Professional Documents
Culture Documents
German PDF
German PDF
Raymond
LEVEL TWO
Learn In Your Car – German is the only language learning
system designed to teach a foreign language in your car as you
drive, without the aid of a textbook. However, for your
reference, this booklet contains the entire recorded text so that
you can see how the words are spelled. This booklet also con-
tains additional explanations which will be helpful to you if
you have trouble understanding some of the concepts in the
program.
ABOUT THIS COURSE
Learn In Your Car – German, Level Two is a continuation
of Learn In Your Car German, Level One. Level Two begins
where Level One ends. Level One is designed and organized
primarily with the traveler in mind. Level Two continues with
more ideas, concepts, and vocabulary that are useful to the
traveler, but introduces more complex vocabulary and gram-
mar. The following guidelines are used:
1. The basic premise is that communicating in a language
requires learning words, phrases and sentences: but you can't
learn to communicate effectively in a language unless you
know the individual meaning of each word.
2. The emphasis is on communication. Words, phrases or sen-
tences can be used to communicate. It is not always
necessary to use a complete sentence to convey a thought.
3. It teaches the way a child learns. Children start by learning
one-word sentences, then two-word sentences, etc.
4. It teaches the most important things first. This course does
not use your valuable memory to store useless words. The
important words you need to survive and get around are taught
first. Grammar is introduced in the later lessons, but it is taught
with examples rather than rules.
5. No more than one new word is introduced at a time. This
means you won't hear a sentence or a phrase and wonder which
sound corresponds to which word. (Various forms of previous-
ly introduced verbs are used along with new words.)
6. No textbook is required. The fact that no more than one new
word is introduced at a time enables you to use the CDs
effectively without referring to a textbook. The CDs are
designed to be used without a textbook so that you can use
them while driving a car or while doing other things that
require similar amounts of concentration.
7. Literal (word-for-word) translations are used as much as
possible. This enables you to understand how a sentence or
phrase is constructed and what the individual words mean.
HOW TO USE
“LEARN IN YOUR CAR – GERMAN”
The first track on the first disk is an introduction. Lessons start
on the following track.
Start by playing through the first lesson. For each expression
you will hear the English version followed by a pause, then the
German translation followed by a pause, then the German
translation a second time followed by a third pause. At first,
you will only be able to imitate the German words in the two
pauses after the German translations (the second and third
pauses). As you learn and progress, you will be able to recall
and recite the German version during the first pause before you
hear the first German translation. Be sure to speak the German
expressions out loud. The rate at which you learn will be
significantly slower if you do not speak the expressions aloud.
Play the first lesson several times until you learn most of it.
Then start playing the first lesson followed by the second
lesson until you learn most of the second lesson. As you
progress keep adding lessons. Always go back to the beginning
of the first lesson to reinforce the material you have already
learned. (As you progress through the material, you may want
to restart at some place other than the start of the first lesson.
This is fine as long as you know all the material ahead of your
starting point. Later lessons are designed with the assumption
that you already know the material in earlier lessons.)
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I would like to thank Eva Denzler, Daniel Beckman, Astrid
Boswell, Susanne Olson, Annette Norris and Linda Rabin who
helped to make this audio production possible.
—Hank Raymond
When conjugated in the present tense, strong verbs may change their stem vowels but use the same endings
as weak verbs. Irregular verbs can change unpredictably when conjugated and must be learned individually.
To conjugate a weak verb in the present tense, drop the “en” ending from the infinitive form of the verb and
add the appropriate ending as shown below:
The demonstrative adjectives “this” and “that” are both expressed by the German word “dieser”
(masculine), “diese” (feminine), or “dieses” (neuter) (all in nominative case). However, the demonstrative
adjective “that” is also expressed by the German word “jener” (masculine), “jene” (feminine) or “jenes”
(neuter) (all in nominative case). “Jener” expresses a meaning of more remoteness and is not used very
frequently. For example, “dieser Zug” can mean “this train” or “that train” whereas “jener Zug” means “that
train over there.”
German has both a polite and a familiar way to speak using the second person. (ie. “you” or “you people”)
In this text, the familiar form of the second person “you” (singular or plural) is shown as follows:
(singular) = second person singular, familiar form
(plural) = second person plural, familiar form
The polite form of the second person “you” (singular or plural) is shown this way:
(polite) = second person singular or plural, polite form. Both singular and plural of the polite form
are the same.
