GermanACompleteGuideforGermanLanguageLearningIncludingGermanPhrases,GermanGrammarandGermanShort

StoriesforBeginners

LearnGerman

StepbyStepGuideforLearningtheBasicsofTheGermanLanguage

TableofContents

IntroductionChapter1:WhatitmeanstolearnGermanChapter2:FindingyourpassionforlearningGermanChapter3:ImmersingyourselfinGermancultureChapter4:FindingnativespeakerstoincreaseyouroverallunderstandingofthelanguageandcultureChapter5:HowtobeatthemostdifficultpartoflearningtheGermanlanguageChapter6:LearningGermaninamoreformalclassroomenvironmentConclusion

©Copyright2018byDaveSmith-Allrightsreserved.The following eBook is reproduced below with the goal of providinginformation that is asaccurateand reliableaspossible.Regardless,purchasingthis eBook can be seen as consent to the fact that both the publisher and theauthorofthisbookareinnowayexpertsonthetopicsdiscussedwithinandthatanyrecommendationsorsuggestionsthataremadehereinareforentertainmentpurposesonly.Professionalsshouldbeconsultedasneededpriortoundertakinganyoftheactionendorsedherein.ThisdeclarationisdeemedfairandvalidbyboththeAmericanBarAssociationandtheCommitteeofPublishersAssociationandis legallybindingthroughouttheUnitedStates.Furthermore, the transmission, duplication or reproduction of any of thefollowingwork includingspecific informationwillbeconsideredan illegalactirrespectiveof if it isdoneelectronicallyor inprint.Thisextendstocreatingasecondaryor tertiarycopyof theworkora recordedcopyand isonlyallowedwith an expressed written consent from the Publisher. All additional rightsreserved.Theinformationinthefollowingpagesisbroadlyconsideredtobetruthfulandaccurate account of facts, and as such any inattention, use or misuse of theinformation in question by the reader will render any resulting actions solelyundertheirpurview.Therearenoscenariosinwhichthepublisherortheoriginalauthor of this work can be in any fashion deemed liable for any hardship ordamagesthatmaybefallthemafterundertakinginformationdescribedherein.Additionally, the information in the following pages is intended only forinformationalpurposesandshouldthusbethoughtofasuniversal.Asbefittingits nature, it is presentedwithout assurance regarding its prolongedvalidityorinterimquality.Trademarksthatarementionedaredonewithoutwrittenconsent

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Introduction

Thank you and congratulations on downloading Learn German. The

Germanlanguageisthe11thmostwidelyspokenlanguageonearthwith92to95million native speakers around the globe composing 1.39% of theworld’spopulation.Bydownloadingthisbook,youaretakingthefirststepsinyourownpersonal conquest in learning this great and storied language. The followingchapters will be more of a general outline on what steps to take when firstlearning the language and how to develop and apply the skills necessary tomasterGerman.Herearesomeofthetopicswhichwillbediscussedwithinthisbriefbook:

WhatitmeanstolearnStandardGerman,HighGerman,andLowGerman;FindingyourpassionforlearningGerman;Turningachoreintoinspiration;LearningGermanbyimmersingyourselfdeeplyintheGermanculture;Finding native speakers to improve your overall understanding of thelanguageanditsculture;HowtoovercomethemostdifficultpartoflearningtheGermanlanguage;andfinallyLearningGermaninamoreformalclassenvironment.

These following chapters will, more precisely, discuss the study techniquesapplicabletolearninganewlanguage,thecultureofGermanyaswellastherestofGermanspeakingEurope,someofthehistoryofthelanguageanditsvariousdialects, steps for beginning the study of the language, and learning Germaninsideandoutsideofformalclasssettings.Thereareanumberofbooksonthemarketverysimilartothisone.Thankyouagain for choosing this one and if you enjoy it or find it helpful, a reviewonAmazonwouldbeverymuchappreciated.

Chapter1:WhatitmeanstolearnGermanStandardGerman,LowGerman,andHighGermanLearningGermanLearninga foreign language is, to the inexperienced,oneof intimidating tasksthat education has to offer and, to the polyglot, one of the rewarding andadvantageous tasks that education canmake a person do.Aswith developinganynewskillset,learningalanguagetakeslotsoftime,effort,andpractice,butoncethebrainstartstomakethenewconnectionsnecessaryforprogressandthelearner starts to build confidence and skill, the transition from intermediate tofluent canbe a lot smoother than the transition frombeginner to intermediate.Thelearningcurvecanincreaseexponentially.Thecontemporaryworldismoreglobalizedandinterconnectedthaniteverhasbeen.Thisisafactthatextolsthepracticalityoflearningasecondlanguage.Butthereasonsforlearninggobeyondjustgeopolitics,theyvarywidely.Weshouldnowexaminesomeoftheinnumerablebenefitsoflearningasecondlanguage:

1.Connection

Multilingualismbreaksdownbarriers thatareveryreal tomonolingualpeople.Inlearningasecondlanguage,thereisconstantopportunitytoexpandhorizonsandmakeconnectionswithnewpeoplewhichwouldhavebeenoutofquestionbeforehand.

2.CareerAdvancement

Multilingualismdoublesasamajorcompetitiveadvantage invirtuallyany lineof work. Not only will it help you on getting hired, but it also statisticallyincreases salary and benefits. As far as employment is concerned, there is nodownsidetolearningasecondlanguage.

3.CognitiveBenefits

Thisisabigone.Thismightbethebiggestbenefitoflearninganewlanguageasit affects the learner the most profoundly. While the cognitive benefits oflearning a language are toomultifarious to all bementionedwithin this book,somevery importantones include:problem-solvingandcritical thinkingskills,improvedmemory,abilitytomultitask,enhancedconcentration,aswellasbetterlistening skills. Multilinguals also switch between monitor changes andcompeting tasks within their environments more easily than those who onlyspeakonelanguage.Theyalsoagemoregracefully,withcognitivedeclinebeingstavedoffamongthemultilingual.

4.ExploringOtherCultures

Toconnecttoalanguageis,inpart,anefforttoconnectwiththeculturewhichsurroundsthelanguage.Learninganotherlanguagecanhelpteachthesynthetichistoryandcultureofapeople,exposingtheinquisitivestudenttoeveryphaseofactivity such as tradition, religion, politics, philosophy, art,morals, andmanymorejustthroughonemedium.

5.SeeingtheWorldthroughaBroaderLens

Multilingualism can make travelling around the world seem like an entirelydifferentballgame.Monolingual tourists tend toget trapped in touristbubbles,onlybeingallowedaccesstotheaspectsoftheculturethatforeignersget,whilenever getting the bigger picture that only the native language speakers canprovide.Learningthelanguagecanopendoorsespeciallyintermsofgettingtoknowotherpeople.Learningitcanalsoprovidemoreopportunitiesforstudyingandworkingabroad.

6.SeeingtheSource

Intheinternetage,itiseasytoconfoundfantasywithreality.Whenitcomestoforeignnations,theinternet(oranyothersource)cansimplynotcomparetothereal thing in termsofvalue, importance,oraccuracy.Learninga language isagreatkeytotheheartofthenation,andaccuracyofone’sunderstandingofit.

7.BecomingaPolyglot

Learning a second language is a useful feat, multiplying vocabulary andimproving communication skills in one’s native language. Learning languagesbeyondthesecond,however,hassurprisinglybeenshowntobeeasierthanitisthe first time around. This is especially true for children; they are nature’sgreatest linguists. Once the neural networks involved in the process of newlanguageacquisitionhavebeenprimed, it ismucheasier forpeople topickupmoreandmorewordsfrommoreandmoreobscurevernaculars.

8.AMajorBoostofConfidence

At least as far as Americans are concerned, multilingualism is tantamountregality,andthosewhocandisplaytheskillhavebeenshowntoreceivemassivegains of social currency.While the inevitablemistakeswhich aremade in theprocessoflearningthelanguagecantendtodamageone’sego,theseareoffsetbytheself-worthgainsthatcomewiththeterritory.Tolearnanewlanguageisanactofescapingone’scomfortzone.Afterall,itisthesatisfactionoflearninganewlanguagethatcanandwillgetthelearnerthroughthedifficultprecipitatephaseoflearning.

9.TheStrengtheningofDecisionMakingAbilities

Interestingly enough, it has been proven that decisions made in a person’ssecond language are much more reason-based than those made in the nativelanguage.Itisalwaysfunnyhowlifealwaysleavesuswithmorereasonastimegoes by.When deliberations aremade in second and third tongues, emotionalresponses and biases connected with our mother tongue leave our thinkingpatternsmore readily. It becomesmuch easier to be objectivewhen speakingnew languages because baggage dissolves and all that is left are facts andstratagem.

10.TheGainingofPerspective

As people embark on new journeys into novel cultures and places, familiarityalwayscatches the senses.Common threads areobservedbypeople that cameoutof their comfort zonesand stayed there for awhile.When thishappens, itgivesthemuchneededperspectiveonournativeculturebymakingthelearnerreexamine things familiar to them in new lights. This is similar to measurestaken by many dream therapists when dealing with patients with childhoodbaggage.Theaspectsoftheirdreamsareaskedtobedescribedasifthepatientweredescribingthemtosomeonefromanotherplanet.Bydoingthis,thepatientcan gain perspective on what inhabits their dreams and how they really feelabout the things that they are exposed to in their waking lives. It givesopportunity tosee the thingsaround them inanew lightand travellingabroadcandojustthataswell.All thereasonsfor learningaforeignlanguagelistedaboveapplytoanygivenlanguage,butthenextportionofthischapterwilldiscusstheinnerworkingsoftheGermanlanguage.GermanTheGermanic language family is a verywideonewhich encompasses awidevarietyof languages anddialects.The threemajor brancheswithin this familyareWestGermanic languages,NorthGermanic languages, andEastGermaniclanguages. Together, these branches are spoken by approximately 515millionpeopleworldwide.Mostofthesepeople,however,resideinEurope.Thefirstbranchtobementionedhereis thewesternbranchoflanguages.Thisbranch includes German, Dutch, English, Afrikaans (a descendant of Dutch),Low German, Yiddish, Scots, Limburgish varieties (with speakers along thebordersoftheNetherlands,Belgium,andGermany),andFrisianlanguages(withspeakersintheNetherlandsandGermany).The northern branch is a much smaller one. Its languages include Icelandic,Norwegian,Swedish,Faroese,andDanish.Lastly, we come to the Eastern branch of the language and are met by a

graveyard of European tongues. The languages of this branch includeGothic,Vandalic,andBurgundian.Allof theselanguagesarenowextinct,andthelastoneofthemtodiewastheCrimeanGothic,whichwentinthelate18thcenturyinruralpartsofCrimea.By most estimates, this family of languages consists of 48 individual livinglanguages.Ofthese48,41arelistedasWestGermaniclanguages,6areNorthGermanic languages, and 1 other language residing in Brazil which is theRiograndenserHunsrükischGerman,usuallyfallsintoneithercategory.Itisnowimpossible to say just how many languages have been a part of this familythroughout the course of history. Many of them, especially the East Germanlanguages,diedoutduringorafterthemigrationperiodfollowingthedeclineofthe Roman Empire between the fourth and sixth centuries A.D. Some WestGermanic languages died out during this period aswell, Lombardicwould beoneexample.World War 2 changed lots of things, including the German language. Inlinguistics, asprachraum isdefinedasbeingageographical region inwhichacommon first language along with its dialect varieties is spoken. Thesprachraumof theGerman family of languages suffered heavy losses in botharea and speaker population as a result ofWorldWar 2.Meanwhile, the 21stcentury hasn’t beenmuch better for these dialects becausemany of them aredyingouttomakeroomforStandardGermananditsmassivepopularityintheseregions.ThepatriarchofthismassivefamilyiswhatwasknownasProto-Germanic,orCommonGermanic.Thiswasalanguagespokenaroundthemiddleofthefirstmillennium B.C. in what history remembers as Iron Age Scandinavia. Thislanguage,alongwithitsnumerousancestors,isknownforhavingagreatnumberoflinguisticfeaturespeculiartoit.Onefamousexampleamongtheseiswhatisknown as Grimm’s Law. It is a consonant change completely unique to theGermanic family of languages. This Proto-Germanic language was laterfollowed up by many varieties of the tongue, which travelled south ofScandinaviawhen severalGermanic tribes in the 2nd centuryB.C. conqueredandsettledinmanypartsofmodernnorthernGermanyandsouthernDenmark.A fourth century A.D. translation of the New Testament into Gothic is theearliestGermanic text known to history.This textwas translatedbyUlfilas, aCappadocianGreekwhoworkedas amissionaryandbishop.Around the10thcentury, the dialects varied so much that inter comprehensibility had become

impossible,whichisstilltruetothisday.Again,themigrationperiodculledofftheEastGerman languages,but theycontinued to influence the languages thatsurroundedthembyassimilatingthemselvesneartheirrespectiveends.Themiddle ages then sawWestGerman languages split between thosewhichobserved the new consonant shift, and thosewhich didn’t.TheNorthGermanlanguages,ontheotherhand,stayedessentiallyunited.Anychangeswhichoccurredduringandafter(ifsuchatimeexists)theageofreason are relatively miniscule and more or less subordinate to those madebeforehand.Mostofthesenewerchangesareduetostandardizationdecreesandsolutions to ongoing problems regarding certain aspects of the existinglanguages;Germaniclanguagesarenotbornorculledoffanymore,atleastnotfornow.StandardGermanThefirstsubsetoftheGermanlanguagethatitisnecessarytogooverhereisso-called ‘standard’ German. This is a variety of the German language that hasundergonestandardizationand isacommonmeansofcommunicationbetweensomecertaindialectareas.ItiswhatwasknownasaDachspracheoranAusbaulanguageservingasanindependentvarietyofthelanguagewithotherAbstandor dependent language varieties related to it. The role that Ausbau languagesplay for linguistics is thatofbuilder-outorpatriarchofother languages in thefamily.StandardGermandidnotstartoutasadialectcommonacrossmultipleregions.It took hundreds of years to evolve as a written language, with its writersconstantlymaking changes to it for its widespread comprehension. At around1800, the people of northern Germany that are speakers of Low Saxonlanguages, started to learn the language as a foreign one. It later traveledsouthward and completely annihilated many of the languages of southernGermany,leavingonlysomesmallandscatteredenclavesofLowGermaninitswake. Ever since, it has remained the standard language ofGermany and herpeople,unitingawidevarietyof tribesanddialectsunderoneculturalblanket.Asof today, though, these localdialectsareusuallyonlyused in informalandprivatespeech,commonlylimitedtohomesettings.

There are a few nations that this language inhabits, and the language differsslightly in every single one. These countries are: Austria, Switzerland, andGermany.Inadditiontothesevariances,therearedifferentvarietiesofStandardGerman within the nation of Germany. These varieties of Standard Germandiffer mostly from one another in vocabulary and pronunciation, although insomecasesvarianceoccursingrammarandorthography.Thedifferentvarietiesof the language are not so clearly discerned in written language, but theirvariancesshinethroughmorevividlywhenspoken.The variations of StandardGerman are, however, not to be confusedwith thevariousdialectsofGerman,despitetheirsimilaritiesandinfluencetoeachother.ThemainthingthatseparatesthetwoisthefactthatthevarietiesoftheStandardGerman language stem from the common tradition of the written Germanlanguage.The local dialects, on the other hand, have roots that gobackmuchfurther than Standard German, before the unification of the written Germanlanguageand, in thecaseof lowGerman, thesedialectscanbelong toentirelydifferentlanguages.The Standard German language has undergone numerous standardizationchangeswithinitslifespan.Thisstartedwaybackinthe16thcentury,withtheLutherBibleof1534.Thesechangescontinuedupuntil2006,whenthelastoneoccurredoverdisputesaboutspellingandthesplittingofGermanwords.Thesewill probably continue in the future, as language is an entity that undergoesconstantevolution.LowGermanLow German is what is known as a West German Language and it is mostcommonly spoken in two regions: Northern Germany and the northeasternregion of TheNetherlands.Beingmost closely related to Frisian andEnglish,this language is part of the Ingaevonic orNorthSeaGermanic group ofWestGermaniclanguages.ThedialectsofLowGermanspokeninTheNetherlandsarereferredtoonlyasbeingLowSaxon,but,ontheotherhand,thedialectsofnorthwesternGermany(Bremerhaven,Bremen,Hamburg,Westphalia,Schleswig-Holstein, andLowerSaxony)canbe referred toaseitherbeingLowSaxonorLowGerman.ThosespokeninnortheasternGermanyareexclusivelyLowGerman.Thesedifferencesarearesultofhistory;northwesternGermanyaswellasTheNetherlandswere

oncesettlementsofTheSaxons,whilenortheasternGermanywasnot.OldSaxonisthegrandfatherofLowGerman.Itwasspokenbetweenthe9thand12th centuries by the Saxon inhabitants of northwest Germany andDenmark.ThislanguagewassurvivedbyMiddleLowGerman,spokenbetween1100and1600.ThislanguagewasneighboredbyMiddleDutchinthewestandbyMiddleHigh German in the south. Middle Low German is important historicallybecause it served theHanseatic league—a confederation of guilds andmarkettownsthroughoutnorthwesternEuropeinthelate1100s—asitsLinguaFrancaor bridge language, which supplied a common tongue throughout theconfederation.And to that end, we reach the contemporary situation of Low German. TheDutch and German dialects remain detached, and the decision to exclude theteachingofLowGermanthroughouttheschoolsofGermanywasmetwithbitteroppositionby some.Proponentsof the teachingof the languagearguedon thepoint of its dense historical and cultural significance that it should remain informal education. Meanwhile, High German had already become the widelyused language in education, science, politics, and national unity. It was nowonderthatHighGermanwouldeventuallywintheday.LowGermanhasalwaysplayedsecondfiddle toHighGerman.Knownfor itsarchaicconstructionsand features,many linguists find this languagebackwardandoflimiteduse.Publicreverencecoupledwithtraditionhave,however,keptthelanguageafloatthough.Today,whilenotbeingwidelyusedinacademiaorin the professional world, Low German still finds itself in the homes ofthousandsofGermanspeakersinspiteofitssupposedshortcomings.And,whileitisstillnotwidelytaught,italsofindsitselfwithintheschoolsofGermanyandTheNetherlands.HighGermanAnd finally, we at last come to Low German’s more popular cousin, HighGerman.HighGermanreferstoavarietyofGermandialectsspokenincentralaswell as southern Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, andLuxembourg. It also encompasses dialects spoken within regions of France(northern Lorraine and Alsace), The Czech Republic (Bohemia), Italy (southTyrol),andPoland(upperSilesia).AswithotherEuropeandialects,theseonesare also spokenwithin various diaspora across the globe, namely inRomania,TheUnitedStates,Brazil,Russia,Argentina,Chile,Mexico,andNamibia.

Themain thing that differentiates HighGerman from other forms of GermandialectsisthefamousHighGermanconsonantshift.The term ‘High’Germanderives from thehighlandsofGermany,where thesedialects originate from. This class of languages includes the famous Yiddishlanguage of the Ashkenazi community of Jews in central Europe, standardGerman,andLuxembourgish.TheseaforementionedhighlandsofGermanyarenot limited to German soil however. They also include Luxembourg,Liechtenstein, Austria, and most of Switzerland. Meanwhile, its cousin LowGerman refers to dialects spoken in the lowlands of Germany and theNetherlands,alongthecoastsoftheNorthGermanPlain.Thisdialectcantraceitsrootsbacktoaround500A.D.inOldHighGerman.InOld High German, two varieties, Swabian and East Franconian, became thedominant court and poetry languages of the House of Hohenstaufen around1200. This term ‘High German’ introduces itself to history around 1400 inUpper Saxony, Swabia, Bavaria, Franconia, and Austria. This languagetriumphed over all those around it and continues to triumph today as animportantbasisoftheGermanlanguage.It would now be wise to look over the family tree that all these dialects ofGermanstemfrom.TheothervariantsoftheGermanlanguagewhichhavebeenmentioned previously are all related to this one, and is foundwithin the largebarge of central European languages. This tree of languages is roughly asfollows:CentralGerman:

EastCentralGerman-UpperSaxonThuringianLausitzisch-NeumärkischHighPrussianSilesianWestCentralGerman-CentralFranconianMoselleFranconianRipuarian

RhineFranconianPalatineHessianHighFranconian:EastFranconianSouthFranconianUpperGerman:Alemannic-LowAlemannicHighAlemannicHighestAlemannicSwabianBavarian-CentralBavarianNorthernBavarianSouthernBavarianHutteriteGermanCimbrianYiddishLombardic(extinct)

Chapter2:FindingyourpassionforlearningGermanStudyingoutsideofwhatisrequiredinschoolcanseemsomewhatintimidatingand time consuming. A great number of people seem to get the idea thatinformalandorunguidedstudycanmuddyup intellectualwatersorotherwisejustmakeithardertolearn.Therearesomegrainsoftruthinthispresumption,althoughinothercases,informalstudycanbemorebeneficialandefficientthanitsformalcounterpart.Italldependsonthestudent’serudition,workethic,andgritmorethananything.WhileitistypicallyadvisabletostudyGerman(oranyother subject for that matter) with some sort of teacher or tutor guiding youthroughtheprocess,itremainsmoreimportantthatthestudentgenuinelyenjoysandtakesanactiveinterestinthefieldofstudy.In this chapter we will take some time to discuss some studying tips andtechniquesthatcertainlyprovetobeusefulwhenstudyingGerman,oranyothersubjectforthatmatter.Thefirst,andaveryimportanttipaboutstudyingthatshouldbementionedhereisthepracticeofbreakingthematerial,whateveritmaybe,intochunksthataremoreeasilydigestible.Thisisapracticethatisespeciallyusefulforworkingona task that seems overwhelming. Once the material has been carved out intosmaller sections, those individual sectionscanbe studiedwithmoreease fromdaytoday.Thiscantakesuperfluouspressureoffof thestudentandallowforbetterfocusonthetasksathand.Another important tip would be to reward yourself for hard work done. Itdoesn’t, afterall,makesomeoneself-indulgentorweak to reap the rewardsofhisorherlabor.Thesesmallrewardscanactuallybebeneficialandcanbedonein the forms of short walks, small blocks of phone time, or maybe even theoccasionalsnackinbetweenlongerperiodsofstudy.Humanbeingsarecreaturesofhabit,whichisexactlywhyitcanbeextremelyusefultocreatearoutineofcreatingyourownstudytime(orworkhoursforthatmatter). These habits, in fact, can become so strong that it can even becomedifficultforastudenttobeabletorelaxforthedaywithoutstudyingfirst.With

constantandprolongedself-discipline,anygivenpersoncanbecomeastudenttobe reckonedwith, leaving all competition in the dust. Studies show, however,that it takes 20 to 30 days on average to form a habit, which is why self-disciplineshouldbedulyemphasized.Forthosestillinschool,itisimportanttobeclearwithyourselfwhenitcomestowhyyouwanttogetgoodgrades.Itisalwayseasiertomeetyourgoalswhenthereisageneralideaofwhythosegoalsshouldbemet.Oneusefulmethodofdoingthisismakingalistofacademicandpersonalgoals,forexample:Iwouldliketodevelopmyselfandlearnmore.Iwouldliketogetintomoreusefulhabits.Iwouldliketobecomemoredisciplinedandfocusedasastudent.Iwouldliketogetintoagoodschool.Iwouldliketohaveagoodcareeroneday.I would like to provide for my family and those who are close to me in thefuture.IwouldliketohavecertaintythatI’mdoingallthatIcaninmyendeavors.IwouldliketoliveasregretfreeasIpossiblycan.Writing goals and aspirations down can give perspective and direction for thestudent.Also,thelistsmadecanserveasremindersandmotivatorsinthefuture.Theuseofmindmapsisaverygoodskillforstudentstohave.Unlikelists,mindmapsallowinterconnectivitythatthebrainalwayscraves.Thesecanbeusedforany subject and under any circumstances and the outcomes always remainfruitful.Thebrainmakesconnectionsnaturally,andmindmapsnotonlyassistinthisprocess,butalsodefinesandclarifiestheconnectionsmade.Another tipwouldbe to try toalwaysmakeaboringsubject seemand feelasinterestingaspossible.ThisonecanbeparticularlyusefulinlearningGermanasmanyoftenconsider learning foreign languagesboring. It is always important,however,tostaveoffboredomwhenstudyinglikethediseasethatitis.Therearemanymethodsofdoingthissuccessfully,butthemostimportantonewouldbeto re-engage yourself.No subjects are ultimately very boring at all as long aspeople just look over themwith disinterestedminds. It is always important tosimplydigalittledeepereverytimethestudentfeelslikeyawning.Itisalwaysmoreadvantageous,andalsomorerewarding,tocometounderstandtopicsratherthanjustmemorizingtheircontents.Rotememorizationcantakea

learnerquitefar,andtherearealwayssomebastionsofemployingthisinyourstudy habits, but in more advanced studies and inquisitive minds, it becomesincreasingly important to grasp the material at hand as reference to othersubjects. This is also more important than memorization because it actuallymakes room for critical thinking and the application of facts. In learningGerman, there is always emphasis placed on vocabulary, but there is alsoemphasisplacedonactuallyputtingthewordstogethertomakestatementsthatmakessense.Another important practice in learning is to always be on the look-out forpersonalknowledgegapsaswellasthinkingerrors.Thereis,afterall,noroomforcompetence,orinthiscasefluency,wherethereremainsanoverabundanceofmistakes.Stayingcognizantoferrorsinlearningwillnotonlycurtailmistakesandmisunderstandings,butitwillalsodeepenthestudent’sunderstandingofthesubjectmatterathand.Studying inshorter incrementsof time isalwaysbeneficialaswell.Thisstudyhabit hasbeen shown tobemore effective thanothers. It iswhat is knownasspaced learning, and its advantages are attributed to the way memories areformed.Neuronshavetobeleftaloneforperiodsoftimeinbetweenstudyformemoriestobeproperlyembeddedwithinthelinksbetweenthem.Thisiswhyitisalwaysbeneficial toavoidcramming, sospaced learningwouldnaturallybethebestmethodofstudyingforthemind.ThePomodoroTechniqueisaveryfamousyetnotverywidelyusedtechniqueinlearning.Itsmostbasicandmostcommonstructureareasfollows:1.Decideonthetaskthatyouneedtowork.2.Timeyourselfwithina25-minuteincrement.3.Startworkingonthetask.4.Stopworkingoncethe25-minutemarkhasbeenreached.5.Checkmarkapieceofpaper.6. Ifyouareup to fewer than fourcheckmarks, thenyoumust takea3 to5-minutesbreak,repeatfromsteponewhenyourbreakhasbeencompleted.7.Afterfourcheckmarks,orPomodoros,havebeenmet,youmustthentakea15to30-minutebreak.8.DrawalinecrossingoffthefourcheckmarksandstartoveragainThis techniquekeeps thestudyblocksshortandonpoint so thatknowledge is

retainedwellandthestudentisnotfatigued.Anotherimportantpieceofadviceisthefactthatmotivationshouldbeexpectedto come frequently or readily. As strange as it may seem, motivation cangenerally come more readily when it is not expected or desired so much. Itappears well by contrast, as with any other mood. No one among us feelsmotivatedallthetime,soitisnotadvisabletorelyonfeelingsofmotivationtoretaintheabilityongettingthingsdone.Thisiswhyitismoreimportanttokeepastrictroutineandworkthroughtheboredomthatsurroundsstudying.Itisimportant,maybebeyondanyothertipslistedhere,toexercisethebrain.Indoing this, it can be helpful to look at the brain as a muscle than an organbecauseitgivesmoreofanimpressionofadaptability.Developingone’sabilityto focus is like any other form of personal development where in it takesconstant practice and unflappable determination. It’s like becoming a greatathlete,ittakesthousandsofhoursofpracticethatissetonarigidscheduleoverthecourseofyears.Theonlyrealdifferenceisthatitisthemindbeingworkedout rather than the body. Some great means of developing this skill arechallengingworld issues,writing journals, or solvingpuzzles.Thegreater andwider thevarietyofways thatyourbrain is challenged, the strongerandmorepowerfulitwillbecome.Herearesomewebsiteswithgreatresourcesfortrainingthebrain:Luminosity,NeuroNation,andBrainHQ.The rolesof restand recoveryarealsonot tobeunderestimated in study. It isalwaysimportanttogetatleast8hoursofsleepeachandeverynight,nomatterwhatyouspendyourwakinghoursdoing.Therearealsocertainfoodswhicharebetter for thehealthof thebrain thanothers.Some foods thatoffer fattyacidswhichthebrainneedstofunctionproperlyareasfollows:Nuts,avocados,salmon,berries,beans,pumpkinseeds,pomegranatejuice,anddarkchocolate.This next piece of advice ties inwith the concept on creating a study routinevery well. This one would be to organize your time. With creating a studyschedule comes lots of commitment, andwhere commitment goes,motivationusually follows. It is always much easier to stay with a topic to keep anorganizedschedule.Herearesomestepsincreatingareliablestudyschedule:1.Makea listof taskswhichyouneed tocomplete for every subject thatyoustudy.

2.Trydownloadingastudyscheduletemplateormakingonebyhand.Youcanthenblockofavailabletimesforindependentstudy.3.Trytokeepthingssimpleandeasytorememberbychoosingblocksoftimethatremainthesamethroughouteachdayoftheweek.4.Createaplanforeverydaywhichincludesthemostimportanttasksthatthedayhastooffer,thenmakesuretosticktoitreligiously.At the end of each week, or any allotted time frame, you can then track theprogress that you have made. You may then be pleasantly surprised by yourresults,andifyouarenot,thenyoucanalwayskeeptryingtomakeadjustmentstowhateveryouneedtotomeetyourgoals.Theresultsofallthesemethodsmentionedwillultimatelyallbedependentuponhowhardthestudenttries.Withthatbeingsaid,itisalwaysimportanttoremainactiveinyourlearningexperiencesratherthanpassive.Passivelearningtakesonthepresumption that the learner isablankslate,butmanyattests that thebestwaytolearnistoimmerseoneselfinlearningcompletely.Herearesomestepsindoingthismoreeffectively:FindingapplicationsoftopicswithinyournormallifePerformingcasestudiestotestideasandconceptsGroupprojectsBrainstormingonwaystoapplytheconceptslearnedtotheissuesthatyoucomeacrossAllofthesetipscanbeappliednotonlyinyourpursuitoflearningGerman,butto virtually any subject the student takes up. German is one of the mostimportantanduseful languagesofmodernity, and inaddition, it is a relativelyeasylanguagetolearnforthenativeEnglishspeaker.Byusingthesetechniquesin learning German or any other subject, the student will not only learn thesubjectwithmoreease,butalsousethetoolsgainedheretohelphimorhertodevelopotherskills inthefuture.Theseareconceptsthatarestuckoutoftimeand place. It is alwaysmuchmore useful to know how to learn thanwhat tolearn.Educationisaconstantlyevolvingchapterwithinastudent’slife,andonethatcanneverquitebemastered,butcanberodetogreaterheightswithproperpracticeandskill.

