German functions of words
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Hide- 1.What is the grammatical category of a word?
- 2.German nouns
- 3.German articles
- 4.German verbs
- 5.German adjectives
- 6.German pronouns
- 7.German adverbs
- 8.German prepositions
- 9.What to know about the German sentence structure
- 10.Exercises
- 10.1.Exercise of the functions of words
- 10.2.Decide which gender the following German nouns have!
- 10.3.Fill in the correct article of the German nouns
- 10.4.Mark all the German verbs!
- 10.5.Match the correct German pronoun!
What is the grammatical category of a word?
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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Eleonore G. 
Francesca B. 
Elena C.
Sara G.
Federica W.
Daniela M. 
Salvatore G.
Bernhard T.
Marko B.
Agnese G.
Eleonore G.
Francesca B.
Elena C.
Sara G.
Federica W.
Daniela M.
Salvatore G.
Bernhard T.
1. German nouns
Nouns are categorized in three different categories.
| gender | masculine, feminine, neuter |
|---|---|
| case | nominative, genitive, accusative, dative |
| number | singular, plural |
Die Katzen der Männer sind lieb. - The cats of the men are nice.
| gender | masculine |
|---|---|
| case | genitive |
| number | plural |
2. German articles
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 |
|---|---|
| case | nominative |
| number | plural |
3. German verbs
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 |
|---|---|---|
| mood | indicative or subjunctive I / subjunctive II | indicative |
| tense | present, simple past, future I,... | present tense |
| state | active or passive | active |
4. German adjectives
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 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 |
|---|---|
| case | genitive |
| number | singular |
5. German pronouns
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. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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. |
6. German adverbs
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. |
|---|---|---|
| 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. |
7. German prepositions
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. |
|---|---|---|
| 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. |
8. What to know about the German sentence structure
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
Exercises
- Exercise of the functions of words
- Decide which gender the following German nouns have!
- Fill in the correct article of the German nouns
- Mark all the German verbs!
- Match the correct German pronoun!
Exercise of the functions of words
Solution
Nouns are conjugable.
Yes.
Verbs are conjugable.
Yes, in number, mood, tense and the active or passive state.
Adjectives are declinable.
Yes, in gender, case and number.
Adjective can modifie a noun.
Yes, for example: das aufregende Spiel
The German possessive pronouns are used when referring to something that is already defined.
No.
- Relative pronouns describe the nouns more precisely
Yes.
Reflexive pronouns are used when referring to something that is already defined.
- No, they are part of the verb which refers to someone.
Adverbs can describe a verb.
Yes, for example: Wir sind dorthin gefahren
Prepositions refer to a local, temporal, modal or causal relationship between two things.
No, to a local temporal, causal and frequent relationship.
Decide which gender the following German nouns have!
Solution
_____ Stuhl (the chair)
Der - masculine
_____ Kind (the child)
Das - neuter
_____ Mädchen (the girl)
Das - neuter
_____ Sonne (the sun)
Die - feminine
_____ Mann (the man)
Der - masculine
_____ Frau (the woman)
Die - feminine
_____ Schule (the school)
Die - feminine
_____ Haus (the house)
Das - neuter
_____ Computer (the computer)
Der - masculine
_____ Film (the movie)
Der - masculine
Fill in the correct article of the German nouns
Fill in the correct article in the boxes
Jacke (the jacket)
Hund (the dog)
Hasen (the rabbits)
Haus (the house)
Auto (the car)
Karte (the card)
Büro (the office)
Straße (the street)
Garten (the garden)
Häuser (the houses)
Mark all the German verbs!
Click on the words to mark them!
1.) Heute gehen wir in den Zoo. Ich mag Tiere sehr gerne und mache viele Fotos.
(Today we go to the zoo. I like animals very much and take a lot of pictures)
2.) Gestern war ich schwimmen.
(Yesterday I was swimming)
3.) Wann musst du morgen in die Schule gehen?