The verb “sprechen” is an example of a strong verb. With strong verbs the stem of the verb changes when
conjugated. Notice in the above examples that the stem of “sprechen” changes from “sprech” to “sprich”
but that the endings still follow the format of a weak verb. These stem changes must be learned individually
for each strong verb:
As you can see from these examples, “I am speaking,” and, “I speak,” can both be translated to,
“Ich spreche”.
The future tense as shown here (“future indicative” or “Zukunft”) is formed by using the appropriate
conjugation of the verb “werden” (“to become” or “will”) plus the infinitive form of the main verb. Notice
that the infinitive form of the main verb is usually placed at the end of the sentence.
SUBJECT VERB
ich werde
du wirst
er, sie, es wird
wir werden
ihr werdet
sie, Sie werden
This lesson shows some ways of using the infinitive. (The infinitive is the unconjugated verb form as in “to
buy”, “to leave”, “to go” etc.). The infinitive is not usually used alone, but in conjunction with an auxiliary
verb called a modal verb. There are six modal verbs in German. They are: “dürfen” (to be allowed to, as
in “may”), “können” (to be able to, as in “can”), “mögen” (usually used in the subjunctive form as in “ich
möchte” where it means “I would like”), “müssen” (as in “to have to” or “must”), “sollen” (as in “should”)
and “wollen” (to want to). The infinitive is simply another vocabulary word used the same way as in
English. Notice that in German, the infinitive is usually placed at the end of the sentence.
LESSON 44 – LEKTION 44
SPEAKING IN THE “PERFEKT” TENSE –
IM PERFEKT SPRECHEN (VOLLENDETE GEGENWART)
to buy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . kaufen
I bought the book. / I have bought the book.
[L. I have the book bought.] . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ich habe das Buch gekauft.
You bought a gift for your sister. /
You have bought a gift for your sister. (singular) . . . . . . . . . Du hast ein Geschenk für deine Schwester
gekauft.
This lesson shows examples of the present perfect tense (“Perfekt” or “vollendete Gegenwart”). This tense
is often called the “conversational past.” In German, this is the second most commonly used tense after the
present tense. The “Perfekt” is used to talk about past events in normal everyday conversation. The German
“Perfekt” is equivalent to two English tenses, the “present perfect” (as in “I have bought.”) and the past
(as in “I bought.”). This tense is formed by using the present tense of the verb “haben” (or in some cases
“sein”) plus the past participle of the main verb. The past participle is located at the end of the clause.
In German, most past participles are formed by placing “ge-” ahead of the verb stem and “-t”, “-et” or
“-en” after the verb stem. (Use “-en” for strong verbs and “-t” or “-et” for weak verbs.) There are plenty of
exceptions to this.
LESSON 45 – LEKTION 45
SPEAKING IN THE “PERFEKT” TENSE –
IM PERFEKT SPRECHEN (VOLLENDETE GEGENWART)
to sell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . verkaufen
I [have] sold my car. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ich habe mein Auto verkauft.
You [have] sold your tickets. (polite) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sie haben Ihre Karten verkauft.
11
LESSON 46 – LEKTION 46
THE “PERFEKT” WITH VERBS THAT USE “SEIN” – DAS PERFEKT MIT “SEIN”
I went to the bakery yesterday.
[L. I have [am] yesterday in the bakery gone.] . . . . . . . . . . Ich bin gestern in die Bäckerei gegangen.
13
This lesson shows examples of verbs which form the past tense (present perfect or “Perfekt” tense) by using
“sein” (to be) instead of “haben” (to have) as an auxiliary verb. Most verbs which use “sein” are verbs of
locomotion such as “gehen” (to go or walk), “fahren” (to travel, ride or drive), “reisen” (to travel), “fallen”
(to fall) etc. Verbs which use “sein” instead of “haben” form the past tense exactly the same way as verbs
which use “haben” except that the appropriate conjugation of “sein” is used in place of “haben”. When
speaking in the past tense this way, just think of “sein” as meaning “to have”. In some of the above
examples both translations are given, but as you can see, the translation of “sein” as “to be” (which is
shown in brackets in these cases) doesn’t really work very well.
LESSON 47 – LEKTION 47
INFINITIVE VERB FORMS – INFINITIVE VERBFORMEN
We want to answer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Wir wollen antworten.
I don’t want to forget. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ich will nicht vergessen.
15
17
LESSON 49 – LEKTION 49
THE TELEPHONE – DAS TELEFON
a call . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ein Anruf
There is a telephone call for you. (polite) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Da ist ein Telefonanruf für Sie.
Excuse me, is there a telephone near here? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Verzeihung, gibt es ein Telefon in der Nähe?
19
LESSON 50 – LEKTION 50
PRACTICE WITH THE “PERFEKT” TENSE –
ÜBUNG MIT DER VOLLENDETEN GEGENWART
I ate. / I have eaten. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ich habe gegessen.
You knew someone. (singular) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Du hast jemanden gekannt.
You have known something. (polite) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sie haben etwas gewusst.
Did he understand? / Has he understood? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Hat er verstanden?
We wrote. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Wir haben geschrieben.
We went. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Wir sind gegangen.
You people closed. (familiar) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ihr habt geschlossen.
You people arrived. (familiar) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ihr seid angekommen.
They left. / They went. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sie sind gegangen.
They went away from the house. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sie sind vom Haus weggegangen.
They left the house. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sie haben das Haus verlassen.
They left something at my house. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sie haben etwas bei mir gelassen.
21
LESSON 51 – LEKTION 51
MORE PRACTICE WITH THE “PERFEKT” –
MEHR ÜBUNG MIT DER VOLLENDETEN GEGENWART
He put the book on the table. /
He laid the book on the table. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Er hat das Buch auf den Tisch gelegt.
They put the glasses on the table. /
They stood the glasses on the table. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sie haben die Gläser auf den Tisch gestellt.
23
25
LESSON 52 – LEKTION 52
THE VERB “SEIN” IN THE SIMPLE PAST (IMPERFECT) –
DAS VERB “SEIN” IN DER VERGANGENHEIT
I was at the bus station. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ich war an der Bushaltestelle.
You were at my house. (singular) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Du warst bei mir.
You were at the museum. (polite) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sie waren im Museum.
He was fast. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Er war schnell.
She was wet. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sie war nass.
It was dry. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Es war trocken.
We were busy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Wir waren beschäftigt.
You guys were too late. (familiar) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ihr wart zu spät.
You people were alone. (polite) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sie waren allein.
They were with their husbands there. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sie waren mit ihren Ehemännern da.
He was very funny. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Er war sehr lustig.
They were very amusing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sie waren sehr amüsant.
Everybody was there. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jeder war da.
She was sad yesterday. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sie war gestern traurig.
27
This lesson and the next few lessons introduce the “simple past tense.” It is often called the “simple past”
because it doesn’t use an auxiliary verb to form its various conjugations. (The “Perfekt” tense is a
compound tense because it uses the auxiliary verbs “haben” or “sein” to form its conjugations.) The “simple
past” is also called the “imperfect (Imperfekt)” or the “narrative past.” This tense is used to narrate past
events or to talk about events that were recurring or habitual. The “simple past” is used more in written or
formal German, whereas in spoken German the “Perfekt” is used more frequently to express the same ideas.
For example, a person might say something in the “Perfekt” tense, but if he were to write the same thoughts
down on paper, he might then use the “simple past”.
LESSON 53 – LEKTION 53
THE VERB “HABEN” IN THE SIMPLE PAST (IMPERFECT) –
DAS VERB “HABEN” IN DER VERGANGENHEIT
I had a small house. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ich hatte ein kleines Haus.
You were having a difficult problem. (singular) . . . . . . . . . . . . Du hattest ein schwieriges Problem.
You had a good job. (polite) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sie hatten eine gute Arbeit.
He was having difficulties. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Er hatte Schwierigkeiten.
We had a big car. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Wir hatten ein großes Auto.
28
LESSON 54 – LEKTION 54
TYPICAL WEAK (REGULAR) VERB IN THE SIMPLE PAST (IMPERFECT) –
TYPISCHES SCHWACHES VERB IN DER VERGANGENHEIT
I used to sell cars. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ich verkaufte Autos.
You were selling cars. (singular) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Du verkauftest Autos.
You used to sell real estate. (polite) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sie verkauften Immobilien.
He was selling radios. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Er verkaufte Radios.
She was selling clothes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sie verkaufte Kleidung.
We used to sell ice. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Wir verkauften Eis.
You guys were selling everything. (familiar) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ihr verkauftet alles.
You people were selling the farm. (polite) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sie verkauften den Bauernhof.
They used to sell clothes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sie verkauften Kleidung.
This lesson shows how a typical weak (or regular) verb is conjugated in the “simple past tense.” As was
mentioned earlier, this tense is also called the, “imperfect (Imperfekt)” or the “narrative past.” In everyday
29
To conjugate a weak verb in the “simple past”, drop the “en” ending from the infinitive form of the verb
and add the appropriate ending:
30
This lesson demonstrates the use of the weak (regular) verb “aufhören” in the “simple past” tense. This verb
has a separable prefix which goes to the end of the sentence when the verb is conjugated. The remainder of
the verb conjugates in exactly the same way as all other weak verbs.
31
With strong verbs the stem of the verb changes when conjugated. It is usually the stem vowel that changes.
Notice in the above examples that the stem of “sprechen” changes from “sprech” to “sprach”. The verb
endings for strong verbs in the imperfect tense are different from the endings for weak verbs. To conjugate a
strong verb in the imperfect tense, you must know the imperfect stem. Use the imperfect stem with the
endings shown below:
32
LESSON 57 – LEKTION 57
SOME COMMON VERBS IN THE SIMPLE PAST –
EINIGE GEBRÄUCHLICHE VERBEN IN DER VERGANGENHEIT
I wanted to eat breakfast. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ich wollte Frühstück essen.
Did you want to go to town yesterday? (singular) . . . . . . . . . . Wolltest du gestern in die Stadt gehen?
You wanted to buy clothes, didn’t you? (polite) . . . . . . . . . . . . Sie wollten Kleidung kaufen, nicht wahr?
He wanted to sell his house. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Er wollte sein Haus verkaufen.
We wanted to buy something. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Wir wollten etwas kaufen.
Did you guys want to take a vacation last year? (familiar) . . . Wolltet ihr letztes Jahr Urlaub machen?
You people wanted to take the ferry, didn’t you? (polite) . . . . Sie wollten die Fähre nehmen, nicht wahr?
They wanted to mail the package. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sie wollten das Packet schicken.
33
This lesson shows several examples of the “simple past” in sentences that one would normally hear in
spoken German. Notice that most of these sentences contain modal verbs. With modal verbs, the “simple
past” is usually preferred over the “present perfect (Perfekt)” in both written and spoken German.
LESSON 58 – LEKTION 58
SOME IMPORTANT CONCEPTS – EINIGE WICHTIGE BEGRIFFE
He is a tall man. / He is a big man. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Er ist ein großer Mann.
It’s a very high building. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Es ist ein sehr hohes Gebäude.
It’s a short distance from here. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Es ist eine kurze Entfernung von hier.
It’s not far from here. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Es ist nicht weit von hier.
She is a short lady. / She is a small lady. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sie ist eine kleine Dame.
Please turn off the light. (singular) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bitte mach das Licht aus.
Anyone can buy a car. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jeder kann ein Auto kaufen.
Anything is better than this. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Alles ist besser als das.
One can’t go. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Man kann nicht gehen.
You go there. (singular) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Du gehst dahin.
Do you go there often? (singular) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Gehst du oft dahin?
No, never. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Nein, nie.
35
This lesson and the next lesson are designed to demonstrate word order and to show how the German
language handles some basic ideas and concepts such as: “old and new”, “old and young”, “right and
wrong”, “correct and incorrect”, “sitting and standing” and a few other things that people need to know in
order to function in every day situations.
LESSON 59 – LEKTION 59
MORE IMPORTANT CONCEPTS – WEITERE WICHTIGE BEGRIFFE
How often does the bus come by? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Wie oft kommt der Bus vorbei?
How often does the bus drive to town? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Wie oft fährt der Bus in die Stadt?
every twenty minutes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . alle zwanzig Minuten
I am seated. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ich sitze. / Ich habe Platz genommen.
I am standing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ich stehe.
I want to stand in the corner. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ich will in der Ecke stehen.
Sit down, please. (polite) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Setzen Sie sich, bitte.
37
LESSON 61 – LEKTION 61
USEFUL PLURAL VERB FORMS IN SENTENCES, PRESENT TENSE –
GEBRÄULICHE VERBFORMEN IN DER MEHRZAHL, GEGENWART
We are leaving by airplane. /
We are flying with the airplane. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Wir fliegen mit dem Flugzeug.
We are paying for your airplane ticket. (singular) . . . . . . . . . . Wir bezahlen für deine Flugkarte.
