The future tense IS used however to:

Das werde ich erst nächstes Jahr machen können. I won’t be able to do that until next year.
Wenn sie zurückkommt, wird sie mir bestimmt helfen. I’m sure she’ll help me when she returns.

In English we often use going to followed by an infinitive to talk about something that will happen in the immediate future. You CANNOT use the German verb gehen (meaning to go) followed by an infinitive in the same way. Instead, you use either the present or the future tense.

Das wirst du bereuen. You’re going to regret that.
Wenn er sich nicht beeilt, verpasst er den Zug. He’s going to miss the train if he doesn’t hurry up.

Forming the future tense

The future tense has TWO parts to it and is formed in the same way for all verbs, be they weak, strong or mixed:

Pronoun Ending Present Tense Meanings
ich -e ich werde I become
du -st du wirst you become
er
sie
es		 – er wird
sie wird
es wird		 he/she/it becomes
wir -en wir werden we become
ihr -t ihr werdet you (plural) become
sie

Sie		 -en

-en		 sie werden

Sie werden		 they become

you (polite) become
Pronoun Present Tense of werden Infinitive of Main Verb Meanings
ich werde holen I will fetch
du wirst holen you will fetch
er
sie
es		 wird holen he/she/it will fetch
wir werden holen we will fetch
ihr werdet holen you (plural) will fetch
sie

Sie		 werden holen they will fetch

you (polite) will fetch
Morgen werde ich mein Fahrrad holen. I’ll fetch my bike tomorrow.
Sie wird dir meine Adresse geben. She’ll give you my address.
Wir werden draußen warten. We’ll wait outside.

Note that in reflexive verbs, the reflexive pronoun comes after the present tense of werden.

Ich werde mich nächste Woche vorbereiten. I’ll prepare next week.

Key points

You can use a present tense in German to talk about something that will happen or be true in the future, just as in English.

The future tense is formed from the present tense of werden and the infinitive of the main verb.

You CANNOT use gehen with an infinitive to refer to things that will happen in the immediate future.

The future tense is used to emphasize the future and express doubt or suppose something about the future.

The conditional

What is the conditional?

The conditional is a verb form used to talk about things that would happen or that would be true under certain conditions, for example, I would help you if I could. It is also used to say what you would like or need, for example, Could you give me the bill?

Using the conditional

You can often recognize a conditional in English by the word would or its shortened form ‘d.

I would be sad if you left.

If you asked him, he’d help you.

In German, the conditional is also used to express would.

Ich würde dir schon helfen, ich habe aber keine Zeit. I would help you, but I don’t have the time.
Was würden Sie an meiner Stelle tun? What would you do in my position?

Forming the conditional

The conditional has TWO parts to it and is formed in the same way for all verbs, be they weak, strong or mixed:

Pronoun Subjunctive of werden Infinitive of Main Verb Meanings
ich würde holen I would fetch
du würdest holen you would fetch
er
sie
es		 würde holen he/she/it would fetch
wir würden holen we would fetch
ihr würdet holen you (plural) would fetch
sie

Sie		 würden holen they would fetch

you (polite) would fetch
Das würde ich nie machen. I would never do that.
Würdest du mir etwas Geld leihen? Would you lend me some money?
Würden Sie jemals mit dem Rauchen aufhören? Would you ever stop smoking?

Note that you have to be careful not to mix up the present tense of werden, used to form the future tense, and the subjunctive of werden, used to form the conditional. They look similar.

FUTURE USE CONDITIONAL USE
ich werde ich würde
du wirst du würdest
er/sie/es wird er/sie/es würde
wir werden wir würden
ihr werdet ihr würdet
sie/Sie werden sie/Sie würden

Key points

The conditional tense is formed from the subjunctive or würde part of werden and the infinitive of the main verb.

The future tense is often confused with the conditional.

The pluperfect tense

What is the pluperfect tense?

The pluperfect is a verb tense which describes something that had happened or had been true at a point in the past, for example, I’d forgotten to finish my homework.

Using the pluperfect tense

You can often recognize a pluperfect tense in English by a form like I had arrived, you’d fallen.

Sie waren schon weggefahren. They had already left.
Diese Bücher hatten sie schon gelesen. They had already read these books.
Meine Eltern waren schon ins Bett gegangen. My parents had gone to bed already.

Note that when translating had done/had been doing in conjunction with seit/seitdem, you use the imperfect tense in German.

