Articles in German

Articles make it possible to identify the gender, the number and (more precisely in German) the case of the nouns. There are also two main types in German: Definite articles and indefinite articles.

 

1. Definite articles ( der, die, das)

They play the same function as the.

♦ These are used on the one hand to designate something or someone specific.

Example: Mark ist der Freund von Clara ( Mark is the friend/boyfriend of Clara – Mark is Clara’s friend/boyfriend)

♦ On the other hand, they indicate a person or thing that has already been mentioned or known.

Example: Das Medikament hilft ihm ( The drug helps him )

2. Indefinite article ( ein, eine)

As you may have guessed, they are the englisch equivalent of a or an.

♦ Their function is on the one hand to indicate something that has not yet been determined.

Example: Mark ist ein Freund von Clara. ( Mark is a friend of Clara’s)

♦ On the other hand, to quote something in a story for the first time.

Example: Ein Medikament hat ihm sehr geholfen. ( a drug helped him a lot)

As you can see, it’s not a big deal.

 

Important: In addition, we also distinguish cases where the article is preceded by a preposition. What you need to know in this case is that the preposition will influence your article and the name that follows it. It may also happen that the preposition and the article contract to form a single word.

We obtain shapes such as:

An dem = Am

Bei dem = Beim

Zu dem = Zum

Zu der = Zur

von dem = vom

in dem = im

in das = ins

And finally, when there are no articles, it can be:

> Names of countries except Switzerland (die Schweiz), the USA (die USA) and Turkey (die Türkei).

Example¹: Ich bin in Griechendland (I am in Greece).

Example²: ich bin in der Türkei ( I am in Turkey).

> Place names.

Example: Sie wohnen in Berlin ( they live in Berlin)

> Of a discipline such as sport, music, foreign languages, etc…….

Example: Ich spreche gern Deustch (I speak German)

Small precision: The “gern” just wants to specify that you like to speak this language well.

> When it is a generality

Example¹: Wir wollen noch Saft trinken (“We still want juice”)

Example²: Wo ist der Saft? ( Where’s the juice?)

> When we talk about what we are and want and/or can become.

Example¹: Er ist Taxifahrer. ( He is a taximan)

Example²: Er kann Ingenieur werden. ( He can become an engineer)

Please note that in German, words are very often used with their articles. So every time you find a word, put its article next to it, so you don’t forget which one corresponds to it later and this make your task easier.

#ComplementMood

Gender of nouns in German.

In this article, we will look at the gender of  nouns that make up the German language. 

Compared to englisch, which has only two, German has three. But hey, don’t panic, you get used to it. However, the prerequisite here is to know the articles. The three existing genders are masculine ( der), feminine (die) and neutral (das).

Let’s start!

1. The masculine gender.

Here, it is used for different cases such as:

Male persons or functions

♦ der Mann, der Minister, der Präsident

♦ Days (der Montag, der Dienstag, der Mittwoch, der Donnerstag, der Freitag, der Samstag, der Sonntag)

♦ Month (der Januar, der Februar, der März, der April, der May, der Juni, der Juli, der August, der September, der October, der November, der Dezember)

♦ Season ( der Sommer, der Herbst, der Winter, der Frühling)

The words ending with “Ling, ig and ich”

♠ Der Frühling, der König, der Teppich.

The weather forecast

♠ Der regen, der Schnee, der Hagel, der Schauer

Names derived from verbs

♣ Der Lauf ( laufen), Der Sitz ( sitzen)

2. The feminine gender.

Its use is necessary when it comes to:

Female persons or functions

♦ Die Frau ( but we say “das Mädchen”), die Ministerin, Anwältin

Names ending with “Ung, schaft, ion, heit, keit, tät, ik”

♠ Die Führung, die Mannschaft, die Diskussion, die Gleichheit, die Verfügbarkeit, die Identität und die Musik.

Substantive figures

♣ Die eins, die zwei, die drei, …..

Some female functions end with an IN. All you have to do is take this name in the masculine and add an IN in the feminine.

3. The neutral gender.

These names refer to:

The letters

♦ Das A, das B, das C,…..

Names ending with “lein, chen, um, ment and ma”

♥ Das Instrument, das Studium, das Mädchen, das Fraulein, das Thema

Substantive infinite verbs

Verbs that at the infinitive are used as nouns.

♣ Das Schlafen, das Essen, das Lernen, etc….

Names formed from English words ending with “ing”

♠ Das Training

Names resulting from adjectives

◊ Das Ganze, das Neue.

