What this seminar will cover

•Important factors to bear in mind when choosing a bilingual dictionary

•How to use the dictionary navigation tools to get to the right answer
quickly and efficiently
•Abbreviations and symbols used in the dictionary
•How the dictionary can help you with:
• irregular plurals
• compound words
• gender
• the position of adjectives
• case
• idioms
•How the dictionary can help you with verbs:
• tense, subject and object
• transitive and intransitive verbs
• reflexive, impersonal, separable & phrasal verbs
• verb lists & verb complementation

1 © Oxford University Press 2005

 What any good dictionary should offer
•Range of vocabulary
•Up-to-date vocabulary
•Ease of use
•Clarity of design
•Clear entry structure
•Large number of examples
•Pointers towards the right translation
•Help with forming sentences in German
•Model letters, verb lists, and other helpful material
•And – only with the Oxford-Duden German Dictionary – a free
pronunciation CD-ROM that lets you type in any German
word, phrase, or sentence and hear it spoken back so you can
practise speaking German for presentations or exams
2 © Oxford University Press 2005
 What your dictionary can help you with

finding wait for translation of since

quickly at wait ? and the correct
tense in German?

She’s been waiting since

three o’clock for the train to London.

warning that the 24 warning that for = zu/nach?

hour clock is much auf + accusative
more likely in German? in this context?

Sie wartet seit fünfzehn Uhr auf den Zug nach London.
3 © Oxford University Press 2005
 Navigating the dictionary

•German-English section first, then English-German

•blue-edged section in the middle separates the two sides

•printed thumb tabs on the outside margin of every page show

which letter appears on that page

•‘running heads’ at the top of the page show the first and last
words on that page

NB: All this applies to the Oxford-Duden German Dictionary.

Other dictionaries may have different conventions.

4 © Oxford University Press 2005

 Navigating a German-English entry
swung dash
nouns listed with gender represents
first element

dots and
underlines
indicate stress irregular verbs marked
position and
length of vowel

plural of nouns
older spellings
marked with genitive of nouns
asterisk

5 © Oxford University Press 2005 © Oxford Duden German Dictionary 3 rd edition 0-19-860974-4
 Navigating an English-German entry (I)
headword, in bold phonetic symbols noun translations
using the IPA with gender

same spelling,
different meaning
signposts to meaning in parentheses
swung dash
represents
headword
guidance on
register and usage
grammatical
categories
indicated
by letters

senses indicated freely interchangeable translations

by numbers are separated by a semi-colon
6 © Oxford University Press 2005 © Oxford Duden German Dictionary 3 rd edition 0-19-860974-4
 Navigating an English-German entry (II)

to brew beer narrow the

meaning by
using context

brew: transitive
verb, intransitive
verb, or noun?

Bier brauen der Tee zieht

7 © Oxford University Press 2005 © Oxford Duden German Dictionary 3 rd edition 0-19-860974-4
 Common Grammatical Categories
Adj. adjective describes a noun sad, traurig
Adv. adverb tells you how sth is done quickly, schnell
Art., art. article definite article = the the, der, die, das
indefinite article = a a, ein, eine, ein
Hilfsv. auxiliary verb used with main verb to show I have made
tense ich habe gemacht
Konj. conjunction links two phrases or two words and, und
Demonstrativpron. determiner defines which noun the, those, das, diese
n. noun thing, person or idea life, Leben
2. Part. past participle forms perfect tense with aux I have travelled
verb ich bin gereist
Präp. preposition used with noun to show position near, nahe
Pron., pron. pronoun stands instead of a noun he, er
Possessivpron. possessive word used to show who sth my, mein
pronoun belongs to
refl. reflexive verb verb requiring a reflexive to wash oneself,
pronoun sich waschen

8 © Oxford University Press 2005

 Grammatical Categories Exercise
Match these words with the correct part of speech

blau Art.
gern Adj.
der Possessivpron.
bin unr. refl. V.
aber Präp.
dieses Adv.
gestohlen 2. Part.
bei Demonstrativpron.
ihr Hilfsverb
sich denken Konj.

9 © Oxford University Press 2005

 Swung Dash (or Tilde) ~ and Hyphen -

•The swung dash stands for the whole headword so the ending is added:
Frau, die woman
~en women

• In compounds the swung dash replaces the first word in the compound:

Koch-: ~schinken der boiled ham

Subject Field Labels

(Zool.) = Zoological (Jägerspr.) = Jägersprache (i.e. to do with hunting)

• Check the list of subject field labels in the abbreviations

list inside the front cover of the dictionary to see whether
it covers areas you are interested in
10 © Oxford University Press 2005
 Regional Usage
(Brit.) = British usage (österr.) = Austrian usage
(Amer.) = American usage (schweiz.) = Swiss usage
(südd.) = southern German (nordd.) = northern German
(schwäb.) = Swabian, e.g. Stuttgart (hess ) = Hessen, e.g. Frankfurt-am-Main
(DDR ) = term used in former GDR

derb (crude, coarse)
dichter. = dichterisch (poetical)
fam. = familiär (informal)
fig. = figurativ (figurative)
geh. = gehoben (elevated, refined)
Kinderspr. = Kindersprache (used by small
children)
Papierdt. = Papierdeutsch (stilted)
figurative = metaphorical
rather than literal, e.g.
Register
salopp (slang)
scherzh. = scherzhaft (humorous)
spött. = spöttisch (derogatory)
ugs. = umgangssprachlich (colloquial)
veralt. = veraltet (old-fashioned)
volkst. = volkstümlich (vernacular term)
vulg. = vulgär (vulgar)
Gürtel der belt; den ~ enger schnallen (fig. ugs.)
tighten one’s belt (fig.)

11 © Oxford University Press 2005

 Sentence patterns

• abbreviations are used to illustrate the order of elements in a sentence:

jmd. (jemand – Nominative) somebody

jmdn. (jemanden – Accusative) somebody
jmdm. (jemandem – Dative) somebody
jmds. (jemands – Genitive) somebody’s
sb. somebody
etw. (etwas) something
sth. something

•example sentences are given within entries to show where

prepositions are needed:

ask sb.’s name nach jmds. Namen fragen

12 © Oxford University Press 2005 © Oxford Duden German Dictionary 3 rd edition 0-19-860974-4
 Phonetics

• = short vowel _ = long vowel

/ = stress on 1st syllable

dot shows that the word

erweise does not form part
of betrüblicherweise

| = separable verb

stress pattern given, so no stress pattern given, so stress

stress on ge- of gehen on hin- of hinter as usual

13 © Oxford University Press 2005 © Oxford Duden German Dictionary 3 rd edition 0-19-860974-4
 Irregular Plurals
lice

lice = Läuse
Torverhältnis

Torverhältnisse
plural form same
as plural adjective

14 © Oxford University Press 2005 © Oxford Duden German Dictionary 3 rd edition 0-19-860974-4
 Gender

1 4

2 5

15 © Oxford University Press 2005 © Oxford Duden German Dictionary 3 rd edition 0-19-860974-4
 Case
Nominative, Accusative, Genitive, or Dative? Read the examples:

jmdn. = jemanden use the Accusative

jmdm. = jemandem use the Dative

I help my friends =
Ich helfe meinen Freunden

dich shows the accusative is used here

ihm shows the dative is needed here

I fell in love with my Julia =

Ich verliebte mich in meine Julia

16 © Oxford University Press 2005 © Oxford Duden German Dictionary 3 rd edition 0-19-860974-4
 Compound Words

Hinterziehung
hintereinander
Hintergrund
hinterher
Hinterlegung
Hintern
Hinterziehung

The position of adjectives

attr. = precedes a noun präd. = follows a verb

17 © Oxford University Press 2005 © Oxford Duden German Dictionary 3 rd edition 0-19-860974-4
 Idioms
An idiom is a saying or expression whose meaning has evolved
so that it is now different from the original literal meaning of the
key words within it.

be out of the wood = über den Berg sein

Finding Idioms
Ich muss zugeben,
dass mein Bruder
mir manchmal auf
den Keks geht.

18 © Oxford University Press 2005 © Oxford Duden German Dictionary 3 rd edition 0-19-860974-4
 Verb Basics

Types of verbs:
• Transitive and Intransitive
• Reflexive
• Separable
• English phrasal verbs

Other help with verbs:

• Verb tables
• Verb complementation

19 © Oxford University Press 2005

 Quick refresher on grammatical verb terms (I)

• Tense = present, future, past, conditional, imperfect etc.

• Subject = the noun or pronoun that causes the action indicated by the verb

– Gertrude loves Eric = Gertrude liebt Eric

– The dog ate the meat = der Hund hat das Fleisch gefressen

• Object = the word or group of words which is affected by the

action indicated by the verb

– Gertrude loves Eric = Gertrude liebt Eric

– The dog ate the meat = der Hund hat das Fleisch gefressen

20 © Oxford University Press 2005

 Quick refresher on grammatical verb terms (II)
• Direct object = the noun or pronoun directly affected by the verb
- Gertrude liebt Eric = Gertrude loves Eric
- Gertrude liebt ihn = Gertrude loves him
- der Hund hat das Fleisch gefressen = The dog ate the meat
- der Hund hat es gefressen = The dog ate it

• Indirect object = the noun or pronoun indirectly affected by the verb.

In English, indirect objects are usually preceded by a preposition
(from, to, at, etc.)
- Gertrude gab ihrem Bruder das Buch =
Gertrude gave the book to her brother
- Gertrude gab ihm das Buch = Gertrude gave the book to him
- Eric lächelt Gertrude an = Eric smiles at Gertrude
- Eric lächelt sie an = Eric smiles at her
21 © Oxford University Press 2005
 Transitive and Intransitive Verbs (I)
•Transitive verb = tr. V. (transitives Verb) = verb used with direct object

•I wrote the letter = ich habe den Brief geschrieben

•Gertrude loves Eric and Wilhelmina = Gertrude liebt Eric und
Wilhelmina
•she loves them = sie liebt sie

•Intransitive verb = itr. V. (intransitives Verb) = verb that doesn’t have

an object

•he died yesterday = er ist gestern gestorben

•she ran very fast = sie ist sehr schnell gelaufen
•Eric and Wilhelmina arrived yesterday = Eric und Wilhelmina sind
gestern angekommen

•Transitive verbs do something to the object that follows them.

•Intransitive verbs stand on their own without an object following them.

22 © Oxford University Press 2005

 Transitive and Intransitive Verbs (II)
The same verb can be used both transitively and intransitively:

burn
•burn coal in the stove = den Ofen mit Kohle feuern (transitive use)
•her skin burns easily = sie bekommt leicht einen Sonnenbrand
(intransitive use)

fahren
•links/rechts fahren = drive on the left/right (intransitive use)
•jmdn. über den Fluss fahren = ferry sb. across the river (transitive use)

23 © Oxford University Press 2005

 Transitive and Intransitive Verbs Exercise

transitive
(v.t.) and
intransitive
(v.i.)
auseinander
treiben: Die
Polizei trieb
die Menge
auseinander.

sich
zerstreute:
Die Menge
zerstreute sich.

24 © Oxford University Press 2005 © Oxford Duden German Dictionary 3 rd edition 0-19-860974-4
 Reflexive Verbs (I)
English-German: v. refl. = reflexive verb
German-English: refl. V. = reflexives Verb
•German reflexive verbs can be identified by the pronoun sich in front
of the infinitive.

1st pers. sing. ich mich Ich freue mich auf... I’m looking forward to...

2nd pers. sing. du dich Beeile dich! Hurry up!

3rd pers. sing. er / sie / es sich Sie setzte sich. She sat down.

1st pers. pl. wir uns Wann treffen wir uns? When shall we meet?

2nd pers. pl. ihr euch Beeilt euch! Hurry up!

3rd pers. pl. sie / Sie sich Sie legen sich hin. They’re having a rest.
Versetzen Sie sich in meine Lage.
Put yourself in my position.

25 © Oxford University Press 2005

© Oxford Duden German Dictionary 3 rd edition 0-19-860974-4
 Reflexive Verbs (II)
• Many verbs can be used both reflexively and not reflexively:
- I really enjoyed myself. (‘enjoy’ is used here as a reflexive verb)
- I really enjoyed that party. (here, ‘enjoy’ is not a reflexive verb in English)

•Remember: just because a verb is reflexive in the source language, it doesn’t

mean it’s reflexive in the target language. None of the examples in the table
on the previous slide were translated by a reflexive verb in English.

•You may have to adapt the given translation, changing sich to mich, dich
etc.
make fun of sb. sich über jmdn. lustig machen

I make fun of him Ich mache mich über ihn lustig

•A similar pattern of dative pronouns is used with verbs which have a direct object:
• ich wasche mich but ich wasche mir die Haare
• zieh dich an! but zieh dir die Jacke an!

26 © Oxford University Press 2005

 Impersonal Usage of a Verb

•Impersonal usage of a German verb is marked unpers.

•Impersonal usage of an English verb is marked impers.
•When used impersonally, verbs take the impersonal pronoun es in German
and it in English:

es regnet = it is raining
es schneit = it is snowing
es fehlt an Lehrern = there is a lack of teachers
es gibt ein Problem = there is a problem
es gibt Probleme = there are problems

•A few German verbs hardly ever occur without the impersonal ‘es’:

•hapern: es hapert an etw. (Dat.) = there is a shortage of sth.

27 © Oxford University Press 2005

 Separable and Inseparable Verbs
Listed alphabetically according to the particle:

fing…an under A: an|fangen

brachte…hinunter under H: hinunter|bringen
kreuzte…durch under D: durch|kreuzen
durchkreuzte under D: durch kreuzen

Phrasal verbs English

are at the Phrasal
end of theVerbs
entry, marked

• Phrasal verbs are at the end of the entry, marked Phrasal verbs
• verb + preposition or adverb e.g. run away
• Other examples: give up, take off, let down
• There are no phrasal verbs in German

28 © Oxford University Press 2005

 Verb Tables

• Verbs are listed under their infinitive form.

• Common forms of some irregular verbs are cross-referenced to the
infinitive:

•German irregular verbs (marked unr. (unregelmäßig)) are listed in

a section at the back of the dictionary, with the infinitive, preterite
(with preterite subjunctive in parentheses) and past participle.
•For compound verbs (e.g. herunterreißen), look up the simple
verb – in this case reißen.
•Look up a German verb to see whether you need sein.

29 © Oxford University Press 2005

 Verb Complementation
= the range of structures that can be used after any given verb

I want Matt to leave.

You won’t find exactly this phrase in the dictionary,

but you will find a similar construction, e.g.:

I don’t want you to get the idea…

ich möchte nicht, dass Sie den Eindruck gewinnen…

So the translation is:

Ich möchte, dass Matt weggeht.

30 © Oxford University Press 2005

© Oxford Duden German Dictionary 3 rd edition 0-19-860974-4
 Adapting Examples
Careful! Sometimes you may need to adapt a given translation:

Nouns:
•may have irregular plurals
•may require modifications to definite and indefinite articles or
possessive adjectives (e.g. mein ► meine or meinen)
•if you refer back to nouns in a following sentence, you need to use
the correct masculine, feminine or neuter pronoun

Verbs:
•need to be in the correct form, unless the sentence uses the infinitive
•need the appropriate reflexive pronoun, if they are reflexive
(e.g. I had my hair cut = ich habe mir die Haare schneiden lassen)
•need to use the right prepositions (e.g. send down to the store for
sth. = etw. aus dem Lager holen lassen)

31 © Oxford University Press 2005

© Oxford Duden German Dictionary 3 rd edition 0-19-860974-4
 Cross-checking
Cross-checking in the other side of the dictionary helps when:

•a German word has several meanings

•you are unsure which German translation to choose

•you don’t know if the German word you know can

be used in a certain context

•you want to check the genitive or plural form

32 © Oxford University Press 2005

 What else can a good dictionary offer you?
1 Information about life and culture 2 Thematic boxes explaining
grammatical points and giving
extra vocabulary, cross-
referenced from the headword

3 Correspondence – letter, CV, and

email templates; useful phrases
when using the telephone, and an
SMS glossary

4 Supplement on the German

spelling reforms and outline of
basic German grammar,
5 Free pronunciation CD-ROM to help irregular verb tables, glossary
you practise your spoken German of grammatical terms

33 © Oxford University Press 2005 © Oxford Duden German Dictionary 3 rd edition 0-19-860974-4
 Review (I)
• Important factors to bear in mind when choosing a bilingual dictionary
• Navigating through an entry – German-English, then English-German
• Explaining abbreviations and symbols:
•common grammatical categories
•swung dash (or tilde) and hyphen
•subject field labels
•regional labels
•register labels
•sentence patterns
•phonetics

•How the dictionary can help you with:

•irregular plurals
•gender
•case
•compound words
•the position of adjectives
•idioms
34 © Oxford University Press 2005
 Review (II)
•How the dictionary can help you with verbs:
•tense, subject, and object •separable and inseparable
•direct and indirect objects •English phrasal verbs
•transitive and intransitive •verb tables
•reflexive •verb complementation
•impersonal

•Avoiding mistakes:

•adapting examples
•cross-checking

•Extra features Questions

A chance to discuss any ideas or points raised in the seminar
35 © Oxford University Press 2005