Sie machte es seit Jahren. She had been doing it for years.

For more information on the Imperfect tense, see page 118.

Forming the pluperfect tense

Like the perfect tense, the pluperfect tense in German has two parts to it:

If a verb takes haben in the perfect tense, then it will take haben in the pluperfect too. If a verb takes sein in the perfect, then it will take sein in the pluperfect.

For more information on the Imperfect tense and the Perfect tense, see pages 118 and 113.

Verbs taking haben

Here are the pluperfect tense forms of holen (meaning to fetch) in full.

Pronoun haben Past Participle Meanings
ich hatte geholt I had fetched
du hattest geholt you had fetched
er
sie
es		 hatte geholt he/she/it had fetched
wir hatten geholt we had fetched
ihr hattet geholt you (plural) had fetched
sie

Sie		 hatten geholt they had fetched

you (polite) had fetched
Ich hatte schon mit ihm gesprochen. I had already spoken to him.

Verbs taking sein

Here are the pluperfect tense forms of reisen (meaning to travel) in full.

Pronoun sein Past Participle Meanings
ich war gereist I had travelled
du warst gereist you had travelled
er
sie
es		 war gereist he/she/it had travelled
wir waren gereist we had travelled
ihr wart gereist you (plural) had travelled
sie

Sie		 waren gereist they had travelled

you (polite) had travelled
Sie war sehr spät angekommen. She had arrived very late.

Key points

The pluperfect tense describes things that had happened or were true at a point in the past before something else happened.

It is formed with the imperfect tense of haben or sein and the past participle.

Verbs which take haben in the perfect tense will take haben in the pluperfect tense and those which take sein in the perfect tense will take sein in the pluperfect tense.

The subjunctive

What is the subjunctive?

The subjunctive is a verb form that is used in certain circumstances to express some sort of feeling, or to show there is doubt about whether something will happen or whether something is true. It is only used occasionally in modern English, for example, If I were you, I wouldn’t bother; So be it.

Using the subjunctive

In German, subjunctive forms are used much more frequently than in English, to express uncertainty, speculation or doubt.

Es könnte doch wahr sein. It could be true.

Subjunctives are also commonly used in indirect speech, also known as reported speech. What a person asks or thinks can be reported directly:

Sie sagte: „Er kennt deine Schwester” She said, “He knows your sister”

OR indirectly:

Sie sagte, er kenne meine Schwester. She said he knew my sister.

Note that the change from direct to indirect speech is indicated by a change of tense in English, but is shown by a change to the subjunctive form in German.

Grammar Extra!

There are two ways of introducing indirect speech in German, as in English.
Sie hat uns gesagt, dass sie Italienisch spreche. She told us that she spoke Italian.
Sie hat uns gesagt, sie spreche Italienisch. She told us she spoke Italian.

If you want to express a possible situation in English, for example, I would be happy if you came, you use ‘if’ followed by the appropriate tense of the verb. In German you use the conjunction wenn followed by a subjunctive form of the verb.

Note that the verb ALWAYS goes to the end of a clause beginning with wenn.

Wenn du käm(e)st (subjunctive), wäre (subjunctive) ich froh.

OR

Wenn du käm(e)st, würde ich froh sein. I would be happy if you came.

Note that the main clause can either have a subjunctive form or the conditional form.

Wenn es mir nicht gefiele, würde ich es
nicht bezahlen.

OR

Wenn es mir nicht gefiele, bezahlte If I wasn’t happy with it,
(subjunctive) ich es nicht. I wouldn’t pay for it.

Tip

The imperfect forms of bezahlen, and of all weak verbs, are exactly the same as the imperfect subjunctive forms, so it’s better to use a conditional tense to avoid confusion.

wenn … nur (meaning if only), selbst wenn (meaning even if or even though) and wie (meaning how) work in the same way as wenn. This means that the normal word order is changed and the verb comes at the end of the clause.

Wenn wir nur erfolgreich wären! If only we were successful!
Selbst wenn er etwas wüsste, würde Even if he knew about it,
er nichts sagen. he wouldn’t say anything.
Er wunderte sich, wie es ihr wohl ginge. He wondered how she was.

Unlike wenn and wie etc, the word order does not change after als (meaning as if or as though) when it is used in conditional clauses: it is immediately followed by the verb.

Sie sah aus, als sei sie krank. She looked as if she were ill.

