Glossary
a
Accusative
Akkusativ; one of the four cases used for the declension of articles, nouns, pronouns and adjectives
typical question: Who/What is the direct recipient of the action?
den großen Jungen
Action verb
Handlungsverb; describes an active/consciously performed action
(compare: Processual verb, Stative verb)
arbeiten, lesen, rennen
Active
Aktiv; a sentence in which the subject itself is "actively" doing something
(compare: Passive)
Der Mann baut ein Haus.
Adjective
Adjektiv; an adjective describes the characteristic of a noun, verb or another adjective.
typical question: How is something/someone?
(see also: Adverbial adjective, Attributive adjective, Predicative adjective)
gut, böse, schnell
Adverb
Adverb; expresses information about place, time, reason or manner, does not get declined or conjugated
typical question: Where/When/Why/How?
hier, gestern, sehr, leider
Adverbial
Adverbiale Bestimmung; can consist of an adverb or a group of words, gives details about a place, time, reason or manner
typical question: Where/Where to/Where from/How far/(Since/By) when/How (much/often/long)/From what/With what/By what/What for/About what/Why?
Ich warte hier.
Ich lerne jeden Tag.
Wir freuen uns auf deinen Besuch.
Er zitterte vor Kälte.
Adverbial adjective
Adverbiales Adjektiv; defines a verb more closely (except seinto be, werdento become or bleibento stay); in English this is simply called adverb
typical question: How (walks, laughs, ...) someone/something?
schnell laufen
laut lachen
Adverbial clause
Adverbialsatz; subordinate clause instead of an adverbial, is usually introduced by a subjunction
Weil ich verschlafen hatte, verpasste ich den Bus.
Adversative clause
Adversativsatz; adverbial clause which expresses a contrast
typical subjunction: whereas
Er trinkt gern Milch, wohingegen ich darauf allergisch bin.
Article
Artikel; is placed before the noun, there are definite articles (der, die, das); indefinite articles (ein, eine) and possessive articles (mein, dein, unser)
der Tisch
eine Blume
mein Handy
Attribute
Attribut; gives more details about a noun, can be an adjective, another noun, a possessive article, a location, a time or a whole subordinate clause
typical question: Which?
die schwarze Katze
das Fell der Katze
unsere Katze
die Katze im Bett
Die Katze, die im Bett liegt, ist schwarz.
Attributive adjective
Attributives Adjektiv; defines a noun more closely, gets an ending added onto it and gets declined
typical question: What kind of ...?
ein schneller Junge
eine laute Stimme
Attributive clause
Attributsatz; a subordinate clause that gives more details about a subject or an object (usually in form of a relative clause)
typical question: Which?
Hier ist das Buch, das du unbedingt lesen musst.
Auxiliary verb
Hilfsverb; auxiliary verbs are the verbs habento have, seinto be and werdento become and are used when forming compound tenses and the passive
(compare: Full verb)
er hat gelacht, er ist gerannt, wir werden gehen
c
Causal
Kausal; stating a reason
typical question: Why/How come/For what reason?
folglich, nämlich
Causal clause
Kausalsatz; adverbial clause that states a reason
typical subjunction: since, as, because
Ich fahre mit dem Auto, weil ich Angst vorm Fliegen habe.
Clause conjunction
Satzteilkonjunktion; is used to incorporate an adjective into a sentence which serves to express a comparison
so groß wie du
schneller als ich
desto/umso besser
Comparative
Komparativ; is used in comparisons with als, the ending er is added onto the original form of the adjective
see also: Superlative
klein – kleiner – am kleinsten
Er ist kleiner als du.
Er ist ein kleinerer Junge als du.
Compound verbs
Verbalkomplex; a predicate which consists of multiple verbs, for example in multi-part verbs like einkaufen gehento go shopping, in compound tenses, the passive voice and modal verbs
Wir gehen einkaufen.
Er hat geschlafen.
Wir wollen uns einen Film ansehen.
Concessive clause
Konzessivsatz; adverbial clause which expresses an unsuccessful counter-argument for the action expressed in the main clause
typical subjunction: obwohlalthough
Obwohl sie keine Lust hatte, ging sie mit ihren Eltern spazieren.
Conditional clause
Konditionalsatz, if clause; adverbial clause that expresses a condition
typical subjunction: falls, wennif
Wenn es regnet, bleiben wir zu Hause.
