Learn German - Lesson 3 - Grammar:
Stadtbesichtigung
(photo
by digital cat used
under terms of Creative Commons license.)
A.
Introduction to Lessons 3 – 9
Noun
Modifiers
1.
The four words 'good', 'these', 'suitcases', and 'two'
can only be put together in one way so as to make of them a single
phrase:
'these two good suitcases'. This is also true of the German equivalents
of
these words: they can only appear as: diese zwei guten Koffer.
2.
The phrase diese zwei guten Koffer is composed of a NOUN
(Koffer and three different kinds of Noun Modifiers: a SPECIFIER
(diese) , a
NUMERAL (zwei), and an ADJECTIVE (guten).
3.
Outline Classification of Noun Modifiers
NOUN
MODIFIERS |
|||
SPECIFIERS |
NUMERALS |
ADJECTIVES |
|
der-TYPE |
ein-TYPE |
|
|
4.
A three-fold treatment of German noun-modifiers is forced
upon us by the facts of the German language, since these three groups
of words
exhibit different formal patterns - that is, different patterns of
endings.
a.
The formal pattern of the NUMERALS is very simple: the
numbers from zwei 'two' on up never have any endings. (Fractions and
numbers
like 'fourth' and 'seventh' will be dealt with later.)
b.
The formal patterns of the ADJECTIVES will be treated in
Units 6 - 9. Adjectives are descriptive words (red, White, blue, tall,
dark,
handsome) Which have superlative and comparative forms (reddest,
whitest,
taller, darkerj.
c.
The formal patterns of the SPECIFIERS compel us to divide
them into two sub-classes: the der-TYPE SPECIFIERS (specifiers which
have the
same pattern of endings as der- 'the') and the ein-TYPE SPECIFIERS
(specifiers
Which have the same pattern of endings as ein 'a'.) The formal patterns
of the
two subgroups are alike for the most part, but there are a couple of
differences, so we are forced to deal with them separately.
B. der-Type Specifiers:
der, dieser, welcher
I.
Forms
Er kennt ihn. |
He
knows him. |
Der Ober kennt den Portier. |
The
waiter knows the doorman. |
Der portier kennt den Ober. |
The
doorman knows the waiter. |
1.
In German, not only the pronouns, but also the word for
'the' and all other specifiers have Nominative, Accusative, and Dative
forms.
This is entirely different from English, where the word 'the' has no
form but
'the' .
Der Ratskeller soll sehr berühmt sein. |
The
Ratskeller is supposed to be very famous. |
Wir suchen den Dom. |
We’re
looking for the cathedral. |
Neben dem Dom ist die
Universität. |
Next
to the cathedral is the university. |
Das Museum ist am Markt. |
The
museum is at the market place. |
Wir suchen das Museum. |
We’re
looking for the museum. |
Neben dem Museum ist das
Stadttheater. |
Next
to the museum is the municipal theater. |
Die Stadt ist nicht weit von hier. |
The
city's not far from here. |
Wir suchen die Stadt. |
We're
looking for the city. |
Das Rathaus ist in der Stadt. |
The
town hall is in the city. |
Die Koffer sind da drüben. |
The
suitcases are over there. |
Wir
suchen die Koffer. |
We're
looking for the suitcases. |
Das ist in den Koffern. |
That's
in the suitcases. |
2.
By abstracting from these sentences the underscored
forms, we can set up the following table of the various forms of the
German
word for 'the':
|
before
der-Nouns |
before
das-Nouns |
before
die-Nouns |
before
Plural Nouns |
NOMINATIVE
forms |
der
|
das
|
die |
die |
ACCUSATlVE
forms |
den |
das
|
die |
die |
DATIVE
forms |
dem |
dem |
der |
den
(-n) |
3.
Note: The symbol (-n) signifies that the noun itself, in
the DATIVE PLURAL form, adds an -n, if the noun's general plural form
does not
already end in -n: Nominative Plural die Koffer, Dative Plural den
Koffern.
4.
Here are similar tables of the forms of dieser 'this' and
welcher 'which' with der-nouns, das-nouns, die-nouns and plural nouns
and with
the pronouns which replace them, as noted in Unit 2.
