Being somewhere, or putting something there
Confusing verbs: Liegen or legen, stehen or stellen, sitzen or setzen
German has pairs of verbs for position. One describes where something is (a state); the other describes putting it there (an action). The state verb is followed by the dative case (the form a noun takes to answer “where?”: auf dem Tisch). The action verb is followed by the accusative case (the form that answers “where to?”: auf den Tisch).
| State (wo?) + dative | Action (wohin?) + accusative | Perfect tense |
|---|---|---|
| liegen to lieLEE-gen | legen to layLAY-gen | hat gelegen / hat gelegt |
| stehen to standSHTAY-en | stellen to stand (something) upSHTE-len | hat gestanden / hat gestellt |
| sitzen to sitZIT-sen | setzen to set, seatZET-sen | hat gesessen / hat gesetzt |
| hängen to hang (be hanging)HENG-en | hängen to hang (something)HENG-en | hat gehangen / hat gehängt |
Das Buchthe bookliegtliesauf demon theTisch.table
IchIlegelaydas Buchthe bookauf denon theTisch.table
Die Flaschethe bottlestehtstandsimin-theKühlschrank.fridge
IchIstellestanddie Flaschethe bottlein denin theKühlschrank.fridge
One English verb, two German ones
Kennen or wissen, fragen or bitten, lernen or lehren
“to know”
kennen · a person, place or thingikh KE-ne ZAI-ne SHVES-ter · “I know his sister.”Why: kennen means to be familiar with someone or something.
IchIkenneknowseinehisSchwester.sister
wissen · a factikh VAIS EE-re a-DRE-se · “I know her address.”Why: wissen is for information. It is irregular: ich weiß, du weißt, er weiß.
IchIweißknowihreherAdresse.address
“to ask”
fragen · to ask a questionikh FRAA-ge dayn LAY-rer · “I’ll ask the teacher.”Why: fragen is for questions. Eine Frage stellen = to ask a question.
IchIfrageaskden Lehrer.the teacher
bitten um · to ask for, requestikh BI-te um HIL-fe · “I’m asking for help.”Why: bitten um means to request something. Bitte (please) comes from the same verb.
IchIbitteaskumforHilfe.help
“to learn / teach”
lernen · to learn, studyikh LAIR-ne DOYCH · “I’m learning German.”Why: lernen is what the student does.
IchIlernelearnDeutsch.German
lehren · to teach (formal)zee LAYRT MA-te · “She teaches maths.”Why: lehren is formal, used for universities. In daily speech, Germans say unterrichten or beibringen.
SieshelehrtteachesMathe.maths
Same sound, different spelling
Das or dass, seid or seit, wieder or wider
These pairs sound identical, so mistakes only show in writing. Each row gives a quick test.
das · dassTest: if you can replace it with dieses or welches, write das; otherwise dass.
IchIglaube,thinkdassthatdastheCafécafézuclosedist.is
seid · seitTest: seid is a form of sein (to be) with ihr; seit means since.
Ihryou-allseidareseitsinceMontagMondayhier.here
wieder · widerTest: wieder (with ie) means again; wider (short i) means against, in a few set words.
IchIsagesayesitnichtnotwieder.again
die Stadt · stattTest: die Stadt is a town; statt means instead of.
Teeteastattinstead-ofKaffeecoffeein derin theStadttown
Three words for “to” a place
Nach Berlin, zum Arzt, ins Kino
nachCities, most countries (no article), directions, and home: nach Hause.veer FLEE-gen naakh bair-LEEN · “We’re flying to Berlin.”Why: Berlin has no article, so nach.
WirwefliegenflynachtoBerlin.Berlin
zuPeople, shops, events, and places you go to but not into: zum Arzt, zur Arbeit.ikh GAY-e tsum AARTST · “I’m going to the doctor’s.”Why: zu takes the dative: zu + dem = zum, zu + der = zur.
IchIgehegozumto-theArzt.doctor
inInto a building or area, and countries with an article: in die Schweiz.veer GAY-en ins KEE-noh · “We’re going to the cinema.”Why: You go inside, so in + accusative: in + das = ins.
Wirwegehengoinsinto-theKino.cinema
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