Table Of ContentGERMAN MADE SIMPLE. Copyright © 1965, 1985, 2006 by Broadway Books, a division of
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The Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data:
eISBN: 978-0-30743418-0
v3.1
CONTENTS
Cover
Title Page
Copyright
CHAPTER 1
MEET THE GERMAN LANGUAGE
German and English belong to the same family of languages—Related
German and English words—German is not difficult to pronounce
and spell—A preview of some interesting features of German.
CHAPTER 2
GERMAN LETTERS AND SOUNDS IN WORDS AND SENTENCES
The vowels a, e, i, o, u—The consonants—The vowel combinations
au, ei, eu—The modified vowels ä, ö, ü—Front ch, back ch—Final g
—The German alphabet—The German letter ß—Summary of letters
and sounds.
CHAPTER 3
Die Familie Clark
THE CLARK FAMILY
The family (die Familie)—Gender of nouns—Definite article and
noun in the nominative case—Agreement of third-person pronouns—
Asking somebody’s name.
CHAPTER 4
Herr Clark Ist Hungrig
MR. CLARK IS HUNGRY
The indefinite article ein, kein—Some German verb endings—The
negative nicht—The formation of questions.
CHAPTER 5
Wer Ist Herr Clark?
WHO IS MR. CLARK?
Noun plurals—Common professions—Present tense of gehen—Three
ways of saying you—Familiar verbs like gehen in the present tense—
Question words—Asking somebody’s age.
CHAPTER 6
Frau Clark Geht Einkaufen
MRS. CLARK GOES SHOPPING
Imperative (command) forms—Accusative case of nouns, definite and
indefinite articles, kein, wer and was—Feminine nouns with the
ending--in—Asking for the price.
CHAPTER 7
Das Haus der Familie Clark
THE HOME OF THE CLARK FAMILY
The one-family house (das Einfamilienhaus)—More noun plurals—
Present tense of sein and haben—Accusative case, third-person
pronouns—Some prepositions with the accusative case—Looking for
a new home.
CHAPTER 8
Warum Lernt Herr Clark Deutsch?
WHY IS MR. CLARK LEARNING GERMAN?
Compound nouns—Opposites—Present tense of antworten, reden,
sprechen—Modal verb wollen—Word order: normal and inverted
word order—Position of infinitives.
CHAPTER 9
Eine Deutschstunde
A GERMAN LESSON
Modal verb müssen—Dative or “to” case of nouns, articles and kein
—Some common verbs that may take indirect objects—Dative of
third person pronouns and of wer—Dative prepositions.
CHAPTER 10
Wo Wohnt die Familie Clark?
WHERE DOES THE CLARK FAMILY LIVE?
Expressions of “liking” with gern and lieber—Es gibt there is, there
are—Present tense of laufen, fahren—Prepositions with the dative
or accusative—Da(r) and wo(r) combinations—What a mess!
CHAPTER 11
Das Geheimnis des Herrn Clark
THE SECRET OF MR. CLARK
Genitive case—The use of von in place of the genitive—The
interrogative wessen—Prepositions with the genitive case—Present
tense of kennen and of wissen.
CHAPTER 12
REVIEW OF CHAPTERS 1–11
Summary: Nouns, verbs, prepositions (dative, dative or accusative,
accusative, genitive)—German expressions—Vocabulary exercises—
Grammar review and exercises: noun declensions, all cases;
masculine nouns with -n or -en endings—Compound nouns—
Dialogues: 1. Wo ist die Thomasstraße? 2. Wo hält der Bus an?—
Lesestücke:
1.
Herr
Clark
lernt
Deutsch.
2.
Die
Deutschsprachigen
Länder:
Deutschland,
Österreich
und
Schweiz.
CHAPTER 13
Ein Freund Besucht Herrn Clark
A FRIEND VISITS MR. CLARK
Present tense of lesen, treten—Possessive adjectives (ein-words)—
Packing a suitcase.