Tip

It is quite common to hear the subjunctive used when someone is asking you something politely, for example, the person serving you in a shop might ask:

Wäre da sonst noch etwas? Will there be anything else?

Forming the present subjunctive

The three main forms of the subjunctive are the present subjunctive, the imperfect subjunctive and the pluperfect subjunctive.

The present subjunctive of weak, strong and mixed verbs has the same endings:

Pronoun Present Subjunctive:
Weak and Strong Verb Endings
ich -e
du -est
er/sie/es -e
wir -en
ihr -et
sie/Sie -en
ich hole I fetch
du holest you fetch
ich fahre I drive, I go
du fahrest you drive, you go
ich denke I think
du denkest you think

Tip

The present and the present subjunctive endings are exactly the same for the ich, wir and sie/Sie forms.

Forming the imperfect subjunctive

The imperfect subjunctive is very common and is not always used to describe actions in the past. It can, for example, express the future.

Wenn ich nur früher kommen
könnte!		 If only I could come earlier!

The imperfect tense and the imperfect subjunctive of weak verbs are identical.

Pronoun Imperfect/Imperfect
Subjunctive		 Meaning
ich holte I fetched
du holtest you fetched
er/sie/es holte he/she/it fetched
wir holten we fetched
ihr holtet you (plural) fetched
sie/Sie holten they/you (polite) fetched

The imperfect subjunctive of strong verbs is formed by adding the following endings to the stem of the imperfect. If there is an a, o or u in this stem, an umlaut is also added to it.

Pronoun Imperfect Subjunctive:
Strong Verb Endings
ich -e
du -(e)st
er/sie/es -e
wir -en
ihr -(e)t
sie/Sie -en

Note that you add the -e to the du and ihr parts of the verb if it makes pronunciation easier, for example:

du stießest you pushed
ihr stießet you pushed
Pronoun Imperfect Subjunctive Meaning
ich gäbe I gave
du gäb(e)st you gave
er/sie/es gäbe he/she/it gave
wir gäben we gave
ihr gäb(e)t you (plural) gave
sie/Sie gäben they/you (polite) gave

The imperfect subjunctive forms of the mixed verbs brennen, kennen, senden, nennen, rennen and wenden add weak verb imperfect endings to the stem of the verb, which DOES NOT change the vowel. The imperfect subjunctive forms of the remaining mixed verbs bringen, denken and wissen are also the same as the imperfect with one major difference: not only does the stem vowel change, but an umlaut is also added to the a or u. However, all of these forms are rare, with the conditional tense being used much more frequently instead.

Wenn ich du wäre, würde ich rennen.

INSTEAD OF

Wenn ich du wäre, rennte ich. If I were you, I would run.
Ich würde so etwas nie denken!

INSTEAD OF

Ich dächte so etwas nie! I would never think such a thing!

For more information on the Conditional, see page 125.

Grammar Extra!

The pluperfect subjunctive is formed from the imperfect subjunctive of haben or sein + the past participle. This subjunctive form is frequently used to translate the English structure ‘If I had done something, …’

Wenn ich Geld gehabt hätte, If I had had money,
wäre ich gereist. I would have travelled.

Key points

In German, subjunctive forms are used much more frequently than in English, to express uncertainty, speculation or doubt.

Subjunctive forms are commonly used in indirect speech and in conditional sentences.

The present subjunctive of weak, strong and mixed verbs have the same endings.

The imperfect tense and the imperfect subjunctive of weak verbs are identical.

The imperfect subjunctive of strong verbs is formed by adding the endings -e, -(e)st, -e, -en, -(e)t, -en to the stem of the imperfect and often has an umlaut change.

The imperfect subjunctive of mixed verbs is rare and the conditonal form of würde + infinitive is normally used instead.

The infinitive

What is the infinitive?
The infinitive is the ‘to’ form of the verb, for example, to go, and is the form you look up in a dictionary. It is the -en form of the verb in German.

Using the infinitive

zu is used with the infinitive:

Ich versuchte zu kommen. I tried to come.
Es war leicht zu sehen. It was easy to see.
Es ist schwierig zu verstehen. It’s hard to understand.
Ich habe keine Zeit, zu gehen. I don’t have the time
to go.
Ich habe keine Lust, heute
zu arbeiten.		 I don’t want to work today

The infinitive is used without zu after the following:

Sie kann gut schwimmen. She can swim very well.

For more information on Modal verbs, see page 136.

