Sprachen: word order, strong verbs, adjectives identical to adverbs | German

Starter quiz

Was passt zusammen? Match these German verb phrases to their English meanings.

ich sehe

⇔

I see ✓

er liest

⇔

he reads ✓

du sprichst

⇔

you speak ✓

sie schläft

⇔

she sleeps ✓

man hilft

⇔

you/we/one help(s) ✓

du lässt

⇔

you let/allow ✓
Match the English words below to their German equivalents.

Spanish

⇔

spanisch ✓

customer (f)

⇔

die Kundin ✓

to promise

⇔

versprechen ✓

to forget

⇔

vergessen ✓

to understand

⇔

verstehen ✓

to improve

⇔

verbessern ✓
Sort the words below into the correct order to complete the following sentence: Strong verbs change the __________ in the verb __________ in the __________ and 'er/sie/es' forms.

1

⇔

vowel

2

⇔

stem

3

⇔

'du'
Which of the following statements about adverbs are correct?

In English, most adverbs end with '-ly'; for example, 'naturally'. ✓

An adverb qualifies or modifies a verb; for example, 'he speaks quickly'. ✓

An adjective can qualify or modify a verb; for example, 'he speaks natural'.

The German word 'schnell' means both 'quick' and 'quickly'. ✓

An adverb can qualify an adjective; for example, 'extremely hot'. ✓
Which of the following sentences use word order 3?

Ich weiß, dass Deutschlernen Spaß macht. ✓

Er liest immer, denn er liebt Bücher.

Du isst gern Äpfel aber ich esse lieber Bananen.

Er geht nie ins Schwimmbad, weil er nicht schwimmen kann. ✓
Which of these conjunctions do not change word order?

denn ✓

und ✓

oder ✓

weil

aber ✓

Exit quiz

Match the German words below to their English equivalents.

vergessen

⇔

to forget, forgetting ✓

versprechen

⇔

to promise, promising ✓

verstehen

⇔

to understand, understanding ✓

verbessern

⇔

to improve, improving ✓

enthalten

⇔

to contain, containing ✓

erhalten

⇔

to receive, receiving ✓
Which of the following groups of conjunctions trigger word order 3?

und, oder, entweder, aber

dass, wenn, denn, und

obwohl, weil, dass, falls ✓

ob, weil, wenn, dass ✓

weil, denn, aber, oder
German adjectives are identical to __________. In the sentence 'Der Auto ist langsam', langsam means __________. But in the sentence 'Mein Freund spricht langsam', langsam means __________.

1

⇔

adverbs

2

⇔

slow

3

⇔

slowly
Match the German adjective or adverb in each sentence to the correct English meaning.

Mein Lehrer spricht schnell.

⇔

quickly ✓

Der Sportwagen ist sehr schnell.

⇔

quick ✓

Die Alpen sind sehr schön.

⇔

beautiful ✓

Du hast das schön übersetzt.

⇔

beautifully ✓

Die Bedeutung ist deutlich.

⇔

clear ✓

Das sehe ich deutlich.

⇔

clearly ✓
Strong verbs change vowel in the __________ and 'er/sie/es' forms of the verb. The most common changes are from 'a' to __________, from __________ to 'ie' and 'e' to __________.

1

⇔

'du'

2

⇔

'ä'

3

⇔

'e'

4

⇔

'i'
Which of the following strong verbs are correctly conjugated?

Ich helfe, du hilfst, er/sie/es hilft, wir helfen, ihr helft, Sie/sie helfen. ✓

Ich sehe, du siehst, der/sie/es sieht, wir sehen, ihr sieht, Sie/sie sehen.

Ich fahre, du fährst, er/sie/es fahrt, wir fahren, ihr fahrt, Sie/sie fahren.

Ich esse, du isst, er/sie/es isst, wir essen, ihr esst, Sie/sie essen. ✓

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Lesson Details

Key learning points

Word order one conjunctions do not change word order.
Word order three conjunctions like 'weil' send the verb to the end.
Most German adjectives can be used as adverbs.
Strong verbs in the present tense change the stem vowel in the 2nd and 3rd person singular.

Common misconception

In German sentences, the word order changes every time you use a conjunction.

Word order does not change after common co-ordinating conjunctions. 'Und', 'aber', 'oder', 'denn' just join two standard sentences together. 'Subordinating' conjuctions send the verb to the end of the sentence. Practise with 'weil', 'wenn', 'dass'.

Keywords

Conjunction - a word used to connect clauses or sentences
Word order 1 - (WO1) subject - verb - object; the standard word order in a German sentence, e.g., 'Ich lerne Deutsch.'
Word order 3 - (WO3) the verb is sent to the end of the clause or sentence
Adverb - a word which describes a verb, adjective or another adverb
Strong verb - a verb whose stem vowel changes in the 'du' and 'er/sie/es' forms in the present tense