You won't be able to guess which category a noun is in based on whether some aspect of the word reminds you of men or women, or masculinity and femininity, or anything like that. When learning German-or any language with grammatical gender!-remember that grammatical gender categories aren't based on human gender. Ok, here we go! □□ Grammatical gender: a refresher This week we'll get through the first layer of German nouns, so that you know what gender a noun is, and we'll cover German cases another time. In fact, there are only EIGHT different forms-because some of the articles are used for multiple genders and multiple cases. If you've never studied German, you might be thinking, "Whoa, three genders… times four cases… that's 12 different articles!!" That means German is packing a ton of information into these tiny words: Articles indicate which grammatical gender category a noun is in, and which case the noun is in, in a particular sentence. Unlike other languages, German shows a noun's case not on the noun itself, but on words associated with the noun-adjectives and articles! The four cases in German are nominative, accusative, dative, and genitive. German also uses a system of cases to indicate what a noun is doing in the sentence (is it the thing doing the action of the verb? Or is the thing being acted upon? Or something else?). They could just as easily be called Category A, Category B, and Category C! In German, a noun's category affects the words around it, including adjectives and articles (words like the and a), so a masculine noun is paired with a masculine article, feminine with feminine, and neuter with neuter. These categories are unrelated to human gender, sexuality, or identity and are purely grammatical. German nouns-for humans and objects-are all in one of three noun categories: masculine, feminine, or neuter. These topics have been covered a bit in other posts, but here are the basics for German: There's actually two layers to these German articles (words like the and a): They vary according to grammatical gender and also by case, sometimes called declensions. That's only part of the story when it comes to German, though… You’ve got it, Das It Ever End: German has three grammatical gender categories! That der (the) goes with masculine nouns, die (also means "the") with feminine, and das (.the) is for neuter nouns. I'm at the beginning of learning German, and I wonder if you could help me figure out the word "the." I understand that they have male form "der" and female form "die" but I got another one that's tripping me up and that's "das." It seems like that's another form! Can you help me out? Kristina Schoen, a Duolingo curriculum designer who is responsible for our German course for English speakers! She's bringing her expertise as a German speaker and teacher to answer one of the most common questions we get in the Dear Duolingo inbox, one that plagues German learners, is of interest to English language history buffs, and should instill feelings of relief (.even Schadenfreude?) in all other learners. Hey, y'all! This week I've teamed up with Dr. Offering a winning formula for getting a handle on German grammar right away, Practice Makes Perfect: Complete German Grammar your ultimate resource for learning to speak German the way the native speakers do.Welcome to another week of Dear Duolingo, an advice column just for language learners. Time-saving vocabulary panels that eliminate having to look words upĪ detailed answer key for quick, easy progress checks Whenever possible, explanations include comparisons you to understand the basic logic behind the rules and to remember correct usage. Each unit features crystal-clear explanations, numerous realistic examples, and dozens of engaging exercises in a variety of formats-including multiple choice, fill-in sentences and passages, sentence rewrites, and creative writing-perfect for whatever your learning style. Practice Makes Perfect: Complete German Grammar focuses on the practical aspects of German as it's really spoken, so you are not bogged down by unnecessary technicalities. Build your confidence in your German skills with practice, practice, practice!įrom present tense regular verbs to double object pronouns, this comprehensive guide and workbook covers all those aspects of German grammar that you might find a little intimidating or hard to remember.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |