Appearance
Vocab: Movement — A1 (2)
Movement vocabulary at A1 level.
Maskulin Feminin Neutrum Plural
der Satz — sentence; phrase; set or rate
In grammar, der Satz usually means a sentence. It can also mean a set or a rate in expressions such as ein Satz Reifen, a set of tyres, but the plural Sätze is used for both common meanings.
Der Satz ist sehr kurz.
The sentence is very short.
kurz means short, and sehr means very. Der Satz is nominative because it is the subject; the finite verb ist is in position two.
Ich verstehe den Satz nicht.
I do not understand the sentence.
verstehen means to understand and nicht means not. den Satz is accusative because verstehen takes a direct object; the finite verb verstehe is in position two.
Die Lehrerin erklärt den Schülern den Satz.
The teacher explains the sentence to the pupils.
die Lehrerin is the teacher, erklären means to explain, and die Schüler are the pupils. Den Satz is accusative as the thing explained, while den Schülern is dative because they receive the explanation.
Die Bedeutung des Satzes ist klar.
The meaning of the sentence is clear.
die Bedeutung means meaning and klar means clear. Des Satzes is genitive because it shows whose meaning it is; the masculine noun has -es in the genitive.
Die Sätze stehen an der Tafel.
The sentences are on the board.
stehen means stand or are written, and die Tafel is the board. Die Sätze is plural with the umlaut and -e ending; an der Tafel is dative because it describes a fixed location.
schnell — fast, quick
schnell describes high speed and can be used before a noun or after sein. Its comparison is regular: schneller, am schnellsten; do not use mehr schnell.
Der Zug ist schnell.
The train is fast.
der Zug means the train and ist means is. schnell is predicative after sein, so it has no adjective ending; the finite verb ist stands in position two.
Das ist ein schnelles Auto.
That is a fast car.
das means that, ein Auto means a car, and ist means is. schnelles comes before the noun and therefore has an adjective ending; after the neuter article ein, the ending is -es.
Mein Fahrrad ist schneller als dein Fahrrad.
My bicycle is faster than your bicycle.
mein Fahrrad means my bicycle and dein Fahrrad means your bicycle. schneller compares two bicycles and is followed by als; because it comes after ist, it is predicative and has no adjective ending.
Dieser Läufer ist am schnellsten.
This runner is the fastest.
dieser Läufer means this runner and am means in the or at the. am schnellsten is the predicative superlative; use am plus -sten, not an attributive ending, because the adjective follows ist.
schnell — quickly, fast
As an adverb, schnell describes a verb and does not take an adjective ending. Do not confuse this use with the adjective use before a noun, as in ein schnelles Auto.
Bitte schnell kommen!
Please come quickly!
Bitte means please and kommen means to come. Schnell describes how the person should come; the imperative kommen is placed first after Bitte.
Der Bus fährt schnell.
The bus is going fast.
Der Bus is the bus and fährt means is travelling or goes. Schnell modifies the verb fährt, and the finite verb stands in position two.
schwimmen — to swim
schwimmen means moving through water. It takes sein in the perfect when it describes movement, but haben is also possible with a direct object.
Ich schwimme jeden Sonntag im Hallenbad.
I swim in the indoor pool every Sunday.
jeden Sonntag means every Sunday, and das Hallenbad is an indoor swimming pool. The finite verb schwimme is in position two.
Wir sind gestern zwei Kilometer geschwommen.
We swam two kilometres yesterday.
gestern means yesterday, and zwei Kilometer means two kilometres. geschwommen goes to the end and uses sein because the sentence describes movement.
Als Kind schwamm er jeden Morgen im Fluss.
As a child, he swam in the river every morning.
als Kind means as a child, jeden Morgen means every morning, and der Fluss is the river. schwamm is the strong-verb past form and the main-clause verb is in position two.
Schwimm nicht so weit hinaus!
Don't swim so far out!
nicht means not, and so weit hinaus means so far out. Schwimm is the informal command for du, whose pronoun is omitted.
Ich würde gern länger schwimmen, aber das Wasser ist kalt.