Nominative: |
dieser |
Koffer |
dieses |
Hotel |
diese |
Bank |
diese |
Zigarren |
welcher |
Koffer |
welches |
Hotel |
welche |
Bank |
welche |
Zigarren |
|
er |
|
es |
|
sie |
|
sie |
|
|
Accusative: |
diesen |
Koffer |
dieses |
Hotel |
diese |
Bank |
diese |
Zigarren |
welchen |
Koffer |
welches |
Hotel |
welche |
Bank |
welche |
Zigarren |
|
ihn |
|
es |
|
sie |
|
sie |
|
|
Dative: |
diesem |
Koffer |
diesem |
Hotel |
dieser |
Bank |
diesen |
Zigarren |
welchem |
Koffer |
welchem |
Hotel |
welcher |
Bank |
welchen |
Zigarren |
|
ihm |
|
ihm |
|
ihr |
|
ihnen |
|
5.
In Unit 1 your attention was directed to the
correspondence of the final sounds in the pairs der-er, das-es,
die-sie, and
die-sie. If we now make more extensive comparisons of the same sort
--das-es-dieses-welches and den-ihn-diesen-welchen-- we begin to see
that
a-relatively simple pattern underlies the profusion of forms. It can be
summed
up in the following
PATTERN CHART:
Pattern
Chart 1 |
||||
Nom. |
R |
s |
E |
E |
Acc. |
N |
S |
E |
E |
Dat. |
M |
M |
R |
N
(-n) |
6.
Important Note: Pattern Charts are not to be used in the
classroom. They are presented for two reasons only: to call to your
attention
the fact that there is a pattern for whatever part of the language may
be
concerned, and to display that pattern as clearly and simply as
possible, study
the chart at home if you find it helpful, but do not try to use it in
class.
Your purpose is to learn to speak German, not to learn to look it up in
a book.
7.
Remember also that substitution of nouns and pronouns
operates horizontally on the chart. For
example. from the Accusative-form line: Ich sehe den
Bahnhof und das
Rathaus und die Bank und die
Koffer.
8.
There are half a dozen more der-type specifiers, all of
which exhibit the pattern of Chart 1 above. They are of less frequent
occurrence than the three here introduced, and will be pointed out to
you as
they turn up in later units.
II.
Uses
1.
Der means 'the' when unstressed, but means 'that' when
stressed. Without a noun it means 'that one' and is often followed by
da
'there'.
Wir können den Polizisten
fragen. |
We
can ask the policeman. |
Wir können den Polizisten dort
fragen. |
We
can ask that policeman there. |
Wir können den da fragen. |
We
can ask that one there. |
2.
Dieser is used primarily for contrastive purposes. It
doesn't just mean 'close to me' as the English this does, but rather
'the one
I'm indicating now as opposed to
that
other one'.
Ich habe dieses Glas, er hat das da. |
I
have this glass; he has that one. |
Ich fahre mit diesem Omnibus nicht mit dem da. |
I'm
going on this bus, not that (other) one. |
3.
When there is no contrast, but only a pointing
indication, the pointing word das is equivalent to both this and that.
Das
ist die Strasse. |
This
is the street. |
Das
ist die Strasse. |
That's
the street. |
4.
Welcher is used primarily in questions. When used without
a noun, it means 'which one?' .
Welchen Polizisten können wir fragen? |
Which
policeman can we ask? |
Mit
welchem spricht er? |
Which
one is he talking to? |
5.
Whenever one of the der-type specifiers is used without a
noun, the form of the specifier is exactly the same as if the noun were
there.
Ich spreche mit dem. |
I’m
talking to that man. |
Ich spreche mit dieser. |
I'm
talking to this woman (not to that other one). |
Mit
welchem sprechen Sie? |
Which
one (man) are you talking to? |
Note:
The stressed der-type specifier has a definite
pointing implication. The conventions of polite behavior set certain
limitations on the pointing gesture, particularly as applied to
persons. In
general the same limitations are observed in the use of the der-type
specifier
without a noun. There are certainly situations where both the pointing
gesture
and the stressed der-type specifier are not only appropriate but
necessary, as
in giving directions for instance. However, indiscriminate use is
avoided.
