Learning Deutsch ... I hope so !!!!: 2005

Sunday, May 15, 2005

Vocabulary : möchten

When you use möchten, you are expressing yourself politely. So you can omit additional terms of politeness such as bitte or gern. Example: Möchten Sie einen Kaffee?

Vocabulary : Entschuldigung

We say Entschuldigung: when we've had a mishap (= sorry) or when we make a polite request (= excuse me): Entschuldigung, wie ist Ihr Name?

Sunday, April 10, 2005

München : The most expensive city in Germany

There is enough office accommodation everywhere. In recent years a lot has been built and put on the market at high prices. But there’s still a shortage of housing – despite state subsidies. Prices and conditions vary greatly, however: it makes a lot of difference whether you live in northern or southern Germany, in a big city, small town or in the country.
It all depends of course on where you work. An hour’s commute is the maximum German employees expect.
If your journey takes an hour and a half or longer, colleagues look on you with a touch of admiration – or pity. And an employer may ask cautiously if it wouldn’t be better to find somewhere to live a little closer. People in Germany tend to stay put once they’ve built or bought a house. They are reluctant to move once they’ve become homeowners, and often stay in the same place till the end of their life.

It’s easier to find somewhere to live in northern Germany, somewhere that isn’t too expensive. In southern German, however, and especially in the Munich area, prices have soared.

Munich is the most expensive city in Germany. Even Frankfurt am Main has dropped behind. There are several reasons for this: the attractive setting and the surrounding countryside, the proximity of Austria and Italy, and also employment prospects. A lot of people travel to Munich not just on holiday or for leisure purposes, but also to work. In the past agriculture was the most important factor in Bavaria’s economy. But all that changed some while ago. The number of farms is dropping all the time.
Munich has become a powerful industrial centre: high-tech firms have set up business, famous car-makers such as BMW are based here, and the city is also a centre of the film and TV industry. The new airport has become an important international hub, and the new exhibition centre attracts exhibitors and visitors in large numbers from far and wide.

Grammar : Present tense / Strong verbs

	nehmen	essen	schlafen
ich	nehme	esse	schlafe
du	nimmst	isst	schläfst
er/sie	nimmt	isst	schläft
wir	nehmen	essen	schlafen
ihr	nehmt	esst	schlaft
sie/Sie	nehmen	essen	schlafen

Some strong verbs change:
e to i or ie (nehmen: du nimmst, essen: du isst)
a to ä (schlafen: du schläfst)

Grammar : Perfect Tense

mit haben

	kochen	wohnen	sparen	finden	lesen
ich habe	gekocht	gewohnt	gespart	gefunden	gelesen
du hast
er/sie hat
wir haben
ihr habt
sie/Sie haben

mit sein

	gehen
ich bin	gegangen
du bist
er/sie ist
wir sind
ihr seid
sie/Sie sind

When you talk about something in the past, you use the perfect.
For example: Gestern habe ich gekocht. Heute gehen wir essen.

The perfect is also possible in cases where you would use the simple past tense in English.

The perfect consists of two parts: Gestern habe ich Spagetti gekocht. You need the conjugated form of haben or sein (ich habe, du hast etc.) and the past participle (gekocht).

The past participle usually starts with ge- and ends in -(e)t (gearbeitet, gekocht) or -en (gegangen). It is placed at the end of the sentence, and the form doesn’t change.

In German as in English there are weak and strong verbs. Weak ones have the ending -(e)t, strong one -en.

Vocabulary : Useful expressions

Entschuldigung = Excuse me

Tut mir Leid = I’m sorry

Macht nichts = That’s OK

Einverstanden? = OK?

Du hast Recht = You’re right

Hast du Hunger? = Are you hungry?

Saturday, March 19, 2005

Berlin und München – Nord und Süd

In Germany there are two cities that call themselves the capital, one of them the official capital, the other the „secret“ one. Everybody knows the official capital, that’s Berlin. But the „secret“ capital has always been Munich. Has Munich really got something special about it that other cities don’t have? People who know Munich will answer „yes“ straightaway. But what is it that’s special about this city?
Southern Germany is a tourist centre. No federal state has as many tourists as Bavaria and Munich, and the numbers are rising all the time. Bavaria is the most popular holiday area among both Germans and tourists from all over the world. Munich, thanks partly to its central location, attracts millions of visitors every day, and they usually leave enthusiastic about the city’s special appeal with the nearby lakes and mountains. And when the „Föhn“ is blowing, a warm southerly wind, the sky is a glorious clear blue and you feel you can almost reach out and touch the mountains, so near do they seem. Then people think of street cafés and an almost southern, Mediterranean atmosphere in the summer.
The castles built by the Bavarian King Ludwig II in the 19 th century are just an hour’s drive from Munich. He was the fairytale king who loved castles and music, especially Wagner, whom he brought to Munich. The fact that the king, towards the end of his life, was a very lonely figure, and that he died rather mysteriously in Lake Starnberg means he is shrouded with a fairytale cloak of magic and mystery.
Munich cast a rather jealous glance at Berlin when it was basking in the limelight as the new capital after reunification. The government decided on Berlin in 1991, after the small city of Bonn had been the provisional capital for about 50 years. By the year 2000, the most important ministeries and the government had moved.
A breathtaking building boom developed, with architects of international renown helping to design the new Berlin. Berliners were almost overwhelmed by the dynamism of change in the first years after reunification, observing what was happening with their typical dry sense of humour. Some initial scepticism was eventually transformed into enthusiasm and a touch of pride – the face of the rejuvinated city was indeed impressive. There are still plenty of problems, especially with money. But everyone is convinced that one day, when the buildings are finished and the parks are laid out, Berlin will be one of the finest metropolises there is.

Guten Tag, Servus, Grüezi and more ...

People greet each other with lots of different expressions, depending on whether they are from (or at present in) Northern Germany or Southern Germany, Austria or Switzerland. Guten Tag is the normal standard German expression, replaced in Austria, Switzerland and Southern Germany by Grüß Gott. A typically Austrian greeting is Servus, but Grüß Gott is being used there more and more. In Switzerland Grüezi or Grüezi mittenand are still the main standard greetings.
If you want to be less formal, there is a wide variety of expressions to choose from. You can opt for Hallo, or in the south Grüß dich. In Switzerland you can say Salü, which of course is French. English Hi is getting more and more popular among teenagers and young people.
When you say goodbye, simply say Auf Wiedersehen, or alternatively Servus in Austria. In Switzerland you can opt for Uf Widerluege, if you find you can pronounce it easily enough. In fact it's not that easy for native speakers of German from other regions either.
Less formal and very common is Tschüs. People also say Ciao, from Italian, or in Bavaria Pfüati, a real tongue-twister. In Switzerland people prefer French Adieu best of all. Whether you say Adieu, Tschüs or Ciao depends on where you are and what your personal preference is.
It's probably better not to use Austrian Baba. That's very familiar and only really sounds convincing when spoken by an Austrian.

Wednesday, March 09, 2005

Vocabulary : Numbers

Zahlen 0 - 1 000 000

0 = null				...
1 = eins	10 zehn	100 = hundert	1000 = tausend	...	1000 000 = eine Million
2 = zwei	20 = zwanzig	200 = zweihundert	2000 = zweitausend
3 = drei	30 = dreißig	300 = dreihundert
4 = vier	40 = vierzig	400 = vierhundert
5 = fünf	50 = fünfzig	500 = fünfhundert
6 = sechs	60 = sechzig	600 = sechshundert
7 = sieben	70 = siebzig	700 = siebenhundert
8 = acht	80 = achtzig	800 = achthundert
9 = neun	90 = neunzig	900 = neunhundert

11 = elf
12 = zwölf
13 = dreizehn
14 = vierzehn
15 = fünfzehn
16 = sechzehn
17 = siebzehn
18 = achtzehn
19 = neunzehn
20 = zwanzig
21 = einundzwanzig
22 = zweiundzwanzig
...
101 = hunderteins
102 = hundertzwei
...

