By taking the time to understand how the German language works, you'll be able to speak German naturally, and read and write in German. We know this can be one of the more challenging parts of your course, and we’re here to help! You can browse the topics, do a search in the top right corner of this page, or start a new conversation. Don’t be shy!
Nathalie, Consider the following sentence: Folgen Sie mir! / Follow me! Mir is the appropriate pronoun. Mich is not, because folgen is a dative verb. Consider the following sentence: Koennen wir Sie/Ihnen folgen? Some say Sie is the appropriate pr...
4 replies - Last post by Paul-Weber - March 22, 2012
i read that "am" means "At the" and "im" means "in the" ....my question is i also read you can also just plain say in the or at the (in german)....how do i know when to use "am" and "im". my ...
7 replies - Last post by Paul-Weber - March 22, 2012
Was wondering if it matters what order time and place come in. For example, the sentence "Wollen sie auf mich morgan hier warten, bitte?" or is the other way "Wollen sie auf mich hier morgan warten, bitte?" better? I know the second verb comes at the end ...
2 replies - Last post by Paul-Weber - March 22, 2012
Hello, was wondering if anybody can tell me if these sentences are gramatically in the right order as far as syntax goes? Does 1 and 2 and 3 and 4 both mean the same thing or is something being stressed more? I know that the language is a more flexible on...
1 reply - Last post by Paul-Weber - March 22, 2012
Hi, Does anyone know of any good and accurate German translating website? I need something that will translate whole paragraphs, not just a word at a time. Thanks Alberto.
13 replies - Last post by berro-- - January 22, 2012
Foreign Language Institute German
This is a great resouce to help you learn Deutsch. It is dated but is still worth the price. Free! It is the same material that Barrons Mastering Germany uses with their course at a cost of $60.00. The mp3s can be download with a right click and then use ...
5 replies - Last post by Brad-- - July 15, 2011
I like the list of verbs that were listed by Nathalie in 2007..is there a way to get this all on one post so it can be printed so one does not have to print each page separately? I used to teach English Grammar and a chart like that is very useful in lear...
0 replies - Last post by mikeguy - June 18, 2011
Why isn't it Guter Morgen? I'm guessing this is the accusative form, am I right? Why not the nominative form? Please do not answer this if you are not one of the Rocket German teachers. I know you mean to be kind but I'm tired of not getting replies from...
2 replies - Last post by RAFIK-- - May 23, 2011
Does gerade mean: now, at the moment? When does one use it? I understand its use in: Sie horen gerade Musik, and Ich lerne gerade Deutsch but.... Ich besuche meine Tante jetzt gerade nicht, or sie öffnen jetzt gerade nicht die Türen , I do not underst...
2 replies - Last post by Davida-S - April 10, 2011
In the sentence: Ja, wenn das möglich ist würde ich gerne ein Doppelzimmer in der Woche danach buchen. Yes if it possible is, i would like a Double room on the next week to book. (close as i can get word-word) Yes, if it is possible I would like to bo...
6 replies - Last post by Prussian-Turtle - March 22, 2011
5.1. Eine Flasche Wein Kaufen question
The position of "wir" in this sentence is driving me crazy. :?: "Normalerweise verkaufen wir keine ungeöffneten Flaschen" and NOT "Normalerweise wir verkaufen keine ungeöffneten Flaschen??" I thought Wir always goes at t...
3 replies - Last post by tink - February 4, 2011
I am just beginning so maybe I have missed something, or am not there yet, but back in 1.2 the article before Kaffee was einen kaffee. Now in lesson 1.9 der kaffee is ein kaffee. Where did the einen come from and how do I know when to use which??
2 replies - Last post by tink - December 28, 2010
Hi Not too clear on the above: Section 2.1 shows" Aber es gibt eine ......" and translates as but there is!!! Section 2.2 shows "Gibt es dort Toiletten" ..... and translates Is there a toilet there. Why is es (is) before gibt on the f...
6 replies - Last post by tink - December 28, 2010
Hello All, I need a table of tenses. I have created one, however, I am not 100% sure if it is fully correct. Please amend it if required. :-) * **************** Singular ********************************************************************* Ich habe ----...
1 reply - Last post by mikeguy - December 12, 2010
Nathalie, Consider the verbs luegen (to lie) and anluegen (to lie to). Either one can be used to ask the following question: 1. Warum hast du (zu) deinem Vater gelogen? (Why have you lied to your father?) 2. Warum hast du dienen Vater angelogen? (Wh...