Important: There are compound names in German called Composita. In this type of word, in order to find the corresponding article, you just have to take into account the article of the second because this one is the final element

Example: Das Flugzeug = der Flug + das Zeug

{Zeug} being the final element, hence the article Das.

Tips: You don’t have to remember everything at once. Take your time. One after the other. Rushing leads only to mistakes and forgetting.

As for the seasons, days, months and meteo bah simply put them in the male. The numbers in female, the letters in neutral and then for the rest make a detailed list with each ending.

Believe me, it’s much easier than it looks.

#ComplementMood

How to learn German easily? My 8 tips. (Part 1)

German is a language you have to admit is not easy to learn, and few are those who manage to master it quickly or even after several years in the country. In less than two years, I have managed to speak this language as I speak French today. Personally, I find that quite incredible. I have had flattering remarks like “It is amazing how you express yourself and with no accent” or “I was convinced that you were born here”.

Before we begin, I will pick up prejudices and say that I am not a language genius. I am even far from it! Or that I had to drink energy drinks every night to stay awake and learn. No!

If you also want to learn quickly and effectively (which is not impossible in fact), you can do the following:

 

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1. Learn the language directly in the country.

Immersing yourself in the language will offer you much faster progress. I have completed all my language levels (from A1 to C1) here. In broad terms, it allows you to get used to the accent of the locals from the beginning. Without even noticing it. In the beginning, it will not feel good to hear something but not be able to understand a single word. However, in this way your hearing will develop faster in terms of understanding.

In addition to the fact that, words have to be heard and answered in repetitions, it makes you assimilate the bases more naturally and say them again in a natural and immediate way.

Additionally , even the one who starts later can quickly get used to it. It all depends on your personal motivation, your attention span, or even your German frequentation. Everyone decides about their own development, whether you have started here or not!

 

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2. Imitate what you see and hear.

It has certainly happened to you before to imitate someone or something, for pleasure or just for teasing; with relatives or alone.

During your walks, your activities or courses, you will hear people speak. It will therefore be easy to imitate their accent over time in order to make it your own and thus ease your fluidity later.

I did it when I was in a situation where you had to express yourself in German. And I have to admit that sometimes it was very amusing to hear yourself. People noticed that it wasn’t my accent at all and seemed to appreciate it for a reason I didn’t even know. Many may see someone try something with a smile and pay no attention to prejudice. This shows your imperfection and your self-confidence.

Most will then encourage you and enjoy your company. Others who will have something negative to say about it just can’t care less. Just ignore it! Who knows, some may even find it attractive 😉 I’d rather not say anything more about it.

 

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3. Learn new words.

Vocabulary is one of the foundations of a language. It is therefore essential to develop it as early as possible. Why? because thanks to this small base you will learn other words more quickly at any moment, because in this way you can learn the meaning of the unknown words from conversations. Besides, in order to answer, you have to understand first. That makes sense! Without these words or a minimum of vocabulary you will have a lot of difficulty. To memorize them, you can use different technique, like:

Make voice registrations and listen to them regularly, anytime and anywhere.

Write down files with words and their meanings and give you a reasonable time (to respect) to learn them.

Stick etiquette to all what you have at home, with appropriate names in German.

Apps like Babbel, Dualingo, Memrise and many others.

Child shows are also a good way to learn with fun. You can also sing along. Sing mit Kinderlieder, is one of the most popular among Germans in childhood. As a music lover, I have added some of these sounds to my playlist, and now I know them by heart. It’s kind of funny when I think about it.

Very important! Learn these new words directly with their articles!!! I didn’t do it and so far I bite my fingers so don’t make the same mistake.

 

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4. Speak a lot to move forward quickly.

That is I believe, the main reason of my fast success with this language. If it was enough to stay at home, read my books and hope to be able to speak one day, it is clear and certain that I would not have succeeded so quickly. Imagine for a moment someone who decides to learn their language and then stays at home all the time, learns and reads without end, without ever putting his knowledge into practice, and then complains that he still doesn’t express himself correctly. If you care a little about him, you will probably advise him to go out and practice, because the whole theory of the world without practice is useless. Believe me, this point makes all the difference!!!

But! Don’t put pressure on yourself. It’s not about threatening someone to talk to you, but about being open to others, communicating, showing interest in others, maintaining and strengthening good contacts. The rest will follow, I am convinced! This has enabled me to have new friends from my own culture as well as from the German and foreign cultures. If it worked for me, there is no reason why it doesn’t work for you.

