

To play, to run, to paint or to learn are all examples of verbs. Verbs are so-called “doing” or “action” words. seiner/ ihrer/ seiner – of him/of her/of itįor masculine or neuter nouns, switch – er endings with – es endings.The house of my sister is very interesting. Here’s an example of the genitive case in action: The genitive possessive articles depend on the gender of the possessor noun as well. Then, for masculine and neuter nouns, you must add – es (for short, one-syllable nouns) or – s (for multi-syllable nouns). Typically, you’ll have to change the “possessor” noun’s article. In German, the approach is a bit similar. In English, we indicate possession by saying something is “of” someone or by adding -‘s to nouns. The genitive case ( der Genitiv) is used to express possession or association. But once you’ve learnt these changes, it allows you to convey concise yet intricately complex meanings! It changes pronouns and articles in a way that can make discerning genders confusing. The dative case is known to be a tricky one for German learners. The ball is the direct object (note the accusative den article), and it is being given to the dog, who is the indirect object. The dative case ( der Dativ) is used to express the indirect object of the sentence. This would be the noun that receives or is acted upon by the direct object. The bold words in the following example are all direct objects, so they go in the accusative case.Īccusative articles (note, only the masculine articles change): It’s the “receiver” of the subject’s actions and is influenced by them. The accusative case ( der Akkusativ) is used to express the direct object of the sentence. In this case, you’ll be using the standard personal pronouns and articles: The nominative case ( der Nominativ) is used to express the subject of a sentence who performs the action of the verb. There are four cases to learn, and each one can change the personal pronouns and articles (both definite and indefinite) used. “Dog” is the object of the verb, it is receiving the action of the verb, so it goes in the “accusative” case. This role is the “case” they are in.įor example, in the sentence Ich habe einen Hund (I have a dog): “I” is the subject, the do-er of the verb, so it is in the “nominative” case. In German grammar, nouns and pronouns can change depending on what role they are playing in the sentence.

These can result in combos like die Handschuhe (gloves, literally “hand shoes”) or die Arbeiterunfallversicherungsgesetz (law relating to worker’s compensation insurance). There are times in German where two nouns can get squished together, creating compound nouns. Sometimes, an umlaut may also be added to a vowel. Common endings include – e, – er, – en or – s. PluralizationĪll plural nouns in German take on the feminine article die, and may also get a new ending. Or with the feminine word “flower”, you say die Blume (the flower) or eine Blume (a flower). So, as “chair” in German is masculine, you say der Stuhl (the chair) or ein Stuhl (a chair). Each have their own unique articles:Įvery German noun is assigned a gender. There are three genders in German articles: masculine, feminine and neuter. They tell you if you’re talking about something definite ( the dog) or something indefinite ( a dog). Gendered articlesĪrticles are the little words that come before nouns. If it’s a person, place or thing, it gets capitalized. You don’t really have to worry about whether something is a “proper noun” or not, like we do in English. CapitalizationĪll German nouns are capitalized. Every noun in German should be considered a two-part package. When you’re learning German nouns, you’re not just memorizing singular words. Nouns are the stuff of sentences-literally.
#Adjective in german grammar pdf
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