Conjugation
Konjugation; the finite form of verbs when used with a pronoun
ich gehe, du gehst, …
Conjunction
Konjunktion; is used to string together main clauses
Syntax: conjunction + subject + finite verb + ...
(compare: Subjunction, Infinitive conjunction, Conjunctional adverb, Clause conjunction)
aber, und, oder, sondern
Conjunctional adverb
Konjunktionaladverb; adverb which connects two clauses by expressing a relation between two situations
Syntax: conjunction + finite verb + subject + ...
also, darum, trotzdem
Conjunctional clause
Konjunktionalsatz; a subordinate clause which is introduced by a subjunction (subordinate conjunction)
Er kann nicht kommen, weil er krank ist.
Consecutive clause
Konsekutivsatz; adverbial clause which expresses a consequence
typical subjunction: dassthat, sodassso that
Der Hund bellte so laut, dass alle Nachbarn wach wurden.
Consonant
Konsonant; a letter or sound that is not a vowel
(compare: Vowel)
b, c, d, f, g, h, j, k, l, m, n, p, q, r, s, t, v, w, x, y, z
d
Dative
Dativ; one of the four cases used for the declension of articles, nouns, pronouns and adjectives
dem großen Jungen
Declension
Deklination; use of the cases, inflection of nouns, articles and adjectives
der große Junge,
dem großen Jungen
Definite article
Bestimmter Artikel; an article that refers to a specific noun
der, die, das
der Tisch, die Katze
Demonstrative pronoun
Demonstrativpronomen; emphasises something that was (usually) mentioned before
dieser, jener, das, der
Das weiß ich nicht.
Direct object
Akkusativobjekt, direktes Objekt; is used in conjunction with certain verbs, in sentences with multiple objects the direct object is usually the thing with which an action is carried out
typical question: Who/What is the direct recipient of the action?
Ich kenne ihn.
Ich gebe dem Bruder einen Apfel.
Direct speech
Direkte Rede; rendition of a statement in the original wording, is always used in German with a colon and quotation marks
(compare: Indirect speech)
Er sagte: „Ich gehe jeden Tag joggen.“
f
Feminine
Feminin; grammatical gender of articles, nouns and pronouns
die Butter, sie
Final clause
Finalsatz; adverbial clause which expresses an objective/a purpose
typical subjunction: damitso that
Ich sage das, damit du es dir merkst.
Finite verb
Finites Verb; inflected verb, conjugated verb
ich gehe, du bist,
er hatte, wir lachten
Frageadverb
Full verb
Vollverb; a verb which expresses an action, a process or a state of being
(compare: Auxiliary verb)
Wir haben gearbeitet.
Es hat geschneit.
Sie hat hier gewohnt.
Future
Futur I; tense to express the future, it expresses an intention for the future or an assumption about the present or future
ich werde gehen
Future Perfect
Futur II; completed future, it expresses the assumption that an action will have been completed by the time of speaking or by a particular point in the future
ich werde gegangen sein
g
Gegenwart
Gender
Genus; shows if a noun or pronoun is masculine, feminine, or neuter
der Mann, die Frau, das Kind, er, sie, es
Genitive
Genitiv; one of the four cases used for the declension of articles, nouns, pronouns and adjectives
typical question: Whose?
but: der Hund des Mannes (the man's dog; genitive); sein Hund (his dog; no genitive but a possessive article)
des großen Jungen
Genitive object
Genitivobjekt; is used in conjunction with certain verbs
typical question: What of/from/…?
Der Kandidat enthielt sich der Stimme.
Geschlecht
Grammatical number
Numerus; hypernym for singular/plural
der Hund – die Hunde
ich gehe – wir gehen
Grundform
h
Hinweisendes Fürwort
Honorific
i
If clause
Imperative
Imperativ; expresses commands and requests, can be used with du, ihr, Sie, wir
Warte!, Lauft!, Bleiben Sie!, Gehen wir!
Imperfekt
Indefinite article
Unbestimmter Artikel; an article which refers to an unspecified noun
ein, eine
ein Tisch, eine Katze
Independent clause
Hauptsatz; a clause that can stand by itself
Der Junge lacht.
Indicative
Indikativ; standard verb form in the various tenses; is used to declare facts
(compare: Subjunctive)
er geht, er ging,
er ist gegangen
Indirect object
Indirektes Objekt, Dativobjekt; is used in conjunction with specific verbs
In sentences with multiple objects, the indirect object is usually a person for whom the action is intended.
typical question: To whom?
Ich vertraue ihm.
