German sentence structure
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In this lesson you are going to learn about the different possibilities of forming a German sentence.
For example:
Der Lehrer fragt den Schüler. - The teacher asks the student
Den Schüler fragt der Lehrer. - The student asks the teacher
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You use negation to form negative sentences in the German language. There are two different ways of forming these sentences by using "nicht" or "kein".
For example:
Sie geht nicht ins Kino - She does not go to the cinema
Du hast keinen Hunger. - You are not hungry
This lessons explain the usage of question-words in general and when to use and not to use them.
For example:
Woher hast du deine Brille? - From where do you have your glasses?
Hast du meine Brille gesehen? - Have you seen my glasses?
A dependent clause always depends on a main clause. Therefore, a dependent clause never occurs alone. Comparing a main clause to a dependent clause, the verb in a dependent clause is always placed at the end of a sentence.
For example:
Die Pizza, die auf dem Teller liegt, ist verbrannt. - The pizza, that is on the plate, is burnt
Der Kuchen, der ausgestellt ist, sieht schön aus. - The cake, that is displayed, looks good
A conjunction is connecting words, phrases or clauses.
For example:
Wir nehmen es mit, denn wir finden es schön. - We're taking it with us, because we think it's pretty
Wir nehmen ein Taxi oder den Bus. - We're taking a cab or the bus
Wir brauchen kein Tee, sondern wir wollen Kaffee. - We don't need tea, we wont coffee
Start with the first topic! Let's go!
Example: "Ich kann das nicht", sagte sie → Sie sagte, sie könne das nicht. ("I cannot do it", said the woman → She said, she could not do it)
1.) "Das Auto ist viel zu schnell gefahren", erklärte der Mann → Der Mann erklärte, .
("The car drove way too fast", explained the man → The man explained, the car drove way too fast)
2.) "Hast du deine Hausaufgaben gemacht?", fragte die Lehrerin → Die Lehrerin fragte, ob er .
("Did you do your homework?, asked the teacher → The teacher asked, if he did his homework)
3.) "Ich bin spazieren gegangen", sagt die Frau → Die Frau sagt, .
("I went for a walk", said the woman → The woman said, she went for a walk)
4.) "Ich konnte dich nicht sehen", sagte der Mann → Der Mann sagte, er sie .
("I couldn't see you", said the man → The man said, he couldn't see her)
5.) "Ihre Aussage hilft mir nicht weiter", meinte der Polizist → Der Polizist meinte, ihre Aussage .
("Your statemant doesn't help me further", said the policeman → The policeman said, her statement didn't help him further)
6.) "Ich kann das reparieren", rief der Mann → Der Mann rief, er .
("I can fix that", called the man → The man called, he could fix that)
7.) "Ich gehe jetzt heim", sagte sie → Sie sagte, .
("I'm going home now", she said → She said, she would go home now
Example: "Ich kann das nicht", sagte sie → Sie sagte, sie könne das nicht. ("I cannot do it", said the woman → She said, she could not do it)
1.) "Das Auto ist viel zu schnell gefahren", erklärte der Mann → Der Mann erklärte, .
("The car drove way too fast", explained the man → The man explained, the car drove way too fast)
2.) "Hast du deine Hausaufgaben gemacht?", fragte die Lehrerin → Die Lehrerin fragte, ob er .
("Did you do your homework?, asked the teacher → The teacher asked, if he did his homework)
3.) "Ich bin spazieren gegangen", sagt die Frau → Die Frau sagt, .
("I went for a walk", said the woman → The woman said, she went for a walk)
4.) "Ich konnte dich nicht sehen", sagte der Mann → Der Mann sagte, er sie .
("I couldn't see you", said the man → The man said, he couldn't see her)
5.) "Ihre Aussage hilft mir nicht weiter", meinte der Polizist → Der Polizist meinte, ihre Aussage .
