanlage ("this is Andreas's stereo system") das ist Fritz' Schwester ("this is Fritz's sister")
auf Grund (as a result of) inklusive (including) trotz (despite) whrend (during) wegen (because of)
auf Grund des Regens (as a result of the rain) inklusive der Kosten (including the costs) trotz der Wnde (despite the walls) whrend der Ferien (during the holidays) wegen des Zimmers (because of the room)
Notes 1. The preposition meaning "instead of" can either be written as "statt" or "anstatt". 2. You may also find the preposition "auf Grund" written as one word "aufgrund". 3. All of the above prepositions take the genitive in formal written German, but in conversational German you will often hear them used with the dative case. In Switzerland and Austria, "trotz" takes the dative case in formal written German as well as in conversational German. 4. The genitive of the personal pronoun is now deemed to be archaic, and the dative form of these pronouns is used after genitive prepositions in both spoken and written German - e.g. "trotz ihnen" (= despite them), "wegen ihm" (= because of him), "statt ihr" (= instead of her). Prepositions of direction The following prepositions indicating compass direction can also be followed by the genitive case:
Grammar 9: Prepositions of compass direction
nrdlich (north of) stlich (east of) sdlich (south of) westlich (west of)
nordstlich (north-east of) sdstlich (south-east of) sdwestlich (south-west of) nordwestlich (north-west of)
Examples
Die Wohnung befindet sich sdlich der Elbe und nordstlich des Rathauses. (The flat is south of the River Elbe and north-east of the town hall.)
Das Hotel liegt stlich der Stadt. (The hotel is situated to the east of the city.) Wir wohnen westlich des Stadtzentrums. (We live to the west of the city centre.)
The genitive is also used after "in der Nhe" (= near) and "am Ende" (= at the end of):
Das schwarze Brett befindet sich in der Nhe der Mensa. (The notice board is situated near the refectory.) In der Nhe des Ladens gibt es eine Bushaltestelle. (There is a bus stop near the shop.) Hier vorne am Ende des Flurs ist die Wohnkche. (Up here at the end of the hall is the combined kitchen and living room.)
Genitive or "von"? The use of the genitive to link nouns is more common in written and formal German. In everyday speech however, a phrase with "von" followed by the dative is often used rather than a genitive. The use of "von" should nevertheless be avoided where possible in formal and written German.
Grammar 10: Genitive or "von"?
das Haus meines Vaters (= written) das Haus von meinem Vater (= spoken) ("my father's house") die Wohnung meiner Eltern (= written) die Wohnung von meinen Eltern (= spoken) ("my parents' flat") in der Nhe des Bahnhofs (= written) in der Nhe vom Bahnhof (= spoken) ("near the station") sdlich der Stadt (= written) sdlich von der Stadt (= spoken) ("south of the city")
Notes 1. A construction with "von" is not possible after the genitive prepositions auf Grund, inklusive, statt, trotz, whrend and wegen. 2. The genitive cannot be used however to translate "of" followed by the personal pronoun - i.e. "of him", "of her" etc. For these instances "von" followed by the dative case must be used:
jeder von uns (each of us) ein Freund von mir (a friend of mine)
3. "Von" (+ Dative) should also be used if a noun stands by itself, without an article or any other word with an ending to show the case:
nordwestlich von Dresden (north-west of Dresden) sdstlich von Luzern (south-east of Lucerne) der Preis von zwlf Eiern (the price of twelve eggs) die Sanierung von Altbauten (the renovation of old buildings)
Case endings for the indefinite article The genitive endings for the indefinite article "ein" are the same as those for the definite article. There is of course no plural form.
Grammar 12: Case endings of the indefinite article
Examples Note the endings on the indefinite articles in the following sentences:
Wir wohnen im Seitenflgel eines Altbaus. (We live in the side wing of an old building.) Statt einer neuen Strae gibt es hundert neue Bahnhfe. (Instead of one new street there are a hundred new train stations.) Sport ist die Lsung keines Problems. (Sport is not the solution to any problem.)
The endings of possessive determiners When used as determiners, the possessives ("mein", "dein", "sein", "ihr", "Ihr" etc.) have the same endings as the indefinite article. The table below gives the endings for "ihr" (= her; their):
Grammar 14: Case endings of "mein"
The "-er" of "unser" (= our) and "euer" (= your) is part of the stem and not an ending. The endings are attached to this stem as in the table below:
Grammar 15: Case endings of "unser" (= our)
Masc.