Tip

The English –ing form is often translated by the German infinitive, as shown in some of the examples below.

Sie ließen uns warten. They kept us waiting.
Sie blieb sitzen. She remained seated.
Er ging einkaufen. He went shopping.
Ich sah ihn kommen. I saw him coming.
Er hörte sie singen. He heard her singing.

The infinitive can be used to give an order or instruction.

Bitte nicht in diesen Zug einsteigen! Please don’t board this train!

It can also be used as a noun with a capital letter. It is always neuter.

rauchen = to smoke
Sie hat das Rauchen aufgegeben. She’s given up smoking.

Key points

The infinitive is the ‘to’ form of the verb, the one you look up in a dictionary.

zu is used with the infinitive after other verbs, adjectives and nouns.

The infinitive is used WITHOUT zu after certain verbs, mostly modal verbs.

The infinitive can be used to give an order or instruction.

It can be used as a noun with a capital letter and is always neuter.

Modal verbs

What are modal verbs?
Modal verbs are used to modify or change other verbs to show such things as ability, permission or necessity. For example, He can swim; May I come?; We ought to go.

Using modal verbs

In German, the modal verbs are dürfen, können, mögen, müssen, sollen and wollen.

Modal verbs are different from other verbs in their conjugation, which is shown in the Verb Tables.

For Verb Tables, see supplement.

Here are the main uses of dürfen:

Darfst du mit ins Kino kommen? Are you allowed to/can you
come to the cinema with us?
Ich darf keine Schokolade essen. I mustn’t eat any chocolate.
Darf ich? May I?

Here are the main uses of können:

Wir können es nicht schaffen. We can’t make it.
Könntest du morgen hinfahren? Could you go there tomorrow?
Kann ich/Darf ich einen Kaffee haben? Can I/May I have a coffee?
Das kann sein. That may be so.
Das kann nicht sein. That can’t be true.

Here are the main uses of mögen:

Magst du Schokolade? Do you like chocolate?
Sie mögen es nicht. They don’t like it.
Möchtest du sie besuchen? Would you like to visit her?
Möchten Sie etwas trinken? Would you like something to drink?
Es mag sein, dass es falsch war. It may well be that it was wrong.

Here are the main uses of müssen:

Sie musste jeden Tag um sechs She had to get up at six o’clock
aufstehen. every day.
Muss das sein? Is that really necessary?
Den Film muss man gesehen haben. That film is worth seeing.

Note that you can use a negative form of brauchen (meaning to need) instead of müssen for don’t have to or need not

Das brauchst du nicht zu sagen. You don’t have to say that.

Here are the main uses of sollen:

Das sollten Sie sofort machen. You ought to do that straight away.
Sie wusste nicht, was sie tun sollte. She didn’t know what to do.
(what she should do)
Du sollst deine Freundin anrufen. You are to/should phone your girlfriend (she has left a message asking you to ring).
Sie soll sehr reich sein. I’ve heard she’s very rich/
She is said to be very rich.

Here are the main uses of wollen:

Sie will Lkw-Fahrerin werden. She wants to be a lorry driver.
Willst du eins? Do you want one?
Willst du/Möchtest du etwas trinken? Do you Want/Would you like something to drink?
Er will nichts sagen. He refuses to say anything.
Ich wollte gerade anrufen. I was just about to phone.

Modal verb forms

Modal verbs have unusual present tenses:

dürfen können mögen
ich darf ich kann ich mag
du darfst du kannst du magst
er/sie/es darf er/sie/es kann er/sie/es mag
wir dürfen wir können wir mögen
ihr dürft ihr könnt ihr mögt
sie/Sie dürfen sie/Sie können sie/Sie mögen
müssen sollen wollen
ich muss ich soll ich will
du musst du sollst du willst
er/sie/es muss er/sie/es soll er/sie/es will
wir müssen wir sollen wir wollen
ihr müsst ihr sollt ihr wollt
sie/Sie müssen sie/Sie sollen sie/Sie wollen

In tenses consisting of one verb part, the infinitive of the verb used with the modal comes at the end of the sentence or clause.

Sie kann sehr gut schwimmen. She is a very good swimmer.

Grammar Extra!

In sentences with modal verbs where the other verb expresses movement, it can be dropped if there is an adverb or adverbial phrase to show movement instead.

Ich muss nach Hause. I must go home.
Die Kinder sollen jetzt ins Bett. The children have to go to bed now.

For more information on Adverbs, see page 57.