CHAPTER 14
Herr Clark Telefoniert
MR. CLARK MAKES A PHONE CALL
Infinitives used as nouns—Numerals 1 to 100—Present tense of
können, tun—Der-words: dieser, jener, jeder, welcher, aller—
Making phone calls.
CHAPTER 15
Dollar und Euro
DOLLARS AND EUROS
The
European
currency—Numerals
over
100—Arithmetic
Subordinate word order—Subordinating conjunctions dass, wenn—
Coordinating conjunctions und, aber, oder, denn—Talking about
prices.
CHAPTER 16
Frau Clark geht mit ihren Kindern einkaufen
MRS. CLARK GOES SHOPPING
WITH HER CHILDREN
Clothes—The “Do-er”—Present tense of tragen, lassen—About
adjective endings—Adjectives preceded by a der-word—Adjectives
preceded by an ein-word—Adjectives preceded by neither a der-
word nor an ein-word—Colors.
CHAPTER 17
Wie Spät Ist Es?
WHAT TIME IS IT?
Travelling—Expressions of satisfaction or approval—Dieser the
latter, jener the former—Travel expressions—Time of day—The 24-
hour clock—Separable verbs, present tense—First and second person
pronouns (nominative, dative, accusative).
CHAPTER 18
REVIEW OF CHAPTERS 13–17
Summary: Nouns, verbs, German expressions—Vocabulary exercises
—Grammar review and exercises: Summary of adjective endings;
summary of first-, second-and third-person pronouns (nominative,
dative and accusative)—Dialogues: 1. Ihre Uhr geht nach. 2. Wo
muss
ich
aussteigen?—Lesestück:
Karl
lernt
nicht
gern
Mathematik.
CHAPTER 19
Der Arbeitstag des Herrn Clark
MR. CLARK’S WORKING DAY
Some foods—The present tense of nehmen, dürfen—Reflexive verbs,
present tense of sich setzen—Some common reflexive verbs—
Reflexive pronouns in the dative—Separable verbs in subordinate
clauses.
CHAPTER 20
Die kleine Anna war krank
LITTLE ANNE WAS SICK
Present tense of schlafen, sollen—Regular and irregular verbs in
English—The past tense of weak (regular) verbs in German—Some
familiar weak verbs, present and past—Past tense of strong
(irregular) verbs—Some familiar strong verbs, present and past—
Some
expressions
referring
to
past
time—A
fairy
tale:
—Rotkäppchen.
CHAPTER 21
Was für ein Schreckliches Wetter!
WHAT HORRIBLE WEATHER!
Expressions of weather—Some familiar separable verbs (present and
past)—The position of the separable prefix of verbs (present and
past) in simple sentences and main clauses—Position of separable
verbs in subordinate clauses—Hin and her—More subordinating
conjunctions—Wann, wenn, als.
CHAPTER 22
Der April Macht Was Er Will
APRIL DOES WHAT IT WANTS
The seasons—The months of the year—Gern, lieber, am liebsten—
Present tense of werden, mögen—Inseparable verbs—Verbs that
take a dative object.
CHAPTER 23
Ein Besuch für Herrn Clark
A VISIT FOR MR. CLARK
Present and past tense of essen—The relative pronouns—Wo(r)
combinations used for relative pronouns with prepositions—Wer and
was as relative pronouns—Call My Bluff.
CHAPTER 24
REVIEW OF CHAPTERS 19–23
Summary:
Verbs
(present
and
past)—German
expressions—
Vocabulary exercises—Grammar review and exercises: modal
auxiliaries, present tense; modal auxiliaries, past tense; subordinate
word order; expressions of definite time and duration of time—
Dialogues: 1. Zwei Freunde begegnen sich auf der Straße. 2. Ich
habe Hunger—Lesestück: Herr Clark war krank.
CHAPTER 25
Familie Clark Geht ins Kino
THE CLARK FAMILY GOES TO THE MOVIES
Cinema expressions
Ordinal numerals—Dates.
CHAPTER 26
Die Wiedervereinigung Deutschlands
THE REUNIFICATION OF THE TWO GERMANIES
The present perfect tense (“Perfekt”)—Formation of the past
participle—The principal parts of verbs—Use of the past and present
perfect tenses.
CHAPTER 27
Ein typisches Wochenende bei den Clarks
A TYPICAL WEEKEND AT THE CLARKS’
Imperative of sein—The past perfect tense Past participle of verbs
ending in -ieren—Verbs with the auxiliary sein—The principal parts
of some sein-verbs.
CHAPTER 28
Herr Müller Erzählt von Sich Selbst
MR. MÜLLER TELLS ABOUT HIMSELF
Some very special verbs with the auxiliary sein—Indirect questions
with wie, wo, wann, wer, was, warum—The present and past
perfect tenses in subordinate clauses.
CHAPTER 29
Herr Clark Schreibt einen Brief an Seinen Geschäftspartner in
München
MR. CLARK WRITES A LETTER TO HIS BUSINESS PARTNER IN
MUNICH
Formal letters: date, beginning, closing—The future tense—The
present tense with future meaning—The future tense in subordinate
clauses—Hobbies.
CHAPTER 30
REVIEW OF CHAPTERS 25–29
Summary: Verbs, German expressions—Vocabulary exercises—
Grammar review and exercises: Present, past, present perfect, past
perfect and future tenses; the subordinate word order of verbs in the
present perfect, past perfect, and future; summary of subordinating
conjunctions—Vier Dialoge—Lesestücke: 1. Frau Clark hat
Geburtstag. 2. Ein toller Film im Kino.
CHAPTER 31
Herr Clark Erhält eine Antwort auf Seinen Brief
MR. CLARK RECEIVES AN ANSWER TO HIS LETTER
Related words—Mixed verbs—The infinitive with zu—The infinitive
without zu.
CHAPTER 32
Die Geographie von Deutschland, Österreich und der Schweiz
THE GEOGRAPHY OF GERMANY, AUSTRIA AND SWITZERLAND
Expressions of geography—Imperative in the first-person plural—
Comparison of adjectives—Some adjectives irregular in comparison—
Case endings in the comparative and superlative—Sights in Germany,
Austria, and Switzerland.
CHAPTER 33
Die Deutsche Küche
GERMAN COOKING
The am -sten form of the superlative of adjectives—Comparison of
adverbs—A recipe:—Apfelkuchen.
CHAPTER 34
Welche Städte Werden Sie Besuchen, Herr Clark?
WHAT CITIES WILL YOU VISIT, MR. CLARK?
The future tense of modal auxiliaries—The future perfect tense—
Making predictions.
CHAPTER 35
Herr Clark Reist Nach Deutschland Ab
MR. CLARK SETS OUT FOR GERMANY
Two word families—About the verbs lassen and verlassen—Map of
Germany.
CHAPTER 36
REVIEW OF CHAPTERS 31–35
Summary: Verbs (principal parts), German expressions—Vocabulary
exercises—Grammar review and exercises: Case endings for the
comparative and superlative of adjectives—Five tenses of verbs—
Dialogues: 1. Deutsche oder amerikanische Filme? 2. Im
Restaurant—Modernes Lesestück: Frau Clark shoppt im Internet.
CHAPTER 37
Ankunft in München
ARRIVAL IN MUNICH
Am Flughafen At the Airport—Willkommen in Deutschland
Welcome to Germany—The present participle used as an adjective—
More sein-verbs.
CHAPTER 38
Herr Clark Besucht die Familie Schiller
MR. CLARK VISITS THE SCHILLER FAMILY
Ein Telefongespräch A Telephone Conversation—Eine Vorstellung
An Introduction—Prepositions with special meanings after certain
verbs.
CHAPTER 39
Ein Ausflug an den Ammersee
AN EXCURSION TO THE AMMERSEE
Automobile terms—Informal letters: beginnings, endings—More
strong verbs, principal parts—Principal parts of modals—The double
infinitive—The double infinitive with lassen, sehen, hören.
CHAPTER 40
Herr Clark Verlässt Deutschland
MR. CLARK LEAVES GERMANY
Summary of German word order in simple sentences and main
clauses—Summary of word order in subordinate clauses.
CHAPTER 41
REVIEW OF CHAPTERS 37–40
Summary: Verbs, German expressions—Vocabulary exercises—
Dialogue: An der Tankstelle At the Gas Station—Lesestücke: 1. Das
deutsche Fernsehen. 2. Herrn Clarks Rheinreise.
CHAPTER 42
Brief an einen Freund in Chicago
LETTER TO A FRIEND IN CHICAGO
About
the
subjunctive—The
present
subjunctive—The
past
subjunctive—The present perfect and past perfect subjunctive—The
würde-form—Use of the subjunctive in conditional sentences—Word
order in conditional sentences—Omission of wenn—Daydreaming:
Wenn ich …
CHAPTER 43
Bericht eines Gesprächs zwischen Herrn Clark und Herrn Müller
REPORT OF A CONVERSATION BETWEEN MR. CLARK AND MR.
MÜLLER
The subjunctive in indirect discourse.
CHAPTER 44
Was Geschieht im Hotel?
WHAT HAPPENS IN THE HOTEL?
CHAPTER 45
ANSWER SECTION
CHAPTER 46
GERMAN-ENGLISH VOCABULARY
CHAPTER 47
ENGLISH-GERMAN VOCABULARY
CHAPTER 48
COMMUNICATION GAMES
1. GERMAN AND ENGLISH BELONG TO THE SAME FAMILY OF
LANGUAGES
As you proceed in your study of the German language you will note
many resemblances to your native English in vocabulary, idioms and
grammatical structure. This is not strange, for German and English
belong to the great Germanic family of languages. They are in fact
language cousins. The many resemblances between German and English
will be a great help to you in acquiring a good German vocabulary and
in other phases of your language study.
2. RELATED GERMAN AND ENGLISH WORDS
Some of the most common German words, often repeated in everyday
speech, closely resemble English words of the same meaning. The
pronunciation differs, of course, but this will offer few difficulties, as you
will see when you make a thorough study of German pronunciation in
Chapters 2, 3, 4.
a. Some common nouns. Note that all nouns are capitalized in German.
b. Some frequently used adjectives
c. Some frequently used verbs
The infinitive of all German verbs ends in -en or -n. Remove these
endings from the following German verbs and note the remarkable
resemblance to English verbs of the same meaning.
3. GERMAN IS NOT DIFFICULT TO PRONOUNCE AND SPELL
German is a phonetic language. This means that words are generally
pronounced as they are spelled and spelled as they are pronounced.
There are no silent letters except e in the combination ie, and h, which
is silent when used after a vowel to indicate that it has a long sound.
This is so much simpler than in English, where such words as height,
weight, cough, rough, dough, knight, could, etc., make English spelling and
pronunciation a difficult task for the foreigner.
Each German vowel has a long and a short sound. Thus: German a is
either long, like a in father, or short, like a in what. German a is never
like a in hate, a in tall, a in mare, or a in back.
Most German words are stressed (accented) on the first syllable. Thus:
Gar-ten, On-kel. When the first syllable is not stressed, an accent mark
will be used in the vocabularies to show the stressed syllable. Thus:
Papíer (pa-peer) paper.
In Chapter 2 the German sounds and their spelling are explained in
detail, with suitable exercises for practice in words and sentences. These
should enable you to pronounce quite well. If possible you should get
some German-speaking person to help you with your pronunciation, for
it is important for you to hear the sounds correctly spoken and to have
your own pronunciation checked.
You can improve your pronunciation and understanding of the spoken
word by listening to German radio broadcasts and CDs, by attending