Fem.
Neut.
Plural
When "euer", the informal version of the second person plural "you", has endings, the "-e-" of the stem is usually dropped in both spoken and written German.
Grammar 16: Case endings of "unser" (= our)
"dieser" and other determiners The "-er" of "dieser" (= this) is an ending and not part of the stem and not an ending. It thus declines as in the table below:
Grammar 17: Case endings of "dieser" (= this)
Other determiners that form endings in a similar way are jener (= that), welcher (= which?), jeder (= each) and the plural determiners alle (= all) and viele (= many):
Wegen dieser langen Wartezeiten werde ich langsam verrckt. (I'm gradually going mad due to these long waiting times.) Trotz dieses Wetters fahren wir in den Urlaub. (We're going on holiday despite this weather.) Trotz aller Probleme freuen sie sich auf die Zukunft. (Despite all their problems they are looking forward to the future.) Wegen vieler Schwierigkeiten ist das nicht mehr mglich. (Due to a number of difficulties that is no longer possible.)
Imperative setz(e) dich! (sit down!) setzt euch! (sit down!) setzen Sie sich! (sit down!) setzen wir uns! (let's sit down!)
Imperative melde dich! (get in touch!) meldet euch! (get in touch!) melden Sie sich! (get in touch!) melden wir uns! (let's get in touch!)
Notes 1. The pronoun is included in the polite "Sie" and "wir" forms of the imperative, but not in the informal "du" and "ihr" forms. 2. As the stem of the verb "melden" ends in "-d-" it retains the "-e" ending in the "du" form of the imperative. This "-e" ending is optional with the "du" imperative of the verb "setzen". Imperative of reflexive verbs with a dative object Both "sich setzen" and "sich melden" are reflexive verbs where the reflexive pronoun is in the accusative case (see Chapter 10.8). The table below shows the imperative for reflexive verbs that take a dative reflexive pronoun using the separable verb "sich vorstellen" (see Chapter 10.10).
Grammar 19: Imperative with dative reflexive pronouns
Person du
(imagine!) ihr Sie (polite) wir stellt euch vor! (imagine!) stellen Sie sich vor! (imagine!) stellen wir uns vor! (let's imagine!)
As the table above indicates, the prefix of an separable verb goes to the end of a clause in the imperative. This is true for non-reflexive verbs as well as reflexive verbs:
Grammar 20: Imperative with a separable verb
Person du ihr
Imperative leg(e) deinen Mantel ab! (take your coat off!) legt euren Mantel ab (take your coat off!)
Sie legen Sie sich Ihren Mantel ab! (polite) (take your coat off!)
(Note that in the above examples "der Mantel" remains singular even when the imperative refers to more than one person. This is because in German each person is deemed to only have one coat each.) Imperative of reflexive verbs with a dative and accusative object In Chapter 10.10 we looked at reflexive verbs where the reflexive pronoun is in the dative case whilst another object is in the accusative case. The imperative of such verbs is indicated in the following table.
Grammar 21: Imperative of "to listen to a CD"
Imperative hr(e) dir die CD an! (listen to the CD!) hrt euch die CD an! (listen to the CD!) hren Sie sich die CD an! (listen to the CD!) hren wir uns die CD an! (let's listen to the CD!)
Notes 1. All adjectives formed from towns and cities start with a capital letter. 2. Only one country also forms an adjective in this way: the adjective "Schweizer" (= Swiss) comes from adding "-er" to "die Schweiz". A second Swiss adjective "schweizerisch" also exists - this word does not start with a capital letter (see below). The full list of adjectives of nationality can be found in Chapter 7.8. No adjective endings on city adjectives Adjectives formed from the names of cities and towns do not add adjectival endings - i.e. they always end in "-er" regardless of the gender of the noun to which it refers and the case that this noun is in.
Wir wohnen in einem ruhigen Dresdner Vorort. (We live in a quiet Dresden suburb.) Ihr werdet euch am Klner Hauptbahnhof treffen. (You will meet each other at Cologne central station.) Die Stuttgarter Kneipen sind immer voll. (The pubs in Stuttgart are always full.) Du redest mit einem Berliner Studenten. (You are speaking to a student from Berlin.)
Care must therefore be taken when translating the adjective "Swiss" into German. Whilst the adjective "Schweizer" does not "decline" i.e. take adjective endings, the normal adjective "schweizerisch" does.
