Intermediate German for Dummies

✍ Scribed by Foster, Wendy

• Publisher: For Dummies
• Year: 2008
• Tongue: English
• Leaves: 338
• Series: For Dummies
• Category: Library

✦ Synopsis

Need to brush up on your German?Intermediate German For Dummiesis your key to success in becoming confident in both written and spoken German. It gives you the straight talk and nitty-gritty detail that will see you successfully through any major or minor roadblocks to communicating in German. This friendly, hands-on workbook is loaded with practical examples and useful exercises so you can practice how native speakers use the language. From vocabulary and numbers to juggling tenses, you'll get a clear understanding of the nuances of German style and usage that will have you writing and speaking in no time. Plus, you'll find multiple charts that provide conjugations for all types of German verbs. You'll get up to speed with German grammar, master essential differences between German and English language usage, and be able to communicate effectively when traveling or conducting business. Discover how to:

Use fundamental German grammar, from nouns, adjectives, and adverbs to pronouns, prepositions, and conjunctions Select and conjugate German verbs correctly Understand the importance of grammatical gender in German Avoid the most common writing mistakes Use numbers and express dates and times Name countries and nationalities in German Expand your German vocabulary exponentially Get comfortable with the subjunctive Combine verbs with confidence and competence If you're heading to any German-speaking country, sharpen your German-language skills the fun and easy way withIntermediate German For Dummies.

✦ Table of Contents

Intermediate German FOR Dummies®......Page 3
Table of Contents......Page 9
Introduction......Page 17
Part I The Basic Building Blocks of German......Page 21
Grasping German Grammar Terms......Page 23
Identifying Parts of Speech......Page 27
Finding Meaning through Context......Page 29
Using a Bilingual Dictionary......Page 30
Answer Key......Page 33
Rounding Up Grammatical Genders......Page 35
Calling All Cases: The Roles Nouns and Pronouns Play......Page 42
Putting Pronouns in Place......Page 45
Answer Key......Page 50
Doing the Numbers......Page 53
Was Ist das Datum? Expressing Dates......Page 58
On the Clock: Expressing Time......Page 60
Naming Countries, Nationalities, and Languages......Page 62
Answer Key......Page 66
Working with Word Combinations......Page 67
Grasping Word Families and Word Categories......Page 72
Streamlining Word Storage......Page 76
Answer Key......Page 80
Part II Getting Started Now: Writing in the Present......Page 83
Simplifying Subject Pronouns and Their Relationship to Verbs......Page 85
Getting Your Verbs in Shape: Present-Tense Conjugations......Page 89
Using the Very Versatile Present Tense......Page 97
Answer Key......Page 99
Inverting Word Order for Yes/No Questions......Page 101
Gathering Information with Question Words: Who, What, Why, and More......Page 103
Checking Information: Tag! You’re It, Aren’t You?......Page 106
Combining Question Words: Compounds with Wo-......Page 107
Making Choices: Asking What Kind of . . . ?......Page 109
Using the Imperative: Do It!......Page 111
Answer Key......Page 114
Chapter 7 Answering Intelligently with Yes, No, and Maybe......Page 117
Getting to Yes: Variations on Ja......Page 118
Responding with No: The Difference between Kein and Nicht......Page 120
Explaining Answers Using Da- Compounds......Page 126
Sounding Diplomatic: Using Maybe, Suggesting, and Refusing Politely......Page 128
Answer Key......Page 132
Terms and Conditions: Unraveling Subjunctive Terminology......Page 135
Selecting the Present Subjunctive II: How and When to Use It......Page 137
Forming and Using the Past Subjunctive II......Page 142
Subjunctive I: Used in Indirect Discourse......Page 144
Answer Key......Page 147
The 4-1-1 on Modal Verbs......Page 149
May I? Dürfen, the Permission Verb......Page 151
You Can Do It! Können, the Ability Verb......Page 152
I Like That: Mögen, the Likeable Verb......Page 155
What Would You Like? Möchten, the Preference Verb......Page 157
Do I Have To? Müssen, the Verb of Necessity......Page 158
Should I or Shouldn’t I? Sollen, the Duty Verb......Page 159
I Want to Be Famous: Wollen, the Intention Verb......Page 160
Answer Key......Page 163
Looking at the Prefix......Page 165
Simplifying Separable-Prefix Verbs......Page 166
Investigating Inseparable-Prefix Verbs......Page 171
Dealing with Dual-Prefix Verbs: To Separate or Not to Separate?......Page 175
Answer Key......Page 178
Part III Fine Tuning Your Writing with Flair......Page 181
Set in Their Ways: Grasping Idiomatic Verb Expressions......Page 183
In the Looking Glass: Reflecting on Reflexive Verbs......Page 184
Combining Verbs with Prepositions......Page 188
Answer Key......Page 193
Organizing Adjectives: Opposites, Cognates, and Collocations......Page 195
Helping Adjectives Meet a Satisfying End......Page 201
Using Possessive Adjectives: My Place or Your Place?......Page 204
Answer Key......Page 206
Comparing Regular Adjectives and Adverbs: Fast, Faster, Fastest......Page 209
Using Irregular Comparison Forms......Page 215
Comparing Equals and Nonequals......Page 216
Identifying Unique Adjective and Adverb Groups......Page 218
Answer Key......Page 221
Conjunctions and Clauses: Terminating Terminology Tangles......Page 223
Connecting with Coordinating Conjunctions......Page 224
Connecting with Subordinating Conjunctions......Page 228
Answer Key......Page 232
Prepping for Prepositions: Basic Guidelines......Page 233
Accusative, Dative, and Genitive Cases: How the Rest of the Phrase Shapes Up......Page 235
Tackling Two-Way Prepositions: Accusative/Dative......Page 241
Understanding Quirky Combinations......Page 243
Answer Key......Page 245
Part IV Looking Back and Ahead: Writing in the Past and the Future......Page 247
Forming the Present Perfect with Haben......Page 249
Forming the Present Perfect with Sein......Page 255
Eyeing the Present Perfect: German versus English......Page 257
Outing the Oddball Verbs......Page 258
Answer Key......Page 263
Conjugating the Simple Past......Page 265
Contrasting Tenses......Page 275
Answer Key......Page 277
The Future Is Now: Using the Present Tense Instead......Page 281
Facing the Future with Werden......Page 285
Answer Key......Page 289
Part V The Part of Tens......Page 291
Think Like a Native Speaker......Page 293
Get Going on Grammar......Page 294
Germanify Your Home......Page 295
Set Goals and Reward Yourself......Page 296
Attempting Word-for-Word Translations......Page 297
Wondering Which Word Order......Page 298
(Mis)Placing Prepositions and Prefixes......Page 299
Slipping on Super Slick Sentences......Page 300
Rejecting Review......Page 301
Giving Up......Page 302
Part VI Appendixes......Page 303
Conjugating Verbs in Present and Simple Past Tenses......Page 305
Conjugating Verbs in the Present Perfect, Future, and Subjunctive......Page 306
Weak Verbs......Page 307
Strong Verbs......Page 308
Separable-Prefix Verbs......Page 309
Auxiliary Verbs Haben, Sein, and Werden......Page 310
Modal Auxiliary Verbs......Page 311
Principal Parts of Weak Verbs......Page 312
Articles......Page 315
Pronouns......Page 316
Adjectives......Page 318
Prepositions......Page 320
Appendix C English-German Dictionary......Page 323
Appendix D German-English Dictionary......Page 327
Index......Page 331

✦ Subjects

European Literature;German Literature