German/Level III/Markus Studiert
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Lektion Eins für Fortgeschrittene
Geschichte 1-3 ~ Markus studiert
[edit | edit source]- Markus ist in der Universität. Er trinkt dort einen Kaffee und isst ein Brötchen. Danach geht er in die Bibliothek. Er sucht ein Buch über Biochemie. Er holt das Buch aus dem Regal und setzt sich an einen Tisch. Nach einer Stunde geht er in den Hof und raucht eine Zigarette. Danach geht er an den Tisch zurück. Er denkt: "Wenigstens eine Stunde..." und stellt das Buch wieder in das Regal.
This short story (Geschichte) is told in the 3rd person (see Grammatik 1-3). Note how this is apparent from both the pronoun (Er or "he") and verb forms.
Vokabeln 1-3
[edit | edit source]die Bibliothek library die Biochemie biochemistry das Brötchen roll, biscuit das Buch book der Fortgeschrittene advancer die Fortgeschrittenen advancers (pl.) die Geschichte story der Hof courtyard; also court der Kaffee coffee die Stunde hour der Tisch table das Regal shelf die Zigarette cigarette
denken think (Er denkt = He thinks) essen eat (Er isst = He eats) holen fetch, get (Er holt = He gets/fetches) rauchen smoke (a cigarette) (Er raucht = He smokes) sich setzen sit (oneself) down (Er setzt sich = He sits) stellen place (Er stellt = He places) suchen seek, search for (Er sucht = He looks for) trinken drink (Er trinkt = He drinks)
aus out danach afterwards dort there in in nach after über about wenigstens at least, at any rate wieder again
Grammatik 1-3 ~ Personal Pronouns
[edit | edit source]As in English, personal pronouns exist in three grammatical persons, each with singular and plural number. In Gespräch 1-1 and 1-2, you see only the singular versions. The table here gives also the plural (nominative case only):
| ich | I | – 1st person, singular | |
| du | you | – 2nd person, singular | |
| er | he | – 3rd person musculine, singular | |
| sie | she | – 3rd person feminine, singular | |
| es | it | – 3rd person neuter, singular | |
| wir | we | – 1st person, plural | |
| ihr | you | – 2nd person, plural | |
| sie | they | – 3rd person, plural | |
| Sie | you (formal) | – 2nd person, plural and singular, always declined plural |
Grammatik 1-3 ~ Incomplete Sentences
[edit | edit source]What are we to make of short, incomplete sentences such as that in Gespräch 1-1: 'Und dir?'? This translates as: 'And for you?'. In English and German it is not always necessary to express every part of a sentence, especially in conversation where the words left out are easily understood by both or all parties. Walk up to a stranger and say 'And you?' and a possible response is a hostile 'Out of my face, fool'. But in the conversation between Heinrich and Karl, Heinrich knows that Karl is really meaning: Und wie geht es dir?, with that part underlined left out of the conversational statement. Note especially that the pronoun 'you' retains its case—its relation to the missing verb from the implied sentence—distinctive in German (that is, dir instead of du) but not so in English (the form "you" covers both cases).
Übersetzung 1-2
[edit | edit source]Although these sentences involve many grammatical concepts that have not been covered, each can be written in German by referring to the example sentences and vocabularies in Lessons 1 and 1A. Using a piece of paper and pencil, translate each of these sentences into German:
- Hello Mark! Do you have a cigarette?
- Are you studying German?
- Catherine drinks coffee at a table.
- The students study at the library.
- He eats cheese and sausage in the courtyard.
- She looks for a book about biology.
- Mark goes back to the University.
- Mark removes the book from the shelf and places it on the table.