German Basic Course, Unit 1: Wir sind in Deutschland

Basic Sentences I

1
Good morning.
Gutengood morning
Morgen.good morning
2
Good morning, Mr. Becker.
3
Hello (Good day).

Guten: good
Morgen: morning
Herr: Mr.
Becker: Becker
Becker: Mr. Becker
Tag: day

4
Hello, Mrs. Kunze.
5
Good evening.
6
Good evening, Miss Schneider.
7
Good morning.
8
Good morning, Mr. Becker.
9
Hello (Good day).
10
Hello, Mrs. Kunze.
11
Good evening.
12
Good evening, Miss Schneider.

Frau: Mrs.
Kunze: Kunze
Kunze: Mrs. Kunze
Abend: evening
Fräulein: Miss
Schneider: Schneider
Schneider: Miss Schneider

Basic Sentences II

13
Hello, Miss Schneider.
14
Hello, Mr. Becker.
15
How are you? (How goes it with you?)

Wie: how
geht: goes
es: it
Ihnen: to you, with you

16
Fine, Thanks.
17
And how are you, Mr. Becker?
18
Thank you, I'm fine too.
19
Hello, Miss Schneider.
20
Hello, Mr. Becker.
21
How are you? (How goes it with you?)
22
Fine, Thanks.
23
And how are you, Mr. Becker?
24
Thank you, I'm fine too.

Danke: thanks
sehr: very
gut: good, well
Und: and
auch: also, too

Basic Sentences III

25
Do you understand Mrs. Kunze?
26
No, I don't understand Mrs. Kunze.

Verstehen: understand
Sie: you
Nein: no
ich: I
verstehe: I understand
nicht: not

27
Do you understand me?
28
Yes, I understand you well.
29
Do you understand Mrs. Kunze?
30
No, I don't understand Mrs. Kunze.
31
Do you understand me?
32
Yes, I understand you well.

mich: me
Ja: yes

Basic Sentences IV

33
Where's the airport?
34
The airport is over there.
35
I beg your pardon. What did you say?

Wo: where
ist: is
Flughafen: the airport
dort: there
drüben: over there
bitte: please

36
Please speak slowly.
37
The airport is over there.
38
Do you understand?
39
Yes, I understand. Thank you.
40
You're welcome.
41
Where's the airport?
42
The airport is over there.
43
I beg your pardon. What did you say?
44
Please speak slowly.
45
The airport is over there.
46
Do you understand?
47
Yes, I understand. Thank you.
48
You're welcome.

Sprechen: speak
langsam: slow, slowly
schön: thank you
schön: you're welcome

Basic Sentences V

49
Is that the railroad station?
50
No, that's not the station.
51
It's there to the left.
52
Is the restaurant there too?
53
Yes, it's there too.
54
Is that the railroad station?
55
No, that's not the station.
56
It's there to the left.
57
Is the restaurant there too?
58
Yes, it's there too.

das: that
Bahnhof: the railroad station
Er: he, it
links: to the left
Restaurant: the restaurant

Basic Sentences VI

59
What's that there?
60
That's the hotel.
61
Is the embassy here to the right?
62
Yes, it's here to the right.
63
What's that there?
64
That's the hotel.
65
Is the embassy here to the right?
66
Yes, it's here to the right.

Was: what
da: there
Hotel: the hotel
hier: here
rechts: to the right
Botschaft: the embassy
sie: she, it

Basic Sentences VII

67
Excuse me, where is the café?
68
There, straight ahead.
69
The bank is there too, isn't it?
70
Yes, it's there too.

Verzeihung: excuse me
Café: the café
geradeaus: straight ahead
Bank: the bank
wahr: isn't it? (not true?)

71
Thanks.
72
You're welcome.
73
Excuse me, where is the café?
74
There, straight ahead.
75
The bank is there too, isn't it?
76
Yes, it's there too.
77
Thanks.
78
You're welcome.

Bitte: you're welcome

Basic Sentences VIII

79
Good morning.
80
I'd like to have some cigars.
81
All right. How many?

möchte: I would like
gern: with pleasure
gern: I'd like very much
Zigarren: some cigars
haben: to have
Wieviele: how many

82
Five, and some matches too, please.
83
Here you are.
84
How much does that cost?

Fünf: five
und: and
Streichhölzer: some matches
Wieviel: how much
kostet: costs

85
The cigars cost two Marks.
86
The matches cost ten pennies.

Zigarren: the cigars
kosten: cost
zwei: two
Mark: Mark
Streichhölzer: the matches
zehn: ten
Pfennig: penny, pennies

87
Would you like to have some cigarettes too?
88
Yes, how much do they cost?
89
One Mark.
90
Here you are.
91
Thank you.
92
Good morning.
93
I'd like to have some cigars.
94
All right. How many?
95
Five, and some matches too, please.
96
Here you are.
97
How much does that cost?
98
The cigars cost two Marks.
99
The matches cost ten pennies.
100
Would you like to have some cigarettes too?
101
Yes, how much do they cost?
102
One Mark.
103
Here you are.
104
Thank you.

Möchten: would like
Sie: would you like
Zigaretten: some cigarettes
sie: they
kosten: they cost
Eine: one

Basic Sentences IX

105
Good evening.
106
Would you like to eat?
107
Yes, sausage and sauerkraut please.
108
And a little bread.
109
Good evening.
110
Would you like to eat?
111
Yes, sausage and sauerkraut please.
112
And a little bread.

essen: to eat
Sauerkraut: sausage and sauerkraut
etwas: some, a little
Brot: bread

Basic Sentences X

113
How's the wine, and how's the beer?
114
The wine and the beer are good.
115
But the coffee's not good.
116
And the tea isn't good either.

Wein: the wine
sind: are
Aber: but
Kaffee: the coffee
Tee: the tea
nicht: not ... either

117
Is the milk good?
118
Yes, the milk is very good.
119
How's the water here?
120
The water is good.
121
How's the wine, and how's the beer?
122
The wine and the beer are good.
123
But the coffee's not good.
124
And the tea isn't good either.
125
Is the milk good?
126
Yes, the milk is very good.
127
How's the water here?
128
The water is good.

Milch: the milk
Wasser: the water

Basic Sentences XI

129
zero - one - two - three - four
130
five - six - seven - eight
131
nine - ten - eleven - twelve
132
How much is three and five?

133
Three and five is eight.
134
How much is seven and four?
135
Seven and four is eleven.
136
How much is two and ten?

137
Two and ten is twelve.
138
Say it again, please.
139
Two and ten is twelve.
140
zero - one - two - three - four
141
five - six - seven - eight
142
nine - ten - eleven - twelve
143
How much is three and five?
144
Three and five is eight.
145
How much is seven and four?
146
Seven and four is eleven.
147
How much is two and ten?
148
Two and ten is twelve.
149
Say it again, please.
150
Two and ten is twelve.

Nochmal: again

Basic Sentences XII

151
How do you say 'good bye' in German?
152
You say 'Auf Wiedersehen'.

man: one, you
sagt: says
man: does one say
deutsch: in German
Wiedersehen': good bye

Notes on Pronunciation: Short Vowels

153
bitte - ist - in
Practice 1(a): Short i
154
denn - essen - etwas
Practice 1(a): Short e
155
das - Mann - an
Practice 1(a): Short a
156
kostet - Sonne - Doktor
Practice 1(a): Short o
157
muss - Mutter - und
Practice 1(a): Short u
158
können - möchte - öfter
Practice 1(a): Short ö
159
Mütter - fünf - Hütte
Practice 1(a): Short ü
160
bitte - danke - Sonne - genug - gesehen - bekommen
Practice 1(a): Short e (unstressed)
161
mit - Mütter
Practice 1(b): mit / Mütter
162
missen - müssen
Practice 1(b): missen / müssen