Friday, March 04, 2005

Vocabulary : Personnal Data

Personalien = Personal data
der Name = name
der Vorname = first name
der Geburtsort= place of birth
die Adresse = address
die Straße = street / road
der Ort = place
PLZ = Postleitzahl (die) = postcode / zipcode
das Land = country
die Unterschrift = signature
der Ausweis = identity card
der Pass = passport

Vocabulary

Vocabulary : Asking where someone comes from

Fragen, woher jemand kommt = Asking where someone comes from

Woher sind Sie? = Where are you from? (formal)
Woher bist du? = Where are you from? (informal)
Woher sind Sie? = Where do you come from? (formal)
Woher kommst du? = Where do you come from? (informal)
Ich bin aus ... = I am from ...
Ich komme aus ... = I come from ...
Aus ... = From ...
Sind Sie aus ... ? = Are you from ... ? (formal)
Bist du aus ... ? = Are you from ... ? (informal)
Ja, ich bin aus ... = Yes, I'm from ...
Nein, ich bin aus ... = No, I am from ...
Leben Sie in ... ? = Do you live in ... ?
Wohnen Sie in ... ? = Do you live in ... ?
Ja, ich lebe / wohne in ... = Yes, I live in ...
Nein, ich lebe / wohne in ... = No, I live in ...
Ich bin schon fünf Jahre in ... = I have been in ... five years
Kennen Sie ... ? = Do you know ... ?
Ja, aber nicht gut. = Yes, but not well.

Vocabulary

Vocabulary : Saying goodbye

Sich verabschieden = Saying goodbye

Auf Wiedersehen = Goodbye.
Tschüs = Bye / Cheerio / See you.
Adieu = Goodbye / Bye.
Ciao = See you.

Vocabulary

Vocabulary : Greeting someone and introducing yourself

Jemanden begrüßen = Greeting someone
Sich vorstellen = Introducing yourself

Formal

Guten Tag, Frau / Herr ... = Good morning / afternoon / evening Mrs /Mr. ...
Mein name ist ... = My name is ...
Ich bin .... = I am ...
Ich heiße ... = My name is ...
Sind Sie ... = Are you ... ?
Ja, das bin ich. = Yes, I am.
Wie geht es Ihnen ? = How are you ?
Danke gut. (Und Ihnen ?) = Fine, thanks. (And you ?)
Herzlich Wilkommen. = Welcome

Informal

Hallo + Vorname = Hello + first name
Ich bin ... = I'm ...
Ich heiße ... = My name's ...
Wie geht's? / Wie geht's dir? = How are you?
Danke, gut. (Und dir?) = Fine, thanks. (And you?)

Vocabulary

Sunday, February 27, 2005

Vocabulary : House

Sentences

wilkommen su Hause ! = welcome at home

Nouns

der Platz (-¨e) / das Zimmer (-) = room

das Bad (-¨er) = bathroom
das Büro (-s) = office
die Küche (-n) = kitchen
das Schlafzimmer (-) = bedroom
das Wohnzimmer (-) = living room

der Fernseher (-) = televition set
der Radio (-s) = radio

Verbs

duschen (sich) = to have a shower
fernsehen = to watch T.V.

Vocabulary

Grammar : Modal Verbs

können (can)
ich kann
du kannst / Sie können
er / sie / es kann
wir können
ihr könnt / Sie können
sie können

dürfen (may)
ich darf
du darfst / Sie dürfen
er /sie / es darf
wir dürfen
ihr dürft / Sie dürfen
sie dürfen

"möchten" (would like) : subjonctive II of mögen
ich möchte
du möchtest / Sie möchten
er / sie / es möchte
wir möchten
irh möchtet / Sie möchten
sie möchten

Grammar

Grammar : Nominative and Accusative - Questions words.

Person(s)

Nominative	Wer ist das ? (Who is that ?) Wer sind die Frauen ? (Who are the women ?)
Accusative	Wen sehen Sie ? (Whom do you see ?)

Thing(s)

Nominative	Was ist das ? (What is that ?) Was sind das ? (What are these ?)
Accusative	Was sehen Sie ? (What do you see ?)

