German Unlocked. Your Complete Guide to B2 Proficiency

Was ist das? (vas ist das) – What is that?

Wie heißt das? (vee haist das) – What is that called?

Wie bitte? (vee bi-te) – Pardon me? / What did you say? (Use when you didn’t hear or understand something)

Können Sie das bitte wiederholen? (kö-nen zee das bi-te vee-der-ho-len) – Can you please repeat that? (Formal)

Kannst du das bitte wiederholen? (kanst doo das bi-te vee-der-ho-len) – Can you please repeat that? (Informal)

Common Phrases for Basic Needs

Ich brauche… (ihh brau-he…) – I need…

Example: Ich brauche Hilfe. (ihh brau-he hil-fe) – I need help.

Ich möchte… (ihh möh-te…) – I would like…

Example: Ich möchte einen Kaffee. (ihh möh-te ai-nen kah-fay) – I would like a coffee.

Ich verstehe nicht. (ihh fer-shtay-e niht) – I don’t understand.

Ich weiß nicht. (ihh vais niht) – I don’t know.

Hilfe! (hil-fe) – Help!

Simple Conversations: Putting It All Together

Let’s create a couple of short dialogues to see how these phrases and questions can be used:

Dialogue 1: Asking for Directions

You: Entschuldigung, wie komme ich zum Museum? (ent-shul-di-gung, vee ko-me ihh tsoom moo-zay-um) – Excuse me, how do I get to the museum?

Local: Gehen Sie geradeaus und dann links. (gay-en zee ge-rah-de-aus oont dan links) – Go straight ahead and then left.

You: Vielen Dank! (fee-len dank) – Thank you very much!

Local: Gern geschehen! (gern ge-she-hen) – You’re welcome!

Dialogue 2: Ordering a Coffee

You: Ich möchte einen Kaffee, bitte. (ihh möh-te ai-nen kah-fay, bi-te) – I would like a coffee, please.

Barista: Gerne. Was kostet der Kaffee? (ger-ne. vas kos-tet dare kah-fay) – Gladly. How much does the coffee cost?

Barista: Zwei Euro, bitte. (tsvai oi-ro, bi-te) – Two Euros, please.

You: Danke! (dan-ke) – Thank you!

Word Bank

Bitte (bi-te) – Please / You’re welcome

Danke (dan-ke) – Thank you

Vielen Dank (fee-len dank) – Thank you very much

Entschuldigung (ent-shul-di-gung) – Excuse me / Sorry

Kein Problem (kain pro-blehm) – No problem

Gern geschehen (gern ge-she-hen) – You’re welcome

Wie viel kostet das? (vee feel kos-tet das) – How much does that cost?

Wo ist…? (vo ist…) – Where is…?

Sprechen Sie Englisch? (shpre-hen zee eng-lish) – Do you speak English? (Formal)

Ich brauche… (ihh brau-he…) – I need…

Ich möchte… (ihh möh-te…) – I would like…

Ich verstehe nicht (ihh fer-shtay-e niht) – I don’t understand.

Hilfe! (hil-fe) – Help!

Exercises

How would you ask for the price of a book in a store?

How would you ask where the train station is?

How would you respond to someone who says «Danke»?

Practice saying the polite phrases and questions out loud.

Create your own short dialogues using the phrases and questions you’ve learned.

Congratulations! You’ve completed Chapter 5 and now have a toolkit of essential phrases and questions for basic communication. You’re ready to move on to Part 2 and start building your German!

Chapter 6: The Case System – Nominative, Accusative (Table-Free)

The case system is a crucial aspect of German grammar. It determines the function of a noun in a sentence and affects the form of articles, adjectives, and pronouns. This can seem complicated, but we’ll start with the two most important cases: the nominative and the accusative.

What is a «Case»?

A case indicates the grammatical role of a noun or pronoun in a sentence. Think of it as a label that tells you what the noun is doing in the sentence. German has four cases: nominative, accusative, dative, and genitive.

The Nominative Case (Nominativ): The Subject

The nominative case is used for the subject of the sentence. The subject is the person or thing performing the action of the verb. In a simple sentence, the subject is who or what is doing the verb.