Essen Sie gerne Schweizer Kse? Essen Sie gerne schweizerischen Kse? (Do you like eating Swiss cheese?) Die Schweizer Fuballmannschaft spielt heute. Die schweizerische Fuballmannschaft spielt heute. (The Swiss football team is playing today.) Was trgt ein Schweizer Arbeiter zur Arbeit? Was trgt ein schweizerischer Arbeiter zur Arbeit? (What does a Swiss worker wear to work?)
Adjectives that ending in "-el" Adjectives that end in "-el" drop this final "-e" when they "inflect" i.e. when they add adjective endings. We have seen this with the adjective "dunkel" at the end of the conversation in Chapter 12.6 but it also affects adjectives such as eitel (= vain), bel (= bad; evil), miserabel (= miserable), sensibel (= sensitive) or flexibel (= flexible).
Das Zimmer ist ein bisschen dunkel, findest du nicht? (The room is a little dark, don't you think?) Trotz der dunklen Wnde ist es eigentlich ganz hell. (Despite the dark walls it's actually quite bright.) Ist das Angebot akzeptabel? (Is the offer acceptable?) Ja, das ist ein akzeptables Angebot. (Yes, that is an acceptable offer.) Ist Herr Schfer ein eitler Mensch? (Is Mister Schfer a vain man?) Nein, er ist berhaupt nicht eitel! (No, he's not vain at all!)
Similarly the adjective "hoch" drops its "-c-" when it has adjectival endings:
Ist die Decke hoch? (Is the ceiling high?) Ja, das ist eine sehr hohe Decke. (Yes, the ceiling is very high.) Wie hoch sind die Mieten in Mnchen? (How high are the rents in Munich?) In Mnchen gibt es sehr hohe Mieten. (There are very high rents in Munich.)
bestens
meistens
sptestens
(very well) frhestens (at the earliest) hchstens (at the most) lngstens (at the longest)
(mostly) mindestens (at least) nchstens (shortly) schnellstens (as quickly as possible)
(at the latest) strengstens (strictly) wrmstens (most warmly) wenigstens (at least)
Examples
Ich suche ein helles Zimmer, mindestens 19 Quadratmeter. (I'm looking for a bright room, at least 19 square metres.) ab frhestens Dezember 2002 bis mindestens Juni 2003. (from December 2002 at the earliest until at least June 2003.) Bitte meldet euch bis sptestens 30. November 2002 (Please get in touch by 30th November 2002 at the latest.) Der Kurs wird hchstens / lngstens zwanzig Tage dauern. (The course will last twenty days at the most.) Ein Student muss wenigstens achtzehn Jahre alt sein. (A student must be at least eighteen years old.) Katja steht meistens frh auf. (Katja usually gets up early.) Elektroherde sind wrmstens zu empfehlen. (Electric cookers are most warmly recommended.) Rauchen ist strengstens verboten. (Smoking is strictly forbidden.) Schnellstens zu verkaufen! (Must be sold very quickly!)
Other adverbial superlatives We have already met some other adverbial superlatives ending in "-st":
Die Wohnungssituation in Dresden ist uerst wichtig. (The accommodation situation in Dresden is extremely difficult.) Suche Zimmer in Dresden. Mglichst zentral gelegen. (I'm looking for a room in Dresden. Situated as centrally as possible.) Diese Frage ist hchst kompliziert. (This question is extremely complicated.)
"Not yet" and "no longer" In German, "not yet" is translated by "noch nicht" and "no more" by "nicht mehr". As the negative "nicht" is contained in both of these adverbial phrases, there is no need to make the verb in such sentences negative - unlike in English.
Das Frhstck ist noch nicht fertig. (Breakfast isn't ready yet.) Diese Altbauten sind noch nicht saniert. (These old buildings have not been renovated yet.) Marlene wird nicht mehr hier sein. (Marlene won't be here any more.)
Ich kann diese Zeitung nicht mehr lesen! (I can't read this newspaper any more!)
