Learn German with Stress Free German

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Welcome to Lesson #20 of Stress Free German, and congrats on reaching the final lesson of Volume 1. I know how much time and effort you put in to make it here, so I hope you keep your momentum going by joining me in Volume II. Just head over to StressFreeGerman.com and click on the banner.

Let’s start by recalling this phrase: We are going to the movies.

Wir gehen ins Kino.

I’m going to the museum.

Ich gehe ins Museum.

And why are they saying “ins?” As we learned back in Lesson 10, it’s a contraction of in and das.

Okay, but what about a masculine location? Hit pause and take a guess on how we might say:

I’m going to the park.

Ich gehe in den Park.

Why is it in den? Because going towards something counts as doing something to it.

Usually. Back in Lesson 14 I mentioned that there was one common exception to this idea, and now is the time to talk about it. It’s this little word zu.

Because you can also say:

Ich gehe zum Park. zum…zu dem..zum

Here’s the difference between the two. When he says…Ich gehe in den Park.

…he enters the park itself. Take a moment and see that scene. A man walking to the park and actually entering it. Ok. But when he says: Ich gehe zum Park. …he might not actually enter the park. Maybe he’s meeting friends by the entrance. Let’s try it again with another masculine location.

Der Supermarkt.

So given the phrase: I’m going to the supermarket. she might say….

Ich gehe in den Supermarkt.

…or…

Ich gehe zum Supermarkt.

With the first one, in den, she is entering the store itself. With the second one, zum, she might not actually enter the store. Maybe she’s going fairly late and the store might be closed.

Another way to visualize this is to draw an arrow piercing the location. The arrow goes into the place. That’s the German word “in.” Then imagine an arrow that ends right in front of the place itself. That would be zu.

(music)

So imagine a bank and a post office next door to each other, and an elderly woman standing outside, as if deciding which place to enter. The presence of the woman tells us that in German these two locations are both feminine. Listen…

Die Bank, Die Post

Hey…wait! Isn’t Bank the word for a bench? It is. German, too, has homonyms…words that sound the same but have different meanings. At least they’re both feminine, right?

So let’s say Thomas is going to the post office. Maybe he wants to mail something in one of the boxes outside. Or maybe he’s meeting a friend outside the building. He says…

Ich gehe zur Post.

Right? Our mental arrow ends just outside of the building. But if he intended to go inside and buy stamps, or go in and pick up a package…

Ich gehe in die Post.

Now our arrow pierces the door and goes inside. Same with the bank. Lisa is meeting a friend outside the bank. So as she heads out she informs her roommate…

Ich gehe zur Bank. zu der…zur

But if she intends to go in and make a deposit?

Ich gehe in die Bank.

Let’s try train station. You’re going there because there’s a guy who sells awesome preztels from a little cart just outside the station. So you tell your roommate…

Ich gehe zum Bahnhof.

But if you intend on going inside to buy tickets, or to wait inside for a friend’s arrival…

Ich gehe in den Bahnhof.

Normally when we say we’re going to the movies, we mean we intend to end up inside it, watching a movie.

Wir gehen ins Kino.

But if your arrow takes you only to the building itself, maybe to meet friends outside it? What would we say?

Wir gehen zum Kino.

Let’s change topics here for a bit and add a new verb. So, your friend comes over in a great mood. She shows you a train ticket and says…

Ich fahre nach London!

Clearly she’s going to London, but why didn’t she use the other version we learned:

Ich gehe…

Well, the verb fahren also conveys the idea of going somewhere, but it implies by some kind of vehicle. Car, bus, train…even a bike. So she’s saying, I’m traveling to London.

You try it. Say: I’m traveling to France.

Ich fahre nach Frankreich.

We are traveling to Austria.

Wir fahren nach Österreich.

My brother is traveling to Germany.

Mein Bruder fährt nach Deustchland.

Ask a friend: Are you traveling to Berlin?

Fährst du nach Berlin?

Maybe we can combine these two main concepts we’re working on. How might you say…

I’m going (by vehicle) to the supermarket.

Ich fahre zum Supermarkt.

I’m going inside the supermarket.

Ich gehe in den Supermarkt.

How about: I now am inside the supermarket.

Ich bin jetzt im Supermarkt.

Excellent. Back in a bit…

TIP OF THE DAY

If you think of your vocabulary in a language as a big pot of stew, then the tip today is to remember to constantly stir deep down into the pot. Keep churning the language, mixing old vocab with new. Because, as the saying goes, use it or lose. But the problem is, unless you have an unlimited amount of time, it becomes increasingly more challenging to properly stir one’s growing vocabulary stew. The trick is to choose wisely. Focus on reviewing those words which are inherently more challenging to recall. This is something we do here in this course, and will continue to do in the lessons ahead.

Speaking of which, I hope you’ll continue your journey with the team here at Stress Free German. I may be the voice of the course, but there are a lot of people who’ve come together to make this happen. Thanks need to go out to the tech guys in Hiroshima, Japan, our language partners in western Ukraine and Germany, our graphics team down in Crimea…even the financial guys in the U.S. We’re a small company but we have big ambitions: To help people realize that even the most challenging languages can be easy, even fun to learn.

(music)

Time for some review.

Try to say: Today we’re shopping in the supermarket.

Heute wir kaufen im Supermarkt ein.

At the bakery department of the store ask for: One wholegrain bread.

Einmal Vollkornbrot.

Your friend is always late. Tell him: Your clock is broken!

Deine Uhr ist kaputt.

As you head out to go camping, say:

I’m taking a knife with. …implying with me.

Ich nehme ein Messer mit.

Ask a friend: Are you taking his book with?

Nimmst du sein Buch mit?

I’m buying a new garbage bin.

Ich kaufe eine neue Mülltonne.

He is standing on the chair.

Er steht auf dem Stuhl.

Grandma is making a beautiful rug.

Oma macht einen schönen Teppich.

Your friend is wearing a new jacket with the logo of a German bank on it.

Ask: Do you work in a bank?

Arbeitest du in einer Bank?

Tell your boss: I give you, sir, my word.

Ich gebe Ihnen mein Wort.

We know that phrase. But now let’s try it with reported speech. So how will his wife repeat to him:

He is giving you his word.

Er gibt dir sein Wort.

We need a new cutting board.

Wir brauchen ein neus Brett.

(swell)

Thomas is meeting a friend outside the bank. As he heads out he informs his wife…

Ich gehe zur Bank. zu der…zur

Lisa is going to the train station to buy a newspaper at one of the kiosks outside it.

So she says…

Ich gehe zum Bahnhof.

There’s a good choice of cafes inside the train station, so as Hans heads out he says…

I’m going into the train station.

Ich gehe in den Bahnhof.

Katherine needs to make a deposit at the bank so she says…

Ich gehe in die Bank.

Let’s add one word into the mix that you likely already know. Wann

For example: A friend tells you that there’s a free jazz concert in the park tonight. Having to work until seven in the evening you ask:

Wann ist das Konzert?

How would you translate this next phrase?

Wann fahren wir nach Berlin?

When are we traveling to Berlin?

You try it. Ask: When are we traveling to Dublin?

Wann fahren wir nach Dublin?

When are we going shopping?

Wann gehen wir einkaufen?

When are you going to the post office? (implying going in, to mail something)

Wann gehst du in die Post?

Alright. And for our last little topic today, let’s work with…with. Well, the German version: mit

Spelled m-i-t…mit

What do you think Karl is saying here?

Ich fahre nach Hamburg mit dem Bus. mit…dem…Bus

I’m traveling to Hamburg with the bus. We’ve encountered the word dem before. For example:

Your key is on the table.

Dein Schlüssel ist auf dem Tisch.

Or: I’m in the museum.

Ich bin im Museum. Im is a contraction of in dem

Try to say: We’re traveling with the train.

Wir fahren mit dem Zug.

Of course in normal English, we’d use the word “by”. I’m going by train.

Take a moment, use that pause button, and try to think of how you’d say:

I ride a bike to school.

Ich fahre mit dem Fahrrad zur Schule.

We use zu here because when we’re on the bike, our arrow of movement only goes up to the school. You’re not riding inside it, are you? And why was it zur? Because she’s contracting zu und der…zur.

A key takeaway here is that normally, motion towards a place is considered this (FIST / PALM), right? It’s considered doing something to the place. Usually. But not when zu is involved.

Try that phrase again: I ride a bike to school. Lit: travel with the bike…

Ich fahre mit dem Fahrrad zur Schule.

I traveling by train to work.

Ich fahre mit dem Zug zur Arbeit.

My friend rides a bike to work.

Mein Freund fährt mit dem Fahrrad zur Arbeit.

We’re riding the bus home.

Wir fahren mit dem Bus nach Hause.

Ask your boss: Are you traveling by car or by bus?

Fahren Sie mit dem Auto oder mit dem Bus?

Ask your sister: Are you traveling by bus or by train?

Fährst du mit dem Bus oder mit dem Zug?

Guys, fantastic job….of course on finishing this lesson, but mostly for making it all the way through Volume 1 of this course. It says something about a person when they can choose a goal and stick with it to the end. Of course, in some ways this was only the beginning. Up next, in the first lesson of Volume II, we’re going to talk about our family and friends as we begin to tell our story. I hope to see you there, but if your path takes you down a different road I wish you all the best in your pursuit of the language.

Tschuss!

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Welcome to Lesson #19 of Stress Free German. We start today with a neuter image which has four new elements. So imagine a loaf of bread on a cutting board. The board is on a shelf, and behind it are some books and a large, shiny carving knife. So the shelf is our neuter anchor. And again, our four new concrete nouns are…

bread, knife, board, book

Brot, Messer, Brett, Buch

The first and last are fairly easy. Brot is bread and Buch is book.

Let’s try a phrase with each. You’re not sure if the bread near you on the table is yours.

Ask: Is this my bread?

Ist das mein Brot?

Where is my book?

Wo ist mein Buch?

Those words fit nicely with our philosophy of being flexible: From bread to Brot. From book to Buch. Unfortunately the German words for knife and board aren’t so obvious:

Messer, Brett

That is a small knife.

Das ist ein kleines Messer.

Admiring the smooth, hardwood cutting board, you say:

This is a good board.

Das ist ein gutes Brett.

Let’s try one more round. In the bakery say:

I would have with pleasure one bread.

Ich hätte gerne ein Brot.

to a friend: Your book is on the shelf.

Dein Buch ist auf dem Regal.

Looking to do some cooking in your friend’s kitchen, ask:

Do you have a board?

Hast du ein Brett?

Alright! Armed with some new words, we’re ready to head outside. So Lisa stands up and opens the door…

Gehen wir jetzt in die Bäckerei?

Warum nicht?

In the bakery, after the greetings and the How can I help you exchange, Lisa points to a dark, dense-looking loaf of bread. Then holds up one finger…

Einmal Vollkornbrot, bitte.

Well, she ordered some kind of bread, I caught that. When you think about it, it makes sense that we’d encounter variations on that word. I mean, there are all sorts of breads in the world. Dark bread, white bread, rye bread, and so on.

Maybe you heard the relation between full and voll. Full grain….Vollkorn.

So she asked for a full-grain or “whole wheat” bread. Vollkornbrot

Einmal Vollkornbrot, bitte.

And then Thomas orders by pointing to a loaf of whitebread and holding up one finger.

Einmal Weißbrot.

Is he saying “white”? Weiß

Whitebread…. Weißbrot

Okay. I get that now. But what’s up with that word einmal? We’ll ponder in a moment….

(MUSIC)

So einmal is obviously functioning here as “one.” Right? One bread, please. But more literally, what you’re really saying is “one time,” “one instance” or even just “once” of bread. And if we want two loaves?