("Your statemant doesn't help me further", said the policeman → The policeman said, her statement didn't help him further)
6.) "Ich kann das reparieren", rief der Mann → Der Mann rief, er .
("I can fix that", called the man → The man called, he could fix that)
7.) "Ich gehe jetzt heim", sagte sie → Sie sagte, .
("I'm going home now", she said → She said, she would go home now
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Hello German learner! I am a dedicated teacher for DaF (German as a foreign language) studying and working in Germany. I have already gained teaching experience with different age groups and nationalities while teaching German in various language schools.
Currently, I'm doing my second studies in German, English, and Teaching at the University of Bonn. (I already got my Master's Degree in German and Literature). Besides, I teach in a local language school as well as tutor students online on Colanguage.
In my free time, I learn French and Dutch and hope to become a true polyglot one day :)
So as you can see, I'm all into languages and love my profession as a teacher!
I can help you learn general German, develop your communicational skills as well as prepare you for language tests (Goethe Zertifikat, Telc, etc).
Just book a trial lesson with me and we'll find out which course is right for you.
See you soon
Anush
PS. IMPORTANT! Currently, I only work with adults aged 18 and over - so NO courses for children, sorry.
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Anush is a great teacher! Her advices and corrections are to the point and very helpful. My demands were high enough and sie could provide the necessary solutions and the necessary help , that I needed.
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My name is Christina and I provide German & French language lesson for children and adult beginners or intermediate who want to strengthen their language skills, improve the grammar knowledge, enrich the vocabulary and get into the German culture! I can teach in English or French!
I had experince in teaching German, English and French to foreign people so I do have a lot of useful learning material I can provide you to make it easier!
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Christina is amazing. From our first lesson I could tell that she really cared and wanted to help me prepare for my exam. I look forward to every lesson! I can't recommend her enough, she is perfect!
Christina F.
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Thank you dear Luke
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Hello,
my name is Veronika and I am a student in Florence at the academy of fine arts. I have been in Italy for three years and I really like the Italian language. In school i learned english and during journeys i used to speak a lot of english so i'm also able to teach in english.
I am from Germany so I am a German native speaker. I have already taught German to some of my friends and would love to teach my language to more people as well. At the beginning I would like to do grammar lessons and the most used words to deepen the basic knowledge of the language. Then I will continue to have conversations in German to increase vocabulary and to give confidence in dialogue and in any case in speaking the language in real scenarios. The most important thing by learning a new language is to learn it through hearing and speaking. Being difficult at first to formulate sentences will then become easier and easier and thus you arrive at a fluent and confident way to speak the new language.
For myself I learned Italian three years ago with this method so I also know what it is like to learn a language and I can help you with my teaching to learn German that way.
I can not wait to start!
greetings Veronika
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My experience with Veronika as a teacher was and still is really good. In order to reach my goals, she has setup a structured schedule and has provided good learning material. Due to my work, I had to reschedule some of my lessons and she always showed understanding in this regards. She is very friendly and easy to talk to. I can only recommend her!
Veronika N.
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Thank you very much!!!
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Hello =)
My name is Karolin and since the beginning of 2017, while I was still living in Chile, I've been giving online classes. I really enjoy my work and it gives me the privilage to get to know people from all around the world, which is amazing.
Both in English and in German, I teach classes for beginners and advanced students. I speak Spanish fluently, but as I lived in Chile for around 5 years, both my pronounciation and my choice of words are influenced by that. I learned and teach the european Spanish but only for beginners (A1/A2). But if you don't mind the chilenean influence, I do teach to a higher level as well.
If you'd like to get to know me and my teaching methods, just contact me and we will do a free trial lesson (please do NOT by a lesson before the trial lesson, not every teacher is good for every student).
See you soon!
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Karolin has been an awesome teacher. She has been very flexible with our scheduling, while the lessons have been a great combination of being structured and fun. I would highly recommend Karolin to anyone looking to learn a new language or improve their language ability. Thanks again Karolin.