3-Zimmer-Wohnung an eine Frau zu vermieten! ("three room flat to let to a woman") Einfamilienhaus zu verkaufen! ("detached house for sale") die Wohnung ist sofort zu beziehen ("the flat can be occupied immediately") ich bin unter 65 44 23 zu erreichen ("I can be reached at telephone number 65 44 23") Prepositions with "sich freuen" The meaning of the verb "sich freuen" depends upon the preposition with which it is used. If the verb is followed by "auf" and the accusative case, it means "to look forward to". But if "sich freuen" is followed by "ber" and the accusative case, then it means "to be happy about":
Grammar 25: Prepositions after "sich freuen"
"auf" + Accusative Meine Kinder freuen sich schon auf das Wochenende. ("My children are already looking forward to the weekend.") Ich freue mich auf eine schnelle Nachricht von euch. ("I look forward to a prompt response from you.") "ber" + Accusative Ich freue mich ber eine E-Mail oder einen Anruf! ("I'll be pleased to receive any e-mails or
phone-calls.") Jutta freut sich ber das Geschenk. ("Jutta is pleased about the present.") Note that "hoffen" the German verb meaning "to hope for something" also takes "auf" and the accusative case as this verb too implies "looking forward to something":
Ich hoffe auf baldige Antwort von Ihnen. (I look forward to receiving a prompt response from you.) Sie hoffen auf eine schne Zukunft. (We hope for a good future.)
The usage and omission of prepositions Note the German prepositions used to the following key phrases:
Grammar 26: Prepositions in key phrases
Meldet euch unter 2 14 65 39 ("Call me on the number 2 14 65 39.") Bitte meldet euch bei mir! ("Please get in contact with me!") Nebenkosten 121 Euro bei 2 Personen. ("Additional costs: 121 euros if there are two people.") Das Studentenwerk ist gleich um die Ecke. ("The student administration is just round the corner.") Besichtigung nach Vereinbarung. ("Viewing by arrangement.") Die Wohnflche besteht aus... ("The living area consists of...") Anfragen bitte per E-Mail. ("Enquiries please by e-mail.") Was studierst du an der Uni? ("What are you studying at university?") dank dem Wasserboiler ("thanks to the water boiler")
In the following time-phrases however, note how German omits both the prepositions and the articles that are present in the English version.
Grammar 27: Beginning, middle and end
Mitte September ("In the middle of September") Ende Februar ("At the end of February")
der Wohnblock (-s) die Wohngemeinschaft (-en) das Wohnheim (-e) die Wohnung (-en) das Zweifamilienhaus (pl. huser) die Zweizimmerwohnung (-en) die Zweiraumwohnung (-en)
block of flats shared flat / house halls of residence flat semi-detached house two-room flat
Vocabulary 2: Renting vocabulary auf Zeit bei 2 Personen die Betriebskosten (pl.) betragen die Bleibe (-n) circa dazurechnen (sep.) die Elektrizitt frhestens das Gas (-e) gratis die Heizkosten (pl.) die Hypothek (-en) inklusive (+ Gen.) insgesamt kalt die Kaltmiete (-n) die Kaution (-en) die Kosten (pl.) maximal 200 Euro die Miete (-n) der Mietvertrag (pl. -vertrge) die Mietvorauszahlung (-en) mindestens der Mitbewohner (-) for a fixed period if there are two people service costs to come to; to amount somewhere to stay approximately to add on electricity at the earliest gas free of charge heating costs mortgage inclusive in total excluding heating costs rent excluding heating costs deposit costs a maximum of 200 Euros rent lease; contract rent to be paid in advance at least housemate (male)
die Mitbewohnerin (-innen) der Mitwohnzentrale (-n) monatlich / im Monat die Monatsmiete (-n) der Nachmieter (-) die Nebenkosten (pl.) die Provision (-en) das Quadratmeter (-) der Strom die Untermiete - ein Zimmer zur Untermiete der Untermieter (-) die Untermieterin (-innen) vermieten (insep.) - Wohnung zu vermieten - an eine Frau zu vermieten die Vermietung warm die Warmmiete (-n) der Wohnberechtigungsschein (-e) der WBS die Zahlung (-en) - die einmalige Zahlung zuzglich
housemate (female) accommodation agency per month month's rent; monthly rent follow-on tenant additional costs commission square metre electricity subtenancy - a room to be sublet subtenant (male) subtenant (female) to rent out - flat to rent - to be let to a woman renting out; letting out including heating costs rent including heating costs permit for subsidised housing payment - one-off payment plus
Vocabulary 3: Accommodation phrases ich freue mich auf eine schnelle Nachricht von euch I look forward to hearing from you soon bei Interesse ruft mich an Give me a call if you are interested! am besten sofort if possible immediately ich bin WG-erprobt I have experience of living in a shared flat ich brauche wenig Platz
I don't require a great deal of space ich freue mich ber eine E-Mail I am pleased to receive an E-mail die Kaltmiete betrgt 490 rent excluding heating costs amounts to 490 euros ab 30.09.2002 zu beziehen can be occupied from 30.09.2002 an der Elbe gelegen situated on the River Elbe Wohnung zu vermieten! flat for let Besichtigung nach Vereinbarung viewing by arrangement Mitbewohner/in dringend gesucht! we're desperately looking for a flatmate wir benutzen gemeinschaftlich... we have communal usage of... bitte meldet euch bei mir please contact me... ich bin unter 298889 zu erreichen I can be reached on the telephone number 298889 wo liegt die Wohnung? where is the flat? wie liegt die Wohnung? how is the flat situated? ist das Zimmer noch frei? ist das Zimmer schon vergeben? is the room still available? ich zeige Ihnen die Wohnung I'll show you round the flat die Kche ist gut ausgestattet the kitchen is well-equipped wie ist das Zimmer? What's the room like? ich rufe wegen des Zimmers an I'm ringing up about the room wie gro ist das Zimmer? how big is the room?