2 replies - Last post by SRA11 - October 10, 2010
Why do we say Guten Morgen in German?
Why isn't it Guter Morgen? I'm guessing this is the accusative form, am I right? Why not the nominative form?
1 reply - Last post by Abhishek - October 10, 2010
Him I am from India and have been having fun learning from your courses. I would like to know how the passiv voice is formed. Does it mean using the 'sein' verb for all Present Perfect forms (even where the same are not supposed to form their PP forms wit...
2 replies - Last post by Abhishek - October 10, 2010
Was möchtest du? Or Was möchten Sie?
What is the correct way to say "What would you like"? The course audio and written text teach's "Was möchtest du"? but the quiz at the end insists on saying "Was möchten Sie"? as the correct answer. Can you tell me which on...
2 replies - Last post by Forres - October 6, 2010
How to write perfect past and simple past biography?
Hello, I need to figure out how to write a biography introduction of myself in perfect past form and simple past form. My name is Jeremiah, I am from America. I am 26 years old. I enjoy doing martial arts and writing. I am studying graphic design. ...
2 replies - Last post by Byron-K21 - September 6, 2010
I see there are 2 ways to form passive voice sentences with modals 1) Conujugation of a modal plus a present passive infinitive 2) Conjugation of sich lassen and a present active infinitive #1 can become very awkward, especially in the future perfect w...
0 replies - Last post by SRA11 - May 29, 2010
I'm interested in something my German friend said to me. He said that he studied Shakespeare at college in Germany. I'm confused. I cannot understand how Shakespeare can be translated into German because it would lose the essence of Shakespeare's writing ...
4 replies - Last post by Reinhard - May 16, 2010
7.7 Language and Culture - Talking about something negative
I think there might be some errors in feminine and plural forms of KEIN. Shouldn't it be : * Feminine* : Nominative : Keine Accusative : Keine Dative : Keiner Genitive : Keiner (and NOT *Keine* as shown) *Plural *: Nominative : Keine Accusative : Keine...
1 reply - Last post by Paul-Weber - May 6, 2010
How do I know which verb to use when saying "I would like---"
2 replies - Last post by walleyenorth - March 24, 2010
Hi Paul, Can you tell me in the section why it says" Das Museum Ist es geschlossen" rather than "Das Museum es ist geschlossen" Following the verb structure etc I would have thought the latter was logical. Thanks Richard
2 replies - Last post by lekkman - March 21, 2010
I am newly returned to RG via the just released series. This may be the wrong section for this question. In the opening lesson, you use the familiar du/dir, etc, and say that will be a primary usuage. My impression heretofore has been that in general u...
3 replies - Last post by Mitschuler - February 27, 2010
It seems that most words ending with "e" are pronounced (ah), but some words have a silent "e". Is there any rule as to how this final "e" should be pronounced? Danke!
0 replies - Last post by Kuckucksuhr - February 9, 2010
In lesson 3.7, it states that it is uncommon to use the equivelent of "Do You" when asking questions. Would anyone be good enough to elaborate on that? How then would you ask: Do you have a car? Do you need a taxi? etc. etc. Thanks
2 replies - Last post by Kuckucksuhr - February 5, 2010
hi. it is interesting to know, how is better to pronounce such words, as Lehrer for example? because in the south of Germany they pronounce R in the middle of the word, but in the northern Germany they are not. and not only this word and letter. there are...
5 replies - Last post by Paul-Weber - February 2, 2010
Grammar question in section 1.11
In lesson 1.1 (Advanced Numbers) in the section "Useful Expressions" there is the example "Wieviel kostes das?" Is this grammatically correct? Shouldn't the phrase be "Wieviel kostet das?"?
1 reply - Last post by Paul-Weber - January 29, 2010
I am really enjojoying the course and have learnt quite a bit of German since starting (In earnest) about 4 months ago. However I HATE GRAMMAR, I really struggle to understand the dative, accusitive, nominative and genitive cases, and how they affect the...
8 replies - Last post by katherineh - January 4, 2010
Is there anywhere I can look up a German word and get a pronunciation key (or perhaps even audio files with the word spoken in correct German)? Thanks! Bill
3 replies - Last post by mikem - December 30, 2009
Hello, I have noticed the phrase "Er fährt bald los". Can I just use "bald"? Why use "bald los"? What is the difference?
1 reply - Last post by Paul-Weber - December 22, 2009
German dictionaries and Grammar all in one!
I have just found a wonderful source of information:www.canoo.net After putting in any German noun or verb in the space next to suchen it will take you to a page where you can change the language to English by clicking on the word English. If you do a w...