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Hello!
My name's Eleonora. I am from Ukraine. I am a qualified teacher and a Russian native speaker.
In 2007 I graduated from pedagogical university and since that time I work as a teacher. I love my job and always ready to share my knowledge with everyone.
If you want to improve your Russian, English or Swedish or start learning them you will definitely like my lessons. My classes are developed for each student according to their level, interests and needs.
I try to make lessons various and use different kinds of teaching methods, exercises and technologies. My lessons include:
vocabulary enlargement and usage;wide grammar practicereading activities (from texbooks, at higher levels original texts);practicing oral speech.My schedule is quite flexible so contact me and we'll arrange the time for lessons.
See you!
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Eleonora is very friendly and methodological teacher, perfectly adapting to students needs. I have enjoyed my every class learning.
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Olá, amigo! My name is Nathália, I’m Brazilian, living in France, and I teach Portuguese as a foreign language.
With a degree in Literature and Linguistics, I began my career as a foreign language tutor (French and Portuguese) in Brazil, working with adults and teenagers. Today, with over ten years of experience, I have had the pleasure of teaching Portuguese to students from various nationalities and linguistic backgrounds, including French, Spanish, English, and Italian speakers.
I offer personalized lessons, tailored to your goals and learning pace. All teaching materials are designed by me and adjusted to the specific needs of each student, ensuring a dynamic and effective learning experience.
Join me to make rapid progress and enjoy learning Portuguese!
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Nathalia's communication was perfect in setting up the lesson and she is very encouraging in introducing the topic. I immediately felt comfortable studying a topic for me which is almost completely new and am looking forward to doing so again. I would really recommend Nathalia.
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Hi! I am Maaike, a Dutch primary school teacher. Every day I'm doing by best to teach the Dutch language well to the childeren, but also other languages such as English and Spanish.
I have more than 12 years of experience as a teacher, in the Netherlands and abroad, to young and old!
In the Netherlands I have experience in each grade, so I know exactly how the Dutch language is given in primary education. This can certainly help children, but also adults who want to learn the Dutch language in a correct way, having a good basic knowledge is the most important part of learning a new language.
I lived in Spain for 3 years where I taught English to Spanish children and adults. During that period I also followed an intensive language course to learn the Spanish language. Currently I am learning Nepali through Skype. I know what it is like to learn a new language, what it involves and how the learning process works.
I will first discuss with you what you would like to achieve by following the language lessons and what your needs are. Maybe it's just speaking skills, or grammar or listening skills, or a combination. In addition, I want to use my creativity to apply methods that work best for you, personalized language classes. :)
My goal is to give you the feeling after each class that you've come one step closer to your personal goal!
Feel free to request a trial class, so we can see what I can do for you and if my way of teaching suits you. See you soon! :)
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The best language teacher my daughter has had! She is a kind and friendly teacher. I feel like she keeps the lesson pace going and focused. Highly recommend Maaike. :-)
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My name is Christina and I provide German & French language lesson for children and adult beginners or intermediate who want to strengthen their language skills, improve the grammar knowledge, enrich the vocabulary and get into the German culture! I can teach in English or French!
I had experince in teaching German, English and French to foreign people so I do have a lot of useful learning material I can provide you to make it easier!
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My daughter is really happy with Christina and I can already see she is improving her German after 6 lessons! Many thanks Christina!
Christina F.
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Thank you very much !
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Hello everyone and a big warm welcome to all the fellow language learners,
My name is Katerina, I’m a native Russian speaker and a foreign language teacher from St Petersburg, Russia. I’ve always been addicted to learning foreign languages, be it English, German, Spanish, Turkish or Arabic, so turning my passion into my job was just a matter of time. I have a Master’s degree in linguistics which taught me to understand the way the mechanism of a language works and thus to help my students see the logics behind the grammar rules. Being a constant language learner enables me to see the process from both sides and to predict the difficulties my students might face. The fact that I’m not a native speaker of English or German means I’ve been through exactly the same language-learning journey you’re about to take, and thanks to my personal experience as a student, I can make this road smooth for you.