Key points

Modal verbs are used to modify the meaning of other verbs.

In German, the modal verbs are dürfen, können, mögen, müssen, sollen and wollen.

Modal verbs are different from other verbs in their conjugation.

Impersonal verbs

What is an impersonal verb?
An impersonal verb is one that does not relate to a real person or thing and where the subject is represented by it, for example, It’s going to rain; It’s ten o’clock.

In German, impersonal verbs are used with es (meaning it) and the third person singular form of the verb.

Es regnet. It’s raining.
Es gibt ein Problem. There’s a problem.

Here are the most common impersonal verbs. In some of these expressions it is possible to drop the es, in which case a personal pronoun such as mich or mir begins the clause. For example:

Es ist mir egal, ob er mitkommt
OR
Mir ist egal, ob er mitkommt I don’t care if he comes with us.

For more information on Personal pronouns, see page 70.

These expressions are marked with a * in the list below.

• Es freut mich, dass/zu I am glad that/to.
Es freut mich, dass du gekommen bist. I’m pleased that you have come.
Es freut mich, Sie in unserer Stadt I’m pleased to welcome you to
begrüßen zu dürfen. our town.
• Es gefällt mir. I like it.
Es gefällt mir gar nicht. I don’t like it at all.
• Es geht mir gut/schlecht. I’m fine/not too good.
• Es geht nicht. It’s not possible.
• es geht um
Es geht um die Liebe.		 it’s about
It’s about love.
• es gelingt mir (zu)
Es ist mir gelungen, ihn zu überzeugen.		 I succeed (in)
I managed to convince him.
• es handelt sich um
Es handelt sich um Zeit und Geld.		 it’s a question of
It’s a question of time and money.
• Es hängt davon ab.
Es hängt davon ab, ob ich arbeiten muss.		 It depends.
It depends whether I have to work or not.
• Es hat keinen Zweck. There’s no point.
• es ist mir egal (ob)*
Es ist mir egal, ob du kommst oder nicht.		 it’s all the same to me (if)
I don’t care if you come or not.
• es ist möglich(, dass)
Es is doch möglich, dass sie ihr
Handy nicht dabei hat.		 it’s possible (that)
It’s always possible she doesn’t
have her mobile with her.
• es ist nötig
Es wird nicht nötig sein, mir
Bescheid zu sagen.		 it’s necessary
It won’t be necessary to let me
know.
• es ist schade(, dass)
Es ist schade, dass sie nicht kommt.		 it’s a pity (that)
It’s a pity (that) she isn’t coming.
• Es ist mir warm OR Es ist mir kalt*. I’m warm OR I’m cold.
• Es klingelt. Someone’s ringing the bell OR
The phone is ringing.
Es hat gerade geklingelt. The bell just went OR The phone
just rang.
• Es klopft. Someone’s knocking (at the door).
• es kommt darauf an(, ob)
Es kommt darauf an, ob ich
arbeiten muss.		 it all depends (whether)
It all depends whether I have to
work.
• Es lohnt sich (nicht).
Ich weiß nicht, ob es sich lohnt oder
nicht.		 It’s (not) worth it.
I don’t know if it’s worth it or not.
• Es macht nichts. It doesn’t matter.
• es macht nichts aus
Macht es dir etwas aus, wenn wir
morgen gehen?		 it makes no difference
Would you mind if we went
tomorrow?
• es stimmt, dass …
Es stimmt, dass sie keine Zeit hat.		 it’s true that …
It’s true that she doesn’t have
any time.
• es tut mir leid(, dass) … I’m sorry(that) …
• Wie geht es (dir)? How are you?
• Mir wird schlecht*. I feel sick.

All weather verbs are impersonal.

Infinitive Expression Meaning
donnern und blitzen es donnert und blitzt there’s thunder and lightning
frieren es friert it’s freezing
gießen es gießt it’s pouring
regnen es regnet it’s raining
schneien es schneit it’s snowing
sein es ist warm/kalt it’s cold/warm

Key points

Impersonal verbs are used with es (meaning it) and the third person singular form of the verb.

All weather verbs are impersonal.

There is/There are

There are two main ways of expressing this in German.

Es gibt

Es gibt zu viele Probleme dabei. There are too many problems
  involved.
Es gibt keinen besseren Wein. There is no better wine.
Es gibt bestimmt Regen. It’s definitely going to rain.
Wenn wir zu spät kommen, gibt es If we arrive late, there’ll be
Ärger. trouble.
Was gibts (=gibt es) zu essen? What is there to eat?
Was gibts? What’s wrong?, What’s up?
So was gibts doch nicht! That’s impossible!

Es ist/es sind

Es sind kaum Leute da. There are hardly any people there.
Da sind kaum Leute. There are hardly any people there.

Note that es gibt is frequently used instead of es ist/es sind in the above two examples.

Es war niemand da. There was no-one there.
Es war einmal eine Königin. Once upon a time there was a
  Queen …

Key point

In German there are two main ways of translating there is/there are: es gibt and es ist/es sind.

Use of es as an anticipatory object

The object of many verbs can be a clause beginning with dass (meaning that) or an infinitive with zu.

Er wusste, dass wir pünktlich He knew that we would come
kommen würden. on time.
Sie fing an zu lachen. She began to laugh.

With some verbs, es is often used as the object to anticipate this clause or infinitive phrase.

Er hatte es abgelehnt, mitzukommen. He refused to come.

When the dass clause or infinitive phrase begins the sentence, es is not used in the main clause. Instead, it can be replaced by the pronoun das (meaning that).

Dass es Karla war, das haben We did not tell her that it
wir ihr verschwiegen. was Karla.

Note that dass is a subordinating conjunction and das is a demonstrative pronoun.

For more information on Subordinating conjunctions, see page 172.

The following common verbs usually have the es object.

• es ablehnen, zu … to refuse to
• es aushalten, zu tun/dass …
Ich halte es nicht mehr aus,
bei ihnen zu arbeiten.		 to stand doing
I can’t stand working for them
any longer.
• es ertragen, zu tun/dass …
Ich ertrage es nicht, dass sie mir
widerspricht.		 to bear doing
I can’t bear her contradicting me.
• es leicht haben, zu …
Sie hatte es nicht leicht, sie zu
überreden.		 to find it easy to
She didn’t have an easy job
persuading them.
• es nötig haben, zu …
Ich habe es nicht nötig, mit dir
darüber zu reden.		 to need to
I don’t have to talk to you
about it.
• es satt haben, zu …
Ich habe es satt, englische Verben
zu lernen.		 to have had enough of (doing)
I’ve had enough of learning
English verbs.
• es verstehen, zu …
Sie versteht es, Autos zu reparieren.		 to know how to
She knows about repairing cars.

The following common verbs often have the es object.

• es jemandem anhören/ansehen, to tell by listening to/looking
dass … at someone that
Man hörte es ihm an, dass er kein You could tell by listening to
Deutscher war. him that he wasn’t German.
• es bereuen, zu tun/dass … to regret doing/that
Ich bereue es nicht, dass ich gekommen bin. I don’t regret coming.
• es jemandem verbieten, zu … to forbid someone to
Ihre Mutter hat es ihr verboten, Her mother forbade her to go
dort hinzugehen. there.
es wagen zu … to dare to
Er wagte es nicht, ein neues Auto
zu kaufen.		 He didn’t dare buy a new car.

Key points

The object of many verbs can be a clause beginning with dass (meaning that) or an infinitive with zu.

With some verbs, es is used as the object to anticipate this clause or infinitive phrase.

When the dass clause or infinitive phrase begins the sentence, es is not used in the main clause. Instead, it can be replaced by the pronoun das (meaning that).

Verbs followed by prepositions

Some English verbs must be followed by prepositions for certain meanings, for example, to wait for, to ask for. This also happens in German:

sich sehnen nach to long for
warten auf to wait for
bitten um to ask for

Tip

As you can see from the examples above, the preposition that is used in German is not always the same as the one that is used in English. Whenever you learn a new verb, try to learn which preposition is used after it too.

As in English, using different prepositions with a verb creates completely different meanings.

bestehen to pass (a test etc)
bestehen aus to consist of
bestehen auf to insist on
sich freuen auf to look forward to
sich freuen über to be pleased about

Note that you occasionally need to use a preposition with a German verb whose English equivalent does not have one.

diskutieren über to discuss

Prepositions used with these verbs behave like normal prepositions and affect the case of the following noun in the normal way. For instance, with verbs followed by für the accusative case is always used.

sich interessieren für to be interested in
Sie interessiert sich nicht She isn’t interested in the new
für den neuen Wagen. car.