das Zimmer verfgt ber (+ Acc.) the room has... was fr ein Haus ist das? what sort of house is it? hier muss ein Irrtum vorliegen there must be some kind of mistake wie viele Zimmer hat die Wohnung? how many rooms does the flat have? von unserem Fenster aus kann man X sehen you can see X from our window wann kann ich einziehen? when can I move in? wie viele Leute wohnen hier? how many people live here? ich ziehe in eine Wohnung um I'm moving into a flat wie hoch ist die Monatsmiete? how high is the rent each month? Sie mssen 65 Euro dazurechnen you have to add on another 65 euros kann ich mir die Wohnung ansehen? may I have a look round the flat?
das Dachgeschoss (-e) die Decke (-n) die Diele (-n) die Einbaukche (-n) das Erdgeschoss (-e) das Esszimmer (-) der Fahrstuhl (pl. -sthle) das Fenster (-) der Flur (-e) der Fuboden (pl. -bden) die Garage (-n) der Garten (pl. - Grten) das Gstezimmer (-) der Grillplatz (pl. -pltze) das Hinterhaus (pl. huser) der Hof (-e) der Holzboden (pl. -bden) der Kamin (-e) der Keller (-) das Kellerabteil (-e) das Kinderzimmer (-) die Kochecke (-n) die Kochnische (-n) die Kche (-n) die Loggia (pl. - Loggien) die Mansarde (-n) das Obergeschoss (-e) das Parkett (-e) der Parkettboden (pl. bden) der Raum (pl. - Rume) das Schlafzimmer (-) der Seitenflgel (-) das Souterrain (-s) die Terrasse (-n) die Tiefgarage (-n) die Tr (-en)
attic ceiling hall fitted kitchen ground floor dining room lift window hall floor garage garden guest room barbecue area building behind the courtyard courtyard wooden floor fireplace; hearth cellar cellar compartment child's bedroom kitchen / cooking area kitchenette kitchen balcony attic room floor (above ground level) parquet flooring parquet flooring room; space bedroom side wing basement terrace underground car park door
das Vorderhaus (pl. huser) das Vorzimmer (-) die Wand (pl. - Wnde) die Wohnkche (-n) die Wohnungstr (-en) das Wohnzimmer (-) das Zimmer (-)
front-facing house anteroom / hall wall combined kitchen and living room door to the flat living room room
Vocabulary 5: Types of heating die Elektroheizung die Etagenheizung die Fernwrme die Fubodenheizung die Heizung die Nachtspeicherheizung die Ofenheizung das Warmwasser der Wasserboiler (-) die Zentralheizung electric heating heating system for one floor district heating underfloor heating heating night-storage heating coal oven heating warm water hot water tank central heating
Vocabulary 6: Furniture and equipment die Ausstattung der Backofen (pl. -fen) das Bad (pl. - Bder) die Badewanne (-n) das Bett (-en) das Bidet (-s) das Bcherregal (-e) der Couchtisch (-e) das Doppelbett (-en) die Dusche (-n) die Duschkabine (-n) das Einzelbett (-en) furnishings oven bath bath tub bed bidet bookshelf coffee table double bed shower shower cubicle single bed
der Elektroherd (-e) der Esstisch (-e) die Garderobe (-n) die Gardine (-n) der Gefrierschrank (pl. -schrnke) der Geschirrspler (-) der Herd (-e) die Kaffeemaschine (-n) der Kleiderschrank (pl. -schrnke) der Khlschrank (pl. -schrnke) die Lampe (-n) der Mikrowellenherd (-e) das Mbel (-) mbliert der Nachttisch (-e) der Radiowecker (-) der Rollladen (pl. -lden) der Schrank (pl. Schrnke) die Schrankwand (pl. -wnde) der Schreibtisch (-e) der Sessel (-) das Sofa (-s) der Spiegel (-) die Stehlampe (-n) die Stereoanlage (-n) der Stuhl (pl. - Sthle) teilmbliert der Teppich (-e) der Teppichboden der Toaster (-) unmbliert der Videorecorder (-) der Vorhang (pl. -hnge) das Wannenbad (pl. -bder) das Waschbecken (-) die Waschmaschine (-n) die Wasserboiler (-) der WC (-s)
electric cooker dining table coat-rack; hall-stand curtain freezer dishwasher cooker coffee machine wardrobe fridge lamp microwave oven (piece of) furniture furnished bedside table radio alarm clock shutters cupboard; wardrobe wall unit desk armchair sofa mirror standard lamp stereo system chair partially furnished carpet wall-to-wall carpeting toaster unfurnished video recorder curtain bath wash-basin washing machine hot-water tank toilet
alarm clock
