The idea
Mark the German nouns before checking capitals. An article can help identify a noun, but not every capitalized word has an article and sentence-initial capitals alone do not prove noun status.
One contrast, not a prediction about every learner
Russian ordinary common nouns are normally lowercase except at sentence beginnings. German capitalizes common nouns wherever they occur; this includes nouns inside prepositional phrases and nominalized activities.
Individual experience, dialect and other languages you know can change which comparisons help. Use the contrast to notice a German choice; do not treat it as a label for a whole group of people.
Repair the transfer
Wir lesen den brief im garten.Wir lesen den Brief im Garten.Mark the German nouns before checking capitals. An article can help identify a noun, but not every capitalized word has an article and sentence-initial capitals alone do not prove noun status.
Examples
- Wir lesen den Brief unter dem Apfelbaum.We read the letter under the apple tree.
- Nach der Pause beginnt die gemeinsame Arbeit.The joint work starts after the break.
- Beim Schreiben brauche ich einen ruhigen Platz.I need a quiet place when writing.
- Ihre Antwort steht am Ende der Nachricht.Her reply is at the end of the message.
- Die kleine Karte liegt neben dem Schlüssel.The small card is beside the key.
- Zum Lernen nehme ich heute mein Heft mit.I take my notebook with me for studying today.
Read-aloud uses a synthetic German voice available on your device. Voice quality and availability vary; it does not assess your pronunciation.
No German device voice is available. You can still read the text and use the linked listening resources.
Watch out
Do not generalize a source-language pattern to every German sentence. Mark the German nouns before checking capitals. An article can help identify a noun, but not every capitalized word has an article and sentence-initial capitals alone do not prove noun status.
Try it yourself
Korrigiere: Wir lesen den brief im garten.
Show answer or example answer
Wir lesen den Brief im Garten.
Wir lesen den Brief im Garten. Mark the German nouns before checking capitals. An article can help identify a noun, but not every capitalized word has an article and sentence-initial capitals alone do not prove noun status.
Ins Deutsche übertragen: We read the letter under the apple tree.
Show answer or example answer
Wir lesen den Brief unter dem Apfelbaum.
Wir lesen den Brief unter dem Apfelbaum. Mark the German nouns before checking capitals. An article can help identify a noun, but not every capitalized word has an article and sentence-initial capitals alone do not prove noun status.
Ins Deutsche übertragen: The small card is beside the key.
Show answer or example answer
Die kleine Karte liegt neben dem Schlüssel.
Die kleine Karte liegt neben dem Schlüssel. Keep the meaning of the whole sentence while using the German pattern.
Practice round
Answer three questions, then rebuild three German sentences. We keep your score.
Korrigiere: Wir lesen den brief im garten.
Wir lesen den Brief im Garten.
Ins Deutsche übertragen: We read the letter under the apple tree.
Wir lesen den Brief unter dem Apfelbaum.
Ins Deutsche übertragen: The small card is beside the key.
Die kleine Karte liegt neben dem Schlüssel.
Tap the words in the right order.
Tap the words in the right order.
Tap the words in the right order.
Keep your progress
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Write three German sentences of your own that follow the pattern of “Wir lesen den Brief im Garten.”. Check each one for the Russian habit this lesson corrects, then read them aloud.