Chapter 3: Immersing yourself in GermancultureGermanCultureGermany is very much the center of Europe in more ways than justgeographically. Italsoservesas thecenterofEuropeaneconomicandpoliticalactivity.GermanyisEurope’ssecondmostpopulouscountryintermsofoverallpopulation,behindRussia.Infact,theWorldFactbookestimatesitspopulationto be around 80 million people. Germany’s economy also boasts impressivefigures aswell. It is, in fact, the largest onewithin the continent and the fifthlargestoneonthefaceoftheglobe.Germanynotonly ishome to anextremely largepopulation,but it alsoexertsinfluence over many smaller nations that border it. These include Belgium,Czech Republic, Austria, Denmark, Luxembourg, France, Switzerland, TheNetherlands, and Poland. All of these cultures listed have had reciprocalinfluenceonandfromGermany.Unsurprisingly, thepopulationofGermany is around91.5%. Itmay,however,comeasabitofashocktolearnthatthesecondlargestethnicgroupisactuallyTurkishatabout2.4%ofthenation’spopulation.Thisleavesaremaining6.1%accounted to the different groups of ethnic Greek, Italian, Russian, Serbo-Croatian,andSpanishpeople.ItisthecitylifewhichmostofGermany’speoplearedrawnto.However,roughly75.7%ofthepopulationresidinginurbanareas.TheGermansareavery staidandconservativepeople,placinghighvaluesonthe virtues of structure, punctuality, and privacy. Some of the stereotypessurroundingGermanyandherpeopleholdtrueinthesefewrespects.Theyalsoplaceveryhighquotasonhardwork,industriousness,andthriftiness.IttakesalottomakeGermanscomfortable,usually.Theyoftenneedtohavetheabilitytoorganizeandcompartmentalizetheworldintowell-keptunits,astheyareaverypragmaticpeople.Theythereforetendtomanagetheirtimerathercarefully,withcalendars, schedules, and agendas takingprecedenceover any spontaneity thatlife’svicissitudeshavetooffer.The Germans often get the reputation of being rather stoic people. This is

understandable as they do tend to strive for precision and perfection in nearlyeveryaspectoftheirdaytodaylives.Thisisnotalwayssuchabadtraittohavethough. In fact, it’s often a great one that has lots of practical benefits.Civilizationsoftenbeginasstoicandendupbeingepicurean.Itcouldbearguedthat the only thingmore destructive than access stoicism ismindless pleasureseeking. They seldom hand out compliments to others and even less seldomadmit faults, even jokingly. These are aspects of their stoicism that could becriticized. All of these factors may coalesce to make these people seemunfriendly, but the Germans actually have very highly developed socialconsciencesandkeensensesofcommunity.LanguageThe main language of Germany, which is unsurprisingly German, has manydifferent offshoots previously mentioned. Standard German is spoken by alandslide 95% of the population. Several minor languages including LowGerman, High German, Dutch, Frisian variances, and many more are alsospokeninGermany.ReligionLikethevastmajorityofthewesternworld,Christianitydominatesthelandforcenturies.Thisreligionisfollowedby65to70%ofthenation.Withthatfigure,Catholicscomprise29%ofthem.Meanwhile,Muslimsareasmallminority,asin lotsofotherEuropeannations, accounting for4.4%of the total population.The remaining 36% of the population are not religious or does not observe areligionotherthanthosetwopreviouslymentioned.The twolargestchurches inGermanyare theRomanCatholicChurch,and theEvangelicalChurch.TheirEvangelicalChurch is a confederationofProtestant(LutheranandReformed)churches.Thosetwochurchescomprisethe65to70%of the nation. In 2016, Orthodox Christianity made up for around 2% of theoverallpopulation.ThereligiousmakeupofthenationofGermanydiffersgreatlywithanumberoffactors, namely region and age.As could probably be expected, the youth arenow less religious than their elders. In fact, the majority of Germany’spopulationunder25nowclaimtoholdnoreligiousbelief.Anothertrendthatiscommon in Germany, and also in many parts of the world, is the inverse

correlationbetweenurbanlivingandreligiosity.Infact,inmanymajorGermancities, Berlin and Hamburg for example, non-religious people comprise themajorityofcitizenry.Asfarasstatesareconcerned,however, it is theEasternstates which hold the least religious belief. Amajority of 60-70% classify asholdingnoreligiousbeliefinthesestates.SomeofthesefiguresseemsurprisingincontrasttoAmericanreligiosity,butthecultureofGermanydoesn’tseemtosuffermuchfromthevariance.As is the case for most of the globe, Germany started out with polytheisticpaganism and eventually adopted Christianity later. This occurred only inprehistoricGermanyandpartsofScandinavia.TheconceptofaunitedGermanlandjustdidnotexistuntilJuliusCaesar, invadingGaul,sought todestroytheincreasinglyunitedGermanictribesabovehim.ThisprimitivereligionincludedGodssuchasThor,Odin,Freyja,andBaldr.Afterthe4thcentury,intheregionsofsouthernGermanywhichhadthenbeenoccupiedaspartoftheRomanEmpire,earlyChristianitybegantotakeholdandreplacedtheoldGods.NeveragainwouldtheseGodsruleGermansoil.PagantemplesandwaysoflifewerethenreplacedbyChristianchurchesandmoralitytoupholdthesuddentransition.Itwasuntil theCarolingianPeriod,however, thatChristianitybegantotakeitsholdover theGermanmainland.Themainpersonresponsiblefor this invasionwasCharlemagne,withhisswiftmilitaryinvasionsfollowedbyhisconversiontactics.OnegreatexampleofreligiousstructuresbuiltduringthistimeperiodisthePalaceofAachen,builtduringCharlemagne'sreign.TheGermanyofthemiddleagesthensawverylittletovirtuallynochangeinitsreligiousinstitutions.ThemajorityoftheregionremainedRomanCatholicand,forthemostpart,busieditselfwithissuesotherthanofficialreligion.In 1517, Martin Luther published his 95 Theses, one of the most Seminoledocumentseverwritten throughout thehistoryof theworld. Itsmainobjectivewas the criticismof theRomanCatholicChurch for its selling of indulgences(paymentsmadetoclergytoatoneforsins)alongwithotherabusesofpower.NotonlywasLutheropposinghowtheclergyabusedtheirpowersatthattime,but he was also opposing the very idea of the papacy. The Reformation issignificant in that it is thefirstopencriticismorreaction to thecorruptionand

misguidanceoftheRomanCatholicChurchknowntohistory.Thepublicationofthe theses was quickly followed up by the Diet of Worms in 1521, whichoutlawedLuther.TheReformationcontinuedregardlessandwouldnotrestuntilithadconsumedallofEuropeopentoitsteachings.LutherfollowedupbythentranslatingthebiblefromLatintoGerman,makingitreadableandaccessibletoallpeopleofallGermanspeakingregionsofEurope,notjusttheclergy.Thisinturnmade the biblemuchmore approachable to Europe and gave theRomanCatholicChurchmuchlesspowerofitsteachings.Today,thedenominationsofChristianityaresonumerousthatnoonehasverymuchtheologicalpoweroverthereligion.HowLutherturnsouttobeimportantinlinguistichistoryisthefactthat the dialect that he translated the bible into was not by any means awidespread or popular one before his translation, now it has evolved intoStandardGerman.After the ThirtyYearsWar, therewas awidespread effort to unite the largerLutheran and the smaller Reformed Protestant Churches. This occurred inPrussia,withKingFrederickWilliamIII’smotivationbeingtheunificationofallprotestant churches within the nation under the crown. This was done withseveral complications, and eventually Frederick William IV had to give the‘Old’ Lutherans the right to separate from this conglomeration in an effort tokeeppeaceamongthepublic.This point in religious historymarks awidespread attitude shift in relation toGod.TheRomanCatholicChurchplacedmoreemphasisonworship,ceremony,andthechurch,butfollowersofthenewdenominationsweresearchingformorepersonal relationshipswithGod.TheGermanpeople,whetheroutofhubrisorout of need for personal growth, started to see God as wanting a personalrelationshipwithhischildren.Thisisaviewthatmanyofthesedenominationsstillholdtoday.Astherationalismofthe18thcenturyeventuallyfadedaway,theindividualismof the19thcenturycontinued to shapeGermany’s conceptofGod.Allof thiswas,ofcourse,metbyfierceoppositionfromCatholicsstillloyaltothepapacy.Therewas then a controversy surrounding childrenofmixedmarriages.Therewasnoconsensusonwhat the legal religionof childrenborn tobothCatholicand Protestant parents should be.After some deliberation, itwas decided thatthese children should always be raised Protestant. This differed from theNapoleoniclawspreviouslysetinplacewhichorderedthattheparentsshouldbetheonemakingthedecisiononwhatwillbethereligionofmixedchildren.

Themostcrucialblowtothepowerofthepapacy,however,cameinthehumanformofOttovonBismarck,whoflatlyrefusedtotolerateanygivenpowerbaseoutside ofGermany to have a say inGerman affairs.Bismarck launched a socalled‘culturewar’againstthepowerofthepopein1873,whichgainedlotsofsupportamongGermanliberalsopposingthepowerofthechurch.From that point on, although they comprised about a third of the Germanpopulation,CatholicswerenotallowedtoholdmostofficeswithintheGermanandPrussiangovernments.Thisis,however,overshadowedbythefactthatafter1871asystematicpurgeofCatholicsbeganwithinthetwonations.Infact, theinterior ministry at the time only staffed one Catholic boy in total. AnotherreligiousminoritydiscriminatedagainsttheJewsthroughoutthistime.One of the ways in which this purge of Catholics was achieved was throughwhatisnowknownasthePulpitLaw.Thislawprohibitedtheuseofspeechbyclergywhich inanywaydispleased thegovernment.Manyofficialswithin theRomanCatholicChurchwereopenlyagainst this law,andmanyof themwereimprisonedorexiledasaresult.Bismarckdid,however, severelyunderestimated thepowerand tenacityof theCatholic people in their resistance to his exclusive laws.TheCatholicChurchpromptlydenouncedthesenewlawsandcalleduponitsfollowersinallpartsofGermanytoprotestthetreatment.Anuneasypeacewaseventuallyestablishedassome of these laws were repealed, but several discriminatory laws regardingeducationandworkwereleftinplace.ThenewlyformedWeimarRepublicestablishedaconstitutionforitselfin1919which not only did not include any official state religion, but also guaranteedfreedomoffaithandreligiontoallitscitizens.EarlierinGermanhistory,thesefreedomshadonlybeenmentionedintheconstitutionsofsomeindividualstates.CatholicsandProtestantswerefinallyequalundertheletterofthelawwiththisnewconstitution.TheGermanFreethinkersLeaguewasthenestablished.Itwascomprised of 500,000 members, mostly atheist. Nazi leadership did, fittinglyenough,shutthisgroupdownlaterin1933.Theyear1933markedoneof themost important anddevastating times in thehistory ofGermany. In January of that year,AdolfHitler’sNazi Party seizedcontrol of the German government seeking to assert state control over the

churches among other things. Two social responses to this were the PositiveChristianityandDeutscheChristenmovements,whichbothsoughttothetenantsofNationalSocialismwiththeChristianreligion.Thesemovementshadmixedsuccessesuntil the late1936,whengradualworseningofrelationsbetweenthechurchandstatecausedmany toabandon thechurches.Therewerenoofficialpolicies regarding churchmembership within the Nazi government, but manyofficialsstarted to leave theirchurches indrovesaroundthis time.Jewsat thistimewere,asthereaderalreadyknows,increasinglymarginalizedaswell.The conclusionofWorldWar 2 saw theGerman state divided into twoparts:EastandWest.WestGermanywasnowcontrolledbythewesternallies,namelyEngland, America, France, and Canada. Eastern Germany, on the other hand,was now controlled by the U.S.S.R. East and West Germany now took twocompletely different approaches on the issue of religious freedom. WestGermany, otherwise known as the Federal Republic of Germany, adopted aconstitutionin1949whichstatedthatnocitizenwastobediscriminatedagainstonthebasisof theirfaithorreligiousbeliefs,andthatnoofficialstatereligionwas to be established. East Germany, also known as the German DemocraticRepublic, adopted a communist systemwhich aimed to drastically reduce therole of religion in the society.Christian churches, regardless of denomination,wererestrictedbythegovernment.ThisexplainstheaforementionedtendencyofeasternGermanstatestobelessreligious.Theimplicationsofsovietpoliciesarestillseentoday.Germanreligiouscommunitiesofasufficientsizeandstabilitythathappentobeloyal to the constitution are what is known as statutory corporations. Thesecommunitiesaregivenspecialprivilegesundertheconstitution.Includedwithinthese is the right for state schools to give religious instruction within thesecommunities. They are also subject to having membership fees collected (forvariousfees)bythenationalrevenuedepartmentknownas‘churchtaxes’.Thesetaxes are surcharges between 8 and 9% of the income tax. This differs frommanyotherwesternnationswhichdon’t typically taxtheirchurches.Thishighstatus applies mainly to the Roman Catholic Church, the mainline ProtestantEvangelical Church in Germany, various free churches throughout the nation,andasmallnumberofJewishcommunities.Thereisalsotheongoingdiscussionoverwhetherornot toallowMuslimsandotherminorityreligiousgroups intothissystemaswell.In2018,representativesfromSchleswig-Holstein,Hamburg,LowerSaxony,and

Bremen have come together to conclude that a decision onwhether or not tomakeReformationDayanofficialholidaypermanentlywasdesperatelyneededto be ratified by their state parliaments. This initiative began after the 500thanniversaryofthereformationin2017.Italsostems,inpart,fromthefactthatthenorthernGermanstatesnowhavefarlessholidaysannuallythanmanyofthesouthern states do. Also during this year, the states of Schleswig-Holstein,Hamburg, Lower Saxony, andBremen all adopted resolutions andmade it anofficialholiday.Incontemporarytimes,ProtestantismdominatesthenorthandeastofGermanyandCatholicismdominatesthesouthandwest.ThedeclineofChristianityinthelate20thandearly21stcenturies,coupledwiththestateatheismof theformerGerman Democratic Republic, have merged to create an extremely secularcultureinnortheasternGermany.Thelate20thandtheearly21stcenturieshave,however, brought immigrants from a wide variety of foreign lands and theybroughtwiththemlotsofreligionsandbeliefsthatarenewtothenation.TheseincludeEasternOrthodoxChristianityandIslam.CuisineGerman cuisinemay often be overshadowed by its neighbors such as France,Italy,andevenEngland,butthatdoesnotimplythatGermancuisineisbyanymeansworse.Germancuisine isprobablymostwidelyknownfor itshardinessand its boldness. It’s also more meat-oriented as compared to many of itsEuropeancousins.Ofallmeats,porkisthemostwidelyconsumedinGermany.Braised pork hock (schweinshaxe) and pork stomach (saumagen) are two ofGermany’sfavoritedishes.Onthesubjectofsausage,thebratwurstmaybethemostfamousfoodGermanyhastooffer.Thenationisalsoratherfondofcabbage, turnips,andbeets initsmeals. Potatoes and sauerkraut are also immensely popular staples of theGermancuisine,aswellascuisinesoftheworldover.Themostpopularalcoholicbeverage inGermany isundoubtedlybeer,and thenation serves as a home to lots of different varieties of the drink. Yes! TheGermanslovetheirbeeraboutasmuchaslifeitselfinsomecases.SomeofthevarietiesofbeerthatGermanyhasproducedarePilsner,Weizenbier,andAlt,allofwhichwere originallymade in ordinancewith ‘purity law’ of 16th centuryBavaria that mandated brews to be made only with hops, barley, and water.SchnappsandBrandyarealsoverypopularinGermany.

ArtWhenone thinksofartisticcontributionsmadeonGermansoil,composersareusuallythefirstpeoplewhocometomind.Beethoven,Bach,andMozart(eventhoughhewasAustrian)immediatelypopintoanyone’shead.AndperhapstheclassicalmusicbuffevenrecallstheworksofSchoenberg,AlbanBerg,andtheotherlatecomposersofTheSecondVienneseSchool.Whenallofthesegiantsareconsidered,itbecomesmoreobviousthatmanybelievethatitwasGermanywhodominatedmoststagesofclassicalmusic,butGermany’sartisticoutputisnotlimitedjusttomusic.WorkforceGermany,withitsstolidvalueplacedonprecisionanddetail,hasgainedquiteareputation as a great home to highly skilled engravers and woodcutters. Inaddition to their contributions to these art forms, they are also known forarchitectural works of great importance. Their output in architecture has beenstrong for centuries now, surviving and even thriving throughout theRomanesque, Gothic, Classicist, Baroque, Rococo, and Renaissance periods.Theseworkshavetakennumerousforms,includingcathedrals,publicbuildings,and even castles. The Brandenburg Gate comes to mind as one of the manyexamplesoftheclassicalGermanstyle.TheGermandesirefororderlinessandexactitudeinvadeseachandeveryfacetofthelifeofthenation.Thisphenomenonisnotbyanymeansdivorceablefromtheworking life ofGermany either, including the business sector. It iswidelyknownamongGermansthatsurprise,humor,oranythingevenremotelytongueand cheek is not typically welcomed among the businessmen and women ofGermany.Theyarethemostpragmaticandconscientiouspeople.Everymomentof the waking life of the business class workers are carefully planned anddecideduponbeforehand.Everymoment leadsup to thenext,with little tonoroomforvariancewhenitcomestodecisionswhichhavealreadybeenmade.Engineers are highly esteemed in German culture, and also very well paid atthat. This comes as no surprise when considering some of the traits thatengineers all have in common: analytical andmanagement skills, attention todetail, and conscientiousness. This is also evidenced clearly by Germany’scontinuingsuccessintheautomotiveindustry.Thisnationhaslotsofrespectforhands on expertise, a quality that is usually not very appreciated in the west

anymore. This is why professionals with this trait typically do better in thebusiness world of Germany than those who can only boast a financial oreducationalbackground.TheGermanworkforcealsovaluesdiligenceandcompetenceoverinterpersonalskills. This is one trait which Germany shares with most of its westernneighbors.TheGermanpeoplearenothighlyregardedasbeingverydiplomaticorfriendlyintheirspeechwithcoworkers,clients,orotheroutsiders.Theyare,aboveall,directintheseinstances.All traits and factors may culminate to give the impression that the Germanworkforceisadismal,evendrearyentity.Theremaybesomegrainsoftruthinthis, as work in Germany is no picnic, but it would not be fair to assert thatGermany is much worse than her neighbors when it comes to her workers’wellbeing.Germanyis,infact,oneofthebestplacestoworkinhereinthewesternworld.Apersonjustneedstobecomeaccustomedtothebusinesscultureofthenation.Germansmay at first seem to foreigners sensible, punctual, reserved, precise,target-oriented, cold, arrogant, obedient, sure of themselves, disciplined, plan-oriented, stiff, unfeeling, authoritative, bureaucratic, direct, professional, self-assured, correct, petty, strong, highly orderly, humorless, reliable, principled,perfectionist,andorganized.Thesestereotypesmayreflecttherealityoftheculture.Theyalsoarerootedincultural standardswhich perform their functions on a generalized and abstractlevel.While theymay be bothersome and frustrating at times, they ultimatelyservebetterfunctionsthanwhatmeetstheeye.SomeofthemostimportantculturalstandardswhichGermanyadherestoareasfollows:Thetaskathandisthereligionofthepeople.Ittakesprecedenceoverallotherthingsanddeterminesthelanguageanddispositionsofallworkers.Thetaskathandshould,therefore,befocusedonmoresothananythingelse.Thisincludesrelationships. Relationships in the business world of Germany take on asubordinateroletowork,astheyprobablyshould.German business is widely known for its arguably excessive processes,

procedures, rules, and regulations. The businessmen and women of Germanyvaluetheapplicationofandadherencetocontractsandwrittenagreementsveryhighly.Rigidconsequencesandsometimesharshpenaltiesarewhat thosewhodiverge from the contents of these understandings are met with. This facthighlightsatoncetheimportanceofmutualobligationandthelackofflexibilityandindividualdeterminationwithinthebusinessworldofGermany.ConsistencyandreliabilityareminordeitiestotheGermanbusinessclass.Ruleorientation and internalized focus of control also serve important functionswithin thehappeningsof theGermanbusinessworld.With somuch emphasisplacedontheimportanceofstructureandorder,itcomesasnosurprisetoustolearnthatGermansareneveropentowelcomeuncertainty.Theythereforepreferbindingrulesandagreementstocurtailanychancesofbeingcaughtoffguard.German punctuality is also impressive in its widespread application andquotidianadherence.Meetingsandappointmentsarestrictlyplanned,and theirtimesaremetwithpromptitudeandcertainty.Theyfollowtheirschedulestightlytoensurecertaintyindealingwithoneanother.With all these constrictions and rigid regulations, it becomes of the utmostimportancetoseparatetheprivatesphereofregularlifewiththepublicsphereofbusiness life. The culture just doesn’t allow for asmuch personality tomergebetween the two. Itwouldmakepersonal life too austere andprofessional lifetoofree.Withthisbeingsaid,thereismadeverylittleroomforfriendshipwithinthebusinessworldofGermany.ThisisoneofthereasonswhyGermanworkersoften get the reputation of being unfriendly and aloof among their foreigncoworkers.And finally, the last point that should be made on the subject of GermanbusinessisthatofthedirectnessofcommunicationwithintheGermanbusinessworld.Germanicspeechisknownforbeingverydirecttothepoint,withoutany‘dressing’ or sugar coating of any sort. This has lots of practical advantages,making language much more explicit and useful, but it can also give off theimpressionof coldness andunfriendliness.This is just another example of theunique cultural standards of Germany though. And, as with others, it has itsmeritsanddemeritsalike.HolidaysandCelebrationsGermany,beingapredominantlyChristiannation,celebratesmanyofthesame

holidaysthatotherChristiannationsinthewestusuallydo,includingChristmas,Easter,andGoodFriday.TherearealsoafewholidaysandcelebrationsuniquetoGermanculture,includingGermanUnificationDayonOctober3rd,arecentholidaycelebratingtheunificationofpostwarEastandWestGermany.The longest, and perhaps most famous, of all German celebrations isOktoberfest.ThisfestivalstartsonaspecificSaturdayinSeptemberandends16to18dayslateronthefirstSundayofOctober.Thisisacelebrationmarkedwithandknownforlotsofdrunkenrevelryandjollity.Itstartedintheyear1810withamassivecelebrationof themarriagebetweenLudwigofBavariaandThereseVonSachsenHildburghausen.

Chapter 4: Finding native speakers toincrease your overall understanding of thelanguageandcultureMuchlikelearningafirstlanguage,learningasecondonetakeslotsofpracticeandtime.It isratherhardto imaginelearningafirst languagewhileremainingtaciturnaroundspeakersofthatlanguage,sowhywouldastudentrestrainhisorherselftosilenceintheprocessoflearninganylanguagebeyondthat?Ithitsallthebull’seyeonallthewrongtargetstolearnasecondlanguagewithoutusingitfor communication, after all, what else is language good for? Learning andspeaking a second language also provides opportunity to learn about otherculturesfrompeoplewithpotentialfirst-handexperiencewiththegivenculture,Germaninthiscase.Thebenefitsofpracticingaforeignlanguagefaroutweighthecostsundervirtuallyanygivencircumstances.Speakingaforeignlanguagewithotherscanstreamlinesomuchofthelearningprocess. It can undermine somuch of the complexity and nuance involved inlanguage acquisition, and in away thatwon’t jeopardize educational value oraccuracy, depending on the person being spoken to. Even speaking with onepersonwhoknowsGermanoranyotherforeignlanguagecanexposethestudentto the entirety of that person’s vernacular. The speech can be absorbed anddigested naturally. The zone of proximal development, a zone discovered byPiagetinwhichchildrenarenaturallygivenjustalittlebitmoreinformationthattheycanfullyunderstand,alsoappliestopeoplelearningasecondlanguage.Itisreally just like any other skill in the sense that it really takes practice andpatiencetodevelop.One important reason why communicating using the second language withothersworksisthecomplexityofgrammaticalformsinvirtuallyanylanguage.This makes it difficult or even impossible to fully learn a language. In fact,linguistshavenotyetbeenabletofullydescribeallthegrammaticalconstructsof even a single language. While speaking with another person may notcompletely run off grammatical difficulties, it can curtail some of the moreembarrassingmistakes that can bemade. It could also be added that learningfromanativespeakercanimbuethestudentwithsomeoftheeducationthatthespeakerhasreceived,inawaygivingthestudentaformaleducationbyproxy.

While constant studying effort and rotememorization are important factors inlearninganewlanguage,thetwotakeonsubordinaterolestowhatissaidtothestudentandwhatthestudentreads.Thesetwoarethemostimportantfactorsinnew language acquisition. They work together to supply a more usefulcomprehensibleinputthanothermethodsoflearningdo.Asthestudentreceivesmore and more comprehensible input through reading and listening to thelanguage, it becomes easier and easier to absorb more of the vocabulary andgrammarof the second language. It creates a self-sustainingpositive feedbackloopthatcanendinfluencyeasierthantheaveragelearnerexpects.When learning a new language, it is important not to fluster oneself. Studieshave on occasion shown that memorizing vocabulary and intensive grammarstudyareoflimitedvaluewhencomparedtoothermethodsoflearning.Again,the importance of comprehensive input becomes so clear here. Students inclasses more oriented towards comprehensive input than traditional grammar-basedclassesdobetteroncommunication,andevengrammar-basedtestsacrossthe board. These students get the benefits of a learning experience closer tonaturaleducationandcaneasilyapplytheirskillsontheirownandintheworld.Inaddition,theyareevenmorelikelytocontinuetostudyforeignlanguages.Comprehensiveinputalsoplaysamajorrole(ifnot,themainrole)invocabularyexpansionofany language learned.Manymultilingualsbuildup,as the readercanalreadyguess,enormousvocabulariesineachandeverylanguagethattheylearn. These huge collections of verbiage have a tendency to accumulate andexpandontopofthemselveswiththepassageoftime.Butthisisseldomdonewith rote vocabulary memorization. These collections of words are almostalways the result of comprehensive input over time. Reading is, of course,alwaysimportanthereaswell.OnestudyactuallyshowedthatpeoplewhospokeSpanish as a second language and also happened to read avidly in factaccumulated largerSpanishvocabularies thannativeSpanishspeakerswhodidnotreadoften.Whenever a student learns a second language, it is onlynatural that heor shewill tend to be taciturn at times during the beginning stages. These ‘quietperiods’ are a useful and protective tool in learning, and are typically morecommon in children, though adults experiencing these should not feeldiscouraged for doing so. Also, there are no comprehensive input teachingmethodswhichrequiretheirstudentstospeakthelanguages.Itisultimatelynot

very relevantwhetheror not the student speaks the languageopenly, althoughpronunciationcouldbeahurdleinspeakingwithothers.The forcing of students to speakwhen they are not comfortable doing so notonly makes them uncomfortable, but it also does virtually nothing for newlanguage acquisition. The ability to speak the language in itself is a result ofcomprehensiveinput.Astudentcanavoidlearninganewlanguagethroughtrialanderrorbyspeakingitasheorshehadtodowiththefirstlanguagethatheorshehadlearned.Thiswillbringnosetbacksandcanevenhelpthestudentinthelearningprocess.Speaking with people in German can seem intimidating, out of socialapprehensionorfearofembarrassment,but therearemanywaystogetaroundthese barriers that are destructive in language learning. One way, maybe theeasiestorthemostuseful,tocircumnavigatetheseproblemsistotextpeopleinGerman.Thisisonepracticewhichcanbeespeciallyhelpfulforthosewhodon'tliveinGermanspeakingnationsandwhomaynotlivearoundverymanyotherswho speakGerman. It cuts distances tonothing andmakes communication allthemoreapproachableandaccessible.HelloTalk is a new app andwebsite which provides a great service for thosewishingtoconnectwithpeopleacrossdifferentlanguages.MeetingnewGermanspeakingbuddiesisfastandeasyasthiswebsiteisdesignedforlearnersaimingtosetupnewlanguageexchanges.MeetingnativeGermanspeakersonthiswebsiteisverysimple.Most,ifnotall,theusersofthiswebsiteareincrediblyenthusiasticanddedicated,soitistobeexpectedthatastudentwillfindpeoplewhowillhelpandmotivatehimorherandexpandhorizonsforthebothofthem.Itismuchlikemanyformsofsocialmedia, theuser can search forother language learners’ information to find (inthis case) native German speakers, or the user can submit his or her owninformationandwaittobefoundbyanotherlanguagelearner.Germanisjustoneofover100differentlanguageoptionsonthiswebsite,soanyuserwishingtofindspeakersofanyotherlanguagewillhaveplentyofoptions.It isall completely free to sendmessages,makephonecalls,orengage inanyother forms of communication through this website, so connecting with theGerman speaking world is almost as easy here as it is in German speakingEurope.

If the idea of phone calls or verbal communication in German fills you withreticence,thenHelloTalkisagreatappforyoutodownload.Thisappwillreadwhatever textyousubmit to italoud inGermanwith thecorrectpronunciationused.Thisisespeciallyusefulingettinganideaoftheflowofthelanguageand,ofcourse,thepronunciationofitswords.AnothergreatfeaturethatthisapphastoofferisafeatureinwhichyoucansaywhateverwordsorphrasesintothemicrophoneofyourcomputeranditwilltypewhateverissaidbacktoyouinGermanoranotherlanguageofyourchoice.Thisappwillevengosofarastocorrectyourspellingandgrammaralongtheway.IfyouareeveratalossasfarastranslationstoorfromGermanareconcerned,thisappcanbeaveryusefulresourcetoyou.Anotheruseful(andsomewhatfun)methodtousewhenlearningGermanwithnative speakers is the practice of alternating betweenGerman and English. Ifslotsoftimearedividedupbetweenthetwolanguages,letussay10-20minutesforexample,greaterresultscantypicallybeproduced.Thespeakerswon’tbeasfatiguedbylongerslotsoftimeandtheywillhaveaneasiertimefocusingonthelanguagesspoken.Aswasmentionedbefore, it isalwaysbeneficial tostudyinshorterperiodsof time toconsolidatememoriesmoreeffectively.Ontheotherhand, it is alsobeneficial to increase theamountof timespoken incrementallyeachdayorsotobuildenduranceandskillinspeakingthelanguage.Whilethisstrategymaybeonlyfortheoutgoingandthelesstimidamongus,itis still averyusefuloneat that.Speaking to strangerscanbeoneof themoreexcitingandnovelmeansof learninganew language.Conversely though, thiscan also be a greatmethod for thosewho are shy aswell. The greatest thingabout speakingwith strangers is that strangers have no ideawho you are andmost of them will never see you twice. This is great for people with socialanxiety surrounding speaking a foreign language because it takes so muchpressureoff the speaker.Asanaddedbonus, this is agreatway topotentiallymake new friends as people are often very charmed by seeing a non-nativespeakertryingtotacklesuchacomplexandnuancedlanguage.Oneaspectof learninganewlanguageis the inevitableaccentdisparity that isboundtocomeupinspeaking.Thisisnotsomethingwhichshouldbeaconcernby the student though. It is nearly impossible tomaster an accent typical of aforeign tongue. Most can’t even master their own regional accent and havepracticallynoreasonfordoingso.Whileitisnaturaltobeself-consciousofhow

onesoundstoothers,especiallywhenspeakingasecondorthirdlanguage,itisnotalwaysrationaltoplacetoomuchemphasisonthis.Mostpeoplewilleithernotnoticeaforeignaccent,ornotpaymuchattentiontoit.Whatisalwaysmoreimportant is that the content is understandable and relatively clear.Other thanthat,itbecomesimportantnottoterrorizeoneselfintosilence.Circumlocutionisagreatskilltouseinlearninganewlanguage.Thisisalsoaskill thatwouldbebeneficial touse inone’snative languageaswell. It isnotalways practical to search for direct translations of every single word whenlearningthevocabularyofanewlanguage.Itcanbesomewhattedious.Ifwordsare navigated towards the use of context and comparison then not only cancommunicationbemadeeasier,butnewpathwayscanbeformedbytheuseoftheconnectionsmade.Itislikethinkinginofitself,itisbettertoknowhowtothink than to know what to think. Navigating through content towards theappropriatewords inagivensituationcanhelp the learner todevelopskills inlanguagelearninginthefuture.Thehardestpartofspeakingtosomeoneinasecondorthirdlanguageisalwaysthe beginning. This is the case in learning any language period. But it isimportant toremember that thissmallapprenticeshipdoesnot lastforever,andthat once something close to fluency is established, it will be retained in themindwithlesseffortthanittooktoabsorb.Themostimportantthinghereis,asalways, persistence.While learningwith anothermay initially be intimidatinganddifficult,itistheofferofadelayedrewardwhichshouldkeepthelearnerinthegame.Itisnothardatall togiveuphereandsometimesextremelyhardtosticktostudying,sopersistence,again,remainsofparamountimportance.

Chapter5:HowtobeatthemostdifficultpartoflearningtheGermanlanguageThebeginningstagesIt is possible and feasible to learn the German language quickly. The mostdifficultparts,however,are thebeginningstages.Once thesestageshavebeencompleted,thelearningcurveincreasesdramatically,butfirst it isnecessarytocrossthefirstfewhumpsinlearningGerman.Thesecanbebesetoneverysidebypitfalls andmistakes justwaiting to bemade by the new language learner,whichiswhyitisimportanttoremaincognizantofallfacetsofthelanguageathand,andtoconsiderpracticingwithothersforadditionaleditingandadvice.Regardless of your reasons for learning German, whether you have German-speakingfriendsorrelatives,orhavebeendrawninbythefamouslystrangeandintimidatingly longwordsof the language, it still remainspossible to learn thelanguageatyourownpaceandonyourowntime.The freedom to learn this language on your own time, however, comes withresponsibility. It still remains important to study persistently in these initialstages,erringonthesideofbrevity,butalsoremainingthoroughinyourstudyofthe language.Theutilityof speaking the languagewith friends, acquaintances,andstrangers,aswellasonewebsitehaveallbeenmentionedbefore.Thereare,however,othermeansof learningthe languagewhichareequallypracticalandaccessibleinwhichshouldbementionedhere:Audiocourses,CDprograms,andonlineradioInternet-basedgames,andgrammarbooksTabletandsmartphoneappsGermanlanguagemoviesandTVshowsGermanlanguagebooks,magazines,andnewspapersImmersionandgettinginvolvedwiththecultureAgain,HelloTalkandotherappsandwebsiteslikeitarealsogreatresourcesinlearning the language.Here you can connectwith nativeGerman speakers, aswell as other language learners, 24/7 for free. This may prove to be morebeneficial thananyoftheresourcesmentionedaboveduetotheopportunityto

connectwithothersthroughthelanguage.OneaspectoftheGermanlanguagethatisverybeneficialtothenativeEnglishspeakerwishing to learnGerman is that theGerman language is very closelyrelatedtoEnglish.Thiscanprovetobeverymuchaheadstartintheacquisitionof the new language. This is also especially important in the initial stages oflearning the German language. If vocabulary and grammar of the Germanlanguagearestudiedforvirtuallyanyperiodoftime,anygivenEnglishspeakerwillbeabletodrawparallelsbetweenthetwolanguageswithease.Thismakesconnection forming and inference patterns much easier for the learner todevelop.Somenative speaker of a language fromadifferent family—anativeJapanesespeakerforinstance—wouldhaveamuchmoredifficulttimelearningGermanoranyotherGermaniclanguagethananativeEnglishspeakerwould.Oneof themostdifficult things for any speaker learningGerman,however, isGermanicgrammar.ThemainthingthatdifferentiatesGermanicgrammarfromthegrammaroflotsofotherlanguagesisthefactthatitseldomchangesalargechunk.Ifnotall,mostofthegrammaticalstructurewhichbelongstotheGermanlanguage dates back to the fully inflectedmodes of the language’s ancestry.ThisgrammarisverysimilartothatofLatin,Greek,andoldRussian.Oneaspectof thisgrammar that is incrediblydissimilar toEnglishgrammar issentence structure. Sentences inGerman are structured in completely differentwaysthantheyareinEnglish.Thismakesparallelorwordbywordtranslationsoffullsentenceseitherill-advised,orsimplyimpossible,whichisjustoneoftheinnumerable reasons why the power of inference is so important in learningGermanoranyotherlanguage,forthatmatter.Oneexampleofthesedifferencescould be: ‘someonehelpme’would turn into ‘Jemandhilfmir’,whichwouldliterallyturninto‘someonemehelp’inEnglish.Asyoucan see, thegrammatical sideof theGerman language is probably themost difficult aspect of the language from a nativeEnglish speakers’ point ofview.However,aswithallotherfacetsoflearningthislanguage,oncetheropeshave been shown to the learner it becomes much easier to navigate throughspeakingthelanguage.Itwouldnowproveusefultoincludeafewimportantfirststepsinlearningthislanguage.Theseareasfollows:

MasterthealphabetThe best first step that a student can make in learning a foreign language ispouring over the language’s alphabet and finding the similarities anddissimilaritiesbetweenthatlanguageandthestudent’snativelanguage.Itistheletterswith umlauts (two dots over them)which should have special attentiondrawntothem.Thesechangethepronunciationoftheletters,andthereforehowtheentiretyof thewordsounds.Anotherquirk inGermanpronunciation,as inEnglishpronunciation,isthedrawingtogetheroftwoletterstoproducesoundsmuchdifferentfromthesumsoftheirparts.ThesearealsothingstowatchoutforintheinitialstagesoflearningGerman.LearneasywordsfirstOnce the alphabet ismastered, it finally becomes possible tomove on to themoreentertainingperiodoflearningactualwords.Thesefirstandeasiestwordsarewhatareknownas‘framework’wordsbyeducatorsbecausetheirpurposeistoprovideaframeworkforfuturevocabulary.Itistypicaltostartwithbasicwordsandexpressionsyouwouldliketosayandconsiderlearningthemonline,asitistheeasiestwaytodosotypically.Youcanthenusewhateverapplicationorwebsiteyouhavechosentocontinue learningyourbasics.Thegreateststartersaretypicallygreetings,suchasyes,no,please,thankyou,sorry,andexcuseme.One website particularly useful in learning the basics is FluentU. This is awebsite that takes real life videos, such as movie trailers, music videos,inspirationaltalks,andnews,andturnsallofthecontentintoGermanlanguagelearninglessons.ThisserviceisnotlimitedsimplytoGermanthough.Ittakesonalloftheworldlanguagesthatmostlanguagelearningapplicationsusuallydo.Studynouns,adjectives,andverbsOncesomebasicshavebeenpickedup,itbecomesveryimportanttosupplementyournewknowledgewithstudyofbasicnouns,adjectives,andverbs.Thesearethe building blocks of languagewhich everything else is founded upon.Oncethere has been a framework of some fundamental words and expressionsestablished,therecanbemoreandmorebuiltuponit.Thewordsbestsuitedfordaytodayusearebesttolearnthroughoutthisperiod.Someexamplesarelisted

below:Woche,week;Jahr,year;Huete,today;Morgen,tomorrow;Gestern,yesterday;Kalender, calendar; Sekunde, second; Stunde, hour; Minute, minute; Uhr,o’clock; uhr, clock; Können, can; Benutzen, use; Machen, do; Gehen, go;Kommen, come; lachen, laugh;Machen, make; Sehen, see;Weit, far; Klein,small;Gut,good;Schön,beautiful;Hässlich,ugly;Schwierig,difficult.CometounderstandtheconstructionofsentencesThe next step in the learning of the language is developing skills in regard tosentence structure. It is beneficial to the learner thatmostwill understand theinformation construed with or without proper sentence structure, but thisneverthelessremainsoneofthemostimportantaspectsoflearninganylanguage.ComparedtoEnglish,Germanhasmoreoptionsandintricaciesinthestructuringofsentences,someofwhichwillnotbelistedhere:The sentence ‘I amgiving the cat amouse’would, for instance, translate into‘IchgebedieMauzezurKatze’inGerman.Katzewouldbeinthedativemodehere,whileMauzewouldbeintheaccusative.Itissometimeseasytostruggleinrememberingwhichprepositionsareinthedativeoraccusativemodes,butthereisalsosomegoodnewsforthosewhohavedifficultywiththis:atcertaintimes,suchas thisone, it is possible toomit theprepositionof a sentencealtogetherandstillretaintheabilitytoclearlyexpresstheintentionofthesentencebyuseofitswordorderandpropernouncases.Without the preposition of zur (zu+der), the sentence could be written asfollows:IchgebederKatzedieMaus.(Mausisaccusative,Katzeisdative.)Orwithapronoun:IchgebeihrdieMaus.(Mausisaccusative,Ihrisdative.)IchgebesiederKatze.(Katzeisdative,Sieisaccusative.)Thefollowingruleswouldbeadvantageoustokeepinmindwhenpositioningadativeandaccusativeobjectwithinasentence:Dativeobjectsforeverandalwayscomebeforeaccusativeobjects.Iftheaccusativeobjectisapronoun,however,itwillalwaysbeplacedbefore

anydativeobjects.