Ich gebe dem Bruder einen Apfel.
Indirect question
Indirekte Frage; a question which is embedded in a declarative sentence as a subordinate clause, is introduced by ob or an interrogative
Er fragt, ob du tanzen willst./Sie möchte wissen, wie du heißt.
Indirect speech
Reported speech, indirekte Rede; correct rendition of a statement (not in its original wording), usually the verb is in the subjunctive mood, sometimes time and place specifications have to be altered
(compare: Direct speech)
Er sagte, er gehe jeden Tag joggen.
Infinitive
Infinitiv; uninflected/non-finite verb, basic form of the verb
gehen, sein, haben
Infinitive clause
Infinitivsatz; subordinate clause that uses an infinitive with zu
Es freut mich, Sie kennenzulernen.
Infinitive conjunction
Infinitivkonjunktion; connects parts of sentences with an infinitive construction
ohne zu, statt zu, um zu
Inflection
Flexion; conjugation of verbs, declension of articles, nouns, pronouns, adjectives
(compare: Declension, Conjugation)
ich gehe, du bist
dem großen Jungen
meine neue Tasche
Interrogative adverb
Interrogativadverb; is used to ask for other types of adverbs
(compare: Adverb)
wo, wohin, wann, warum, weshalb, wie
Wo wohnst du?
Interrogative pronoun
Interrogativpronomen; is used to ask for the subject or object, replaces the noun that is asked for in the question
wer, was, wem,
wen, wessen
Wer hat das gesagt?
Intransitive verb
Intransitives Verb; a verb which is used in a sentence without a direct object
lachen
Er lacht.
k
Konditionalsatz
Konjunktiv
l
Local
lokal; statement of a place
typical question: Where/Where to/Where from?
Locative adverb
Lokaladverb; adverb of a place
typical question: Where/Where to/Where from?
da, hierher, links, oben, weg
Locative clause
Lokalsatz; adverbial clause instead of a statement of place
typical subjunction: Where/Where to/Where from?
Wo er wohnt, ist es sehr schön.
m
Masculine
Maskulin, männlich; grammatical gender for articles, nouns and pronouns
der Baum, er
Mixed verb
Gemischtes Verb; a verb which keeps its regular conjugated ending but changes its stem, the past participle is formed with ge...t
(compare: Weak verb, Strong verb)
denken
dachte
gedacht
Modal
statement of manner
typical question: How?
Modal adverb
Modaladverb; adverb for stating manner
typical question: How?
anders, äußerst, folgendermaßen
Modal clause
Modalsatz; adverbial clause which expresses manner
typical subjunction: as, by
In Deutschland begrüßt man sich, indem man sich die Hand reicht.
Modal verb
Modalverb; a verb which influences the content of another verb and expresses ability, wishes or constraint
Modal verbs are: dürfen (to be allowed to), können (to be able), möchten (would like to), mögen (to like), müssen (to have to), sollen (to be supposed to), wollen (to want)
ich kann lesen
er will schlafen
wir müssen lernen
n
Neuter
Neutral, sächlich; grammatical gender of articles, nouns and pronouns
das Geld, es
Nicht trennbares Verb
Nominative
Nominativ, one of the four cases used for the declension of articles, nouns, pronouns and adjectives
typical question: Who/What is performing the action?
der große Junge
Non-separable verb
Nicht trennbares Verb; a verb which is extended by a prefix and cannot be separated from this prefix in the finite verb form
(compare: Separable verb)
ich bestehe
ich habe bestanden
Noun
Nomen, Substantiv; a declinable word usually used with an article to indicate a person, animal, thing, place or idea
Haus, Mond, Luft, Leute
Numerus
o
Object
Objekt; a noun (often including article and adjective) or pronoun which is not the subject of a sentence but stands, in conjunction with certain verbs, in the accusative, dative or genitive
Ich gebe dem Jungen einen großen Apfel.
Der Kandidat enthielt sich der Stimme.
Object clause
Objektsatz; subordinate clause instead of an object
Ich verstehe, was er meint.
p
Participle clause
Partizipialsatz; subordinate clause using the present or the past participle
Vor Vergnügen quietschend, sprang das Kind in den Pool.
Partly reflexive verb
Teilreflexives Verb; a verb which can occur as a normal and as a reflexive verb, whereby the meaning is different
sich/jemanden ärgern
Passive
Passiv; the subject itself is not active, who or what caused the action is unimportant, unknown, or assumed to be generally known
(compare: Processual passive, Statal passive)
Das Haus wird gebaut.