Zweimal Vollkornbrot, bitte.

Two whitebreads, please.

Zweimal Weißbrot, bitte.

Imagine we’re in a bakery in Salzburg, where they sell bread and Mozartkugels.

Listen to Lisa’s order:

Einmal Sonnenblumenkernbrot, bitte. Und zwei Mozartkugeln.

Hmm….Be flexible, right? So the German word Sonnen sounds like sun. Blume…well that’s flower. So Sonnenblume is sunflower? And kern…sounds like kernel, which is a seed. So, ah!

Sunflower seed bread!

Sonnenblumenkernbrot

I am totally ordering that the next time I’m in a bakery.

(swell)

Try to say: The bread is on the table.

Das Brot ist auf dem Tisch.

Your book is on the floor.

Dein Buch ist auf dem Boden.

I love this cutting board.

Ich liebe dieses Brett.

I love this knife.

Ich liebe dieses Messer.

Back in the bakery, try to say the following:

I would have with pleasure two loaves of white bread.

Ich hätte gerne zweimal Weißbrot.

Any guess on how to say “three” of something? Count with us to three… eins zwei drei

Dreimal

Listen as Tanya orders for five people:

Zweimal Orangensaft bitte, und dreimal Tee.

You try it: We want to order: Two OJs and three teas. Literally we’ll say…

Twice orangejuice please, and three-times tea.

Zweimal Orangensaft bitte, und dreimal Tee.

Last one before we switch to a new topic. So, do you think you can say:

I would have with pleasure one Sunflower seed bread.

Ich hätte gerne einmal Sonnenblumenkernbrot.

Awesome!

(MUSIC)

So, a new verb today and it’s our first look at something called a separable verb. Fow now, imagine you’re with a friend in a grocery store. Her cellphone rings, and she tells the caller…

Ich kaufe im Supermarkt ein.

The verb she used is actually einkaufen. But when Germans conjugate it, the front part separates and gets added to the end of the sentence. You try it:

I’m shopping in the supermarket.

Ich kaufe im Supermarkt ein.

English kind of does this, with something called phrasal verbs. Think of the phrase: I cleaned the whole room up. The verb is “to clean up”, but we often separate “clean” from “up.” Or: I paid all my friends back. The verb is “to pay back”, but we separate “pay” from “back.” So, English sometimes does this. But German does it more often, and more strictly.

Ask your friend: Are you shopping in the supermarket?

Kaufst du im Supermarkt ein?

We are shopping in the supermarket.

Wir kaufen im Supermarkt ein.

The only time that “ein” part does not get separated is when you use what we call the infinitive.

So, as Thomas heads out the door, he announces to his roommates:

I’m going shopping.

Ich gehe einkaufen.

But again, once Thomas is there in the store, he now tells people:

I am shopping.

Ich kaufe ein.

TIP OF THE DAY

We’re almost at the end of Volume 1 of this course. And while we’re going to take a moment to reflect on what you’ve accomplished, the tip will lie in how you should navigate the road ahead. The goal in these first twenty lessons has been to give an overview of how German works. To know that nouns have gender, and they have supporting words…and these supporting words can be affected when we do something to the noun. We also looked at some fundamental verbs–needing, wanting, searching for, and so on–and covered nearly all the “persons.” I need, you want, she’s searching for, etc.

Looking ahead, one of the things you should start working on is learning to tell your story. I mean, what else do we really talk about, right? So where are you from? What do you do? What are your plans? People tend to ask a specific set of questions. So, we might as well start practicing our responses. In Volume II of this course, learning to tell your story is our main goal. Before we get there, though, we need to get back to today’s main topic….

(MUSIC)

Say: I’m shopping in the supermarket.

Ich kaufe im Supermarkt ein.

How about: Mom is shopping in the market.

Mama kauft im Supermarkt ein.

Again, the verb itself is einkaufen, but when they conjugate the verb, the first bit, that “ein” goes at the very end of the sentence. The next time you watch a C/I video, keep an ear out for sentences ending with auf, or ein, or aus. It’s probably the prefix of a separable verb.

Let’s look at another useful one.

Ich nehme meinen Pass mit.

The verb she used is mitnehmen. But when Germans conjugate it, the front part separates and gets added to the end. You try it:

I’m taking a key with. (implying with me)

Ich nehme einen Schlüssel mit.

And yes, the verb is obviously related to the one we learned back in Lesson 12. So we can also say:

I’m taking the key.

Ich nehme den Schlüssel.

They’re similar, but the implications are different. By using “mitnehmen”, you’re implying that you will have a key with you. In the other one, it simply means you are taking it. Maybe someone left the key for you on the table. Maybe you just put the key in your pocket and that’s it.

I’m taking his book with…implying taking it with me.

Ich nehme sein Buch mit.

Listen to the word order on this next one:

Are we taking a bag with?

Nehmen wir eine Tasche mit?

Are we taking his watch with?

Nehmen wir seine Uhr mit?

Ask a friend: Are you taking the knife?

Nimmst du das Messer mit?

(swell)

And for our last new concept, let’s add a new possessive adjective.

unser

Imagine you’re at a pizzeria. You and a friend ordered a peperoni pizza and later go wash up. You come back to the table and see that everyone else has their pizza. But your spot on the table is empty. So you ask…

Wo ist unsere Pizza?

If you were instead expecting a basket of bread, you’d ask…

Wo ist unser Brot?

Or if you were expecting a basket..umm..of cheese?

Wo ist unser Käse?

Can you say those?

Where is our pizza?

Wo ist unsere Pizza?

Where is our bread?

Wo ist unser Brot?

Where is our cheese?

Wo ist unser Käse?

How about: Our wardrobe is very old.

Unser Schrank ist sehr alt.

Our bathroom is very beautiful.

Unser Badezimmer ist sehr schön.

Our lamp is broken.

Unsere Lampe ist kaputt.

I was watching the Simspons in German once, and there was a scene where Homer hugged their refrigerator and said: I love our fridge.

Ich liebe unseren Kühlschrank.

Did you remember to add an “en” sound to the end of unser….unseren…Because, of course, the supporting words change when we do something to a masculine noun.

I was going on a picnic with some relatives in Vienna. Before heading out, my cousin picked up their new puppy and told everyone:

I’m taking our new little friend here with.

Ich nehme unseren kleinen Freund hier mit.

(MUSIC)

End with some review? Try to say..

We’re looking for a pastry shop.

Wir suchen eine Konditorei.

I love chocolate.

Ich liebe Schokolade!

Tell the waitress: I would have with pleasure a coffee.
Ich hätte gerne Kaffee.

…but then your friend walks in, so you change your order:

Two instances, please.

Zweimal, bitte.

I’m taking his bread.

Ich nehme sein Brot.

Compare that with: I’m taking his bread with (me).

Ich nehme sein Brot mit.

The check, please!

Die rechnung, bitte.

Those “ung” nouns. Always feminine, right? Say…

We’re looking for a new apartment.

Wir suchen eine neue Wohnung.

I am shopping.

Ich kaufe ein.

He has our cutting board.

Er hat unser Brett.

Cool. And I’ll cut things right there. Remember, Volumes 2 and 3 of this course are now available, so please visit StressFreeGerman.com and then click the banner to see what’s inside. So please go check that out, and I’ll see you in Lesson 20… the end of Volume 1!

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Welcome to Lesson #18 of Stress Free German. Do you recall the image from the last lesson? Where they bake bread and cakes? Right….

Die Bäckerei.

Let’s envision a similar, and equally popular kind of shop. It’s called a Konditorei. Your nose draws you inside…the smell of dark chocolate and sweet pastries. The bell jingles as you walk in, and your eyes are drawn to the display case full of chocolates, pralines, and especially…Mozartkuglen.

What would you call such a shop in English? Maybe a Chocolate Shop? A Pastry Shop? Or to use the related word: A confectionery. Call it what you want in English, but in German it’s a Konditorei.

A place where you can buy Schokolade, or a Praline, or my favorite, a Mozartkugel.

Let’s try those again. The place is called a… Konditorei. And inside you can buy

eine Schokolade oder eine Praline, oder eine Mozartkugel.

Can you guess the gender of eveything in today’s picture? Right. Feminine. So as you gesture to the many shops surrounding the old town square, ask your tour guide:

Is there a pastry shop here?

Gibt es hier eine Konditorei?

A customer tells you: The chocolate is very tasty.

Die Schokolade ist sehr lecker.

to a friend: Your praline is on the table. “standing” on the table

Deine Praline steht auf dem Tisch.

Where is my Mozartkugel?

Wo ist meine Mozartkugel?

If you’ve never had one, a Mozartkugel is a small, round chocolate made of pistachio and marzipan. They’re a specialty of Salzburg, Mozart’s hometown. Anyway, of course, when we do something to feminine nouns, their supporting words?….right…they do not change. So try to say:

I’m looking for a pastry shop.

Ich suche eine Konditorei.

I’m taking his praline.

Ich nehme seine Praline.

I want your Mozartkugel.

Ich will deine Mozartkugel.

I love my chocolate.

Ich liebe meine Schokolade!

(swell)

So, if you’ve done any research into how to determine the gender of nouns, I’m sure you found articles telling you to pay attention to noun endings. Like, certain noun endings tend to indicate certain genders. And they’re right. The problem is, their approach is all backward: They’re asking you to memorize word lists and genders before you know any of the words. Not good. That’s why we waited all the way until Lesson 18. Because now that you know the words and their gender, we can point out their endings. Like today’s new word. What’s a pastry shop called again?

Konditorei And a bakery? Bäckerei And they’re both feminine. So, any guess on the gender of this word? Metzgerei You got it. Feminine.

Try to make the connection to “meats”….a meats-gerei. Metzgerei…is a butcher shop.

So ask: Is there a butcher shop here?

Gibt es hier eine Metzgerei?

Did you say “eine”? Excellent. Then ask:

Where is the butcher shop?

Wo ist die Metzgerei?

And how about this place? Listen: Schuhmacherei

Schuh…is shoe….macher….is maker….rei…makes it a place or a shop.

Schuhmacherei

Ask: Where is the shoe-maker’s-shop?

Wo ist die Schuhmacherei?

I bet you instinctively used die because you felt it was following the pattern of those other “rei” locations. And that’s the point: If you know the gender of certain words, then very often other words with the same ending will be of the same gender.

(MUSIC)

Do you recall the picture of the bench in front of the church? Do you recall what was on the bench?

Try to see the picture and those items. Eine Tasche und eine Zeitung

It’s that second one, Die Zeitung I want to look at. Because there are literally thousands of nouns in German that end with “u-n-g” and virtually all of them are feminine. Here’s one of the most useful.

(SFX – Cafe) Imagine you’re finishing your meal in a cafe. You get the waiter’s attention, and ask him for…

Die Rechnung, bitte.

Why did she say Die? Because like nearly all “ung” nouns, Zeitung is feminine. And can you hear the similarity between Rechnung and the English verb “to reckon?” Listen again:

the reckoning

Die Rechnung

“Oh, miss, may I have the reckoning, please?”

or in normal English: The check, please!

Die rechnung, bitte.

Another example of a “u-n-g” noun, perhaps the most common, is this: Wohnung.

I met a friend the other day in a cafe. She and her roommate were online, looking at apartments for rent. Off my curious glance she explained:

Wir suchen eine neue Wohnung.

A month later, there I was at their move-in party. Their new pad was a two-bedroom penthouse with hardwood floors, leather furniture, nice art on the walls. I told them…

What a beautiful apartment!

Was für eine schöne Wohnung!

Try to say: I’m searching for a new apartment.

Ich suche eine neue Wohnung.

