by Paul Noble
Vaters
(far-ters)
So how would you say “my’s father’s”?
meines Vaters
(mine-es far-ters)
Now, to say “my father’s car” using this method, you will literally say “the car my’s father’s”. So again, what is “the car”?
das Auto
(das ow-toe)
And what was “my’s father’s”?
meines Vaters
(mine-es far-ters)
So now put this together and say “my father’s car” (literally “the car my’s father’s”).
das Auto meines Vaters
(das ow-toe mine-es far-ters)
Good. Now say “my father’s car is old and shabby”.
Das Auto meines Vaters ist alt und schäbig.
(das ow-toe mine-es far-ters ist alt oont shay-big)
What is “the baby”?
das Baby
(das bay-bee)
And how would you say “my baby”?
mein Baby
(mine bay-bee)
And how do you think you would say “my’s baby’s”?
meines Babys
(mine-es bay-bees)
How about “my baby’s car”?
das Auto meines Babys
(das ow-toe mine-es bay-bees)
And “my baby’s milk“?
die Milch meines Babys
(dee milkh mine-es bay-bees)
So, “my baby’s milk” as we say it in English, becomes “the milk my’s baby’s” in German.
Now if you want to say “my mother’s milk” or “my mother’s wine” or “my mother’s car” using this method, it is a bit different.Whereas for neuter we say “my’s baby’s”, and for masculine we say “my’s father’s”, for feminine words, like “mother”, you end up with simply “meiner Mutter”.
So, how would you say “my mother’s car” (literally “the car my’s mother”)?
das Auto meiner Mutter
(das ow-toe mine-air moo-ter)
And how would you say “my mother’s car is old“?
Das Auto meiner Mutter ist alt.
(das ow-toe mine-air moo-ter ist alt)
And how would you say “my mother’s milk“?
die Milch meiner Mutter
(dee milkh mine-air moo-ter)
Okay, let’s see if we can go through all of these one after another.
How would you say “my father’s car”?
das Auto meines Vaters
(das ow-toe mine-es far-ters)
And what about “my baby’s car”?
das Auto meines Babys
(das ow-toe mine-es bay-bees)
And “my mother’s car”?
das Auto meiner Mutter
(das ow-toe mine-air moo-ter)
So, if you have been able to work out those three sentences then you now know how to use what I’ll call “the car my’s father’s” method for saying who something belongs to.
You may well want to go over them again a number of times, however, in order to get them clear in your mind.
Once you’ve done that, you will be ready to compare them with the alternative way of saying who something belongs to: using “of” (von).
So, using the “von” method, how would you say “my father’s car” (literally “the car of my father”)?
das Auto von meinem Vater
(das ow-toe fon mine-erm far-ter)
And how about “my baby’s car” (literally “the car of my baby”)?
das Auto von meinem Baby
(das ow-toe fon mine-erm bay-bee)
And “my mother’s car” (literally “the car of my mother”)?
das Auto von meiner Mutter
(das ow-toe fon mine-air moo-ter)
So, this is the first method you learnt for saying who something belongs to. Simply use “von” and say “the car of my mother”, “the milk of my baby”, “the beer of my father” , and so on.
The second method we have learnt is what we’re calling the “the car my’s father’s” method. So, using the “the car my’s father’s” method how would you say “my father’s car”?
das Auto meines Vaters
(das ow-toe mine-es far-ters)
And now, using the “von” method, how would you say “my father’s car” (literally “the car of my father”)?
das Auto von meinem Vater
(das ow-toe fon mine-erm far-ter)
And using the “the car my’s father’s” method, how would you say “my baby’s car”?
das Auto meines Babys
(das ow-toe mine-es bay-bees)
And using the “von” method, how would you say “my baby’s car” (literally “the car of my baby”)?
das Auto von meinem Baby
(das ow-toe fon mine-erm bay-bee)
And how would you say “my mother’s car” using the “the car my’s father’s” method?
das Auto meiner Mutter
(das ow-toe mine-air moo-ter)
And “my mother’s car” using the “von” method?
das Auto von meiner Mutter
(das ow-toe fon mine-air moo-ter)
So, there we have it: two different ways of showing that things belong to someone in German, the “von” method and the “the car my’s father’s” method.
Understanding them is crucial if you want to be able to speak German properly because, as you will find out whenever you encounter the language, these changes to words such as “the” and “my” affect everything.
Now this can seem overwhelming at first so I recommend, unless you have found it very easy and straightforward the first time around, that you go back over both parts of Chapter 5 several times until all of this begins to feel as though it is in no way confusing.
I should mention, by the way, that the bright side of any initial confusion in this area is that, once you do finally understand it, you discover that you have actually mastered the most difficult aspect of German. Afterwards, accessing the rest of the language is really comparatively easy.
Building Blocks 5
Okay. Building block time. Here they are:
As before, let’s use the building blocks below to make as many sentences as we can. Make sure to use every word at least once and, preferably, several times!
