by Paul Noble
I am very drunk.
Ich bin sehr betrunken. (ikh bin zair be-troon-kurn)
I am not very romantic.
Ich bin nicht sehr romantisch. (ikh bin nikht zair roe-marn-tish)
I am very busy.
Ich bin sehr beschäftigt. (ikh bin zair be-shef-tigt)
because I am very busy
weil ich sehr beschäftigt bin (vile ikh zair be-shef-tigt bin)
I wouldn’t like to do it now 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 would like to get it now.
Ich möchte es jetzt bekommen. (ikh murkh-ter es yetzt be-kom-urn)
She would like to buy it later.
Sie möchte es später kaufen. (zee murkh-ter es shpay-ter kowf-urn)
He would like to sell it tomorrow.
Er möchte es morgen verkaufen. (air murkh-ter es mor-gurn fair-kowf-urn)
good
gut (goot)
the milk
die Milch (dee milkh)
The milk is good.
Die Milch ist gut. (dee milkh ist goot)
I would like to drink the milk.
Ich möchte die Milch trinken. (ikh murkh-ter dee milkh trink-urn)
the beer
das Bier (das bee-er)
The beer is good.
Das Bier ist gut. (das bee-er ist goot)
I would like to drink the beer.
Ich möchte das Bier trinken. (ikh murkh-ter das bee-er trink-urn)
the wine
der Wein (dair vine)
The wine is good.
Der Wein ist gut. (dair vine ist goot)
I would like to drink the wine.
Ich möchte den Wein trinken. (ikh murkh-ter dain vine trink-urn)
buy / to buy
kaufen (kowf-urn)
I would like to buy the wine.
Ich möchte den Wein kaufen. (ikh murkh-ter dain vine kowf-urn)
the tea
der Tee (dair tay)
I would like to drink the tea.
Ich möchte den Tee trinken. (ikh murkh-ter dain tay trink-urn)
I have
ich habe (ikh hah-ber)
I have it.
Ich habe es. (ikh hah-ber es)
I don’t have it.
Ich habe es nicht. (ikh hah-ber es nikht)
seen
gesehen (ge-zay-urn)
I haven’t seen it / I didn’t see it.
Ich habe es nicht gesehen. (ikh hah-ber es nikht ge-zay-urn)
because I haven’t seen it / because I didn’t see it
weil ich es nicht gesehen habe (vile ikh es nikht ge-zay-urn hah-ber)
done
getan (ge-tarn)
I have done it / I did it / I did do it.
Ich habe es getan. (ikh hah-ber es ge-tarn)
the film
der Film (dair film)
The film is not very good.
Der Film ist nicht sehr gut. (dair film ist nikht zair goot)
I have seen the film.
Ich habe den Film gesehen. (ikh hah-ber den Film ge-zay-urn)
the baby
das Baby (das bay-bee)
the mother
die Mutter (dee moo-ter)
the father
der Vater (dair far-ter)
kissed
geküsst (ge-koost)
I have kissed the baby / I kissed the baby / I did kiss the baby.
Ich habe das Baby geküsst. (ikh hah-ber das bay-bee ge-koost)
bought
gekauft (ge-kowft)
I have bought the tea / I bought the tea / I did buy the tea.
Ich habe den Tee gekauft. (ikh hah-ber dain tay ge-kowft)
the ticket
die Eintrittskarte (dee ine-trits-kart-er)
I have bought the ticket / I bought the ticket / I did buy the ticket.
Ich habe die Eintrittskarte gekauft. (ikh hah-ber dee ine-trits-kart-er ge-kowft)
but
aber (ah-ber)
I bought the ticket but I didn’t see the film.
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 have bought something / I bought something / I did buy something.
Ich habe etwas gekauft. (ikh hah-ber et-vas ge-kowft)
He has sold everything / He sold everything / He did sell everything.
Er hat alles verkauft. (air hat al-ez fur-kowft)
She has seen nothing / She saw nothing / She did see nothing.
Sie hat nichts gesehen. (zee hat nikhts ge-zay-urn)
given
gegeben (ge-gaib-urn)
the taxi driver (male)
der Taxifahrer (dair taxi-far-er)
to the taxi driver (male)
dem Taxifahrer (daim taxi-far-er)
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)
Ich habe den Tee dem Taxifahrer gegeben. (ikh hah-ber dain tay daim taxi-far-er ge-gaib-urn)
the money
das Geld (das gelt)
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)
Ich habe das Geld dem Taxifahrer gegeben. (ikh hah-ber das gelt daim taxi-far-er ge-gaib-urn)
the taxi driver (female)
die Taxifahrerin (dee taxi-far-er-in)
to the taxi driver (female)
der Taxifahrerin (dair taxi-far-er-in)
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 den Wein der Taxifahrerin gegeben. (ikh hah-ber dain vine 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)
Ich habe das Geld der Taxifahrerin gegeben. (ikh hah-ber das gelt dair taxi-far-er-in ge-gaib-urn)
to the baby
dem Baby (daim bay-bee)
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 die Milch dem Baby gegeben. (ikh hah-ber dee milkh daim bay-bee 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.