A verb plus preposition is not always followed by a noun or pronoun. It can also be followed by a clause containing another verb. This is often used to translate an –ing form in English and is dealt with in one of two ways.

Ich freue mich sehr darauf, I am looking forward to working
mal wieder mit ihr zu arbeiten. with her again.
Ich freue mich darauf, I am looking forward to you
dass du morgen kommst. coming tomorrow.

Verbs followed by a preposition + the accusative case

The following list contains the most common verbs followed by a preposition plus the accusative case:

• sich amüsieren über
Sie haben sich über ihn amüsiert.		 to laugh at
They laughed at him.
• sich ärgern über to get annoyed about/with
• sich bewerben um to apply for
Sie hat sich um die Stelle als She applied for the position of
Direktorin beworben. director.
• bitten um to ask for
• denken an to be thinking of
Daran habe ich gar nicht mehr gedacht. I’d forgotten about that.
• denken über to think about, hold an opinion of
Wie denkt ihr darüber? What do you think about it?
• sich erinnern an to remember
• sich freuen auf to look forward to
• sich freuen über to be pleased about
Ich freue mich sehr über den I’m very pleased about the
neuen Job. new job.
• sich gewöhnen an to get used to
• sich interessieren für to be interested in
Sie interessiert sich sehr für Politik. She’s very interested in politics.
• kämpfen um to fight for
• sich kümmern um to take care of, see to
Kannst du dich um meine Pflanzen Can you see to my plants?
kümmern?
• nachdenken über to think about
Er hatte schon lange darüber He had been thinking about it for
nachgedacht. a long time.
• sich unterhalten über to talk about
• sich verlassen auf to rely on, depend on
Kann sie sich auf ihn verlassen? Can she rely on him?
• warten auf to wait for

Verbs followed by a preposition + the dative case

The following list contains the most common verbs followed by a preposition plus the dative case:

• abhängen von to depend on
Das hängt von der Zeit ab, die That depends how much time
we have left.
• sich beschäftigen mit to occupy oneself with
Sie beschäftigen sich im Moment
mit dem neuen Haus.		 They’re busy with their new
house at the moment.
• bestehen aus to consist of
• leiden an/unter to suffer from
Sie hat lange an dieser Krankheit
gelitten.		 She suffered from this illness for
a long time.
• riechen nach to smell of
• schmecken nach to taste of
Es schmeckt nach Zimt. It tastes of cinnamon.
• sich sehnen nach to long for
• sterben an to die of
Sie ist an Krebs gestorben. She died of cancer.
• teilnehmen an to take part in
Du solltest am Wettbewerb
teilnehmen.		 You should take part in the
competition.
• träumen von to dream of
• sich verabschieden von to say goodbye to
Ich habe mich noch nicht von ihm verabschiedet. I haven’t said goodbye to him yet.
• sich verstehen mit to get along with, get on with
Sie versteht sich ganz gut mit ihr. She gets on really well with her.

Key points

German prepositions after verbs are often not the same as the ones used in English.

Using different prepositions with a verb creates completely different meanings.

German verbs occasionally use prepositions where their English equivalents don’t.

Prepositions used with verbs behave like normal prepositions and affect the case of the following noun.

Verbs followed by the dative case

Verbs with a direct and indirect object

Some verbs are generally used with a direct object and an indirect object. For example, in the English sentence, She gave me a book, the direct object of gave is a book and would be in the accusative case in German, and me (= to me) is the indirect object and would be in the dative case in German.

Sie gab mir ein Buch. She gave me a book.
direct object = ein Buch
indirect object = mir

In German, as in English, this type of verb is usually concerned with giving or telling someone something, or with doing something for someone else.

Sie erzählte ihm eine Geschichte. She told him a story.
direct object = eine Geschichte
indirect object = ihm

Note that the normal word order after such verbs is for the direct object to follow the indirect, EXCEPT where the direct object is a personal pronoun.

Kaufst du mir das Buch? Will you buy me the book?
BUT
Kaufst du es mir? Will you buy it for me?

For more information on Direct and Indirect object pronouns, see pages 74 and 76.

Here are some of the most common examples of verbs which are used with both a direct and an indirect object:

  • anbieten    to offer
Sie bot ihr die Arbeitsstelle an. She offered her the job.
  • bringen    to bring
Bringst du mir eins? Will you bring me one?
  • beweisen    to prove
Können Sie es mir beweisen? Can you prove it to me?
  • fehlen    to be absent or missing
Mir fehlt das nötige Geld. I don’t have enough money.
  • geben    to give
Gib mir das sofort! Give me that now!
Ich schenke ihr einen Computer
zum Geburtstag.		 I’m giving her a computer for her
birthday.
  • schreiben    to write
Schreib ihm mal einen Brief. Write him a letter sometime.
  • zeigen    to show
Zeig es mir! Show me it!

