German functions of words
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The grammatical category of a word is the category to which it belongs. Indeed, all the words can be grouped in the same category according to the characteristics that are similar.
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Nouns are categorized in three different categories.
gender | masculine, feminine, neuter |
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case | nominative, genitive, accusative, dative |
number | singular, plural |
Die Katzen der Männer sind lieb. - The cats of the men are nice.
gender | masculine |
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case | genitive |
number | plural |
Articles accompany a nouns. An article in the narrow sense is the definite and indefinite article of der, die and das. Article can be inflected (declined) and adapt the gender and number of the noun.
Die Katzen der Männer sind lieb. - The cats of the men are nice.
gender | feminine |
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case | nominative |
number | plural |
Verbs express actions, events, and states. A verb is the predicate of a sentence. A predicate contains at least one finite verb form (= in number and person defined). Verbs can be inflected (conjugated). A verb expresses Person, number, mood, tense and the active or passive state.
Ich gehe zur Arbeit. - I go to work.
number | which person (singular or plural ) | 1. person singular |
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mood | indicative or subjunctive I / subjunctive II | indicative |
tense | present, simple past, future I,... | present tense |
state | active or passive | active |
Adjectives serve to attribute to a living thing, an object, an action, a state, etc., a property, a particular trait. They can have the following functions
modifier of a noun | das aufregende Spiel | the exciting game |
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modifier of an adjective or adverb | typisch türkische Speisen | typical turkish dishes. |
predicative | das Spiel ist aufregend | the game is exciting |
adverb | gut Golf spielen | playing golf well |
Adjectives which function as modifier of a noun be inflected in gender, case and number. Adjective are mostly not inflected in other positions of a sentence.
Das Ergebnis der schweren Klausur ist online. - The result of the hard exam is online.
gender | feminine |
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case | genitive |
number | singular |
According to the classical definition, a pronoun is a word which stand for another word (a noun). There are seven classes of pronouns.
personal | a personal pronouns refers to a specific person, a group of people or an object. | Ich sehe dich. | I see you. |
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possessive | they are used to show, that a noun belongs to somebody or something. | Das ist meine Katze. | That is my cat. |
demonstrative | these pronouns are used when referring to something that is already defined. | Ja, die sehe ich. | Yes, I see that. |
interrogative | there are interrogative pronouns, so called "question words". | Wo bist du? | Where are you? |
reflexive | they are part of the verb which refers to someone. | Ich habe mich geschnitten. | I cut myself. |
indefinite | they are used to link to subjects or objects that are not defined. | Man kann es schaffen. | It is doable. |
relative | they describe the nouns more precisely. | Das Mädchen, das Sport mag | The girl, that likes sport. |
The adverb refers to the circumstances in which an action is happening. For example, there are adverbs of time, place and frequency. Adverbs can be used in different situations:
for a verb | Wir sind dorthin gefahren | We were driving there. |
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for an adjective | Das Leben ist besonders schön. | Life is especially nice. |
for an adverb | Wir sehen uns sehr bald. | We will see us very soon. |
predicative for nouns | Der Tisch ist dort. | The table is over there. |
attributive for nouns | Der Tisch dort ist dir. | The table over there is yours. |
Prepositions connect words and groups of words. They refer to a local, temporal, modal or causal relationship between two things.
temporal | Wir kennen uns seit Ewigkeiten. | We know each other since an eternity. |
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modal | Nur mit großem Aufwand gelang es. | Only with great effort was it accomplished |
causal | Wegen des Unwetters ist alles zerstört. | Because of the storm everything is destroyed |
local | Die Flasche steht auf dem Tisch. | The bottle is on the table. |
Let's have a look at the following example:
subject | Maria wirft den Apfel | Maria throws the apple. | subject is always in the nominative case, it is the initial point of an action |
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predicate | Maria wirft den Apfel. | Maria throws the apple. | central action of a sentence, at least one finite form of verb |
object | Maria wirft den Apfel. | Maris throws the apple. | accusativeobject (Wen/was?) |
object | Der Apfel gehört ihr. | The apple is hers. | dativeobject (Wem?) |
object | Der Apfel ist ihrer. | The apple is hers. | genitiveobject (Wessen?) |
object | Sie denkt an ihn. | She thinks of him. | prepositional object |
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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 a native German speaker and am teaching English and German as foreign languages. I have got a teaching degree and have been teaching English and German for more than two years to all levels and age groups.
I personally prefer to speak in the learning language as much as possible and to focus on all four skills: speaking, listening, reading, and writing. Moreover, I like to cover practical topics that can be used in your everyday life and make classes as diverse and dynamic as possible. Nevertheless, I am always open-minded to suggestions coming from students.
Concerning materials I like to use a course book and in addition worksheets, audios, videos, etc.
In case you have got any further questions, don't hesitate to contact me :)
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Anna is a very well prepared and good teacher. She is a good teacher, dedicated to teach you. Would recommend her for everyone who would like to learn German.
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This teacher has experience, a great variety of learning materials for different objectives and speaks spanish fluently.
