Post by EM Vürinalt on Jun 15, 2008 11:40:49 GMT -6
Guten Tag, ich bin der Matáiwos Vürinalt und ich werde ihre Lehrer für diese Woche sein.
Hello, I'm Matáiwos Vürinalt and I'll be your teacher for this week.
You may call me Herr Vürinalt.
Below is your lesson, I trust that you will take the time to read the entire thing, as pop quizes are always a distinct possibility. Take it upon yourself to learn the phonetic alphabet I am using to aid your pronunciation, as this will be standard throughout the entire course.
Here are some important phrases you may need throughout this course:
Ich habe eine Frage (Isch hAba Îna frAga)- I have a question
Wie sagt man (word) auf English/Deutsch? (Wê zagt man (your word here) auf Inglish/Doytch?- How do you say (your word here) in English/German?
Was? (Vas)- What?
Herr (hâr)- Mr. (pronounced like English "hair")
Frau (frau)- Ms./Mrs.
Your homework assignment will be handed out on Wednesday, you'll have until Saturday to PM me, Hr. Caçeir, or Frau Tgestra. (Hint- PM and Email it to all of us in order to ensure that we get it in time )
I'll post grades at ever majour quiz and test by sending you a PM and email.
If you're having troubles with anything let me know and I'll either edit the lesson posted to accomidate you or PM and email you an explination. (For example, if you're having trouble I can change font colours to make verb endings or stems more recognisable)
Haben sie Spaß!!! (HAbn zê shpass!!)
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Introduction to the German language, Vorstellungsformeln (Greetings), das Alphabet, die Zahlen, Begrüßungsformeln (Farewells), Pronamen, Imperativ[/center]
A Brief Overview of the German Language:
Old High German (OHG) or Althochdeutsch (âlthôchkdoych) is the earliest stage of the modern German language and was spoken primarily between 500-1050 AD in the current middle and southern sections of German and most of northern Austria. Most OHG literature and artifacts were inscribed using the Elder Futhark alphabet- the oldest and most widely used of the Runic alphabets from the original Scandinavian settlers. Modern German started to form in the 5th and 6th centuries with the development of the High German Consonant shift, in which German separated itself from North and East Germanic languages (such as the Scandinavian languages and Dutch). One of the most famous pieces of OHG literature is Das Hildebrandlied (das hêldibrandlêd). OHG was not standardized and regional dialects differed greatly from one another. However, there was an amount of mutual intelligibility.
Here is the Lord’s Prayer in the Bavarian dialect of OHG:
Fater unsêr, dû pist in himilum, kawuuîhit sî namo dîn,
piqhueme rîhhi dîn, uuesa dîn uuillo,
sama sô in himile est, sama in erdu.
pilipi unsraz emizzîgaz kip uns eogauuanna,
enti flâz uns unsro sculdi,
sama sô uuir flâzzamês unsrêm scolôm,
enti ni princ unsih in chorunka,
uzzan kaneri unsih fona allêm suntôn.
(http://www.ancientworlds.net/aw/Post/777756)
From 1050-1350 (some scholars believe even up to 1500), Middle High German or Mittelhochdeutsch (mitilhôchkdoych) was the standard spoken variety of German in the German speaking states of the Holy Roman Empire. After further undergoing the High German Consonant shift, more changes affected the language further separating it from the North and West Germanic languages. MHG saw the full development of the Umlaut, weakening of unstressed vowels, and disuse of dated diphthongs. By this time the Latin alphabet was in full use, using diacriticals (namely the circumflex) to mark vowel length in words. One of the more well known pieces of MHG literature is Hartmann von Aue’s “Iwien.” (êvên)
Here is a sample text from Iwien:
Swer an rehte güete
wendet sîn gemüete,
dem volget sælde und êre.
des gît gewisse lêre
künec Artûs der guote,
der mit rîters muote
nâch lobe kunde strîten.
er hât bî sînen zîten
gelebet alsô schône
daz er der êren krône
dô truoc und noch sîn name treit.
des habent die wârheit
sîne lantliute:
sî jehent er lebe noch hiute:
er hât den lop erworben,
ist im der lîp erstorben,
sô lebet doch iemer sîn name.
er ist lasterlîcher schame
iemer vil gar erwert,
der noch nâch sînem site vert.
Early New High German, or Frühneuhochdeutsch, (Fruernoyhôchkdoych) the langauge of Luther, was the final step into creating today’s modern High German. ENHG is nearly mutually intelligible with modern High German, as Luther’s bible greatly affected the standard German language spoken by the German people due to its widespread popularity.
Here is a sample of Luther’s bible as compared to Modern High German:
LUTHER:
1. Im anfang war das Wort, vnd das Wort war bey Gott, vnd Gott war das Wort,
2. das selbige war im anfang bey Gott.
3. Alle ding sind durch dasselbige gemacht, vnd on das selbige ist nichts gemacht, was gemacht ist.
4. Jn jm war das Leben, vnd das leben war das Liecht der Menschen,
5. vnd das liecht scheinet in der finsternis, vnd die Finsternis habens nicht begriffen.
MODERN:
1. Im Anfang war das Wort, und das Wort war bei Gott, und Gott war das Wort.
2. Dasselbe war im Anfang bei Gott.
3. Alle Dinge sind durch dasselbe gemacht, und ohne dasselbe ist nichts gemacht, was gemacht ist.
4. In ihm war das Leben, und das Leben war das Licht der Menschen.
5. Und das Licht scheint in der Finsternis, und die Finsternis hat nicht ergriffen.
Note the differences include the use of “v” to represent “u” and “v” (as in Latin) and the use of “J” to represent “J” and “I.” Both of these are attributed to the regular Latin alphabet since these single characters represented both letters.
The German people of today speak New High German, or Neuhochdeutsch (noyhôchkdoych), a further refined version of Luther’s German. This is the first standardized version of the language taught in schools and universities. There are only slight differences between ENHG and NHG, namely codification of grammar and minor phonological or morphological changes. In the 1990s the German language underwent (in Germany and Austria) a spelling reformation limiting the use of the German eszett (ß).
Here is the Lord’s Prayer in New High German:
Vater unser im Himmel,
geheiligt werde dein Name.
Dein Reich komme.
Dein Wille geschehe,
wie im Himmel so auf Erden.
Unser tägliches Brot gib uns heute.
Und vergib uns unsere Schuld,
wie auch wir vergeben unsern Schuldigern.
Und führe uns nicht in Versuchung,
sondern erlöse uns von dem Bösen.
[Denn dein ist das Reich und die Kraft und die Herrlichkeit in Ewigkeit.
Amen.]
Look at the differences between that and Old High German! That’s how much this language has changed!
Das Alphabet (dass Afabât)/ The Alphabet
Due to the fact this is a text based course, I’ve made a phonetic alphabet in parentheses to help you with basic pronunciation.
A- ah
B- bay
C- say
D- day
E- aye as in bake
F- eff
G- gay
H- hah
I- ee
J- yoht
K- kah
L- ell
M- emm
N- enn
O- oh
P- pay
Q- qoo
R- air
S- ess, also makes a z sound
T- tay
U- oo like in boot
V- fau
W- vay
X- iks
Y- ypsilon (makes somewhat of a oo sound, hard to find in English)
Z- tset
German also has four letters that are not in English:
Ä- a umlaut (aye like bake or eh, similar to the e in bed, similar to Old English “æ”)
Ö- o umlaut (not found in English, similar to Danish ø, will be represented with oe)
Ü- u umlaut (not found in English, similar to French œ, will be represented with ue)
ß- eszett/sharfes s (makes an ss sound )
**ACHTUNG!!!: All these special characters can be rewritten!! Umlauts take the letter the umlaut is over and adds an “e” should an umlaut key or function be unavailable. Thus, ä can be transcribed “ae,” ö as “oe,” and ü as “ue.” The eszett can be rewritten as “ss” but not all “ss” combinations can be written as an eszett.**
Other sounds not found in English:
ch- makes a soft “hissing” sound, throaty sound (ach), or a k sound (like Scottish “loch”). This sound will be represented with a “chk” if throaty, a “sch” if hissing, or a “k” if hard.
False Friends:
th- this sound never makes a “th” sound as in Earth, it is always pronounced “tuh”
Ex. Luther (LÛter)
tion- this sound never makes a “shun” sound as in English subtraction, it is always pronounced “teeun”
Ex. National (natÊanal)
r- this sound is never hard like in English “actor” it is a slight, soft “r” sound, which sounds like the combination of “ahr”
Ex. “aber” (Aber)- but. This does not sound like “aberrrrrr” like “it’s chilly out- brrrr” but more like “Aber” with a teeny tiny “r” sound at the end
g- this letter is commonly found on the end of German words. It is never pronounced hard if it is ending a word. In this case, it is pronounced as the hissing “ch”
**ACHTUNG!!!: The “g” in the word “Tag” (day) is pronounced as a hard g or in some cases, more like a k!
Phonetic Alphabet for use in class:
Here is the phonetic alphabet I will be using to help you pronounce words correctly, please memorize this, as it will be nessicary on quizzes and tests so I know you are pronouncing things correctly.
Aa- ah
Ââ- as in English bake
Bb- buh
Dd- duh
Êê- as in English meet
Ff- eff
Gg- guh
Hh- huh
Ii- ih
Îî- like English mine
Yy- yo
Kk- kah
Ll- luh
Mm- muh
Nn- nuh
Ôô- like English ow (as in bow and arrow)
Pp- puh
Qq- quh
Rr- air
Rr- slightly voiced r
Ss- suh
Tt- tuh
Ûû- oo as in English boot
Vv- vfuh
Ww- vuh
Xx- xks
Zz- ts
Ää- ae
Öö- oe
Üü- ue
ß- ss
Sch-sh
Tsch- ch
Ch- sch (hissy/throaty sound not found in English)
Stressed letters will be capitalised.
Nominativ Pronomen (NômînAtîf PrÔnômin)/(Nominative Pronouns)
I- ich (Isch) *Note, this does not make a SH sound like in shush, but it is okay for beginners to make this sound
You- du (dû)
He/She/It- er/sie/es (âr, zê, ess)
We- wir (vêr)
Them- ihr (êhr, like English “ear”)
Y’all- sie (zê)
Formal- Sie (zê)
Please notice that the formal Sie is the only capitalized pronoun. All other pronouns, including ich are NEVER capitalized unless they are the first word of a sentence.
Die Zahlen (dê tsAlin)/ The Numbers
0- null (nûl)
1- eins (Înss)
2- zwei (tsvî)
3- drei (drî, like English dry)
4- vier (fêr, like English fear)
5- fünf (fuenf)
6- sechs (zex)
7- sieben (zÊbin, *note- many Germans pronounce this as zÊbn without pronouncing the –en)
8- acht (achkt)
9- neun (noyn)
10- zehn (tsÂn)
11- elf (ehlf)
12- zwölf (tsvoelf, *note- this is often very hard for beginners to say, it does NOT rhyme with the English wolf)
13- dreizehn (drÎtsân)
14- vierzehn (fÊrtsân)
15- fünfzehn (fUEnftsân)
16- sechzehn (zEktsân)
17- siebzehn (zÊbtsân)
18- achtzehn (Achkttszân)
19- neunzehn (nOYntsân)
20- zwansig (tsvAhnzisch)
21- einundzwansig (Înûndtsvahnzisch) (literally one-and-twenty)
**ACHTUNG!!! (Caution!)- You just figured out how to make EVERY OTHER NUMBER in German! Take the ordinary number (one, two, three, etc.) and use the conjunction “und” (ûnd), which means AND, then add a number divisible by 10 (twenty, thirty, forty, etc).
30- dreißig (drÎssisch)
40- vierzig (fÊrtsisch)
50- fünfzig (fUEnftsisch)
60- sechzig (zEktsisch)
70- siebzig (zÊbtsisch)
80- achtzig (Achktsisch)
90- neuzig (nOYntsisch)
100- hundert / ein hundert (hÛndârt, În hÛndârt)
200- zweihundert (tsvÎ hûndârt)
1000- tausend / ein tausend (tAUzint, În tAUzint)
Vorstellungsformeln und Begrüßungsformeln (FôrshtEllungsfôhrmehln ûnd BegrUEssuhngsfôhrmehln) / Greetings, Goodbyes, and Thank Yous
-Grüß Gott! (grUEss gÔt)- Hello! *note- this is commonly found in Southren Germany
-Grüezi! (grUEtsê): Hello! *note- this is commonly found in Switzerland
-Grüß dich! (grUEss disch): Hello!
-Guten Abend/Morgen/Tag! (gÛtin abind/ gÛtin Môrgin/ gÛtin Tag): Good evening/morning/day!
-Gute Nacht! (gÛta nAkt): Good night!
-Hallo! (halÔ): Hello!
-Tschüss! (chUEss): Bye!
-Tschau (chao): Bye! (pronounced like Italian “ciao”)
-Auf Wiedersehen! (auf vÊdarzân): Bye!
-Freut mich! (froyt misch): pleased to meet you
-Gleichfalls (glÎshfalz): likewise (like Spanish “de nada”)
-Danke/ danke sehr/ danke schön (danka/ danka zâr/ danka shOEn): thank you/ thank you very much
-Bitte/ bitte sehr/ bitte schön (bihta/ bihta zâr/ bihta shOEn): please/your welcome
-Willkommen! (villkômin): Welcome!
-Entschuldigung! (entshÛldihgung): Excuse me!
Verbum (fvÂrbûm) Verbs
Unlike English, in German, all verbs are conjugated according to pronouns. English used to have this system (thou knowest) but has lost it with time. The conjugations are always the same for basic, weak verbs, and only slightly different for strong verbs. There are also stem-changing verbs and separable prefix verbs, but those are for later.
Let’s look at the most important verb in all languages- the verb “to be.” This is one verb that DOES use conjugations in English.
English:
I- am
You- are
He/She/It- is
We- are
They- are
Y’all- are
*Note, in German, one more personal pronoun is added- a formal pronoun. English used to have such a pronoun, namely “Ye,” but it has fallen out of use.
In German, this is a highly irregular verb, as nearly each personal pronoun has a different form of the verb. In German, this verb is called “sein” (zîn).
Sein is conjugated as:
Ich bin (isch bin)
Du bist (dû bist)
Er/Sie/Es ist (âr/zê/es ist)
Wir sind (vêr zind)
Ihr seid (êr sîd)
Sie sind (zê sind)
Sie sind (zê sind)
For today’s lesson, we will learn three forms of each verb we cover- 1) the infinitive, or dictionary form, 2) the conjugations, and 3) the imperative, or command form.
Let’s look at the infinitive form of verbs. In English, all infinitive verbs are “to ____”- to play, to eat, to talk, etc. However, in German, the “to” is implied and not needed. German infinitive verbs are the dictionary form.
For example, the verb “to be called”- heißen (hÎssin). Heißen, by itself, is already implied to mean “to be called.” We do not have to add the German equivalent to “to” onto the front of the verb. (This equivalent is “zu,” pronounced “tsû”).
Heißen is a weak verb, meaning it is conjugated normally and without irregularities. Let’s first look at the parts of the verb. Each verb in German has a stem and an ending. The ending in most verbs is always –en, however, this is in the case in some. To find the stem of the verb, cut of the –en, and you’re left with the stem! Easy as that.
So, in the verb heißen, the stem is heiß, and the ending is –en.
We use the stem to add different endings to the verb for each personal pronoun.
Here are the endings for each personal pronoun onto the stem heiß from the verb heißen.
Ich: -e
- Ich heiße (isch hÎssa)
Du: -st
-Du heißst (dû hÎsst)
Er/sie/es: -t
-Er heißt (âr hÎsst)
Wir: -en
-Wir heißen (vêr hÎssin)
**ACHTUNG!!!- Wait?? If wir takes an –en, isn’t it the same as the infinitive??
Ihr: -t
-Ihr heißt (êr hÎsst)
Sie (plural): -en
-Sie heißen (zê hÎssin)
Sie (formal): -en
-Sie heißen (zê hÎssin)
**ACHTUNG!!!: Wait, so if German uses three different forms of the pronoun “sie,” how do you know which is which? Well, the “sie” referring to “her” is always lowercased and takes the –t ending on verb conjugations. The plural “sie” is always lowercased, but takes the infinitive, and the formal “Sie” is always capitalized and takes the infinite.
Here are the verbs needed for this lesson’s homework:
-Heißen- “to be called” (hÎssin)
-Kommen- “to come” (kÔmin)
-Sein- “to be” (zÎn)
-Wohnen- “to live in” (wÔnin)
-Machen- “to make” (mAkin)
Please note, not all of them are listed. Use this dictionary to help you!!!
Forming the Imperative:
Remember how to find the stem of a verb?? This stem, without any additional endings is what we use for the imperative form of a verb. This is otherwise known as the command form. Like the differences in formal and informal speech, there is also a formal and informal command form.
When talking to one person- use only the stem and add an exclamation point.
Ex. English “Come here!” is “Komm hier!” in German. (kÔm hêr!)
-Note, the German “hier” is pronounced exactly as in English “here” but with a softer “R.”
However, when talking to more than one person, or unfamiliar peoples, simply use the infinitive verb and formal pronoun.
Ex. English “Come here all of you!” is “Kommen Sie hier!” (kÔmin zê hêr!)
Forming Questions:
For this lesson, two question words will be covered: Wie (vê), how, and Wo (vô), where.
**ACHTUNG!!: “Woher” (VôhÂr) also means “where”
If using these question words, the sentence structure is the same as you would be writing.
Ex. “Wo wohnst du?” – Where do you live.
**ACHTUNG!!: Note! The verb comes before the pronoun! This is true in ALL cases! “Wo du wohnst?” is NOT correct German!!
However, it’s also possible to start a question with a verb. In this case, sentence structure is slightly different and is unfamiliar as this only occurs in a few instances in English.
Ex. “Bist du froh?” (Bist dû frô)– Are you happy?
-In this instance, the German and the English are the same.
Ex.2 “Kommst du von Deutschland?” (Kômst dû van DOYchland)– Do you come from Germany?
-In this instance, the literal translation is “come you from Germany?” You may recognize this if you are a reader of Shakespeare or other authors of Early Modern English. “Comest thou…”
Basic Grammer Rules:
The first letter of a sentence, as in English, is always capitalized, however, unlike English all NOUNS must be capitalized, however, PRONOUNS are never capitalized unless the plural “Sie” or at the beginning of a sentence.
Hello, I'm Matáiwos Vürinalt and I'll be your teacher for this week.
You may call me Herr Vürinalt.
Below is your lesson, I trust that you will take the time to read the entire thing, as pop quizes are always a distinct possibility. Take it upon yourself to learn the phonetic alphabet I am using to aid your pronunciation, as this will be standard throughout the entire course.
Here are some important phrases you may need throughout this course:
Ich habe eine Frage (Isch hAba Îna frAga)- I have a question
Wie sagt man (word) auf English/Deutsch? (Wê zagt man (your word here) auf Inglish/Doytch?- How do you say (your word here) in English/German?
Was? (Vas)- What?
Herr (hâr)- Mr. (pronounced like English "hair")
Frau (frau)- Ms./Mrs.
Your homework assignment will be handed out on Wednesday, you'll have until Saturday to PM me, Hr. Caçeir, or Frau Tgestra. (Hint- PM and Email it to all of us in order to ensure that we get it in time )
I'll post grades at ever majour quiz and test by sending you a PM and email.
If you're having troubles with anything let me know and I'll either edit the lesson posted to accomidate you or PM and email you an explination. (For example, if you're having trouble I can change font colours to make verb endings or stems more recognisable)
Haben sie Spaß!!! (HAbn zê shpass!!)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Week 1
[/size]Introduction to the German language, Vorstellungsformeln (Greetings), das Alphabet, die Zahlen, Begrüßungsformeln (Farewells), Pronamen, Imperativ[/center]
A Brief Overview of the German Language:
Old High German (OHG) or Althochdeutsch (âlthôchkdoych) is the earliest stage of the modern German language and was spoken primarily between 500-1050 AD in the current middle and southern sections of German and most of northern Austria. Most OHG literature and artifacts were inscribed using the Elder Futhark alphabet- the oldest and most widely used of the Runic alphabets from the original Scandinavian settlers. Modern German started to form in the 5th and 6th centuries with the development of the High German Consonant shift, in which German separated itself from North and East Germanic languages (such as the Scandinavian languages and Dutch). One of the most famous pieces of OHG literature is Das Hildebrandlied (das hêldibrandlêd). OHG was not standardized and regional dialects differed greatly from one another. However, there was an amount of mutual intelligibility.
Here is the Lord’s Prayer in the Bavarian dialect of OHG:
Fater unsêr, dû pist in himilum, kawuuîhit sî namo dîn,
piqhueme rîhhi dîn, uuesa dîn uuillo,
sama sô in himile est, sama in erdu.
pilipi unsraz emizzîgaz kip uns eogauuanna,
enti flâz uns unsro sculdi,
sama sô uuir flâzzamês unsrêm scolôm,
enti ni princ unsih in chorunka,
uzzan kaneri unsih fona allêm suntôn.
(http://www.ancientworlds.net/aw/Post/777756)
From 1050-1350 (some scholars believe even up to 1500), Middle High German or Mittelhochdeutsch (mitilhôchkdoych) was the standard spoken variety of German in the German speaking states of the Holy Roman Empire. After further undergoing the High German Consonant shift, more changes affected the language further separating it from the North and West Germanic languages. MHG saw the full development of the Umlaut, weakening of unstressed vowels, and disuse of dated diphthongs. By this time the Latin alphabet was in full use, using diacriticals (namely the circumflex) to mark vowel length in words. One of the more well known pieces of MHG literature is Hartmann von Aue’s “Iwien.” (êvên)
Here is a sample text from Iwien:
Swer an rehte güete
wendet sîn gemüete,
dem volget sælde und êre.
des gît gewisse lêre
künec Artûs der guote,
der mit rîters muote
nâch lobe kunde strîten.
er hât bî sînen zîten
gelebet alsô schône
daz er der êren krône
dô truoc und noch sîn name treit.
des habent die wârheit
sîne lantliute:
sî jehent er lebe noch hiute:
er hât den lop erworben,
ist im der lîp erstorben,
sô lebet doch iemer sîn name.
er ist lasterlîcher schame
iemer vil gar erwert,
der noch nâch sînem site vert.
Early New High German, or Frühneuhochdeutsch, (Fruernoyhôchkdoych) the langauge of Luther, was the final step into creating today’s modern High German. ENHG is nearly mutually intelligible with modern High German, as Luther’s bible greatly affected the standard German language spoken by the German people due to its widespread popularity.
Here is a sample of Luther’s bible as compared to Modern High German:
LUTHER:
1. Im anfang war das Wort, vnd das Wort war bey Gott, vnd Gott war das Wort,
2. das selbige war im anfang bey Gott.
3. Alle ding sind durch dasselbige gemacht, vnd on das selbige ist nichts gemacht, was gemacht ist.
4. Jn jm war das Leben, vnd das leben war das Liecht der Menschen,
5. vnd das liecht scheinet in der finsternis, vnd die Finsternis habens nicht begriffen.
MODERN:
1. Im Anfang war das Wort, und das Wort war bei Gott, und Gott war das Wort.
2. Dasselbe war im Anfang bei Gott.
3. Alle Dinge sind durch dasselbe gemacht, und ohne dasselbe ist nichts gemacht, was gemacht ist.
4. In ihm war das Leben, und das Leben war das Licht der Menschen.
5. Und das Licht scheint in der Finsternis, und die Finsternis hat nicht ergriffen.
Note the differences include the use of “v” to represent “u” and “v” (as in Latin) and the use of “J” to represent “J” and “I.” Both of these are attributed to the regular Latin alphabet since these single characters represented both letters.
The German people of today speak New High German, or Neuhochdeutsch (noyhôchkdoych), a further refined version of Luther’s German. This is the first standardized version of the language taught in schools and universities. There are only slight differences between ENHG and NHG, namely codification of grammar and minor phonological or morphological changes. In the 1990s the German language underwent (in Germany and Austria) a spelling reformation limiting the use of the German eszett (ß).
Here is the Lord’s Prayer in New High German:
Vater unser im Himmel,
geheiligt werde dein Name.
Dein Reich komme.
Dein Wille geschehe,
wie im Himmel so auf Erden.
Unser tägliches Brot gib uns heute.
Und vergib uns unsere Schuld,
wie auch wir vergeben unsern Schuldigern.
Und führe uns nicht in Versuchung,
sondern erlöse uns von dem Bösen.
[Denn dein ist das Reich und die Kraft und die Herrlichkeit in Ewigkeit.
Amen.]
Look at the differences between that and Old High German! That’s how much this language has changed!
Das Alphabet (dass Afabât)/ The Alphabet
Due to the fact this is a text based course, I’ve made a phonetic alphabet in parentheses to help you with basic pronunciation.
A- ah
B- bay
C- say
D- day
E- aye as in bake
F- eff
G- gay
H- hah
I- ee
J- yoht
K- kah
L- ell
M- emm
N- enn
O- oh
P- pay
Q- qoo
R- air
S- ess, also makes a z sound
T- tay
U- oo like in boot
V- fau
W- vay
X- iks
Y- ypsilon (makes somewhat of a oo sound, hard to find in English)
Z- tset
German also has four letters that are not in English:
Ä- a umlaut (aye like bake or eh, similar to the e in bed, similar to Old English “æ”)
Ö- o umlaut (not found in English, similar to Danish ø, will be represented with oe)
Ü- u umlaut (not found in English, similar to French œ, will be represented with ue)
ß- eszett/sharfes s (makes an ss sound )
**ACHTUNG!!!: All these special characters can be rewritten!! Umlauts take the letter the umlaut is over and adds an “e” should an umlaut key or function be unavailable. Thus, ä can be transcribed “ae,” ö as “oe,” and ü as “ue.” The eszett can be rewritten as “ss” but not all “ss” combinations can be written as an eszett.**
Other sounds not found in English:
ch- makes a soft “hissing” sound, throaty sound (ach), or a k sound (like Scottish “loch”). This sound will be represented with a “chk” if throaty, a “sch” if hissing, or a “k” if hard.
False Friends:
th- this sound never makes a “th” sound as in Earth, it is always pronounced “tuh”
Ex. Luther (LÛter)
tion- this sound never makes a “shun” sound as in English subtraction, it is always pronounced “teeun”
Ex. National (natÊanal)
r- this sound is never hard like in English “actor” it is a slight, soft “r” sound, which sounds like the combination of “ahr”
Ex. “aber” (Aber)- but. This does not sound like “aberrrrrr” like “it’s chilly out- brrrr” but more like “Aber” with a teeny tiny “r” sound at the end
g- this letter is commonly found on the end of German words. It is never pronounced hard if it is ending a word. In this case, it is pronounced as the hissing “ch”
**ACHTUNG!!!: The “g” in the word “Tag” (day) is pronounced as a hard g or in some cases, more like a k!
Phonetic Alphabet for use in class:
Here is the phonetic alphabet I will be using to help you pronounce words correctly, please memorize this, as it will be nessicary on quizzes and tests so I know you are pronouncing things correctly.
Aa- ah
Ââ- as in English bake
Bb- buh
Dd- duh
Êê- as in English meet
Ff- eff
Gg- guh
Hh- huh
Ii- ih
Îî- like English mine
Yy- yo
Kk- kah
Ll- luh
Mm- muh
Nn- nuh
Ôô- like English ow (as in bow and arrow)
Pp- puh
Qq- quh
Rr- air
Rr- slightly voiced r
Ss- suh
Tt- tuh
Ûû- oo as in English boot
Vv- vfuh
Ww- vuh
Xx- xks
Zz- ts
Ää- ae
Öö- oe
Üü- ue
ß- ss
Sch-sh
Tsch- ch
Ch- sch (hissy/throaty sound not found in English)
Stressed letters will be capitalised.
Nominativ Pronomen (NômînAtîf PrÔnômin)/(Nominative Pronouns)
I- ich (Isch) *Note, this does not make a SH sound like in shush, but it is okay for beginners to make this sound
You- du (dû)
He/She/It- er/sie/es (âr, zê, ess)
We- wir (vêr)
Them- ihr (êhr, like English “ear”)
Y’all- sie (zê)
Formal- Sie (zê)
Please notice that the formal Sie is the only capitalized pronoun. All other pronouns, including ich are NEVER capitalized unless they are the first word of a sentence.
Die Zahlen (dê tsAlin)/ The Numbers
0- null (nûl)
1- eins (Înss)
2- zwei (tsvî)
3- drei (drî, like English dry)
4- vier (fêr, like English fear)
5- fünf (fuenf)
6- sechs (zex)
7- sieben (zÊbin, *note- many Germans pronounce this as zÊbn without pronouncing the –en)
8- acht (achkt)
9- neun (noyn)
10- zehn (tsÂn)
11- elf (ehlf)
12- zwölf (tsvoelf, *note- this is often very hard for beginners to say, it does NOT rhyme with the English wolf)
13- dreizehn (drÎtsân)
14- vierzehn (fÊrtsân)
15- fünfzehn (fUEnftsân)
16- sechzehn (zEktsân)
17- siebzehn (zÊbtsân)
18- achtzehn (Achkttszân)
19- neunzehn (nOYntsân)
20- zwansig (tsvAhnzisch)
21- einundzwansig (Înûndtsvahnzisch) (literally one-and-twenty)
**ACHTUNG!!! (Caution!)- You just figured out how to make EVERY OTHER NUMBER in German! Take the ordinary number (one, two, three, etc.) and use the conjunction “und” (ûnd), which means AND, then add a number divisible by 10 (twenty, thirty, forty, etc).
30- dreißig (drÎssisch)
40- vierzig (fÊrtsisch)
50- fünfzig (fUEnftsisch)
60- sechzig (zEktsisch)
70- siebzig (zÊbtsisch)
80- achtzig (Achktsisch)
90- neuzig (nOYntsisch)
100- hundert / ein hundert (hÛndârt, În hÛndârt)
200- zweihundert (tsvÎ hûndârt)
1000- tausend / ein tausend (tAUzint, În tAUzint)
Vorstellungsformeln und Begrüßungsformeln (FôrshtEllungsfôhrmehln ûnd BegrUEssuhngsfôhrmehln) / Greetings, Goodbyes, and Thank Yous
-Grüß Gott! (grUEss gÔt)- Hello! *note- this is commonly found in Southren Germany
-Grüezi! (grUEtsê): Hello! *note- this is commonly found in Switzerland
-Grüß dich! (grUEss disch): Hello!
-Guten Abend/Morgen/Tag! (gÛtin abind/ gÛtin Môrgin/ gÛtin Tag): Good evening/morning/day!
-Gute Nacht! (gÛta nAkt): Good night!
-Hallo! (halÔ): Hello!
-Tschüss! (chUEss): Bye!
-Tschau (chao): Bye! (pronounced like Italian “ciao”)
-Auf Wiedersehen! (auf vÊdarzân): Bye!
-Freut mich! (froyt misch): pleased to meet you
-Gleichfalls (glÎshfalz): likewise (like Spanish “de nada”)
-Danke/ danke sehr/ danke schön (danka/ danka zâr/ danka shOEn): thank you/ thank you very much
-Bitte/ bitte sehr/ bitte schön (bihta/ bihta zâr/ bihta shOEn): please/your welcome
-Willkommen! (villkômin): Welcome!
-Entschuldigung! (entshÛldihgung): Excuse me!
Verbum (fvÂrbûm) Verbs
Unlike English, in German, all verbs are conjugated according to pronouns. English used to have this system (thou knowest) but has lost it with time. The conjugations are always the same for basic, weak verbs, and only slightly different for strong verbs. There are also stem-changing verbs and separable prefix verbs, but those are for later.
Let’s look at the most important verb in all languages- the verb “to be.” This is one verb that DOES use conjugations in English.
English:
I- am
You- are
He/She/It- is
We- are
They- are
Y’all- are
*Note, in German, one more personal pronoun is added- a formal pronoun. English used to have such a pronoun, namely “Ye,” but it has fallen out of use.
In German, this is a highly irregular verb, as nearly each personal pronoun has a different form of the verb. In German, this verb is called “sein” (zîn).
Sein is conjugated as:
Ich bin (isch bin)
Du bist (dû bist)
Er/Sie/Es ist (âr/zê/es ist)
Wir sind (vêr zind)
Ihr seid (êr sîd)
Sie sind (zê sind)
Sie sind (zê sind)
For today’s lesson, we will learn three forms of each verb we cover- 1) the infinitive, or dictionary form, 2) the conjugations, and 3) the imperative, or command form.
Let’s look at the infinitive form of verbs. In English, all infinitive verbs are “to ____”- to play, to eat, to talk, etc. However, in German, the “to” is implied and not needed. German infinitive verbs are the dictionary form.
For example, the verb “to be called”- heißen (hÎssin). Heißen, by itself, is already implied to mean “to be called.” We do not have to add the German equivalent to “to” onto the front of the verb. (This equivalent is “zu,” pronounced “tsû”).
Heißen is a weak verb, meaning it is conjugated normally and without irregularities. Let’s first look at the parts of the verb. Each verb in German has a stem and an ending. The ending in most verbs is always –en, however, this is in the case in some. To find the stem of the verb, cut of the –en, and you’re left with the stem! Easy as that.
So, in the verb heißen, the stem is heiß, and the ending is –en.
We use the stem to add different endings to the verb for each personal pronoun.
Here are the endings for each personal pronoun onto the stem heiß from the verb heißen.
Ich: -e
- Ich heiße (isch hÎssa)
Du: -st
-Du heißst (dû hÎsst)
Er/sie/es: -t
-Er heißt (âr hÎsst)
Wir: -en
-Wir heißen (vêr hÎssin)
**ACHTUNG!!!- Wait?? If wir takes an –en, isn’t it the same as the infinitive??
Ihr: -t
-Ihr heißt (êr hÎsst)
Sie (plural): -en
-Sie heißen (zê hÎssin)
Sie (formal): -en
-Sie heißen (zê hÎssin)
**ACHTUNG!!!: Wait, so if German uses three different forms of the pronoun “sie,” how do you know which is which? Well, the “sie” referring to “her” is always lowercased and takes the –t ending on verb conjugations. The plural “sie” is always lowercased, but takes the infinitive, and the formal “Sie” is always capitalized and takes the infinite.
Here are the verbs needed for this lesson’s homework:
-Heißen- “to be called” (hÎssin)
-Kommen- “to come” (kÔmin)
-Sein- “to be” (zÎn)
-Wohnen- “to live in” (wÔnin)
-Machen- “to make” (mAkin)
Please note, not all of them are listed. Use this dictionary to help you!!!
Forming the Imperative:
Remember how to find the stem of a verb?? This stem, without any additional endings is what we use for the imperative form of a verb. This is otherwise known as the command form. Like the differences in formal and informal speech, there is also a formal and informal command form.
When talking to one person- use only the stem and add an exclamation point.
Ex. English “Come here!” is “Komm hier!” in German. (kÔm hêr!)
-Note, the German “hier” is pronounced exactly as in English “here” but with a softer “R.”
However, when talking to more than one person, or unfamiliar peoples, simply use the infinitive verb and formal pronoun.
Ex. English “Come here all of you!” is “Kommen Sie hier!” (kÔmin zê hêr!)
Forming Questions:
For this lesson, two question words will be covered: Wie (vê), how, and Wo (vô), where.
**ACHTUNG!!: “Woher” (VôhÂr) also means “where”
If using these question words, the sentence structure is the same as you would be writing.
Ex. “Wo wohnst du?” – Where do you live.
**ACHTUNG!!: Note! The verb comes before the pronoun! This is true in ALL cases! “Wo du wohnst?” is NOT correct German!!
However, it’s also possible to start a question with a verb. In this case, sentence structure is slightly different and is unfamiliar as this only occurs in a few instances in English.
Ex. “Bist du froh?” (Bist dû frô)– Are you happy?
-In this instance, the German and the English are the same.
Ex.2 “Kommst du von Deutschland?” (Kômst dû van DOYchland)– Do you come from Germany?
-In this instance, the literal translation is “come you from Germany?” You may recognize this if you are a reader of Shakespeare or other authors of Early Modern English. “Comest thou…”
Basic Grammer Rules:
The first letter of a sentence, as in English, is always capitalized, however, unlike English all NOUNS must be capitalized, however, PRONOUNS are never capitalized unless the plural “Sie” or at the beginning of a sentence.