The takeaway here isn’t so much these new words, but rather the idea that, as we progress through the course, I’ll be pointing out particularly useful endings which will then help you absorb the gender of many, many more nouns.

(MUSIC)

Now a little review of recent vocab.

It’s cold in the pastry shop.

Es ist kalt in der Konditorei.

It is warm in the apartment.

Es ist warm in der Wohnung.

Your friends are playing a new game. (video game SFX)

If you ask how they like it, what might they say?

Es macht Spaß!

Let’s say your shoes have worn thin from all the walking you’ve been doing lately. Ask your neighbor: Is there a shoemaker around here?

Gibt es hier eine Schuhmakerei?

Tell your friend: I’m making for you a big cake.

Ich mache dir eine große Torte.

Your elderly neighbor has come over to introduce himself. Tell him…

I’m making for you an orange juice.

Ich mache Ihnen einen Orangensaft.

TIP OF THE DAY

Today’s tip? Sometimes we need to train our ear. So let’s do some more minimal pairs. The second one in each pair will have an umlaut vowel. Listen closely and repeat…

Herren …hören

Ohr…Öl

Morgen mögen

Losung…Lösung

Boro….Büro

Kuchen….Küche

Mutter….müde

Groner….grüner

Last one…listen close:

hatte…. hätte

Before getting back to work, I just wanted to let you guys know that Volumes 2 and 3 of Stress Free German are now available so be sure to visit the site, StressFreeGerman.com and look for the banner that says, Volume II… get it here.

Alright, back to it. Now, we’ve got all these various shops that we know, right? The bakery, the pastry shop, and so on. So let’s take things to the next logical step and actually try to order something. There’s the door….(SFX bells jingle) The lady at the counter waves…

For now, let’s just listen as your friend Thomas makes an order:

Guten Morgen!

Guten Morgen.

Was darf es sein?

Ich hätte gerne eine Torte.

You wander over to check out the cake he ordered, but suddenly a second salesperson smiles at you: Kann ich Ihnen helfen?

Kann…ich…Ihnen…helfen?

Wait, I wasn’t expecting this. I try to parse the words she said, to make sense of it. Kann ich maybe that’s “Can I?” And then she said “Ihnen”… “to you”, and…helfen? Is that just the German word for “help”? Can I helfen you? is she just saying, Can I help you?

Well, there’s a delicious pizza under a heat lamp. Luckily, Thomas sees me and comes to the rescue…

Ich hätte gerne eine Pizza.

Listen to his first three words again: Ich…hätte…gerne

Literally: I would have with pleasure

This is a great phrase you can use when ordering things. So try to say:

I would have with pleasure a coffee.

Ich hätte gerne einen Kaffee.

The woman hands you a To-Go cup and you hand her the money. Cool! Your first official purchase in German. In fact, you’re so excited about it, you tell Thomas:

Now let’s go to the pastry shop.

Gehen wir jetzt in die Konditorei.

(SFX jingle)

This time the baker, a man in his forties, greets you…

Guten Morgen.

Guten Morgen!

Was darf es sein?

Tell him: I would like a Mozartkugel.

Ich hätte gerne eine Mozartkugel.

He makes a quizzical look and raises one finger:

Nur eine??

Tell him: Yes, only one. Thanks.

Ja, nur eine. Danke.

After you leave the shop, you see a kiosk where they sell hot drinks. You’re not even thirsty, but you’re so psyched about your progress, you run up and order tea. What do you say?

Ich hätte gerne einen Tee.

And again, how does that literally translate? I would have with pleasure a tea.

Later, at the bar, tell the bartender: I would have with pleasure a beer.

Ich hätte gerne ein Bier.

If you said einen Tee (because tea is masculine) and “ein Bier” because beer is neuter and the supporting words don’t change, then I authorize you to give yourself an A+.

(music)

Let’s end with some review.

Try to say: My friend works in the pastry shop.

Mein Freund arbeitet in der Konditorei.

Make that my female friend:

Meine Freundin arbeitet in der Konditorei.

My grandma works in this butcher shop.

Meine Oma arbeitet in dieser Metzgerei.

My grandpa works in the shoemaker’s shop.

Mein Opa arbeitet in der Schumacherei.

Is there a cashier here?

Gibt es hier eine Kasse?

My cellphone is broken.

Mein Handy ist kaputt.

Sir, your key is on the table.

Ihr Schlüssel ist auf dem Tisch

(to a friend) I’m giving you my Mozartkugel.

Ich gebe dir meine Mozartkugel.

Mmm! Danke! Sehr lecker! Aber….nur eine?

Don’t you just love totally random review? It hurts the brain a little, but in a good way. Just a few more….

I’m standing out on the balcony.

Ich stehe auf dem Balkon.

What a beautiful cake!

Was für eine schöne Torte!

(to your boss) How goes it?

Wie geht es Ihnen?

Alles gut, danke. Und dir?

The obvious follow up here is to tell her:

I’m making you a big apple juice.

Ich mache Ihnen einen großen Apfelsaft.

She says….

Mmm! Thanks! Delicious! But… just one?

Mmm! Danke! Sehr lecker! Aber….nur einen?

Did you say “nur einen” there? Because she’s implying, you only made me just one? And juice is masculine? Even when we’re just playing around and having some fun with review, you need to keep an ear out for the patterns.

See you next lesson!

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Welcome to Lesson #17 of Stress Free German. Today’s image has three new elements. So, we are inside a bakery. Shelves lined with loaves of bread and rolls. There’s a big cake on the counter. And an elderly woman wearing glasses at the cash register. Both the woman and the glasses remind us that the following are feminine nouns: The bakery, the cake, and the cash register.

Bäckerei, Torte, Kasse

Bäckerei, is obviously the bakery. The thing to note is that the second letter is an “a” with two dots over it. What they call an umlaut. Let’s do a quick “minimal pair” for this.

Imagine the letters B-A-C-K, no dots over the A

Back

And now with the dots: Bäck

Again, Back Bäck

Baaaaack…Bääääck

And one more time: Bakery?

Bäckerei

Next we heard: Torte In English we say torte, and in German? Torte. The distinguishing feature of a torte, in either language, is it has layers. So although you do bake it, some of the layers are added after baking, like the jam and such. Torte

Mmm! Sehr lecker!

And finally we heard Kasse. You can hear the relation to the English word cashier. It’s the place where you pay.

So let’s try those words in some realistic phrases. Stop someone on the street and say…

I’m looking for a bakery.

Ich suche eine Bäckerei.

You chose a birthday cake and are not sure where to pay.

Ask: Where is the checkout?

Wo ist die Kasse?

Having bought the cake and brought it home, you wonder now where it is.

Your sister says: The cake is on the table. literally is standing on the table…

Die Torte steht auf dem Tisch.

My Grandma works in a bakery.

Meine Oma arbeitet in einer Bäckerei.

Wait..where’d that birthday cake go? Ask:

Where is my cake?

Wo ist meine Torte?

Your cake stands in the refrigerator.

Deine Torte steht im Kühlschrank.

We’re looking for the checkout.

Wir suchen die Kasse.

(swell)

Sorry, one second…It’s warm in here. It seems like a good idea to open the window, but I can’t because it’s raining. Why do we say It? It’s warm. It’s raining. It’s wierd! Well, It is basically a placeholder for the subject that comes later. And these dummy pronouns, as they’re called, are just as common in German. Listen…

Es ist warm.

Nein. Es ist kalt.

Say: It is warm in the cafe.

Es ist warm im Café. in dem….im

It is cold in the restaurant.

Es ist kalt im Restaurant. in dem…im

(SFX – rain) Es regnet.

Say that again: Es regnet.

Always try to be flexible. In English we say “raining” and in German: regnet.

If you think back to lesson 11, we already encountered this dummy pronoun. Right? After greeting your boss, we ask: How goes it for you?

Wie geht es Ihnen?

Let’s look at it in another common phrase. So, imagine that you and your friends go running outside to splash around in the rain. A kid might say:

Es macht Spaß!

Literally: It makes fun! Say that again? Es macht Spaß!

These dummy pronouns, though, are just a lead in to our main topic. So, imagine we’re back in that bakery, and it’s one of those huge ones you find, like in Vienna. So you found a cake, but you’re not sure where to pay. You’re looking around…it doesn’t seem like there’s a cashier anywhere in the place. So you ask…

Gibt es hier eine Kasse?

Literally: It gives here a cashier?

I know. Kind of a weird way to phrase it, but it’s correct. Let’s try it again. Maybe you’re walking around some large open square, in the old town of a city. Ask…

Is there a restaurant here?

Gibt es hier ein Restaurant?

You pop inside a hotel and ask the desk clerk…

Is there a cafe here?

Gibt es hier ein Café?

Maybe you’re considering an apartment to rent. Ask the landlady..

Is there a table here?

Gibt es hier einen Tisch?

Giving a table counts as doing something to it, so the supporting words change. Ein becomes einen.

Pop into an establishment and ask the worker: Excuse me…Is there a restroom here?

Entschuldigung…Gibt es hier eine Toilette?

I know. I was sneaking in a new word there, but I figure you’ve probably encountered Toilette in your other studies. Try that same phrase again?

Entschuldigung…Gibt es hier eine Toilette?

Are you enjoying the lesson? Then say:

This is fun!

Es macht Spaß!

(MUSIC)

So we were working with the “it” form of “to give.” So let’s expand and try some other conjugations. Tell your dear friend: I’m giving you a gift.

Ich gebe dir ein Geschenk.

I’m giving you my old watch.

Ich gebe dir meine alte Uhr.

How would that go if we were giving the watch to our boss? What one word would have to change?

If that is stumping you, just think back to our basic greetings. Ask your friend: How goes it for you?

Wie geht’s dir? Then ask your boss: Wie geht es Ihnen?

So, I’m giving you my old watch, sir.

Ich gebe Ihnen meine alte Uhr.

How about the “we” form? Try to say…

Sir, we are giving you the key.

Wir geben Ihnen den Schlüssel…. den Schlüssel

Did you remember to change der to den ? Masculine…(Fist/Palm)…supporting words change.

Excellent. Then try to ask your friend:

Are you giving me the key? (Hit pause and see if you can work it out.)

Gibst du mir den Schlüssel?

How would you translate this phrase. Listen…

Gibst du mir deine Handynummer?

Are you giving me your cell number? You could also interpret that as, “Will you give me…”

Try that with “address”

Gibst du mir deine Adresse?

We’re hearing the supporting word deine…feminine. dein-ne

Let’s try it with a neuter object. How about: Are you giving me your bike?

Gibst du mir dein Fahrrad?

How would you translate this phrase?

Gibst du mir dein Wort?

Are you giving me your word? Cool phrase!

Maybe your boss wants you to write a quick email to someone on her behalf. You gesture to her laptop and gently suggest: Are you giving me your computer?

Geben Sie mir Ihren Computer?

Next, let’s review today’s new feminine nouns. Can you see the image first?

This is a big bakery.

Das ist eine große Bäckerei.

Is there a cashier here?

Gibt es hier eine Kasse?

I love my cake!

Ich liebe meine Torte!

How about: It is cold in the house.

Es ist kalt im Haus.

But listen to our native speaker say: It is warm in Berlin.

Es ist warm in Berlin. …in…

Did she say just “in”? Indeed she did. So what’s going on? Why didn’t she say “in dem” or “im”? Because Berlin and Munich…these are proper nouns. They’re basically names. So need no for an article. We do the same thing in English. We say, I’m in the gym. THE. But I’m in New York.

No “the.”

So try to say: It is cold in Munich.

Es ist kalt in München. …in…

Excellent. This is fun!

Es macht Spaß!