By that I don’t mean just to stop speaking your motherly language but to make a 50/50 for a start. In this way, you will be forced to speak only German. You can also have a conversation with yourself if to find partners turns out to be little complicated.

Thanks for reading! This is my very first article. If you liked it, feel free to write in the comments.

#GermanMood

Read also… How can you learn german quickly? Part 2

How to learn German easily? My 8 tips. (Part 2)

In the first part, we wanted to introduce you to the fundamentals of rapid learning of the German language. However, the list does not end there because I still have for you, four important points that have me, and can help you to progress faster, and which are often rather neglected or not sufficiently taken into account. Let’s go !

 

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1. DON’T THINK TOO MUCH ABOUT YOUR GRAMMATICAL ERRORS.

The grammar should be considered as a supplement! One thing must be clear to you, and that is that even if you learn grammar a lot, you will still make mistakes every now and then. Just like you make mistakes in English, whether this is your mother tongue or not. So, it’s quite normal to express yourself with some grammar mistakes when learning a new language.

Besides, the more you practice, the better you will become and of course feel the need to do better.

 

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2. LISTEN TO MUSIC AND PODCASTS / WATCH MOVIES IN GERMAN WITH OR WITHOUT SUBTITLES

Listening to sounds will enable you to become familiar with the language anywhere and anytime. I am willing to bet that there is no German music in your playlist. Am I wrong?! Well maybe you find it hard to find German music that makes you want to smash the Replay button. There would have to be some that you can like. Some I personally thought were pretty good. Among them are some of them. Have a look at them and tell me your impressions and possible recommendations.

etc. … …

Regarding podcasts, you have different topics and very specific vocabularies. Apple users have the advantage that the app has already been installed. It’s the same for the other devices, except you have to upload them first.

Movies also help a lot. Especially if you already have the bases and want to improve quickly. You’ll find common and colloquial expressions that you may not find in the books. And so, without leaving your sofa. But! In the beginning you will have the impression of being completely misplaced. Just have a little patience. Little by little you will understand it.

For the people who have no idea what you can see, our teacher recommended us as a series Türkisch für Anfänger. And as movies (Comedy), i find Fack Ju Göhte, Fack ju Göhte 2 and Fack Ju Göhte 3 not so bad and funny. Otherwise you can treat yourself with your usual US selection. If you have suggestions, put them in the comments 😉

 

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3. STOP CRITICIZING THE LANGUAGE OR THE COUNTRY.

The fact of being critical brings about learning a new language is a negative wave. I even think it’s psychological. The more you criticise, the less likely you are to learn German. The majority try to convince themselves that it’s not worth it because they don’t want to take responsibility. Be courageous . I relate to this feeling myself, because I once insulted this language and the country. So relax! You are living the language already. Arm yourself with self-confidence and a dose of enthusiasm to learn. Important !!!

Tell yourselves that you will belong to this minority who quickly master and acquire this language.

 

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4. DON’T STRESSING YOURSELF.

This point is culminant !!! Give yourself time to understand correctly and speak fluently. Stress comes with doubts that affect your mood and in result your motivation.

Bad mood also creates the desire to isolate yourself, don’t create a fortress around yourself . Otherwise this amounts to the lack of motivation that takes away everyone’s desire to continue something related to the German language.

So follow all these steps here in Zen mode. Sometimes you will have the feeling that you don’t know anything, but at this moment remember that this is just an impression. I’ve never been someone who likes to put pressure on himself. I’m more of a party person, more relaxed…. And yet today I am writing this article for you with a great level in German 🙂

Do not hesitate to share your feelings in the comments, your difficulties, your fears.

#Germanmood

Read also… How to achieve your objectives?

How to achieve your objectives?

Throughout your life, you’ll have different desires. You will always be confronted with doubts, failures or perseverance to get there. You have tried several times to achieve something, but it did not work or you could not bring it up. Don’t panic!

If you want to achieve your goals, you must fight and create the centimeter that makes the difference. Many people have the same desires as you, but nobody is YOU.

I will introduce you to the different steps that will hopefully enable you to start or continue your dynamic on the path to success…. No matter what you try to achieve.

 

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1- Define your goal clearly.

Before we can reach our goals, we must logically have one. When you get into a taxi, you first state your goal above all else. If you ignore this, it will lead you everywhere, but certainly not directly or never to where you really wanted to go. You will waste time on the way and not know exactly why you are doing it. Your goal should be as detailed as possible. So that you can explain it to a small child.