I've had students of all ages, from pre-school kids to senior generation, and I feel comfortable working with both beginners and those who are eager to take their learning process to a new level. In my classes I encourage you to talk in the language we’re studying as much as possible, putting every single bit of knowledge into practice right away. If you’re a Russian-learner, I’d be glad to prove it to you that you can absolutely nail my mother-tongue - and yes, you’ll be able to make a small talk in Russian by the end of the first class even if you’re an absolute beginner! We’ll be focusing on the topics that are most relevant to your goals, while discovering the language and getting to know more about the culture of people who speak it.
I offer a short free trial class, for us to give each other a smile and discuss our teaching pattern, in order to ajust it to your goals and make our lessons the bee's knees :) See you soon!
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Katja is a great teacher! She really pushes her students to speak in as much German as they can and the materials she provides are perfectly suited for her students learning goals! I enjoy working with her very much and look forward to our weekly lessons! She has helped me learn many German phrases and vocabulary that I can use immediately.
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I am thrilled by my teacher Dani. She is nice, positive and does a great job.
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We had (my wife and I) our first lesson with Miriam and were very happy of her communication style. Too early to judge (will write a further review), but we decided to start the course and bought 12 lessons. More to come....
Miriam C.
Thank you very much for the kind words and especially for your trust. I am really looking forward to this collaboration. Best wishes, Miriam
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I am a German native speaker who loves languages and am passionate about teaching others. I work as language teacher in a school, teach adults at the German Culture Center and prepare my students for all types of official language exams. I love my job and always seek to make it as much fun as possible.
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I recommend Her; My teacher Melanie is a dynamic and friendly teacher, very knowledgeable, flexible and open to discussions on any subject. available to check my exercises and flexible regarding class time slots. Very nice experience! She immediately understood my goals and was able to help me improve my skills. I recommend her to anyone who wants to take and pass their exams and improve their German skills.
Melanie A.
Hello Douaa, thank you. I am happy that I could help you and I had fun. I wish you all the best.
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The best way to learn a new language is through natural interaction. And I believe that you learn most effectively when you feel at ease and when you are having fun!
You will see that each class is individually adapted to your personal learning style and that you can improve at your optimal level because you will always be challenged but never overwhelmed.
I am an enthusiastic language learner myself and know the importance of a fun and knowledgeable teacher. Because I enjoyed learning with great teachers so much, I'm committed to being that for you in every class as well.
With this German class, you will get
• a very competent, patient, and fun tutor with years of experience
• a very supportive environment
• as many opportunities as possible to actually speak German, reflect on it, and improve
• efficient tools and homework
• heaps of video material as well as many exercises to help you practice all aspects of the German language
• and you will see how manageable the German grammar actually is!
Of course, you can adjust the classes to whatever you consider to be most relevant for you!
If you like my approach and want to improve your German, write me a message or book a lesson with me! I would love to help you with your German
You can start right away at any level!
I am professionally certified by the Goethe Institut with the highest mark possible. Through all these years of teaching in different formats and different countries, I have collected a huge amount of experience, and feedback and improved my lessons. I never stop learning and adapting my teaching methods to nowadays strategies and advanced thinking
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I really enjoy my German classes with Iris! She understood exactly what I would like to work on, and has helped me improve my writing skills fast. I have no doubt, that with her help I will soon be able to pass the language exam I want to take!
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Hello German learner! I am a dedicated teacher for DaF (German as a foreign language) studying and working in Germany. I have already gained teaching experience with different age groups and nationalities while teaching German in various language schools.
Currently, I'm doing my second studies in German, English, and Teaching at the University of Bonn. (I already got my Master's Degree in German and Literature). Besides, I teach in a local language school as well as tutor students online on Colanguage.