Checklist 5
Well, another chapter finished, another checklist to go through. It’s grown very big. Take your time with it. Remember, you don’t need to do it all in one go.
ich kann (ikh kan)
I can
nicht (nikht)
not
beginnen (baig-in-urn)
begin / to begin
Ich kann nicht beginnen. (ikh kan nikht baig-in-urn)
I cannot begin.
parken (park-urn)
park / to park
bringen (bring-urn)
bring / to bring
campen (camp-urn)
camp / to camp
sie kann (zee kan)
she can
kommen (kom-urn)
come / to come
Sie kann kommen. (zee kan kom-urn)
She can come.
Sie kann nicht kommen. (zee kan nikht kom-urn)
She cannot come.
aber (ah-ber)
but
Sie kann campen aber ich kann nicht kommen. (zee kan camp-urn ah-ber ikh kan nikht kom-urn)
She can camp but I can’t come.
heute (hoy-ter)
today
Sie kann heute kommen. (zee kan hoy-ter kom-urn)
She can come today.
hier (hear)
here
Ich kann hier campen. (ikh kan hear camp-urn)
I can camp here.
du kannst (doo kanst)
You can
Du kannst hier parken. (doo kanst hear park-urn)
You can park here.
Kannst du? (kanst doo)
Can you?
heute Nacht (hoy-ter nahkht)
tonight
vorbeikommen (for-by-kom-urn)
come over / to come over / to come by
Kannst du heute Nacht vorbeikommen? (kanst doo hoy-ter nahkht for-by-kom-urn)
Can you come over tonight?
Kann ich? (kan ikh)
Can I?
heute Morgen (hoy-ter mor-gurn)
this morning
Kann ich heute Morgen vorbeikommen? (kan ikh hoy-ter mor-gurn for-by-kom-urn)
Can I come over this morning?
Können wir? (kurn-urn veer)
Can we?
heute Nachmittag (hoy-ter nahkh-mit-arg)
this afternoon
gehen (gay-urn)
go / to go
Können wir heute Nachmittag gehen? (kurn-urn veer hoy-ter nahkh-mit-arg gay-urn)
Can we go this afternoon?
arbeiten (ar-bite-urn)
work / to work
Können wir heute Nachmittag arbeiten? (kurn-urn veer hoy-ter nahkh-mit-arg ar-bite-urn)
Can we work this afternoon?
trinken (trink-urn)
drink / to drink
tanzen (tants-urn)
dance / to dance
ich möchte (ikh murkh-ter)
I would like
sie möchte (zee murkh-ter)
she would like
es (es)
it
tun (toon)
do / to do
jetzt (yetst)
now
ich bin (ikh bin)
I am
betrunken (be-troon-kurn)
drunk
sehr (zair)
very
romantisch (roe-marn-tish)
romantic
beschäftigt (be-shef-tigt)
busy
weil (vile)
because
Kann ich hier trinken? (kan ikh hear trink-urn)
Can I drink here?
Ich möchte hier tanzen. (ikh murkh-ter hear tants-urn)
I would like to dance here.
Ich möchte es nicht. (ikh murkh-ter es nikht)
I wouldn’t like it.
Ich möchte es nicht bringen. (ikh murkh-ter es nikht bring-urn)
I wouldn’t like to bring it.
Ich möchte es nicht heute tun. (ikh murkh-ter es nikht hoy-ter toon)
I wouldn’t like to do it today.
Sie möchte es nicht jetzt bringen. (zee murkh-ter es nikht yetst bring-urn)
She wouldn’t like to bring it now.
Ich bin sehr betrunken. (ikh bin zair be-troon-kurn)
I am very drunk.
Ich bin nicht sehr romantisch. (ikh bin nikht zair roe-marn-tish)
I am not very romantic.
Ich bin sehr beschäftigt. (ikh bin zair be-shef-tigt)
I am very busy.
weil ich sehr beschäftigt bin (vile ikh zair be-shef-tigt bin)
because I am very busy
Ich möchte es nicht jetzt tun, weil ich sehr beschäftigt bin. (ikh murkh-ter es nikht yetst toon vile ikh zair be-shef-tigt bin)
I wouldn’t like to do it now because I am very busy.
Ich möchte es jetzt bekommen. (ikh murkh-ter es yetzt be-kom-urn)
I would like to get it now.
Sie möchte es später kaufen. (zee murkh-ter es shpay-ter kowf-urn)
She would like to buy it later.
Er möchte es morgen verkaufen. (air murkh-ter es mor-gurn fair-kowf-urn)
He would like to sell it tomorrow.
gut (goot)
good
die Milch (dee milkh)
the milk
Die Milch ist gut. (dee milkh ist goot)
The milk is good.
Ich möchte die Milch trinken. (ikh murkh-ter dee milkh trink-urn)
I would like to drink the milk.
das Bier (das bee-er)
the beer
Das Bier ist gut. (das bee-er ist goot)
The beer is good.
