It may not sound as exciting as watching German movies or reading interesting novels, but it’s exactly those types of works that you’ll be able to fully appreciate and adore once you nail the rules. Thanks for the life-change!” – Dallas Nesbit. Ich kaufe dem Hund das Essen. In this instance, the dog is the object of the sentence. The main difference that sets apart German sentence structure from that of English is that German is an OV (Object-Verb) language, whereas English is a VO (verb-object) language. In English, virtually all plurals are formed by adding an “s” to the end of the original word. The following sentences explain where your verbs need to go: This shows the classic verb placement. Genitive masculine nouns require their adjectives to end in -en. However, if we say heißer Tee (hot tee), the adjective takes -er because there is no definite article that already tells us the noun is masculine. Weil ich ein Haustier wollte, kaufte ich einen Hund. You’ve now got access to my most effective [level] Korean tips…, Perfect! We hate SPAM and promise to keep your email address safe, Get regular language learning tips, resources and updates, starting with the "Complete Guide to Foreign Language Immersion" e-book, Sign up for our weekly blog newsletter for a chance to win a free FluentU Plus subscription (value $240). (The black dog is hungry.). For the dative informal you, we need to use dir. There are two different forms of “you” in German. To see this grammar in action in real-world videos, you’ve got to check out FluentU! Ich gebe dem Hund das Essen, weil er Hunger hat. ), Haben Sie schon gegessen? Ich habe einen Hund gekauft. If you liked this post, something tells me that you'll love FluentU, the best way to learn German with real-world videos. We use cookies to provide you the best experience on our website. After a verb and comma, we need the verb from the next clause straight away. In all main clauses the verb—in this case sehen (to see)—takes second place after the subject. Are you ready for some serious tips to learn German? Additionally, German, like all Germanic languages except English, uses V2 word order, though only in independent clauses. For example, in der heiße Tee (the hot tee), der already shows us that the noun is masculine and thus the adjective only takes –e. German has four cases, three genders, and verbs and adjectives that decline. Basic verb forms and an introduction to German syntax are presented in a simple and understandable way. It’s important to see grammar as the nuts and bolts of any language. Simply put, weil (because) is one of  a few verbs which will always send the following verb to the end of the clause. You’ve now got access to my most effective [level] Russian tips…, Perfect! You’ve now got access to my most effective [level] French tips…. The German case system shows us the difference between who or what is acting and who or what is acted upon. We also participate in other affiliate advertising programs for products and services we believe in. As the dog is the indefinite object in this sentence, it takes the dative case so alt (old) ends in -en. Then we have what is known as the “verb comma verb” rule. The genitive case is used to show possession so, as the food belongs to the dog in the above sentence, we use the genitive masculine definite article, des. Many nouns that end in -el or -er create their plural by adding an umlaut. If there is no definite article before the noun, the adjective ending still changes. (I am giving the food to the old dog.). You need to get down and dirty with the rules if you’re ever going to become fluent in the language. However, German grammar isn’t as complicated as it looks. In addition, their definite and indefinite articles (the, a/an) depend on their case. In German, instead of an -s, plurals are formed in various ways. Another crazy thing to watch out for is that plural forms in German can change according to their case! In both cases, they come second after the subject. (I buy the food of the dog.). ), Remember that Sie always needs a capital letter when it means “you.”. You’ve now got access to my most effective [level] Italian tips…, Perfect! (Download). German grammar may seem intimidating as a beginner. Learning German becomes fun and easy when you learn with movie trailers, music videos, news and inspiring talks. (Literally: Practice makes the master.). Ich habe einen schwarzen Hund gefunden. Heißer Tee schmeckt gut. ‘House’/’. Not only do genders and cases dictate definite articles, but they also dictate the ending of any preceding adjectives. (In English, which has no case system, word order is more important because we don’t have these cues.). How to learn and memorize German grammar. Ich gebe dem alten Hund das Essen. But, the past participle is sent to the end of the sentence. The better we can assess your language level the better we can place the right offer to you. So in the above example, our verb comma verb is wollte, kaufte (wanted, bought). A German Learner's Guide To German-Speaking Countries. But, trust me, with time you’ll start to pick this up. we begin/start are beginning: ihr fangt an: you (guys) begin/start you are beginning: sie fangen an: they begin/start they are beginning: Sie fangen an: you begin/start you are beginning