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Table of Contents
- Parts of Speech
Basics of German grammar covering the main parts of speech for understanding sentence structure.
- Nouns
Basics of German nouns: gender, singular/plural, cases, and common rules.
- Gender (der, die, das)
Gender rules in German, including how to use the articles der, die, and das to identify noun gender.
- Plurals
German noun plural forms and rules, explaining how to form plurals and choose the correct article.
- Cases (Nominative, Accusative, Dative, Genitive)
German cases (Nominative, Accusative, Dative, Genitive) govern how nouns, pronouns, and articles change to indicate their role in a sentence.
- Gender Agreement
Gender agreement in German grammar, explaining how articles, adjectives, and pronouns must match the gender of nouns.
- Noun-Adjective Agreement
German noun-adjective agreement rules, including how adjectives change endings to match the gender, case, and number of the nouns they describe.
- Articles
Basics of German articles: definite, indefinite, and negative articles for gender, case, and number agreement.
- Definite Articles
Definite articles in German specify nouns and indicate their gender, number, and case. They translate to "the" in English.
- Indefinite Articles
German indefinite articles (ein, eine, ein) used for "a" or "an," including forms, grammar rules, examples, and exceptions.
- Negative Article (kein)
Negative article in German, used to negate nouns instead of using "nicht". Includes explanation, usage rules, and examples.
- Pronouns
Basics of German pronouns: personal, possessive, reflexive, demonstrative, relative, interrogative, and indefinite pronouns.
- Subject Pronouns
German subject pronouns, including their English meanings and usage examples in both languages.
- Direct Object Pronouns
German direct object pronouns replace nouns that receive the action directly in a sentence, indicating who or what the action is done to.
- Indirect Object Pronouns
Indirect object pronouns in German and English, explaining their role, usage, and differences.
- Reflexive Pronouns
Reflexive pronouns in German (sich, mich, dich, etc.) show the subject doing something to themselves and match the subject in person and number.
- Possessive Pronouns
Possessive pronouns in German, including their forms, rules, and examples to show how they indicate ownership and agreement with nouns.
- Demonstrative Pronouns
German demonstrative pronouns, their forms, and usage rules for pointing out specific people or things. Includes examples in German and English.
- Relative Pronouns
German relative pronouns, their roles, and examples for connecting clauses and adding detail.
- Interrogative Pronouns
Interrogative pronouns in German, including wer, was, and the w- pronouns, with their forms and usage in questions.
- Adjectives
Basics of German adjectives: their role, placement, endings, and how they agree with nouns in gender, number, and case.
- Descriptive Adjectives
Descriptive adjectives in German grammar, including how they modify nouns, rules for agreement with noun gender, number, and case, and examples.
- Comparative Adjectives
Comparative adjectives in German, including how to form them, usage rules, and examples to compare qualities between two entities.
- Superlative Adjectives
Superlative adjectives in German, which express the highest degree of a quality, including formation rules, usage, examples, and common irregular forms.
- Predicate and Attributive Adjectives
Predicate and attributive adjectives in German, including their placement, agreement rules, and examples in sentences.
- Adverbs
Introduction to German adverbs
- Frequency Adverbs
Frequency adverbs in German, including examples and information on word order to indicate how often actions occur.
- Manner Adverbs
Manner adverbs in German, which describe how an action is performed, including formation rules and examples.
- Degree Adverbs
Degree adverbs in German grammar, including their function, common examples, usage rules, and role in modifying verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs.
- Place Adverbs
German place adverbs, including examples and rules for expressing location and direction
- Time Adverbs
Time adverbs in German grammar, explaining how words that describe when actions happen, including examples and usage rules.
- Prepositions
Basics of German prepositions: types, cases they govern (accusative, dative, genitive), and common examples for everyday use.
- Accusative, Dative, Genitive Prepositions
Accusative, dative, and genitive prepositions in German, including lists of common prepositions, explanations of their roles in sentences, and how they determine the case of the articles and nouns that follow them.
- Two-way Prepositions (Wechselpräpositionen)
Two-way prepositions in German that can be used with either the accusative or dative case, indicating direction or location depending on context.
- Prepositions of Place
Prepositions of place in German, including definitions, usage rules, and examples for expressing location and spatial relationships.
- Prepositions of Time
German prepositions that indicate time, showing how to use auf, in, an, vor, um, etc. with examples.