I would like to swim longer, but the water is cold.
gern means gladly or would like to, länger means longer, and kalt means cold. The würde construction uses the infinitive schwimmen at the end of its clause.
Morgen werde ich im Meer schwimmen.
Tomorrow I will swim in the sea.
morgen means tomorrow and das Meer is the sea. werde is in position two, while the infinitive schwimmen goes to the end.
setzen — to put, place; to seat; to sit down; to sit down
The transitive use takes an accusative object: jemanden/etwas setzen. The reflexive use sich setzen means to sit down and is different from sitzen, which means to be sitting.
Ich setze das Kind auf den Stuhl.
I am putting the child on the chair.
das Kind is the child and auf den Stuhl means onto the chair. Das Kind is accusative because setzen takes a direct object, and auf den Stuhl is accusative because it expresses movement to a place; the finite verb setze is in position two.
Ich habe das Kind auf den Stuhl gesetzt.
I put the child on the chair.
habe means have and das Kind means the child; auf den Stuhl means onto the chair. The perfect uses haben plus gesetzt, which goes to the end of the clause; both objects remain accusative.
Sie setzte die Tasche neben die Tür.
She put the bag next to the door.
sie means she, die Tasche is the bag, and neben die Tür means next to the door. Die Tasche is accusative as the direct object, while neben die Tür is accusative because the bag is moved to that position; setzte is the regular simple past.
Setz dich bitte hierhin!
Please sit down here!
dich means yourself, bitte means please, and hierhin means to here. This is the reflexive use setz dich, with the reflexive pronoun in the accusative; the imperative has no subject pronoun and usually no final -e.
Ich würde die Vase auf den Tisch setzen.
I would put the vase on the table.
die Vase is the vase and auf den Tisch means onto the table. Würde setzen expresses a hypothetical action; the infinitive setzen goes to the end, and auf den Tisch is accusative because it expresses movement to a destination.
Morgen werde ich mich ans Fenster setzen.
Tomorrow I will sit down by the window.
morgen means tomorrow, mich means myself, and ans Fenster means by or beside the window. The future uses werde in position two and the infinitive setzen at the end; mich is the accusative reflexive pronoun.
Wir setzen uns an den Tisch.
We sit down at the table.
uns means ourselves, and an den Tisch means to the table. The reflexive pronoun uns is accusative, and an den Tisch is accusative because the movement ends at the table; the finite verb setzen stands in position two.
Setzt euch bitte in den Kreis.
Please sit down in the circle.
euch means yourselves, bitte means please, and in den Kreis means into the circle. Setzt is the plural imperative, while euch is accusative and in den Kreis is accusative because the people move into a new position.
spazieren — to stroll, to go for a walk
Spazieren is often used with gehen in the phrase spazieren gehen, but it can also stand alone. In the perfect it normally takes sein, not haben: ist spaziert.
Wir spazieren jeden Abend im Park.
We go for a walk in the park every evening.
jeden Abend means “every evening”, and der Park is the park. The finite verb spazieren is in position two; im Park means “in the park” and uses the dative because in describes a location.
Wir sind am See spaziert.
We went for a walk by the lake.
der See is the lake, and am See means “by the lake”. The perfect uses sind plus spaziert because this verb describes movement; the finite verb is in position two and the Partizip II goes to the end.
Früher spazierte ich jeden Sonntag am Fluss.
I used to stroll by the river every Sunday.
früher means “in the past”, jeden Sonntag means “every Sunday”, and der Fluss is the river. Spazierte is the regular preterite and stands in position two; am Fluss means “by the river” and uses the dative.
Spazier ein bisschen!
Go for a little walk!
ein bisschen means “a little”. Spazier is the singular imperative and has no subject pronoun; the exclamation mark belongs to the sentence, not to the dictionary form.
Wenn ich mehr Zeit hätte, spazierte ich jeden Tag.
If I had more time, I would go for a walk every day.
mehr Zeit means “more time”, and jeden Tag means “every day”. Here spazierte is also the Konjunktiv II form; the conditional clause uses hätte, and the finite verb comes at the end of the wenn clause.