British counterparts. These can either be flats that they own (die Eigentumswohnung) or more commonly rented flats (die Mietwohnung). The housing market is changing quite quickly however. Both in the countryside and in towns and cities, Germans are buying plots of land (das Grundstck) and have their own house built on it. This explains why a single German street may have detached houses (das Einfamilienhaus) with a wide diversity of designs. Semidetached houses (das Doppelhaus; das Zweifamilienhaus) are less common in German-speaking countries than in Britain but there has recently been an increase in the number of terraced houses (das Reihenhaus). Shared accommodation Many young people choose to live in shared flats or houses - "die WG" which is short for "eine Wohngemeinschaft" (literally: "a living community"). This means that two or more flatmates share an apartment including a communal kitchen and bathroom. It is standard practice for the existing flatmates to choose the new inhabitant themselves, so a lot of vacancies are filled by word of mouth. "WGs" (note the plural!) are particularly popular with students as they provide a relatively cheap option to halls of residence where space is in any case strictly limited. Der Wohnberechtigungsschein (WBS) The "Wohnberechtigungsschein (WBS)" is a permit for subsidised housing issued by a town, city or community to any single person earning less than 12,000 euros per year or a couple earning less than 18,000 euros per year. The WBS permit is valid for one year and entitles the recipient to rent subsidised housing at a rent well below average for the free housing market. You can apply for a WBS permit at the local housing authority (Amt fr Wohnungswesen).
students in the first few weeks of a new term (normally in September and February). In Munich, authorities were forced to set up Big Brother-style living containers (der Wohncontainer) and even so-called living cubes (der Wohnwrfel) to house students, with women sleeping on top and men at the bottom! The private accommodation market (der private Wohnungsmarkt) Looking for accommodation on the private accommodation market is much harder is some locations than in others. Accommodation is particularly scarce in large cities in what used to be West Germany, with Munich, Stuttgart and Hamburg being severe accommodation black spots. Yet in smaller university towns (die Universittsstadt) with large student populations such as Marburg, Gttingen and Wrzburg, lack of rooms mean that students may be forced to live as far away as thirty of forty kilometres from the university itself. This is particularly true in Tbingen in BadenWrttemberg where 25,000 of the town's population of 85,000 are students. As a consequence rents are soaring, with unscrupulous landlords charging up to 250 euros a month for unfurnished and often ramshackle rooms and one-room flats (die Einzimmerwohnung). At first glance the situation may appear less drastic in the former GDR. Students in Erfurt and Leipzig have a better chance of getting a room in a hall of residence than many students in Western Germany. Yet in other cities university accommodation is strictly limited, with halls of residence is urgent need of renovation (die Sanierung). Private rooms in old buildings (der Altbau) are relatively cheap but there are not many private landlords in Eastern Germany. In Berlin, Potsdam, Leipzig, Dresden, and Magdeburg blocks of apartments have now been built but they are not subject to rent control and are severely over-priced. Student administration organisations have noted that foreign students are at a particular disadvantage. Not only is Germany a comparatively expensive place to stay for many overseas students, but they can receive prejudicial treatment from landlords on racial grounds. And so whilst Germany is investing millions of euros in promoting an international exchange programmes for students, many students are forced to cancel their exchange and leave Germany without having found a room. Finding solutions In 2001, the Deutsches Studentenwerk (DSW), the organisation for German student affairs, demanded the creation of an additional 21,000 rooms in student halls of residence across the country - but to little effect. Protest measures including setting up student living containers in front of key public buildings may have highlighted the students' plight, but concrete improvements are thin on the ground. Local student organisations have come up with imaginative campaigns to mobilise the local population. In Freiburg, the project "Wohnen fr Hilfe" (= accommodation for help) has been launched aims to encourage senior citizens to offer rooms to students in (partial) exchange for help and support. In Heidelberg, another university city in the south-west of Germany, posters have been printed bearing the legend "Student sucht Zimmer" (= student looking for a room) and depicting a student desperately clutching a house (see graphic left). Students were allowed to paste over general election posters in Heidelberg once voting had been concluded in September 2002 and the campaign logo also appears on postcards and beer mats.