(thunder) Oh no…It’s raining!

Es regnet.

(MUSIC)

So, for our last topic of this lesson, we’re going to revisit that verb from last time: to do or to make.

Remember how to say: I’m doing a German course.

Ich mache einen Deutschkurs.

We then used the verb to talk about things we were making. So let’s try similar phrases, but this time add a recipient. For example, I enter the kitchen and my Austrian Aunt tells me:

Ich mache dir einen Tee mit Milch.

Not a fan of tea, I frown. Nein, danke.

Okay, dann … mache ich dir Kaffee.

Could you follow that? She was saying: I’m making you a tea with milk. But when I frowned, she said: Okay, then I’m making you coffee. Literally: making for you…ich mache dir

Tell your friend: I’m making for you a torte..

Ich mache dir eine Torte.

Your elderly neighbor has come over to introduce herself. Tell her…

I’m making for you lemonade.

Ich mache Ihnen eine Limonade.

Your mom is making you a salad. When Dad calls asking if he should buy lunch, tell him, No…

Mama macht mir einen Salat.

Tell your roommate that you’re going to the bakery…

Ich gehe in die Bäckerei.

Sidenote: There is another very common way to say that phrase, using ZU. We will work with it soon. …oder zur Bäckerei

He says: I’m making you a list.

Ich mache dir eine Liste.

He’s making you an orange juice.

Er macht dir einen Orangensaft.

(swell)

Great. Let’s end with some review of recent material. So…

Ask a friend: Are you giving me your key?

Gibst du mir deinen Schlüssel?

Are you giving me, or Will you give me your cell number?

Gibst du mir deine Handynummer?

Are you giving me a bike?

Gibst du mir ein Fahrrad?

Your son is looking for his towel. Tell him…

Your towel is in the bathroom.

Dein Handtuch ist im Badezimmer.

So he goes in there to look for it. He reaches for the light switch…(SFX click click)

How does he say: Mama, the lamp in the bathroom is broken!

Mama, die Lampe im Badezimmer ist kaputt!

Tell the salesperson…My friend needs a new wash-basin.

Mein Freund braucht ein neues Waschbecken.

His brother works in a pub.

Sein Bruder arbeitet in einer Kneipe.

In someone’s home, and needing to wash your hands. What might you ask?

Wo ist das Badezimmer?

In their bathroom they have a beautiful picture of the snowcapped Alps. What might you say?

Was für ein schönes Bild!

Two kids are comparing what they have in their rooms. One says…

I have a mirror.

Ich habe einen Spiegel.

Me, too.

Ich auch.

I have a beautiful rug.

Ich habe einen schönen Teppich.

Me, too.

Ich auch.

Cool, isn’t it?

Cool, oder?

Alright. See you next lesson.

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Hold on, guys…I’m not quite ready. I’m cleaning this bathroom window. And now I need to wash my hands. As you can hear, right now I’m in the Badezimmer, standing over the Waschbecken. Alright, now I just need a Handtuch to dry my hands. Hmm…this Bild on the wall is a little crooked. (scrape) There we go. Okay, now I’m ready…

(INTRO)

Welcome to Lesson #16 of Stress Free German. Let me describe again today’s image. These are all neuter, which is why I mentioned the window. That’s our anchor. So, as we heard, I was in the bathroom. Literally the room where the bath is. I washed my hands at the sink. I dried them with a towel. And I adjusted a crooked picture on the wall. So those four neuter elements are: Bathroom, the sink, the towel, and the picture. Let’s look first at…

Badezimmer und Waschbecken

Those two words are what we call compounds…basically two words jammed together. Like “toothbrush” in English. So Bade…zimmer is bath-room. And Wasch…becken is a wash-basin.

On its own, Zimmer refers to any kind of room. And Becken refers to any kind of basin.

Ask: Is this my room?

Ist das mein Zimmer?

Where is the bathroom? think of it as the room where you bathe and clean

Wo ist das Badezimmer?

In Europe, many homes have separate rooms for this. That is, one room has just the toilet and perhaps a tiny sink. And then there’s the room where the bathtub and shower are. It’s where you’d brush your teeth, as well. The Badezimmer.

Imagine you’re seeing one of these tiny sinks for the first time. Let’s comment:

What a small washbasin!

Was für ein kleines Waschbecken!

Let’s visualize our bathroom image again. Can you see the other two elements? I washed my hands, and…then what? Right. I used a towel, and I adjusted a picture.

Handtuch, Bild

Handtuch is another compound word. Basically hand-towel. So you could have a bath-towel… Badetuch and so on.

Ask the restroom attendent: Do you have a towel?

Haben Sie ein Handtuch?

And our last word was: Bild . A picture.

Say: What a beautiful picture!

Was für ein schönes Bild!

Do you remember how to say: I’m in the restaurant.

Ich bin im Restaurant. im…which is short for in dem

So try to say:

I’m in the bathroom.

Ich bin im Badezimmer.

So if you knew that this word…Gästezimmer…refers to the guest room, then you could say:

We are in the guest room.

Wir sind im Gästezimmer.

Important side note here: The gender of a compound word is derived from the final element. So since Badezimmer is neuter, the word Zimmer itself must also be neuter.

(MUSIC)

Some review now. So, imagine you have a guest staying over, and he’s looking for the towel you gave him. Say…

Your towel is in the wardrobe.

Dein Handtuch ist im Schrank.

But now imagine the towel as sitting on top of the wardrobe. What would you say?

Dein Handtuch ist auf dem Schrank.

Imagine Oskar’s father enters the bathroom. He sees something and calls out to the boy…

Oskar, warum liegt dein Handtuch auf dem Boden?

What was he asking? Oskar, why is your hand-towel lying on the floor?

In this next one, take your time and be careful with the supporting words. Tell the store clerk:

I’m looking for a large mirror and a large picture.

Ich suche einen großen Spiegel und ein großes Bild.

If that was tricky, you can have another shot at the idea with this next phrase:

We are looking for a small rug and a small wash-basin.

Wir suchen einen kleinen Teppich und ein kleines Waschbecken.

Do you see how we’re mixing our new vocabulary with older, most established words and constructions? This is another key technique. Technically it’s known as Novel Usage…that is, every time you’re being prompted to recall something, it’s in some new way. It’s not a rote phrase. You have to build it. That’s a very important technique.

Anyway, my son is looking for his water bottle. I tell him…

Your bottle is in the bathroom.

Deine Flasche ist im Badezimmer.

So he goes in there to look for it. He reaches for the light switch…(SFX click click)

He calls out: Papa, die Lampe im Badezimmer ist kaputt!

We say kaputt in English, too. A lot of people don’t even realize that we simply borrowed it straight from German. Try that again. The lamp in the guestroom is kaputt…or broken.

Die Lampe im Gästezimmer ist kaputt.

Fumbling in the dark guestroom, your friend spills his drink. He doesn’t want to waste a bunch of paper towels, so he asks: Do you have an old hand-towel?

Hast du ein altes Handtuch?

Tell the salesperson…We need a new wash-basin.

Wir brauchen ein neues Waschbecken.

One more, and then a quick break. Try: My brother works in this pub.

Mein Bruder arbeitet in dieser Kneipe.

You hanging in there? Good!

TIP OF THE DAY

Obviously this course takes a very visual approach to learning. There’s no way around that. But sounds and sound effects can also be very helpful…which is something we tried to incorporate today. We heard light switches flicking, and water running. Or take for example the word: Zug.

Hopefully the image of a train comes to mind, but you can fill things out even more by imagining the sounds of a train. (SFX)

We call these “soundscapes.” For example, where are we now? (beach SFX)

Wir sind am Strand.

And now? (Street SFX)

Ich stehe auf der Straße.

Now? (Train station SFX)

Ich bin im Bahnhof.

We always want to visualize things, and see the scenario we’re describing. But when it’s helpful, try imagining the sound of the place or the thing as well. So as we transition back to the lesson, let’s try that. Let’s prompt using sound effects.

brushingteeth and sink SFX..Which room am I in?

Du bist im Badezimmer.

What’s this little area right in front of me. (water on and off) Washbecken

I’m drying my hands with this…Handtuch

On the wall is hanging a beautiful….bild

Okay, so not everything has a sound effect.

(MUSIC)

So, today we’re going to try and pick up a new verb from a typical conversation. The set up is that Maria and Tony met the other day at a party, and bump into each other now in the lobby of a language school.

For now just listen, and keep your ear out for Ich mache…

Hallo, Maria, wie geht’s?

Hey, Tony! Danke, gut. Und dir?

Auch gut. Maria, kommst du aus Amerika?

Ich? Nein. Ich komme aus Kanada. Und du?

Ich komme aus Italien.

Du lernst Deutsch, oder?

Ja, ich mache einen Deutschkurs.

Ich mache auch einen Deutschkurs.

So in this context, ich mache translates as I am doing. So He said: I am doing a German course.

Ich mache einen Deutschkurs.

I say “in this context” because in other situations the verb functions more like “to make.”

Like, I’m making pizza. For now, though, let’s stick with “to do” or “be doing”. For example:

What are you doing here?

Was machst du hier?

Tell him: I’m taking a German course.

Ich mache einen Deutschkurs.

And what do we know about the word for “course”? It must be…masculine, because “taking” a course counts as doing something to it, and the supporting word has an “en” ending. Right?

She said…einen

There were two other new-ish words in that conversation. Maybe you caught them? Maria asks Tony…Du lernst Deutsch, oder?

You’re learning German, aren’t you?

So that’s how “oder” is functioning in this context. Basically, it’s seeking confirmation.

A kid shows you his new robot. He might ask…

Cool, isn’t it?

Cool, oder?

Then she adds…

Ich mache auch einen Deutschkurs.

auch usually translates as “also”, but as always, it depends on context. Imagine two kids with messy hands. One says…

I need the sink.

Ich brauche das Washbecken.

The other kid just says: Ich auch.

So here we’d translate that as “Me, too.” Or if you prefer more literal: I also…implying, I also need the sink.

Next, imagine that you’re marveling at a painting in a museum. Your friend wanders over, also taking it in. Seeking confirmation, you say: A beautiful picture, isn’t it?

Ein schönes Bild, oder?

She nods, then leads you over to the next masterpiece…

Ja. Und das ist auch ein schönes Bild.

Do you remember how to say: I’m going to Stuttgart.

Ich gehe nach Stuttgart.

Tell her: Me, too.

Ich auch.

Doing great, guys! And now…Hier machen wir eine Pause

(MUSIC)

So my son was playing in the kitchen the other day. Into a glass he poured some yoghurt, then some orange juice, then he added some mustard, and then ground pepper…then offered his concoction to his sister when she came in. Ewww! she said, wrinkling her nose. Ekelhaft!

Once, we were at my Uncle’s farm in the Austrian alps. My son was feeding a young cow some grass and the cow slobbered all over his hand. Strings of slime dripping from his hand as he pulled away. Eww, I said, wrinkling my face. Ekelhaft!

How would you translate that into English? I guess Gross…or Disgusting. I mean, it sounds like Icky!, doesn’t it? I say I guess because it’s not a concrete idea. Words like this are fun, and if you don’t sprinkle them into a course now and then, learning a language can become a bit stale. Anyway, let’s get back to our new verb for today.

Say: We are doing a German course.

Wir machen einen Deutschkurs.

But remember, it’s also used to indicate the act of creating or producing something. For example:

We are making a gift.

Wir machen ein Geschenk.

He is making a hamburger.

Er macht einen Hamburger.

She is making a salad.

Sie macht einen Salat.

For bonus points, what’s the gender of Salat?

Yes, masculine! And hamburger, too, if you caught it.

I’m making a pizza.