Morgen werden wir im Wald spazieren.
Tomorrow we will go for a walk in the forest.
morgen means “tomorrow”, and der Wald is the forest. The future uses werden in position two and the infinitive spazieren at the end; im Wald is a dative location.
der Spaziergang — walk, stroll
The plural is die Spaziergänge, with an umlaut and -e. The common phrase einen Spaziergang machen means “to go for a walk”; German uses the noun with machen, not usually a direct translation of “take”.
Der Spaziergang war sehr schön.
The walk was very nice.
sehr schön means “very nice”. Der Spaziergang is nominative because it is the subject, and the finite verb war stands in position two.
Wir machen heute einen Spaziergang.
We are going for a walk today.
heute means “today”, and machen means “make” or, in this phrase, “go for”. Einen Spaziergang is accusative because machen takes a direct object; the fixed phrase is einen Spaziergang machen.
Nach dem Spaziergang trinken wir Kaffee.
After the walk, we drink coffee.
nach means “after”, and Kaffee trinken means “drink coffee”. Dem Spaziergang is dative because nach always takes the dative; because the sentence begins with this phrase, trinken comes before wir.
Die Dauer des Spaziergangs beträgt eine Stunde.
The duration of the walk is one hour.
die Dauer means “the duration”, and beträgt means “amounts to” or “is”. Des Spaziergangs is genitive because it says which walk the duration belongs to; the masculine noun adds -s.
Lange Spaziergänge tun mir gut.
Long walks do me good.
lange means “long”, and tun mir gut means “do me good”. Spaziergänge is the plural with an umlaut and -e; mir is dative because the phrase jemandem guttun means “to do someone good”.
springen — to jump
Springen usually describes a movement through the air and takes sein in the perfect: ist gesprungen. With a destination, the destination is commonly marked by in, auf, or über plus accusative.
Das Kind springt auf dem Bett.
The child is jumping on the bed.
das Kind means the child, and auf dem Bett means on the bed. Das Kind is nominative as the subject; springt is the finite verb in position two, and auf dem Bett is dative because it describes a location.
Der Hund ist über den Bach gesprungen.
The dog jumped over the stream.
der Hund means the dog, and der Bach is a stream. Über den Bach is accusative because it expresses movement across; ist is in position two and gesprungen goes to the end because springen uses sein for movement.
Die Katze sprang auf den Tisch.
The cat jumped onto the table.
die Katze means the cat, and auf den Tisch means onto the table. Auf den Tisch is accusative because it expresses movement toward a place; sprang is the strong-verb preterite in position two.
Spring nicht so hoch!
Don't jump so high!
nicht means not, and so hoch means so high. Spring is the informal singular imperative; the subject du is normally omitted, and nicht follows the verb here.
Wenn ich mutiger wäre, spränge ich ins Wasser.
If I were braver, I would jump into the water.
mutiger means braver, and ins Wasser means into the water. Spränge is Konjunktiv II for an unreal condition; the verb goes to the end of the wenn clause, while ich comes after the comma in the main clause.
Morgen springt der Sportler über die Hürde.
Tomorrow the athlete will jump over the hurdle.
morgen means tomorrow, der Sportler is the athlete, and die Hürde is the hurdle. Wird stands in position two and springen goes to the end in the future; the direction over the hurdle takes accusative.
tanzen — to dance
Tanzen can be used without an object, or with zu plus a kind of music or event. It takes haben in the perfect: hat getanzt.
Ich tanze gern.
I like dancing.
ich means I and gern means gladly or like doing something. The finite verb tanze is in position two; gern modifies the activity and normally follows the verb here.
Wir haben gestern auf der Party getanzt.
We danced at the party yesterday.
gestern means yesterday, auf der Party means at the party, and getanzt means danced. The perfect uses haben plus getanzt, with the Partizip II at the end; auf der Party is dative because it describes a location.
Als Kind tanzte sie jeden Samstag.
As a child, she danced every Saturday.
als Kind means as a child and jeden Samstag means every Saturday. Tanzte is the weak-verb preterite; the main-clause finite verb is in position two, while als introduces a subordinate clause in which the verb would go to the end.