Grammar

Grammar : Nominative and Accusative

Nouns can be in four different cases : nominative, accusative, dative oder genitive.

The verb determines which case the noun and article take.

Verbs with the nominative : sein. Das ist die Küche.

Verbs with the accusative : haben (to have), kaufen (to buy), brauchen (to need), trinken (to drink), nehmen (to take), mögen (to like). Ich habe eine Katze (I have a cat). Ich möchte einen Kaffee (I'd like a coffee).

Singular	Masculine	Neuter	Feminine
Nominative	der / ein	das / ein	die / eine
Accusative	den / einen	das / ein	die / eine

Grammar

Saturday, February 26, 2005

Vocabulary : Nouns : Gender

Each noun has its own gender. The definite article shows the gender :

der : masculine
die : feminie
das : neutral

You should always learn nouns together with the article.

Some rules

feminine : female persons, professions and animals : die Mutter (mother), die Oma (grandma), die Katze (cat), die Lehrerin(teacher), die Stewardess (stewardess)
masculine : male persons, professions and animals; and days of the week : der Vater (father), der Opa (granddad), der Kater (tomcat), der Lehrer(teacher), der Steward (steward), der Montag (Monday), der Dienstag (Tuesday), der Mittwoch (Wednesday), der Donnerstag (Thursday), der Freitag (Friday), der Samstag (Saturday), der Sonntag (Sunday)
neutral : nouns with the ending -chen and -o : das Mädchen (girl), das Kätzen (kitten), das Auto (car), das Büro (office)

Vocabulary

Excercise - 3 : Present Tense, 'Sein' and 'Haben'

Sein
1. Du .... in Nürnberg.
2. Ihr .... in München.
3. Sie (Michaela and Peter) .... aus Köln.
4. Wann .... wir in München ?
Haben
5. Sie .... / .... Glück.
6. Wir .... Pech.
7. Ich .... Hunger.
8. Er .... Durst.

Solution ... Here !!!
More Exercises

Excercise - 2 : Present Tense, Regular Verbs

1. Ihr (lernen) Deutsch.
2. Wir (wohnen) in Berlin.
3. Er (kommen) aus China.
4. Sie (trinken) Kaffee.
5. Ich (lernen) Französich.

Solution ... Here !
More Exercises

Excercice - 1 : Personal Pronouns

Find the correct personnal pronoun for the following sentences :

1. ..... wohnt in Deutschland.
2. .... trinkst Bier.
3. .... trinkt Tee.
4. .... kommt aus Mexiko.

Solution ... Here !!!
More Exercises

Pronounciation - ch

ch is formed at the front of the mouth : ich, sprechen, nicht ...

After i (nicht), e (sprechen), l, r and n (München)
With the ending -ig.

ch is formed at the back of the mouth : buch, machen, auch ...

After a, o and u.

Thursday, February 24, 2005

Vocabulary : Drinking

Entscholdigung = sorry, excuse-me
bitte = please
danke = thank you

Sentences

... etwas zu trinken = ... something to drink
nehmen Sie Platz ! = take a seat !

Nouns

der Kaffee = coffee
die Milch = milk
der Tee = tea
die Cola (-) = coke
das Wasser = water
der Zucker = sugar

Verbs

Durst haben = to be thirsty
trinken = to drink

Adjectives

durstig = thirsty

Vocabulary

Vocabulary : Question words

Wann ... ? = When ... ?
Was ... ? = What ... ?
Wer ... ? = Who ... ?
Wie ... ? What ... ? or How ... ?
Wo ... ? = Where ... ?

Wer ist Claudia? = Who is Claudia ?
Wo wohnt sie? = Where does she live ?
Wie alt ist sie? = How old is she ?
Was ist sie von Beruf? = What is her job ?
Wie lange kennt sie Robert? = How long does she know Robert ?

Wer ist denn Claudia? Woher kommt sie denn? Wo wohnt sie denn? : wh-questions usually inluce denn. This makes them sound more personal.

Vocabulary