diff --git a/003 - Lesson 02 - Social Courtesies.module b/003 - Lesson 02 - Social Courtesies.module index 9e5499c..6593a48 100644 --- a/003 - Lesson 02 - Social Courtesies.module +++ b/003 - Lesson 02 - Social Courtesies.module @@ -19,21 +19,21 @@ INTRO: Let's look at how regular verbs are formed in the present tense, and how Regular German verbs follow this pattern in the present tense: -* {ich lerne} = I learn, am learning -* {er lernt}, {es lernt}, {sie lernt} = he learns, it learns, she learns -* {wir lernen}, {sie lernen}, {Sie lernen} = we learn, they learn, you learn +* {ich lerne} +* {er lernt}, {es lernt}, {sie lernt} +* {wir lernen}, {sie lernen}, {Sie lernen} -Both "I learn" and "I am learning" are represented in German by {ich lerne}. +German uses a single verb form for both ongoing and habitual actions — for example, {ich lerne} covers both meanings. -German does not use an auxiliary verb for questions and negation: +German does not use an auxiliary verb for questions and negation — the verb form alone is sufficient: -* {Lernen Sie?} = Do you learn? -* {Ich lerne nicht.} = I do not learn. +* {Lernen Sie?} +* {Ich lerne nicht.} $GRAMMAR Indefinite Articles INTRO: Let's learn about indefinite articles in German. -We saw in Lesson 1 that "the" can be "der", "das", or "die" in German. Similarly, the indefinite article has two basic forms: "ein" (for der/das nouns) and "eine" (for die nouns). +We saw in Lesson 1 that the definite article can be {der}, {das}, or {die}, depending on the noun's gender. Similarly, the indefinite article has two basic forms: {ein} (for der/das nouns) and {eine} (for die nouns). * {der Tisch} -> {ein Tisch} * {das Fenster} -> {ein Fenster} diff --git a/005 - Lesson 04 - Daily Activities.module b/005 - Lesson 04 - Daily Activities.module index 825a8e4..e7403c4 100644 --- a/005 - Lesson 04 - Daily Activities.module +++ b/005 - Lesson 04 - Daily Activities.module @@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ $LESSON Grammar Notes $GRAMMAR Daily Activities INTRO: Here are the grammar notes for this lesson. -The German verb {haben} (= to have) is slightly irregular. In the present tense it looks like this: +The German verb {haben} is slightly irregular. In the present tense it looks like this: | | | | |---|---|---| diff --git a/008 - Lesson 07 - A Chance Meeting.module b/008 - Lesson 07 - A Chance Meeting.module index cbbb7c6..0d9cf7c 100644 --- a/008 - Lesson 07 - A Chance Meeting.module +++ b/008 - Lesson 07 - A Chance Meeting.module @@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ $LESSON Grammar Notes $GRAMMAR Grammar: Indirect Objects INTRO: Let's learn about indirect objects in German. -In a sentence like "The instructor gives the student the book" or "The instructor gives the book to the student", "the book" is the direct object and "(to) the student" is the indirect object. In German, the "der" or "ein" word (including "kein" and possessives) in front of an indirect noun object appears in a special form. When preceding a "der" or "das" noun, it takes the ending "-em", when preceding a "die" noun, it takes the ending "-er". +German has a special form for indirect objects (dative case). In {Der Lehrer gibt dem Schüler das Buch}, {das Buch} is the direct object and {dem Schüler} is the indirect object. The "der" or "ein" word (including "kein" and possessives) in front of an indirect noun object appears in a special form. When preceding a "der" or "das" noun, it takes the ending "-em", when preceding a "die" noun, it takes the ending "-er". ### Noun Endings for Indirect Objects @@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ In a sentence like "The instructor gives the student the book" or "The instructo | {ein Mann} / {ein Kind}
{eine Frau} | {einem Mann} / {einem Kind}
{einer Frau} | | {mein Mann} / {mein Kind}
{meine Frau} | {meinem Mann} / {meinem Kind}
{meiner Frau} | -Pronouns like "I", "he", etc. have an indirect object form too, as shown in sentences like "He gives me the book", "I give him the book". The list of German indirect pronoun objects is as follows: +Pronouns also have a dative (indirect object) form. For example: {Er gibt mir das Buch} (dative: {mir}), {Ich gebe ihm das Buch} (dative: {ihm}). The full list of German dative pronoun forms is as follows: ### Pronoun Forms for Indirect Objects @@ -35,14 +35,14 @@ Pronouns like "I", "he", etc. have an indirect object form too, as shown in sent | {ich}
{er} / {es}
{sie} (she) | {mir}
{ihm}
{ihr} | | {wir}
{sie} (they)
{Sie} (you, formal) | {uns}
{ihnen}
{Ihnen} | -Some German verbs like {gefallen} (to please), {gehören} (to belong) and a few others can have an indirect object only. Other verbs can have both a direct and an indirect object. If two objects are present, the rules of sequence are as follows: +Some German verbs like {gefallen} and {gehören} can have an indirect object only. Other verbs can have both a direct and an indirect object. If two objects are present, the rules of sequence are as follows: 1. {Der Lehrer gibt dem Schüler das Buch.} 2. {Der Lehrer gibt ihm das Buch.} 3. {Der Lehrer gibt es dem Schüler.} 4. {Der Lehrer gibt es ihm.} -The foregoing examples show that pronouns precede longer phrases and that, if both objects are pronouns, the direct object precedes the indirect. Notice also that German does not use a preposition like "to" to mark indirect objects. The characteristic German indirect object forms are adequate to perform this function. +The foregoing examples show that pronouns precede longer phrases and that, if both objects are pronouns, the direct object precedes the indirect. Notice also that German does not use a separate preposition to mark indirect objects — the dative case form alone indicates the indirect object. Also covered in this lesson is the German sound r, which is produced differently from the r in many other languages. diff --git a/009 - Lesson 08 - A Busy Weekend.module b/009 - Lesson 08 - A Busy Weekend.module index 91015a5..9b75a27 100644 --- a/009 - Lesson 08 - A Busy Weekend.module +++ b/009 - Lesson 08 - A Busy Weekend.module @@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ $LESSON Grammar Notes $GRAMMAR Prepositions and the Dative Case INTRO: Let's review prepositions that require the dative case. -After certain prepositions (words of the type "in", "on", "with", "to", etc.), a German "der" or "ein" word must appear in its indirect object form. Some of the German prepositions involved are: +After certain prepositions (such as {aus}, {bei}, {mit}, {zu}), a "der" or "ein" word must appear in its dative (indirect object) form. Some of these prepositions are: * {aus} * {bei}