It is always essential to apply these rules with the correct grammatical caseendings.Itwilloftenhelpinavoidingmisconstruedsentences,suchasIchgebeder Maus die Katze.Unless, of course, you really did mean to say that youwantedtogivethecattothemouse.Afewmoreexampleswouldbe:GibdemHasendieKarotte.(Givethebunnythecarrot.)GibihrdieKarotte.(Giveherthecarrot.)Gibesihr.(Giveittoher.)StartingtolearnsimpleGermanphrasesOncewordorder,alongwithsentencestructure,hasbeenlearnedthenextstepintheprocessoflearningGermanwouldbetostartlearningbasicphrases.Justaswas donewith simplewords, it is useful to startwith phrases that the learnerwoulduseonadaytodaybasis.WatchGermanlanguagemoviesThis one is not only useful, but it is also fun. Once a basic understanding ofGermanhasbeenestablished,onethingtodowithmoviesthatyouhavealreadyseenwouldbetowatchGermandubbedversionsofthem.And,ofcourse,youcouldalsowatchnewGerman languagemovies. It couldbehelpful to turnonEnglish subtitles while doing this though, as it may prove difficult to followalongwiththespeechofthefilms.AsyouincreaseandexpandonyourGermanspeakingskillsmoviewatchingcanbecomeeasierandeasierwiththepassageoftime.As your comprehension level improves, you could even consider watchingGermanlanguagemovieswiththeiroriginalGermansubtitles.Thiswouldbeavery interactive method to use as it would almost be like seeing Germanspeaking reality unfoldwithGerman subtitles included.A great technique forlanguageimmersion.SomeofthegreatestmoviesGermanyhastoofferforthesepurposes are Sonnenallee, Die Legende von Paul und Paula, Der BaaderMeinhofKomplex,DieFetteJahrensindVorbei,andJoschkaundHerrFischer.ReadingGermanlanguagenewsThisonewillnotonlyfamiliarizeyouwiththelanguageofGermany,butalsoits

happeningsandculture.This isaparticularlygreatmethodforusebystudentswholikepoliticsorknowingaboutworldhappenings.Inaddition,itisalsogreatforpickingupvocabulary,asnewwordscanalwaysbehighlightedandlookedupwhenevertheycomeup.ConnectingwithGermanlanguagespeakersThisoneisanotherextremelyimportantonethathasalreadybeentouchedoninsomedetail. Inaddition to thewebsitespreviously listed thatofferservicesfordoing this,Meetup.com andCraigslist.org are also easy places tomeet nativeGermanspeakersorevenotherGermanlearners.Thesewebsiteshaveactiveanddiligent learners who can be of great help to practice your German speakingskills with. Making connections with these people can also become a greatsourceofaccountabilityandmotivation.Similarsitesarenumerousandcanalsobeusedtomeetotherlearners.Oneofthegreatestthingsaboutthesewebsitesisthatyouneverknowwhoyouwillmakeaconnectionwith.Modernityofferslotsofotherunusualresourcesinlanguagelearninginadditiontothemoretraditionalmethodslistedabove.Itcanbehelpfulinlearninganewlanguage toweigh asmany options as possible because it is never quite clearwhat route isgoing to lead to themost rewardingmeansofeducatingoneself.Someofthesenewermethodsofforeignlanguagelearningarelistedbelow:ListeningtopodcastsinGermanThere are some podcasts out there with the specific purpose of learning theGerman language. These are especially useful because unlike other languagelearningresourcesthesecanbeusedanywhereandatanytime.Oneotheraspectof this means of learning German to be noted is their entertainment value.Podcastsarealwaysamoreimmersiveandfunexperiencethanreadinglanguagelearning books. They can also help with pronunciation, as the learner getsGermanaudio,ratherthanjusttext.Thereare,ofcourse,manyotherwaystointroduceoneselftoGermanlanguagelearning,buttheoneslistedaboveshouldprovideadecentstartingpointforanystudentlookingtogethisorherfeetwet.

Chapter 6: Learning German in a moreformalclassroomenvironmentThe German language is one language that increasingly taught at schools allacross theworld.Most instructional courses onGerman arewithin public andprivateschoolsandareintendedforschoolagedchildrenandadolescents.Thereare, however,manyGerman courses intended for the adult looking for furtherstudyofthelanguage.Inaddition,therearemanyindependenttutorsavailableinmostcitieswhereGermanisatallspoken.Most of these independent courses have enrollment rates ranging from $150-$300 depending onwhat city they take place in. The hours perweek that theclasses require are not very extensive or demanding, ranging from 1-10. Theoveralldurationofthesecoursesis,also,notveryextensive,rangingfrom1-50weeksusually.Thecoursesareusuallyforparticipantsaged18andup,soit isnot typical that the average student will get very many lazy or otherwisebothersomeclassmates.TheincreasedopportunitytolearnamongpeersanddevelopskillswiththehelpofothersisprobablythebestthingthatlearningGermaninaclassroomsettinghas tooffer.Teachersof theseclassesusuallyassignprojects tocompletewithotherstudentsingroups.Thereisopportunitytolearnwithyourpeersaswellasindependently in most classes offered, which gives this method of learning ahugeadvantageoverotherswhichonlyoffer independentorgroup study. It islikelearninganewlanguageitself,sometimesthelearnerisworkingwithothersondevelopingskills,andmostof the timeheorsheisworkingindependently.The only difference in a classroom setting is that the subject matter is beingworked through by a professional instructor, which alleviates so much of thepressurethatanygivenlearnerhastolivewith.Theseclasses,whentailoredtowardsadults,aresomewhatlikecollegecourses.Theworkloadistypicallysomewhatrobust,thoughseldomveryoverwhelming,it isnotaveryintimategroupofclassmates, thoughtypicallyafunctionalone,anditisusuallybereftofthegossipandthebadstudentrytypicalofmiddleandhigh schools. It provides a more thorough educational experience mainlybecauseofthefactthatstudentsaresomewhatobligatedtostudythematerialat

hand and aremoremotivated to do so due to their spending of entrance fees.These classes are also beneficial in that students are quizzed and tested here,occurrences that most students would probably not undertake throughoutindependentstudy.Another importantelementof theclassroom learningofGerman is theeaseofthe time allotments. Each student agrees tomeet atwhatever scheduled timesthere are throughout the week, which makes setting the time aside so mucheasier. This is also helpful because of the necessity of meeting the schedule.Thereisaddedpressureinstickingtoaschedulethatyouaswellasothershaveagreed upon. You are, in a way, made responsible for the successes or thefailuresofyourclassmateswhenyouenteroneof theseclasses.Onestudent’sabsenceorpoorperformancetrulycanjeopardizetheperformanceofthewhole.Foreign language classes are especially beneficial for those who have a hardtimekeepingandmaintainingschedulesforthisreason.AnotherthingpreferableaboutclassroomGermanlearningisthemotivationaninstructorcaninstillinastudent.Itbecomessomucheasiertolearneffectivelywhenthereisaprofessionalbehindyouateverystepof theprocess.Itgivesalearner so much assurance to know that they are relatively safe from anymisinformationorbadadvice.At thesame time, it increasesaccountability forthe learner. He or she becomes responsible for exam scores and homeworkcompletion,whichinawayenumeratesthecomprehensiveinputthatthelearnerisexposedto.ManyGermancoursesindependentofformaleducationalinstitutionstendtobeverystudentorientedwithgreatstudenttoinstructorratios.Thesmallclasssizestendtomakelearningmucheasierandmoreenjoyablefortheaveragestudent.Itis not uncommon for the instructors of these classes to be able to give all thestudentsoneononeattentioneverydayofstudy.

Conclusion

Congratulations on making it to the end of Learning German. Let ushopeyouhavefound thisbook tobeboth informativeandhelpful.Letusalsohope that all the objectives mentioned in the introduction have met yourstandards.Nowthatyouhavefinishedthisbook,itwouldbeusefultoapplytheskills learned here to any other further practice of the language in the future.Thereare,ashasbeenmentionedbefore,manyotherlearningresourcesoutthereonthissubjectavailablefordownloadorphysicalpurchase.

Thenextstep inyoureducationwouldbe toutilize theseresourcesand

findwhichonesworkanddon’tworkforyou.Thenamesofmultiplewebsitesandapps,mostofthemfree,havebeenmentionedwithinthisbookandtherearealsomanypapermaterialsonthemarketsusefulinlearningGerman.

Itisanotablefactthatcomplextaskshaveamuchhighercompletionrate

whencompartmentalizedintomoredigestiblepartsthanwhentheyareleftasthebighydrasthattheystartoutas.ThisisusefultoknowinlearningGerman,andwiththisinformationthecontentsofthisbookcanbemademoreaccessibleandservegreaterutilitytothereader.

Once the initial stages of learning the German language listed in this

bookhavebeensurpassed,itatoncebecomesmucheasiertocontinuelearning.Learningatthisstagealsobecomesmoreeffectiveandvocabularyandgrammarskillsworkontopofoneanothertomakefluencyareality,eventuallyandwithpractice.As in the case of developing any other skill, the learning ofGermantakes, above all, practice andpersistence. It is ultimately thosewho stickwiththestudythelongestandthehardestwhogetthebestresultsintheend.

GermanPhrases

ACompleteGuidewithTheMostUsefulGermanLanguagePhrasesWhile

Traveling

TableofContents

IntroductionChapter1:VisitingGermanyChapter2:AWordAboutPronunciation

ShortversuslongvowelsVowelsoundsDiphthongsConsonants

Chapter3:Nouns,CasesandGender—Oh,my!CasesGenderArticlesPronounsPossessivePronounsNounsCommonNounsAdjectivesCommonAdjectives

Chapter4:VerbsWeakVerbsStrongverbsPastTensePresentPerfectPastPerfect

Chapter5:WordOrderChapter6:FundamentalVocabulary

DaysoftheWeekMonthsTime

Chapter7:BasicPhrasesGettingtoKnowYou…SmallTalkShoppingGettingAroundLodging&Hotels

EatingOutEmergenciesHolidayGreetings

Chapter8:PuttingitAllTogetherChapter9:ContinuingtoLearn

©Copyright2018byDaveSmith-Allrightsreserved.The following eBook is reproduced below with the goal of providinginformation that is asaccurateand reliableaspossible.Regardless,purchasingthis eBook can be seen as consent to the fact that both the publisher and theauthorofthisbookareinnowayexpertsonthetopicsdiscussedwithinandthatanyrecommendationsorsuggestionsthataremadehereinareforentertainmentpurposesonly.Professionalsshouldbeconsultedasneededpriortoundertakinganyoftheactionendorsedherein.ThisdeclarationisdeemedfairandvalidbyboththeAmericanBarAssociationandtheCommitteeofPublishersAssociationandis legallybindingthroughouttheUnitedStates.Furthermore, the transmission, duplication or reproduction of any of thefollowingwork includingspecific informationwillbeconsideredan illegalactirrespectiveof if it isdoneelectronicallyor inprint.Thisextendstocreatingasecondaryor tertiarycopyof theworkora recordedcopyand isonlyallowedwith an expressed written consent from the Publisher. All additional rightsreserved.Theinformationinthefollowingpagesisbroadlyconsideredtobetruthfulandaccurate account of facts, and as such any inattention, use or misuse of theinformation in question by the reader will render any resulting actions solelyundertheirpurview.Therearenoscenariosinwhichthepublisherortheoriginalauthor of this work can be in any fashion deemed liable for any hardship ordamagesthatmaybefallthemafterundertakinginformationdescribedherein.Additionally, the information in the following pages is intended only forinformationalpurposesandshouldthusbethoughtofasuniversal.Asbefittingits nature, it is presentedwithout assurance regarding its prolongedvalidityorinterimquality.Trademarksthatarementionedaredonewithoutwrittenconsentandcaninnowaybeconsideredanendorsementfromthetrademarkholder.

Introduction

Askmostpeoplewhattheywoulddoifmoneywasnoobject,andalmosteverytime,travelwillappearinthelist.Mostofusseemtohaveahard-wireddesiretovisittheplaceswe’vereadordreamedaboutthroughoutourlives.Visiting other countries is great for expanding horizons,meeting new people,tryingnewfoods,andpromotingculturalunderstanding.Onewayofgettingthemost out of your travel experience is by developing rapport—even to a smallextent—with the locals.Youwillbeamazedathowmuch friendlierandmorehelpful people are, when youmake an attempt to communicate with them intheirownlanguage,ratherthanexpectingthemtoautomaticallyknowyours.English is one of the most widely-studied languages in the world, but thatdoesn’t mean the shopkeepers will be particularly comfortable speaking it. Ifyou’re willing to make incompetent and probably amusing attempts to speakGerman,itwillmostlikelyeasetheiranxietyaboutattemptingtospeakEnglishtoyou.EventhoughmanyofthemtalktoEnglishspeakerseveryday,it’sonlynaturaltofeelasenseofdisadvantagewhenspeakingalanguagethatyou’renotfluentin.Youwillfindthatbymakingyourselfvulnerablefirst,theywillmorelikelygotheextramiletohelpyou.Whileit’sunlikelyyou’llbeabletolearnthewholelanguagebeforeyougo,youcan learn somekeyphrases that you should be able to utilize to impress yourtraveling companions as well as the people you meet—who will hopefullybecomefriends.Aswellas thebasicphrases, thisbookalsooffers somebasicgrammartohelpyouunderstandhowthephrasesareputtogether.Itwillteachyoupronouns,basicverbconjugation,case,gender,tense,andthefundamentalsof sentence structure, such as when word order is reversed, when verbs aremovedtotheend,etc.Onceyouhaveafeelforthebasics,youcanbeginaddingthevocabulary.Onceyouhavesomevocabulary,itwillbeeasierforyoutostartrecognizingwordsandphrasesintheconversationsgoingonaroundyou;atthatpoint,yourabilitytolearnthelanguagewillbegintogrowexponentially.Eachphraseisaccompaniedbyapronunciationguidethatshouldhelpyouwrapyour tongue around the words. Keep in mind that very few sounds translateexactlyfromonelanguagetoanother.Youwillnot,atfirst,beabletopronounce

Germanwordslikeanativespeakerwould,andofcourse,thiswillbeawkwardfor you and probably amusing for your hosts and new friends. This is onlynatural and something every language learner goes through. But if you listencarefullytonativespeakersandaskfortheirhelp,youcandeveloptheabilitytoapproximatethesoundsofGermantoalargedegree.

Chapter1:VisitingGermany(andOtherGerman-SpeakingCountries)

Germany,AustriaandSwitzerlandarebeautifulplacesandlotsoffunto

visit. No matter what time of year you go, there are many fascinatingpossibilitiesforentertainmentandsightseeing.Checkoutthemanyresourcesonthewebfor listsof themanyplacesyou’llwant tovisit.Andyour tripwillbegreatlyenhancedifyoucanmakesomefriendswhileyou’rethere.Whetheryou’reheading toGermany for agorgeous river cruiseon theRhine,planning on a rousing Oktoberfest party, skiing in the Alps or attending theFrankfurtBookFair,youcanenhanceyour tripdrastically ifyoufindways toimmerseyourselfintheculture,includingthelanguage.It isn’t necessary tobecome fluent inGermanbeforepackingyourbags.As amatter of fact, every German student studies English, and even if they aren’tcomfortablepracticingitinfrontofanativespeaker,manyofthemwillbeabletocommunicatewithyouonsomelevel,especiallyifyoushowthemthatyou’rewillingtomakeaneffort.Evenifyou’renotfluent(orparticularlyconversant),itgoesalongwayifyoumakeanattempttotalktopeopleintheirownlanguage.Attheveryleast,theywill feel less ridiculous speaking inhaltingEnglish if you’re reciprocating,byputtingyournewabilityinGermanondisplay.Beingabletolaughatyourownmistakeswillmakethemfeelbetterabouttheirs,andtheyaremorelikelytogothe extra step to try to help you. It also shows respect for their culture anddemonstratesyourwillingnesstomakeanefforttoconnectwiththem.IfyoucanusesomebasicGerman,thereis lessofachanceofbeingcheatedbydeceitfultouristtraps!While it’s not possible to learn any language in a few days, it will certainlyspeed up your efforts if you understand some of the basics of the Germanlanguage,especiallyinthewaysitdiffersfromEnglish.Youcanlearnphrasesand practice them with the people you meet, but without understanding themechanicsofthelanguage,youwon’tretainthemwellorbeabletousethemtomakeothersentencesandgrowyour languageskills.Thisbookwill teachyouthebasic thingsyouneed toknow tobeginbuilding sentences.Youwill learn

nouncases,pronouns,articlesandadjectives,verbconjugation,andtenses.Onceyou have a basic knowledge of the language, you can begin to plug invocabularyandfinetuneyoursentence-buildingskills.Ifyouhappentobespendingtimeinacountrywhereyoucanimmerseyourselfin German, you can become conversant to at least a moderate degree in asurprisingly short time.Listenasmuchasyoucan, askquestions about thingsthatyoudon’tunderstand,andreadeverything—frombillboardstoreceipts.It’samazinghow fastyouwillbegin to recognizewords,phrases,grammarpointsandsentencestructure.Andyouwillfindthatthenatives,oncetheyknowyouaredeterminedtolearn,willtakeagreatamountofpleasureincoachingyou!Following isa shortprimeronGermanpronunciationand the fundamentalsofGerman grammar, so that you can begin to get a feel for how the languageworks.

Chapter2:AWordAboutPronunciation

Forthemostpart,thereareonlyafewrulesyouwillneedtolearntobeabletoworkoutthepronunciationofGermanwordstoamoderatelyacceptablelevel.

ShortversusLongVowelsInEnglishwehave the concept of “short” and “long” vowels, but that

descriptionhasvery little todowith theway the letter isactuallypronounced.Haveyoueverwonderedwhythe“E”in“bed”iscalled“short,”whiletheein“heel” iscalled“long”?Thosewordshavevery little todowithdescribingthesoundsofthevowels.Not so inmost other languages.While the rules forwhen a vowel is long orshortaresimilar(mostlytodowithfollowingothervowels),thepronunciationismuchmorelogicalthaninEnglish.Short“A”forexample,ispronounced“ah.”Long“A”ispronounced“aah.”Simple,right?Itisactuallyquiteintuitive,onceyouunderstandthebasics.Ofcoursethereareexceptions. InGerman, thesameas inEnglish, therearewords thathavebeenborrowedfromotherlanguages,sothepronunciationdoesnotnecessarilymatchthespellingconventionsofthelanguage.Thatisunfortunatelyunavoidable,andsomethingyouwillhavetodealwithnomatterwhichlanguageyoustudy.Takeheart,though,knowingthatEnglishisprobablythehardestlanguagetolearninthatrespect,andyou’vealreadymasteredthatone!HerearethebasicsoundsoftheGermanlanguage:

Vowelsoundsa–pronounced“ah”inalmosteveryinstanceä–pronouncedĕ,or“eh”e–pronounced“ay”whenlong,ĕorǝwhenshort.Aneattheendofawordisalmostalwaysvoiced,usuallybyǝ,asimple,unstressedshortĕsound.i–pronouncedĭ,like“pit,”whenshort,“ee”whenlongo–pronounced“oh”ö – there is not anEnglish equivalent; it’s closest to the “I” in “girl” but youmakeyourlipsmoreroundedu–pronounced“oo”ű–“oo”butmoreexaggerated.Toapproximateit,say“ee”andthenpushyourlipsforward.y – not usually a vowel, except in certain foreignwords. In thosewords (like“typisch”)it’spronouncedlike“oo”butwithveryroundedlips.

Diphthongs

(twoletterscombinedtomakea“single”sound)au–pronounced“ow”äu–pronounced“oy”eu–alsopronounced“oy”ei–pronouncedlike“eye”ie–pronounced“ee”

Consonants(MostarethesameasinEnglish,withthefollowingexceptions)b–Attheclosingoffofawordorinfrontofasilentconsonantitisvoiceless(liketheEnglish“P”).c–“C”isveryrarelyfoundbyitselfinGerman,andmostofthetimeitis,orisfoundat thebeginningofaword, ithasbeenimportedfromanother language.Whileinthosewordsit’sgenerallypronouncedasitisintheforeignwords,incertain cases it’spronounced like thebeginning soundof “tsar,” inothers like“chain.”Thereisn’tanactualrulehere.Youjusthavetoknowthewords.d–Attheclosingoffofawordorinfrontofasilentconsonantitisvoiceless(liketheEnglish“T”).g–It’shard,like“gold,”exceptattheclosingoffofawordorinfrontofasilentconsonant,whenitisvoiceless(liketheEnglish“K”).qu–Pronounced“kv”s – At the beginning of a word it’s pronounced “v” unless it’s paired with avoicelessconsonant.Wheneverit’swithavoicelessconsonantitispronounced“sh.”v–Alwaysvoiceless,liketheEnglish“F”w–Pronounced“v”z–Pronounced“ts”β – This substitutes for “ss” after a long vowel or a diphthong (except inSwitzerland,wheretheywriteoutthe“ss”).Itdoesn’taffectthepronunciation;it’sjustawritingconvention.ch –This is an odd one. It is roughly pronounced “sh,” butwhen you say it,bring your tongue slightly upward and forward and pull your lips back a bit,keeping themslightly rounded. It soundsabit likeacathissing,but the“s” issofter.Ittakesabitofpracticetogetthissoundright,butdon’tworrytoomuchabout it—it’spronounceddifferently indifferentpartsof theGerman-speakingworld,anddifferentlyagaininotherGermaniclanguageslikeDutch,whereitisconsiderablyharder.Forpronunciation,wewilluse“kh”tosignifythissound.

Chapter 3: Nouns, Cases and Gender—Oh,my!

CasesThis is a good time to discuss this case. In English we aren’t used to

talkingaboutnouncases,becauseourcasesaresimplifiedtothepointtheyarejusttaughtasavariationofthewordwithoutmuchexplanation.Forexample,asachildyouaretaughttosay“Isawhim”insteadof“Isawhe”or“mesawhim.”Thisissimplythewayitis.Wedon’tusuallybothertoclarifythat“I”and“me”aredifferentcases,althoughwedolearn(andgenerallyforgetsoonafterwards)thattheclosestwordtobeingthedirectobjectofthesentenceis“me”,andsoitdiffersfromitssubject.Itdoesn’toccurtomostofustowonderwhypronounschangewhentheyactasdirectobjectsbutothernounsdonot.We’realsotaughtthatpossessivesrequirespecialtreatment,andthatalsobecomesjustthewayitis.Butwhenwelearnpossessiveslike“mycar”or“myson’sbike”wearealsousingcase,althoughwetendnottothinkofitthatway.GermanhasamuchmorecomplicatedcasesystemthanEnglishdoes,andmoststudentsfindthisveryintimidating.Rightlyso,becauseitisaforeignconcepttomost of us and requires somework to conquer, but take heart. It is certainlypossibletomakeyourselfunderstoodevenwhenyourmasteryofcaseendingsisnotperfect.Anditwillcomeeasierwithtime,practiceandalittledetermination.Germanhasfourcases.Forsimplicity,we’llcallthefirstonethesubjectivecasebecause it’s usually the subject of the sentence. If you go on to study thelanguageinothervenues,youwillprobablyseeitreferredtoasthenominativecase,butit’seasiertorememberwhenyourelate“subject”to“subjective.”Thisisthecaseofthepronounforms“I,”“he/she,”“we,”or“they.”Rememberthatwe’re talkingmostlyaboutpronounsbecause that iswherecaseusuallyshowsupinEnglish.Mostnounsarenodifferentinthepositionofsubjectthandirectobject:“Thecatisonthebed”versus“Haveyouseenthecat?”Thenextcaseistheobjectivecase,becauseit’susuallythedirectobject.Again,youwillalsoseethatthisiscalledtheaccusativecase,butwewillstickwiththemore descriptive title. This is the case you’re using when you say “me,”“him/her,” “them,” or “us.” (Many people have confusions with “who” and“whom”becauseofthetraditionalinsistencethattheobjectivecaseof“who”tobeused,eventhoughitisadyingdistinctioninEnglish.)Thethirdcaseiscalledthedative,andwedon’treallyuseitinEnglish.Thisisgenerally usedwith (or in place of) prepositions. (Thinkof it as “goingONa

date,”anditmayhelp.)Prepositions in German are confusing at best. Of course when you use apreposition it is followed by a noun (“under the table,” “around the corner,”“throughthedoor”).ThesenounsinGermanneedtotakeeithertheobjectiveorthedativecase,dependingon thepreposition they’rebeingusedwith, and theonly way to remember which is which—is tomemorize them. Unfortunately,there’snootherlogictoitthanthat.Hereisalistofcommonprepositionsthattaketheobjectivecase:

withoutohne

ō'-nǝ

against,toward

gegen

gā'-gen

along

entlang

ĕnt-lŏng

until

bis

bĭs

around

um

um

for

fűr

fyur

through,across

durch

doorsh

Hereisalistofcommonprepositionsthattakethedativecase:from

aus

ous

exceptfor

ausser

ous'-er

by,at

bei

bī

of,from

von

fŏn

for,since

seit

zīt

after

nach

nokh

with

mit

mĭt

to

zu

tzoo

opposite

gegenűber

gā-gen-oo-ber

under

unter

un'-ter

Thefourthcaseistheeasiesttoremember:thepossessivecase.Wejustthinkofitasexpressingpossession,butitisanactualcase,eveninEnglish,markedbytheapostrophepluss,ortheuseof“my,”“your,”“his/her,”“their,”and“our.”Ifyou’re wondering how a noun would be possessive without a possessivepronoun, think of it as “of the ___.” So, just as in English “theman’s wife”couldalsobeexpressedas“thewifeoftheman,”inGermanyoucouldsay“derMannsFrau”or“dieFraudesMannes.”

GenderThereisonemorecomplicatingfactorthataffectsthecases.Thatisthe

presence ofmale, female and “neuter” nouns.Thismay seem like an obviousand unimportant detail, but keep in mind that all articles, pronouns andadjectivesmustmatchthenoun’sgenderandcase.InEnglishweonlythinkofgenderwhenitisobvious,andweonlymarkitforpeople.Whilethegenderofmanynounsiswhatyou’dexpect,thatisnotalwaysthecase,andyoudefinitelycan’tcountonit. InGermanit isperfectlyacceptabletospeakofagirlas“it”sincetheGermanwordforgirl(dasMädchen)isneuter,butgenerallyyouwouldonlydo that ifyou’ve justused thewordMädchen.Don’t stressout toomuchabout that, though. It’s also perfectly acceptable (andwill probably keep yousaferfromembarrassment,nottomentionbraindamage!)touse“she”ifyou’retalking about an actual girl, “he” if you’re talking about amasculine cat, and“she”ifyou’rereferringtoafemaledog.The subjective case is not too difficult to deal with in terms of noun gender.Granted, you will find yourself confused and wracking your brain trying torememberifyou’veheard“der,”“das”or“die”usedwiththewordbefore,butatleast there are only three choices there.Although,when it comes to the othercases, the prospect becomesmuchmore daunting. Learning how to select thedative and possessive versions of an article or pronoun is the bane of manyGerman language learners’ existence and much too complicated to expectyourselftoconquerinalessonortwo.Thebestthingyoucandotohelpyourselfwiththis,istokeepinmindthatwhenyoulearnaGermanverb,memorizethearticlewithitsothattheyarelinkedinyourmind. Ifyourepeat“derHund”(thedog) rather thansimply“Hund,” it’smuchmorelikelytocometomindlaterwhenyouneedit.Thenit’llsimplybeamatteroffiguringoutwhichcaseyou’reusingandwhattheendingwillbe.Themost effective technique is to get a good handle on the article and pronounendings, take a guess at the gender if it isn’t obvious, and hope for the best.Don’tspenda lotof timedoingmentalgymnastics trying tofitallof therightendingstoyourarticles,adjectives,andnouns—orelseyou’llnevergetthrougha conversation! Fortunately, most Germans are too polite (and will be tooimpressed with your valiant efforts) to give you much grief if your endingsaren’texactlyright.Theymaysmile,andtheywillalmostundoubtedlycorrectyou (theyareGerman, after all) but it’s almost always in a playful or helpful

way.Theyunderstandthecomplexitiesoftheirlanguageandforthemostpart,they’llbesympathetic.

ArticlesThemain thing you need to know backwards and forwards is articles.

Whilethetablelooksdaunting,it’snottoodifficulttomemorize,andlateryou’llbeusingitsomuch,thatitwillsoonbesecondnature.It’swellworthtakingalittle time togetagoodhandleon thecasedifferencesand theirarticles.Onceyouarefamiliarwiththat,itwillbemucheasiertotranslateittopronounsandthentoadjectives.

Notice that the endings of ein-words (indirect articles) aremostly identical todirectarticle(der/die/das)endings.Thisistrueforeverycase,exceptmasculine,neutersubjective,andneuterobjective.Inthosecases,thereisnoending.Thisisworthnoting,sinceitwillcomeupagain.Otherwordsthatyoumightseeinplaceofarticlesare“dies”(“this”or“that”)or“welche”(which,what,that,who).ThewordsDer,Die,andDasallsharetheirendings.Articlesareoftenoccasionallyusedaspronouns(asin“Themanthatsatinfrontofme…”). In this case “the” and “that”would both be the subjective definitearticle(“der”).It’sjustsomethingworthnotingforlater.

PronounsSo, let’s move on to German pronouns. The main pronoun cases are

showninthetablebelow.RememberthatobjectiveanddativebothcorrespondtotheEnglish“me,”“him/her,”“them,”and“us.”(Obviously,inEnglish“you”doesnotchange,singularorplural,exceptinthepossessive.Unfortunately,thisis not the case in German.) Possessives take the same suffixes as the articlesabove.Ifthisisaforeignconcepttoyou,takeoffthe“ein”fromtheindefinitearticle(“a”).Whatremainsiswhatwillneedtobeaddedtothepronoun.

