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Vocab: Grammar & language — A2
Grammar & language vocabulary at A2 level.
Maskulin Feminin Neutrum Plural
der Absatz — paragraph; heel
In writing, Absatz means paragraph. Its plural is irregular in spelling: Absätze has an umlaut and -e.
Der Absatz ist zu lang.
The paragraph is too long.
zu lang means too long. Der Absatz is nominative because it is the subject, and the finite verb ist stands in position two.
Ich lese den Absatz.
I am reading the paragraph.
ich means I and lese means read. Den Absatz is accusative because lesen takes a direct object; the finite verb lese is in position two.
In dem Absatz steht ein wichtiges Wort.
There is an important word in the paragraph.
in means in, steht means stands or is written, and ein wichtiges Wort means an important word. Dem Absatz is dative because in describes a location here; steht is in position two.
Der Anfang des Absatzes ist unklar.
The beginning of the paragraph is unclear.
der Anfang means the beginning and unklar means unclear. Des Absatzes is genitive because it identifies whose beginning it is; the subject is Der Anfang, so ist stands in position two.
Der Text hat fünf Absätze.
The text has five paragraphs.
der Text means the text and fünf means five. Absätze is plural and accusative after hat, because it is what the text has; the umlaut in the plural is easy to miss.
Sie trägt Schuhe mit hohem Absatz.
She is wearing shoes with a high heel.
sie means she, trägt means wears, Schuhe means shoes, and hoch means high. Mit hohem Absatz is dative because mit always takes the dative; the verb trägt is in position two.
Die Absätze dieser Schuhe sind unbequem.
The heels of these shoes are uncomfortable.
diese Schuhe means these shoes and unbequem means uncomfortable. Absätze is plural and nominative because it is the subject, while dieser Schuhe is genitive to show possession; sind stands in position two.
korrigieren — to correct
korrigieren is a weak verb with the forms korrigierte and hat korrigiert. It takes an accusative object, for example einen Fehler korrigieren; verbs ending in -ieren form the Partizip II without ge-.
Ich korrigiere gerade die Hausaufgaben.
I am correcting the homework right now.
gerade means right now, and die Hausaufgaben means the homework. die Hausaufgaben is accusative because it is the object of korrigieren; the finite verb korrigiere stands in position two.
Die Lehrerin hat den Test korrigiert.
The teacher has corrected the test.
Die Lehrerin means the female teacher, and den Test means the test. den Test is accusative because it is the object; the perfect uses hat and puts the Partizip II korrigiert at the end.
Er korrigierte meinen Namen sofort.
He corrected my name immediately.
meinen Namen means my name, and sofort means immediately. meinen Namen is accusative as the object, and the weak-verb preterite korrigierte is the finite verb in position two.
Korrigiere bitte diesen Satz.
Please correct this sentence.
bitte means please, and diesen Satz means this sentence. The imperative korrigiere stands first, and diesen Satz is accusative because it is the object of the command.
Wenn ich mehr Zeit hätte, korrigierte ich den ganzen Text.
If I had more time, I would correct the whole text.
Wenn ich mehr Zeit hätte means if I had more time, and den ganzen Text means the whole text. In the wenn clause the finite verb hätte goes to the end; korrigierte expresses the hypothetical result in the main clause and den ganzen Text is accusative.
Morgen werde ich die Fehler korrigieren.
Tomorrow I will correct the mistakes.
Morgen means tomorrow, and die Fehler means the mistakes. die Fehler is accusative as the object; Future I uses werde in position two and puts the infinitive korrigieren at the end.
das Polnisch — Polish (the language)
das Polnisch names the Polish language and is normally used without a plural. Do not confuse it with polnisch, the adjective meaning Polish.
Polnisch ist eine schwierige Sprache.
Polish is a difficult language.
eine schwierige Sprache means a difficult language. Polnisch is the neuter subject in the nominative case, and the finite verb ist is in position two.
Sie lernt Polnisch.
She is learning Polish.
lernt means is learning. Polnisch is the language being learned and stands as an accusative object without an article; the finite verb lernt is in position two.
Er spricht mit seiner Freundin Polnisch.
He speaks Polish with his girlfriend.
spricht means speaks, and seiner Freundin means with his girlfriend. The preposition mit forces the dative on seiner Freundin; Polnisch names the language and has no visible case ending.
Die Grammatik des Polnischs ist interessant.
The grammar of Polish is interesting.
Die Grammatik means the grammar, and interessant means interesting. des Polnischs is genitive because it identifies whose grammar it is; the adjective interessant comes after ist.
In der Sprachschule lernen viele Menschen Polnisch.
Many people learn Polish at the language school.
die Sprachschule is the language school, and viele Menschen means many people. Polnisch has no plural here because a language name is normally a mass noun; lernen is plural because the subject is viele Menschen.
die Präposition — preposition
The word Präposition is feminine: die Präposition. A preposition usually comes before a noun or pronoun and determines its case, for example mit with the dative or für with the accusative.
Die Präposition steht vor dem Nomen.
The preposition comes before the noun.
steht vor means comes before, and das Nomen means noun. Die Präposition is nominative because it is the subject; the finite verb steht is in position two.
Ich lerne die Präposition „für“.
I am learning the preposition “für”.
lernen means learn, and für means for. Die Präposition is accusative because it is the direct object of lernen; the finite verb lerne stands in position two.
Wir sprechen über die Präposition.
We are talking about the preposition.
sprechen über means talk about. The noun is accusative after über in this meaning, although the example slot is about the noun’s role in the sentence; the finite verb sprechen is in position two.
Die Bedeutung der Präposition ist wichtig.
The meaning of the preposition is important.
die Bedeutung means meaning and wichtig means important. Der Präposition is genitive after Bedeutung to express whose meaning it is; the finite verb ist stands in position two.
Die Präpositionen stehen oft vor einem Nomen.
Prepositions often come before a noun.
oft means often and vor means before; einem Nomen means a noun. Die Präpositionen is the plural subject, so the verb is stehen, not singular steht.
wörtlich — literally, word for word
Wörtlich describes an exact rendering or interpretation. Do not confuse it with sinngemäß, which means according to the meaning rather than word for word.
Bitte übersetzen Sie den Satz wörtlich.
Please translate the sentence literally.
der Satz means sentence, and bitte means please. Wörtlich is an adverb modifying übersetzen; the polite imperative übersetzen Sie keeps the verb in position two.
Er hat meine Frage wörtlich genommen.
He took my question literally.
meine Frage means my question, and genommen means taken. Wörtlich is an adverb and does not change its ending; the perfect uses hat in position two and genommen at the end.