In my free time, I learn French and Dutch and hope to become a true polyglot one day :)
So as you can see, I'm all into languages and love my profession as a teacher!
I can help you learn general German, develop your communicational skills as well as prepare you for language tests (Goethe Zertifikat, Telc, etc).
Just book a trial lesson with me and we'll find out which course is right for you.
See you soon
Anush
PS. IMPORTANT! Currently, I only work with adults aged 18 and over - so NO courses for children, sorry.
Reviews
Teaching methodology
Communication
Punctuality
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Anush is a great teacher! Her advices and corrections are to the point and very helpful. My demands were high enough and sie could provide the necessary solutions and the necessary help , that I needed.
Review
Teaching methodology
Communication
Punctuality
Internet connection
Learning materials
My name is Christina and I provide German & French language lesson for children and adult beginners or intermediate who want to strengthen their language skills, improve the grammar knowledge, enrich the vocabulary and get into the German culture! I can teach in English or French!
I had experince in teaching German, English and French to foreign people so I do have a lot of useful learning material I can provide you to make it easier!
Reviews
Teaching methodology
Communication
Punctuality
Internet connection
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Christina is amazing. From our first lesson I could tell that she really cared and wanted to help me prepare for my exam. I look forward to every lesson! I can't recommend her enough, she is perfect!
Christina F.
![]()
Thank you dear Luke
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Hello,
my name is Veronika and I am a student in Florence at the academy of fine arts. I have been in Italy for three years and I really like the Italian language. In school i learned english and during journeys i used to speak a lot of english so i'm also able to teach in english.
I am from Germany so I am a German native speaker. I have already taught German to some of my friends and would love to teach my language to more people as well. At the beginning I would like to do grammar lessons and the most used words to deepen the basic knowledge of the language. Then I will continue to have conversations in German to increase vocabulary and to give confidence in dialogue and in any case in speaking the language in real scenarios. The most important thing by learning a new language is to learn it through hearing and speaking. Being difficult at first to formulate sentences will then become easier and easier and thus you arrive at a fluent and confident way to speak the new language.
For myself I learned Italian three years ago with this method so I also know what it is like to learn a language and I can help you with my teaching to learn German that way.
I can not wait to start!
greetings Veronika
Reviews
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My experience with Veronika as a teacher was and still is really good. In order to reach my goals, she has setup a structured schedule and has provided good learning material. Due to my work, I had to reschedule some of my lessons and she always showed understanding in this regards. She is very friendly and easy to talk to. I can only recommend her!
Veronika N.
![]()
Thank you very much!!!
Review
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Hello =)
My name is Karolin and since the beginning of 2017, while I was still living in Chile, I've been giving online classes. I really enjoy my work and it gives me the privilage to get to know people from all around the world, which is amazing.
Both in English and in German, I teach classes for beginners and advanced students. I speak Spanish fluently, but as I lived in Chile for around 5 years, both my pronounciation and my choice of words are influenced by that. I learned and teach the european Spanish but only for beginners (A1/A2). But if you don't mind the chilenean influence, I do teach to a higher level as well.
If you'd like to get to know me and my teaching methods, just contact me and we will do a free trial lesson (please do NOT by a lesson before the trial lesson, not every teacher is good for every student).
See you soon!
Reviews
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Communication
Punctuality
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Karolin has been an awesome teacher. She has been very flexible with our scheduling, while the lessons have been a great combination of being structured and fun. I would highly recommend Karolin to anyone looking to learn a new language or improve their language ability. Thanks again Karolin.
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1 Sentence structure of main clauses in German | This page is about the structure of main clauses in the German language. |
2 Dependent clauses in German | Learn about the German dependent clauses. |
3 Negation in German | This page is about the German negation forms. |
4 Questions in German | This page is about the German questions structure. |
5 Indirect speech in German | This page is about the German indirect speech. |
6 Conjunctions in German | This page contains a list and the usage about the German conjunctions. |