Note that there are two forms of singular “you.” “Sie” is the formal or politeversion.Itisusedwhenaddressingsomeonethatyouwouldnotcallbytheirfirstname,suchasanewacquaintance,anolderperson,oranauthorityfigure.Withfamily,friends,andchildren,usetheinformal“du.”Whenindoubt,followtheleadofthepersonyouaretalkingto,orlistentohowothersaddresseachother.Thenext things toknoware theendings for thepossessivecase. If this seemsconfusing,rememberthatpossessivesarepairedwithnouns,andnounsrequiregendermarkers. In the sameway that you need to determinewhether a noun

takes “der,” “die”or “das,”youneed toknowwhat toputon the endofyourpossessivepronountoagreewiththenoun.

PossessivePronounsMasculine

Feminine

Neuter

Plural

If all of those endings look intimidating, note that they are the same as theendings for the indefinite article “ein.”Once you have thosememorized, it is

easytoapplythemtoyourpossessivepronouns.An important note: there are a few relative pronouns inGerman that are veryhandytoknow.Theyaredessen,derenanddenen.Theyallmean“whose,”asin:

“That’stheboywhosemotherworksinmyoffice.”Dessen isused formaleandneuternounsandderen isused for feminineandpluralnouns. In thisexampleyouwouldusedessen, referring to“boy,” ratherthanderenfor“mother.”Denenisusedwithpluralsinthedativecase.Rememberthatthedativecaseisusedwithmanyprepositions,suchas“with.”

“Thosearetheboyswithwhommysonplays.”Youwouldusedenenforthis,since“boys”ispluralandthe“with”callsforadativepronoun.

NounsNounsinGerman,asyoumayormaynotknow,arealwayscapitalized.

This can be helpful to a beginning student because you can see immediatelywhichwordsinthesentencearenouns,takingoutsomeoftheanalysis.Thisisavery simple rule, and once you get used to it, it shouldn’t cause you anyheadaches.PluralsinGermanareformedinseveralpossibleways:●addingan“e”(“derHund,dieHunde”)(thedog)●addingan“n”(“dieWoche,dieWochen”)(theweek)●adding“er”(“dasKind,dieKinder”)(thechild)●puttinganumlautonthevowel(“derBaum,dieBäume”)(thetree)●changingthevowelandaddingasuffix(“derZug,dieZűge”)(thetrain)Germannounsalsotakean“s”inthepossessivecase,althoughtheydonotusean apostrophe aswe do in English. There are a few other instances of nounschanging tomatch theircase,butasabeginningstudent, it’sunderstandable ifyoudon’thavethemmemorized.Thatcancomelater.Thereisnosubstituteforgoodoldmemorizationwhenitcomestolearningnoungenders,butthereareafewtipsthatwillhelp.(Ofcourse,youhavetomemorizethesetoo,butitwillmakethingseasierlater!)Der–Whenyouseewordsthathavethefollowingsuffixes,chancesaretheyaremasculine:●-ich●-us●-ant●-ast●-ismus●-us●-lingDie–Whenyouseewordsthathavethefollowingsuffixes,chancesaretheyarefeminine:●-enz/-anz●-ie●-ur●-in●-keit/-heit●-schaft

●-tät●-tion/-sion●-ung●-ei●-in●-urDas–Whenyouseewordsthathavethefollowingsuffixes,chancesaretheyareneuter:●-chen●-lein●-um

CommonNounsafternoon

derNachmittag

nokh'-mit-tak

baby

dasBaby

bā'-bē

bed

dasBett

bet

boy

derJunge

yoong-ǝ

breakfast

dasFrűhstűck

froo'-shtook

brother

derBruder

broo'-der

building

dasGebäude

ge-boy’-dǝ

business

dasGeschäft

ge-sheft’

car

dasAuto

ou'-tō

castle

dasSchloss

shlos

cellphone

dasHandy

hand-ē

chair

derStuhl

shtool

child

dasKind

kĭnt

city

dieStadt

shtat

coffee

derKaffee

kah'-fē

corner

dieEcke

eck-ǝ

daughter

dieTochter

tokh'-ter

day

derTag

tak

dinner

dasAbendessen

ah'-bend-es-en

doctor

derDoktor

doc-tor

dog

derHund

hoont

door

dieTür

toor

ear

dasOhr

ōr

eye

dasAuge

ou-gǝ

family

dieFamilie

fa-mē’-lē

father

derVater

fa'-ter

food

dasEssen

ess-en

friend

derFreund(m),dieFreundin(f)

froind,froin’-din

girl

dasMädchen

mād'-shǝn

hair dasHaar hahr

hand

dieHand

hont

head

derKopf

kōpf

hotel

dasHotel

hō-tel

hour

dieStunde

shtun-dǝ

house

dasHaus

hous

job

derBeruf

be-roof’

lady

dieDame

do’-mǝ

leg

dasBein

bīn

love

dieLiebe

lē'-bǝ

lunch

dasMittagessen

mĭt-tok'-es-en

man

derMann

mon

map

dieKarte

kar'-tǝ

minute

dieMinute

mĭn-oot’

money

dasGeld

gelt

month

derMonat

mō-not

morning

derMorgen

mor'-gen

mother

dieMutter

moot'-er

night

dieNacht

nokht

people dasVolk folk

person

diePerson

pair-zōn'

phone

dasTelefon

tele-fōn'

present

dasGeschenk

ge-shenk'

problem

dasProblem

prō-blām'

question

dieFrage

frah'-gǝ

restaurant

dasRestaurant

res-tōr-ont

road/street

dieStraße

shtrah'-sǝ

room

dasZimmer

tzĭm-mer

second

derZweite

tzvīt

sister

dieSchwester

shves’-ter

sky

derHimmel

hĭm-mel

son

derSohn

zōn

suitcase

derKoffer

kof'-ǝr

sun

dieSonne

zō'-nǝ

table

derTisch

tish

ticket

dieFahrkarte

făr'-kar-tǝ

time

dieZeit

tzīt

town

dieStadt

shtat

toy Spielzeug shpēl'-tzoig

tree

derBaum

boum

view

Aussicht

ous'-zikht

water

dasWasser

vas'-ser

way

derWeg

vek

week

dieWoche

vō'-khǝ

window

dasFenster

fen'-ster

woman

dieFrau

frou

year

dasJahr

yahr

AdjectivesInGermanasinEnglish,adjectivescomebeforethenoun.Sincethisis

thecase,asyoumightexpect—butisdreadedtohear,theyneedtohaveendingstomatchthegenderandcase.

Thebadnewshere is that youneed to take one extra thing into considerationbeforeattachingtheending.Thegoodnews is that it’sabit simpler than it sounds.Theadjectivedoesnotnecessarilyhavetohavesomethingtackedontoit.Where the noun has a “strong” ending (“einem,” “dieses,” etc.), the adjectivedoesnotneedacaseending.Onlyoneofthewordsprecedingthenounneedstocarrya“strong”ending.Soyouwould say, forexample,“Der schwerKoffer”(theheavysuitcase).Here“schwer”doesnot takean“er”ending,because it’salready present in “der.” However, you would have to say “Ein schwererKoffer,” since “ein”doesnot take an ending in themasculine subjective case.Thatleavesittotheadjectivetocarrythestrongendingandshowgender.

CommonAdjectiveswhole

ganz

gonts

large,tall

groβ

grōs

good

gut

goot

new

neu

neu

first

erst

erst

long

lang

long

German

deutsch

doitsh

small

klein

klīn

old

alt

ahlt

high

hoch

hōkh

simple

einfach

īn'-fokh

last

letzte

letzt

same,rightaway

gleich

glīkh

possible

möglich

mōg'-likh

own

eigen

ī'-gen

beautiful

schön

shōn

late

spat

shpāt

important

wichtig

vikh'-tik

young

jung

yung

PracticeLet’stryputtingsomeoftheseconceptstogether.Translatethesenounphrases,making sure you take into consideration the gender and number (singular orplural)ofthenounasyouassigntheappropriatearticleorpronountoit.mydog(nominative)mybeautifulbaby(objective)hisear(dative)thislatehour(nominative)ourmoney(possessive)thefirstmorning(dative)

acity(nominative)yourtelephone(informal,objective)myleg(dative)ourhouse(possessive)thisafternoon(nominative)theirbrother(objective)theoldbuilding(possessive)herson(dative)yourcar(formal,objective)thechildwhosedog(subjective)

Chapter4:Verbs

German verbs aremuchmore regular than English verbs. This is verygoodnewsfortheGermanstudent(finally,somethingsimple!).Weareusedtotenses,andfortunatelytherearemanysimilaritiesinthatareatoo.

Iamichbin

ikhbin

youare(informal)

dubist

doobist

youare(formalsingularandplural)

Siesind

zēsint

he/she/itis

er/sie/esist

air/zē/essist

weare

wirsind

veerzint

youare(pluralinformal)

ihrseid

eerzīt

theyare

siesind

zēsint

Ofcourse,asinEnglish,thefundamentalverb“tobe”isnotquiteregular,solet’sstartthere.

Ihaveichhabe

ikhhŏb-ǝ

youhave(informal)

duhast

doohost

youhave(formalsingularandplural)

Siehaben

zēhŏ'-ben

he/she/ithas

er/sie/eshat

air/zē/esshŏt

wehave

wirhaben

veerhŏ'-ben

youhave(pluralinformal)

ihrhabt

eerhŏbt

theyhave

siehaben

zēhŏ'-ben

The nextmost important verb, as in English, is “to have.” This is used as anauxiliary(or“helping”)verb,muchasitisinEnglish,withafewexceptions.

WeakVerbs

Icomeichkomme

ikhkōm-ǝ

youcome(informal)

dukommst

dookōmst

youcome(formalsingularandplural)

Siekommen

zēkōm-ǝn

he/she/itcomes

er/sie/eskommt

air/zē/esskōmt

wecome

wirkommen

veerkōm-ǝn

youcome(pluralinformal)

ihrkommt

eerkōmt

theycome

siekommen

zēkōm-ǝn

Thisconjugationisverycloseto“regular”or“weak”verbs.Kommen(“tocome”)isagoodexampleofaweakverb.

Asyoucansee,regularconjugationisfairlysimple.MostGermanverbsfollowthissamepattern:I:-eyou(informal):-styou(formal,singularandplural):-enhe/she/it:-twe:-enyou(plural,informal):-tthey:-enAnotherregularbutimportantverbis“togo,”gehen.Hereisitsconjugation:

Igo ichgehe ikhgā'-ǝ

yougo(informal)dugehst

doogāst

yougo(formalsingularandplural)

Siegehen

zēgā'-ǝn

he/she/itgoes

er/sie/esgeht

air/zē/essgāt

wego

wirgehen

veergā'-ǝn

yougo(pluralinformal)

ihrgeht

eergāt

theygo

siegehen

zēgā'-ǝn

Note:“Togo”isusedabitdifferentlyinGerman.InEnglishwemightsay,“IamgoingtoFrankfurt”butinGermanyouwouldsay“Iamtraveling(fahren)toFrankfurt.”

Hereisabreakdownofthetravelingverbsthatcanbeconfusing:gehen:go,move,leave,walk,godown,quitfahren:run,ride,drive,pass,movekommen:get,reach,come,arrive,go

Theseverbshaveanotheruniquetrait,whichwillbedescribedinthesectiononpasttense.Fornow,justkeeptheminmindasarelatedgroup.

Thenthereishaben(tohave),anextremelyimportantverb.

Ihaveichhabe

ikhhăb'-ǝ

youhave(informal)

duhast

doohăbt

youhave(formalsingularandplural)

Siehaben

zēhăb'-ǝn

he/she/ithas

er/sie/eshat

air/zē/esshăt

wehave

wirhaben

veerhăb'-ǝn

youhave(pluralinformal)

ihrhabt

eerhăbt

theyhave

siehaben

zēhăb'-ǝn

HereisalistofcommonGermanregularverbs:

toeatessen

ess-ǝn

togo,drive

fahren

fahr'-ǝn

tosee

sehen

zā-ǝn

towant

wollen

vōl'-ǝn

tobring

bringen

bring'-ǝn

tothink

denken

denk'-ǝn

towrite

schreiben

shrīb'-ǝn

tobuy

kaufen

kouf'-ǝn

tohelp

helfen

helf'-ǝn

tomake

machen

mokh'-en

todrink

trinken

trink'-ǝn

tobecome

werden

vair'-dǝn

StrongverbsUsually, themaindifferencebetween strong andweakverbs is that thevowelchangesduringconjugationinthesecondandthirdpersonsingular.Thereisn’tahard and fast rule about which verbs are strong, and what their vowels willchange into, but it’s a pretty decent bet that any newly formed verbs (like“surfen”)willbeweak.Soawordlike“brechen”(tobreak)willconjugateinthefollowingway:

Ichbreche,dubrichst,Siebrechen,er/sie/esbricht,wirbrechen,ihrbrecht,

siebrechenmay,tobeallowed

dűrfen

darf

toeat

essen

iβt

togive

geben

gibt

tohelp

helfen

hilft

can,tobeableto

können

kann

torun

laufen

läuft

must

műssen

muss

totake

nehmen

nimmt

tosleep

schlafen

schläft

tospeak

sprechen

spricht

tomeet

treffen

trifft

Therearetoomanystrongverbstotrytomemorize,buttherearesomethatitis

imperativetoknow:

OneofthebiggestdifferencesbetweenEnglishandGermanwhenitcomestoverbsisthepresenttense.InEnglishthereisadifferencebetween“Iamgoing”

and“Igo.”InGerman,thepresenttense(“Igo”)servesasthesimpleorprogressivepresent(“Iamgoing”),thehabitualpresent(“IgoeverySaturday”),

andalsothefuture(“Iwillgo”or“Iamgoingtogo”).

PastTenseSimplepastismostoftenformedbyaddinga-tattheendoftheword,butoftenthevowelischangedaswell.Manyofthestrongformswerebroughtoverinto

Englishsowillalreadybefamiliar.

Pasttenseweakverbsareconjugatedinthefollowingway:Isaid

ichsagte

ikhzăg'-tǝ

yousaid(informal)

dusagtest

doozăg'-test

yousaid(formalsingularandplural)

Siesagten

zēzăg'-tǝn

he/she/itsaid

er/sie/essagt

air/zē/esszăgt

wesaid

wirsagten

veerzăgt'-ǝn

yousaid(pluralinformal)

ihrsagtet

eerzăg'-tet

theysaid

siesagten

zēzăg'-ten

Pasttensestrongverbs,asyoumightexpect,canbeconjugatedinseveraldifferentways,butforthemostparttheendingswillbeprettyclosetoweak

verbendings.

Hereareafewexamples:Iwent

ichging

ikhgĭng

youwent(informal)

dugingst

doogĭngst

youwent(formalsingularplural) Siegingen zēgĭng'-ǝnhe/she/itwent

er/sie/esging

air/zē/essgĭng

wewent

wirgingen

veergĭng'-ǝn

youwent(pluralinformal)

ihrgingt

eergĭngt

theywent

siegingen

zēgĭng'-en

Ispoke

ichsprach

ikhshprakh

youspoke(informal)

dusprachst

dooshprakhst

youspoke(formalsingularandplural)

Siesprachen

zēshprakh'-ǝn

he/she/itspoke

er/sie/essprach

air/zē/essshprakh

wespoke

wirsprachen

veershprakh'-ǝn

youspoke(pluralinformal)

ihrspracht

eershprakht

theyspoke

siesprachen

zēshprakh'-en

PresentPerfectInGerman,asinEnglish,“tohave”isusedtomakethepresentperfectinmostcases(“Ihaveseen”).OneimportantdifferenceisthatsomeGermanverbstake“tobe”astheauxiliaryverbfortheperfecttenses.“Tobe”itself,aswellas

almostallverbsthatmeantravellingfromoneplacetoanother,usethisform.Soyouwouldsay“Iambeen,”“theyaregone”or“heisdriven”insteadof“Ihavebeen,”“theyhavegone”or“hehasdriven.”ThisseemsoddtoEnglishspeakers

butreallydoesnottakelongtogetusedto.Thepastparticiples(usedwiththeauxiliaryverbs“have”or“be”)areformedinafewdifferentways.Mostaddge-tothebeginningoftheword,someremovethe-nor-enfromtheendandadd-t,andsomechangetheirvowelsortheformofthemiddlepart.

EnglishGermaninfinitive

Present

Simplepast

Pastparticiple

togo

gehen

geht

gang

istgegehen

tobuy

kaufen

kauft

kauft

hatgekauft

tohelp

helfen

hilft

half

hatgeholfen

tobring

bringen

bringe

bracht

hatgebracht

toknow(asinfacts)

wissen

weiβt

wuβt

hatgewuβt

toeat

essen

iβt

aβ

hatgegessen

todrive/go

fahren

fährt

fuhr

istgefahren

tostay

bleiben

bleibt

blieb

istgeblieben

tosleep

schlafen

schläft

schlief

hatgeschlafen

tolose

verlieren

verliert

verlor

hatverloren

todrink

trinken

trinkt

trank

hatgetrunken

tosee

siehen

sieht

sah

hatgesehen

tospeak

sprechen

spricht

sprach

hatgesprochen

Thereisagroupofweak(regular)verbsthattakethe-tattheendbutnotthebeginningge-.Thesearemostlywordsthatendin-ierenlikediskutieren

(“discuss”).

PastPerfectAsintimidatingasthissound,it’sgoingtobetheeasiestpartoftheverbdiscussion.Asarefresherfromyourschooldays,pastperfectissimplya

variationonpresentperfecttense.

PresentPerfect:“Ihaveseenthatmovie”(asofthispresentmomentIhaveseenthemovie)

PastPerfect:“Ihadseenthatmovie”(atsomepointinthepastwhenthetopiccameup,Ihadalreadyseenthemovie)

Youcreatethepastperfectsimplybyusingtheconjugatedpasttenseof“have,”

exactlyasinEnglish.Thereareother,morecomplicatedverbtenses,butthere’snoneedtoworry

aboutthematthisstageofyourlearning.TheyarepresentinEnglish,too,butaswithmostaspectsoflanguagelearning,onceyoulearnedtousethemasachild,youstoppedthinkingabouthowtodoit.Itisonlywhenyoutrytotransferthe

conceptstootherlanguagesthatyouhavetore-learntheconcepts.

PracticeSolet’strysomeconjugating.Rememberthereareacoupleofthingstotakeintoconsideration,suchaschangingvowels,pastforms,andmodalverbs.Takeyourtimeandreallystarttogetafeelforhowthelanguageworks!weareeatingyou(plural,informal)goIseeshehasspokentheydriveyou(formal)seeIhaveeatenwehadbroughttheyhavegoneitstayedyou(informal)lostshewillbuytheyweredrinkingwesaid

Chapter5:WordOrder

WordorderdiffersbetweenGermanandEnglishinafewwaysthatmayseemquiteconfusingatfirst.However,itisfairlylogicalandnottoodifficulttomasterwithjustabitofpractice.SentenceStructureSimplesentencestakethesameorderasEnglishsentences:

“Iseeyou,”“Hewantsthat.”

Thebasicorderofasentence is thesubject first, theverbsecond, followedbytheindirectobject,andfinallythedirectobject.

“Iamgivingatreattothedog.”(not“Iamgivingthedogatreat.”)

Normalorderofatemporalsentencewithlocationis:Time,manner,place

“Tomorrowwewillgobybustothemountains.”

Sentenceswithtwopartsconnectedbytheconjunctions“and,”“or,”“but,”and“rather”keepthesameorderasasimplesentence.

“Shegotacat,butIpreferdogs.”

AuxiliaryVerbs(must,can,should,etc.)This iswhere itbegins tosoundsstrangetoEnglishspeakers,but it isactuallyquite easy to get used to. If you use an auxiliary verb (sometimes called a“helping verb”), the second verb in the sentence will take the infinitive form(almostalwaysendingin“-en”)andcomesattheend.

“Canyouthebookonmydeskleave?”

Thisisalsotruefortheperfect(andpastperfect)tense.“Ihavenobodyseen.”

ClausesRelativeclauses(asarefresher,arelativeclausecanberemovedfromasentence

withoutchangingitsmeaning)Inmostcases,theverbinarelativeclausecomesattheend.

“Mybrother,whoinDenverlives,iscomingforChristmas.”

SubordinateClauses“BecauseIhomestayed,missedIthemovie.”“BecauseIstayedhome”isasubordinateclause:itcannotstandasasentenceonitsown.Itisnotarelativeclausebecauseremovingitwouldchangethemeaningof the sentence. Itwould simply be “Imissed themovie,”without giving thereason.In German, subordinate clauses are formed by putting the conjunction(“because”) first and the verb last. This is a common formation, but when“because,”alongwithafewotherselectconjunctions(when,if,since,until,that,before,despite,asfaras,assoonas,how,while,sothat,during,where,aslongas)ispresent,alwaysmovetheverbtotheendofaclause.Noticethatwhentheverbcomesattheendofaclausefollowedbyacomma,thenext verb is placed immediately following it. This is also known as the “verbcommaverb”rule.“Aftershedinnerate,didshethedishes.”Iftheconjunctionisinthesecondclause,theconjugatedverbisstillmovedtotheend,butobviouslythecommaisfollowedbytheconjunctionratherthanbyaverb.“Iwillgotowork,aslongasIbetterfeel.”VerbInversionTemporalwordsatthebeginningofastatementcausetheverbtobeinverted.

“Tomorrowgowetothezoo.”

Questionscausetheverbtobeinverted.UnlikeEnglish,auxiliaryverbsarenotusedtocreatequestions.

“Watchyouthemoviewithus?”

Verbsafterquestionwords(why,what,who,when,etc.)areinverted,ratherthanusingauxiliaryverbs.

“Whysaidshethat?”

QuestionWordsWho-WerWhat–WasWhere–WoWhy–WarumWhen–WannIt’snotnecessarytomemorizealloftheserulesrightnow.Learningsomebasicstockphraseswillimpressyourhosts,friendsandstrangers.ButifyouraimistoactuallybegintolearnGerman,theseruleswillgiveyouastructurethatyoucanbuildonasyougeta feel for the languageandbegin to fill invocabularyanddevelopyourlisteningskills.PracticeLet’s use the grammar rules and vocabulary you’ve learned so far to begin tocreatesentences.Remember,themorefamiliaryougetwiththestructuresnow,theeasieritwillbetomemorizethecommonphrasesyou’llusewhiletraveling,follow conversations (because youwon’t spend somuch time being confusedaboutwordsbeing“inthewrongplace”),andactuallyhaveconversationswhenyoustartdevelopingtheskillsandvocabulary.ThegirlhaslearnedGerman.Areyou(informal)writing?Wehadbeendrinkingcoffee.Thechildhaslostits(genderunknown)money.Thetownhasanoldtree.Whereismyson?Isthisthefamilyofthetallboy?Wedroveuntilafternoon.Mybrotherboughtanewcellphonefromyourbusiness.Theirsisterhadseenawoman.Iboughtatoyformychild.Ourroomhasabeautifulview.Istheirmapunderthetable?Didyoumeetmybeautifulsister?

Chapter6:FundamentalVocabulary

DaysoftheWeek

Months

Time

Chapter7:BasicPhrases

Basicphrasesarethefundamentalbuildingblocksofeverydaylanguageuse.Withtheexceptionsofindividuallettersandwords,ofcourse,theyarethemostimportantpartoflearningandspeakinganylanguage.HerewewilldelveintothesomeofthemostcommonandusefulphrasesthattheGermanlanguagehastooffer.

GettingtoKnowYou…Thissection iscomprisedofphrasesforuse incasualconversationswithin theGermanvernacular.(Iamcalled…)Mynameis

Ichheiße…

ikhhīs-ǝ

(informal)Whatisyourname?(Whatareyoucalled?)

Wieheißtdu?

veehīstdu

(formal)Whatisyourname?

WieheißenSie?

veehī'-senzee

(informal)Whereareyoufrom?(Fromwheredoyoucome?)

Woherkommstdu?

vo-haircomstdu

(formal)Whereareyoufrom?(Fromwheredoyoucome?)

WoherkommenSie?

vo-haircom'menzee

I’mfrom…

Ichkommeaus…

ikhcomm-ǝous

(informal)Iamhappytomeetyou.

Nettdichkennenzulernen.

netdishken'-nen-tzu-lairnen

(formal)Iamhappytomeetyou.

NettSiekennenzulernen.

nettzeeken'-nen-tzu-lair’nen

(formal)CouldIintroduceyouto…?

DarfichIhnen...vorstellen?

Darfikhee-nen...for-shtêl-en

Mypleasure.

Freutmich.

froytmikh

Whenisyourbirthday?

WannhastduGeburtstag?

vonhastdooge-boorts'-tak

MybirthdayisinMay.

MeinGeburtstagist

mīnge-boorts'-tak

imMai. istimmī(informal)Doyouhavechildren?

HastduKinder?

hastdookind'-er

(formal)Doyouhavechildren?

HabbenSieKinder?

hab'-benzeekind'-er

(informal)Wheredoyoulive?(Whereliveyou?)

Wowohnstdu?

vōvōnstdoo

(formal)Whatplacedoyouliveat?

WowohnenSie?

vōvōn'-enzee

MyjobisX.

IchbinXvonBeruf.

ikhbinxfahnbe-roof

Whatdoyounormallydooutsideofwork?(informal)

WasmachstduauβerhalfderArbeit?

vosmokhstdooou-ser-holfdairar'-bīt

Whatareyouractivitiesoutsideofwork?(formal)

WasmachenSieauβerhalfderArbeit?

vosmokh-enzeeou-ser-holfdairar'-bīt

MyhobbiesareX,Y,andZ.

MeineHobbiessindX,Y,andZ.

mīnhobbieszintX,Y,untZ

IliketodoX.

IchmachegerneX.

ikhmakh-ǝgern-ǝX

Togetonwith

AuskommenMit

Ows-komenmet

Todescribe

Beschreiben

Besh-raben

Togotosleep

Einschlafen

In-Shlafen

Love Liebe LeebTolove

Lieben

Leeb-n

Part

Teil

Tal

Toshare

Teilen

Tal-n

Address

Adresse

Address

Age

Alter

Al-tr

Surname

Brille

Bril

Born

Geboren

Ge-boar-en

Birth(day/placeof)

Geburts(tag/ort)

Ge-brrts

Home

Heimat

Ha-mat

Homejourney/Wayhome

Heimfahrt/Heimweg

Ham-fart/Ham-weg

Tomarry

Heiraten

Har-atin

Single/Unmarried

Ledig

Lee-dig

Dear(=letters)

Leiber/leibe

Librr/Lib

Married

Verheiratet

Fer-har-atet

Engaged

Verlobt

Fer-lobt

Topromise

Versprechen

Fer-spre-kin

Firstname

Vorname

For-nam

Old(fashioned)

Alt(modisch)

Alt(mo-deech)

Pleasant/Enjoyable

Angenehm

An-ge-nem

Famous

Berhühmt

Brr-hoomt

SmallTalkThis section further explores words and phrases useful in getting to knowanotherpersonincasualconversation.(informal)Howareyou?(Howdoesitgowithyou?)

Wiegehtesdir?

veegātesdeer

(formal)Howareyou?(Howdoesitgowithyou?)

WiegehtesIhnen?

veegāteseenen

(informal)Doyoucomehereoften?

Kommstduofthierher?

comstduofthere-hair

(formal)Doyoucomehereoften?

KommenSieofthierher?

comenzeeofthere-hair

(informal)CanyouspeakEnglish?

SprichstduEnglisch?

shprikhtdueng'-lish

(formal)CanyouspeakEnglish?

SprechenSieEnglisch?

shprekh-enzeeeng'-lish

Idon’tspeakGerman(verywell).

Ichkannnicht(gut)Deutschsprechen.

ikhconnikhtzogootdoichshprekh'-en

IcanspeakonlyasmallamountofGerman.

IchsprechenureinbisschenDeutsch.

ikhshprekh-ǝnoorīnbish-endoitsh

Ididn’tunderstand.

Ichverstehenicht.

ikhvairshtay-ǝnikht

(informal)Wouldyoumindrepeatingthat?

Kannstdudasbitteweiderholen?

constdudossbitt-ǝvee'-derholen

(formal)Couldyoupleasesaythatagain?

KönnenSiedasbittewiederholen?

cun'-nenzeedossbitt-ǝvee'-der-hol-en

(informal)Pleasesaythatagain.

Bitte,wiederholen.

bitt-ǝvee'-der-hol-en

(formal)Pleasesaythatagain.

Bitte,wiederholenSie.

bitt-ǝvee'-der-hol-enzee

(informal)Couldyoupleasespeakalittlemoreslowly?

Kannstdubittelangsamersprechen?

constdoobitt-ǝlong'-zahm-ershprek'-en

(formal)Couldyoupleasespeakalittlemoreslowly?

KönnenSiebittelangsamersprechen?

cun-nenzeebitt-ǝlong’-zahm-ershprekh’-en

WhatisXcalledinGerman?

●WieheißtXauf

Deutsch?

veehīstxoufdoitsh

HowwouldsomeonesayXinGerman?

●WiesagtmanX

aufDeutsch?

veezaktmonxoufdoitsh

●Wouldyoutranslatethat?

●KönnenSiedas

übersetzen?

kun'-nenzeedosoo-ber-zet'-sen

●Thanksalotforhelping!

●VielenDankfür

IhreHilfe!

feel-endonkfyureer-ǝhilf-ǝ

●Doyouunderstand?

(informal)

●Verstehstdu?

fair-shtāstdoo

●Doyouunderstand?

(formal)

●VerstehenSie?

fair-shtā'-enzee

(informal)Pleasewritethatdownforme.

Schreibstdudasbittefürmichauf.

shrī’-bstdoodasbitt-ǝfyurmikhouf

(formal)Pleasewritethat

SchreibenSiedas

shrī’-benzeedas

downforme. bittefürmichauf. bitt-ǝfyurmikhoufWhatdoesthatmean?

Wasbedeutetdas?

vasbe-doy-tetdas

Idon’tknow(Iknownot)

ichweißnicht

ikhvīsnikht

allright

inordnung

inordnung

nevermind

machtnichts

makhtnikhts

Howistheweather?

WieistdasWetter?

veeistdosvet'-er

seeyoulater

bisspäter

bissshpāt'-er

bye

tschűβ

shuss

Takecare!

Machsgut!

mokhsgoot

Seeyou!

Bisdann!

bisdăn

Seeyoulater!(Untillater)

Bisspäter!

bisshpāter

Seeyousoon!(Untilsoon)

Bisgleich!

bisglīkh

Gethomesafe!

Kommgutnachhause!

komgootnokhhouz-ǝ

Goodbye!

AufWiedersehen!

oufvee-der-zā'-en

Haveaniceday!

EinenschönenTagnoch!

īn-enshō-nentoknokh

Haveagoodnight!

GuteNacht!

goot-ǝnokht

Haveaniceweekend! SchönesWochenende!

shō'-nesvōkh'-en-en-dǝ

Seeyounexttime!

BiszumnächstenMal!

bistzoomnākh-stenmol

Joy

Freude

Froy-d

Friendly

Freundlich

Froynd-lik

Awful

Furchtbar

Furkt-bar

Patient

Geduldig

Ge-dul-dig

Tolike

Gefallen

Ge-fallen

Tall

Groẞ

Gross

Size/height(ofaperson)

Gröẞe

Grawss

Helpful

Hilfsbereit/Hilfreich

Hillfs-berat/Hill-frak

Polite

Höflich

Haw-flikh

Pretty

Hübsch

Hyub-skh

Small/short

Klein

Klan

Clever

Klug

Klug

Funny

Komisch

Ko-mikh

Inagood/badmood

Laune(Guter/Schlechter)

Lawn(Goo-tr/Shlekh-r)

Noisey/loud

Laut

Lawt

Curley

Lockig

Lok-ig

Tired/tiring

Müde/ermüdend

Myud/er-muydn-d

Nice

Nett

Net

Tidy

Ordentlich

Orden-likh

Rich

Reich

Raikh

Clean

Sauber

Saw-br

Sharp

Scharf

Sh-arf

Slim

Schlank

Shl-ank

Shy

Schüchtern

Shyukh-ern

Strong

Stark

Stark

Strict

Streng

Streng

Sad

Traurig

Traw-rig

Untidy

Unordentlich

Unorden-likh

Tounderstand(getonwith)

Verstehen(sich)

Fer-ste-hn(sikh)

ShoppingThis section is comprised of words and phrases that are useful to the nativeEnglishspeakerpreparingtoshopatanyGerman-speakingestablishment.SomehelpfultipsfortheforeignershoppinginGermanyareasfollows:In German-speaking Europe (Germany, Switzerland, and Austria) it is neverwisetoassumethatanygivenstoreorrestaurantwillacceptcreditand/ordebitcardpayments.The cultureprefers and appreciates cash to electronicpaymentmethods.PricetagsinGermanyalreadyincludetheVAT(value-addedtax).Thisincludessalestax,meaningthatthepricelistediswhatthebuyeractuallypays,unlikeinAmerica.German-speakingnationsaremuchmoreconservative in their shoppinghours;in fact,Germanyhas aLadenschlußgesetz (or store closing law) that prohibitsbusinessesfromremainingopenforaslongasthecommonstorehoursinlotsofothercountries.InGermansupermarkets,therearetypicallyfarlessbrandstochoosefromthanthereare inAmericanmarkets.One important thing forany foreignerabout toshop forgroceries inGermany is to remember tobringhisorherownbag,astheyareusuallynotfreeinGermansupermarkets.Andlastly,whiletherearelotsofsuperstoresinGerman-speakingEurope,therealso happen to be lots of specialty stores as well. These stores are incrediblyuseful as their employees have more knowledge and information to providecustomersthantheircounterpartsatthesuperstores.Withthatbeingsaid,belowisalistofusefulwordsandphrasesforshoppinginGerman-speakingcountries.Whatwouldyoulike?

WasmöchtenSie?

vosmush'-tenzee

Whatareyoulookingfor?

WassuchenSie?

voszoo'-khenzee

Doyouhave…?

HabenSie…?

hob-benzee

Doyouhavesouvenirs?

HabenSieAndenken?

hob-benzeeon'-denk-en

Doyousell…?