Der Mann liest. (The man reads.) – «Der Mann» is the subject; he is doing the reading.

Die Frau singt. (The woman sings.) – «Die Frau» is the subject; she is doing the singing.

Das Kind spielt. (The child plays.) – «Das Kind» is the subject; it is doing the playing.

When a noun is in the nominative case, the article takes its basic, «dictionary» form. This means:

If the noun is masculine, the definite article (the) is «der.»

If the noun is feminine, the definite article (the) is «die.»

If the noun is neuter, the definite article (the) is «das.»

If the noun is plural, the definite article (the) is «die.»

The Accusative Case (Akkusativ): The Direct Object

The accusative case is primarily used for the direct object of the sentence. The direct object is the person or thing that receives the action of the verb. It’s what the subject is acting upon.

Der Mann liest das Buch. (The man reads the book.) – «Das Buch» is the direct object; it is being read.

Die Frau singt ein Lied. (The woman sings a song.) – «Ein Lied» is the direct object; it is being sung.

Das Kind isst den Apfel. (The child eats the apple.) – «Den Apfel» is the direct object; it is being eaten.

How the Accusative Changes Articles

The accusative case primarily affects the masculine articles. Here’s how the articles change:

Definite Articles (The): The masculine definite article «der» changes to «den» in the accusative. The feminine definite article «die,» the neuter definite article «das,» and the plural definite article «die» all remain the same in the accusative.

Indefinite Articles (A/An): The masculine indefinite article «ein» changes to «einen» in the accusative. The feminine indefinite article «eine» and the neuter indefinite article «ein» remain the same in the accusative. There is no plural indefinite article in German.

Pronouns in the Accusative

Personal pronouns also change in the accusative case. Here’s how each pronoun changes from the nominative to the accusative:

«ich» (I) becomes «mich» (me)

«du» (you – informal, singular) becomes «dich» (you – informal, singular)

«er» (he) becomes «ihn» (him)

«sie» (she) remains «sie» (her) – Note: The accusative and nominative forms are the same for «she.»

«es» (it) remains «es» (it) – Note: The accusative and nominative forms are the same for «it.»

«wir» (we) becomes «uns» (us)

«ihr» (you – informal, plural) becomes «euch» (you – informal, plural)

«sie» (they) remains «sie» (them) – Note: The accusative and nominative forms are the same for «they.»

«Sie» (you – formal) remains «Sie» (you – formal) – Note: The accusative and nominative forms are the same for formal «you.»

Examples with Accusative Pronouns:

Ich sehe ihn. (ihh zay-e ihn) – I see him.

Sie liebt mich. (zee leept mihh) – She loves me.

Wir helfen euch. (veer hel-fen oihh) – We help you (plural, informal).

How to Identify the Accusative Object

A simple trick to finding the direct object is to ask «Whom?» or «What?» after the verb.

The man reads what? The book. (Das Buch – accusative)

She loves whom? Me. (Mich – accusative)

Word Bank

Nominativ (no-mi-na-teef) – Nominative

Akkusativ (ak-ku-za-teef) – Accusative

Subjekt (zoop-yekt) – Subject

Objekt (ob-yekt) – Object

der (dare) – the (masculine, nominative)

den (den) – the (masculine, accusative)

ein (ain) – a (masculine/neuter, nominative)

einen (ai-nen) – a (masculine, accusative)

mich (mihh) – me (accusative)

dich (dihh) – you (accusative, informal)

ihn (een) – him (accusative)

Exercises

Identify the nominative subject and the accusative object in the following sentences:

Die Frau kauft einen Apfel. (The woman buys an apple.)

Der Mann sieht das Auto. (The man sees the car.)

Das Kind liest ein Buch. (The child reads a book.)

Change the articles to the correct form in the accusative case:

Ich esse ______ Apfel. (der Apfel)

Sie sieht ______ Frau. (die Frau)

Wir kaufen ______ Haus. (das Haus)

Fill in the blanks with the correct accusative pronoun:

Ich liebe ______. (du)

Sie sieht ______. (er)

Wir helfen ______. (ihr)

Translate the following sentences into German, paying attention to the accusative case:

I see the man.