C.
Nouns
I.
We have noted that German distinguishes der-nouns,
das-nouns and die-nouns and furthermore Nominative forms, Accusative
forms and
Dative forms. The distinctions occur in the pronouns and in the
specifiers.
II.
Some German NOUNS also show distinctions in form.
Herr Becker trifft Herrn und Frau Allen in München. |
Mr.
Becker meets Mr. and Mrs. Allen in |
Dort ist der Polizist. |
There's
the policeman. |
Ich will den Polizisten dort mal fragen. |
I’ll
just ask the policeman there. |
Four
nouns which we have encountered up to this point have
distinctive Nominative and non-Nominative forms. They are listed below
for
reference:
Nominative
form: |
der
Herr |
der
Diplomat |
der
Beamte |
der
Polizist |
Accusative
form: |
den
Herrn |
den
Diplomaten |
den
Beamten |
den
Polizisten |
Dative
form: |
dem
Herrn |
dem
Diplomaten |
dem
Beamten |
dem
Polizisten |
D.
Prepositional phrases
I.
Dative Prepositions
Ich spreche mit ihm. |
I'm
talking to him. |
Ich spreche mit dem Portier. |
I'm
talking to the doorman. |
Ich spreche mit der Frau. |
I'm
talking to the woman. |
Ich spreche mit den Eltern von
Herrn Keller. |
I'm
talking to the parents of Mr. Keller. |
Sie können auch mit der
Strassenbahn fahren. |
You
can go on the streetcar too. |
1.
Like pronouns, specifiers which follow mit are in the
Dative form. We can refer to mit and other prepositions which are
always
followed by Dative forms as DATIVE PREPOSITIONS.
Bei der Passkontrolle und beim
Zoll. |
At
the passport inspection and at the customs office. |
Rechts vom Dom ist das Museum. |
To
the right of the cathedral is the museum. |
Ich gehe zu der Bank in der
Bahnhofstrasse. |
I’
m going to the bank on 'Bahnhofstrasse'. |
Wollen wir zum Ratskeller
fahren? |
Shall
we drive to the 'Ratskeller'? |
2.
The prepositions bei, vom and zu are also Dative
Prepositions. Notice the following contractions:
bei
dem |
often
becomes |
beim |
von
dem |
often
becomes |
vom |
zu
dem |
often
becomes |
zum |
zu
der |
often
becomes |
zur |
3.
The preposition gegenüber is sometimes followed and
sometimes preceded by the specifier in the Dative form. It is generally
preceded by the pronoun and by the specifier standing alone without a
noun. It
often occurs together with the preposition von.
Gegenüber vom Hotel. |
Across
from the hotel. |
Es steht dem Dom gegenüber. |
It's
opposite the cathedral. |
Mir gegenüber. |
Across
from me. |
Dem gegenüber. |
Across
from that. |
II. Accusative Prepositions
Gehen Sie hier durch den Park. |
Go
through the park here. |
1.
A few prepositions are always and invariably followed by
Accusative forms. We will refer to these prepositions as ACCUSATlVE
PREPOSITIONS. The only one we've come across so far is durch.
2.
contraction: durch das often becomes durchs
III.
TWO-way Prepositions
Es ist an der Ecke Kaiser- und
Schubertstrasse. |
It
(the consulate) is on the corner of Kaiser and |
Gehen Sie an die Ecke Kaiser-
und Schubertstrasse. |
Go
to the corner of Kaiser and |
Er ist auf der Strasse. |
He's
in ('on') the street. |
Er geht auf die Strasse. |
He's
going into ('onto') the street. |
Er ist im Hotel. |
He's
in the hotel. |
Er geht ins Hotel. |
He's
going into the hotel. |
The
prepositions an, auf, and in are followed by either a
Dative form or an Accusative form, with the following difference in
meaning:
After a Two-way Preposition
1.
a Dative form tells where someone or something is to be
found,
Er ist auf der Strasse. |
He
is to be found upon the street; that's Where he is located. |
2.
an Accusative form tells Where some one or something (now
in motion) is going to end up.