Ich habe den Schlüssel dem Mädchen gegeben. (ikh hah-ber dain shloos-all dem maid-shen ge-gaib urn)
They have sent the bill to the taxi driver / They sent the bill to the taxi driver / They did send the bill to the taxi driver. (male)
Sie haben die Rechnung dem Taxifahrer geschickt. (zee harb-urn dee rekh-nung daim taxi-far-er ge-shikt)
We have sent the money to the taxi driver / We sent the money to the taxi driver / We did send the money to the taxi driver. (female)
Wir haben das Geld der Taxifahrerin geschickt. (veer harb-urn das gelt dair taxi-far-er-in ge-shikt)
It is good.
Es ist gut. (es ist goot)
old
alt (alt)
shabby
schäbig (shay-big)
and
und (oont)
my car
mein Auto (mine ow-toe)
My car is old and shabby.
Mein Auto ist alt and schäbig. (mine ow-toe ist alt oont shay-big)
the father
der Vater (dair far-ter)
sad
traurig (trow-rig)
My father is sad.
Mein Vater ist traurig. (mine far-ter ist trow-rig)
the father’s beer (VM)
das Bier von dem Vater (das bee-er fon daim far-ter)
the baby’s milk (VM)
die Milch von dem Baby (dee milkh fon daim bay-bee)
the mother’s car (VM)
das Auto von der Mutter (das ow-toe fo
n dair moo-ter)
my father’s beer (VM)
das Bier von meinem Vater (das bee-er fon mine-erm far-ter)
my baby’s milk (VM)
die Milch von meinem Baby (dee milkh fon mine-erm bay-bee)
my mother’s car (VM)
das Auto von meiner Mutter (das ow-toe fon mine-air moo-ter)
my father’s beer (CMFM)
das Bier meines Vaters (das bee-er mine-es far-ters)
my baby’s milk (CMFM)
die Milch meines Babys (dee milkh mine-es bay-bees)
my mother’s car (CMFM)
das Auto meiner Mutter (das ow-toe mine-air moo-ter)
My father’s car is old and shabby. (VM)
Das Auto von meinem Vater ist alt und schäbig. (das ow-toe fon mine-erm far-ter ist alt oont shay-big)
My father’s car is old and shabby. (CMFM)
Das Auto meines Vaters ist alt und schäbig. (das ow-toe mine-es far-ters ist alt oont shay-big)
My brother’s house is brand new. (CMFM)
Das Haus meines Bruders ist brandneu. (das house mine-es broo-ders ist brant-noy)
My sister’s flat is dirty. (CMFM)
Die Wohnung meiner Schwester ist schmutzig. (dee voe-nung mine-air shves-ter ist shmootzig)
the weather
das Wetter (das vet-er)
so
so (zo)
The weather is not so good.
Das Wetter ist nicht so gut. (das vet-er ist nikht zo goot)
luck
Glück (glook)
We’re lucky.
Wir haben Glück. (veer harb-urn glook)
We’re lucky because the weather is so good.
Wir haben Glück, weil das Wetter so gut ist. (veer harb-urn glook vile das vet-er zo goot ist)
that
dass (das)
We’re lucky that the weather is so good.
Wir haben Glück, dass das Wetter so gut ist. (veer harb-urn glook das das vet-er zo goot ist)
I feel like…
Ich habe Lust… (ikh hah-ber loost)
because I feel like…
weil ich Lust habe… (vile ikh loost hah-ber)
because I feel like going to the park
weil ich Lust habe, in den Park zu gehen (vile ikh loost hah-ber in dain park tsoo gay-urn)
because I feel like going to the hotel
weil ich Lust habe, ins Hotel zu gehen (vile ikh loost hah-ber ins hotel tsoo gay-urn)
because I feel like going to the restaurant
weil ich Lust habe, ins Restaurant zu gehen (vile ikh loost hah-ber ins rest-oh-ron tsoo gay-urn)
Why?
Warum? (va-room)
He feels like going to the theatre.
Er hat Lust, ins Theater zu gehen. (air hat loost ins tay-art-er tsoo gay-urn)
She feels like going to the museum.
Sie hat Lust, ins Museum zu gehen. (zee hat loost ins moo-zay-um tsoo gay-urn)
They feel like going to the cinema.
