German grammar, one idea at a time
Each grammar topic is explained in a few sentences and practiced inside short stories, so you see it used before you drill it.
A1 Beginner
- Akkusativ (accusative case)The Akkusativ marks the direct object: the person or thing the action is done to. Only masculine words change: der → den, ein → einen, kein → keinen. Feminine, neuter, and plural stay the same. Many verbs need it, like haben, sehen, kaufen, and brauchen.
- Modalverben (modal verbs)Modal verbs say if you can, must, want, may, should, or would like to do something: können, müssen, wollen, dürfen, sollen, möchten. The modal verb is conjugated in position 2, and the main verb goes to the end as an infinitive. With ich and er/sie/es, modal verbs have no ending: ich kann, er muss.
- Negation: nicht vs. keinUse kein for a noun that would have ein/eine or no article: Ich habe kein Auto. Use nicht for everything else: verbs, adjectives, names, and nouns with der/die/das. Kein has the same endings as ein (kein, keine, keinen).
- Präsens (present tense)The Präsens is used for things happening now, for habits, and often for the future too: Morgen arbeite ich. Take the infinitive, remove -en, and add the ending for the person. Some verbs change their vowel with du and er/sie/es: fahren → du fährst, lesen → er liest.
- Verbzweitstellung (verb in position 2)In a German main clause, the conjugated verb is always the second part of the sentence. The first part can be the subject, a time, a place, or an object. If something other than the subject comes first, the subject moves right after the verb.
A2 Elementary
- Dativ (dative case)The Dativ is used for the indirect object (the person who gets something) and always after mit, bei, von, zu, aus, nach, and seit. The articles change: der/das → dem, die → der, plural die → den (and the noun gets -n). The article ein becomes einem or einer.
- Nebensatz (subordinate clause)Words like weil (because), dass (that), and wenn (if/when) start a subordinate clause. In this clause, the conjugated verb goes to the very end. A comma always separates it from the main clause. If the subordinate clause comes first, the main clause starts with the verb: Wenn es regnet, bleibe ich zu Hause.
- Perfekt (present perfect)The Perfekt is the usual way to talk about the past when speaking. Put haben or sein in position 2 and the Partizip II at the end. Most verbs use haben; verbs of movement or change (gehen, fahren, kommen, aufstehen), plus bleiben and sein, use sein. Regular verbs: ge…t (gemacht); irregular verbs: ge…en (gefahren).
- Trennbare Verben (separable verbs)Many verbs have a prefix that splits off, like aufstehen, einkaufen, and anrufen. In a main clause, the verb is in position 2 and the prefix goes to the end: Ich stehe um sieben auf. In the Perfekt, ge goes between the prefix and the verb: aufgestanden. With modal verbs and in subordinate clauses, the verb stays together: Ich muss früh aufstehen.
B1 Intermediate
- Konjunktiv II (would, could)Konjunktiv II is used for wishes, polite requests, and things that are not real. Most verbs use würde + infinitive at the end: Ich würde gern reisen. The verbs sein, haben, and modal verbs have their own forms: wäre, hätte, könnte, müsste. Typical examples: Wenn ich Zeit hätte, … / Könnten Sie mir helfen?
- Präteritum (simple past)The Präteritum is the past tense of written German: books, stories, and news. In speaking, it is mostly used with sein, haben, and modal verbs (war, hatte, konnte, musste). Regular verbs add -te (machen → machte); irregular verbs change their stem (gehen → ging, kommen → kam). With ich and er/sie/es, there is no extra ending: ich war, er ging.
- Relativsatz (relative clause)A relative clause tells you more about a noun: Das ist der Mann, der neben mir wohnt. The relative pronoun (der, die, das, plural die) has the gender and number of that noun, but its case depends on its role in the relative clause. The conjugated verb goes to the end, and a comma separates the clauses.
B2 Upper intermediate
- Genitiv (genitive case)The Genitiv shows who something belongs to: das Auto des Lehrers, die Farbe der Wand. Masculine and neuter use des (eines), and the noun gets -s or -es; feminine and plural use der. It also follows prepositions like wegen, trotz, and während. In everyday speech, people often use von + dative instead.
- Konjunktiv I (indirect speech)Konjunktiv I is used to report what someone else said, mostly in the news and in formal writing. It shows that you are only passing on the words, not confirming them. The common forms are for er/sie/es: stem + -e (er habe, sie komme, er könne, sie werde), and sein becomes sei. If a form looks the same as the normal present, use Konjunktiv II instead: Sie sagen, sie hätten keine Zeit.
- Passiv (passive voice)The passive focuses on the action, not on who does it: Das Haus wird gebaut. It is built with werden in position 2 and the Partizip II at the end. In the past, use wurde: Das Haus wurde 1990 gebaut. With modal verbs, the end becomes Partizip II + werden: Das muss repariert werden.