Verbs with their object in the dative

Certain verbs in German, such as helfen (meaning to help) can ONLY be followed by an object in the dative case.

Here are some of the most common ones.

  • begegnen    to bump into, meet
Er ist seinem Freund in der Stadt
begegnet.		 He bumped into his friend in
town.
  • gehören    to belong to
Wem gehört dieses Buch? Whose book is this?
  • helfen    to help
Er wollte ihr nicht helfen. He refused to help her.
  • danken    to thank
Ich danke dir! Thank you!
  • schaden    to damage
Rauchen schadet der Gesundheit Smoking is bad for your health.
  • schmecken    to taste
Das Essen hat ihnen gut geschmeckt. They enjoyed the meal.
  • trauen    to trust
Ich traue dir nicht. I don’t trust you.

Key points

Some German verbs are usually used with a direct AND an indirect object.

The indirect object is ALWAYS in the dative case.

The normal word order after such verbs is for the direct object to follow the indirect, EXCEPT where the direct object is a personal pronoun.

Certain German verbs can only be followed by an object in the dative case.

The passive

What is the passive?
The passive is the form of the verb that is used when the subject of the verb is the person or thing that is affected by the action, for example, I was given, we were told, it had been made.

Using the passive

In a normal, or active sentence, the subject of the verb is the person or thing that carries out the action described by the verb. The object of the verb is the person or thing that the verb happens to.

Ryan (subject) hit (active verb) me (object).

In English, as in German, you can turn an active sentence round to make a passive sentence.

I (subject) was hit (passive verb) by Ryan (agent).

Very often, however, you cannot identify who is carrying out the action indicated by the verb.

I was hit in the face.

The trees will be chopped down.

I’ve been chosen to represent the school.

Forming the passive

In English we use the verb to be with the past participle (was hit, was given) to form the passive and the word by usually introduces the agent. In German the passive is formed using werden and the past participle, while the agent is introduced by

Das Kind wurde von einem Hund gebissen. The child was bitten by a dog.
Die Tür wurde durch den Wind The door was opened by the
geöffnet. wind.

For more information on the Past participle, see page 114.

Here is the present tense of the verb sehen (meaning to see) in its passive form.

ich werde gesehen I am seen
du wirst gesehen you are seen
er/sie/es wird gesehen he/she/it is seen
wir werden gesehen we are seen
ihr werdet gesehen you (plural) are seen
sie/Sie werden gesehen. they/you (formal) are seen

Tip

There is/there are can be translated by a verb in the passive tense in German.

Es wird immer viel getrunken There is always a lot of
auf seiner Party. drinking at his party.

You can form other tenses of the passive by changing the tense of the verb werden, for example, the imperfect passive.

ich wurde gesehen I was seen

For more information on the Imperfect tense, see page 118.

Tip

There is a very important difference between German and English in sentences containing an indirect object. In English we can quite easily turn a normal (active) sentence with an indirect object into a passive sentence.

Active

Someone (subject) gave (active verb) me (indirect object) a book (direct object).

Passive

I (subject) was given (passive verb) a book (direct object).

In German, an indirect object can NEVER become the subject of a passive verb. Instead, the indirect object must remain in the dative case, with either the direct object becoming the subject of the passive sentence OR use of an impersonal passive construction. Ein Buch (subject) wurde mir geschenkt.

Avoiding the passive

Passives are not as common in German as in English. There are three main ways that German speakers express the same idea.

Man hatte es mir schon gesagt. I had already been told.

Note that man is not always translated as they or one.

Man hatte es schon verkauft. It had already been sold.
Das lässt sich machen. That can be done.
Susi schenkte ihr ein Auto. Susi gave her a car.

INSTEAD OF

Ihr wurde von Susi ein Auto geschenkt. She was given a car by Susi.

Key points

The present tense of the passive is formed by using the present tense of werden with the past participle.

In German, an indirect object can NEVER become the subject of a passive verb.

You can often avoid a passive construction by using the pronoun man or sich lassen plus an infinitive or an active tense where the agent is known.