We pay cash. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Wir zahlen bar.
We are looking for the right road. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Wir suchen nach der richtigen Straße.
We drink fruit juice. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Wir trinken Obstsaft.
We are drinking beer. / We drink beer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Wir trinken Bier.
We are taking our children with us. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Wir nehmen unsere Kinder mit.
40
In German, any noun or pronoun that is used as a direct object must be in the accusative case. This is the
definition of the accusative case. All the pronouns that are not subjects that are shown in this lesson are in
the accusative case because they are all direct objects of the verbs.
LESSON 63 – LEKTION 63
MORE DIRECT OBJECT PRONOUNS – WEITERE DIREKTE OBJEKTE
I see him. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ich sehe ihn.
I see her. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ich sehe sie.
I know him. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ich kenne ihn.
Do you people know her? (familiar) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kennt ihr sie?
I like wine. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ich mag Wein.
I like it. (masculine) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ich mag ihn.
I love you. (singular) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ich liebe dich.
I like you. (singular) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ich mag dich.
43
In German, one can’t simply say “I want one.” Instead one must say “I want one of them.” or “I want one of
something.” as shown in the above examples.
LESSON 64 – LEKTION 64
USING INDIRECT OBJECT PRONOUNS IN SENTENCES –
GEBRAUCH VON INDIREKTEN OBJEKTEN IN GANZEN SÄTZEN
He’s buying a gift for me. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Er kauft ein Geschenk für mich.
44
An indirect object is the object or person “to whom” or “for whom” the action is performed. For example,
in the sentence “He’s buying me a gift.” (which means exactly the same thing as “He’s buying a gift for
me.”) the direct object is “gift”, and the indirect object is “me”. The indirect object usually answers the
question “To whom?” or “For whom?”
In German, any noun or pronoun that is used as an indirect object must be in the dative case. This is the
definition of the dative case. All the pronouns that are not subjects that are shown in this lesson are in the
dative case because they are all indirect objects of the verbs. All of these pronouns answer the question “To
whom?” or “For whom?”
LESSON 65 – LEKTION 65
DIRECT AND INDIRECT OBJECT PRONOUNS TOGETHER –
DIREKTE UND INDIREKTE OBJEKTE ZUSAMMEN AUFGEFÜHRT
He’s buying it for me. (masculine object) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Er kauft ihn für mich.
He’s buying it for you. (singular, feminine object) . . . . . . . . . Er kauft sie für dich.
46
Notice the difference between “für sie (for them)” and “zu ihnen (to them).” This is because the preposition
“für” requires the use of the accusative case and the preposition “zu” requires the use of the dative case.
Use of the phrase “zu ihnen” means “to their place.” “Ihnen” (without the “zu”) means “to them” or “for
them”.
48
LESSON 67 – LEKTION 67
THE CAR – DAS AUTO
to drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . fahren
She knows how to drive. / She can drive. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sie kann fahren.
50
LESSON 68 – LEKTION 68
SENTENCES WITH IMPORTANT WORDS AND CONCEPTS –
SÄTZE MIT WICHTIGEN WÖRTERN UND BEGRIFFEN
It is necessary to eat. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Es ist notwendig zu essen.
That’s difficult to believe. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Das ist schwer zu glauben.
It has been three years. / It was three years ago.
[L. It is three years ago.] . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Es ist drei Jahre her.
It has been a long time. / It was long ago.
[L. It is long ago.] . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Es ist lange her.
The train is always late. / The train always arrives too late. . . . Der Zug kommt immer zu spät an.
You are always late. / You always come too late. (singular) . . . Du kommst immer zu spät.
It is already five o’clock. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Es ist schon fünf Uhr.
Do you have enough money? (singular) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Hast du genug Geld?
Is that true? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ist das wahr?
If that is true, then this is also true. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Wenn das wahr ist, dann ist dies auch wahr.
52
LESSON 69 – LEKTION 69
MORE SENTENCES WITH IMPORTANT WORDS AND CONCEPTS –
WEITERE SÄTZE MIT WICHTIGEN WÖRTERN UND BEGRIFFEN
Where is the dog? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Wo ist der Hund?
He is outside. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Er ist draußen.
I put him outside an hour ago. / I let him out an hour ago. . . . Ich habe ihn vor einer Stunde
hinausgelassen.
There is a gift in my suitcase. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . In meinem Koffer ist ein Geschenk.
54
55