 

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2- Think about a concrete plan.

After completing the first step, you must draw up a plan to get there and how you want to proceed. Divide the big exercises into small ones so that you don’t get stressed too much and can do them faster. These sub-goals must be well structured and follow a sequence that you consider appropriate. It is also important to keep these in mind so as not to lose the thread and track your own progress. This will give you a sense of satisfaction as you see the list gradually decrease. Delete a goal or subgoal as soon as it is completed.

 

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3- Be active and start.

A big goal or a perfect plan will not help you if you do not implement it. That’s for sure! Become someone who acts and not just claps and does nothing. You will feel guilty and wish you hadn’t started. It costs absolutely nothing to try it out. Ask yourself what you have to lose and what you will win, and then weigh it on a scale. I think the numbers on the balance sheet will be very clear. If you don’t, others will. Maybe not today, maybe not in 5 years, but one day. It’s normal people like you and me who are starting companies, great athletes, great scientists, and so on and so forth… If they hadn’t tried, you probably wouldn’t know their names today. It is a shame, but it is true! We become what we want to become and get what we want to get. Even very small, well organized actions can deliver the experienced result after their implementation and motivate you. Start small and get big tomorrow. Nobody, not even you, knows where this will lead you.

 

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4- Accept or seek help.

We can start alone, but at some point we need help, we need to be surrounded by good people who support us and help us in one or another way to make our project a success. Don’t neglect this point, as many do. We can build a hut in a tree ourselves, but we cannot build a building ourselves. Ask for help if you need it. It is also a sign of leadership and wisdom. Delegate tasks that you think you are unable or no longer able to do yourself. It helps! Do not wait until you are in the best possible situation to call others. But don’t hurry, take the time to decide who will be with you. This will give you motivation. Those who want to succeed know that in order to get what you want from them, the latter must want to help them.

 

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5- Be prepared for the unexpected.

As the name suggests, the unexpected is unpredictable, but it happens anyway. The way you deal with it will show your willingness to achieve your goals. It can be and often even lead you to adapt your plan to new events. But it should not embarrass you. You just have to adapt to the new situation and figure out how to use it or just bypass it and move on. Don’t let yourself be beaten, discouraged or even slowed down. It is important to keep your head up, it will forge you and make you better. And the most important thing of all is to do this while preserving your values, your ideals, your moral and legal ethics. A good plan is also a plan that knows how to adapt to situations.

 

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6- Stay focused.

This point requires a lot of discipline. Do not lose sight of the goal. Don’t let yourself be distracted at any time, don’t appear and above all don’t hesitate. Do not try to do everything at once. Concentrate on one thing after another and do it to the end, then on another and so on. Stay away from people or objects that distract you the most or at least affect your productivity. Hence the fact that you have to be disciplined. The reward will not have a price later! Whenever.

 

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7. Have a sense of priority.

Doing one in the other’s time will only lead to unrest. Do things in the right order and do not skip the steps or try to find a link. Because the course path is not synonymous with a better path. Don’t hurry and do the priority things first, then the less second, then those who can wait last. You are not a 5-year-old child who does not know what it wants and reacts with an impulse. No, you are a person with goals, a creative person who above all has a dream and knows what she wants. So do the necessary things.

 

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8- Never give up and Believe in what you do.

That will make the difference between those who give up after the first failure and those who continue and try again and again. This belief in yourself will give you strength and protect you from bad thoughts. The days follow each other, but do not look like others. Some days will be happier than others, so if you do not believe firmly in what you want to do, you will want to give up. Maybe you can’t see enough because the end of the tunnel seems far away. But do what you have planned bit by bit by doing these tasks, this goal will seem more realistic and doable to you and will strengthen your self-confidence. Believing in it will make others believe in it and so believe in you.

 

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9- Visualize your goals.

Visualize what you want to become, what your life will become, what you will have, what you loved, what you want and when you want it. This allows your subconscious mind to search for solutions to make it possible….. To this being that you imagine yourself, to this life that you dream of, to these abilities that you want to possess. So what are you waiting for?!

 

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10- Draw a balance after some time.

In this way you know where you stand and can prepare what remains. In addition, you will be satisfied that you have been able to cope with this thing and would therefore be inclined to continue in the same way.

We don’t all have the same definition of happiness, but no matter what your definition is, you deserve to have it. Think of people who are in worse situations than you. If you believe it, no one has the right to tell you that you won’t make it. You have no right to give up. Never give up! Never give up! Never ever.

#Successmood

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