- Conjunctions
Introduction to German conjunctions for connecting words, phrases, and clauses in grammar.
- Coordinating Conjunctions
Coordinating conjunctions in German. Including examples, rules, and word order principles.
- Subordinating Conjunctions
Subordinating conjunctions in German, describing how they connect dependent clauses and affect word order.
- Sentence Order Changes
German sentence order changes, including rules with conjunctions, time expressions, and more.
- Interjections
German interjections — short, expressive words that convey emotions or reactions in conversation.
- Syntax and Sentences
Overview of German sentence structure, including word order, sentence types, and key rules for syntax.
- Basic Syntax Rules
Basic rules of German word order, including verb position, subject-verb-object order, and rules for time, manner, place.
- Main Clauses vs. Subordinate Clauses
Main clauses and subordinate clauses in German explain the difference between independent and dependent sentence parts, including roles, word order, and conjunctions.
- Sentence Structure
Basics of German sentence structure, including word order for main and subordinate clauses, and position of verbs.
- Declarative Sentences
German declarative sentences, their structure, how they are used to make statements, and how to form them in German grammar.
- Interrogative Sentences (ja/nein, question words, inversion)
Interrogative sentences in German, covering yes/no questions, question words, and word order (inversion).
- Exclamatory Sentences
Exclamatory sentences in German express strong emotions or reactions and often begin with “wie” (how) or “was” (what).
- Negations
Basics of negation in German to express 'not' or 'no' for denying statements or forming negative sentences.
- Simple Negations (nicht, kein)
Simple negations in German using 'nicht' and 'kein', including when to use each and examples for negating sentences, nouns, and verbs.
- Double Negatives
Double negatives in German, explaining how two negative words are used together for emphasis or correctness.
- Relative Clauses
Introduction to relative clauses in German for connecting sentences and providing extra information.
- Defining Clauses
Defining clauses in German show what the German word “defining clauses” means, how they are used within sentences, and how they fit into grammar.
- Non-defining Clauses
Non-defining relative clauses in German, which add extra information to a sentence and are set off by commas, using relative pronouns.
- Verbs
Introduction to German verbs
- Verb Types
Overview of different types of German verbs, including regular, irregular, modal verbs, separable and inseparable verbs, and reflexive verbs.
- Regular Verbs
Explanation of how regular verbs (schwache Verben) are formed and conjugated in German, including rules for stem changes and endings.
- Irregular (Strong) Verbs
An overview of irregular (strong) verbs in German, including how they change stem vowels in different tenses and provide past participles for perfect tense formation. Use this guide to understand and conjugate strong verbs correctly.
- Stem-Changing Verbs
Stem-changing verbs in German, including how their stems change in different tenses and moods, along with common examples.
- Reflexive Verbs
Reflexive verbs are German verbs used with reflexive pronouns to indicate that the subject performs an action on itself. They express actions the subject does to or for itself.
- Modal Verbs (dürfen, können, mögen, müssen, sollen, wollen)
Modal verbs in German express ability, permission, necessity, desire, and obligation using six key verbs.
- Separable and Inseparable Prefix Verbs
- Verb Conjugation
Introduction to German verb conjugation
- Present Tense (Präsens)
The German present tense, called Präsens, is used to describe current actions, general truths, and even future events.
- Past Tenses
An overview of German past tenses, including Präteritum, Perfekt, and Plusquamperfekt for describing past events.
- Perfekt (Present Perfect)
The German Perfekt (Present Perfect) tense, explaining how to form and use it with auxiliary verbs haben and sein, past participles, and word order.
- Präteritum (Simple Past)
Präteritum (simple past) is a German verb tense used to describe actions or states that were completed in the past.
- Plusquamperfekt (Past Perfect)
The Plusquamperfekt is the German past perfect tense, used to describe actions that happened before another past event. It combines the simple past of auxiliary verbs haben or sein with the past participle.
- Future Tense
The future tense in German is used to talk about actions that will happen. It’s formed using the auxiliary verb werden and the infinitive of the main verb.
- Futur I (Simple Future)
German future tense called Futur I, showing “will” or “going to” actions using werden + infinitive.
- Futur II (Future Perfect)
Futur II in German expresses an action that will have been completed by a certain point in the future. It’s formed with “werden” + past participle + “sein” or “haben” (in final position).
- Conditional Tenses (Konditional)
Conditional tenses in German, explaining how to express hypothetical situations, wishes, and polite requests using the German Konditional.
- Subjunctive Mood (Konjunktiv I & II)
The subjunctive mood in German, known as Konjunktiv, is used for indirect speech, hypothetical situations, and expressing wishes or politeness.
- Indirect Speech
Indirect Speech in German and English, including how to report statements, questions, and commands using konjunktiv I and preparatory phrases.
- Wishes, Hypotheticals
Explanation of how to express wishes and hypothetical situations in German using the subjunctive mood (Konjunktiv II). Includes rules and examples for forming and using these constructions. wishes, hypotheticals, subjunctive, Konjunktiv II, German grammar
- Verbal Aspects
Understanding verbal aspects in German to express the nature of actions in time.
- Use of Perfekt/Präteritum
Differences between Perfekt and Präteritum in German and how to use each form correctly.
- Progressive (am-Verb-ing)
The German progressive form that describes ongoing actions using the formula am + Verb-ing (equivalent to English "I am verb-ing"). This construction emphasizes activity in progress.
- Infinitives
Introduction to the infinitive form in German
- Infinitiv mit/ohne zu
In German, some verbs are used as infinitives with "zu" (Infinitiv mit zu), while others appear without "zu" (Infinitiv ohne zu). This happens in dependent clauses, modal verbs, verb constructions, and fixed expressions.
- Imperative Mood
Introduction to the German imperative mood for giving commands and instructions.
- Affirmative Commands
Affirmative commands explain how to give positive orders or instructions in German using the imperative mood.
- Negative Commands
Negative commands in German, including how to form them and key rules. Part of our guide on German verbs and imperative mood.
- Special Topics
Explore advanced German grammar topics to deepen your understanding of the language.
- Word Formation
Explore the basics of German word formation, including roots, prefixes, suffixes, and how new words are created.
- Suffixes
German suffixes, their meanings, and how they change or create words across nouns, verbs, and adjectives.
- Prefixes
German prefixes: overview of types (separable, inseparable, mixed), how they change verb meanings, and rules for usage and placement within sentences.
- Diminutives and Augmentatives
Diminutives and augmentatives in German, explaining how to form smaller or larger versions of words, including typical suffixes and examples.
- Plurals and Gender
German plurals and gender rules, explanations, and exceptions. Includes how to form plural nouns based on gender, along with common patterns and examples.
- Participles (Partizip I, Partizip II)
An overview of German participles Partizip I and Partizip II, including their formation, usage, and examples in English.
- Passive Voice
German grammar topic explaining how the passive voice is formed and used, including the role of the auxiliary verb werden and examples of different tenses.
- Cleft Sentences (Es gibt, etc.)
Cleft sentences in German, including examples of using Es gibt, Es ist ... , der/die ..., and other structures to focus or emphasize parts of a sentence.
- Agreement Rules
German grammar rules for making words agree, including gender, number, case, and how prefixes and suffixes affect agreement.
- Irregular Verbs
Overview of German irregular verbs, their patterns, and role in grammar.
- Sein: to be
Sein is the German verb for "to be." It is one of the most important and irregular verbs in the language, used for describing states, identities, and existence.
- Haben: to have
The German verb haben means to have and is used to indicate possession, form perfect tenses, and more.
- Werden: to become, will
The German verb werden, covering its role in expressing transformation, forming the future tense, and its irregular conjugation patterns.
- Gehen: to go
- Machen: to do, to make
Machen is one of the most common and versatile verbs in German, meaning “to do” or “to make.” It is mostly regular but has some important uses in fixed expressions and compound verbs.
- Können: can, to be able
Können is a German modal verb used to express ability, possibility, or permission.
- Sagen: to say, to tell
German verb Sagen, including meaning, usage, conjugation, and role as a foundational irregular verb for telling and reporting speech.
- Wollen: to want
The German verb wollen, including its meaning, usage, conjugation across tenses and moods, examples, and role in main and subordinate clauses.
- Wissen: to know (facts)
Wissen is a German verb that means "to know" (specifically factual knowledge), including facts, information, or how to do something. It is an irregular (strong) verb with stem vowel changes (wisse- in the subjunctive, wüs- in the past subjunctive) and follows a predictable pattern with a ge-...-en participle (gewusst). It is used with subordinate clauses introduced by "dass," question words ("wer," "wie," "warum"), or infinitive clauses with "zu." It does not take a direct object in the accusative case.