Past participle
Partizip II; verb form which is used to construct the compound tenses for the past and the passive
ich habe gelernt
ihr seid gefahren
Das Haus wird gebaut.
Past perfect
Plusquamperfekt; tense to express actions that took place before a certain point in the past
ich hatte gelernt
er war gefahren
Past tense
Perfekt
Personal pronouns
Personalpronomen; the pronouns ich, du, er, sie, es, wir, ihr, sie and the declined forms mich, mir, dich, dir etc.
ich, du, uns, euch
Plural
expresses multiple things, nouns, articles, adjectives, verbs and pronouns can be used in the plural
(compare: Singular)
die Leute
Die großen Geschenke sind für uns.
Plusquamperfekt
Polar question
Entscheidungsfrage, yes-no question; a question without an interrogative word, can be answered with yes/no
Kommst du mit ins Kino?
Polite form
Höflichkeitsform, honorific; is used when addressing a person in the polite Sie-form
Wie heißen Sie?
Wie geht es Ihnen?
Positive form
Positive Form, basic form of an adjective; expresses a characteristic, is also used for comparisons like genauso ... wie (as ... as), the adjective stays in the basic form
ein kleiner Junge
Der Junge ist klein.
Er ist nicht so klein wie du.
Possessive article
Possessivartikel; stands in front of a noun and indicates possession/belonging
mein Tisch, eure Katze
Possessive pronoun
Possessivpronomen; pronoun indicating possession
is usually used instead of a noun but sometimes also as a possessive article
Mein Handy ist kaputt. Kann ich mit deinem telefonieren?
(mein Tisch)
Predicate
Prädikat; verb form in a sentence, can be one or multiple verbs, for example in compound tenses, passive, modal verbs or compound verbs
Er lernt Deutsch.
Er wird Auto fahren.
Das Haus wird gebaut.
Ich gehe einkaufen.
Predicative adjective
Prädikatives Adjektiv; defines the verbs sein (to be), werden (to become) and bleiben (to remain) more closely
typical question: How is/becomes/remains someone/something?
Das Wetter ist/wird/bleibt gut/schlecht.
Prefix
Präfix; a syllable which is added onto the beginning of a word in order to form a new word
erfahren, Überfall, untreu
Preposition
Präposition; indicates the relationship between two situations, defines the case of the corresponding noun
Ich wohne seit einem Jahr in einem Haus außerhalb der Stadt.
Present participle
Partizip I; verb form where the letter "d" is added onto the infinitive
The present participle is primarily used for the formation of adjectives and instead of clauses
schlafend, lesend
das fahrende Auto
Pfeifend ging er davon.
Present perfect
Perfekt; a tense for completed actions in the past, it is usually used when focusing on the result of the action, is constructed with the auxiliary verbs haben/sein
ich habe gelernt
er ist gefahren
Present tense
Präsens; a tense which is used to express actions in the present (but sometimes also for the future)
ich lerne, er fährt
Preterite
Probe question
Ergänzungsfrage; a question with an interrogative word
Wann ist sie gegangen?
Processual passive
Vorgangspassiv; a passive form which expresses an action
(compare: Statal passive)
Das Haus wurde gebaut.
Processual verb
Vorgangsverb; describes a procedure which is not consciously carried out by someone
(compare: Action verb, Stative verb)
schlafen, schneien, wachsen
Pronoun
Pronomen; replaces an already known or previously mentioned noun and thus helps to avoid repetition
Pronouns are declined and match their ending according to the gender of the noun
Er sagt, dass sie uns hilft.
Mein Handy ist defekt. Kann ich deins haben?
Präsens
Präteritum
r
Reciprocal verb
Reziprokes Verb; uses the reflexive pronoun with the meaning "einander" (each other)
Wir sehen uns am Kino.
Reflexive pronoun
Reflexivpronomen (sich); is used in conjunction with reflexive and reciprocal verbs
ich freue mich
Reflexive verb
Reflexives Verb; a verb which is used with a reflexive pronoun sich (self) in the sense of "oneself" or "itself"
(compare: Partly reflexive verb, Unreal reflexive verb, Reciprocal verb)
sich freuen
Relative clause
Relativsatz; a clause introduced by a relative pronoun in which the last noun from the previous clause is specified more closely
Das ist der Mann, den ich gesehen habe.
Relative pronoun
Relativpronomen; a pronoun which introduces a relative clause
der Mann, der dort steht
Reported speech
s
Separable verb
Trennbares Verb; a verb which can be extended by a prefix but where the prefix can be separated in the finite verb form
(compare: Non-separable verb)
anstehen
ich stehe an
ich habe angestanden
Simple past
Präteritum, Imperfekt, past tense, preterite; a tense which is used to express actions that took place in the past, usually used when writing
ich lernte, er fuhr
Singular
expresses one single thing, nouns, articles, adjectives, verbs and pronouns can be used in the singular
(compare: Plural)
der Tisch
Das große Geschenk ist für mich.
Statal passive
Zustandspassiv; a passive form which describes a state after a completed action
(compare: Processual passive)
Das Haus ist gebaut.
Stative verb
Zustandsverb, a verb which describes a state
(compare: Action verb, Processual verb)
besitzen, wohnen
Strong verb
Starkes Verb; a verb with an irregular past tense form, the past participle is constructed with ge...en, often also with a vowel change in the present tense
(compare: Mixed verb, Weak verb)
fahren
fuhr
gefahren
ich fahre, du fährst
Subject
Subjekt; a noun (usually including article and adjective) or a pronoun used in the nominative, performs an action in active sentences
Der alte Mann steht an der Ecke.
Ich fahre Rad.
Subject clause
Subjektsatz; subordinate clause instead of a subject
Es ist schade, dass du schon gehen musst.
Subjunction
Subjunktion; connects sentences, whereby the clause which is introduced by a subjunction is a subordinate clause
Syntax: Conjunction + Subject + ... + finite verb
als, da, nachdem, seit
Subjunctive
Konjunktiv; special verb form, is used to express wishes or requests, for conditional clauses and for the indirect speech
er gehe, er ginge,
er sei gegangen
Subjunctive I
Konjunktiv I; one of the two subjunctive forms, is used for idiomatic expressions and the indirect speech
Dein Wille geschehe.
Man sagt, er sei reich.
Subjunctive II
Konjunktiv II; one of the two subjunctive forms, is used to express wishes, unreal conditional clauses and particularly polite questions or statements
Is used for indirect speech when the subjunctive I can't be used because it is the same as the indicative
Er wünschte, er hätte Zeit.
Das wäre toll.
Subordinate clause
Nebensatz; a clause which, in its own form, is not an independent sentence but has to be used in conjunction with a main clause
Der Junge lacht, weil er fröhlich ist.
Substantiv
Suffix
a syllable added to the end of a word to form a new word
herzlich, Freundschaft, telefonieren
Superlative
Superlativ; is used for comparisons to express what has the highest level of a certain characteristic
compare: Comparative
klein – kleiner – am kleinsten
Er ist am kleinsten.
Er ist der kleinste Junge.
Syllable
Silbe; component of a word which is voiced with one sound and where a word can be split up
Au-to-mo-bil
Sächlich
t
Temporal
the stating of time
typical question: When/How long/How often/Until when/Since when?
dienstags, einst, gestern, jetzt, oft, sofort
Temporal clause
Temporalsatz; adverbial clause instead of stating a time
typical subjunction: before, after, since
Seit ich einen Hund habe, gehe ich viel spazieren.
Transitive verb
Transitives Verb; a verb which is used with an accusative in a sentence and which can form the passive
Er beantwortet die Frage. – Die Frage wird beantwortet.
Trennbares Verb
u
Umlaut
Umlaut; the letters ä, ö, and ü
ä, ö, ü
Unreal reflexive verb
Unechtes reflexives Verb; a verb which can be used as a normal and as a reflexive verb whilst having the same meaning
Ich kaufe (mir) ein Eis.
v
Verb
a word which expresses an action, a process or a state of being
verbs get conjugated and used in different tenses
lernen, fahren
Vergangenheit
Vowel
Vokal; a letter which, when spoken aloud, is pronounced without an additional sound
(compare: Consonant)
a, e, i, o, u, ä, ö, ü
w
Weak verb
Schwaches Verb; regularly conjugated verb, the past participle is constructed with ge...t
(compare: Mixed verb, Strong verb)
lernen
lernte
gelernt
Weiblich
Word stem
Wortstamm; main component of a word after all endings and prefixes have been removed
By adding different syllables onto the word stem, verbs are conjugated, nouns declined, adjectives compared etc.
laufen, gesagt
des Flusses
am lautesten
Would-form
Würde-Form; the use of würde (would) and a full verb instead of a subjunctive
ich würde gehen