(When do you have to go to school tomorrow?)
4.) Ich muss heute viel lernen. Morgen schreibe ich einen Test und danach muss ich eine Presentation halten
(I have to study a lot today. Tomorrow I write a test and afterwards I have to hold a presentation)
5.) Arbeitest du heute lange?
(Do you work long today?)
6.) Morgen werde ich Sport machen
(Tomorrow I will do sports)
7.) In der Hitze muss man viel Wasser trinken
(In the heat you have to drink a lot of water)
8.) Ich mache morgens immer den Kaffee. Im Büro gibt es viele Leute, die gerne Kaffee trinken
(I always make the coffee in the morning. There are a lot of people in the office who like to drink coffee)
9.) Sollen wir es nochmal versuchen?
(Should we try again?)
10.) Lasst uns nach Hause gehen
(Let's go home)
Correct!
Incorrect!
Missed!
Match the correct German pronoun!
Exercises
- Exercise of the functions of words
- Decide which gender the following German nouns have!
- Fill in the correct article of the German nouns
- Mark all the German verbs!
- Match the correct German pronoun!
Exercise of the functions of words
Solution
Nouns are conjugable.
Yes.
Verbs are conjugable.
Yes, in number, mood, tense and the active or passive state.
Adjectives are declinable.
Yes, in gender, case and number.
Adjective can modifie a noun.
Yes, for example: das aufregende Spiel
The German possessive pronouns are used when referring to something that is already defined.
No.
- Relative pronouns describe the nouns more precisely
Yes.
Reflexive pronouns are used when referring to something that is already defined.
- No, they are part of the verb which refers to someone.
Adverbs can describe a verb.
Yes, for example: Wir sind dorthin gefahren
Prepositions refer to a local, temporal, modal or causal relationship between two things.
No, to a local temporal, causal and frequent relationship.
Decide which gender the following German nouns have!
Solution
_____ Stuhl (the chair)
Der - masculine
_____ Kind (the child)
Das - neuter
_____ Mädchen (the girl)
Das - neuter
_____ Sonne (the sun)
Die - feminine
_____ Mann (the man)
Der - masculine
_____ Frau (the woman)
Die - feminine
_____ Schule (the school)
Die - feminine
_____ Haus (the house)
Das - neuter
_____ Computer (the computer)
Der - masculine
_____ Film (the movie)
Der - masculine
Fill in the correct article of the German nouns
Fill in the correct article in the boxes
Jacke (the jacket)
Hund (the dog)
Hasen (the rabbits)
Haus (the house)
Auto (the car)
Karte (the card)
Büro (the office)
Straße (the street)
Garten (the garden)
Häuser (the houses)
Mark all the German verbs!
Click on the words to mark them!
1.) Heute gehen wir in den Zoo. Ich mag Tiere sehr gerne und mache viele Fotos.
(Today we go to the zoo. I like animals very much and take a lot of pictures)
2.) Gestern war ich schwimmen.
(Yesterday I was swimming)
3.) Wann musst du morgen in die Schule gehen?
(When do you have to go to school tomorrow?)
4.) Ich muss heute viel lernen. Morgen schreibe ich einen Test und danach muss ich eine Presentation halten
(I have to study a lot today. Tomorrow I write a test and afterwards I have to hold a presentation)
5.) Arbeitest du heute lange?
(Do you work long today?)
6.) Morgen werde ich Sport machen
(Tomorrow I will do sports)
7.) In der Hitze muss man viel Wasser trinken
(In the heat you have to drink a lot of water)
8.) Ich mache morgens immer den Kaffee. Im Büro gibt es viele Leute, die gerne Kaffee trinken
(I always make the coffee in the morning. There are a lot of people in the office who like to drink coffee)
9.) Sollen wir es nochmal versuchen?
(Should we try again?)
10.) Lasst uns nach Hause gehen
(Let's go home)
Correct!
Incorrect!
Missed!