She loves him.

We are buying a car.

He helps me.

Rewrite the sentences from exercise 1 using pronouns instead of nouns for both the subject and object, applying the accusative case correctly.

Chapter 7: Dative Case

Now that you understand the nominative and accusative cases, let’s introduce the dative case. The dative case is used to indicate the indirect object of a sentence. It’s also used with certain prepositions.

What is the Indirect Object?

The indirect object is the person or thing that benefits from or is affected by the action of the verb. It’s often the recipient of something.

Ich gebe dem Mann das Buch. (I give the man the book.) – «Dem Mann» is the indirect object; he is receiving the book.

Sie schenkt ihrer Freundin eine Blume. (She gives her friend a flower.) – «Ihrer Freundin» is the indirect object; she is receiving the flower.

Think of it this way: The direct object is what is being given, shown, or done, and the indirect object is to whom it’s being given, shown, or done.

How the Dative Changes Articles

The dative case changes all the definite and indefinite articles. Here’s how:

Masculine:

Definite article: der becomes dem

Indefinite article: ein becomes einem

Feminine:

Definite article: die becomes der

Indefinite article: eine becomes einer

Neuter:

Definite article: das becomes dem

Indefinite article: ein becomes einem

Plural:

Definite article: die becomes den (and the noun usually takes an -n ending, if it doesn’t already have one)

There is no indefinite article in the plural.

Notice that the masculine and neuter definite articles become the same (dem) in the dative, and the feminine definite article becomes the same as the masculine nominative article (der).

Pronouns in the Dative

Personal pronouns also change in the dative case. Here’s how:

ich (I) becomes mir (me)

du (you – informal, singular) becomes dir (you – informal, singular)

er (he) becomes ihm (him)

sie (she) becomes ihr (her)

es (it) becomes ihm (it)

wir (we) becomes uns (us)

ihr (you – informal, plural) becomes euch (you – informal, plural)

sie (they) becomes ihnen (them)

Sie (you – formal) becomes Ihnen (you – formal)

Examples with Dative Pronouns:

Ich helfe ihm. (ihh hel-fe eem) – I help him.

Sie dankt mir. (zee dankt meer) – She thanks me.

Wir geben euch das Buch. (veer gay-ben oihh das buuh) – We give you (plural, informal) the book.

Prepositions That Always Take the Dative

Certain prepositions always take the dative case, regardless of the verb in the sentence. Memorizing these prepositions is essential. Here are some of the most common:

mit (mit) – with

nach (nahh) – to (cities and countries), after

von (fon) – from, of

zu (tsoo) – to (people, buildings), at

aus (aus) – from, out of

bei (bai) – at, near

seit (zait) – since (time)

gegenüber (gay-gen-ü-ber) – opposite

Examples with Dative Prepositions:

Ich gehe mit dem Freund ins Kino. (ihh gay-e mit dem froint ins kee-no) – I go to the cinema with the friend. (dem Freund – dative because of «mit»)

Sie fährt nach Deutschland. (zee fairt nahh doitch-lant) – She is traveling to Germany. (nach Deutschland – dative because of «nach»)

Er kommt von der Arbeit. (air komt fon dare ar-bait) – He comes from work. (von der Arbeit – dative because of «von»)

Wir gehen zu dem Arzt. (veer gay-en tsoo dem artst) – We go to the doctor. (zu dem Arzt – dative because of «zu»)

Word Bank

Dativ (dah-teef) – Dative

indirektes Objekt (in-dee-rek-tes ob-yekt) – indirect object

dem (dehm) – the (masculine/neuter, dative)

der (dare) – the (feminine, dative)

den (dehn) – the (plural, dative)

einem (ai-nem) – a (masculine/neuter, dative)

einer (ai-ner) – a (feminine, dative)

mir (meer) – me (dative)

dir (deer) – you (dative, informal)

ihm (eem) – him/it (dative)

ihr (eer) – her (dative)

ihnen (ee-nen) – them (dative)

mit (mit) – with

nach (nahh) – to/after

von (fon) – from/of

zu (tsoo) – to/at

Exercises

Identify the dative object in the following sentences:

Ich zeige dem Kind das Bild. (I show the child the picture.)

Sie gibt der Mutter eine Blume. (She gives the mother a flower.)

Wir helfen den Studenten. (We help the students.)

Fill in the correct article in the dative case:

Ich gehe mit ______ Hund spazieren. (der Hund)

Sie fährt zu ______ Freundin. (die Freundin)

Er wohnt bei ______ Eltern. (die Eltern)

Fill in the blanks with the correct dative pronoun:

Ich danke ______. (du)

Sie hilft ______. (er)

Wir geben ______ das Buch. (ihr)

Translate the following sentences into German, paying attention to the dative case and prepositions:

I go to the cinema with my friend.

She is traveling to Austria.

He comes from work.

We are helping the children.

I give the book to her.

Rewrite the sentences in exercise 1, replacing the dative objects with the correct dative pronouns.

That’s Chapter 7 completed! You now understand the dative case and its usage with indirect objects and certain prepositions.

Chapter 8: Possessive Pronouns

Possessive pronouns are used to show ownership or possession. They indicate who or what something belongs to. In this chapter, we’ll learn how to use possessive pronouns in German, paying attention to how they change based on the gender and case of the noun they modify.

Basic Possessive Pronouns

Here are the basic possessive pronouns in German, along with their English equivalents:

mein (main) – my

dein (dain) – your (informal, singular)

sein (zain) – his

ihr (eer) – her

sein (zain) – its

unser (oon-zer) – our

euer (oi-er) – your (informal, plural)

ihr (eer) – their

Ihr (eer) – your (formal)

Agreement with Gender and Case

Just like articles, possessive pronouns must agree in gender, number, and case with the noun they modify. This means they change their endings depending on whether the noun is masculine, feminine, neuter, or plural, and whether it’s in the nominative, accusative, or dative case.

Possessive Pronoun Endings

The endings of possessive pronouns are similar to the endings of indefinite articles. Here’s a general guide:

Masculine Nominative: mein Mann (my man) – no ending added

Feminine Nominative: meine Frau (my woman) – add “-e»

Neuter Nominative: mein Kind (my child) – no ending added

Plural Nominative: meine Kinder (my children) – add “-e»

Accusative Case Changes

Masculine Accusative: meinen Mann (my man) – add “-en»

Feminine Accusative: meine Frau (my woman) – add “-e» (same as nominative)

Neuter Accusative: mein Kind (my child) – no ending added (same as nominative)

Plural Accusative: meine Kinder (my children) – add “-e» (same as nominative)

Dative Case Changes

Masculine Dative: meinem Mann (to my man) – add “-em»

Feminine Dative: meiner Frau (to my woman) – add “-er»

Neuter Dative: meinem Kind (to my child) – add “-em»

Plural Dative: meinen Kindern (to my children) – add “-en» (the noun usually takes an -n ending, if it doesn’t already have one)

Examples in Sentences

Nominative:

Mein Bruder ist nett. (main broo-der ist net) – My brother is nice. (Masculine)

Meine Schwester ist klug. (mai-ne shves-ter ist kloog) – My sister is smart. (Feminine)

Mein Haus ist groß. (main haus ist grohs) – My house is big. (Neuter)

Meine Eltern sind freundlich. (mai-ne el-tern zint froint-lihh) – My parents are friendly. (Plural)

Accusative:

Ich sehe meinen Bruder. (ihh zay-e mai-nen broo-der) – I see my brother. (Masculine)

Ich sehe meine Schwester. (ihh zay-e mai-ne shves-ter) – I see my sister. (Feminine)

Ich sehe mein Haus. (ihh zay-e main haus) – I see my house. (Neuter)

Ich sehe meine Eltern. (ihh zay-e mai-ne el-tern) – I see my parents. (Plural)

Dative:

Ich helfe meinem Bruder. (ihh hel-fe mai-nem broo-der) – I help my brother. (Masculine)

Ich helfe meiner Schwester. (ihh hel-fe mai-ner shves-ter) – I help my sister. (Feminine)

Ich helfe meinem Kind. (ihh hel-fe mai-nem kint) – I help my child. (Neuter)

Ich helfe meinen Eltern. (ihh hel-fe mai-nen el-tern) – I help my parents. (Plural)

Using «euer» (your – informal, plural)

The possessive pronoun «euer» has a slight irregularity. Before adding the ending, the «e» is dropped:

Nominative Masculine: euer -> eur -> eurer Bruder (your brother)

Here are the common forms

Masculine: euer -> eurer

Feminine: euer -> eure

Neuter: euer -> eur

Plural: euer -> eure

Word Bank

Possessivpronomen (po-se-zeev-pro-no-men) – Possessive pronoun

mein (main) – my

dein (dain) – your (informal, singular)

sein (zain) – his / its

ihr (eer) – her / their / your (formal)

unser (oon-zer) – our

euer (oi-er) – your (informal, plural)

Bruder (broo-der) – brother

Schwester (shves-ter) – sister

Eltern (el-tern) – parents

Exercises

Fill in the blanks with the correct possessive pronoun and ending:

Das ist ______ (mein) Auto.

Wo ist ______ (dein) Mutter?

Er liebt ______ (ihr) Katze.

Wir besuchen ______ (unser) Großeltern.

Translate the following sentences into German, using possessive pronouns:

This is my book.

Where is your father? (informal, singular)

She loves his dog.

We visit our grandparents.

Is that your house? (formal)

Rewrite the following sentences, replacing the nouns with appropriate pronouns (both personal and possessive):

Der Mann liebt seine Frau. (The man loves his wife.)

Die Frau hilft ihrem Kind. (The woman helps her child.)

That completes Chapter 8! You’ve learned how to use possessive pronouns to show ownership and how they change based on gender, number, and case.

Chapter 9: Modal Verbs

Modal verbs are auxiliary (helping) verbs that add meaning to the main verb in a sentence. They express possibility, necessity, permission, ability, and desire. They are essential for expressing nuances and complexities in German.

The Six Modal Verbs

There are six main modal verbs in German:

können (kö-nen) – can, to be able to

müssen (müs-sen) – must, to have to

wollen (vo-len) – to want to

dürfen (dür-fen) – may, to be allowed to

sollen (zo-len) – should, to be supposed to

mögen (mö-gen) – to like (usually used in the subjunctive form, «möchte» – would like)

Conjugation of Modal Verbs

Modal verbs have irregular conjugations, so it’s important to memorize them. Here are the present tense conjugations:

können (can/be able to):

ich kann (ihh kahn)

du kannst (doo kahnst)

er/sie/es kann (air/zee/es kahn)

wir können (veer kö-nen)

ihr könnt (eer könt)

sie/Sie können (zee/zee kö-nen)

müssen (must/have to):

ich muss (ihh moos)

du musst (doo moost)

er/sie/es muss (air/zee/es moos)

wir müssen (veer müs-sen)

ihr müsst (eer müst)

sie/Sie müssen (zee/zee müs-sen)

wollen (want to):

ich will (ihh vil)

du willst (doo vilst)

er/sie/es will (air/zee/es vil)

wir wollen (veer vo-len)

ihr wollt (eer volt)

sie/Sie wollen (zee/zee vo-len)

dürfen (may/be allowed to):

ich darf (ihh darf)

du darfst (doo darfst)

er/sie/es darf (air/zee/es darf)

wir dürfen (veer dür-fen)

ihr dürft (eer dürft)

sie/Sie dürfen (zee/zee dür-fen)

sollen (should/be supposed to):

ich soll (ihh zol)

du sollst (doo zolst)

er/sie/es soll (air/zee/es zol)

wir sollen (veer zo-len)

ihr sollt (eer zolt)

sie/Sie sollen (zee/zee zo-len)

mögen (to like): Note: «mögen» is rarely used in its present tense. The subjunctive form «möchte» is used to express «would like.» We will show the conjugation for context.