Accommodation agencies for students At a number of further education institutions, student services have produced brochures with useful advice for students who are "auf der Wohnungssuche" (= looking for somewhere to stay). Some of these services have also founded student accommodation agencies. Here you will be required to put down a financial deposit and then be given three contact addresses offering accommodation. The deposit will be returned when the student returns to the agency the next day to report on the progress that has been made. Quite a few private accommodation agencies (die Mitwohnzentrale) have also sprung up in recent years. For a commission which can be quite high, they will put you in contact with individuals or companies offering accommodation. These private agencies may prove your last resort in areas where houses, flats and rooms are particularly scarce. There are a number of organisations that can assist overeas students in the search for "eine Bleibe" (= somewhere to stay). Most universities will have a Foreign Student Office that can inform overseas students about vacancies in student accommodation and advise on application procedures. Some Foreign Student Offices are able to put you in contact with private landlords if students have passed on the name and address at the end of their research period. In addition the Deutsches Studentenwerk (DSW) has put together a service package for overseas students to ensure that students from abroad are able to manage the essential items of their cost of living during their stay at economical prices. It also aims to help them come to terms and find their way around their host country. Advice for accommodation-seekers Should you wish to study at a German university yourself and need to find accommodation, don't despair but do allow yourself plenty of time and plan in advance! Contact the aforementioned organisations well in advance and if you do need to travel to the place itself to find somwhere to stay, time your visit wisely. A good time is at the end of the semester (i.e. in February and July) when those who have completed their studies leave town. This might mean that you might have to pay rent a couple of months in advance, but you run the risk otherwise that the accommodation market will become ever more saturated the closer it gets to the start of the following term. As we have seen in this chapter, advertisements on student notice boards (das schwarze Brett) are a common way of finding somewhere to stay. Many university web-sites also have online notice boards for accommodation. Local newspapers and listings magazines also carry useful adverts.
space is also the means by which most rents for rooms in "Wohngemeinschaften" are usually calculated. You might for example see a phrase such as "65m Wohnflche", which means "65 square metres of living space". This living space normally comprises living room, dining room and bedroom(s). Adverts may also refer to the total number of rooms in a residence - excluding the bathroom, hall and kitchen. So if you want a flat with a living room, a dining room and two bedrooms, then look for adverts with (4 Zimmer), or as the abbreviation in advertisements would have it (4Zi). Note too the distinction between between "kalt" and "warm" when referring to rent. This has nothing to do with how warm or cold the building is, but instead whether the rent includes heating bills (warm) or excludes them (kalt). Make sure that you are aware of how much rent you are patying and what your rights and responsibilities are before you sign the lease (der Mietvertrag). Advertisement abbreviations The abbreviations used in accommodation advertisements are often as confusing to Germans as they are to non-native speakers. Below is a table of the most common abbreviations:
Vocabulary 7: Advertisement abbreviations AB Abstand Altbau (old building) Abstand (money paid for renovation done by previous tenant) Appartement (apartment) Atelier (studio) Bad (bathroom) Balkon (balcony) Betriebskosten (service costs) circa (approximately) Dachgeschoss (attic) Diele (hall) Dreier-Wohngemeinschaft (three-person shared flat) Dusche (shower) Einbaukche