- Kommen: to come
German verb for "to come," detailing its meaning, usage, irregularities, and role in grammar.
- Sehen: to see
German verb “sehen” meaning “to see,” irregular conjugations, examples, and usage in sentences.
- Geben: to give
- Nehmen: to take
The German verb nehmen ("to take") is an irregular verb that is used to express taking, using, or accepting something. It appears in many common phrases and idiomatic expressions.
- Laufen: to run, to walk
Laufen is a common German verb meaning "to run" or "to walk," including its usage, irregular conjugations, and example sentences.
- Fahren: to drive, to travel
Fahren: the German verb meaning "to drive" or "to travel," including its conjugation patterns, usage examples, and grammar rules.
- Hören: to hear
The irregular German verb hören, which means to hear. Covers meanings, conjugations, usage examples, and related grammar rules.
- Kennen: to know (people, places)
The German verb kennen means "to know" in the sense of being familiar with people, places, or things. It is an irregular verb in some tenses and is commonly used in everyday conversation.
- Stehen: to stand
German irregular verb stehen meaning “to stand,” including usage, and complete conjugation tables across all main tenses.
- Liegen: to lie (be located)
The German verb liegen, meaning “to lie” or “to be located,” including its irregular conjugations, examples, and usage.
- Sitzen: to sit
The German verb sitzen, its meaning, usage, and conjugation within the context of irregular verbs.
- Sollen: should, ought to
The German modal verb sollen means "should" or "ought to," expressing obligation or duty, as well as indirect commands or reported speech.
- Müssen: must, to have to
Müssen is a German modal verb that expresses necessity, obligation, or something that must be done.
- Dürfen: may, to be allowed
- Mögen: to like
Mögen is an irregular German verb that means “to like.” It is used to express liking someone or something, as well as to make polite requests. We cover its usage, conjugation, and examples.
- Finden: to find
The German verb finden, meaning to find, including its forms, usage rules, examples, and role in forming compound tenses.
- Bleiben: to stay
German verb bleiben: to stay, meaning, usage, and complete conjugations in all tenses and moods.
- Tragen: to wear, to carry
Tragen is a German verb that means “to wear” or “to carry.” It is irregular in some forms and is a common verb for talking about clothing and transporting items.
- Beginnen: to begin
The German verb beginnen means "to begin" or "to start." It is a stem-changing verb that mostly follows regular conjugation patterns and is used in both formal and written contexts to indicate the start of an action or event.
- Verlieren: to lose
Conjugation and usage of the German verb verlieren (to lose), including examples and common expressions.
- Treffen: to meet
German verb "treffen," used to express meeting someone or something, along with its irregular conjugations and common usage examples.
- Helfen: to help
The German verb helfen (to help), including partizip, konjugation, usage examples, and common idioms.
- Denken: to think
The German verb denken (to think) in all its forms, including usage rules, examples, and common patterns.
- Glauben: to believe
The German verb glauben, its meanings, usage, and conjugations in key tenses. Includes grammar rules and examples.
- Schreiben: to write
The German verb schreiben means "to write." It is an irregular verb that is used to express the act of writing in various forms and contexts.
- Lesen: to read
The German verb lesen (to read), including its irregular conjugations, usage examples, and common time forms.
- Schlafen: to sleep
The verb schlafen means "to sleep" in German. It is an irregular verb that appears in the strong verb category, which means it undergoes vowel changes in certain forms. It is commonly used in everyday speech and writing to describe the action of sleeping or falling asleep.
- Sprechen: to speak
Comprehensive German verb guide for sprechen (to speak), including conjugations, grammar tips, example sentences, and common usages.
- Bringen: to bring
Bringen is a common irregular German verb meaning “to bring.” It’s used to express the action of carrying or delivering something to a place or person. Bringen is useful for discussing tasks, errands, and delivery in everyday situations. This page provides complete conjugations and usage examples.
- Essen: to eat
Essen is a German irregular verb meaning ‘to eat.’ It covers conjugations, usage, and example sentences.
- Trinken: to drink
Trinken is the German verb meaning "to drink," including its uses, irregular conjugations, modal forms, and examples.
Last updated: Wed Jun 18, 2025