Ich mache eine Pizza.

Same question. What gender? Right. Feminine.

Just to keep our grammar sharp, let’s add an adjective in there.

He is making a small salad.

Er macht einen kleinen Salat.

She is making a big pizza.
Sie macht eine große Pizza.

Imagine you come back from vacation to discover that the fridge is broken. Say..

The refrigerator is broken.

Der Kühlschrank ist kaputt.

And when you open it, you see the milk has curdled into thick yellowish lumps. You pour it out…wrinkle your nose and say…? Ekelhaft!

Fun to say, isn’t it?

How about this: The garbage bin is disgusting!

Die Mülltonne ist ekelhaft.

Again, notice how this is a new phrase for us. It’s a novel usage. And we’re mixing new with words were more solid on.

Your boss asked you to purchase a picture for him. He swings by to pick it up. First greet him:

Good evening, Mr. Schania.

Guten Abend, Herr Schania.

Then tell him: Your new picture is on the balcony….literally standing on the balcony

Ihr neues Bild steht auf dem Balkon.

Great job, guys. See you in the next lesson.

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Welcome to Lesson #15 of Stress Free German. Let’s start with a quick review of the locational forms we worked with in the previous lesson. So, first say…

We have a balcony.

Wir haben einen Balkon.

We’re on the balcony.
Wir sind auf dem Balkon.

This is a big shelf.

Das ist ein großes Regal.

The present is on the shelf.
Das Geschenk ist auf dem Regal.

Ask your boss: Do you have the newspaper?
Haben Sie die Zeitung?

You glasses, sir, are on the newspaper.

Ihre Brille ist auf der Zeitung.

Ok. That’s all we need for review. Now let’s look at our new image for today. So, inside some place we see the following masculine nouns: A wardrobe, which is a free-standing cabinet for one’s clothes. On the wall to the left is a mirror. Between the wardrobe and the mirror is a chair which reminds us these elements are all masculine. And the floor here is interesting. It’s made of long thin planks of wood. And finally, on the floor is a beautiful rug. So the four elements here are wardrobe, mirror, rug, floor. Here are the first two…

Schrank und Spiegel

Now, we already know the word Kühlschrank…literally, a cool closet. So Schrank itself shouldn’t be too hard. How about this word: Spiegel

To me, there’s a kind of distant relation to the English word spectacles. In English, spectacles are pieces of glass you look through to see something. In German, Der Spiegel is also a piece of glass you look at to see yourself.

In a furniture store, tell the salesperson: We are looking for a wardrobe.

Wir suchen einen Schrank.

Ask: Where is the mirror?

Wo ist der Spiegel?

And the other two masculine elements in our image were rug and floor.

Teppich, Boden

Again, it helps to look at the origin of words. Clearly, Teppich is related to the word tapestry, which is a heavy cloth that has designs woven into it. One more time: A rug is a tapestry. And a tapestry gives us…. Teppich

Finally we heard Boden. And once again, it helps to be flexible, and look at the word’s origin. Boden is related to the English word bottom…the lower part of something….which is what a floor is, right? Though we need to be aware that Boden just as often refers to the ground itself, rather than the floor of a room.

Boden

In a moment I’ll prompt you to recall the words mirror, rug and floor. But we’re going to do it in steps, and we’re going to of course see each object in our mind as we say it. So…

Mirror….is related to spectacles…Spiegel

Next: Rug is related to…tapestry….Teppich

Floor is related to….bottom….Boden.

Tell your friend: I love your rug.

Ich liebe deinen Teppich.

The floor is very cold.

Der Boden ist sehr kalt.

(MUSIC)

Who’s up for a new verb? (SFX: cheers) Glad to hear it. So imagine you’re in Heidelberg, looking for your friend’s apartment. You call him and say you’re having trouble finding it. He tells you to look for him, and adds…

Ich stehe auf dem Balkon.

Hmm….You’re looking, but nope. You don’t see anyone standing out on a balcony. So when you tell him that, your hear his door open, his footsteps. Now he tells you…

Jetzt ich stehe auf der Straße.

What image do you see in your mind with that last phrase? You should imagine him standing in the street…perhaps waving his hands so you can spot him. Try that same line:

I’m standing in the street.

Ich stehe auf der Straße.

How about: We are standing on the balcony.

Wir stehen auf dem Balkon.

Ich stehe…wir stehen….What would be the “he/she” form of the verb, do you think? Er steht.

And the informal you form? Du stehst

So try to say: The wardrobe is standing on the floor.

Der Schrank steht auf dem Boden.

Ask a friend: Are you standing on the rug???

Stehst du auf dem Teppich?

Let’s do a quick comparison. So imagine someone’s suitcase inside a wardrobe. How would we say that?

Der Koffer ist im Schrank.

But now imagine it as sitting on top of the wardrobe…it’s almost touching the cieling, right?

Der Koffer ist auf dem Schrank.

We could do that with the suitcase itself. Envision someone’s passport inside a suitcase.

Der Pass ist im Koffer.

Now envision it as being on top of the suitcase. Not in it, but on it.

Der Pass ist auf dem Koffer.

You try it. The dog is in the car.

Der Hund ist im Auto.

Poor thing! It’s dangerous to leave a dog in a car. Right? Inside. But now envision the dog on the roof of the car. Say…

The dog is on the car.

Der Hund ist auf dem Auto.

So good guys. Quick break…

TIP OF THE DAY

These past few lessons we’ve been integrating prepositions into our German speech. So what’s a preposition exactly? In English they’re words like in, on, by, for, and so on. These little words that denote a relationship–often a spatial relationship–between two objects. They’re tiny, but they carry a lot of weight. Think of someone who’s in a hurry, and you accidentally tell him: Your keys are on the desk, when in reality his keys are in the desk.

And prepositions, these little words, usually cause big problems for language learners. It doesn’t matter if you’re learning German, English, Russian…the issue is, languages only have so many of these little words to go around, so they end up being used for a variety of things. Again, look no further than the English word “on.” The book is on the table. Ok. I get that. But then…Why are the lights on? So on also means “operating.” Or when you say, I’m on the train…are you really riding on top of it, with the wind in your hair? No. You actually mean you’re inside it. In fact, I could go on and on about on. The tip here is simple: Try not to affix just one meaning to these tiny words. Learn them slowly, phrase by phrase, just as we’re doing in this course.

Speaking of which, let’s get back to it….Say:

The key is on top of the cupboard.

Der Schlüssel ist auf dem Schrank.

Use that pause button. Be sure to see all of these.

The dog is standing on the rug.

Der Hund steht auf dem Teppich.

The mirror is on the floor.

Der Spiegel ist auf dem Boden.

Or: The mirror is standing on the shelf.

Der Spiegel steht auf dem Regal.

Ask a friend: Are you going to the museum?

Gehst du ins Museum?

We’re going to the movies.

Wir gehen ins Kino.

Ask a friend: Are you going to Copenhagen?

Gehst du nach Kopenhagen?

No. We’re going to Stockholm.

Nein. Wir gehen nach Stockholm.

(MUSIC)

I’m sure you’ve noticed we’re approaching things very methodically here. We’ve been learning verbs and their various conjugations step by step. Prepositions, we’re slowly accumulating, too. And now we turn back to our basic, introductory phrases. For now, let’s just listen in as people in their twenties meet and greet at a conference…

Woher kommst du?

Ich komme aus England.

Woher kommst du?

Ich komme aus Amerika.

We notice first off that they are greeting each other informally. Just follow the native speaker’s lead. If they’re your age and speak to you formally, then of course respond with the formal forms. But if, as in the brief back and forths we just heard, they speak informally. Do as they do. Ask…

Where do you come from?

Woher kommst du?

I come from England

Ich komme aus England.

Where do you come from?

Woher kommst du?

I come from America.

Ich komme aus Amerika.

And where do you live?

Und…wo wohnst du?

I live in New York.

Ich wohne in New York.

I live in Manchester.

Ich wohne in Manchester.

If we’re interacting with someone much older, though…let’s ask formally:

Where do you come from?

Woher kommen Sie?

Try to say: We live in Vienna.

Wir wohnen in Wien.

Listen as Sarah introduces her friend from Russia.

Das ist Sergei. Er kommt aus Russland und wohnt jetzt in Hamburg.

Could you follow that? Here’s another. Hans will introduce Natasha…

Das ist Natasha. Sie kommt aus der Ukraine und wohnt jetzt in München.

Let me prompt you on those.

This is Sergei. He comes from Russia…and lives now in Hamburg.

Das ist Sergei. Er kommt aus Russland und wohnt jetzt in Hamburg.

This is Natasha. She comes from the Ukraine and lives now in Munich.

Das ist Natasha. Sie kommt aus der Ukraine und wohnt jetzt in München.

In English, we should no longer say “the” about Ukraine. We don’t say he comes from The France or the Denmark, after all. But it seems German still uses the article.

How about: My mother lives in Germany.

Meine Mutter wohnt in Deutschland.

Apologies for including so few countries in this part of the lesson. Obviously there are far too many to cover even briefly in a concise lesson.

(MUSIC)

Try to say: What a beautiful rug!

Was für ein schöner Teppich!

The wardrobe is very small.

Der Schrank ist sehr klein.

The mirror is standing on the table.

Der Spiegel steht auf dem Tisch.

Where is my cellphone?

Wo ist mein Handy?

Answer: On the floor.

Auf dem Boden.

We’re standing in the street.

Wir stehen auf der Straße.

How about: We are standing on the balcony.

Wir stehen auf dem Balkon.

Sir, your suitcase is in the wardrobe.

Ihr Koffer ist im Schrank.

Your passport is on the table.

Ihr Pass ist auf dem Tisch.

Great job as always! See you in the next lesson.

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Welcome to Lesson #14 of Stress Free German. Let’s go right to our new image. Feminine, this time. Imagine a crowd of people standing around outside a pub. It’s nighttime, and a big lamp illuminates the pub. We can just see the street in the foreground. That’s a reminder that these are feminine nouns. And finally, on the left side, a hand is holding out a bottle of lemonade, as if to show us, This is what I’m drinking at the pub tonight.

Here, then, are the key elements: A bar or pub, a lamp, lemonade, a bottle…and the night.

Those first three are… Bar Kneipe Lampe

So if I show that picture to a native German speaker, and ask…Wo ist das?

Where is this? She’d say….

Das ist eine Bar, oder eine Kneipe.

What’s the difference between the two? I suppose the German version, Kneipe, feels more traditional…more like a German pub. Whereas Bar sounds more modern. But either word is fine.

Now, the lamp in the image is beautiful. It’s an elaborate, antique iron design. So our native speaker points to it and comments…

Was für eine schöne Lampe!

What a beautiful lamp!

I love that expression. Word for word, you’re saying: What for a beautiful lamp! Let’s try it again.

What a beautiful pub!

Was für eine schöne Kneipe!

The next two elements in our feminine image are the drink, and the container the drink is in. Listen?

Limonade, Flasche

(SFX: sipping, and Ahh!)

Die Limonade is sehr gut!

She said: The lemonade is really good.

Later at the pub, Lisa can’t find her bottle. She looks around…

Die Flasche.

Was?

Meine Flasche. Wo ist meine Flasche?

Ask her: Your lemonade?

Deine Limonade?

Yes. Where is my lemonade?

Ja. Wo ist meine Limonade?

We walk her home, and as Lisa goes up to her room, she says of course, Good night.

Gute Nacht.

From our lesson on greetings we knew already that Nacht was feminine, but it’s nice to see it as feminine in today’s image.