ich mag (ihh mahg)

du magst (doo mahgst)

er/sie/es mag (air/zee/es mahg)

wir mögen (veer mö-gen)

ihr mögt (eer mögt)

sie/Sie mögen (zee/zee mö-gen)

möchte (would like):

ich möchte (ihh möh-te)

du möchtest (doo möh-test)

er/sie/es möchte (air/zee/es möh-te)

wir möchten (veer möh-ten)

ihr möchtet (eer möh-tet)

sie/Sie möchten (zee/zee möh-ten)

Sentence Structure with Modal Verbs

The structure of sentences with modal verbs is different from simple sentences. The modal verb is conjugated and placed in the second position in the sentence (after the subject). The main verb is placed at the end of the sentence in its infinitive form (the “-en» form).

Subject + Modal Verb + (Other words) + Infinitive Verb

Examples

Ich kann Deutsch sprechen. (ihh kahn doitch shpreh-hen) – I can speak German.

Du musst deine Hausaufgaben machen. (doo moost dai-ne haus-auf-ga-ben mah-hen) – You must do your homework.

Er will ein Buch lesen. (air vil ain booh lay-zen) – He wants to read a book.

Wir dürfen hier nicht parken. (veer dür-fen heer niht par-ken) – We are not allowed to park here.

Sie sollen pünktlich sein. (zee zo-len pünkt-lihh zain) – They should be on time.

Ich möchte einen Kaffee trinken. (ihh möh-te ai-nen kah-fay trin-ken) – I would like to drink a coffee.

Meaning and Usage of Each Modal Verb

können (can/be able to): Expresses ability, possibility, or capability.

Ich kann schwimmen. (ihh kahn shvi-men) – I can swim.

Es kann regnen. (es kahn rayg-nen) – It can rain.

müssen (must/have to): Expresses necessity, obligation, or requirement.

Ich muss arbeiten. (ihh moos ar-bai-ten) – I must work.

Du musst pünktlich sein. (doo moost pünkt-lihh zain) – You must be on time.

wollen (want to): Expresses intention, desire, or a firm wish.

Ich will nach Deutschland reisen. (ihh vil nahh doitch-lant rai-zen) – I want to travel to Germany.

Sie will ein neues Auto kaufen. (zee vil ain noi-es au-to kau-fen) – She wants to buy a new car.

dürfen (may/be allowed to): Expresses permission, allowance, or possibility.

Dürfen wir hier sitzen? (dür-fen veer heer zi-tsen) – May we sit here?

Du darfst das nicht tun. (doo darfst das niht tun) – You are not allowed to do that.

sollen (should/be supposed to): Expresses obligation, advice, or a command from someone else. It often indicates what someone is supposed to do, perhaps by order or expectation.

Du sollst mehr lernen. (doo zolst mehr ler-nen) – You should learn more.

Wir sollen pünktlich sein. (veer zo-len pünkt-lihh zain) – We are supposed to be on time. (Perhaps our boss told us this)

möchten (would like): Expresses a polite wish or desire. It’s the subjunctive form of «mögen,» and it’s much more common to use «möchte» than «mögen» when expressing what you want.

Ich möchte einen Kaffee trinken. (ihh möh-te ai-nen kah-fay trin-ken) – I would like to drink a coffee.

Wir möchten ins Kino gehen. (veer möh-ten ins kee-no gay-en) – We would like to go to the cinema.

Important Notes

The modal verb is always conjugated.

The main verb always goes to the end in the infinitive form.

«möchten» is a special form derived from «mögen» and is used for polite requests.

Word Bank

Modalverb (mo-dahl-verp) – Modal verb

können (kö-nen) – can/be able to

müssen (müs-sen) – must/have to

wollen (vo-len) – want to

dürfen (dür-fen) – may/be allowed to

sollen (zo-len) – should/be supposed to

möchten (möh-ten) – would like

sprechen (shpreh-hen) – to speak

machen (mah-hen) – to do

lesen (lay-zen) – to read

parken (par-ken) – to park

sein (zain) – to be

trinken (trin-ken) – to drink

Exercises

Conjugate all six modal verbs in the present tense.

Fill in the blanks with the correct modal verb: