Table Of ContentPRACTICE
M A K E S
PERFECT®
Intermediate
German Grammar
Ed Swick
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Contents
Preface vii
1 Nominative and accusative cases 1
Nominative case 1
Accusative case 6
2 Der-words, ein-words, and adjectives 12
Der-words 12
Ein-words 17
Adjectives 21
3 Dative case 24
Indirect objects 24
Dative prepositions 29
Prepositional adverbs 32
Dative verbs 33
4 Irregular present tense conjugations 36
Vowel change e to i 38
Vowel change e to ie 40
Irregularity by umlaut 41
Haben, sein, and werden 43
5 Genitive case 46
Possession 47
Adjectives 48
Genitive prepositions 50
6 Dative-accusative prepositions 52
Dative case 52
Accusative case 56
Pronouns and prepositional adverbs 58
Prepositions and verbs 61
iii
7 Refl exive pronouns and plurals 63
Refl exive pronouns 63
Plurals 66
8 Prefi xes 72
Inseparable prefi xes 72
Separable prefi xes 74
Verbs that combine with both separable and inseparable prefi xes 77
Prefi xes that are inseparable and separable 79
9 Irregular past tense conjugations 81
Irregular past tense 81
The verbs haben, sein, and werden 83
Prefi xes 85
10 The perfect tenses 88
Prefi xes 90
Irregular verbs 92
The verbs haben, sein, and werden 95
11 Modal auxiliaries and double infi nitives 100
Modal auxiliaries in the past tense and with past participles 102
Double infi nitives 103
The verbs helfen, hören, lassen, and sehen 105
12 Negation and imperatives 109
Negation 109
Imperatives 117
13 Word order and the future tense 120
Sentences that begin with the subject 120
Sentences that do not begin with the subject 121
Conjunctions that combine words, phrases, and sentences 126
Future tense 128
14 Comparative adjectives and adverbs 133
Comparative adjectives 133
Comparative adverbs 137
15 Superlative adjectives and adverbs 140
Irregular superlatives 141
Superlative adjectives that modify a noun directly 142
iv Contents
16 Verbs with mixed conjugations 146
Mixed conjugation verbs in the present tense 146
Mixed conjugation verbs in the past tense 147
Forming past participles with mixed conjugation verbs 149
17 Numbers and numerals 152
Cardinal numbers 152
Basic mathematics 154
Currency 157
Age 158
Ordinal numbers 160
18 Relative pronouns 163
Defi nite article form of relative pronouns 163
Using welcher as a relative pronoun 167
19 Passive voice 171
Formation of the passive voice 171
The preposition durch 175
Passive and the dative case 176
20 Infi nitive clauses 182
Formation of infi nitive clauses 182
Verbs that introduce infi nitive clauses 185
Infi nitive clauses as nouns 187
Prepositions commonly used with infi nitive clauses 188
21 Subjunctive mood 190
Subjunctive I 190
Subjunctive II 194
22 Sentence writing 203
Declensions of Nouns 203
Declensions with pronouns 207
Verb conjugations 211
Clauses 214
Dialogues 216
Appendix: The principal parts of irregular verbs 219
Answer key 225
Contents v
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Preface
If you have previously covered the basics of the German language, this book is the
proper next level for you. It is intermediate German and will provide some sophisti-
cations and new applications of concepts you already know along with several new
concepts. Th e content is also appropriate for the readers who have had previous expe-
rience with German and wish to brush up their skills a bit.
If words or phrases used in the exercises are likely to be new to readers at
this level, they will appear with their English translations provided in parenthe-
ses. For example:
Wo ist der Flughafen (airport)?
Ein Austauschstudent (exchange student) aus Amerika wohnt hier.
But all example sentences in German throughout the book are accompanied by
their full English translation.
Th is series of books is called Practice Makes Perfect, and that is precisely
what you will fi nd here: an abundance of opportunities to practice the structures
and concepts that are introduced. Before you are asked to complete an exercise,
an explanation of the target structure or concept is provided. Oft en, an English
example accompanies the explanation when the English and German concepts
are similar. Th is makes understanding the German concept easier. For example:
Th e English comparative is formed with an -er ending: taller, bigger,
funnier. German does the same thing; an -er ending is added to make
an adjective or adverb comparative: schneller (faster), kleiner (smaller),
breiter (wider).
Th e kinds of exercises in this book are varied. Some require the change of a
specifi c word or element in a sentence. For example:
Reword each sentence by changing the noun in bold to the one in
parentheses. Make any other necessary changes. For example:
Kennen Sie den jungen Mann?
(Frau) Kennen Sie die junge Frau?
Other exercises ask for a tense change.
Reword the present tense sentence in the past tense.
Die Kinder lernen Deutsch.
Die Kinder lernten Deutsch.
vii
In some exercises, words or phrases are added to a sentence.
Add an appropriate adjective to the following sentence.
Ich werde mit einem alten Freund sprechen.
and
Provide an appropriate clause to complete the sentence.
Sie wissen nicht, dass Herr Bauer sehr krank ist.
And when it is appropriate, multiple-choice exercises are included. Th e kind of exercise used is
determined by the best way to practice a specifi c kind of grammatical element or concept.
Th e last chapter of this book contains exercises that include many diff erent concepts in
sentence writing. Th ese exercises are an opportunity to create original sentences within certain
guidelines. Th e goal of this last chapter is to give you plenty of room to experiment with your
knowledge of German. A group of exercises unique to Chapter asks for an appropriate
response to a statement in a brief dialogue. For example:
Ist dein Bruder noch hier in Berlin?
Nein, er arbeitet jetzt in Hannover.
and
Wohin geht Erik heute abend?
Er geht mit seiner Freundin ins Restaurant.
Exercises such as these provide a vehicle for applying one’s German skills in a practical, con-
versational environment.
Th e answer key to the exercises is at the end of the book. Sample answers are provided when
original writing is required in an exercise. A complete list of irregular verbs is also included at the
end of the book, which is an important resource for completing exercises with verbs accurately.
Remember, Practice Makes Perfect. Übung macht den Meister.
Acknowledgment
I would like to express the greatest of gratitude to Stefan Feyen for his generous help and suggestions.
viii Preface
Nominative and
·1·18··
accusative cases
Th e subject of a sentence is the person, object, or condition that is carrying out the
action of the verb in the sentence and is in the nominative case. Th is case is also
used when a noun or pronoun is in the predicate nominative, which is the element
that follows a linking verb.
Nominative case
Th e nominative case is used when a noun or pronoun is used as the subject of a
sentence.
Nominative case with defi nite articles
When a noun is the subject of a sentence, the correct gender must be shown in the
form of a defi nite article (der, die, or das). For example:
MASCULINE Der Mann ist zu Hause. Th e man is at home.
FEMININE Die Lehrerin kommt mit. Th e teacher is coming along.
NEUTER Das Haus ist zu klein. Th e house is too small.
If a noun is plural, its original gender plays no role in the nominative case,
because all nouns use the defi nite article die.
Die Männer sind zu Hause. Th e men are at home.
Die Lehrerinnen kommen mit. Th e teachers are coming along.
Die Häuser sind zu klein. Th e houses are too small.
ÜBUNG
1·1
Determine the defi nite article of each noun provided and use that noun as
the subject of the sentence. Conjugate the verb appropriately for the
subject in the present tense.
EXAMPLE kommen nach Hause.
(Vater) Der Vater kommt nach Hause.
1