VerkaufenSie…?

fair-kouf'-enzee

WheredoIfind...?

Wofindeich...?

vōfind-ǝikh

Whereis…?

Woist…?

vōist

Howmuchdoesthatcost?

Wievielkostetdas?

veefeelcostetdos?

CanIpaycash?

Kannichbarbezahlen?

conikhbarbetzol'-en

DoyouacceptVisa/Mastercard?

NehmenSieVisa/Mastercard?

nām'-enzeeVisa/Mastercard

CouldIpayforthiswithacreditcard?

KannichmiteineKreditkartezahlen?

conikhmitcredit-cart'-ǝtzahl'-en

WherecanIfindacloseATM?

WoistdernächsteGeldautomat?

voistdairnāsht-ǝgeld'-out-ō-mot

CanIbuyitforXeuros?

KannichesfürXEurokaufen?

conikhessfyoorxoorohzkouf'-en

Doyouhavesomethingthatcostsless?

HabenSieetwasBilligeres?

hob-benzeeetvasbill'-ǝ-gǝr-ess

CanIhaveadiscount?

●KönnenSiemir

daraufRabattgeben?

kun-nenzeemeerda-roufra-bot'gā-ben

geben?Doesthatcomeina[bigger/smaller]size?

HabenSiedasineiner[gröβeren/kleiner]Gröβe?

hob-benzeedossinīn'-ǝr[klī'-ner/grōs'-er-en]grōs-ǝ

Couldyouwrapthisasapresent?

KönnenSiedasalsGeschenkeinpacken?

kun-nenzeedosalsge-shenkīn'-pok-en

Whattimesdoestheshop[open/close]?

UmwievielUhr[öffnet/schließt]dasGeschäft?

umvee-feeloor[uf'-net/shleest]dossge-sheft

WherecanIfindtherestrooms,please?

WosinddieToiletten,bitte?

vozinddeetoil-et'-tenbit-tǝ

Suit

Anzug

Ahn-zug

Bracelet(wristwatch)

Armband(uhr)

Armband(uhr)

Bra

BH/Büstenhalter

BH/Byust-n-hahltr

Blouse

Bluse

Bloos

Belt

Gürtel

Gyur-tel

Necklace

Halskette

Hahl-sket

Handbag

Handtasche

Hand-tash

Shirt

Hemd

Him-d

Trousers

Hose

Hoose

Hat

Hut

Hut

Jacket

Jacke

Jak

Dress

Kleid

Klade

Clothes/Clothing

Kleider/kleidung

Klad-r/kla-dung

Tie

Krawatte/schlips

Kra-waat

Coat

Mantel

Man-tl

Skirt

Rock

Rock

Pajamas

Schlafanzug

Shlaf-ahn-zoog

Shoes

Schuhe

Shoo

Sock

Socke

Sock

Boot

Stiefel

Stafl

Tights

Strumpfhose

Strumpf-hoos

Tocarry/wear

Tragen

Tra-gen

Underpants

Unterhose

Oontr-hoos

Underwear

Unterwäsche

Oontr-wowkh

Towel(bathtowel)

Handtuch(badetuch)

Hand-tookh(bade-tookh)

Radiator

Heizkörper

Haz-Kirp-r

Comb

Kamm

Kahm

Wardrobe

Kleiderschrank

Kladr-shrank

Lamp

Lampe

Lamp

Microwave

Mikrowellenherd

Mikro-weln-herd

Soap

Seife

Safe

Armchair

Sessel

Ses-sl

Sofa/settee

Sofa

Sofa

Stereosystem

Stereoanlage

Stereo-an-lag

Step/stair

Stufe

Stoof

Chair

Stuhl

Stool

Tray

Tablett

Tab-let

Wallpaper

Tapete

Tap-et

Carpet

Teppich

Te-pikh

Freezer

Tiefkühltruhe

Tef-kyul-tru

Table

Tisch

Tish

Tablecloth

Tischtuch

Tish-tukh

Toiletpaper

Toilettenpapier

Toilet-n-papier

Saucepan

Topf

Topf

Cloth

Tuch

Tukh

Door

Tür

Tyur

Curtain

Vorhang

For-hang

Washingmachine

Waschmaschine

Vash-mach-ine

Washpowder

Waschpulver

Vash-pol-fr

Tap

Wasserhahn

Vassr-han

Alarmclock

Wecker

Vek-r

GettingAroundThis section may prove to be the most useful for anyone travelling in anyGerman-speaking land, as it is filledwith awidevarietyofveryusefulwordsandphrasesthatpertaintotravelling.Germany is a much frequented hotspot for travellers from all corners of theglobe. Known for their austere work ethic and remarkable efficiency, theGermanpeopleknowhow tomakeanationwelcomingandagreeable.OneofGermany’s most remarkable characteristics is how effortless the medievalintertwineswith the contemporary. Stepping onto theGerman countryside forthe first time is at once like entering an ancient fairytale, and a futuristicAsimovianwonderland. If the former,with its dense forests andpristine lakesandriversdon’tsoundlikeyouridealvacationspot,thenthelattermaybemoreyourtaste,witheverythingmodernityhastooffer.There are, however, a few things the average traveller needs to know beforeenteringGermany.First of all,Germany is aEuropeanUnion state.Thismeans that theyuse theEuroascurrency,amongotherthings.GermanyalsohappenstobeasignatoryoftheSchengenconvention.Withthisbeingsaid,anygivennationaloftheEUhas a right to unlimited and free travelwithinGermany.Nationals fromotherwesterncountriesare,ontheotherhand,onlyentitledto90daysofunrestrictedtravelwithGermany.Beyondthat90daythresholdaSchengenvisaisrequiredforfurtherstay.Nationalsofmosteasterncountries,however,havetheharshestrestrictions; they have to acquire a Schengen visa to travel toGermany in thefirstplace.Another aspect of German culture that is very much appreciable is that it’srelativelysafe.Withalowcrimerateandvirtuallynonaturaldisasters,Germanyis generally much safer than lots of western nations. It is always advisablethough,toerronthesideofsafety,toinvestintravelinsurance,nomatterwhereonetravels.Theintrepidtravelermayormaynotfindithardtonaildownatimeofyeartovisit Germany.While this is, of course, a matter of personal preference, it isgenerallybelievedthatGermanyisanationthatisbesttobeexploredduringthe

summermonths.To thatend,every timeofyear inGermanyproduces itsowncharms.Theso-called ‘low’ season (Nov-Mar) has the coldest weather. Ski resorts, theater,concerts,andoperaaremostpopularduringthisseason.The ‘mid’ seasons (Apr-Jun, Sep-Oct) brings nice, mild weather and, with it,lowerprices.Andfinally the ‘high’season (JulandAug)brings thebestweatheraswellasthemostenergyandactivity.Thehighestpricesandthemostcongestionarealsotobeexpectedwithinthisseasonthough.Anothersignificantaspecttoconsiderwhentravellingtothisnationis,ofcourse,theexpensesinvolved.WhileGermanyisnotthecheapestnationtovisit,therestillarenumerouswaystotravelthelandwithoutbankruptingone’sself.Infact,accordingtooneestimate,itispossibletovisitGermanyforaslittle40-80USdollarsaday.SomepriceestimatesfortravellingexpensesinGermanyarelistedbelow:Accommodation:€10-30($12-35)dorms€45-65($50-75)budgethotels

Mid-Range:€60-100($70-120)Splurge:€150+($175+)

Food(mealsforone):Streetfood:€2-4($2-5)Cheapmealatbeerhall:€9-15($11-18)Restaurant:€15-20($18-25)Top-ratedrestaurant:€100($115)Transportation:BikeRental:€18($21)perdayCityTransit:€1-3($1-4)persingleticketIntercityBus:€15-30($18-35)Overnightbuses:€20-70($25-82)Trains:€40-70($48-82)slow

€100+($120+)high-speed

Asyoucanprobablysee,Germanyisnotonlynotasexpensivetotravelto,astheaveragepersonwouldguessitis,butitis,infact,evencheapertotraveltothan lots of US cities. Take New York, Boston, San Diego, andWashingtonD.C. forexample, theiraveragenightly rates forhotels rangefrom$250-$370.These figures seem almost ludicrouswhen compared to the $70-$175ofmostGermancities.Toaddtothat,thetravellerisgettingtheaddedhistoricalvalueofahandfulofmorethan1,000-year-oldbuildingsinGermany,sotosaytheleast,theeducationalandculturalvalueofatriptoGermanyjustcan’tberivaledbyatriptomanyAmericancities.When packing one’s suitcase for Germany, it is important to include a widevarietyofarticlesofclothing.Theweather is rather fickle inGermany,and inevery season, too; so it is best to comeprepared forwhateverweathermothernaturehastooffer.Berlin, thecapitalofGermany,hasawell-deservedreputationasbeingagreatcity for freelancers and otherwise creative people—with its world famousnightlife,art,museums,cafeculture,andmusicscene. It isalsowidelyknownforitsinterestinghistoricalsignificance.The demeanor ofMunich is more staid and quieter, with the exception of itsannualcelebrationofOktoberfest.Itholdshistoricalbuildings,museums,parks,andpopularbeerhallsallsidebyside.WhileBerlinandMunicharebothenchantingandbecomingcities,wewouldberemiss to not pour over some of the other great cities Germany has to offer.These includeHamburg, famous for itsparks, canals, andboasting the secondbusiest port in Europe.Frankfurt is a city better suited for the history and orsciencelover.Ithasanumberofhistoricalsites,sciencemuseums,andafamousrestaurantscene.Cologneisanothercitywellsuitedforthehistorylover.Ithashistoricalsitesincludingitsworldfamouscathedral.Andfinally,forthosewhowantafinemixtureofmodernityandnature,Dresdenisagreatcitytofindthatbalance.One aspect of travel in Germany that is—more often than not—neglected byvisitors, and also of travelers in any part of the globe, for that matter, is thenatural landscapes the countryside has to offer. Germany has no shortage ofnaturalwonders,andtherearemanyplacesthatatravelercangotowitnessjustwhatthecountryreallyhastooffer.OnespotinGermanythat’sperfectforthose

wholovetheoutdoorsisBerchtesgadenNationalPark.Itisknownforitsdenseforests, clear lakes, andhugeboulders.LakeConstance, the largest freshwaterlakeinGermany,mayalsobeabetterfitfortheoutdoorsman.One of the finest forests in Germany is the Black Forest. It is located in amountainous region in southwest Germany, bordering France. This forest iswidely known for the abundance of its megaflora and the archaic, charmingvillagesnestledwithinitsdenseinterior.Thisisagreatspotforaslowerpacedvacationinanaturalsetting.Onecannotmention travelwithinGermanywithouta talkingabout thecastlesand palaces that inhabit the land.One of themost famous examples of these,forevermemorializedbytheDisneyCorporationandbyitsarchitectureinandofitself, is Neuschwanstein Castle. This is one of the more intriguing andimpressive buildings the globe has to offer and nothing can really supplementseeing it in person, so trekking to this building would be an unassailablyimportantpartofanyvacationtoGermany.While the Germans, being sensible people, often speak English, (so often, infact, thatEnglishisamandatorysubjectformanyofGermany’sstudentsfromthefifthgradeonward)thelistbelowshouldstillprovetobeofgreathelpfortheforeignerasitincludeslotsofwordsandphrasesusefulintravelling.Where?

Wo?

vō

Ineedsomeinformation.

●Ichbraucheeine

Auskunft

ikhbroukh-ǝīnǝous'-kunft

Ineedhelp.

●IchbraucheHilfe.

ikhbroukh-ǝhilf-ǝ

Doyouknowthearea?

KennenSiesichhieraus?

ken'-nenzeezikhheerous

AmIintherightplace?

Binichhierrichtig?

binikhheerrikh'-tik

Excuseme,whereis…?

Entschuldigung,woist…?

ent-shul'-dĭ-gungvōist

WhichdirectionisXin?

InwelcherRichtungistX?

invel'-kherrĭkh'-tungistx

Whereisthe[entrance/exit]?

Woistder[Eingang/Ausgang]?

vōistdare[īn'-gong/ous'-gong]

Whereisthebusstop?

WoistdieBushaltestelle?

vōistdeeboos-halt’-ǝ-shtell-ǝ

Whereistheundergroundtrain(subway/metro)?

WoistdieU-Bahn?

vōistdeeoo'-bon

Oneticketto…,please!

EineFahrkartenach…,bitte!

īn-ǝfarcart-ǝbitt-ǝ

Whendoesthenexttrainfor…leave?

WannfährtdernächsteZugnach…?

vonfairtdairnāshtetzugnosh

Wheredoesisthisbusgoingto?

WohinfährtdieserBus?

vohinfairtdeezerbus

Whenisthistrainscheduledtoarrive?

WannkommtdieserZugan?

voncomtdeezertzugon

Iwonderwherethisbusgoesto?

FährtdieserBusnach…?

fairtdeezerbusnokh

CouldIpleasehaveamapofthecity?

DarfichbitteeinenStadtplanhaben?

darfikhbitt-ǝshtot'-plonhobb-en

Pleasetakemetothisaddress.

BringenSiemichbittezudieserAdresse.

bringenzeemikhbitt-ǝtzoodeez-erad-res-sǝ

Iamlookingforthe

Ichsuchedas

ikhzookh-ǝdosmoo-zā-

museum/park/hotel. Museum/denPark/dasHotel.

ǝm/dānpark/doshō-tel

Pleasestophere.

HaltenSiebittehieran.

holt-enzeebitt-ǝheeron

Tothecitycenter,please.

ZumStadtzentrum,bitte.

tzoomshtat-tzen'-troombit-tǝ

Tothetrainstation,please.

ZumBahnhof,bitte.

tzoombon-hofbit-tǝ

Totheairport,please.

ZumFlughafen,bitte.

tzoomfloog'-hof-en

Whereisagoodbakery?

WoisteineleckereBäckerei?

vōistī-nǝlĕk'-er-ǝbĕk'-er-ī

Whereisaclosegasstation?

WoistdienächsteTankstelle?

vōistdernākh'-stǝtonk’-shtell-ǝ

Atwhatplaceisthebank?

WoistdieBank?

vōistdeebahnk

Istheairportfaraway?

IstderFlughafenweitweg?

istderfloog'-haf-fenvītvek

Iwouldliketobeshown?

KönnenSiemirdaszeigen?

cunn-enzeemeerdosstzī'-gǝn

DoIhavetochange?

Mussichumsteigen?

moosikhum-shtī'-gǝn

It’sthere./Thereitis.

Esistda./Daistes.

essistdah/dahistess

aroundthecorner

umdieEcke

umdeeĕ-kǝ

totheleft nachlinks nokhlinxtotheright

nachrechts

nakhrekhs

straightahead

geradaus

ger-ah'-dous

upstairs

oben

ō'-ben

downstairs

unten

un'-ten

back

zurück

tzoo-rook'

north

Nord

nord

south

Süd

zoot

east

Ost

ōst

West

West

vest

Brochure

Broschüre

Broschüre

Campsite

Campingplatz

Campingplatz

Reception(ist)

Empfang(sdame)

Empfang(sdame)

Holiday

Ferien

Ferien

LostPropertyOffice

Fundbüro

Fụndbüro

Guest

Gast

Gạst

Host

Gastgeber

Gạstgeber

Restaurant/Pub Gaststätte GạststätteLuggage

Gepäck

Gepạ̈ck

Map

Landkarte

Lạndkarte

Place

Ort

Ọrt

Passport

Pass(reisepass)

Pạss(reisepass)

IdentityCard

Personalausweis

Personalausweis

Traveller

Reisende(r)

Reisende(r)

Destination

Reiseziel

Reiseziel

ChequeBook

Scheckheft

Scheckheft

SleepingBag

Schlafsack

Schlạfsack

Tostaythenight

übernatchten

übernạtchten

Accomodation

Unterkunft

Unterkunft

Maid

Zimmermädchen

Zimmermädchen

Overcast

Bedeckt

Bee-dekt

Tothunder

Donnern

Don-uhrn

Dark

Dunkel

Dun-kel

Tofreeze

Frieren

Fri-rn

Thunderstorm Gewitter Ge-wit-rHail

Hagel

Hagl

Hot

Heiẞ

Hass

Heat

Hitze

Hit-z

Cold

Kalte

Kahlt

Climate

Klima

Klim-ah

Cool

Kühl

Kyuhl

Wet

Nass

Nass

Fog(gy)/Mist(y)

Nebel(nebelig)

Ne-bel(ne-bel-ig)

Rain(coat)

Regen(mantel)

Re-gen(mant-l)

Umbrella

Regenschirm

Re-gen-shirm

Torain

Regnen

Reg-nen

Toshine

Scheinen

Shan-en

Snow

Schnee

Shn-ee

Tosnow

Schneien

Shnen

Sun

Sonne

Son

Sunny

Sonnig

Son-ig

Stormy Sturm/Stürmisch Sturm/Styur-mishWeather(forecast)

Wetter(bericht/vorhersage)

Vet-r(b-rikh/vor-hr-sage)

Cloud(less)

Wolke(wolkenlos)

Vohlk(Vohlk-n-los)

Lodging&HotelsThisonerelatestotheprevioussectioninitsutilityfortravellers.ThewordsandphraseslistedbelowareusefultoanyonelodginginanyGerman-speakingareas.Arethereanyavailablerooms?

SindnochZimmerfrei?

zintnochtzimmerfrī

Whatdoesadoubleroomcost?

WievielkosteteinDoppelzimmer?

veefeelcost'-etīndop'-pel-tzim-mer

Whatdoesasingleroomcost?

WievielkosteteinEinzelzimmer?

veefeelcostetīnīn’-tzel-tzim-mer

Whenisbreakfast?

WanngibtesFrühstück?

vongibtessfroo’-shtook/ah-bent-es-sen

Doesthisroomcomewith…?(Hasthisroom…)

HatdasZimmer…?

Hotdostzim'-mer

balcony

einenBalkon

īn-enbol-cone'

television

einenFernseher

īn-enfairn'-zā-er

WiFi

Wifi

vī-fī

airconditioning

eineKlimaanlage

īn-ǝclee'-mon-lag-ǝ

I’mstayingfor…night.

Ichbleibefür…Nacht.

ikhblīb’-ǝfyur…nakht

onenight

eineNacht

īn'-ǝnokht

threenights

dreiNächte

drīnĕkht’-ǝ

Iwouldlikearoom.

IchhättegerneinZimmer.

ikhhĕt-tǝgairnīntzimmer

Iwillstayfor[onenight/twonights/threenights].

Ichbleibe[eineNacht/zweiNächte/dreiNächte].

ikhblīb[īn-ǝnokht/tzwīnĕkht-ǝ/drīnĕkht-ǝ

Isbreakfastincluded?

IstFrühstückinklusiv?

istfroo'-shtookin'-kloos-eef

Wouldyoupleasewakemeupat8o’clock?

KönnenSiemichumachtUhrwecken?

Kun-nenzeemikhumxoorvĕk'-en

roomservice

Zimmerdienst

tzim'-mer-deenst

shower

Dusche

doosh

singleroom

Einzelzimmer

īn'-tzel-tzim-mer

airconditioning

Klimaanlage

kleem-a-ahn'-lag-ǝ

key

Schlüssel

shloo'-sel

EatingOutThere are lots ofmannerisms that differentiateGerman dining from dining inother countries. Featured below is a short list of thesemannerisms useful foranyonenotfamiliarwiththeGermandiningexperience:

Upon entering a restaurant in German-speaking Europe, it is notadvisabletowaittobeseated.Itisgenerallyexpectedofdinerstofindtablesontheir own. Servers seldom suggest tables to incoming diners because they areusually busywith current diners.Unless the diner sees thewords spelled out:‘pleasewaittobeseated,’heorsheshouldfindhisorherownseat.MostAmericanshavecometoexpectaglassofwaterwitheverymealthattheyeatout.MostEuropeans,ontheotherhand,avoiddrinkingtapwaterwithanyoftheirmeals,notoutofconcernforsafetyorhygiene,butbecausetheydon’tliketheideaofhavingsuchablandliquidwiththeirfood.Theyprefer todiversifywiththeirdrinks.Ifwater is requested, it isonly rarely tapwater,butusuallymineralwasser (ormineral water) instead. Americans requesting tap water at public eateries inEurope are usually met with looks of disgust. Mineral water is the preferreddrink.Germansareknownforhavingaverypracticalandalsoveryamiablecustomofsitting with the strangers around them while eating at their beer gardens andrestaurants,wherelongtablesandnumerousemptyseatsarecommon.Bread rolls are other extras that are usually not free in Germany, or most ofEurope for that matter. While they are supposedly free in America, they areoften still included in the price of the fullmeal, so the only difference in thisEuropeancustomisitsrelativehonestyandstraightforwardness.À la carte dining is the most common type of purchase in German-speakingEurope.Usually,anygivensidedishesareorderedandpaidforindependentlyofthemaincoursethatthedinerchooses.Inshort,adinerpaysonlyforwhatheorsheconsumesinGermany,whichcanbeeitherverybeneficialordetrimentaltohimorher.That, in turn, brings us now to the all-important topic of payment inGermandining.As is common in America, the payments and tipping for meals in German-

speakingEuropearebothdoneat the table eatenat, and the server commonlycarries amoney pouch holstered around his or herwaist as thework is done.However, unlike in America, the checks always have to be requested after ameal.Serversdon’tbringthemaboutuntiltheyare.TheaverageandrighteoustippingamountinGermanyis+-15%,asisthecaseinAmerica,buttipsareandshouldneverbeleftonthetable.AsisthecaseinAmerica, it isnot required that anygivendiner tipshisorher server,but it isalsogenerally frowneduponwhenadiner is remiss to rewarda server’sgoodwork.Anotherfact thatalsosharessimilitudewithAmericandining is thefactthat servers in Germany live meagerly off of mostly tips, and that it is veryimportantthattheyarerewardedfortheirwork.When paying with a credit card in Germany, the tipping process is slightlydifferent than it is inAmerica.Thediner typically is required to tell theservertheamountofthetipbeforethecardisswiped.Itis,ofcourse,alwaysidealtopaythetipincash,astheserverdoesn’thavetopayincometaxesoncashtips.Aswasmentionedbefore,salestaxisincludedinthepriceofnearlyeverythingpurchased in Germany before the transaction. This sales tax is fairly high,however,at19%.Anotherpoint thathasbeenmentioned is the fact thatmanyGermanstoresdonotacceptcreditcards.UnfortunatelyformostAmericanswholiveanddiebyelectroniccurrencies,thesameistrueformanyGermanrestaurantsofalltiers.Thisiswhyitiswisetoaskaboutelectronicpaymentsbeforeordering.NowthatweknowsomeimportantpointsondininginGermany,itmayalsobehelpfultogooversomeofwhattheGermancuisineincludes.NexttosomeofitsEuropeanneighbors(suchasItaly,orFrance,orSpainjusttonameafew)Germany’scuisinemayseemboringorevenunappetizingtomanyforeigners,butnothingcouldbefurtherfromthetruth.Theirfoodhas,however,built up quite a well-deserved reputation for its hardiness and the relativesimplicityof itsrecipes.But,forwhateverone’spalatedesires, there issure tobeaGermandishwillingandreadytomeetanygivenneeds.The first food to be mentioned is a very famous one in the US, and allthroughout theworld for thatmatter. It is thebratwürst. This is a remarkablypopular German sausage, the best of which supposedly come fromNürnberg.

Theseareusuallymadefromporkshoulder,vealshoulder,porkfat,andspices.Another very popular German dish goes by the name of spätzle. This is avegetarian(rareinGermancuisine)pastadishconsistingofeggs,flour,salt,andwater.Likeanypasta,itisbestservedasasideoracomplimenttoanotherdish.It is also goodwhen servedwith cheese alone.Again, the beauty of some ofGermany’sgreatestfoodlieswithintheirsimplicity.ButanydiscussionsurroundingGermanpastascannotbecompletewithout thementionofmaultaschen.Thisisagreatraviolidishwhichcanbecomparedtoahot pocket. It can be, and usually is, stuffed with minced meat, sauerkraut,spinach,orreallyanyotherfoodforthatmatter.Theycanalsobeboiledorfried,andservedasamaindishorasa sidedish.Theyaregreatnomatterhow thedinertakesthem.And lastly, also perhapsmost famously,we come to thebretzel, or pretzel inEnglish. One feature of the German bretzel that distinguishes it from itsAmericancousinisitsrobustness.Thisisaclassicsnackfoodthatcanbefoundat fairs, carnivals, sporting events, virtually any public happening across theglobe,andforgoodreason.AndnowthatwehavebeenoverGermandiningandsomeofthenation’sfoods,wecanatlastcometosomevocabularyoverGermandining:Areyouhungry?(informal)

HastduHunger?

hostdoohun-ger

Areyouhungry?(formal)

HabenSieHunger?

hob'-benzeehun-ger

Areyouthirsty?(informal)

HastduDurst?

hostdoodurst

Areyouthirsty?(formal)

HabenSieDurst?

hob'-benzeedurst

Shallwegetsomethingtoeat/drinktogether?

Wollenwiretwaszusammenessen/trinkengehen?

vol-lenveeret-vostzoo-sam'-menes-sen/trinkengā-en

Breakfast

Frühstück

froo'-shtook

Lunch

Mittagessen

mitt'-ak-es-sen

Dinner

Abendessen

ah'-bent-es-sen

Atableforone/two/three…,please.

EinenTischfüreinePerson/zwei/drei…,bitte.

ī’nentishfyurīn-ĕpair-zōn/tzvī/drī…bitt’-ǝ

Amenu,please.

DieSpeisekarte,bitte.

deeshpī’-zǝ-cart-ǝ,bitt-ǝ

Waiter!/Waitress!

Kellner!/Kellnerin!

kell'-ner/kell'-ner-in

I’dlike….

Ichhättegern….

ikhhêt-ǝgern

I’dlike….

Ichmöchtegern….

ikhmukht-ǝgern

Nothingforme,thankyou.

●Fürmichnichts,

danke.

fyurmikhnikhtsdonk-ǝ

Wouldyourecommendsomething?

KönntenSieetwasempfehlen?

kun-tenzeeêt-vasêmp-fā'-len

Ionlyeatvegetables.

IchbinVegetarier.

ikhbinvā’-gǝ-tair-ier

Doyouhavefoodforvegetarians?

HabenSievegetarischesEssen?

hobbenzeevā-gǝ-tair'-ish-essess-en

Isthatgluten-free? Istdasglutenfrei? istdosgloot'-en-frīIamallergictoX.

IchbinallergischgegenX.

ikhbinall-er-gishgā-genX

Nuts

●Nusse

noo-sǝ

Shellfish

Schalentiere

shol-en-teer'-ǝ

Dairy

●Milch

Milkh

Strawberries

●Erdbeeren

aird-beer'-en

Gluten

●Gluten

gloot'-en

Okay,Iwilltakethat.

●Gut,dasnehmeich.

goot,dosnā-mǝikh

●I’dliketohave

someXplease.

●IchhättegerneX.

ikhhĕt-tǝgern-ǝX

Chicken

Hühnchen

hoon’-shyen

Pork

Schweinefleisch

shvīn’-ǝ-flīsh

Beef

Rindfleisch

rĭnd’-flīsh

Soup

Suppe

zoop’-ǝ

Pasta

Nudeln

nood’-eln

Vegetables

Gemüse

ge-myooz’-ǝ

Spicy

scharf

sharf

Sweet süß soosSour

sauer

sou'-er

Salt

Salz

Zoltz

Pepper

Pfeffer

feff'-ǝr

Sugar

Zucker

tzoo'-kǝr

Napkin

Serviette

ser-vee-et'

Plate

Teller

tell'-er

Fork

Gabel

go'-bel

Spoon

Löffel

luff'-ǝl

knife

Messer

mess'-ǝr

Glass

Glas

glos

Cup

Tasse

toss'-ǝ

Beer

Bier

beer

Wine

Wein

vīn

tapwater

Leitungswasser

lī’-tungs-voss-er

Aglassofwater,please.

EinGlasWasser,bitte.

īnglosvoss'-ǝrbitt-ǝ

[Sparkling/not

[Mit/ohne]Sprudel,

[mit/ōn-ǝ]shproo'-dlbit-

sparkling],please. bitte. tǝAbeerplease!

EinBierbitte!

īnbeerbit-tǝ

What’sontap?

“Wasgibt’svomFass?”

vosgibtsvomfos

Withlactose-freemilk,please.

MitlaktosefreierMilch,bitte.

mitlak'-tōs-frī-ǝrmilkhbitt-ǝ

Anotherone,please!

Nocheine,bitte!

nokhīn'-ǝbit-ǝ

Anotherofthesame,please.

●DasGleichenochmal

bitte.

dosglīkhnokh-molbit-tǝ

CanIgetthatwithouttomato?

KriegeichdasauchohneTomaten?

kreeg-ǝikhdosoukhō-nǝtō-mot-ten

Doyouhavedesserttoo?

Gibt’sauchNachtisch?

gibtsoukhnokh-tish

Canyouwrapthatuptogo?

KönnenSiedaseinpacken?

kun-nenzeedosīn'-pok-en

Thatwasdelicious!

Dashathervorragendgeschmeckt!

doshothair-for'-ra-gentge-shmekt

Onecoffee,please!

EinenKaffeebitte!

īn-enkof-fābit-tǝ

Excusemeplease.

EntschuldigenSiebitte.

ênt-shool'-dǝ-genzeebit-tǝ

Couldyoushowmetotherestroom?

WoistdieToilette?

vōisstdeetoy-lett'-ǝ

men

Herren/Männer

hair'-en/mĕn'-ǝr

women

Damen/Frauen

dah'-men/frou'-en

Iamfull.

Ichbinsatt.

ikhbinzot

Pleasebringthecheck.

DieRechnungbitte.

dērêkh-nungbitt-ǝ

Areceipt,please.

EineQuittungbitte.

īn-ǝkvĭ'-tungbitt-ǝ

CouldIgetareceipt,please?

DarficheineQuittunghaben,bitte?

darfikhīn-ǝkvĭ'-tungbitt-ǝ

Enjoy.(Goodappetite)

GutenAppetit.

goo-tenâp-ǝ-tēt'

Cheers!

ZumWohl!

tzoomvōl

Cheers!

Prost!

Prōst

Flame

Flamme

Flamme

Bottle

Flasche

Flash

Fresh

Frisch

Frish

Dish/Course

Gericht

Jeri-kt

Jar/Pot

Glas

Glass

Togrill/Barbeque

Grillen

Grill-an

Snack(bar)

Imbiss(stube)

Em-biss(stoob)

Canteen Kantine Kan-teenKitchen

Küche

Koo-ch

Delicious

Lecker

Le-kerr

Spoon

Löffel

Law-fell

Meal

Mahlzeit

Mall-zat

Knife

Messer

Mes-ser

Dessert

Nachtisch

Nak-tish

Totaste

Schmecken

Shmek-in

Fast-foodRestaurant

Schnellimbiss

Shnel-lim-biss

Bowl

Schüssel

Shoo-sell

Self-service

Selbstbedienung

Selbstbedienung

Menu

Speisekarte

Space-kart

Supermarket

Supermarkt

Supermarket

EmergenciesThis section is oneofgreat utilitynotonly forGerman language learners, butalsoforanyonewhomayhavefriendsorrelativeswhospeakonlyGerman.Itisalistofwordsandphrasesusefulinemergencyorcrisissituations.help

hilfe

hilf-ǝ

fire

feuer

foy'-er

(informal)Callthepolice!

RufdiePolizei!

roofdeepo-leet-zī'

Stop!Athief!

Halt!EinDieb!

haltīndeeb

Iamgettingsick.

Ichbinkrank.

ikhbinkronk

●Idon’tfeeltoo

well.

●Mirgehtesnichtso

gut.

meergātesnikhtzōgoot

Shehasgottensick.

Sieistkrankgeworden.

zeeistkronkge-vor'-den

Heneedsadoctor.

ErbrauchteinenArzt.

airbrouchtīn'-enartst

Where’stheclosesthospital?

WoistdasnächsteKrankenhaus?

vōistdossnāshtecron'-kenhous

Mywallethasbeenlost.

IchhabemeinPortemonnaieverloren.

ikhhobb-ǝmīnport-e-mon-ī’]fair-lor’-en

Someonetookmybag.

JemandhatmeineTaschegenommen.

yā'-monthotmīn-ǝtosh'-ǝge-nō'-men

Whereisthehospital?

WoistdasKrankenhaus?

vōistdoskronk'-en-hous

Whereisthepharmacy?

WoistdieApotheke?

vōistdēah-pō-tāk’

Doyouhaveaspirin?

HabenSieAspirin?

hobb-enzeeasp-ir-in

Thisisanemergency.

EsisteinNotfall.

essistīnnōt'-fol

Iamlost.

Ichhabemichverlaufen.

ikhhob-ǝmikhfer-louf'-en

HolidayGreetingsPublic holidays inGermany, alongwith their celebrations, differ from state tostate. While the most common christian holidays of the western world arecelebratedeagerlyineachandeverystateinGermany,thereisstillvarianceinthecelebrationofmoreminorholidaysfromstatetostate.Major holidays which are celebrated in every state in Germany (Baden-Wüttemberg, Bavaria, Berlin, Brandenburg, Bremen, Hamburg, Hesse,Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Lower Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia,Rhineland-Palatinate, Saarland, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, Schleswig-Holstein,andFreeStateofThuringia)arelistedbelow:

NewYear’sDay(Neujahrstag)GoodFriday(Karfreitag)EasterMonday(Ostermontag)LabourDay(TagDerArbeit)AscensionDay(ChristiHimmelfahrt)WhiteMonday(Pfingstmontag)GermanUnityDay(TagDerDeutschenEinheit)ChristmasDay(Weihnachtstag)St.Stephen’sDay/BoxingDay(ZweiterWeihnachtsfeiertag)

Moreminorholidayswhicharenotnecessarilyandofficiallycelebratedineverystate,butarestillimportantdaysoftheGermanyeararelistedbelow:

Epiphany(HeiligeDreiKönige)CorpusChristi(Fronleichnam)PeaceFestival(Friedensfest)AssumptionDay(MariäHimmelfahrt)ReformationDay(Reformationstag)AllSaintsDay(Allerheiligen)RepentanceandPrayerDay(Buẞ-undBettag)

Ofalltheholidayspreviouslymentioned,asmallnumberofthemareknownasstilletage(orquietdays).Onthesedays,louderpublicfunctions,suchaspublicdancingevents,publicconcerts,musicatinns,etc.,areprohibitedbylaw.