1 reply - Last post by mctneugierig - October 3, 2009
I have the same question Ken did earlier about lesson 2.1 regarding the ist es etc. The explanation he got still left me cofused. It really seems to me that "heute ist es geschlossen" is a question, not a statement. I know word order is differen...
4 replies - Last post by trunkaffe91 - September 20, 2009
In lesson 3.1 Matthias tells Sandra: Hey, du siehst ja nicht gerade sehr froh lich aus! why is the word "ja" used after nicht? Does it emphasize her not looking happy? Thank you for your help.
1 reply - Last post by Paul-Weber - August 17, 2009
My German teacher told me that you use Dich if it is the subject and Du if you were talking to someone.I'm still confused on this front so I really need it explaining to me. :oops:
2 replies - Last post by OCDeutsch - August 9, 2009
4.8 Understanting Action Verbs - Regen
Could you clarify something for me? 4.8 Understanding Action - Part 2 - test your German. I read and understood to conjugate the verb 'regen' (rain) I remove the en and add a 't' to 'reg' when saying "it is raining". (es regt) However in the...
1 reply - Last post by Paul-Weber - July 30, 2009
Hello. I have an old German grammar from my childhood (over 40 years ago.). While all modern grammars (including of course RG) show adverb order as time, manner, place, this old book says time, place, manner. The example given is [color=#0000BF:38enpk...
1 reply - Last post by Paul-Weber - July 17, 2009
Hello, can you help with possessive pronouns? If one were talking about a house, would one say "Das ist [color=#0000BF:3pblj3wc]meines[/color:3pblj3wc]" and "Ihr Haus ist grösser als [color=#0000BF:3pblj3wc]das meinige[/color:3pblj3wc...
1 reply - Last post by Paul-Weber - July 17, 2009
I can't put the umlaut over the "u" but in lesson 2.4 Matthias tells Sandra she owes forty euros for fuel, and two euros for oil. Why does fur have an apostrophe and "s" when he tells what she owes for oil?
1 reply - Last post by Paul-Weber - July 17, 2009
Hallo, I just posted a question about adverbs and TMP, but only after I had signed out did I remember why I was looking up word order anyway. (everything takes twice as long when one is so easily distracted). I heard in a German programme, someone say...
0 replies - Last post by xocwjjb - July 8, 2009
Possessive Adjective Ihr declined
Hallo, I am trying to swot up my German grammar that I knew last year but have forgotten. So in my translation exercise one sentence says "Have you begun your work already?". And I wrote "Haben Sie [color=#0000FF:119a79r5]Ihre[/color:119a...
2 replies - Last post by xocwjjb - June 30, 2009
Hallo, (I just realized instead of posting this as a new topic i replied to someone's completely unrelated post. Oops. :P) Anyways, my cross country coach speaks German and knows that I'm learning, and he said something that sounded like "_Ya Vool...
1 reply - Last post by Bassoonist1 - June 8, 2009
I am a little confused about when to use "zu". For example, a waiter might ask "Was mochten Sie trinken? In lesson 1.2 Nik wants etwas "warmes zu trinken". Does she use zu because she has the adjective "warmes ...
1 reply - Last post by leo1 - May 3, 2009
What is the difference between Gern and Gerne? I've seen both used but have no idea which one is used when. Also, Is "beide" a determiner? I've seen beide, beiden, and beides but I have no clue what each is used for.
1 reply - Last post by Paul-Weber - April 16, 2009
For such a small word, this is giving me a fit on what it means and its placement in a sentence. For example: 1) Super Idee, aber liegt denn schon irgendwo Schnee? (Lesson 7.1) 2) Mochten Sie schon etwas zu trinken bestellen? (Newsletter) Any help would ...
4 replies - Last post by helipilot11 - March 31, 2009
In lesson 1.2 when asking for a coffee, einen Kaffee is used. Why is einen used and not ein?
1 reply - Last post by HANX - March 23, 2009
The first line states "Wir brauchen ein Geschenk fur meine Mutter" Isn't Mutter the indirect object? which would make it meiner Mutter instead of meine Mutter? I apologize if this question has already been asked but I'm still trying to grasp Ge...
1 reply - Last post by helipilot11 - March 22, 2009
The position of the word "Gerne"
Perhaps you can give me a definitive rule for the placement of the word "Gerne" or "Gern"....I notice that sometimes it follows the verb directly and at other times it appears at the end of the sentence....The lesson of 7.1 is a good e...
1 reply - Last post by armani - February 9, 2009