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German was my key to the world of possibilities and that's why I want to support you on your language path. German was my main focus in my bachelor's degree in Interpreting and Translation and then I completed my master's degree in intercultural German Studies and German as a Foreign Language. My additional education as an Intercultural Trainer and my practical experience from several international language institutes add value to my German lessons that you can benefit from: Only your focus decides - preparation for a language exam or studies, help with various documents and written works or your wish to improve your German in a communicative way. I would very much like to get to know you in a free trial lesson, so that we can discuss your wishes and requirements and prepare the lessons so that they bring you closer to your goal. And all of this from an intercultural perspective and with my personal experience, because I know your own perspective as well as the challenges that language learning brings with it. I'm looking forward to meeting you!
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Veronika is a very well prepared young teacher, friendly and professional. Her teaching method adapted perfectly to my needs and requirements. Through conversation lessons she helped me gain confidence in my spoken German. I highly recommend her for new starters as well as for students who already have some basic knowledge of German.
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My name is Tim Grundl and I have been teaching languages professionally for over 15 years. By using modern methods and a personal approach, the lessons become sustainable and motivating. The fun of learning should not be neglected, because learning is only possible in a relaxed atmosphere.
Book a free trial lesson and form your own opinion.
Whatever your goals are, conversation training, writing letters or emails, etc., together we will create a goal-oriented, individual plan to achieve these goals as stress-free as possible.
I would be happy to work with you.
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My husband has really enjoyed the lessons he's had with Tim. The material is rigorous and in-depth. Even after previous lessons, Tim has been able to push my husband and keep his confidence up.
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Yulia is a very nice teacher, with lots of patience and great preparation for each lesson. She has tailor-made each lesson for us, according to what topics we would like to focus more. We are very happy to have lessons with her to improve our German skills, especially our speaking skills, in preparation for our coming exams.
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My name is Noemie, I am 27 years old, and I live in Europe. I am Belgian and French, and I am bilingual in English and French,Yo puedo hablar en espanol and ‘Wǒ zhèngzài xuéxí zhōngwén’ and я учу русский язык.
I love trying to understand the world and its mysteries through history, culture, philosophy, politics, arts and above all through traveling. Indeed, traveling is my job as I am a documentary photographer, this is why I know how crucial it is to acquire the ability to speak English. It is a gateway to deepening our self-understanding, to widening our professional horizons, and a bridge towards understanding people from all around the world.
My teaching adventure started three years ago when I decided to tour the world seeking for new adventures and new horizons to deepen my understanding of this world. Since then, I have been a TEFL certified English teacher both online and in real life. I've had the chance to teach children and adults from all around the world, in Russia, China, Vietnam and France.
This experience helped me developed my capacity to teach English to all, whether you are Chinese, Russian, Spanish, Italian, French, … language isn’t a barrier for me. Cultural exchange is my passion and if need be I will get to learn the key sentences in your language to ease the communication during our classes. I will adapt my teaching style to your learning style.
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As a learner of many languages, and a theatre studies graduate,
I have been exposed to various learning techniques, leading me to develop my own approach to education which doesn’t only makes me an English teacher but also a coach.
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I’m here to help you!
If you are interested, send me a message and let’s start the journey!
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Noemie is an energetic and sunny person. She is an experienced teacher who is used to working with people from different cultures. Highly recommended!!!
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Hello !
I am a teacher of French as a Foreign Language (FLE), with a Master's degree in Training Engineering, specialising in FLE, Professional French and International Cooperation. Your needs are individual: we evaluate them together and I propose you an adapted learning based on my experience as a student as well as in a professional situation. No traditional pedagogy, we will use IT tools (TICE) to live a playful experience, inscribed in the action pedagogy, communicative method. I will accompany you whatever your level, including in the preparation for the exams for which I am qualified (France Education International, ex CIEP, DELF/DALF).
It is the exchange that is important, we move forward together.
Passionate about this profession, it is the diversity of intercultural exchanges that enriches my practice, a necessary complement to my activity in training engineering. I need to keep in touch with learners, so see you soon!
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Isabel is a french teacher who is qualified and has a great deal of experience. She has taught in different countries including the USA and Japan, and counts with different learning materials to help achieve different objectives.
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What about Fiorina ..... person available, prepared and always sunny ... for those who want to learn German I recommend studying with her.
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Always a sheer pleasure to learn from Fiorina: full of positive energy, well prepared, full of resources... and with a smile!
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Hi, I am teaching English and German, all levels. online and at home
I am very experienced
Meet you soon!
German is my native language and English is my passion. I am a Sworn Translator EN<>DED and can also translate your documents. I have a seal and what I translate in this language pair can be presented to all authorities all over the world.
Let's get started!
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Very happy with the first lesson! This teacher has good understanding of what is needed by student, she is nice and friendly, uses time and material effectively.
Uta H.Thank you very much for your excellent rating. See you on Monday :)
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I am thrilled by my teacher Dani. She is nice, positive and does a great job.
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So with me you can learn all the tipps to improve or learn German. I also worked as an Engineer for several years so we can as well work on your vocabulary in a technical level.
I am a great fan of new cultures and languages.
Feel free to contact me for a class :)
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Olivia has been amazing in helping learn German in a crash course fashion. She has materials for exactly the things I needed to know and helped me understand the bare minimum (which is what I was going for) to help me get my ideas across and understand the structure of what people are saying. She is a fantastic teacher.
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