Theseholidaysareasfollows:Good Friday, Repentance and Prayer Day, All Saints Day, Memorial Day,Totensonntag,ChristmasEve,AshWednesday,HolyThursday,HolySaturday,AllSoulsDay.AnothercategoryofholidayinGermanyisthatoftheFlagDays(orBeflaggungStage).Whilethehighestofgovernmentalfacilitiesarerequiredtoshowtheirflagsonevery day of each year, on the days listed below, flag showing is required byfederaldecreeforeveryone:Holocaust Memorial Day, Labor Day, Europe Day, Constitution Day,Remembrance of June 17th,WorldRefugeeDay,Remembrance of July 20th,GermanUnityDay,MemorialDay(half-mast),andElectionDay.Inadditiontotheofficialpublicholidayspreviouslymentioned,thereareasmallnumberofunofficialGermanholidaysthatareworthyofnote.Theseareasfollows:CarnivalMonday(orMardisGrasas it isknownthroughoutmanypartsof theUSandotherpartsoftheglobe)traditionallystartson11/11at11.11am.Presently,ChristmasEvehasbeenbecomingmoreofitsownholidaythannot,as it ismoreandmoreuncommontoworkon thatdayandschoolsarealwaysclosed.ThisisanothersectionthatisusefulnotonlyforGermanlanguagelearners,butanyonewhoknowsGermanspeakersandwantstowishthemhappyholidays.Happybirthday!

HerzlichenGlückwunschzumGeburtstag!

hairtz’-lich-englook’-vunshtzoomge-boorts-tok

MerryChristmas!

FroheWeihnachten!

frō’-ǝvī’-nachten

HappyNewYear!

FrohesNeues!

frō’-ǝnoy’-ess

HappyEaster!

FroheOstern!

frō’-ǝō’-stern

Congratulations!

HerzlicheGlückwünsche!

hairtz'-likh-ǝglook'-voonsh-ǝ

NewYear’sDay

Neujahrstag

Noo-jahr-staag

GoodFriday

Karfreitag

Kaar-fra-tag

EasterMonday

Ostermontag

Oostr-mon-tag

LaborDay

TagDerArbeit

Tag-dr-rbat

AscensionDay

ChristiHimmelfahrt

KristiHimel-fart

WhiteMonday

Pfingstmontag

fingstmon-tag

GermanUnityDay

TagDerDeutschenEinheit

Tagdrdooych-nin-hat

ChristmasDay

Weihnachtstag

Vah-nacht-stag

St.Stephen’sDay/BoxingDay

ZweiterWeihnachtsfeiertag

sva-trvah-nachts-faer-tag

Epiphany

HeiligeDreiKönige

Ha-ligdrikyon-ig

CorpusChristi

Fronleichnam

Fron-lach-nam

PeaceFestival

Friedensfest

Frad-ns-fest

AssumptionDay

MariäHimmelfahrt

Mariahiml-fart

ReformationDay

Reformationstag

Re-form-ationstag

AllSaintsDay

Allerheiligen

Alr-hali-gen

RepentanceandPrayerDay

Buẞ-undBettag

Busundbeet-ag

Chapter8:PuttingitAllTogetherBasicConversationsAninformalintroductionmightgosomethinglikethis:●DasistmeinFreund(m)/meineFreundin(f)...

(dosistmī-nefriyn-den/mīnfroint)(Thisismyfriend...)

●Hallo,esfreutmichdichkennenzulernen.(Hallo,esfroitmikhdikhkennenzulairnen)(Hello,it’snicetomeetyou.)

OR●Freutmich.

(froitmikh)(Pleasedtomeetyou.)

●Michauch.(mikhoukh)(Metoo.)

Ifthesituationcallsforamoreformalintroduction,youmightsay(orhear)this:●GutenAbend!DarfichIhnen...vorstellen?

(goot-eno-bentdarfikhee-nen...for-shtel-en)(MayIintroduceyou...?)

●FreutmichSiekennenzulernen.(froitmikhzeeken’-nen-tzu-lern-nen)(Pleasedtomakeyouracquaintance.)

●Meinerseits./Ganzmeinerseits.(mī-ner-zīts)/(găntzmī-ner-zīts)(Metoo.)

“Likewise” is not the actual translation of the German word “meinerseits.”Meinerseits literally means “mine.” Ganz meinerseits literally means “allmine,”asin,“thepleasureisallmine.”Theconversationmightcontinueinasimilarvein:●IstderPlatznochfrei?

(istderplotsnokhfrī)(Isthisseatstillfree?)

●Ja,bitte.(yah,bit-tǝ)(Yes,please.)

“Please” is used slightlymore loosely inGerman than in English.Youmightthinkofitas“Pleasefeelfree”inthiscase.Thisconversationwouldbeverydifferentamongyoungerpeopleatapartyorsomeotherinformalsetting.●Wieheißtdu?

(veehīstdoo)(What’syourname?)

●Ichheiße_____.Unddu?(ikhhīs-sǝ____.untdoo)(Iamcalled_____.Andyou?)

●_____.Weristdas?(veristdos)(____.Whoisthat?)

●DasistmeineFreundin_____.(dosistmī-nǝfroin-din)(Thisismyfriend_____.)

Chapter9:ContinuingtoLearnThe German language is a beautiful and elegant tongue. Learning a newlanguageisnevereasy,butifyouhavethedesire(orpossiblythenecessity)tocontinuethisundertaking,herearesometipstohelpyoualong.Themoreimmersedyouareinthelanguage,thefasterandeasieryouwilllearn.Ifyouareliving(evenforashorttime)inaGerman-speakingenvironment,youwillhavealegup,butit takesabitofdiscipline.Asfrustratingasitcanbeattimes,trytoonlywatchtelevisionandlistentotheradioinGerman.Concentrateatfirstondistinguishingsounds,thenwords.Thisiseasiersaidthandone! Even though the letters (or most of them, anyway) are the same as inEnglish,theyoftensomehowmanagetosounddifferentcomingoutof“foreign”mouths. Sounds are made in slightly different positions in the mouth, which,whilethey’rebasicallythesamesounds,they’renotquiteaseasytorecognize.Thiswillmake itsound like theotherperson isspeakingveryquickly,but thetruthisthatyouaresimplylisteningslowly,duetothefactthatyou’rehavingtomatch the sounds they’remakingwith the soundsyou’re expecting, andwhentheydon’tmatchexactlyitcausesyoutohavetoworkharder.Don’t feelbad ifyoucan’tunderstandeveryword,or even ifyoumisswordsthatyou thinkyou shouldhavecaught.Whenyou’re learninga language,youare listening toevery sound, trying to separateout eachword, and translate it.Whenyouarefluent,youdon’tneedtodothat.Youcan“guess”atawordbyonly hearing a portion of it, so it isn’t necessary to hear the whole word tounderstandit.So since your listening skills are being strained, it’s counterproductive (andextremelyfrustrating!)totrytocatcheveryword.Instead,focusonpickingoutaword here and there. It doesn’tmatter if you can’t follow every conversation.Learningtorecognizeindividualwordsisagoodwaytospeedupyourlisteningskillsandyou’llfindthatitwon’tbetoolongbeforeyougraduatetobeingabletounderstandwholesentences.If you don’t live in a German-speaking place where it will be always in thebackground, you can still immerse yourself to a small degree. Find Germanvideosonline,GermanmusicoreBooks.Itismucheasiertodaythaniteverhas

beenbeforetofindresourcesforspokenGerman,andthemoreyoulisten,evenifyou’renotconsciously learning, the fasteryou’llbeable topick itup in thelongrun.Another way to improve your skills, specifically in vocabulary and sentencebuilding,istocopy(preferablybyphysicallywritingthemout)Germanstoriesornewsarticles(orlessons).WritingGermansentenceswillgiveyouafeelfortheflowwhileteachingyouwordendingsandvocabulary.Don’tforgettostopand read the sentences out loud so you can practice your pronunciation at thesametime!It’salsoimportanttogetinthehabitofanalyzingsentencesasyou’rereading or copying them.You don’twant to do it necessarilywith everythingyouread(oryou’llquicklyloseyourdesiretocontinue),butmakesureyousetasidesometimetogothrougheachwordandselectsentences toquizyourselfonwhatendingsthereare,whatcasesthewordsarein,whythewordorderisthewayitis,etc.Themoreanalyticalyoucanbe,themoreitwillmakesensetoyouandtheless“unnatural”itwillfeeltospeak.It probablywon’t feel like it’s going as quickly as you’d like. Languages areincredibly complicated things with thousands of words to memorize, not tomention wrapping your mind around pronoun endings, tenses, and whichprepositionsgowithwhichcase.Whenspeaking,ifyou’reunsureofawordoraconjugation,it’sbettertotossintheEnglishwordthantohalttheconversationwhileyoulookitup.Yourlistenerswillprobablyeitherunderstandorbeabletoguesswhatyoumeant,andwillmost likelyeitherprovide thewordforyouorsimply ignore the switch. The important thing is to be able tomake yourselfunderstood, not to be perfect. You forgive non-native English speakers whenthey make a mistake, so allow yourself some lapses as well. They are morelikelytorespectyourcommitmenttolearningthantoderideyourblunders.Youmayfeellikeyou’rewastingyourtimeandyou’llnevergetthere,buttakeheart.Afterall,ifsmallchildrencanlearnGerman,surelyyoucantoo!

GermanShortStories

8EasytoFollowStorieswithEnglish

TranslationforEffectiveGermanLearningExperience

TableofContentsIntroductionChapterOne:DaisyMacbethChapterTwo:DieAndernacherBäckersjungen(TheAndernacherBakerBoy)ChapterThree:EinkaufenimSupermarkt(ShoppingintheSupermarket)ChapterFour:UnserHaus(OurHouse)ChapterFive:DieSuchenachLorna(TheSearchforLorna)ChapterSix:DerHausvater(TheHouseholder)Chapter Seven: Das Reiterbild in Düsseldorf (The Equestrian Picture inDusseldorf)ChapterEight:DerPfannkuchen(ThePancake)Conclusion

©Copyright2018byDaveSmith—Allrightsreserved.ThefollowingeBookisreproducedbelowwiththegoalofprovidinginformation that is as accurate and reliable as possible. Regardless,purchasingthiseBookcanbeseenasconsenttothefactthatboththepublisher and the author of this book are in noway experts on thetopicsdiscussedwithinandthatanyrecommendationsorsuggestionsthat are made herein are for entertainment purposes only.Professionalsshouldbeconsultedasneededpriortoundertakinganyoftheactionendorsedherein.Thisdeclaration isdeemed fair andvalidbyboth theAmericanBarAssociation and the Committee of Publishers Association and islegallybindingthroughouttheUnitedStates.Furthermore, the transmission,duplicationor reproductionof anyofthefollowingworkincludingspecificinformationwillbeconsideredanillegalactirrespectiveofifitisdoneelectronicallyorinprint.Thisextends to creating a secondary or tertiary copy of the work or arecordedcopyandisonlyallowedwithanexpressedwrittenconsentfromthePublisher.Alladditionalrightsreserved.The information in the following pages is broadly considered to betruthfulandaccurateaccountoffacts,andassuchanyinattention,useormisuseoftheinformationinquestionbythereaderwillrenderanyresultingactionssolelyundertheirpurview.Therearenoscenariosinwhichthepublisherortheoriginalauthorofthisworkcanbeinanyfashion deemed liable for any hardship or damages thatmay befallthemafterundertakinginformationdescribedherein.

Additionally,theinformationinthefollowingpagesisintendedonlyforinformationalpurposesandshouldthusbethoughtofasuniversal.Asbefittingitsnature,itispresentedwithoutassuranceregardingitsprolongedvalidityorinterimquality.Trademarksthatarementionedaredonewithoutwrittenconsentandcaninnowaybeconsideredanendorsementfromthetrademarkholder.

IntroductionCongratulations on downloadingGerman Short Stories , and thankyoufordoingso.TheGermanlanguageisaveryfascinatinglanguagethat isatonce incrediblyusefulandfeasible formostnativeEnglishspeakers to learn. In downloading this book, the reader can gain anadvantageintheircommunicationskillsandcanalsobenefitfromtheinnumerableneurobiologicaladvantageswhichcomewith learningasecond language. The stories featured in this book are at once veryentertaining and extremely meaningful, while the tips andgrammatical notes featured in each chapter are a potentiallyirreplaceableassettoanyambitiousreadertryingtolearntheGermanlanguage.The following chapters will feature eight selected short stories,presentedfirstintheiroriginalGermantextsfollowedbytheirEnglishtranslations. Finally, each chapter closes offwith some grammaticalandcriticalnotesonthetexts.Thepurposeofthefirsttwopartsistoprovide comparative texts for the readerwho is attempting to learnGerman. The last section provides the reader with educationalresourcesfordecipheringall the technicaldetailsof the texts.Italsooffersbriefplotoutlines.The mention of the German short story genre may harken theeducated reader back to the stereotypically doldrum nature of TheGrimm’s Fairy Tales or other similar collections, but none of suchstories have been included in this book. The tales featured here arewrittenonamorecontemporarynote,making themmoreusefulandrelevant to themodern reader and learner. Itmay be noted that theobjective of this book is to provide the most relevant informationpossibletothecasualandmodernlearner.Inthisbook,youwillfindnone of the esoteric verbiages meant for the professional linguist’s

consumption.Tothatend,thisbookwillprovideinformationusefulforthebeginnerorintermediatelearner.Itisalsoanentertainingdepositoryofsomeofthebetter literaturethat theGermanpeoplehavetooffer;abigtask,but one which has been undertaken regardless. As was mentionedbefore,thisbookincludeseightGermanshortstories.Theirtitlesareas follows: “Daisy Macbeth” by Crystal Jones, “Die AndernacherBäckersjungen” by H.A. Guerber, “Einkaufen im Supermarkt”(Anonymous),“UnserHaus”(Anonymous),“DieSucheNachLorna”byCrystalJones,“DerHausvater”byH.A.Guerber,“DasReiterbildin Düsseldorf” by H.A. Guerber, and “Der Pfannkuchen” by H.A.Guerber.

ChapterOne:DaisyMacbethGermantext:DaisyschautedieKleiderimSchaufenstervonBronzettisLieblingseismitdreiGeschmacksrichtungen.SiegingnieindenLaden,ihrePreisewarenzuhochfürsie.“Ich muss zugeben, dass italienische Stile sehr nett sind, aber manmuss ziemlich schlank sein, um in sie hineinzukommen,” Daisymurmeltevorsichhin.Eswarnichtso,dassDaisy fettwar, siewardurchschnittlich groß, aber sicherlich nicht hauchdünn, wie diemeistenModelle.Siesagtezusichselbst:“Mm,dieserZweiteileristeinschönerSchatten.”HinterihremRückenhörtsie:“Kay,ichhabenichterwartet,dichhierzusehen—oh,sorry,dubistnichtKay,oder?”Daisy drehte sich um, um zu sehen,wermit ihr sprach. Eswar einziemlich schäbig aussehen der, bärtiger Mann im Alter von etwafünfzig Jahren. Er war eindeutig afrikanischen Ursprungs und hatteeinen starken südlichen Akzent. Trotz seiner Kleidung trug er eineBrille einer berühmten italienischen Marke, von der Daisy wusste,dasssieextremteuerwar.“Nein,inderTat.”Daisywaresnichtgewohnt,mittenaufderHighStreetgeplaudertzuwerdenundinRichtungihrerLieblingseisdielezulaufen.“BitteentschuldigenSie,Miss…äh,ichbinFilmregisseurinund…”

“Nein,danke,ichbinnichtinteressiert.AufWiedersehen.”“Nein, du verstehst nicht. Das bin ich wirklich. Ich bin LawrenceBaker,”sagtederMannDaisy inderHoffnung,dassdieErwähnungseinesNamensseinseltsamesVerhaltenerklärenwürde.“UndichbinPrivatdetektiv!”erwiderteDaisy.“Oh, das spielt keine Rolle, du wirst genau das Gleiche tun,”antworteteLawrence.Daisywarziemlichgutdarin, lästigeLeuteloszuwerden,aberdiesesMal war sie ein wenig neugierig, was hinter dieser Art vonBeharrlichkeitsteckt.“NennenSiemichLawrence,”fügtederMannhinzu.“Fallsdunochnievonmirgehörthast,ichhabeeineBesetzungvonTheTempestinHarleminszeniert.”Daisyliebtees,ShakespeareaufderLeinwandzusehenundhattedenFilmtatsächlichgesehen.“Ichmochte deinenFilm sehr, aber ichbinnichtKayund…oh, duhast nicht von Kay Bartok gesprochen, der kanadischenSchauspielerininMacbeth,oder?Dashastduauchgemacht,oder?”“Ja,”LawrenceBakerlächelte.DaisyhatteseinenTaggemacht.“Ichfürchte, meine Filme machen nicht viel Geld, aber es macht mirFreude, eine Engländerin sagen zu hören, dass ihrmindestens einerdavongefallenhat.AberzurückzumGeschäft.IchhieltSiefürKay.Und ich hatte eine wunderbare Idee.Möchtest du für den Rest derWocheihrDoublesein?”Daisywarfassungslos.Mr.Lawrencefuhrfort: “Dein Gesicht ist nicht genau wie ihres, aber du hast einen

identischen Körperbau und nur die gleichen langen hellbraunenHaare.Weißt du,Kay, ist etwas heruntergekommenund sie brauchtdringendeinePause.DieSacheistdie,dasssieindennächstenTagenvieleEngagementshat,dennwirsindhier,umunserenneuestenFilmBacktotheJunglewithaModemzupromoten.”“Nun, ich agiere wirklich nicht als Beruf—zumindest manchmal,wennicheinenFalluntersuche,aber…”sagteDaisy.“Schau,warumtrinkenwirnichteineTasseKaffeedadrüben,”wiesLawrence auf einCafé auf der anderenStraßenseite hin. “Kay trifftmichindiesemLaden,weilsiezuersteinkaufengehenwollte.Schau,daistsie,gehtjetztindenCoffee-Shop.”Lawrence war der gesprächige Typ, der nie ein Nein als Antwortakzeptierenwürde,undDaisywarziemlichfasziniertvonderganzenSache, ihr war nie eine solche Gelegenheit geboten worden, alsobeschloss sie, Kay Bartok zu treffen. Als sie der Schauspielerinvorgestellt wurde, sah Daisy, dass ihre Gesichtszüge anders warenund dass Kay Bartok mindestens fünfzehn Jahre älter war, aberkörperlichwaren sie sich tatsächlich sehr ähnlich.KayBartok hatteeinenstarkenkanadischenAkzent.“SiesindalsoeinPrivatdetektiv,MissHamilton.Wieinteressant.DumusstdichvonZeitzuZeitinsehrgefährlicheSituationenbringen.”Daisy fand Gefallen an dieser liebenswürdigen Dame, die dieMenschen ansah, als ob sie sich aufrichtig für das interessierte,wassiesagten.“Kay, was meinst du, Miss Hamilton könnte ein schweres Augen-Make-up auftragen, einenGesichtsschutz-Hut tragen und genauwieduaussehen.”

“EinenMoment,Mr. Baker, ich arbeite als Privatdetektiv und nichtalsFilm-Doppelgänger…”“Schau, Daisy, wir könnten dich bezahlen, als ob du etwasuntersuchen würdest. Du würdest uns einen großen Gefallen tun,”Lawrencebestanddarauf.Daisyzögerte:Siehatte indiesemMomentnureinenFall zurHandundsokonntesieeinigeBüromöbelbezahlen,diesielangeZeitsehrdringend gebraucht hatte. Berge von Akten waren überall, und ihrFaxgerätfunktioniertenicht.“Nun”—antwortetesie—“IchwolltegeradeinUrlaubfahren,aberichkonnteesfüreinpaarTageverschieben.”LawrenceBakerlächeltetriumphierend:“Kay,dugehstlosundruhstdichdienächstenTageaus,und ichnehmeDaisymitzudenPartysundMittagessen,zudenendugehenwürdest.”KayBartoksaherleichtertaus.“IchdankeIhnen,MissHamilton,undich hoffe, wenn ich das nächste Mal vorbeikomme, kann ich SiebesuchenundwirkönneneineschöneZeitzusammenverbringen.”AmnächstenMorgenfandsichDaisyineinerHotelsuitewiederundMr.BakerhalfihrbeimSchminken.Daisywaretwasverwirrt.“Aber Miss Bartok ist älter als ich! Werden die Leute das nichtbemerken?UndwasistmitihremAkzent?Ichklingenichtwiesie.”Lawrencelachte.“MachdirkeineSorgen,Daisy.Kayistbekanntfürihr klassisches Bühnen—und Filmschauspiel, sie hat in Londonstudiert, sie klingt englisch und die meisten Leute denken sowieso,

dass sie Englisch ist. Dass Kay älter ist als du, sieht sie in ihrenFilmennichtsoaus!”DaisynahmdenMutanderHandundfandheraus,dasssiedenRestder Woche unheimlich viel Spaß hatte. Sie trug schöne Kleidung,eröffnete ein Fest, hatte unglaubliches Essen in wunderbarenRestaurantsrundumdasHerzvonLondonundverdientefünfhundertPfund. Lawrencewar einer der angenehmstenMenschen,mit denensiejegearbeitethat.Es gab nur ein Problem—leider hatte sie vier Pfund zugenommen!Zurück in ihremBüro lasDaisydieZeitungendurch, die sie indenletzten Tagen nicht gelesen hatte. Eine Boulevardzeitung las: “KayBartok eröffnet ein Fest im Herzen Englands, um Geld für eineWohltätigkeitsorganisation für Multiple Sklerose zu sammeln. FastdasDoppeltedererwartetenSummewurdedankdemCharmediesergroßenSchauspieleringespendet.Eswurdefestgestellt,dasssiesehrgutaussah,undnochjünger,alssieaussah,alssieLadyMacbeth inLawrenceBaker’sFilmspielte.Siesagtebescheiden,dasssiehofft,inihrer nächstenRolle noch besser zu spielen und dass sie englischesEissehrmag!”

Englishtext:Whilehavinganicethree-flavoricecream,DaisygazedattheclothespastthedisplaywindowofBronzetti’s.Shecouldnevergoinsidetheshopthough;theirpricesweretoohighforher.“I must admit that Italian styles are very nice, but you have to beprettyslimtogetintothem,”Daisymused.Shewasbynomeansfat,butnorwassheskinny.Shehadacompletelyaveragebuild.Standingthere,shethought:“My,doesn’tthattwo-piecehavealovelycolor.”Behindher,shehears:“Kay,Iwasn’texpectingtofindyouherethisearly—oh,excuseme,Idon’tthinkyou’reKay,butperhapsyouare?”Daisy looked behind her to see whose voice it was that she washearing. It was a somewhat rough-looking, bearded man whoappearedtobearoundfiftyyearsofage.Hehadadarkcomplectionandsoundedlikehewasfromoneofthesouthernstates.Despitehowmodesthisclothinglooked,hewassportingafamousmakeofItaliandesignerglasses,onessheknewtobeextremelyexpensive.“No,indeed.”BeingsuddenlyspokentoonHighStreetwasnotsomethingshewasused to, and she made to walk off toward her favourite ice creamshop.“Pleaseexcuseme,Miss…er,yousee,I’mafilmdirectorand…”“No,thankyou,I’mnotinterested.Goodbye.”“No, you don’t understand. I really am. I’mLawrenceBaker,” saidthemantoDaisy,hopingthatthementionofhisnamewouldexplain

hisstrangebehavior.“AndI’maprivateinvestigator!”Daisyretorted.“Oh,thatdoesn’tmatter,you’lldojustthesame,”repliedLawrence.Daisywasfairlygoodatshakingoffpeoplewholookliketrouble,butLawrence’spersistencewasmakinghermoreandmorecurious.“My name is Lawrence,” the man went on. “Look, in case you’veneverheardofme,Idirectedanall-HarlemcastofTheTempest.”DaisyhadseenShakespeareonfilmandhad loved it.“Well, I likedyourfilmimmensely,butI’mnotKayand…oh,youweren’ttalkingaboutKayBartok, theCanadianactress inMacbeth,wereyou?Thatwasalsoyourfilm,wasitnot?“Yes, itwas,”LawrenceBaker answeredwith an amicable smile. Itwould seemDaisy had made him so very happy. “While my filmsmake very little money, it still gives me pleasure to hear anEnglishwomansayingsheenjoyedat leastoneof them.Butback tobusiness.ImistookyouforKay.AndI’vehadawonderfulidea.Howwouldyouliketobeherdoublefortherestoftheweek?”DaisywasnonplussedwhileMr.Lawrencewentonspeaking:“Whileyour face is somewhat dissimilar to hers, you still have a nearlyidentical build and very similar long brown hair. You know, Kaydeservesawell-neededrest.Shehasbeengettingabitrundownlately.She is supposed to be very busy for the next few dayswith lots ofengagements regarding the promotion of our new film Back to theJunglewithaModem.”“Well, I really don’t act as a profession—at least, I do sometimes

whenI’minvestigatingacase,but…”Daisysaid.“Look, why don’t we have a cup of coffee over there,” Lawrencepointedtowardasmallcaféonthenearbystreetcorner.“Kayisgoingtothatshoptomeetmebecauseshewantedtodosomeshoppingfirst.Look,theresheis,goingintothecoffeeshopnow.”Lawrencewasaveryvolublepersonwhowouldseldomtakenoasananswer,andDaisystarted tobecomevery intriguedby thenatureoftheevents; shehadneverbeenofferedanopportunityquite like thisone. And thus, she andKay Bartokmet.When she and the actresswere finally introduced, Daisy noticed that the two had differentfeaturesandthatKayBartokappearedtobearoundfifteenyearsolderthanshe.Butphysically,theysharedlotsofsimilarities.KayBartok’saccentwasastrongCanadianone.“Soyou’reaprivateeye,MissHamilton.Howveryinteresting.Youmustfindyourselfgettingintoverydangeroussituationsfromtimetotime.”Daisy liked this ladybecauseshecouldseegenuine interest inwhatwassaidaroundherinhereyes.“Kay, what do you think? Miss Hamilton could put on heavy eyemakeupandwearaface-coveringhatandshewouldlookexactlylikeyou.”“Justaminute,Mr.Baker, Iworkasaprivateeyeandnotasafilmdouble…”“Look, Daisy, we could pay you just as if you were investigatingsomething.Youwouldbedoingusagreatfavor,”Lawrenceinsisted.

Daisyhesitated;sheneededtopayoffsomeofficefurnitureforquitesometimeandthislookedlikethequickestroutetodoingso.Herfaxmachine had stopped working and there were mountains of fileseverywhere.“Well”—shereplied—“Iwasjustgoingonholiday,butIcouldputitoffforafewdays.”Lawrence Baker smiled triumphantly: “Kay, you go off and have arest for thenext fewdays, and I’ll takeDaisy roundwithme to thepartiesandlunchesyouwouldbegoingto.”Kay Bartok appeared to be relieved. “I want to thank you, MissHamilton,andIhopethenexttimeIcomeover,Icanlookyouupandwecanhaveagoodtimetogether.”Early the followingday,DaisyandMr.Bakerwere inahotel roomstartingDaisy’smakeup.Shewasalittleconfused.“ButMissBartokisolderthanIam!Won’tpeoplenotice?Andwhataboutheraccent?Isoundnothinglikeher.”Lawrence laughed. “Don’tworry,Daisy.Kay iswell-known for herstageandfilmclassicalacting.ShestudiedinLondon,youknow?ShesoundsEnglish,andmostpeople thinksheisEnglishanyway.AstothefactthatKayisolderthanyou,shedoesn’tlookverymucholderthanyouinherfilms!”Daisy acted very courageously for the remainder of the week andfound that she was enjoying herself immensely. She got to wearbeautiful clothes, opened a fête, and had great food in lots of greatrestaurants all around London’s center, and all while earning fivehundredpounds.Lawrenceindeedhadbeenoneofthemostpleasant

peopleshehadeverworkedwith.The one problem that she faced was that she now weighed fourpoundsheavierthanbefore.Uponreturningtoheroffice,Daisybeganperusing the newspapers she hadn’t paid attention to these last fewdays.Shecameacrossatabloidarticlewhichread:“KayBartokopensfêteintheheartofEnglandtocollectmoneyforamultiplesclerosischarity. Nearly double the sum expectedwas donated thanks to thecharmof thisgreatactress. Itwasnoticedthatshe lookedverywell,and even younger than she had looked when she played LadyMacbethinLawrenceBaker’sfilm.ShemodestlysaidthatshehopestoactevenbetterinhernextroleandthatshelikesEnglishicecreamverymuch!”

Notes:It’salwaysnicetoreadastoryaboutsomeoneelse’sexperiencethatisso far divorced frommost people’s realities, it almost makes one’sheadspin.Inthisfunandveryreadableanecdote,wecaughtaglimpseat what is perhaps the more casual side of show-business, thevicissitudesofadirector’sday-to-dayroutine.Thetextisbrief,butitalsorunsverybusilyalong.ThereaderisputonevengroundwithDaisy in that the readerhas continualpressureputonthemthroughout thenarrative.Theauthordoesagreat jobofmaintainingnarrativedrive throughout thepiece,althoughitpandersoffsomewhatneartheend.Buttheplotaside,let’snowtakealookatthegrammaticalsideofthings.Let’s start by comparing the first paragraphs of both of thesetranslations.Oneofthefirstthingsthatwecantakenoteofisthefactthatweareinthepasttenseandwillcontinuetobefortheremainderof the text. German verbs in this tense can usually be conjugatedeasily.Let’s take a look at some personal pronouns in English along withtheirGerman translations toget abetter ideaofhow todecipher allthesewildnewverbsthatarebeingthrownatus:

EnglishGermanIIch/IYouDuHeEr/eSheSiItEs/sWeMir

You(plural)Ir/rThey(formal)Si

Theveryfirstverbinthestoryislooking:“Daisywaslooking…”Thisisapastcontinuousformoflook.TogetabetterideaofGermanverbconjugation,wewillnowconjugate thepast continuous tenseof theverb“look”inEnglishandinGerman:

EnglishGermanI-waslookingIch/I-IchschauteYou-werelookingDu-DuhastgesuchtHe-waslookingEr/e-ErhatgeschautShe-waslookingSi-SieschautIt-waslookingEs/s-EssahausWe-werelookingMir-MirhabengesuchtYou(pl)-werelookingIr/r-IhralleguckteuchanThey(fr)-werelookingSi-Siehabengesucht

Thesearehowthey’reconjugatedinthepresenttense:

EnglishGermanI-lookIch/I-ichschaueYou-lookDu-SiesehenHe-looksEr/e-ersiehtausShe-looksSi-SiesiehtausIt-looksEs/s-essiehtausWe-lookMir-wirschauenYou(pl)-lookIr/r-SiesehenalleausThey(fr)-lookSi-Siegucken

These resources combined should be a valuable asset to usmovingforward.

Chapter Two: Die AndernacherBäckersjungen(TheAndernacherBakerBoy)Germantext:DieAndernacher,dieBewohnervonAndernach,schlafenbisspät indenTaghinein,undamMorgensinddieBäckerdieeinzigen,diefrühaufstehen, damit das frische Brot zum Frühstück fertig ist. Es gabeinmal einen Krieg zwischen Andernach und Linz, so dass dieseStädteauchheutenochnichtglücklichmiteinandersind.DadieLinzersehrgutwussten,dassdieAndernacherlangeschliefen,beschlossen sie, die Stadt früh am Morgen anzugreifen. Alle ihrePläne waren sehr gut gemacht, und sie glaubten, sie würdengewinnen.UmMitternachtverließensieLinzund fuhren ruhignachAndernach,wo sie sich frühaufdenWegmachten,undzwardurchdenunkontrolliertenTurmderStadt. InderZwischenzeit backtedieMorgen Bäckerei ihr Brot, und als ihreArbeit beendet war, setztensichdieBäckerhin,umeinNickerchenzumachen.Als Linzer sich der Stadt näherte, schliefen alle Bewohner, bis aufzwei Bäcker. Sie waren nicht allein. Sie gingen leise aus ihrenHäusern,weil sie dieThoraxBeuten auf demTurm entdeckten undden herrlichen Honig probieren wollten. Ohne Lärm zu machen,stiegensiedieTreppedesTurmshinauf,undalssieankamen,hieltensieanundnahmeneinschönesStückHonig.SoforthörtendieJungseinkleinesGeräusch.“Ah!”flüsterteeinerzumanderen.“DieWachekommt!Erwirdunsbestrafen.”

