Je ... desto: the more, the better in German
Link two changing quantities with je ... desto or umso. Build both clauses, choose comparative forms and explain opposite-direction changes.
Read and practiseAdventure journal
German grammar
Understand cases, articles, verb forms and sentence structure. Compare examples and apply one rule at a time.
Adventure journal
Grammar
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Nominalisation and verbalisation in German
Turn German clauses into noun phrases and back. Practise cause, time and purpose while preserving who acts, the sequence of events and the right case.
Read and practiseGerman nominative case: identify the subject
The nominative marks the subject, including plural subjects, rather than every noun before a verb.
Read and practiseGerman genitive case: ownership and noun relationships
The genitive links one noun to another, as in the roof of a house or the end of a journey.
Read and practiseGerman articles: choosing der, die, das or ein
Use an indefinite article to introduce one unspecified thing, then a definite article when the listener can identify it.
Read and practiseGerman plurals: endings and umlauts
German nouns form their plurals in several ways, so learn each noun with its article and plural.
Read and practiseGerman capitalization: nouns and nominalized words
German capitalizes nouns in every position, not just at the beginning of a sentence.
Read and practiseGerman present tense: endings and everyday uses
The present tense describes current situations, habits and often future events when a time expression makes the timing clear.
Read and practiseGerman present-tense verbs with stem changes
Some frequent verbs change their stem vowel in the du and er, sie, es forms of the present tense.
Read and practiseGerman Präteritum: simple past forms
The simple past is common in written narratives; sein, haben and modal verbs also often use it in everyday conversation.
Read and practiseGerman past tenses: Perfekt or Präteritum?
Both tenses can report completed past events; the choice often depends on register, region and the particular verb.
Read and practiseGerman Plusquamperfekt: an earlier past event
Use the past perfect to make clear that something had already happened before another past event.
Read and practiseGerman future tense: werden plus infinitive
Futur I can express future plans, predictions or assumptions; it is not compulsory whenever an event is in the future.
Read and practiseGerman reflexive verbs and their pronouns
A reflexive pronoun refers back to the subject, and some German verbs normally require one in a particular meaning.
Read and practiseGerman reflexive pronouns: mich or mir?
A reflexive pronoun can be accusative or dative, depending on the verb's structure and other objects.
Read and practiseGerman commands: imperatives for du, ihr and Sie
Use the imperative for direct requests and instructions, choosing the form that matches the person addressed.
Read and practiseGerman infinitives with zu: sentence patterns
Many verbs and expressions introduce an infinitive phrase with zu, often describing an intended or attempted action.
Read and practiseGerman purpose clauses: um zu or damit?
Both patterns explain purpose, but they build different kinds of clauses.
Read and practiseGerman relative clauses: choose the pronoun's case
A relative clause adds information about a noun and places its conjugated verb at the end.
Read and practiseGerman indirect questions with ob and question words
An indirect question embeds a question inside another sentence, often to ask more politely or report uncertainty.
Read and practiseAls or wenn in German: once, repeatedly or conditionally
Als introduces a single past event or period; wenn introduces repeated events or a condition.
Read and practiseObwohl and trotzdem: contrasting ideas in German
Both words connect a circumstance with an outcome that goes against the normal expectation.
Read and practiseDeshalb and deswegen: explaining results in German
Deshalb and deswegen point back to a reason and introduce its consequence.
Read and practiseBevor and nachdem: ordering events in German
Bevor places the main-clause event before another event; nachdem places it after the subordinate-clause event.
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