Er geht auf die Strasse. |
He
is walking. and when he has finished walking he will be upon the street. |
IV.
We
have now encountered nearly
half the prepositions which are of common occurrence in German. The
following
summary lists them by categories.
1.
Accusative Prepositions |
||
durch
|
through
|
(always
followed by Accusative forms) |
2.
Dative Prepositions |
||
aus |
out
of, from |
(always
followed by Dative forms) |
bei |
at |
|
mit |
with |
|
nach |
toward,
to |
|
von |
from,
of |
|
zu |
to |
|
gegenüber |
opposite,
across from |
(always
preceded or followed by Dative forms) |
3.
Two-way Prepositions |
||
an |
to |
(followed by Accusative forms) |
auf |
onto |
|
in |
into |
|
neben |
up
next to |
|
an |
at,
on |
(followed by Dative forms) |
auf |
on,
upon |
|
in |
in |
|
neben |
next
to, beside |
V.
Special Pronoun Form with Prepositions
Links davon ist das Rathaus. |
To
the left of it is the town hall. |
Daneben ist ein grosser Parkplatz. |
Right
next to it is a big parking lot. |
Ich fahre oft mit ihm nach
Hause. |
I
often ride home with him. |
Ich spreche oft englisch mit ihr. |
I
often speak English with her. |
When
a pronoun in a prepositional phrase refers to a human
being, the regular pronoun forms are used; but when a pronoun in a
prepositional phrase refers to an inanimate object, the form da-
is used
for all pronouns. It is put in front of the preposition, and in the
writing
system is made part of a single word with the preposition (daneben,
davon).
If the preposition begins with vowel, the pronoun form is dar- (darauf,
daran,
daraus).
E.
Verbs
I.
Two verbs have occurred in
Unit 3 which are similar to the four irregular verbs dürfen.
können,
müssen and wollen, which have
already been encountered. They are sollen
'to be supposed to' and wissen 'to know (a fact)'.
These six verbs occur
very frequently in German, and together with one other verb (mögen),
occurring
very infrequently in the Present, make up the complete list of verbs
following
this particular irregular pattern. For reference purposes all seven
verbs are
reproduced below:
ich-
form er- form |
darf |
kann |
mag |
muss |
soll |
will |
weiss |
wir-
form |
dürfen |
können |
mögen |
müssen |
sollen |
wollen |
wissen |
II.
There are two other new irregular verbs in
this Unit:
|
'stop' |
'keep' |
ich-
form |
halte |
behalte |
er-
form |
hält |
behält |
wir-
form |
halten |
behalten |
F
. Word order
I.
In lesson 2 we observed that
the second part of VERB PHRASES, the INFINITIVE form of the verb,
occurs at the
end of the sentence:
Ich kann es Ihnen hier auf dem
Stadtplan zeigen. |
I
can show it to you here on the map of the city. |
The
other part of Verb Phrases, the verb form that has the
personal ending, is seen to occur at or near the beginning of the
sentence. It
is called the FINITE verb form.
II.
Observe the position of the FINITE verb form
in the following sentences:
a) Sie kommt heute nicht. |
She's
not corning today. |
b) Das Museum ist am Markt. |
The
museum is on the market place. |
c) Das weiss ich leider nicht. |
I'
m sorry I don't know that. |
d) Dort ist der Portier. |
There's
the doorman. |
e) In zehn Minuten sind Sie da. |
You'll
be there in ten minutes. |
f) Wo ist die Strassenbahnhaltestelle. |
Where
is the streetcar stop? |
You
will note that the FINITE verb form is always the SECOND
ELEMENT of the sentence in the above examples. It can be preceded by:
a)
a pronoun;
b)
a noun and its specifier;
c)
a specifier or pointing word;
d
) an adverb indicating the time, location or manner in
which something occurs or exists;
e)
a preposition and its object;
f)
a question word.
III.
In QUESTIONS without question words and in
COMMANDS the FINITE verb form is the FIRST ELEMENT.
Fährt denn kein Omnibus dahin? |
Isn't
there a bus that goes there? |
Gehen Sie hier durch den Park. |
Go
through the park here. |