Der andere hörte demLärm zu und sagte nach einemMoment: “Eskann nicht dieWache sein.Er hat geschlafen!Erwürde dieTreppehochgehen. Der Lärm kommt nicht von der Treppe! Es scheint dadraußenzusein.”Leise, sehr leise,weil er nicht beimHonigKlauen erwischtwerdenwollte,gingermiteinemneugierigenGesichtsausdruckandenRanddes Turms. Da waren die Linzer, alle bewaffnet, und die Kindersahen, dass sie ihre Leiter aufstellen wollten, um in die Stadt zugelangenunddieschlafendenBewohnerzuhetzen.Die Bäcker, die die Gefahr für einen Moment hätten begreifenkönnen, hatten ihren Moment verpasst. Was sollen sie tun? SiekonntennichtschnellgenugaufwachenundhattenkeineWaffen,umdenFeindzubrechen.SofortdachteeinBäckerandenBienenkorb.Erwindet sich leise zu seinen Kameraden. Dann hoben sie den Korbvorsichtig an, brachten ihn an denRand des Turms undwarfen ihnsofortaufdenamFußedesTurmsversammeltenLinzer.InFallenzerbrachderBienenkorb inStückeund flogwildeBienen,diedenLinzerbis sie laut schrien.WährenddieaufgeregtenBienendenStadtturmverteidigten, stürztendieBäcker dieTreppehinunter,zogen schnell zumRathaus, läuteten die großeGlocke undwecktenalleausihremlangenMorgenschlaf.AllegingennunzumTurm,umdie bedrohte Stadt zu verteidigen, aber ihre Hilfe war nicht mehrnötig, da die Bienen so aggressiv waren, dass die Linzer in Eilegeflohenwaren.In Dankbarkeit liefen die Andernacher nach Bildern der beidenBäckerjungen und brachten sie unter den Stadtturm, den sie so gutverteidigt hatten. Sie sind hier noch zu sehen,weil die anderen dasHelganthatnochnichtvergessenhabenundoftvondemglücklichenEingreifenderBäckerjungensprechen.DieLinzerkamenniezurück,

um die Stadt zu überstürzen, und sie sagen noch heute, dass dieBienen die Stadt am frühenMorgen bewachen, damit der Rest derStadtschlafenkann.

Englishtext:TheAndernacher,theresidentsofAndernach,sleeplateintotheday,andinthemorning,thebakersaretheonlyoneswhowakeupearlysothatthefreshbreadwillbereadyforbreakfast.TherewasonceawarbetweenAndernachandLinz,sothesecitiesarestillnothappywithoneanothertoday.Because the Linzer knew verywell that theAndernacher slept late,they decided to attack the city early in themorning at one point intime.Alltheirplanswereverywelllaid,andtheybelievedtheyweregoing to win. At midnight, they left Linz and went quietly toAndernach,where theymade theirwayearlyandeasily to thecity’sunchecked tower.Meanwhile, themorningbakersbaked theirbread,and when their work was finished, the bakers sat down to enjoy amorningnap.When Linzer approached the city, all the inhabitants were asleep,exceptfor twobakers.Theyweren’talone.Theywentquietlyoutoftheirhomesbecausetheydiscoveredthethoraxhivesonthetowerandwantedtotrythesplendidhoney.Withoutmakingnoise,theyclimbedthestairsofthetower,andwhentheyarrived,theystopped,takinganicepieceofhoney.Atonce,theboysheardalittlenoise.“Ah!”whisperedone to theother.“Theguard’scoming!He’sgoingtopunishus.”Theotheronelistenedtothenoiseandsaidafteramoment:“Itcan’tbe the guard. He has been asleep! Hewould get up the stairs. Thenoiseisn’tcomingfromthestairs!Itseemstobeoutthere.”Quietly, very quietly, because he didn’t want to be caught stealinghoney,hewent to theedgeof the tower,acurious lookonhis face.

ThereweretheLinzer,allarmed,andthekidssawthattheywantedtoset up their ladder to get into the town and rush the sleepinginhabitants.Thebakers,whohadamomenttograspthedanger,hadmissedtheirmoment to do so. What should they do? They couldn’t wake upquicklyenoughandhadnoweapons tobreak theenemy.Atonce,abaker thought about the bee basket. He winded quietly to hiscomrades.Theythenliftedthebasketcarefully,broughtittotheedgeofthetower,andthrewitallontotheLinzergatheredatthefootofthetower.In their traps, the bee basket broke into pieces andwild bees flew,stinging the Linzer until they cried aloud. While the excited beesdefended the city tower, the bakers rushed down the stairs, movedquicklytotherathaus,tolledthebigbell,andwokeeveryoneupfromtheirlongmorningsleep.Everyonenowwenttothetowertodefendthe threatened city, but their helpwas no longer necessary, becausethebeeshadbeensoaggressivethattheLinzerhadfledinhaste.Ingratitude, the inhabitantsofAndernachranout forpicturesof thetwo baker’s boys, and they brought them under the city tower thatthey had defended sowell. They can still be seen here because theothers have not forgotten theHelganthat yet and often speak of thehappyinterventionof thebaker’sboys.TheLinzernevercamebacktorushthecity,andtheystillsaynowadaysthatthebeesareguardingthecityearlyinthemorningsothattherestofthetowncansleep.

Notes:Thisisaratherstrangetextthattakesusbacktoatimewhentheterm“warfare” had an entirely differentmeaning than it does today. It isexciting,nonetheless,tothinkofcitiesenclosedbyenormoustowers,anentiretownonthesamesleepingschedule,andthedefensivelineof a hive of bees all in one setting; it is a much-welcome andrefreshingbreakfromtherealitiesofmodernwarfare.This is a great story, and perhaps one of the more entertainingremembrances of the wars fought in our past. Another lens, andmaybeamorepersonalorusefulone,toreadthisstorythroughisthatofabildungsromanfeaturingacoupleofbaker’sboyswhosedutyithasbecometodefend theirhometownagainsta foreignmilitia.Thiscouldbeinteresting,buttheplotdoesn’tdelveintoanygreaterdetailabouttheboys—oranyofthecharacters,forthatmatter.One thing that differentiates this story from a number of the otherstories in this book is its more highly developed and broadlypronounced narrative arc. It starts off small, like a crack in a dam,withthetownasawholesleepingin.Then,itgrowsintoataleofanarmytryingtoscalethetowerdefendingthetown,justasifthedamisstarting,littlebylittle,togiveway.Finally,thedambreaksandfloodstheentireareaasthebeesfendoff theinvaders.Afterwards, thereisfinally,presumably,peace.As farasgrammar isconcerned, thiswouldbeasgoodofa timeasany to go over definite and indefinite article inflections inGerman.They are very important tools for learning any language and arerelevantthroughouteverytextfeaturedinthisbook.Theseinflectionsare differentiated by their gender—masculine (M), feminine (F),neuter(N),plural(P)—below:

DefiniteArticleInflection(the)Nominative(the):Der(Mas),Die(Fem),Das(Neu),Die(Plu)Accusative(the):Den(M),Die(F),Das(N),Die(P)Genitive(the):Des+s(M),Der(F),Des+s(N),Der(P)Dative(the):Dem(M),Der(F),Dem(N),Den+m(P)IndefiniteArticleInflections(a,an)Nominative(a,an):Ein(Mas),Eine(Fem),Ein(Neu)Accusative(a,an):Einen(M),Eine(F),Ein(N)Genitive(a,an):Eines+s(M),Einer(F),Eines+s(N)Dative(a,an):Einem(M),Einer(F),Einem(N)Whilepersonalpronounsweretouchedoninthenotessectionofthepreviouschapter, theywereonlyinthepresenttenseandwerelistedwithnomentionofgender.Wewouldberemissnottoexploresomeof thevarious formsof thesepronouns,whichmayevenexceed theaforementionedarticleinflections(listedabove)inimportance.Below are singular and plural personal pronouns, translated fromGerman to English in this case, in their nominative, accusative,genitive,anddativevariations.SingularTenseNominative:Ich(I),Du(you),Er(he),Sie(she),Es(it)Accusative:Mich(me),Dich(you),Ihn(him),Sie(her),Es(it)Genitive:Mein,Meine (my,mine);Dein,Deine (your, yours); Sein,Seine(his);Ihr,Ihre(her,hers);Sein,Seine(its)Dative:Mir(me),Dir(you),Ihm(him),Ihr(her),Ihm(it)PluralTense

Nominative:Wir(we),Ihr(you),Sie(they),Sie(you)Accusative:Uns(us),Euch(you),Sie(them),Sie(you)Genitive:Unser,Unsere(our,ours);Eure,Euer(your,yours);Ihr,Ihre(their,theirs);Ihr,Ihre(your,yours)Dative:Uns(us),Euch(you),Ihnen(them),Ihnen(you)

Chapter Three: Einkaufen im Supermarkt(ShoppingintheSupermarket)Germantext:FrauMeiergehteinesTagesindenSupermarkt.IhrMannistnichtzuHause und sie nimmt den Bus. An der Bushaltestelle trifft sie ihreFreundinFrauSchmidt.FrauSchmidtwillauchindenSupermarkt.FrauMeier:“Dasisttoll!Dannkönnenwirzusammenfahren!”Frau Schmidt: “Ja, das könnenwir.Und danach könnenwirKaffeetrinken und Kuchen essen. Im Café neben dem Supermarkt gibt eseinensehrgutenKuchen.”FrauMeier:“GuteIdee!”FrauMeierundFrauSchmidtgehenzusammenindenSupermarkt.FrauMeier:“IchbraucheTomaten.MeinMannwilleinenSalat.IchnehmezehnTomaten.”Frau Schmidt: “Tomaten sind gut. Ich kaufe fünf Tomaten. Es gibtauchSalat.”FrauMeier nimmt keinenSalat.Aber sie nimmt zweiGurken. FrauMeierkauftaucheinKiloZwiebeln.FrauSchmidtwillBrotkaufen.FrauMeier:“DasBrothieristnichtsehrschön,obwohlichesimmernoch in der Bäckerei kaufe. Aber die Schokolade hier ist gut. Eskostetnur50Cent.Ichglaube,ichnehmedreiTafelnSchokolade.”

Frau Schmidt: “Es gibt ein weiteres Sonderangebot. MineralwasserundOrangensaftsindbillig.”FrauMeier:“IchhabeOrangensaftzuHause.Aber ichbrauche fünfFlaschenMineralwasser.”FrauSchmidtkauftnurdreiFlaschenMineralwasser.FrauMeierundFrauSchmidtgehendannzurKasse.DanachgehensieinsCafe.FrauSchmidt trinkt eine Tasse Tee, Frau Meier bevorzugt Kaffee. SiebestellenzweiStückeSchokoladenkuchenundnehmendanndenBusnachHause.

Englishtext:Mrs.Meiergoestothesupermarketoneday.Herhusbandisnothome,andshetakesthebus.Atthebusstop,shemeetsherfriendMrs.Schmidt.Mrs.Schmidtalsowantstogotothesupermarket.Mrs.Meier:“That’sgreat!Thenwecandrivetogether!”Mrs.Schmidt:“Yes,wecan.Andafterwards,wecandrinkcoffeeandeatcake.Inthecafénexttothesupermarket,thereisaverygoodcake.”Mrs.Meier:“Goodidea!”Mrs.MeierandMrs.Schmidtgotothesupermarkettogether.Mrs.Meier:“Ineedtomatoes.Myhusbandwantstohaveasalad.I’lltaketentomatoes.”Mrs. Schmidt: “Tomatoes are good. I’ll buy five tomatoes.There’slettuce,too.”Mrs. Meier does not take lettuce. But she does take twocucumbers.Mrs.Meieralsobuysakiloofonions.Mrs.Schmidtwantstobuybread.Mrs.Meier:“Thebreadhereisnotverynice,thoughIstillbuyitin the bakery. But the chocolate here is good. It costs only 50cents.IthinkIwilltakethreebarsofchocolate.”Mrs.Schmidt:“Thereisanotherspecialoffer.Mineralwaterandorangejuicearecheap.”

Mrs. Meier: “I have orange juice at home. But I do need fivebottlesofmineralwater.”Mrs. Schmidt buys only three bottles of mineral water. Mrs.MeierandMrs.Schmidtthengotothecashregister.Afterwards,theygotothecafe.Mrs.Schmidtdrinksacupoftea,whileMrs.Meier preferred the coffee. They order two pieces of chocolatecake,andthentheytakethebushome.

Notes:Thisbriefselectionismorevaluableinitsutilitythaninitsabilityto entertain. One would be hard-pressed to find such a shortwritingsochock-fullofusefulwordsandphrasestoanearnewtoGerman. It’s like vegetables for one’s body, or Bach for one’sbrain.Themost important andmost easily notable thing that this texthastooffersomeonenewtoGermanisitsfoodterminology.Thefoodsmentionedare listedbelowwith theirGerman translationsinparenthesis:Coffee(Kaffee)Cake(Kuchen)Tomatoes(Tomaten)Salad(Salat)Lettuce(GrünerSalat)Cucumbers(Gurken)Onions(Zwiebeln)Bread(Brot)Chocolate(Schokolade)Mineralwater(Mineralwasser)Orangejuice(Orangensaft)Tea(Tee)

Theotherveryimportanttermsthetextincludesareasfollows:Supermarket(Supermarkt)Bus(Bus)Busstop(Bushaltestelle)Café(Cafe)

Bakery(Bäckerei)Cashregister(Kasse)

ChapterFour:UnserHaus(OurHouse)Germantext:

Ich bin Klara und ich werde Ihnen heute von unserem Hauserzählen.UnserHaus ist sehrgroßundhateineFlächevon250Quadratmetern.Wir haben auch einenGarten. ImGarten habenwir viele Blumen und einige Bäume. Im Garten gibt es immervielzutun.IchhelfemeinenElterngernedabei,denÜberblickzubehalten.Manchmal kommen Freunde und Familie zu uns nach Hause.Wennsieestun,grillenwirimGarten.EsistimmereinelustigeZeit. ImHausgibt eszweiBadezimmer.EinesderBadezimmerist für meine Eltern. Das andere Badezimmer ist für meineSchwesterundmich.Unser Wohnzimmer ist sehr groß und sehr schön. Es gibt einbequemesSofa.NebendemSofahabenwireinenTischundeineLampe. In der Ecke sitzt ein großer Tischmit Stühlen, wowirnormalerweiseessen. InderMittedesRaumesbefindet sicheingroßerTeppich.DerTeppichkommtausdemIran.Esgibtaucheinen Kamin im Wohnzimmer. Das ist eine sehr gemütlicheSacheimWinterundschönwarm.Neben dem Wohnzimmer befindet sich die Küche. Ich magunsereKüchenicht.DieMöbel sind alt und sehrdunkel. InderKüchegibtesaucheinenEsstisch.UnsereFamilieisstaberlieberim Wohnzimmer. In der Küche gibt es einen Geschirrspüler,einen Herd und viele Schränke. Es gibt keineWaschmaschine.DieWaschmaschineistimKeller.

Im ersten Stock befinden sich zwei Kinderzimmer und dasHauptschlafzimmer. Ich finde mein Zimmer schön. Es ist sehrgroßundhatweißeMöbel.

Englishtext:IamKlara,andI’mgoingtotellyouaboutourhousetoday.Ourhouseisverybig,boastinganareaof250squaremeters.Wealsohave a garden. In the garden,we havemany flowers and sometrees.Thereisalwayslotsofhardworktodointhegarden.Iliketohelpmyparentsinkeepingontopofitall.Sometimes,friendsandfamilycometoourhouse.Whentheydo,we cook barbecue in the garden. It’s always a fun time. In thehouse,therearetwobathrooms.Oneofthebathroomsisformyparents.Theotherbathroomisformysisterandme.Ourlivingroomisverybigandverynice.Thereisacomfortablesofa.Nexttothesofa,wehaveatableandalamp.Inthecorner,there sits a large tablewith chairswherewe usually eat. In themiddleoftheroomisalargecarpet.ThecarpetcomesfromIran.There is alsoa fireplace in the living room.This is averycozythingtohaveinwinter,niceandwarm.Next tothelivingroomis thekitchen.Idonot likeourkitchen.Thefurnitureisoldandverydark.Inthekitchen,thereisalsoadiningtable.Ourfamilypreferstoeatinthelivingroom,though.Inthekitchen,thereisadishwasher,alongwithastoveandmanycupboards.Thereisnowashingmachine.Thewashingmachineisinthebasement.On the first floor are two children’s bedrooms and the mainbedroom. I thinkmy room is nice. It is very big and haswhitefurniture.

Notes:This is another example ofwriting that’smore redeeming in itspractical application than in its entertainment value. The mostimportant takeaway of this short writing is its householdterminology. The places in the house that itmentions are listedbelowwiththeirGermantranslationsinparenthesis:Garden(Garten)Bathroom(Bad)Livingroom(Wohnzimmer)Kitchen(Küche)Basement(Keller)Children’sbedroom(Kinderzimmer)Mainbedroom(Hauptschlafzimmer)

Theotherveryimportanttermsthetextincludesareasfollows:

House(Haus)Flowers(Blumen)Trees(Bäume)Table(Tabelle)Lamp(Lampe)Chairs(Stühle)Carpet(Teppich)Fireplace(Karmin)Dishwasher(Geschirrspüler)Stove(Herd)Cupboards(Schränke)Washingmachine(Waschmaschine)Furniture(Möbel)

Chapter Five: Die Suche nach Lorna (TheSearchforLorna)Germantext:Daisy Hamilton war Privatdetektivin. Sie war dreißig Jahre alt undseit zwei JahrenDetektivin. JedenMorgenging sie in ihrBüro, umauf Anrufe zu warten oder die Tür für Kunden zu öffnen, die ihreDienste benötigen. Daisy war noch nicht sehr bekannt, abergelegentlich riefendieLeutesiean,nachdemsiedieAnzeige inderLokalzeitunggesehenhatte.Eines Morgens gegen elf Uhr hört sie jemanden an ihre Bürotürklopfen.EswareinefetteDame,dieeinteuresFellumdenHalstrug.“Hallo, kann ich Ihnen helfen?” fragte Daisy die Dame. “BittekommenSieundsetzenSiesich.”“Oh ja, in der Tat! Ich brauche dringend IhreHilfe,Ms. Hamilton.Lorna,meineKleine ist verschwunden. Ichweiß nicht, was ich tunsoll.”Daisy bot der fetten Dame sofort eine Tasse Instantkaffee an undwartete auf die Details. Die fette Dame setzte sich schwer hin undlegteihregroßeroteLederhandtascheaufDaisysSchreibtisch.“BittesagenSiemiralles—Mrs…?”“Mrs. Edwina Humphries ist mein Name. Ich fürchte, sie werdenmichumGeldbitten—ichfürchte,Lornawurdeentführt!”

“Das ist schrecklich, Mrs. Humphries. Denkt Mr. Humphries auch,dassLornaentführtwurde?”“Mein Mann ist nicht interessiert, ob Lorna entführt wurde odernicht!”“Wirklich, Mrs. Humphries? Aber ist Ihr Mann Lorna’s richtigerVater?”“Ich weiß nicht, was Sie meinen. Wir haben Lorna zusammengekauft,”antworteteFrauHumphries.“Siehaben…Mrs.Humphriesgekauft,dasistillegal.”“Nein,istesnicht,nichtinIndien!”“DuhastLornainIndiengekauft?”“Ja, in der Tat! Und sie hat mir seitdem immer gute Gesellschaftgeleistet.” Frau Humphries öffnete ihre riesige Ledertasche, um einTaschentuchherauszuziehen.MitEntsetzensahDaisyeinezappelndeKreaturausdieserTaschekommen.“Mrs.Humphries—bringenSiedassofortweg!”schrieDaisy.“Was? Oh Lorna—ich habe dich endlich gefunden,” sagte FrauHumphries. “Du hast dich in meiner Tasche versteckt, du bösesMädchen!”“Mrs.Humphries.DasistLorna?”“Ja, unsere bengalische Sumpfschlange. Oh, danke, meine Liebe.Nein,ichglaube,ichbrauchedeineDienstenichtmehr!”

Als Daisy nach Frau Humphries die Tür schloss, machte sie einegeistige Notiz, um in die Anzeige zu schreiben: keine Tiere, keineSchlangen.

Englishtext:DaisyHamiltonwasthirtyyearsoldandhadbeenaprivatedetectiveforthelastcoupleofyears.Everymorning,shewouldgotoherofficetowaitforphonecallsortocometothedoorandreceiveherclients.Daisywasn’tallthatfamousyet,butshedidhavequiteapopularadinthelocalnewspaper;lotsofpeoplephonedherbecauseofit.Onemorning,ataroundeleveno’clock,sheheardaloudknockatherdoor.Itcamefromalargerwoman,andaroundherneck,sheworeanexpensivefur.“Hello,canIhelpyou?”Daisyasked the lady.“Pleasecomeandsitdown.”“Oh,yes,indeed!Ineedyourhelpdesperately,Ms.Hamilton.Lorna,mylittleonehasdisappeared.Idon’tknowwhattodo.”Daisy immediatelyofferedacupofcoffee to thefat ladyas the twowomen awaited the details.The ladydepositedher large red leatherhandbagonDaisy’sdeskandsatheavilydown.“Shareeverythingwithme,please—Mrs…?”“Mrs.EdwinaHumphries ismyname. I amafraid theywill askmeformoney—I’mafraidLornahasbeenkidnapped!”“That’s terrible, Mrs. Humphries. Does Mr. Humphries, too, thinkLornahasbeenkidnapped?”“MyhusbandisnotinterestedifLornahasbeenkidnappedornot!”“Really,Mrs.Humphries?ButisyourhusbandLorna’srealfather?”

“I don’t know what you mean. We bought Lorna together,” Mrs.Humphriesreplied.“Youbought…Mrs.Humphries,that’sillegal,youknow.”“No,itisn’t,notinIndia!”“YouboughtLornainIndia?”“Yes,indeed!And,youknow,shehasbeenthebestcompanytomeever since.”Mrs.Humphries pulled a handkerchief out of her hugeleatherbag.Daisylookedonwithhorrorasawrigglingcreaturecameoutofthebag.“Mrs.Humphries—movethatawayimmediately!”Daisyshouted.“What? Oh, Lorna—I’ve found you at last!” saidMrs. Humphries.“Youhidinmybag—younaughtygirl!”“Mrs.Humphries.ThisisLorna?”“Yes, our Bengali swamp snake. Oh, I do thank you, but it wouldseemI’llnolongerrequireyourservices,mydear.”DaisyusheredMrs.Humphriesoutandshutthedoorafterher,andasshe did she also noted to herself that she should add in heradvertisement:noanimals,nosnakes.

Notes:Naomi Alderman once said, “Beneath every story, there is anotherstory.There is a handwithin thehand… there is a blowbehind theblow.”Thishumorous anecdote illustrates that point ofmeta-storiedmultiplicityalltooeffortlessly.Onefascinatingqualitythisstoryhastoofferisitstangibleabilitytoturn an otherwise dull subject matter into a far more memorableexperienceusingirony.Irony,inthiscase,canbedefinedasastateofaffairs or an event that is often amusing as a result of its beingcontrarytowhatoneexpects.Thetextbeginsinacontingent,almostgeometric way, and with solidarity. It continues on its path until itexplodes into something new: something different with newpotentialities. It’s alwaysnice to readaplotwith thiskindofvigor,notnecessarilyofferingsatisfactionbutalwaysofferingmeaning.As mentioned before, unlike its English counterpart, the Germanlanguage inflects nouns, pronouns, articles, and adjectives into fourgrammatical cases—Nominative, Accusative, Genitive, and Dative.WhileGerman is widely known and considered as a languagewithmoreresemblancethandissimilaritytoitscousin,theEnglishtongue,thenativeEnglish speakernew tohisorherGerman textbookoftenhas more difficulty with this disimilarity than he or she does withotheraspectsof the language.That iswhy it isvery important tobepersistent in one’s independent study of these cases and theirpeculiarities.A few tips in dealing with these sometimes disorienting andbefuddlingrulesandstructuresareasfollows:TheGenitiveCase

Onerarelyusesthegenitivecasewhenspeakingthelanguage.Infact,the dative case is often substituted for the genitive in conversation.Butwith this being said, the genitive casewill remainmore or lessobligatory inpublicspeeches,writtencommunication,andanyothersituationthatwouldnotfreelygivereintoinformallanguage.Itisstillan unassailablly distinct and definitive part of Germany’sBildungssprache(languageofeducation).In southernGerman dialects, the use of dative substitutions ismorecommon. The same cannot be said of the German dialects in thenorthernregions(whereLuther’sBible-Germanhadtobelearnedthewayonelearnsaforeignlanguage)astheymorehabituallyprefer touse the genitive. Though it has been becoming more and morecommon to neglect the use of the genitive case except when it isformallyrequiredtobeused,manyGermansareawareofhowtouseitandtypicallydoso.Infact,amongthemoreeducatedclasses,itisevenconsideredaminorembarrassmenttobecaughtusingthisdativecaseinanincorrectmanner.Thus,forthosereasons,itistypicallynotrecommended to avoid learning the genitive case while learningGerman. It has been gradually falling out of public favor for about600years,butitisstillfarfrombeingextinct.TheDativeCaseFortheindirectobjectofaverb,thedativecaseistypicallyused.Thedative case also focuses on the location of the object. Germanspeakersplaceastrongemphasisonthedifferencesbetweenlocationsandmotions;theaccusativecaseisusedforthemotionoftheobjectandthedativecaseisforitslocation.

Chapter Six: Der Hausvater (TheHouseholder)Germantext:Es war einmal ein Mann, der auf Reisen war. Endlich kam er zueinemschönenHaus,dassogroßwieeinPalastwar.“Ichkonntegutschlafen,”sagtederMannundgingindenHofe.Dawar ein alter Mann. Der Mann arbeitete daran, Brennholz zuschneiden.“GutenAbend,Vater!”sagtederReisende.“GutenAbend.KannichhierindeinemHausbleiben?”“IchbinnichtderVater,”antwortetederalteManninderHofe,dasHolz geteilt. “Betreten Sie das Haus, betreten Sie die Küche. Dortfinden Sie meinen Vater. Er wird dir sagen, ob du hier bleibenkannst.”Der Reisende betrat das Haus. Er betrat die Küche und sah einenMann.DieserMannwaralt,erwarälteralsderMann,derinderHofestandundHolzspaltete.DeralteMannhatFeuergemacht.“GutenAbend,Vater!”sagtederReisende.“KannichhierindeinemHausbleiben?”“IchbinnichtderVater!”deralteMannantwortete.“BetretenSiedenSpeisesaal.DortfindenSiemeinenVater.ErsitztamTischundisst.”DerReisendebetratdasEsszimmer.Ersaheinenalten,diesmalsehr

altenMann.ErwarvielälteralsderMann,derdasFeuerinderKüchemachte.DeralteMannsaßamTischundaß.“GutenAbend,Vater!”sagtederReisende.“Kannichhierbleiben?”“IchbinkeinVater!DeralteMann,deramTischsaß,hatgegessen.DaistmeinVater.ErsitztaufderBank.Erwirddirsagen,obduhierbleibenkannst.”DerReisendegingzurBank.DawareinkleineralterMann.ErhatteeinelangePfeifeundrauchte.“Guten Abend, Vater!” sagte der Reisende zu dem kleinen altenMann, der am Ufer saß und die Pfeife rauchte. “Kann ich hier indeinemHausbleiben?”“IchbinnichtderVaterdesVaters,derkleinealteMann,deramUfersaß und die Pfeife rauchte. Da ist mein Vater. Er ist da, imSchlafzimmer.ErliegtimBett.Erwirddirsagen,obduhierbleibenkannst.”DerReisendebetratdasSchlafzimmer.Er ist insBettgegangen.Dawareinalter,sehralterMann,mitzweigroßenAugen,dieweitoffenwaren.“GutenAbend,Vater!”DerReisende sagte zudemMann,der tiefe,offeneAugenhatte.“KannichhierindeinemHausbleiben?”“IchbinnichtderVatereinesVaters,”sagtederalteMann,dertiefinseinenAugenoffenwar.“AberdaistmeinVater.InderWiege(dasBetteinessehrkleinenKindes).Erwirddirsagen,obduhierbleibenkannst.”

DerReisende ist zurWiege gegangen.Dawar ein alterMann (sehralt).ErwarkaumsogroßwieeinsehrkleinesKindundkonntekaumatmen.“GutenAbend,Vater,”sagtederReisendedemkleinen,altenMann,der in der Wiege lag und kaum atmen konnte. “Kann ich hierbleiben?”Ruhig, sehr ruhig, sehr ruhig: “Ich bin nicht derVater!MeinVaterhängt da an derWand, imTrinkhorn.Erwird dir sagen, ob duhierbleibenkannst,”sagtederalteMann,derkaumatmenkonnte.DanngingderReisendezurWand.ErsahdasTrinkhorn,undeswareinsehrkleiner,alterMann.UndderReisendesagte:“GutenAbend,Vater!KannichhierindeinemHausbleiben?”DannhörteerdenMannganzleisesagen:“Ja,meinKind.”DerReisendewarglücklich.Er saßaufdemTisch,undesgabguteDingezuessen.ErginginsBettundkonntegutschlafen.ErsaßvordemFeuer,underkonntesichgutaufwärmen;undalleswargut,weilerdenVaterdesaltenVatersfand.

Englishtext:There was once a man who was traveling. At last, he came to abeautifulhousethatwasasbigasapalace.“I could sleepwell,” said themanandwent to the courtyard.Therewas an old man. The man was cutting firewood. “Good evening,Father!” said the traveler. “Good evening. Can I stay here in yourhouse?”“I’m not the father!” the old man answered in the hofe, the wooddivided.“Enterthehouse,enterthekitchen.That’swhereyoufindmyfather.Hewilltellyouifyoucanstayhere.”Thetravelerenteredthehouse.Heenteredthekitchen,andhesawaman.Thismanwasold,hewasolderthanthemanwhostoodinthehofeandsplitwood.Theoldmanmadefire.“Good evening, Father!” said the traveler. “Can I stay here in yourhouse?”“I’m not the father!” the old man replied. “Enter the dining room.That’swhereyoufindmyfather.He’ssittingatthetableandeating.”The traveler entered thedining room.He sawanold, this timeveryold,man.Hewasmucholderthanthemanwhomadethefireinthekitchen.Theoldmansatatthetableandate.“Goodevening,Father!”saidthetraveler.“CanIstayhere?”“I’m not the father!” The oldmanwho sat at the tablewas eating.“There’smyfather.He’ssittingon thebank.Hewill tellyou ifyoucanstayhere.”

The travelerwent to thebank.Therewasa littleoldman.Hehadalongwhistleandhesmoked.“Goodevening,Father!”saidthetravelertothelittleoldmanwhosatonthebankandsmokedthepipe.“CanIstayhereinyourhouse?”“I’m not the father’s father,” said the little oldmanwho sat on thebank and smoked the pipe. “There’s my father. He’s there, in thebedroom.He’slyinginthebed.Hewilltellyouifyoucanstayhere.”Thetravelerenteredthebedroom.Hewenttobed.Therewasanold,veryoldman,withtwobigeyesthatwerewideopen.“Good evening,Father!” the traveler said to themanwhohadopeneyes.“CanIstayhereinyourhouse?”“I’mnotafather’sfather,”saidtheoldmanwhoseeyesweredeeplyopen. “But there’smy father. In the cradle (the bedof a very smallchild).Hewilltellyouifyoucanstayhere.”Thetravelerwenttothecradle.Therewasanancientman(veryold).He was hardly as big as a very young child, and he could barelybreathe.“Goodevening,Father!”thetravelertoldthesmall,ancientmanwhowasinthecradleandcouldbarelybreathe.“CanIstayhere?”Quiet, very quiet, very quiet: “I’m not the father!My father hangsthereonthewall,inthedrinkinghorn.Hewilltellyouifyoucanstayhere,”saidtheancientmanwhocouldbarelybreathe.Thenthetravelerwenttothewall.Hesawthedrinkinghorn,andinit

wasaverysmall,ancientman.Andthetravelersaid:“Goodevening,Father!CanIstayhereinyourhouse?”Thenheheardthemanveryquietlysay:“Yeah,mychild.”The traveler was happy. He sat on the table, and there were goodthingstoeat.Hewenttobedandhecouldsleepwell.Hesatinfrontofthefire,andhecouldwarmhimselfwell;andeverythingwasgoodbecausehefoundtheoldfather’sfather.

Notes:Initsnarrativestructure,thisstoryisverysimilartotheonefeaturedinChapter5,“DieSuchenachLorna.”Themainvariancebetweenthetwoisintheirconclusions.Where“DieSuchenachLorna”endsonanunexpected, comical note, this one ends on a very-much-anticipatedandassuringnote.OnethemethatcanbeconsideredthroughoutthistextharkensbacktoRobert Frost’s After Apple-picking, about seeing life as a series ofopportunities.Thetravelerwandersthroughthestorylookingforthefather’sfather,meetingmultiplenewpeoplealongtheway.Hemeetseachandeveryoneof thecharacters inadifferent location,allwiththeir own unique features and happenings. He expands through hisnewexperiences andperspectives, and after that, he cannot contractbacktotheparameterspreviouslyputaroundhim.Allthroughoutthemaincharacter’squestforthefatherofthehouse,hekeepsrecitingtheinterrogative:“CanIstayhere?”Interrogative sentences like these are a highly useful and necessaryaspectofanylanguage.Learninghowtoconstructthesesentencesisan absolute necessity when learning any tongue, especially for thebeginnerorthecasualtraveler.Theconstructionofthesesentencesisnot the same in German as it is in English. The pattern forconstructingthesesentencesarelistedbelow:SupplementaryQuestions1. Questionword2. Verb(inflectedaccordingtothesubject)3. Subject4. Othersentenceelements

Yes/NoQuestions1. Verb(inflectedaccordingtothesubject)2. Subject3. Othersentenceelements

Below,wehave thecommonquestionwords inEnglish listedalongwiththeirGermantranslations.

EnglishGemanWho?Wer?Who(m)?Wen?Who(m)...to?Wem?Whose?Wessen?What?Was?Where?Wo?Where…to?Wohin?When?Wann?Howlongsince?Seitwann?Fromwhenuntilwhen?Vonwannbiswann?How?What?Wie?Howmuch?Howmany?Wieviel(e)?Which?Whichever?Welche(r/s)?Whata…?Wasfur(ein/e)?Why?Warum?