(fitted kitchen) EFH EG erford. F FbH Ga. Gar. gemtl. gepfl. gfl. HH Hk. Ka. Kab. kalt KDB kft. Kl. KM KN Kt. K. Einfamilienhaus (detached house) Erdgeschoss (ground floor) erforderlich (required) Fahrstuhl (lift) Fubodenheizung (underfloor heating) Garten (garden) Garage (garage) gemtlich (comfortable) gepflegt (well looked after) gefliest (tiled) Hinterhaus (building behind courtyard) Heizkosten (heating costs) Kamin (fireplace) Kabel-TV (cable television) Kaltmiete (excluding heating costs) Kche, Dusche, Bad (kitchen, shower, bath) komfortabel (comfortable) Keller (cellar) Kaltmiete (rent excluding heating costs) Kochnische (kitchenette) Kaution (deposit) Kche (kitchen)
m max. mind. MM Mn. mbl. mtl. MVZ NB NK NR od. (2.) OG. OH l. Pk. Prov. qm. ren. RH Rm. ruh. SFL
Quadratmeter (square metre) maximal (a maximum of) mindestens (at least) Monatsmiete (month's rent) Maisonette (maisonette) mbliert (furnished) monatlich (monthly) Mietvorauszahlung (rent to be paid in advance) Neubau (new building) Nebenkosten (additional costs) Nichtraucher (non-smoker) oder (or) (zweites) Obergeschoss (second) floor Ofenheizung (coal oven heating) lheizung (oil heating) Parkettboden (parquet flooring) Provision (commission) Quadratmeter (square metre) renoviert (renovated) Reihenhaus (terrace house) Raum (room) ruhig (quiet) Seitenflgel (side wing of building with courtyard)
son. Sou. Tel. Tep. Terr. TG t-mb. verm. vg. VH v-mb. vorh. warm W-B WBS Wfl. WG Whg. WM Wm. ZH Zi. 2 Zi.Whg.
sonnig (sunny) Souterrain (basement) Telefon (telephone) Teppichboden (wall-to-wall carpet) Terrasse (terrace) Tiefgarage (underground car park) teilmbliert (partially furnished) vermieten (to let) verkehrsgnstig (close to public transport) Vorderhaus (building with street frontage) voll mbliert (fulliy furnished) vorhanden (present; available) Warmmiete (including heating costs) Wannenbad (bath tub) Wohnberichtigungsschein (permit for subsidised housing) Wohnflche (living space) Wohngemeinschaft (shared flat / house) Wohnung (flat) Warmmiete (rent including heating costs) Waschmaschine (washing machine) Zentralheizung (central heating) Zimmer (room) Zweizimmerwohnung (two-room flat)
Zwei Zimmer, Kche, Diele, Bad (two rooms, kitchen, hall, bathroom) Zweier-Wohngemeinschaft (two-person shared flat) zuzglich (plus)
Other advertisement vocabulary Here is a list of further words and phrases that you may encounter in reader German advertisements. Whether the accommodation itself lives up to the description is a separate matter!
Vocabulary 8: General advertisement vocabulary das Angebot (-e) ausziehen (sep.) baldig bequem die Besichtigung (-en) bestens beziehen (insep.) biete... dringend eingerichtet einziehen (sep.) gefliest gelegen gemeinschaftlich gemtlich gepflegt gerumig gesellig gratis gnstig hell das Hochparterre - im Hochparterre hochwertig komfortabel offer to move out quick; early comfortable viewing excellently; very well to occupy I'm offering... urgently furnished to move in tiled situated communal comfortable; friendly well looked after spacious sociable free of charge reasonably priced bright upper ground floor - on the upper ground floor high-quality comfortable
die Kontaktperson (-en) die Lage (-n) - Lage egal sich melden mbliert modern nach Mglichkeit nett der Nichtraucher (-) optimal preiswert renovieren renoviert ruhig sanieren saniert sonnig die Studentenwohnung (en) suche... teilen teilmbliert umgnglich Uni-Nhe umziehen (sep.) unmbliert die Verkehrsanbindung (en) verkehrsgnstig vorhanden WG-erprobt WG-geeignet die Wohnanlage (-n) die Wohnflche (-n) der Wohnungsmarkt zentral - mglichst zentral
person to contact location - location unimportant to get in touch furnished modern if possible nice non-smoker optimal; perfect reasonably-priced to renovate renovated quiet to renovate renovated sunny student flat I'm looking for... to share partially furnished friendly; sociable near the university to move (house) unfurnished transport connection convenient for transport present; available experienced in living in a shared flat suitable for a shared flat location living space housing market central - as central as possible