We’ll of course continue working with those as the lesson progresses. Next, though, let’s work with a new verb. Imagine that the next morning Lisa is grabbing a coffee. The guy ahead of her in line looks very familiar. She stares for a moment, about to ask, and then he tells her…

Ich bin Barkeeper. Ich arbeite in einer Bar.

He could have told her…
Ich bin Barkeeper. Ich arbeite in einer Kneipe.

So he’s saying, I’m a bartender. I work in a bar, or I work in a pub. In a different situation, he might have said: I work in the bar. Listen…

Ich arbeite in der Bar.

So, here’s my question: If Bar and Kneipe are feminine, then why is he using the word “der” D-E-R? Isn’t that masculine?

Uh-oh. Sorry to do this…

(SFX) KLAXON

…we need that alarm again. Because here’s a key takeaway we learned back in Lesson 1.

The article Der does NOT automatically mean that the next word is a masculine noun.

This goes for any “er” ending. It does not automatically mean that the noun is masculine. And here we are seeing such a situation.

So, what’s going on? Well, like many other languages, German differentiates between going to a location, versus being in a location. Listen…

Wir gehen in eine Bar. e-i-n-e … eine

Wir arbeiten in einer Bar. e-i-n-e-r … einer

Here they are again. First she said: We are going to a bar.

Wir gehen in eine Bar.

And then: We work in a bar. Wir arbeiten in einer Bar.

The way to think of it is that when you go toward a location, you’ll eventually bump into it. And that (fist/palm) counts as doing something to it. I repeat: Going toward a place counts as doing something to it.

But if you work in a place, live in a place, shop in a place and so on….you are located there. And the surrounding words reflect this in a different way.

Please note there’s one common exception to this idea that “going somewhere counts as doing something to it.” We’ll discuss that in Lesson 20.

(music)

So, try to say: We work in the pub.

Wir arbeiten in der Kneipe.

d-e-r…der

Let’s try some other feminine locations. How about..

I am in the church.

Ich bin in der Kirche.

She is in the school.

Sie ist in der Schule.

As always, you’ve got to envision these. You have to see him in the church, or see her in the school. Connect these sounds to an image. And what about masculine locations? Or neuter ones? Let’s listen and find out.

You see a woman dressed in traditional German clothing. Off your look she informs you:

Ich arbeite in einem Restaurant. einem…e-i-n-e-m

Based on just that one neuter example, try to say: We work in a cafe.

Wir arbeiten in einem Café.

Imagine you call your friend. She asks if she can call you back, because right now …

Ich bin im Museum.

Did you say im? Like, the letters I-M? im. “In dem” das ist im.

Ah, so it’s a contraction. In dem becomes im. She’s saying it that way because the implication is there’s just one museum. She’s in the museum.

And what about masculine locations? Like…Maybe your friend is inside the train station. So when we call, he tells us…

Ich bin im Bahnhof. im

And again, based on just that one masculine example, try to say:

I am in the park.

Ich bin im Park.

This little topic we’re on…this difference between going to a place versus being located there…is another major chunk of the language. So if this is making sense to you, then you’re really doing well. And of course, as we progress, we’ll be making sure you get rock solid with all this. For now, I just want this idea to sink in: Am I going to the place, or am I located there?

TIP OF THE DAY

I’m going to cheat. Instead of a tip, I’d like to use this spot to practice differentiating between moving towards something, and being located there. This will be all in English, and you just call out movement towards, or locational. Ready?

The book is on the table.

locational. good

I tossed my keys on the counter.

movement towards…and if that’s tricky for you, you need to see it in your head. See the keys flying through the air towards the table.

We live in an apartment.

locational

I work out in a gym.

locational

I’m going to the gym right now.

movement towards

The ball rolled under the car.

that is motion towards

But now…The ball is under the car.

now it’s located there

(MUSIC)

Let’s review today’s new vocab. Try to say…

It is a small pub.

Das ist eine kleine Kneipe.

or you could say bar…

Das ist eine kleine Bar.

You’re at a flea market in Vienna. On one table a lamp is for sale, so ask the woman who seems to be the seller…Is this your lamp?

Ist das Ihre Lampe?

Yes, this is my lamp.

Ja, das ist meine Lampe.

At a drink stand you ask for lemonade. How will the man tell you: I have no lemonade.

Ich habe keine Limonade.

On a hike with your brother, ask him…

Do you have my bottle?

Hast du meine Flasche?

How about this one: What a beautiful night!

Was für eine schöne Nacht!

Great job if you got that one. And now back to our main lesson point for today: We’re separating phrases into two categories: One where something is moving towards some place, versus one where something is located in one spot. To do that, I’d like to squeeze in one more new word today. For now just listen…

Wo ist mein Schlüssel?
Dein Schlüssel ist auf dem Tisch. auf…dem…Tisch

Wo ist meine Zeitung?

Diene Zeitung ist auf dem Regal. auf …dem… Regal.

We notice that the masculine table and the neuter shelf both had the same supporting word, dem.

Let’s try to say both of those. So ask…

Where is my key?

Wo ist mein Schlüssel?

Your key is on the table.

Dein Schlüssel ist auf dem Tisch.

Where is my newspaper?

Wo ist meine Zeitung?

Your newspaper is on the shelf.

Diene Zeitung ist auf dem Regal.

Again, in these locational phrases, both the masculine table and the neuter shelf had the same supporting word, dem.

Bearing that in mind, try to say: The dog is on the chair.

Der Hund ist auf dem Stuhl.

How about: The glass is on the refrigerator.

Das Glas ist auf dem Kühlschrank.

Let’s check out what happens to a feminine location.

Wo ist mein Handy?

Dein Handy ist auf der Bank. auf …der… Bank.

Let me prompt you on that same one. Ask: Where is my cellphone?

Wo ist mein Handy?

Your cellphone is on the bench.

Dein Handy ist auf der Bank.

Based on that one example, how might you say: The bottle is in the bag.

Die Flasche ist in der Tasche.

Maybe someone picks up your bottle and asks what you’re drinking. Tell them…

This is juice in the bottle.

Das ist Saft in der Flasche.

Excellent, guys!

(MUSIC)

One last round of review. Ready?

tell your friend: I’m giving you a big present.

Ich gebe dir ein großes Geschenk.

He is taking the train.

Er nimmt den Zug.

She is looking for a good pub.

Sie sucht eine gute Kneipe..

She works in a pub.

Sie arbeitet in einer Kneipe.

My brother works in the train station.

Mein Bruder arbeitet im Bahnhof.

My mother works in a school.

Meine Mutter arbeitet in einer Schule.

Tell your boss: I love your old lamp.

Ich liebe Ihre alte Lampe.

You are still seeing these all in your head, right? Just checking. Okay, the last few.

She’s going to the movies.

Sie geht ins Kino.

That one we know. But what about: She’s at the movies. (As in, She’s inside the theater, watching a film.)
Sie ist im Kino.

Let’s try that again. We’re going to a restaurant.

Wir gehen ins Restaurant.

We are in a restaurant.

Wir sind im Restaurant.

Phew. Fantastic. I know these are getting tougher and tougher. I hope the pace of the lessons is okay for you. Keep up the excellent work, and we’ll see you in the next lesson.

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Welcome to Lesson #13 of Stress Free German. Our goal today is to get comfortable with the many verbs we’ve learned thus far in the course. That means a minimal amount of new vocabulary, and a whole lot of prompting. Let’s jump right to it. Tell your friend:

I’m giving you a big present.

Ich gebe dir ein großes Geschenk.

But hold on. You’ve got to visualize these phrases first. With each prompt, try to see the scenario in your head…as if watching it play out on TV. Then say the German phrase. And that means keeping a finger on the pause button. Let’s try again…

We’re giving you a big present.

Wir geben dir ein großes Geschenk.

A new co-worker enters the breakroom. Let’s ask him politely what his name is.

Wie heißen Sie?

Then your manager walks in. It’s 9 AM so greet him appropriately and ask how’re things.

Guten Morgen. Wie geht es Ihnen?

There’s a company outing in Hamburg later in the day, so ask him:

Are you going to Hamburg?

Gehen Sie nach Hamburg?

Your manager, though, is actually on the phone with someone else. Your new co-worker tells you:

No. He is going to Vienna.

Nein. Er geht nach Wien.

Then he adds: Er nimmt den Zug.

Hmm. Er nimmt. I wonder how that translates. Any idea? Maybe another example will help. So, his secretary pokes her head into the breakroom. “Nein. Er nimmt den Bus.”

She said, “No…He is taking the bus.”

Suddenly your boss pokes his head into the ever more crowded breakroom. He waves a pair of old glasses and informs his secretary.

I’m taking my old glasses.

Ich nehme meine alte Brille.

She nods and passes the news on to us:

He’s taking his old glasses.

Er nimmt seine alte Brille.

This is called reported speech…when you’re basically passing along what someone has said. And it’s great practice, if a bit challenging. So let’s try a different scenario. You’re in an appliance store. Tell the salesperson:

I’m looking for a new refrigerator.

Ich suche einen neuen Kühlschrank.

He reports to his assistant:

She is looking for a new refrigerator.

Sie sucht einen neuen Kühlschrank.

That might be a new word for many of you. The word for “she.” Let’s try it in a new scenario.

Tell your rooommate: I love your new table.

Ich liebe deinen neuen Tisch.

He didn’t hear you, so his friend tells him: She loves your new table.

Sie liebt deinen neuen Tisch.

Tell your boss: I love your new chair.
Ich liebe Ihren neuen Stuhl.

His secretary repeats: He loves your new chair.

Er liebt Ihren neuen Stuhl.

(music)

Imagine Lisa and Max are roommates. When Max’s obnoxious friend finally leaves, Lisa rolls her eyes and says…

I hate his friend.

Ich hasse seinen Freund.

How might we report that? That is, how to say: She hates his friend.

Sie hasst seinen Freund.

I hate, she hates

Ich hasse, sie hasst

Back to the office, it’s Friday and there’s a party at work. (SFX: beer can) As you open a beer for your boss, ask her: Do you need a glass?

Brauchen Sie ein Glas?

Her assistant, though, steps in and answers for her:

Yes, she needs a glass.

Ja, sie braucht ein Glas.

But wait…hold on. Who does this word Sie refer to? Right? Is it “You, sir,” or is it “She?” Well, it depends on the conjugation of the verb. I mean, listen to these two phrases and you tell me…

Gehen Sie nach Frankfurt?

Geht sie nach Hamburg?

Gehen Sie is Are you going, sir? Whereas Geht sie means Is she going…

Try those again. Ask:

Are you going, sir, to Frankfurt?

Gehen Sie nach Frankfurt?

Is she going to Hamburg?

Geht sie nach Hamburg?

Next scenario: A friend calls, searching for you along the beach. What’s the word for beach, by the way? Der Strand. Good. Anyway, you rode your bike to the beach so ask your friend:

Do you see my bicycle?

Siehst du mein Fahrrad?

No, but I see your dog.

Nein, aber ich sehe deinen Hund.

Let’s report his speech. Say: He sees my dog.

Er sieht meinen Hund.

Imagine you and your brother are repairmen in Germany. You’ve finished working on a woman’s home, and she is now looking for her key. From inside the van, your brother informs you:

I have the key.

Ich habe den Schlüssel.

So you pass that news along to the woman:

My brother has your key.

Mein Bruder hat Ihren Schlüssel.

This kind of quick reported speech is tricky, but it’s also very realistic practice. So let’s try another scenario. I’m with my grandmother in an electronics store. She tells me…

I want a new cellphone.

Ich will ein neues Handy.

So I tell the salesperson:

She wants a new cellphone. For now, just listen…

Sie will ein neues Handy.