Ich möchte das Bier trinken. (ikh murkh-ter das bee-er trink-urn)
I would like to drink the beer.
der Wein (dair vine)
the wine
Der Wein ist gut. (dair vine ist goot)
The wine is good.
Ich möchte den Wein trinken. (ikh murkh-ter dain vine trink-urn)
I would like to drink the wine.
kaufen (kowf-urn)
buy / to buy
Ich möchte den Wein kaufen. (ikh murkh-ter dain vine kowf-urn)
I would like to buy the wine.
der Tee (dair tay)
the tea
Ich möchte den Tee trinken. (ikh murkh-ter dain tay trink-urn)
I would like to drink the tea.
ich habe (ikh hah-ber)
I have
Ich habe es. (ikh hah-ber es)
I have it.
Ich habe es nicht. (ikh hah-ber es nikht)
I don’t have it.
gesehen (ge-zay-urn)
seen
Ich habe es nicht gesehen. (ikh hah-ber es nikht ge-zay-urn)
I haven’t seen it / I didn’t see it.
weil ich es nicht gesehen habe (vile ikh es nikht ge-zay-urn hah-ber)
because I haven’t seen it / because I didn’t see it
getan (ge-tarn)
done
Ich habe es getan. (ikh hah-ber es ge-tarn)
I have done it / I did it / I did do it.
der Film (dair film)
the film
Der Film ist nicht sehr gut. (dair film ist nikht zair goot)
The film is not very good.
Ich habe den Film gesehen. (ikh hah-ber den Film ge-zay-urn)
I have seen the film.
das Baby (das bay-bee)
the baby
die Mutter (dee moo-ter)
the mother
der Vater (dair far-ter)
the father
geküsst (ge-koost)
kissed
Ich habe das Baby geküsst. (ikh hah-ber das bay-bee ge-koost)
I have kissed the baby / I kissed the baby / I did kiss the baby.
gekauft (ge-kowft)
bought
Ich habe den Tee gekauft. (ikh hah-ber dain tay ge-kowft)
I have bought the tea / I bought the tea / I did buy the tea.
die Eintrittskarte (dee ine-trits-kart-er)
the ticket
Ich habe die Eintrittskarte gekauft. (ikh hah-ber dee ine-trits-kart-er ge-kowft)
I have bought the ticket / I bought the ticket / I did buy the ticket.
aber (ah-ber)
but
Ich habe die Eintrittskarte gekauft, aber ich habe den Film nicht gesehen. (ikh hah-ber dee ine-trits-kart-er ge kowft ah-ber ikh hah-ber dain film nikht ge-zay-urn)
I bought the ticket but I didn’t see the film.
Ich habe etwas gekauft. (ikh hah-ber et-vas ge-kowft)
I have bought something / I bought something / I did buy something.
Er hat alles verkauft. (air hat al-ez fur-kowft)
He has sold everything / He sold everything / He did sell everything.
Sie hat nichts gesehen. (zee hat nikhts ge-zay-urn)
She has seen nothing / She saw nothing / She did see nothing.
gegeben (ge-gaib-urn)
given
der Taxifahrer (dair taxi-far-er)
the taxi driver (male)
dem Taxifahrer (daim taxi-far-er)
to the taxi driver (male)
Ich habe den Tee dem Taxifahrer gegeben. (ikh hah-ber dain tay daim taxi-far-er ge-gaib-urn)
I have given the tea to the taxi driver / I gave the tea to the taxi driver / I did give the tea to the taxi driver. (male)
das Geld (das gelt)
the money
Ich habe das Geld dem Taxifahrer gegeben. (ikh hah-ber das gelt daim taxi-far-er ge-gaib-urn)
I have given the money to the taxi driver / I gave the money to the taxi driver / I did give the money to the taxi driver. (male)
die Taxifahrerin (de
e taxi-far-er-in)
the taxi driver (female)
der Taxifahrerin (dair taxi-far-er-in)
to the taxi driver (female)
Ich habe den Wein der Taxifahrerin gegeben. (ikh hah-ber dain vine dair taxi-far-er-in ge-gaib-urn)
I have given the wine to the taxi driver / I gave the wine to the taxi driver / I did give the wine to the taxi driver. (female)
Ich habe das Geld der Taxifahrerin gegeben. (ikh hah-ber das gelt dair taxi-far-er-in ge-gaib-urn)
I have given the money to the taxi driver / I gave the money to the taxi driver / I did give the money to the taxi driver. (female)
dem Baby (daim bay-bee)
to the baby
Ich habe die Milch dem Baby gegeben. (ikh hah-ber dee milkh daim bay-bee ge-gaib-urn)
I have given the milk to the baby / I gave the milk to the baby / I did give the milk to the baby.
Ich habe den Schlüssel dem Mädchen gegeben. (ikh hah-ber dain shloos-all dem maid-shen ge-gaib-urn)
I have given the key to the girl / I gave the key to the girl / I did give the key to the girl.
Sie haben die Rechnung dem Taxifahrer geschickt. (zee harb-urn dee rekh-nung daim taxi-far-er ge-shikt)