Sie haben Lust, ins Kino zu gehen. (zee harb-urn loost ins kee-no tsoo gay-urn)
Really?
Wirklich? (verk-likh)
Yes.
Ja. (yar)
you have
du hast (doo hast)
Yes. Why? Don’t you feel like going?
Ja. Warum? Hast du keine Lust zu gehen? (yar varoom hast doo kine-er loost tsoo gay-urn)
Well… / Erm, well…
Na ja… (nar yar)
at the moment
im Moment (im moe-ment)
Erm, well… I don’t have time at the moment.
Na ja… ich habe im Moment keine Zeit. (nar yar ikh hah-ber im moe-ment kine-er tsite)
Yes, I’m busy. Very, very busy…
Ja, ich bin beschäftigt. Sehr, sehr beschäftigt… (yar ikh bin be-shef-tigt zair zair be-shef-tigt)
hey
he (hey)
Wait a second…
Wart’ mal schnell… (vart mal shnel)
Do you think?
Denkst du? (denkst doo)
a hangover
ein Kater (ine kar-ter)
Hey, wait a second… Do you think I’m oblivious to what’s going on? You’ve got a hangover!
He, wart’ mal schnell… Denkst du, dass ich Tomaten auf den Augen habe? Du hast ja einen Kater! (hey vart mal shnel denkst doo das ikh tom-art-urn owf dain ow-gurn hah-ber doo hast yar ine-urn kar-ter)
caught
erwischt (air-visht)
there
da (dar)
Well, you’ve got me there!
Na ja, da hast du mich erwischt! (nar yar dar hast doo mikh air-visht)
If you’ve got through this without making any mistakes then you’re ready to read the final Between Chapters Tip and then the last section of the book, which tells you what to do next.
Well done for getting this far! Well done indeed…
Between Chapters Tip!
The Great Letter Swap!
Since the very beginning of the book, I’ve been giving you examples of how you can rapidly build up your German vocabulary by swapping letters. Really though, what I’ve shown you so far has only been the tip of that enormous iceberg I mentioned in the Introduction.
Below, I’m going to show you a number of additional letter swaps that will help you to create or interperet many more German words.
Once you’ve had a read through them, I recommend that you try coming up with a few more examples for each and then check in a dictionary to see whether you’ve successfully created the corresponding German word.
Have fun!
An English letter …
is often a … in German
Examples
d
t
hard = hart
old = alt
cold = kalt
to drink = trinken
th
d
thing = Ding
thorn = Dorn
thou = du
to thank = danken
k
ch
milk = Milch
book = Buch
to make = machen
to break = brechen
y
g
day = Tag
to say = sagen
to lay = legen
to fly = fliegen
gh
ch
night = Nacht
sight = Sicht
light = Licht
daughter = Tochter
y (at the end of a describing word)
ig
hungry = hungrig
hasty = hastig
frosty = frostig
sandy = sandig
p (at or near the beginning of a word)
pf
plaster = Pflaster
pan = Pfanne10
pepper = Pfeffer
path = Pfad
p (in the middle or at the end of a word)
f
sharp = scharf
ship = Schiff
to help = helfen
ripe = reif
v (in the middle or at the end of a word)
b
to have = haben
to live = leben
to give = geben
seven = sieben
t (in the middle or at the end of a word)
s
or
ss
that = dass
what? = was?
water =Wasser
better = besser
Remember, try to come up with some examples of your own and then check in a dictionary to see if they work. I’ll give you a few suggestions you can begin with if you’d like: silver, God, deep, and week. Take a guess as to what they will become in German, based on the letter swaps described above, and then look them up to see how close the reality comes to the theory.
This is a really good way to build vocabulary quickly and easily – so take advantage of it!
Between Chapters Tip!
What to do next
Well, here you are at the end of the final chapter.You have worked hard and yet a different journey now lies ahead of you!
The questions you should be asking, of course, are: “what is that journey exactly?” and “where do I go from here?” – essentially, “what should I do next?”
Where do you go first?
Well, that will depend to some degree on what you already knew when you began working through this book.
If you have found this book useful then I would recommend moving on to the audio course that I have produced entitled “Learn German with Paul Noble”. It uses the same method as this book except that you listen to it rather than read it. It will help to develop your understanding of how to structure German sentences and how to use German tenses, while at the same time gently expanding your vocabulary in the language as well as teaching you plenty of tricks that will allow you to make rapid progress.
And after that?
Once you have completed the audio course, I then recommend that you use what I have at different times called “The Frasier Method”, “The Game of Thrones Method”, “The Buffy the Vampire Slayer Method” and “The Friends Method” – but the name isn’t too important.