A language spoken primarily in Germany and Austria, but also generally throughout the world, German is a language that is especially useful in academic and business education. Read the guide below for some useful information for mastering German.
Step
Method 1 of 3: Understanding Grammar
Step 1. Word marker gender
Unlike English, nouns in German have what is called a gender. This is a grammatical approach that changes the shape of the noun itself (when calling it plural) as well as other words around it. There are three gender markers in German, namely masculine, feminine, and neutral.
- It would be best not to imagine that the word actually has a gender, because the gender groupings of objects in German are difficult to make sense of and change frequently. Instead, think of gender as a different type or category of nouns in German, with separate grammar and spelling rules for each category.
- The best way to learn the German system for identifying the sex of objects is to listen to it, because it's not as related to spelling as it is in French. Listen a lot. Watch movies, listen to music, talk to native speakers. In the end a sentence will sound right or wrong.
Step 2. Conjugate the verb
In German, verbs are conjugated, this means, the verb will change based on who is doing it, circumstances, time of day, etc. This practice is in German, but goes deeper. Fortunately, the system is fairly organized, and you can learn it quickly.
- For example, in the present tense, which is the most basic form of a sentence, the endings are often -e (me), -st (you), -t (he), -en (we), -t (you), and -en (them).
- English also has this kind of system, but it's not very obvious. For example, in English it can be stated "I break" but also "She breaks". The most common example in English is the verb "to be" conjugation. “I am”, “He is”, and “You/We/They are”.
Step 3. Apply the case system
The case system is a way of changing a noun to signify the role it has in a sentence. English almost no longer has this system, but it can be observed in several examples, such as stating the subject in a sentence as "he", while the object as "him". German still uses this kind of system, and you have to learn it.
- The four cases used in German are nominativa (denoting subject), akusativa (denoting object), dative (denoting indirect object), and genitiva (denoting possession).
- The gender and number of nouns will affect the change of nouns in case. Keep this in mind when searching for a word.
Step 4. Understand the order of the words
The order of words in German, just like the order in English, can be changed easily. Because of the case system, changing sentences in German is even easier. It may take you some time to learn the correct order of words in German, but here's a basic outline to get you started.:
- First position - Cannot contain a regular verb, usually a subject.
- Second position - Contains regular verbs or verbs with affixes.
- Third position - Contains the object affected by the verb phrase.
- Fourth position - Contains adverbs.
- Fifth position - Contains verb complements, which are verbs that act as objects of the main verb.
Method 2 of 3: Practice Pronunciation
Step 1. Practice pronouncing vowels
Differences in the pronunciation of vowels are often the reason a language sounds so different. Pronouncing vowels correctly will allow you to be more easily understood by other speakers. You need to know that German has three vowels that are not found in English.
- a - sounds like "ah"
- e - sounds like "uh"
- i - sounds like "eee"
- o - sounds like "oh"
- u - sounds like "oo"
- ö - sounds almost like “oo-uh”, with emphasis on “uh”
- - sounds like a short “uh”, as in the word “melon”
- ü - there is no equivalent in English, but sounds similar to “oo”, or the sound in the middle of the word “ewww”
- The last three letters containing this umlaut can also be written as oe, ae, and ue. Don't get confused.
Step 2. Practice consonants
Consonants in German aren't that different from consonants in English, but there are some pretty obvious differences that you need to be aware of if you want your speech to be understood.
- w - sounds like "v"
- v - sounds like "f"
- z - sounds like “ts”
- j - sounds like "y"
- - sounds like “ss”
Step 3. Practice the compound voice
Just like in English, there are certain letters that will sound different if they are next to each other. You have to be able to recognize and pronounce them correctly if you want to be understood.
- au - sounds like “ow”, like “brown” in English.
- eu - sounds like “oy” or “oi”, like “toy” in English.
- ie - sounds like “eee” or “ea”, like “tea” in English.
- ei - sounds like “eye” in English.
- ch - there is no equivalent in English. It's a hoarse voice, which sounds almost like the letter "h".
- st - sounds like “sht”. The "sh" sound is pronounced by pushing your lips outward more than in English, as if you were blowing out a candle. Your mouth muscles should be much stiffer and tighter than when you say "sh" in English. The letter t is pronounced normally.
- pf - both sounds of this letter are pronounced, but the letter p is barely audible.
- sch - sounds like "sh".
- qu - sounds like “kv”.
- th - sounds like “t” (the letter h is not pronounced).
Method 3 of 3: Observing Examples
Step 1. Learn basic words
You can learn some basic words to start building your vocabulary and practice pronunciation. Learning the antonyms is also a great way to start building a basic vocabulary.
- ja und nein - yes and no
- bitte und danke - please and thank you
- gut und schlecht - good and bad
- groß und klein - big and small
- jetz und später - now and then
- gesttern/heute/morgen - yesterday/today/tomorrow
- oben und unten - up and down
- über und unter - above and below
Step 2. Learn basic phrases
You need to learn some important phrases. This will be useful in everyday conversation, as well as giving you a good opportunity to deepen your pronunciation practice.
- Hello - The most basic way of greeting someone is with “hello”, but you can also say “guten morgen (formal)/morgen (informal)” to say good morning, or “guten tag (formal)/tag (informal)” to good afternoon.
- Goodbye - the formal way of saying goodbye in German is "Auf Wiedersehen", but people say "bis den" (see you later) or "tschüß" ('bye).
- Forgive me - “Es tut mir lied” (I'm sorry) or Entschuldigung (sorry).
- I don't understand that/I don't understand - Ich verstehe das nicht.
- How much it costs? - Was kostet das?
- Can you speak slower? or Can you say it slowly? - Kannst du langsamer sprechen?
- Alles klar is a special phrase in German that directly translates to "everything is clear". This phrase is used very often, and has different meanings. This phrase can be used as a question (usually meaning "Is everything okay?" "Do you understand?") or as a statement or answer ("Everything is fine." or "Ok." or "I understand.")
