Lesson 6: Grammar Basics in German

👋 Let's Talk About Pronouns

These little words help us say who we’re talking about:

• ich 🔊 – I
• du 🔊 – you (informal)
• er / sie / es 🔊 – he / she / it
• wir 🔊 – we
• ihr 🔊 – you all
• sie 🔊 – they
• Sie 🔊 – you (formal – always with capital S!)

Example: “Ich bin neu hier.” 🔊 (I’m new here.)

🧱 How Do German Sentences Work?

Think of this formula: Subject + Verb + Object

• Ich liebe Deutsch. 🔊 – I love German.
• Wir lernen zusammen. 🔊 – We’re learning together.

🔁 Conjugating Verbs

Verbs change depending on who is doing the action. Let's take spielen 🔊 (to play):

• ich spiele 🔊 – I play
• du spielst 🔊 – you play
• er/sie/es spielt 🔊 – he/she/it plays
• wir spielen 🔊 – we play
• ihr spielt 🔊 – you all play
• sie/Sie spielen 🔊 – they/you (formal) play

🎨 Articles & Genders

Every noun in German has a gender. Use the right article:

• der 🔊 – for masculine words
• die 🔊 – for feminine words
• das 🔊 – for neuter words

Examples: der Tisch 🔊 (table), die Lampe 🔊 (lamp), das Buch 🔊 (book)

📈 Making Plurals in German

In German, making plurals isn't always just about adding "s" like in English. Different nouns change in different ways — but don't worry! You'll quickly get the hang of it. 😄

💡 General Rule: There's no one-size-fits-all! But here are the 5 most common patterns:

• 🔹 Add -e
  Common for many masculine nouns.
  der Hund 🔊 → die Hunde 🔊 (dog → dogs)
• 🔹 Add -er + Umlaut (ä/ö/ü)
  Common for some neuter nouns.
  das Buch 🔊 → die Bücher 🔊 (book → books)
• 🔹 Add -n or -en
  Very common with feminine nouns.
  die Lampe 🔊 → die Lampen 🔊 (lamp → lamps)
• 🔹 Add -s
  Used with modern or borrowed words.
  das Auto 🔊 → die Autos 🔊 (car → cars)
• 🔹 Umlaut only (ä, ö, ü)
  With no ending change in some cases.
  der Apfel 🔊 → die Äpfel 🔊 (apple → apples)

🌟 Super Tip: Plural articles are always die 🔊, no matter if the noun was der, die, or das!

🧠 Best Practice: Always learn nouns with their plural form:
👉 die Katze 🔊, die Katzen 🔊
👉 das Haus 🔊, die Häuser 🔊
👉 der Tisch 🔊, die Tische 🔊

Practice makes perfect! Plural forms will start to feel natural over time.

❓ Ask Like a Pro: W-Questions

Want to ask questions? These are your best friends:

• Was 🔊 – What
• Wer 🔊 – Who
• Wo 🔊 – Where
• Wann 🔊 – When
• Wie 🔊 – How
• Warum 🔊 – Why

Example: “Wie geht’s?” 🔊 (How are you?)

💬 Meet “Haben” and “Sein”

These two verbs are everywhere. Master them early!

haben 🔊 – to have:

• ich habe 🔊 – I have
• du hast 🔊 – you have
• er/sie/es hat 🔊 – he/she/it has

sein 🔊 – to be:

• ich bin 🔊 – I am
• du bist 🔊 – you are
• er/sie/es ist 🔊 – he/she/it is

📝 Try These Out!

• Ich bin Student. 🔊 – I am a student.
• Wir haben einen Hund. 🔊 – We have a dog.
• Was machst du? 🔊 – What are you doing?

🌟 Fun Grammar Facts Every Beginner Should Know

• 1. “die” is always used for plural nouns
  In German, all plural words use “die” — even if the singular was “der” or “das”!
  Examples:
  der Hund 🔊 (the dog) → die Hunde 🔊 (the dogs)
  das Buch 🔊 (the book) → die Bücher 🔊 (the books)
• 2. The verb is usually the second word in a sentence
  No matter what comes first, the main verb takes the second position in German sentences.
  Example:
  Heute gehe 🔊 ich zur Schule. (Today I go to school.)
• 3. All nouns start with a capital letter
  In German, every noun starts with a capital letter, even in the middle of a sentence.
  Example:
  Ich liebe Musik 🔊 und Bücher 🔊. (I love music and books.)
• 4. German has three types of “the”: der, die, das
  Unlike English, German uses different words for “the” based on gender:
  - der 🔊 = masculine
  - die 🔊 = feminine
  - das 🔊 = neuter
  Examples:
  der Tisch 🔊 (the table), die Lampe 🔊 (the lamp), das Auto 🔊 (the car)
• 5. Some verbs are split in two parts
  These are called separable verbs — one part goes to the end of the sentence.
  Example:
  Ich stehe 🔊 um 7 Uhr auf 🔊. (I get up at 7 o’clock.)
• 6. The verb moves to the end in “because” sentences
  If you use “because” (weil), the verb goes to the end of the second part.
  Example:
  Ich bleibe zu Hause, weil ich krank bin 🔊. (I stay home because I am sick.)
• 7. German loves long words made of small words
  You can combine two or more words into one big word — these are compound words!
  Example:
  Handschuh 🔊 = Hand + Schuh → Glove (“hand shoe”)
  Krankenhaus 🔊 = Krank + Haus → Hospital (“sick house”)
• 8. “Sie” means “you” in formal situations
  Germans use “du” with friends and family, and “Sie” to be polite with strangers or elders.
  Examples:
  Du bist nett. 🔊 (You are nice – informal)
  Sie sind freundlich. 🔊 (You are kind – formal)