163
kennen - können
Practice 1(b): kennen / können
164
stecke - Stöcke
Practice 1(b): stecke / Stöcke

Notes on Pronunciation: Long Vowels and Diphthongs

165
wie - ihnen - viel
Practice 2(a): Long i
166
geht - Tee - den
Practice 2(a): Long e
167
Tag - Abend - Bahn
Practice 2(a): Long a
168
Sohn - oder - wo
Practice 2(a): Long o
169
gut - du - Flug
Practice 2(a): Long u
170
König - schön - öde
Practice 2(a): Long ö
171
für - Tür - über
Practice 2(a): Long ü
172
vier - für
Practice 2(b): vier / für
173
Tier - Tür
Practice 2(b): Tier / Tür
174
lesen - lösen
Practice 2(b): lesen / lösen

175
Sehne - Söhne
Practice 2(b): Sehne / Söhne
176
nein - eins - Wein
Practice 3: ei
177
auch - Tau - Laut
Practice 3: au
178
deutsch - neun - läute
Practice 3: eu (äu)

The German Noun-Classification System, 1 of 2

Three words for 'the'

English has one word for 'the'. German has three: der, das and die. Each German noun goes with only one of them.

So German nouns fall into three classes: der-nouns, das-nouns and die-nouns. Wein is a der-noun. Bier is a das-noun. Milch is a die-noun.

Learn the word with the noun

For everyday nouns, no rule gives the class. Learn the word for 'the' as part of the noun: der Wein, not Wein.

Nouns made from other words are more regular. Nouns ending in -ung are die-nouns: die Verzeihung, the pardon. Nouns ending in -chen or -lein are das-nouns: das Mädchen, the little girl.

A pronoun for each class

German has a pronoun for each class of noun. Er stands for a der-noun. Es stands for a das-noun. Sie stands for a die-noun.

Each pronoun ends like its word for 'the': der and er, das and es, die and sie.

The class decides the pronoun

In English, the pronoun depends on the thing itself. A man is he, a woman is she, a table is it.

In German, the pronoun depends on the class of the noun it replaces. Bahnhof is a der-noun, so the station is er. Botschaft is a die-noun, so the embassy is sie.

So the English word 'it' can be er, es or sie in German. Kind is a das-noun, so the child is es, whether a boy or a girl.

Pronouns for people

All nouns for men are der-nouns. Almost all nouns for women are die-nouns. So for people, er means he and sie means she.

Das Fräulein is a das-noun, but it names a young woman. The pronoun for her is sie.

Fräulein was the word for Miss, and the way to call a waitress. It is dated today.

179
The wine isn't good.
180
The beer is good.
181
The milk is good too.
182
Where is the station? It's there.
183
Where is the hotel? It's there.
184
Where is the embassy? It's there.
185
Where's the station? It's there.
186
Where's the man? He's there.
187
Where's the hotel? It's there.
188
Where's the child? He's there, or she's there.
189
Where's the embassy? It's there.
190
Where's the woman? She's there.
191
Where's the waitress? She's there.

FSI German Basic Course (1961), Unit 1, Notes on Grammar

A. The German Noun-Classification ('Gender') System.

I. The three classes of nouns

Der Wein ist nicht gut.
The wine isn't good.

Das Bier ist gut.
The beer is good.

Die Milch ist auch gut.
The milk is good too.

German has three words for 'the': der, das and die; and German nouns can be divided into three classes according to which of the three words for 'the' they go with. Wein goes only with der, never with das, never with die. Bier goes only with das, and so on.

We will refer to these three classes of nouns, for obvious reasons, as der-nouns, das-nouns and die-nouns. ('Wein is der-noun.' 'Hotel is a das-noun.')

The traditional statement about this phenomenon is: 'German nouns have three genders--masculine, feminine, and neuter.' We will not use this terminology because it tends to mislead English-speaking students by suggesting that the German noun classification has something to do with sex differentiation. It doesn't. See paragraph III.

Insofar as the basic stock of German nouns is concerned (nouns like house, grass, sky, wine, beer, milk), there is absolutely no sense or rationale to the classification system; there is no way at all of anticipating which class any given noun belongs to. You must simply learn the word for 'the' as a part of the noun: the German word for 'wine' is der Wein. And you must practice saying der Wein often enough so that das Wein or die Wein sounds as wrong to you as 'The father of his country -- Henry Washington.'

Now, Henry Washington is a perfectly good name; but it's wrong, and every American knows it's wrong. By the same token, das Wein is a perfectly good form; but it's wrong, and every German knows it's wrong. In time, you will too.

With derivative nouns (that is, nouns made from other words, like our happi-ness, brother-hood) your problem is easier. The classification of German derivative nouns is fairly orderly and consistent. Nouns ending in -ung, for example, are always die-nouns: die Verzeihung 'the forgiveness, the pardon.' And nouns ending with the diminutive suffixes -lein and -chen are always das-nouns: das Fräulein 'the miss, waitress,' das Mädchen 'the little girl.' We will deal with the formation of the various kinds of derivative nouns as we go along through the units.

But if the classification of derivative nouns is orderly and consistent, the classification of the basic stock of German nouns remains virtually chaotic. There really is no system at all for guessing which class a noun belongs to; it's not something you can reason out or get the knack of. It is not the same as our he-she-it system, as we'll see in a minute. There is absolutely nothing in English like it. Your only solution is to use the nouns until you know them as well as you know 'George Washington.'

A. The German Noun-Classification ('Gender') System.

II. Pronouns Corresponding to the Three Classes of Nouns

Wo ist der Bahnhof? Er ist dort.
Where is the station? It's there.

Wo ist das Hotel? Es ist dort.
Where is the hotel? It's there.

Wo ist die Botschaft? Sie ist dort.
Where is the embassy? It's there.

As these examples show, there is a special pronoun for each of the three classes of nouns. Notice the correspondence in the final sounds of the pairs der-er, das-es, and die-sie. This is no coincidence.

A. The German Noun-Classification ('Gender') System.

III. Contrast between German and English Pronoun Usage

Wo ist der Bahnhof? Er ist dort.
Where's the station? It's there.

Wo ist der Mann? Er ist dort.
Where's the man? He's there.

Wo ist das Hotel? Es ist dort.
Where's the hotel? It's there.

Wo ist das Kind? Es ist dort.
Where's the child? He's there. or She's there.

Wo ist die Botschaft? Sie ist dort.
Where's the embassy? It's there.

Wo ist die Frau? Sie ist dort.
Where's the woman? She's there.

These examples show that the German pronouns er, sie, and es do not match up with the English pronouns 'he', 'she', and 'it'. The English he-she-it system has an entirely different foundation from the German noun-classification ('gender') system. In the English system, the choice of pronoun depends upon the sex (male, female, or sexless) of some non-linguistic entity--a man ('he'), a woman ('she'), or a table ('it'). In the German system, on the other hand, the choice of pronoun depends upon the linguistic classification of the noun you are replacing, except in reference to human beings.

A. The German Noun-Classification ('Gender') System.

IV. Pronouns Referring to People

Wo ist das Fräulein? Sie ist dort.
Where's the waitress? She's there.

Since all German nouns referring to men are der-nouns and virtually all German nouns referring to women are die-nouns, er and sie correspond to 'he' and 'she' -- when they refer to human beings. Consequently, one says sie when referring to das Fräulein, who is, after all, die junge Dame 'the young lady', die Tochter 'the daughter', die Schwester 'the sister', and so on, as well as das Fräulein.

The German Noun-Classification System, 2 of 2

One class in the plural

Singular means one of a thing. Plural means more than one.

The three classes exist only in the singular. In the plural there is one word for 'the', die, and one pronoun, sie.

Die Bahnhöfe, die Hotels and die Frauen all take die, and all are sie.

192
Where are the stations? They're here.
193
Where are the hotels? They're here.
194
Where are the women? They're here.

FSI German Basic Course (1961), Unit 1, Notes on Grammar

A. The German Noun-Classification ('Gender') System.

V. No classification in the Plural

Wo sind die Bahnhöfe? Sie sind hier.
Where are the stations? They're here.

Wo sind die Hotels? Sie sind hier.
Where are the hotels? They're here.

Wo sind die Frauen? Sie sind hier.
Where are the women? They're here.

As these examples show, the three-fold classification we've been discussing applies only to nouns in the singular. In the plural, there is only one word for 'the', and only one pronoun.

The Pointing-Word das

The word that points

Das has a second job. On its own, it points at a thing or a group of things, and it means 'this', 'that', 'these' or 'those'.

This das is not the das of das Hotel. It does not change with the class of the noun or with the number of things.

Das ist der Bahnhof. Das sind die Zigarren. The same das points at one station and at several cigars.

195
This is the station, isn't it? Yes, that's it.
196
Is that the milk? This is water.
197
Are these the matches? Those are the cigars.

FSI German Basic Course (1961), Unit 1, Notes on Grammar

B. The Pointing-Word das.

Das ist der Bahnhof, nicht wahr? Ja, das ist er.
This is the station, isn't it? Yes, that's it.

Ist das die Milch? Das ist Wasser.
Is that the milk? This is water.

Sind das die Streichhölzer? Das sind die Zigarren.
Are these the matches? Those are the cigars.

The pointing-word das (often accompanied by a pointing gesture) is used to call any object or group of objects to the hearer's attention, without any reference to noun classification or to the number of objects.

The pointing-word das is an entirely different entity from the das of das Hotel. The English equivalents of the pointing-word das are 'this', 'that', 'these', and 'those'.

Substitution Drill

198
The airport is there.

199
The airport is there.
200
Where is the station?

201
Where is the station?

202
Where is the station?
203
How much does the coffee cost?

204
How much does the coffee cost?
205
How's the beer?

206
How's the beer?
207
The hotel is good.

208
The hotel is good.
209
The hotel is over there.

210
The hotel is over there.

211
The hotel is over there.
212
That's the airport.

213
That's the airport.
214
Here is Mr. Becker. Here he is.

215
Here is Mr. Becker. Here he is.

216
Here is Mr. Becker. Here he is.

217
Here is Mr. Becker. Here he is.

Variation Drill

218
I understand you.
219
Do you understand me?
220
Where is the airport?

221
Where is the airport?
222
Where are the matches?
223
How's the milk?
224
How's the beer?

225
How's the beer?
226
How's the tea?
227
How are the matches?
228
That costs a lot.

229
That costs a lot.
230
The beer is good.
231
The matches are not very good.
232
Where is the airport? It's there to the right.

233
Where is the airport? It's there to the right.
234
How is the coffee? It is good.
235
I'd like to have some cigarettes, please.

236
I'd like to have some cigarettes, please.
237
I'd like to eat.
238
That's the railroad station.
239
Here is the hotel.

240
Here is the hotel.
241
The cigars cost five marks.
242
Three and four is seven.

243
Three and four is seven.

Translation Drill 1

244
Is that the embassy?
245
No, that's not the embassy, that's the hotel.
246
The embassy is over there, to the left.
247
How is the beer, is it good?
248
No, it's not very good.
249
What is that there, the airport?
250
Yes, that's the airport.
251
Is Mr. Becker here?
252
No, he isn't (here).
253
Is the wine good here?
254
Yes, it is (good here).
255
Where is Miss Schneider?
256
Isn't she here?

Translation Drill 2

257
No, she isn't (here).
258
How much does sausage and sauerkraut cost?
259
It doesn't cost much.
260
Where are the cigars?
261
Aren't they here?
262
No, they aren't (here).
263
They cost four marks.
264
Do you understand me?
265
What did you say?
266
Yes, I understand you very well.
267
Would you like to eat?
268
Yes, I would.

Response Drill 1

269
Where is Mr. Becker?
270
He is over there.
271
Is that Mrs. Kunze?
272
No, that's not Mrs. Kunze.
273
Where are Mr. and Mrs. Schneider?
274
Mr. and Mrs. Schneider are here.
275
How are you? (How goes it with you?)
276
Fine, thanks. And you?
277
Do you understand me?
278
Yes, I understand you well.
279
Can you understand me well, too?
280
No, I don't understand you.
281
Where is the station?
282
The station is there to the right.
283
Is that the railroad station?
284
No, that's not the station. It's there, straight ahead.
285
Where is the airport?
286
It's over there.
287
Is the hotel there to the left?
288
No, it's there to the right.
289
The restaurant is over there, isn't it?
290
Yes, it's over there, straight ahead.
291
What's that there?
292
That's the embassy.
293
Where is the bank here?
294
The bank is here to the left.

Response Drill 2

295
Is that the embassy over there?
296
Yes, that's the embassy.
297
How's the café?
298
The café is very good.
299
Is the restaurant good too?
300
No, the restaurant is not very good.
301
How do you say "good bye" in German?
302
You say "Auf Wiedersehen".
303
How do you say "thank you" in German?
304
You say "Danke schön".
305
What would you like to have?
306
I'd like to have ten cigarettes.
307
Would you also like some cigars?
308
Yes, I'd like to have some cigars too.
309
How many would you like to have?
310
Four, please.
311
Would you like to have some matches too?
312
Yes, I'd like to have some matches too.
313
How much do the cigars cost?
314
The cigars cost one Mark.
315
Does the beer cost one Mark?
316
No, it costs one Mark ten.
317
How much does the wine cost?
318
It costs six Marks five.
319
How much do the coffee and the tea cost?
320
The coffee and the tea cost five Marks twelve.

Response Drill 3

321
Would you like to eat something?
322
Yes, I'd like to eat something.
323
What would you like to eat?
324
I would like to eat bratwurst with sauerkraut.
325
Would you like to eat bread, too?
326
Yes, I'd like to eat a little bread too.
327
How's the beer here?
328
The beer is very good here.
329
Is the wine good too?
330
Yes, the wine is very good too.
331
How's the coffee?
332
The coffee's not good.
333
Isn't the tea good either?
334
No, it isn't good either.
335
Is the milk good?
336
Yes, the milk is very good.
337
How much is two and two?
338
Two and two is four.
339
Is three and four eight?
340
No, three and four is seven.
341
How much is five and four?
342
Five and four is nine.
343
Is six and five twelve?
344
No, six and five is not twelve. Six and five is eleven.

Conversation Practice 1

345
Where is the embassy here in Bonn?
346
The embassy is there, straight ahead.
347
What did you say?
348
It's there, straight ahead. Do you understand me?
349
Yes, thanks. And where is the airport?
350
The airport is there to the left.
351
Thank you.

Conversation Practice 2

352
Hello, Mr. Becker.
353
Hello, Mr. Kunze. How are you?
354
Fine, thanks. And you?
355
Fine too, thanks.
356
How's the beer here?
357
It's very good, and the wine is good too.
358
How much does the beer cost?
359
It costs one Mark ten.
360
Would you like to eat something too?
361
No, thanks.

Conversation Practice 3

362
Good morning. I'd like to have ten cigars.
363
Here you are. Would you like to have some cigarettes too?
364
No, thanks. But I'd like to have some matches.
365
Here you are.
366
How much do the cigars cost?
367
They cost five Marks seven.

Conversation Practice 4

368
Excuse me, where is the restaurant?
369
The restaurant is there, to the right.
370
Is that the airport over there?
371
No, that's not the airport, that's the station. The airport is there, to the left.
372
I beg your pardon? I don't understand you. Please speak slowly.
373
That's not the airport, that's the station. The airport is there, to the left. Do you understand me?
374
Yes, I understand you. Good-bye.