The Basics of German Language – An Overview
Learning German is not as difficult as one may initially think…
If you have heard horror stories about impossible conjugations and long words which are impossible to spell, it will be comforting to know that German is easier than you may think. The conjugations are relatively easy and those long words are phonetic, which means spelling is not too difficult. Having a grasp on the following German language essentials will help you build a strong foundation on your language learning quest.
German verbs are very straightforward. Yes, there will be a few tricky ones, as there are in any language, but most conjugations follow a simple pattern. The present tense follows a simple, ‘e’ ‘st’ ‘t’ pattern. Using the verb machen (to make) we can see this pattern in action. I make, you make, and she makes would be translated as…
Ich mache, du machst, sie macht. Note how the ‘e’ ‘st’ ‘t’ pattern is present. Most of the time, it really is that simple. Just take the stem of the verb, in our case the stem of machen would be mach, and add the appropriate ending. Confused yet?
Let’s look at another easy verb, sagen (to say). So, take the stem of the verb, which is sag and add the right ending. I say = ich sage. You say = du sagst. And finally she says = sie sagt.
There are patterns all over the German language just like this one. Understanding these basics is what really catapults your learning abilities later on. Learning German is all about finding patterns and repeating them throughout differing parts of the language.
Because verbs are where all the action takes place in a sentence, let’s look at another pattern having to do with verbs. When you want to say a sentence like, “I can play” or, “You can play” the structure is simple. Ich kann spielen = I can play. Du kannst spielen = you can play. There is no need to conjugate the verb to play (spielen). Take the verb ‘can’ and conjugate accordingly. As long as you understand the basics when it comes to verb conjugations the rest will fall into place accordingly.
“But what about all that vocabulary? There are just so many words, how can I memorize them all?”
This is another good question to consider before diving into the German language. Luckily, considering you are reading this you already speak English. This means you already have the upper hand when it comes to learning German. The English language has somewhere around 100,000 words in active usage, where as German only has around 60,000.
These numbers are not meant to discourage, but given as a reminder. A reminder that you already know far more about language than you might realize. Thus, learning new vocabulary is not so much about memorization as it is finding subtle nuances and similarities between your mother tongue and German.
Can you guess what these German words are?
1) Apfel
2) Hund
3) stören
Number one is apple! Not so difficult right? Number two is dog. You’ll notice that the German word ‘Hund’ is similar to hound, like a hound-dog. Number three is the verb ‘to disturb’. Stören is similar to stir, which may be a stretch when it comes to the real definition, but at least it’s a simple way to remember it.
Furthermore, German words often build on top of one another. English likes to complicate things by using totally different words for the following verbs; disturb, unsettle, and destroy. German on the other hand keeps it simple by building upon the root word. As mentioned before, disturb means stören, but verstören means to unsettle. Finally zerstören means to destroy.
We as English speakers will often complicate things unnecessarily. How about these common phrases:
“Are you ready?”
“Are you done?”
“Did you finish?”
In essence the above three all mean the same thing. German simplifies things by using just one phrase… “Bist du fertig?”
If this seems too brash and direct, don’t worry. English speakers love to speak with long run-on sentences that sugarcoat everything. German speakers are much more direct and to the point. By learning mostly short, simple and basic phrases you will be well on your way to holding a normal conversation in German in no time.
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