ChapterSeven:DasReiterbild inDüsseldorf(TheEquestrianPictureinDusseldorf)Germantext:Ein Künstler lebte einst in Düsseldorf am Rhein. Er war sehrgeschickt, soklug, dassderKurfürst seinenAtem insErzgoss.DerKünstlerwarsehrglücklichundarbeiteteTagundNacht.EndlichwareinBildfertigundMeisterGrupello,derKünstler,brachteesaufdenMarkt.Als es fertigwar, kam derKurfürst JohannWilhelmmit allseinen Höfingen. Der Künstler ließ den Schleier fallen, damit jederdasBildsehenkonnte.Der Kurde, erstaunt über die Schönheit dieses Bildes, gab demKünstlerdieHandundsagte:“Nun,HerrGrupello,Siehabendassehrgutgemacht.DiesesBild istsehrschön.Es istwirklich tadellos!DubisteingroßerKünstler,unddasBildgibtdirgroßeEhre!”DerKünstlerwar begeistert vondiesemLob, aber dieHöflinge, diestillschweigend (ohne ein Wort zu sagen) waren eifersüchtig. DerFürst hatte ihnen nie eine so freundlicheHand gegeben und sie niegelobt, und sie alle dachten an sich selbst: “Wie könnenwir diesenstolzenKünstlerdemütigen?”Da der Prinz sein Bild beeindruckend fand, konnten sie nichtsSchlechtes darüber sagen, aber endlich sagte der eine: “Ja, HerrGrupello, das Bild des Prinzen ist wirklich makellos. Das Pferdhingegenistnichtganzrichtig.Schau,derKopfistetwaszugroß,dasistnichtganznatürlich!”“Nein,”sagtederzweite,“dasPferdwarnichtsoerfolgreich,wiees

hätteseinkönnen.SehenSiesichdenHalsan,HerrGrupello!”“Ja,undder rechteFuß istnicht richtig,”sagtederdritte.DerviertelobtedasBild,abererrügtedenSchwanzdesPferdes.Derfünftewarauch kritisch gegenüber dem Pferd, und nach all ihren Meinungensagte derKünstler zudemPrinzen: “MeinPrinz, IhreHöflinge sindnichtganzzufriedenmitmeinerArbeit,sieströmenübermichwegenderPferde.”“LassenSiemicheinpaarTageandemBildarbeiten,HerrGrupello,”antwortete der Kurfürst freundschaftlich. “Bitte tun Sie, was immerSie für nötig halten. Der Künstler hinterließ den Schleier über demBild, und als am nächsten Morgen der Prinz und seine Höflingezurückkamen,umdasBildwiederzusehen.”“Oh,”dachtenalleselbstbewusst.“IchhabedemKünstlereinengutenRatgegeben.DasPferdhattekeinenErfolg.Erhatesselbstgesehenund jetzt ändert er es. Dank meines Ratschlags wird das Bild jetztwirklichtadellossein.”AlsdieNachtvorbeiwar,kamenderKurspreisundseineHöflingeeinzweites Mal, um das Bild zu sehen. Das hohe Brett warverschwunden, und als der Schleier wieder fiel, freute sich derKurfürst. Dann rief er die Höflinge nacheinander an und fragte siedanach.DieerstePerson,dieseinenKopfgeworfenhat,sagtejetzt:“Ah,HerrKurfürst,dasBildistjetztsehrmakellos,undSiesehendenKopfdesPferdes,jetztisternichtzugroß,aberganznatürlich.”Der zweite sagte: “Ja,dasBild ist jetzt sehrmakellos.DerHalsdesPferdesistjetztsehrgnädig.”

Der dritte sagte: “Da Sie den rechten Fuß gewechselt haben, HerrGrupello,istIhrBildeinwandfrei.”Allewarenjetztsehrglücklich,undderKurdeerzähltedemKünstler,derstillwar,“HerrGrupello,alledieseHerrensindjetztzufriedenmitIhrerArbeitundlobenIhreVeränderungenamPferd.”“HerrKurfürst,”antwortetederKünstler,“ichbinsehrfroh,dassallemitmeinemBildsozufriedensind,aber ichmusszugeben,dass ichdaran nichts geändert habe. Ein Bild kann nicht verändert werden.Trotzdemhabeicheuchjetztallegehört.”DerKurfürstwarüberrascht.“Überwashastdugeredet?”“ÜberdenRufIhrerHöflinge,HerrFürst,deraufderSuchenachdemBildderEifersuchtwar,undichglaube,dasistjetztvölligzerstört!”DieHöflingekonntensichnichtrevanchieren,undsieallesetztenihreKritik fort.DasBild ist immernochdasHerzstückdesDüsseldorferMarktes,woesjederbewundernkann.

Englishtext:AnartistoncelivedinDusseldorfontheRhine.Hewasveryskillful,socleverthattheKurfürst“pouredhisbreathintotheore.”Theartistwas very happy and worked day and night. At last, a picture wasfinishedandMasterGrupello,theartist,putitonthemarket.Whenitwascomplete, theKurprinceJohannWilhelmcametoseeitwithallhis courtiers. The artist dropped the veil so everyone could see thepicture.Theprince,astonishedbythebeautyofthisimage,gavetheartisthishand and said: “Now,Mr. Grupello, you have done this very well.Thispictureisverybeautiful.Itreallyisimpeccable!Youareagreatartist,andthepicturegivesyougreathonor!”Theartistwasdelightedwith thispraise,but thecourtierswhoweretaciturn (without sayingaword)were jealous.Theprincehadnevergiventhemsuchafriendlyhandorpraisedthem,andtheyallthoughttothemselves:“Howcanwehumiliatethisproudartist?”Since the prince found his image impressive, they couldn’t sayanything bad about it, but at last one said: “Yes,Mr.Grupello, theimageoftheprinceisreallyimpeccable.Thehorse,ontheotherhand,is not quite right. Look, the head is a little too big, it’s not quitenatural!”“No,”thesecondsaid,“thehorsedidnotsucceedaswellasitcouldhave.Lookattheneck,Mr.Grupello!”“Yes,andtherightfootisn’tright,”saidthethird.Thefourthpraisedthepicture,buthereprimandedthehorse’stail.Thefifthwasalsocriticalofthehorseand,afteralltheiropinions,the

artist said to the prince: “My Prince, your courtiers are not entirelysatisfiedwithmywork, they are pouring ontome about the horses.Areyougoingtoletmeworkonthepictureforafewdays?”“Ifyoulike,Mr.Grupello,”theKurfürstrespondedamicably.“Pleasedotoitwhateveryoudeemnecessary.”The artist left the veil over the picture, andwhen the nextmorningapproached,theprinceandhiscourtierscamebacktoseethepictureagain.“Oh,”allofthemthoughttothemselveswithconfidence.“Igavetheartist a good advice. The horse didn’t succeed at all. He saw ithimself,andnowhechangedit.Thankstomyadvice,thepicturewillnowbereallyimpeccable.”Whenthenightwasover,theprinceandhiscourtierscametoseethepictureasecondtime.Thehighplankhaddisappeared,andwhentheveilfellagain,theprincewasrejoicing.Thenhecalledthecourtiers,one after the other, and asked them about it. The first person whothrew his head said now: “Ah, my prince, the picture is now veryimpeccable.Andlookattheheadofthehorse,nowheisnottoobig,butquitenatural.”Thesecondsaid:“Yes,thepicture’sveryimpeccablenow.Theneckofthehorseisnowverygraceful.”Thethirdsaid:“Sinceyouhavechangedtherightfoot,Mr.Grupello,yourpictureisperfect.”Everyonewasveryhappynow,andtheKurprincetoldtheartistwhowassilent,“Mr.Grupello,allthesegentlemenarenowsatisfiedwithyourwork;theyallpraiseyourchangestothehorse.”

“Myprince,”theartistreplied,“Iamquitehappythateveryoneissopleasedwithmypicture,butIhavetoadmitthatIhavenotchangedanythingabout it.Apicturecannotbechanged.Nevertheless,Ihaveheardyouallnow.”Theprincewassurprised.“Whatareyoutalkingabout?”“Thereputationofyourcourtiers,myprince,whowaslookingfortheimageofjealousy.AndIthinkthatisnowcompletelydestroyed!”The courtiers couldn’t reciprocate, and they all continuedwith theircriticisms.ThepictureisstillattheheartofthemarketinDusseldorf,whereeveryonecanadmireit.

Notes:This is a very fascinating story. Anyone who has ever foundthemselves criticised unjustifiably by others might easily relate,especiallyifthecriticshadbeenremisstoconsiderthebestinterestofthe one being criticized.Anyonewhohas ever felt alienated amongpeers, or perhaps conspired against, will almost invariably take thisstorytoheart.ArguablythemostimportantactionofthisstoryisMr.Grupello’smaturityandgraceinsilencinghispedantictormentors.Thesecondhalfofthestorywheretheprinceandhisharshcourtierscomeback to reexamine thepicturebeginswith the courtiers at lastpraisingthepicture.ButthelovetheybestowisultimatelyunveiledasanillusionbroughtonbyconfirmationbiasafterMr.Grupellorevealsthathehadmadenochangestothepicture,explainingthat“apicturecannotbechanged.”Thisreallyisagreatexampleofwhattodowhenoneisbeingbroughtdownbyotherswhoarewillingtoblowhotorcoldatanygiventhingbased onwhat the others among their peers decide.As soon as thefirst courtier gave an opinion and took leadership of the rest, theprospectof thepainterhavinga fair trialvanished, andwith itwenttheothercourtier’sabilitiestothinkforthemselves.Thatisthemainreasonthatthisstoryisaclassic,eventhoughitmaynotbethemostwell-knownstoryintheworldoreveninthisbook.Itscontenthasarelatabilityinanyera.Onevery important aspectof theGerman language is the subjectofphrases.ThisisofparticularimportancetothenativeEnglishspeakerbecauseGermanusesaprocesscalleddeclensionwhichEnglishdoesnot.Anexampleofthisprocessisshownbelow:

Maryreadsabook.Shereadsabook.

“Mary” is thesubjectof thephrase,and“she”alsohappens tobe inthenominativecase.The reader canask“who?”after the subjectofthisphrase.Whoisitwhoreadsthebook?ItisMary.Thisphrase’ssubjectdefinesitsverb.Maryhappenstobeinthethirdpersonsingulartenserightnow.Ifweweretochangethephraseintothefirstpersonplural,forexample,thentheverbwouldchangewithitaswell.

Chapter Eight: Der Pfannkuchen (ThePancake)Germantext:EswareinmaleineFrau,diesiebenhungrigeKinderhatte.Siemachteeinen Pfannkuchen für die hungrigen Kinder. Es war ein großerPfannkuchen,aussüßerMilchgemacht,underlaginderPfanneaufdemFeuer.DieKinder,diesohungrigwaren,standenalledaunddasersteKindsagte: “Ach, Mutter, ich bin so hungrig, gieb mir ein StückPfannkuchen.”“Ach, guteMutter!” sagte das zweite Kind. “Ich bin auch hungrig,giebmiraucheinStückPfannkuchen.”“Ach, liebe, gute Mutter!” sagte das dritte Kind. “Ich bin auchhungrig.GiebmireinStückPfannkuchen.”“Ach,süße,gute,liebeMutter,”sagtedasvierteKind.“IchhabeauchHunger.IchmöchteaucheinStückPfannkuchenhaben.”“Liebe, gute, süße, kleineMutter,” rief (sagte laut) das fünfteKind.“IchmöchteaucheinStückPfannkuchenhaben.”Und das sechste Kind rief: “Geschickte, gute, süße, liebe, kleineMutter, laßmich auch einStückPfannkuchenhaben. Ich habe auchHunger.”UnddassiebenteundletzteKindrief:“Geschickte,gute,süße,liebe,

niedliche,kleineMutter,laßmichaucheinStückPfannkuchenhaben.IchhabeauchHunger.”“Ja, ja, meine Kinder,” antwortete die Frau. “Wartet nur, bis derPfannkuchenaufderanderenSeitegebackenist.Seht,eristsoschönundwirdsogutzuessensein.”Als der Kuchen das hörte, fürchtete er sich sehr und drehte sichschnellum.JetztkonnteerauchaufderanderenSeitebacken.NacheinigenMinutenwar der Pfannkuchen gebacken, aber da er sich sosehrfürchtete,sprangerausderPfanne.ErsprangaufdenBodenundrollteschnellausdemHause.“Halt,Pfannkuchen,halt!”riefdieMutter.“Halt,Pfannkuchen,halt!”riefendiesiebenKinder.Aber der Kuchen rollte schnell weiter. Die Frau und alle siebenKinderliefenihmnach,abererrolltesoschnell,daßsieihnbaldnichtmehr sehenkonnten.DerPfannkuchen rollteweiter undweiter, undendlichbegegneteereinemaltenManne.“GutenTag,Pfannkuchen!”riefderMann.“GottbehüteSie!”antwortetederPfannkuchen.“Rollen Sie nicht so schnell, lieber Pfannkuchen. Warten Sie. IchmöchteSieessen!”“Ach!”antwortetederPfannkuchen.“Ichmußschnellfortrollen,denndie Frau mit den sieben hungrigen Kindern kommt, um mich zuessen!”

UndderPfannkuchenrollteweiter,undderMannfolgteihm.EndlichbegegnetederPfannkucheneinerHenne.“GutenMorgen,Pfannkuchen,”riefdieHenne.“GottbehüteSie!”antwortetederPfannkuchen.“Ach,lieberPfannkuchen!”riefdieHenne.“RollenSiedochnichtsoschnell.WartenSiedocheineMinute,ichmöchteSiefressen.”“Ich kann nicht warten, ich muß weiter rollen,” antwortete derPfannkuchen,“denndieFraumitdensiebenhungrigenKindernundderMannwollenmichhaben.”UndderPfannkuchenrollteschnellweiter,unddieHennefolgteihm.DannbegegnetederrollendePfannkucheneinemHahne.“GutenTag,lieberPfannkuchen,”riefderHahn.“GottbehüteSie!”antwortetederPfannkuchenundrollteweiter.“Lieber Pfannkuchen,” sagte der Hahn. “Warten Sie doch eineMinute.IchmöchteSiefressen.”“Ich kann ja nicht warten,” antwortete der Pfannkuchen, “ich mußweiter rollen, denn die Fraumit den sieben hungrigenKindern, derMannunddieHennefolgenmiralle!”DerPfannkuchenrollteweiter,undderHahnfolgteihmauch.DannbegegnetederPfannkucheneinerEnte.

“GutenTag,Pfannkuchen,”riefdieEnte.“GottbehüteSie!”antwortetederPfannkuchen.“Aber,lieberPfannkuchen,gehenSiedochnichtsoschnell!”riefdieEnte.“WartenSie.IchmöchteSiefressen.”“Ichkannnichtwarten!”antwortetederPfannkuchen.“DakommtdieFrau mit den sieben hungrigen Kindern, der Mann, die Henne, derHahn,undalle,allewollenmichhaben.”DerarmePfannkuchenrollteweiter,unddieEntefolgteihmauch.EndlichbegegneteereinerGans.“GutenTag,Pfannkuchen,”riefdieGans.“GottbehüteSie!”antwortetederPfannkuchen.“Aber,lieberPfannkuchen,rollenSiedochnichtsoschnell!”riefdieGans.“WartenSiedoch.IchmöchteSiefressen!”“Warten, ich kann nicht warten,” antwortete der Pfannkuchen. “Dakommt die Frau mit den sieben hungrigen Kindern, der Mann, dieHenne,derHahnunddieEnte,undallewollenmichhaben.Hierkannichnichtbleiben.Ichmußweiterrollen!”Der Pfannkuchen rollte weiter und die Gans lief ihm nach (folgteihm).DannbegegneteereinemGänserich.“GutenTag,lieberPfannkuchen!”riefderGänserich.

“GottbehüteSie!”antwortetederPfannkuchen.“Lieber Pfannkuchen, rollen Sie doch nicht so schnell!” rief derGänserich.“WartenSieeineMinute.IchmöchteSiefressen!”“Ach,ichkannjanicht!”antwortetederPfannkuchen.“DakommtdieFrau mit den sieben hungrigen Kindern, der Mann, die Henne, derHahn,dieEnteunddieGans,undalle,allewollenmichhaben.Darumkannichnichtwarten!Darummußichschnellweiterrollen!”UndderPfannkuchenrollteschnellweiter,undderGänserichliefihmnach.EndlichbegegnetederPfannkucheneinemSchweine.“GutenTag,Pfannkuchen,”sagtedasSchwein.“GottbehüteSie!”antwortetederrollendePfannkuchen.“Warten Sie doch eine Minute, lieber Pfannkuchen!” rief dasSchwein.“IchmöchteSiefressen,undSiegehenzuschnell.”“Ach, liebes Schwein, ich kann ja nicht warten. Die Frau mit densiebenhungrigenKindern,derMann,dieHenne,derHahn,dieEnte,dieGansundderGänserichkommenalle, ummichzunehmen. Ichkann nicht warten.” Und der Pfannkuchen rollte weiter und dasSchweinliefihmnach.“Halt!”riefdasSchwein.“HieristeinWald,lieberPfannkuchen.ImWaldesindnichtsalsBäume.DawerdenSiesichfürchten!”“Ja,das istwahr (so),”antwortetederPfannkuchen.“ImWalde,wo

nichtsalsBäumesind,werdeichmichfürchten.”“Gehenwirzusammen(beide)durchdenWald!”sagtedasSchwein.“Ach, ja, das ist ein guter Einfall!” rief der Pfannkuchen, und siegingenzusammen.Endlich kamen sie an einen Bach (ein sehr kleiner Strom). DasSchwein war so fett, daß es sehr gut schwimmen konnte. Aber derarme Pfannkuchen konnte nicht schwimmen.Dann sagte er zu demSchweine:“Ach,meinlieberFreund,ichkannnichtschwimmen.IchkannnichtüberdenBachkommen!”“Ach!”sagtedasSchwein.“Esistschade,daßSienichtschwimmenkönnen.AberspringenSiedochaufmeinenKopf,sowerdenSieguthinüberkommen.”“Das ist eine gute Idee!” sagte der Pfannkuchen, und er sprang aufdenKopfdesSchweines.Als das Schwein im Bach war, öffnete es denMund und fraß denarmen Pfannkuchen. Und, da der arme Pfannkuchen nicht weitergehenkonnte,sokanndieseGeschichteauchnichtweitergehenundmußhierenden.

Englishtext:Once upon a time, there was a woman who had seven hungrychildren. She made a pancake for the hungry kids. It was a bigpancake,madeofsweetmilk,andshelaiditinthepanonthefire.Thechildrenwhoweresohungrywereallstandingthereandthefirstchild said: “Oh, mother, I’m so hungry, give me a piece of thatpancake.”“Oh,goodmother!”saidthesecondchild.“I’malsohungry,givemeapieceofthepancake,too.”“Oh,dear,goodmother!”saidthethirdchild.“I’mhungry,too.Givemeapieceofthepancake.”“Oh, sweet, good, dearmother,” said the fourth child. “I’mhungry,too.I’llhaveapieceofthepancakeaswell.”“Lovely, good, sweet, little mother,” shouted (said aloud) the fifthchild.“Iwantapieceofthepancake,too.”Andthesixthchildshouted:“Skillful,good,sweet,dear,littlemother,letmealsohaveapieceofthepancake.I’mhungry,too.”And the seventhand last child shouted:“Skillful,good, sweet,dear,cute, little mother, let me also have a piece of the pancake. I’mhungry,too.”“Yes,yes,mychildren,”thewomanreplied.“Waittillthepancake’sbakedontheotherside.Look,heissobeautifulandwillbesogoodtoeat.”

When the cake heard that, he was very afraid and turned aroundquickly. Now he could also bake on the other side. After a fewminutes, the pancake was baked, but because he was so afraid, heleapedrightoutofthepan.Hejumpedtothefloorandquicklyrolledoutofthehouse.“Stop,pancake,stop!”calledthemother.“Stop,pancake,stop!”thesevenchildrenshouted.Butthecakekeptrollingfast.Thewifeandallsevenchildrenranafterhim,butherolledsofastthatsoontheycouldnolongerseehim.Thepancakerolledonandon,andfinallyhemetanoldman.“Hello,pancake!”themanshouted.“Godblessyou!”repliedthepancake.“Don’trollsofast,dearpancake.Holdon,holdon.Iwanttoeatyou!”“Alas!”answeredthepancake.“Imusthurry,forthewomanwiththesevenhungrychildrenarecomingtoeatme!”Andthepancakekeptrolling,andthemanfollowedhim.Finally,thepancakemetahen.“Goodmorning,pancake,”thehenshouted.“Godblessyou!”repliedthepancake.“Oh, dear pancake!” the hen shouted. “Don’t roll so fast. Wait aminute,Iwanttoeatyou.”

“I can’twait, I have to keep rolling,” the pancake replied, “becausethewomanwiththesevenhungrychildrenandthemanwantme.”Andthepancakerolledonquickly,andthehenfollowedhim.Thentherollingpancakemetacockerel.“Goodday,dearpancake,”theroostershouted.“Godblessyou!”thepancakerepliedandrolledon.“Dear pancake,” said the rooster. “Justwait aminute. Iwant to eatyou.”“I can’twait,” the pancake replied, “I have to keep rolling, becausethewomanwiththesevenhungrychildren,theman,andthehenareallfollowingme!”Thepancakekeptrolling,andtheroosterfollowed.Thenthepancakemetaduck.“Hello,pancake,”theduckshouted.“Godblessyou!”repliedthepancake.“But,dearpancake,don’tgosofast!”theduckshouted.“Wait,wait.Iwanttoeatyou.”“Ican’twait!”repliedthepancake.“Herecomesthewomanwiththeseven hungry children, theman, the hen, the rooster, and everyone,theyallwantme.”

Thepoorpancakerolledon,andtheduckfollowedhim,too.Hemetagoose.“Hello,pancake,”thegooseshouted.“Godblessyou!”repliedthepancake.“But, dear pancake, don’t roll so fast!” the goose shouted. “Wait,please.Iwanttoeatyou!”“Wait, I can’t wait,” the pancake replied. “Here comes the womanwiththesevenhungrychildren,theman,thehen,therooster,andtheduck,andtheyallwantme.Ican’tstayhere.Ihavetokeeprolling!”Thepancakerolledonandthegoosefollowedhim.Thenhemetagander.“Goodday,dearpancake!”thegandershouted.“Godblessyou!”repliedthepancake.“Dear pancake, don’t roll so fast!” shouted the gander. “Wait aminute.Iwanttoeatyou!”“Oh,Ican’t!”repliedthepancake.“Herecomesthewomanwiththesevenhungrychildren,theman,thehen,therooster,theduck,andthegoose, and all of themwantme.That’swhy I can’twait! I have tokeeprolling!”Andthepancakerolledonquickly,andtheganderranafterhim.

Finally,thepancakemetapig“Hello,pancake,”saidthepig.“Godblessyou!”repliedthepancakeonwheels.“Wait aminute,dearpancake!” thepig shouted. “Iwant toeatyou,andyouwalktoofast.”“Oh, dear pig, I can’t wait. The woman with the seven hungrychildren, the man, the hen, the cock, the duck, the goose, and thegander all come to take me. I can’t wait.” And the pancake keptrollingandthepigranafterhim.“Stop!” the pig shouted. “Here’s a forest, dear pancake. There’snothingbuttreesintheforest.You’llbescared!”“Yes,that’strue,”thepancakereplied.“Intheforest,wherethereareonlytrees,Iwillbeafraid.”“Let’sgotogether(bothofus)throughtheforest!”saidthepig.“Oh, yeah, that’s a good idea!” the pancake shouted, and they lefttogether.Finally,theycametoastream(averysmallriver).Thepigwassofatthat it could swim very well. But the poor pancake couldn’t swim.Thenhesaidtothepig:“Oh,mydearfriend,Ican’tswim.Ican’tgetacrossthecreek!”“Ah!”saidthepig.“It’sapityyoucan’tswim.Whydon’tyoujumponmyheadandgetacrossitwithme?”

“That’s agood idea!” said thepancake, andhe jumpedon thepig’shead.Whenthepigwas in thecreek, itopeneditsmouthandate thepoorpancake. And, since the poor pancake couldn’t go any further, thisstorycan’tgoanyfurtherandmustendhere.

Notes:To end the series of stories on a humorous note, I’ve included theshortstoryentitled“DerPfannkuchen,”whichyouhavejustread.Notonly is this story remarkable in its Germanic gallows humor,deadpanning itsway through a pancake’s quest to get away from afamilythatwantstoeatit,butit’salsoremarkableinthemultitudeofmessagesthatcanbetakenfromit.The ideaofapancake,doomedfromtheonset toadestinyofbeingeaten, and running away from all its predators is one that is verydynamic. It’s somethingof aPeterPan story that has been told andretold in many different times and places. But a central theme thatstays intact throughout all the different transcriptions is that theproblemsonefacesalwayshaveawayofmultiplyingandeventuallyswallowing the sufferer whole if he or she simply runs away fromthemtimeandtimeagain.Additionally,apighelpingapancakecrossacreekjustisn’tagreatstrategyforgrowth,howeverhilariousitmaybe.One aspect of theGerman languagewhich hasn’t been discussed indepthly yet is the pronunciation of characters and words. WhileGerman is a very similar language to English and most of what iswritteninGermancanbepronouncednaturallybyanEnglishspeaker,there still remains some variance in pronunciation. Somepronunciation issues and examples the native English speaker oftencomesacrossarelistedbelow.TheRsound:ThesoundoftheGerman“r”isoneofthesoundsthatleadlistenerstojudgethatthelanguageisugly.Itisproducedbythemedullaoblongatavibratinginthebackofone’sthroat.German,English:(Rot,Red),(Rose,Rose)

TheV andW sounds: TheV inGerman can actually produce twodifferent sounds. One is similar to the F in German (and also inEnglish). In essence, they have two letters which can produce thesamesound(F).GermanVpronouncedasEnglishF:(Vogel,Bird),(Vorsicht,Care)Thenagain,theVcanalsosharethesamesoundastheVinEnglish(or, inGerman, aW).So theWandF sounds inGermanhave twopossibilitiesforexpression,withW=VandF=V.VpronouncedliketheEnglishV:(Vase,Vase),(Klavier,Piano)V pronounced like theEnglish F: (Vetter,Cousin), (Vollmond, FullMoon)TheUmlaute ä, ö, ü: Tomost of us around theworldwho cannotclaimGermanasourmotherlanguage,thesesoundsmightprovetobethe most challenging to pronounce. How one can pronounce acharacter that is not even found onmost keyboards is the questionhere.The“ä”isnottoomuchofastruggle.However,whenhearingbothäandesoundsspoken,itisnoteasytodistinguishbetweenthem.TheshortäsoundsliketheEletter intheEnglishwordsgender,men,orlet.The ö sound is quite close to theO sound in English, butwith theformer, the lips should be kept a little bit closer together. In fact, itmakes the samesoundonewouldwhenpronouncing fur,burden,ormurder.

The ümay be themost challenging one to pronounce among thoselistedherebecauseithasnocloseequivalentintheEnglishlanguage.Imagine if the English U were to meet a long ee: your lips arepositioned as if youwere about towhistle, yet instead ofwhistling,youthenstartedtospeak.Someexamplescontainingthesethreesoundsarelistedbelow:Ä,ä:(ähnlich,similar),(Ärger,trouble)Ö,ö:(öffentlich,public),(Öl,oil)Ü,ü:(über,over),(Lüge,lie)The SCH sound: These three letters form one sound in German,comparablewiththeEnglishsh.(Schöne,Nice),(Schuh,Shoe)TheCHsound:Thesetwolettersactuallyformonecompoundsoundin the formof twodifferent sounds inGerman;one ismoreand theotherislessguttural.FewEnglishwordshaveamoregutturalsound,andoneofthemisthefamousLochNess.RememberthesoundofchinLochasthatisexactlywhatwearelookingfor.Moregutturalch:(Kachel,Tile),(Bach,Stream)Andthenthereisthechsoundthatislessguttural.Thedifficultyherelies in the fact that there is nothing in English that this can becomparedto.Trythis: takethesoundsh(asinshiver)andmovethecorners of yourmouth outwards.You should come across a hissingsound, which should be something similar to the sounds of thefollowingexamples:Lessgutturalch:(Ich,I),(Gicht,Gout)

TheSS/ßsound:Here,weonceagaincomeacrossanexampleoftwodifferentmeansofwritingoutonesound.Luckilyforus,it’snothingtoo advanced. It’s simply your standard “s” sound, as in sauce orsong.Butaseverylanguagedoes,theGermanlanguagehasahistory,sowhile this charactermay be redundant, it is kept for the sake oftradition.ss/ß:(Erhieß,hisnamewas),(weiß,white)Follow this orthographic rule for when to use which one of thesespellings:After long diphthongs and long vowels, use ß; after shortvowels,usess.Whatisavowel?Vowels in theGerman language constitute all the soundswhich arenot consonants (an explanation that is only marginally helpful, Iadmit),andtheyarealsothelettersthatsoundinofthemselves.ThereareeightvowelsinGerman:a,e,i,o,u,ä,ö,ü.As you know, the sounds in between the vowels are consonants.Consonantscanonlybeputtogetherbecauseofvowels,toanextent.Otherwisewewouldonlyhavewordslikeinthefirstexamplelistedbelow. The second example is easy to pronounce, especially whencompared to the first. Note that both examples are invented. Theydon’tmeanathing(atleastnotinGerman).Impossibletopronounce:BrgmEasytopronounce:Barogem

ShortandlongvowelsInGerman, just like inEnglish, thereareshortvowelsand therearelongvowels.Someexamplesarelistedbelow.Shortvowels:(Offen,Open),(Ass,Ace),(Suppe,Soup),(Bett,Bed),(Widder,Aries)Long vowels: (Ofen, Oven), (Aas, Carrion), (Super, Super), (Beet,Flowerbed),(Wieder,Again)Somedifferencescanbedistinguishedbetweenthesetypesofvowels.Between the pairs Ofen/Ofenn, Aas/Ass, Beet/Bett, andWidder/Wieder, there is one distinct difference: either the vowel islong or it is short. Theirmeanings are completely different though,anditisofgreatimportancetoknowthesedifferences.ShortandlongvowelsaremarkedincertainwaysinwrittenGerman.Ie forlongi:(Wiese,Meadow),(Liegen,Toliedown),(Wiegen,Toweigh)Aaforlonga:(Aal,Eal),(Saal,Hall)AvowelthatisfollowedbyanHbecomesalongvowel:(DieAhnen,Ancestors),(EtwasAhnen,Tosuspect)O:(Ohne,Without),(Ohr,Ear)E:(Ehrliche,Honesty),(Ehre,Honor)Theseexamplesdonotcontainanyindicationofwhetherthevowelisshortorlong:(Schaf,Sheep),(Laden,Shop),(Frage,Question)If the vowel has a ß after it, then it will be long: (Straße, Street),(Stoß,Hit/Push),(Muße,Leisure)

A short vowel may be indicated by two consonants following it:(Immer,Always),(Essen,Eat),(Pass,Passport),(Müssen,Tomust)Diphthongs (ei, ai, au): (Elmer,Bucket), (Seife, Soap), (Mai,May),(Sauer,Sour),(Bauer,Farmer),(Maus,Mouse)TheZsound:ZinGermanmakesthesamesoundas“ts”inEnglish(Zug,Train),(Ziehen,Topull),(Zeige,Goat)TheTZsound:ThissoundissimilartothesoundthatZmakes.ThemainvarianceisaslightpronunciationofT.Tz,Z:(Sitzen,Tosit),(Siezen,Toaddresssomeoneformally),(Sitz,Seat),(Plütze,Puddle),(Platz,Place)Note,however,thatZTistobepronouncedslightlydifferently:(Arzt,Doctor), (Ersitzt,He issitting), (Ersieztuns,heformallyaddressesus)

ConclusionThankyouformakingitthroughtotheendofGermanShortStoriesand Their English Translations. I hope you enjoyed it and learnedsomething along the way. Learning the German language (or anylanguage,forthatmatter)isanendeavorthatrequiresmanyhoursofcommittedworkifyouaretoreapanygreatrewards.ThesubjectofGermanisonewithasurfacethatcannotevenbescratchedwithinthenarrow confines of these few pages. To properly learnGerman, thereader would need to continue to study, potentially for years. Thisbookwasmeant tobeahelpfulguide for thebeginner stagesof thejourney.Thereader’snextstepinhisorhereducationwouldbetosearchforother resources to become more educated on the subject. Theresourcestobefoundareinnumerableandareeasilyaccessible.Thereare also some websites which provide side-by-side translations oftextsinnearlyalllanguagestheworldhastooffer,allofwhichwouldbevaluableassetstothereadermovingforward.Sometipstokeepinmindwhenlearninganewlanguagewouldbetoknowwhatyourgoal is,as it ismucheasier tostaymotivatedwhenyouhavea clearpurpose forwhatyouaredoing.Youmust alsobeclearonwhatthetopichastooffertoyouasthestudent.Speakwithapartner or just with yourself for practice. Doing this can help youdiscover,refresh,andretainwordsandphrasesinyourmind,aswellasbuildconfidenceinyourabilitiestoreachyourgoal.Listentothelanguage as spoken by a native; make certain words and phrasesconcrete in your mind using repetition and familiarity. Mostimportantly of all, have fun! You won’t want language-learning tobecomejustanotherchore.

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TableofContentsIntroductionChapter1:WhatitmeanstolearnGermanChapter2:FindingyourpassionforlearningGermanChapter3:ImmersingyourselfinGermancultureChapter4:Findingnativespeakerstoincreaseyouroverallunderstandingofthe

languageandcultureChapter5:HowtobeatthemostdifficultpartoflearningtheGermanlanguageChapter6:LearningGermaninamoreformalclassroomenvironmentConclusionIntroductionChapter1:VisitingGermanyChapter2:AWordAboutPronunciation

ShortversuslongvowelsVowelsoundsDiphthongsConsonants

Chapter3:Nouns,CasesandGender—Oh,my!CasesGenderArticlesPronouns

PossessivePronounsNouns

CommonNounsAdjectives

CommonAdjectivesChapter4:Verbs

WeakVerbsStrongverbsPastTensePresentPerfectPastPerfect

Chapter5:WordOrderChapter6:FundamentalVocabulary

DaysoftheWeek

MonthsTime

Chapter7:BasicPhrasesGettingtoKnowYou…SmallTalkShoppingGettingAroundLodging&HotelsEatingOutEmergenciesHolidayGreetings

Chapter8:PuttingitAllTogetherChapter9:ContinuingtoLearn