These he/she forms are tough. They’re all over the map. Sometimes it’s like the Du form, sometimes like the ich. Sometimes it’s own thing. But no big deal. Step by step, we’ll get all the fundamental forms. Meantime, let’s try that one again….

I want a new computer.

Ich will einen neuen Computer..

She wants a new computer.

Sie will einen neuen Computer.

Then grandma turns to you:

Want my old computer?

Willst du meinen alten Computer?

You guys are dong great!

(music)

So, here’s a new word for you today. Listen and repeat: kein

Again? Kein

Imagine, as you open your door, a St. Bernard comes barreling into your apartment. Grabbing its collar, you haul it out of your home and across the landing to your neighbor’s door. You knock…

Ist das Ihr Hund?

She shakes her head.

Nein. Ich habe keinen Hund.

She shrugs and closes her door again.

Maybe, instead of a dog, you discover that someone has parked their bicycle in your parking space. You knock on your neighbor’s window this time….Ist das Ihr Fahrrad?

Nein. Ich habe kein Fahrrad.

How would you translate that? She’s saying: No, I have no bicycle.

Or in more natural English: I don’t have a bicycle.

And we notice that kein acts like any other supporting word. If describing a masculine noun, it adds that “en” ending when we do something to it.

In the hotel lobby, ask the bag clerk:

Do you have my suitcase?

Haben Sie meinen Koffer?

The manager suddenly steps in and informs you:

He has no suitcase.

Er hat keinen Koffer.

So let’s work that new word into our ongoing verb review. Tell your friend:

I’m giving you a small coffee.

Ich gebe dir einen kleinen Kaffee.

Did you see that transaction in your head first, before speaking? Good!

New conjugation here. See if you can guess the verb. Listen?

Er gibt mir einen Stuhl.

He is giving me a chair. So you try it. How about:

My brother is giving me his computer.

Mein Bruder gibt mir seinen Computer.

I’m taking his old watch.

Ich nehme seine alte Uhr.

He has no watch.

Er hat keine Uhr.

We’re taking the bus.

Wir nehmen den Bus.

TIP OF THE DAY

(ringing bell)
Ah! That bell means someone just left us a review over at Trustpilot, which is greatly appreciated. But as I read this woman’s review, she says, “I just wish there were more lessons available.” Umm…there are. We have four more volumes of the course over on our site, StressFreeGerman.com. That’s over hundred new lessons waiting for you, with more in production. So please go to the site and click where it says Volume II. That out of the way, let’s get back to work. So….

For today’s tip, we’re going to work with something called Minimal Pairs. That’s a fancy term for two words that differ by one tiny sound So, the words are going to sound very similar…and yet they have totally different meanings. Think of the words ship and sheep in English.

We are not going to burden you with the meaning of these words. We just want to listen, see if we hear the difference, and then echo it back. That’s all. Ready?

schon — schön

Again?

schon — schön

We’ll do each pair twice like that.

losen — lösen

Bogen — Bögen

kennen — können

konnte — könnte

Frosch — Frösche

Hut — Hüte

Blut — Blüte

Gut — Güte

It’s best to do this sort of thing in small chunks, so we’ll do some more in a minute. For now, back to the lesson and one final round of verb review. These are going to be basically random, unrelated phrases. Tell your friend:

He is giving you a small present.

Er gibt dir ein kleines Geschenk.

Remember: Finger on the pause button. See each scenario in your head…

We are taking an old table.

Wir nehmen einen alten Tisch.

Imagine that my mom is taking photos of some huge tree in my boss’s garden. I tell him:

She loves your old tree.

Sie liebt Ihren alten Baum.

At a party, ask a friend: Do you have my glass?

Hast du mein Glas?

He’s looking for his beer.

Er sucht sein Bier.

I’m looking for the bus stop.

Ich suche die Haltestelle.

Ask a friend: Do you see the garbage bin?

Siehst du die Mülltonne?

Tell him: I see no garbage bin.

Ich sehe keine Mülltonne.

An old lady has asked you for directions. First ask her…

Do you see the museum?

Sehen Sie das Museum?

No, I don’t see a museum.

Nein, ich sehe kein Museum.

I’m going to Dresden.

Ich gehe nach Dresden.

I’m taking the train.

Ich nehme den Zug.

Try that as reported speech.

She is going to Dresden. She is taking the train.

Sie geht nach Dresden. Sie nimmt den Zug.

Finally, let’s end with a second round of Minimal Pairs. Remember, it’s two totally different words that sound very similar. Each pair twice…

Biene — Bühne

Kiel — kühl

liegen — lügen

Liste — Lüste

Kiste — Küste

Lifte — Lüfte

Kunst — Künste

Mutter — Mütter

Busch — Büsche

That was a heck of a workout today. I hope you’re enjoying this and are doing well. Keep practicing and we’ll see you in the next lesson.

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Welcome to Lesson #12 of Stress Free German. Let’s jump to today’s new image. This one contains only masculine elements. So imagine someone’s balcony which overlooks a sandy beach. And on their balcony is a table. And on that table is a shiny, silver key. So the table is our masculine anchor. And here again are those three new nouns: key, balcony, beach.

Schlüssel…Balkon…Strand

Try as I might, I just can’t spot a connection between the English word key, and the German word

Schlüssel. To my ear it’s a truly foreign word, which means we’ll need to take a little more care when reviewing it, and…Wait…what was it again?

Schlüssel

Just checking. Ask: Where is the key?

Wo ist der Schlüssel?

The next word, thankfully, is an easy cognate. In English we say balcony, and in German: Balkon

It’s originally a French word, and the way Germans pronounce it sounds very French to me…with that nasal N.

Balkon

In today’s image, what was that silver thing lying on the table?

Schlüssel

Yes. Good. Alright, and the final word was Strand. It’s that sandy area that lies between the land and the ocean. Luckily, the word for sand in German is a cognate: Sand …so there’s the connection. Imagine scooping up a handful of sand and letting it sift through your fingers. That’s Sand and it’s spilling down onto the….Strand.

Let’s work now with these three new masculine words. So…

Ask Ms. Becker: Is this your key?

Frau Becker, ist das Ihr Schlüssel?

She says: Yes, this is my key.

Ja. Das ist mein Schlüssel.

Ask your elderly neighbor: Do you have a balcony?

Haben Sie einen Balkon?

Where is the beach?

Wo ist der Strand?

Mr. Kraft, I need your key.

Herr Kraft, ich brauche Ihren Schlüssel

I see the beach.

Ich sehe den Strand.

And a quick review of recent vocab…

Say: Here is the bus stop.

Hier ist die Haltestelle.

How might the taxi driver ask: Is that your street?

Ist das Ihre Straße?

You’re at a friend’s house, wanting to throw out some garbage. Ask him:

Where is your garbage bin?

Wo ist deine Mülltonne?

I have a sign.

Ich habe ein Schild

Ask your brother: Where is your bicycle?

Wo ist dein Fahrrad?

We’re going to the movies.

Wir gehen ins Kino.

We’re going to Rome.

Wir gehen nach Rom.

(music)

For today’s main topic we’re going to expand on our greeting vocabulary. So, imagine I walk into a large building in Berlin where I have an interview scheduled. I approach the security desk, and try to read the phrase from my phone…

Guten Morgen. Ich habe heute ein Bewerbungsgespräch.

Guten Morgen. Und…Wie heißen Sie?

Off of my blank and confused expression, the guard adds:

Wie ist Ihr Name? Naaameee? Hans? Thomas?

I could be mistaken but I feel like he wants to know my name. So I say…

Ich heiße James Gordon.

Then a voice calls out from the elevators….James? James Gordon?

She’s the woman who offered me the job over the phone. Ich heiße Lisa Kruger.

These greetings and introductions tend to be the first things students encounter when trying to learn German online, and so I’m guessing you’re fairly familiar with them. Still, let’s run through the main phrases again.

My name is Linda Jackson.

Ich heiße Linda Jackson.

Ask your elderly new neighbor: What’s your name? Notice we ask literally: How are you named?

Wie heißen Sie?

Can you guess what the informal version of that would be? Like, you’re at a party where everyone is your age. Ask…How you called?

Wie heißt du?

This is the preferred way to ask someone’s name, at least in my experience. But you can also ask directly: How is your name?

Wie ist Ihr Name?

Raise your hand if you think I’m going to let that slip by without us analyzing it? No one? Right. So what I want to know is: What is the gender of the word Name?

Hit pause and then we’ll talk.

(music)

So, what’s the gender? I’ll give you one more hint. I ask my new weightlifting partner…

Wie ist dein Name?

Now do we know the gender? No. Not fully. We only know…what? That it’s not feminine.

What kind of phrase might truly tell us the gender? Can you think of one? How about:

I love your name. Right? Because loving something counts as doing something to it. So if it’s neuter the supporting words won’t change. But if it’s masculine….

Ich liebe deinen Namen.

deinen. Bingo. Now we know that Name is masculine.

And did you catch that the word Name itself changed there? Listen again…

Ich liebe deinen Namen.

There are only a few common masculine nouns that decline like that, where they add that “en” sound to rhyme with the supporting words. No big deal.

Tell your new elderly neighbor that you love her name.

Ich liebe Ihren Namen.

Later, in the lobby of your building you see the woman trying to pull some mail from her box. Ask her: Where is your key?

Wo ist Ihr Schlüssel?

How about: I love the beach.

Ich liebe den Strand.

Let’s pretend your name is Karl. What are two ways to introduce yourself?

Mein Name ist Karl.

Ich heiße Karl.

Excellent. Back in a bit..

TIP OF THE DAY

Today’s tip is simple to implement, but please don’t over use it. Still, once in a while, it’s good practice to ask questions that you already know the answer to. For example, I might be walking in Berlin. I approach a kind looking gentleman and ask, Entschuldigung, Sie bitte…können Sie mir sagen, wo der Hauptbahnhof ist?

I’m asking where the main train station is…even though I know very well it’s down the street and around the corner. But the great thing is then I can listen to the answer, his word choice and word order and such, without the stress of trying to understand. And when I thank him and walk away in the right direction, he feels good having helped me. In the grocery store you might quickly ask where the fish is. Or in a store, where the changing rooms are. It’s a little obnoxious, though, wasting people’s time, so please don’t overdo it. But again, when you already know the answer, this technique allows you to listen for kind of everything else.

Alright, back to it…

Try to say: The balcony is big.

Der Balkon ist groß.

The beach is beautiful.

Der Strand ist schön.

The key is small.
Der Schlüssel ist klein.

Tell your neighbor, politely…

You have a big balcony.

Sie haben einen großen Balkon.

We’re looking for a beautiful beach.

Wir suchen einen schönen Strand.

tell your friend: You need a small key.

Du brauchst einen kleinen Schlüssel.

Assuming you’re an adult, how will a stranger ask you your name?

Wie heißen Sie?

Let’s pretend your name is Karla. What are two ways to introduce yourself?

Ich heiße Karla. Mein Name ist Karla.

(swell)

For our last major topic today, let’s add a pair of verbs. Remember today’s opening image? What was lying on that table? Der…

Right: Der Schlüssel

Imagine putting your fingers on the cold, shiny metal. Lifting it off the table, you show it to your roommate and announce: Ich nehme den Schlüssel. Then you put it in your pocket and leave the balcony.

What was that sentence again?

Ich nehme den Schlüssel.

Why was it “den” Schlüssel Because, of course, taking something counts as doing something to it.

So let’s try that verb with a feminine noun. You and your roommate have packed a tote bag with things for your walk. You wrap your fingers around the drooping handles and haul it off the floor, and announce: Ich nehme die Tasche.

Your partner’s passport is lying on the table. You pinch your fingers around it, and show it to her:

Ich nehme deinen Pass.

Which translates, of course, as: I’m taking your passport.

Pick up your roommate’s cellphone and tell him: I’m taking your cellphone.

Ich nehme dein Handy.

What would be the formal version of that? Here…listen:

Ich nehme Ihr Handy. Ihr.

If spelling it with English letters, I’d say: I-H-R

Let’s try that with a masculine noun. Inform your boss: I’m taking your computer.

Ich nehme Ihren Computer. Ihren.

So far so good. And the other new verb? Well, let’s feel that cool silver key in our pocket. You wrap your fingers around it and place it your roommate’s open palm. You tell him:

Ich gebe dir den Schlüssel.

Did she say dir…as in: Wie geht’s dir?

Yes, she did. Because, recall our SLT…the super literal translation: How goes it to you, or for you.

Cool. I like when things make sense. So let’s try that again. Tell a friend…

I’m giving to you the suitcase.

Ich gebe dir den Koffer.

So let’s hit pause and think of how we’d say that same phrase to our boss.

(music)

So, to your boss you say: I’m giving to you the suitcase.

Ich gebe Ihnen den Koffer.

Did you figure out that the third word was Ihnen? Because it’s the same logic as before. We took the “for you” part of the formal How’s it going for you? Wie geht es Ihnen?

Imagine your boss is angry that you ate the last jelly donut in the breakroom…the one he’d been saving for himself. You promise him in English, I will never eat another donut, Sir. And then you add in German…

Ich gebe Ihnen mein Wort.

I give to you my….Wort. Wort is a cognate. In English we say word, and in German it’s Wort.

One more time: I give you my word.

Ich gebe Ihnen mein Wort.

Make the same promise to your friend.

Ich gebe dir mein Wort.

By the way, What’s the gender of Wort? Well, we’re doing something to it, we’re “giving” it, and yet the supporting word was just mein. So it must be…neuter.

So let’s end by practicing our two new verbs. As in English, we can use “taking” with the idea of taking some form of transport.

I’m taking the bus.

Ich nehme den Bus.

We are taking the train.

Wir nehmen den Zug.

You can also use this verb at, for example, a food stand. Tell the server:

I’ll take a juice.

Ich nehme einen Saft.

I’ll take a coffee.

Ich nehme einen Kaffee.

I’ll take a tea.

Ich nehme einen Tee.

Tell your son: We’re giving you a bicycle.

Wir geben dir ein Fahrrad.

Tell your boss: I’m giving you my passport.

Ich gebe Ihnen meinen Pass.

I’m giving you his key.

Ich gebe Ihnen seinen Schlüssel.

My daughter was making a little playhouse in her room, so I told her:

I’m giving you a small chair.

Ich gebe dir einen kleinen Stuhl.

Then she had a tea party in her little house. I told her…

I’m giving you a small glass.

Ich gebe dir ein kleines Glas.

I’m giving you a small flower.

Ich gebe dir eine kleine Blume.

Ridiculously good, guys. That’s all I can say. If you’re getting most of these correct, you are doing so ridiculously good in this course. See you next lesson…

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Welcome to Lesson #11 of this first volume of Stress Free German. And before we begin, a quick announcement: The next volumes of this course are now available. Just go to Stress Free German.com. When you’re there, click on the banner that says Volume 2. Ok let’s get to it…

We’re going to start with a quick Der-Die-Das quiz. The prompts are going to be locations that we’ve learned, so as I say each location, try to see the picture in your mind, and all the elements in it. This means keeping a finger on the pause button, okay? So say..

the park

Der Park

the train station

Der Bahnhof

the museum

Das Museum

the cafe

Das Cafe

the house

Das Haus

the restaurant

Das Restaurant

the church

Die Kirche

the school

Die Schule

You see how most of our pictures feature a location, to anchor the gender for you. Sometimes our location is smaller, though, like…

the table

Der Tisch

the shelf

Das Regal

the bench

Die Bank

Anyway, on to a new feminine image. It has one anchor element, and three new feminine nouns. So on the right side of the image is an empty street, extending into the distance. It’s got a single yellow line down the middle. Looking at it, you might call it a road instead of street. On the left side of the image is a bus stop. There’s a bench, and a small overhang to sit under. Finally, at this bus stop there’s a garbage bin. So the three new elements are: street, bus stop, garbage bin. In German…

Straße Haltestelle Mülltonne

If you’ve spent any time in a German speaking country, you’re probably familiar with the word for street. Straße

A lot of times they’re named after famous musicians. There’s more than one street in Austria, for example, named after Mozart. Mozartstraße

The next word, Haltestelle literally means the stop site. It refers to any stopping point for local public transport like trams, trolleybuses, and buses. Halt of course is also an English word. As in, The car came to an abrupt halt. Or: Halt, who goes there? So in English we say halt, but in German, the tongue comes up to the roof of the mouth after that L.

(very slowly) Halt

Haltestelle

Finally, let’s imagine that garbage can we saw at our bus stop. It’s a large, black plastic bin with a lid. Mülltonne This word Müll on its own represents garbage. But we need to be careful, because on its own, it’s masculine. It’s the bin part at the end that makes it feminine. Mülltonne

All three one more time…

Street…Bus stop….Garbage bin

Straße Haltestelle Mülltonne

Let’s do a quick round using the feminine article. So..

The street is beautiful.

Die Straße ist schön.

The bus stop is new.

Die Haltestelle ist neu.

Here is the garbage bin.

Hier ist die Mülltonne.

Excellent. Back in a second…

(music)

So, today we’re gonna get formal. Imagine we’re going to a job interview in a bank in Frankfurt. In this situation, we need to speak formally. And German, like most other European and Slavic languages, uses a whole different set of words when addressing someone formally.

So at 9 AM an assistant named Hans Fisher comes into the waiting room. Let’s greet him…

Guten Morgen, Herr Fisher.

Guten Morgen, Frau Jones. Wie geht es Ihnen?

How might we tell him: Thanks, good, and for you?

Danke, gut und Ihnen?

He says: Thanks, also good.

Danke, auch gut.

Let’s move the interview to just after lunch, and run through the greeting routine again. Ready?

Guten Tag, Herr Fisher.

Guten Tag, Frau Jones. Wie geht es Ihnen?

How might we tell him: Thanks, good, and for you?

Danke, gut und Ihnen?

Thanks, also good.

Danke, auch gut.

So that formal form of “for you”….what was it? Listen again: Ihnen

Suddenly a friend from the gym enters the waiting room. Let’s greet him…

Hallo, wie geht’s dir?

Hallo. Danke, gut und dir?

So let’s compare that key difference between the two greetings. To your friend:

How goes it for you?

Wie geht’s dir?

Same question to your potential new boss:

Wie geht es Ihnen?

Almost time for today’s tip, but we need to quickly review our three new feminine nouns.

Tell a friend: We are searching for your street.

Wir suchen deine Straße.

Where is the bus stop?
Wo ist die Haltestelle?

We need a new garbage bin.
Wir brauchen eine neue Mülltonne.

TIP OF THE DAY

In our company we also teach Japanese and Russian, and if you’ve taken one of my Russian courses, you might be wondering: Why isn’t he telling us to make flashcards? And yes, I am very big on flashcards for Russian. For German, though, it feels less important. Instead, I recommend making those digital flashcards that I described a few lessons back. Those ones where you put the German word into Google images and take a screenshot.

Still, if you’re wanting to write something down, you might try making a notebook to keep track of phrases. After all, having a list of all the constructions you’ve ever learned is certainly a handy resource. But even then, for this language, because we’re keeping things so visual, you can really review and recall things in a more visual way. You basically just need images to prompt the recall of phrases. Look around your room, your house…your town…Each time you see an object you know, then create a phrase for it. I\m looking for a big dog. They have an old bench. We’re going to the movies. I mean, it’s all out there, ready to prompt a German phrase out of you.

Speaking of prompting a phrase out of you, how would you tell a friend:

I’m searching for your street.

Ich suche deine Straße.

Ask him: Do you see the bus stop?
Siehst du die Haltestelle?

We have a new garbage bin.
Wir haben eine neue Mülltonne.

Next, ask a friend: How goes it for you?

Wie geht’s dir?

Same question to your new boss:

Wie geht es Ihnen?

So let’s get back to today’s main topic, which is learning to speak formally. Right? For our job interview in Frankfurt. Let’s say my German friend Lisa is with me on the interview. We get invited into his office, and I see that we’re short one chair. So I ask…

Hast du einen Stuhl?

Do you have a chair?

Mr. Schneider’s eyebrows raise up, and suddenly Lisa is stepping on my foot. She whispers angrily in my ear…”Hast du???” Mark! Herr Schneider ist dein Chef! Wir sagen, “Haben Sie?”

“Entschuldigen Sie, bitte. Haben Sie einen Stuhl?”

But it’s too late. Two large weightlifters, Hans and Franz, escort me from Mr. Schneider’s office and ask me to learn some manners before contacting their bank again. So Lisa and I go to the park, and we practice the formal forms of verbs. So I start…

Ich gehe ins Kino.

Gehen Sie ins Kino?

So there’s our new conjugation. Are you going?

Gehen Sie?

So let’s continue this part without any English prompts. I’ll say what I’m doing, and then Lisa will rephrase it as a polite question.

Ich gehe nach Hamburg.

Gehen Sie nach Hamburg?

Ich sehe den Park.

Sehen Sie den Park?

Ich habe eine neue Mülltonne.

Haben Sie eine neue Mülltonne?

Ich brauche ein Fahrrad.
Brauchen Sie ein Fahrrad?

Ich suche den Bahnhof.

Suchen Sie den Bahnhof?

Ich liebe den Hund.

Lieben Sie den Hund?

Great job, guys!

(music)

In this next section we’re going to do a similar exercise. This time, though, simply rephrase the informal question as a formal one.

Gehst du ins Museum?

Gehen Sie ins Museum?

Hast du einen kleinen Koffer?

Haben Sie einen kleinen Koffer?

Siehst du meine Brille?

Sehen Sie meine Brille?

Brauchst du meinen alten Kühlschrank?

Brauchen Sie meinen alten Kühlschrank?

Suchst du die Haltestelle?

Suchen Sie die Haltestelle?

Gehst du nach London?

Gehen Sie nach London?

And let’s add another key word that we use when addressing people politely. So, you’re at a dog park with your friend Hans, and your new boss, Mr. Gutenberg. Both of them seem to have lost track of their dogs. So I ask…

Hans, wo ist dein Hund?

..and then I turn to my boss…

Herr Gutenberg, wo ist Ihr Hund?

So that was: dein to my friend, and Ihr to my boss. Using English letters it’s spelled I-H-R.

Let’s try that again. This time with a neuter noun. We’re at a skate park…

Hans, wo ist dein Fahrrad?

..and then I turn to my boss…

Herr Gutenberg, wo ist Ihr Fahrrad?

That was: dein to my friend, and Ihr to my boss.

At the swimming pool, both seemed to have lost their glasses. So I ask…

Hans, wo ist deine Brille?

..and then I turn to my boss…

Herr Gutenberg, wo ist Ihre Brille?

deine to my friend, Ihre to my boss

To your friend say: I have your dog.

Ich habe deinen Hund.

Say that to your boss?
Ich habe Ihren Hund.

That was deinen to my friend, and Ihren to my boss

To your friend say: I need your cellphone.

Ich brauche dein Handy.

Say that to your boss?
Ich brauche Ihr Handy.

To your friend say: I see your bus stop.

Ich sehe deine Haltestelle.

And to your boss?
Ich sehe Ihre Haltestelle.

As always, if you’re getting these right, you’re doing ridiculously well.

Keep practicing, and see you next time. Tschuss!

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