Tanz mit mir!
Dance with me!
mit mir means with me. Tanz is the singular imperative of tanzen, with the subject du omitted; mit always takes dative, so mir is dative.
Wenn ich besser tanzen könnte, würde ich an dem Wettbewerb teilnehmen.
If I could dance better, I would take part in the competition.
besser means better, der Wettbewerb means the competition, and teilnehmen means take part. Könnte is Konjunktiv II for an unreal or hypothetical ability; wenn sends the finite verb to the end, while würde stands in position two in the main clause.
Morgen tanzen wir auf der Hochzeit.
Tomorrow we will dance at the wedding.
morgen means tomorrow and die Hochzeit means the wedding. Future uses werden in position two plus the infinitive tanzen at the end; auf der Hochzeit is dative because it describes the location.
tragen — to carry; to wear; to bear; to be responsible for
tragen takes an accusative object. It can mean carrying an object or wearing clothing and accessories; in the perfect it uses haben, not sein.
Ich trage jeden Tag eine Tasche.
I carry a bag every day.
jeden Tag means every day and eine Tasche is a bag. eine Tasche is accusative because tragen takes an accusative object, and the finite verb trage stands in position two.
Sie hat den schweren Koffer getragen.
She carried the heavy suitcase.
sie means she, schwer means heavy, and der Koffer is the suitcase. The perfect uses hat plus getragen because tragen takes haben; the participle stands at the end, and den schweren Koffer is accusative.
Er trug einen schwarzen Mantel.
He wore a black coat.
einen schwarzen Mantel means a black coat. trug is the strong preterite form, and the coat is accusative because it is what he wore; the finite verb is in position two.
Trag bitte die Kiste!
Please carry the box!
bitte means please and die Kiste means the box. Trag is the du imperative without a pronoun, and die Kiste is accusative because tragen takes an accusative object.
Wenn ich den Rucksack nicht trüge, wäre er leichter.
If I did not carry the rucksack, it would be lighter.
wenn means if, der Rucksack means the rucksack, and leichter means lighter. trüge is the Konjunktiv II of tragen; the verb goes to the end of the wenn clause, while wäre is in position two in the main clause.
Morgen werde ich den neuen Tisch nach oben tragen.
Tomorrow I will carry the new table upstairs.
morgen means tomorrow, neu means new, and nach oben means upstairs. Futur I uses werde in position two and the infinitive tragen at the end; den neuen Tisch is accusative because it is what is carried.
Die Firma trägt die Kosten.
The company bears the costs.
die Firma means the company and die Kosten means the costs. die Kosten is accusative because tragen takes an accusative object, and trägt is the third-person singular present form with the vowel change a to ä.
Er muss die Folgen tragen.
He has to bear the consequences.
muss means has to and die Folgen means the consequences. After the modal verb muss, the infinitive tragen goes to the end, and die Folgen is accusative.
umsteigen — to change trains, buses, or other vehicles; to change to another means or route of public transport
Umsteigen is used for changing from one vehicle to another, not for simply getting on or off. It is separable: steigt um in a main clause, but umzusteigen after zu.
Ich steige in Köln um.
I change trains in Cologne.
in Köln means in Cologne, and umsteigen means change trains or vehicles. With a location, in takes the dative, although the city name has no visible article; the finite verb steige is in position two and um goes to the end.
Wir sind in Hamburg umgestiegen.
We changed trains in Hamburg.
Hamburg is a city, and umgestiegen means changed trains or vehicles. The perfect uses sein because the journey involves a change of location; sind is in position two and the Partizip II umgestiegen closes the clause.
Er stieg in Frankfurt um.
He changed trains in Frankfurt.
Frankfurt is a city. The strong past form stieg changes from steigen, while the prefix um separates and goes to the end of the main clause.
Steig am nächsten Bahnhof um.
Change trains at the next station.
am nächsten Bahnhof means at the next station. The command omits du; an in am takes the dative for a location, and the prefix um goes to the end.
Ich würde in München umsteigen, wenn der Zug dort hält.
I would change trains in Munich if the train stopped there.
wenn means if, der Zug means the train, dort means there, and hält means stops. In the würde construction, umsteigen stays together at the end of the main clause; hält goes to the end because it is in a subordinate clause.
Wir werden in Leipzig umsteigen, bevor der Zug weiterfährt.
We will change trains in Leipzig before the train continues.
bevor means before, weiterfahren means continue travelling, and weiterfährt means continues. Werden is in position two and the infinitive umsteigen goes to the end; in the subordinate clause, weiterfährt is at the end.
Am Alexanderplatz steige ich in die U-Bahn um.
At Alexanderplatz I change to the underground.
Am Alexanderplatz means at Alexanderplatz, and die U-Bahn means the underground train. The destination in die U-Bahn takes the accusative because it expresses movement into or onto transport; the fronted place phrase causes steige to come before ich, and um goes to the end.
Auf dieser Strecke muss man zweimal umsteigen.
On this route you have to change trains twice.
auf dieser Strecke means on this route, muss man means one has to, and zweimal means twice. After the modal muss, the infinitive umsteigen stays together at the end; auf takes the dative here because the phrase describes a location or route.
unten — downstairs, down below
Unten describes a lower place and is often contrasted with oben, meaning up or upstairs. It can refer to a lower floor, a lower part of something, or a place down below.
Die Kinder spielen unten.
The children are playing downstairs.
die Kinder means the children, and spielen means are playing. Unten is an adverb of place and can stand at the end; the finite verb spielen remains in position two.
Warte unten an der Tür.
Wait downstairs by the door.
warte means wait, and an der Tür means by the door. Unten gives the place of the action; warte is the informal singular imperative and comes first.
unterwegs — on the way; out and about
Unterwegs describes being away from home or travelling. It is an adverb, so it has no article and does not take adjective endings.
Ich bin gerade unterwegs.
I am out at the moment.
gerade means just now or at the moment, and bin means am. unterwegs is an adverb and does not change form; it stands after the verb here and describes the speaker's situation.
Wir kaufen unterwegs ein Brötchen.
We buy a bread roll on the way.
Wir means we, kaufen ... ein means buy, and ein Brötchen is a bread roll. unterwegs means on the way and is an adverb, so it has no case ending; the separable prefix ein moves to the end of the main clause.
wandern — to hike, to go walking
Wandern usually means walking for pleasure in nature, especially in the hills or mountains. In the perfect, use sein when the verb describes movement from place to place: ist gewandert; hat gewandert is also possible when the activity itself is emphasised.
Wir wandern jeden Sonntag im Wald.
We go hiking in the forest every Sunday.
wir means we, jeden Sonntag means every Sunday, and im Wald means in the forest. The finite verb wandern is in position two; im Wald is dative because in describes a location here.
Wir sind gestern fünf Stunden gewandert.
Yesterday we hiked for five hours.
gestern means yesterday and fünf Stunden means five hours. The perfect uses sind plus gewandert because this is movement; the auxiliary is in position two and the Partizip II goes to the end.
Früher wanderte ich oft mit meinem Vater.
I often went hiking with my father in the past.
früher means in the past, oft means often, and mit meinem Vater means with my father. Wanderte is the regular preterite form; mit forces the dative, shown by meinem Vater.
Wandere nicht allein im Dunkeln!
Do not hike alone in the dark!
nicht allein means not alone, and im Dunkeln means in the dark. Wandere is the singular command form; the negative word nicht comes before the place expression, and the subject pronoun du is omitted.
Ich würde gern durch die Alpen wandern.
I would like to hike through the Alps.
ich würde gern means I would like to, durch means through, and die Alpen means the Alps. Durch takes the accusative, so die Alpen has the accusative plural form; after würde, the infinitive wandern goes to the end.
Nächstes Jahr werden wir in Norwegen wandern.
Next year we will hike in Norway.
nächstes Jahr means next year and in Norwegen means in Norway. Future tense uses werden in position two and places the infinitive wandern at the end; in Norwegen is dative because it expresses location.
weg — away; gone
The lowercase adverb weg means “away” or “gone”. Do not confuse it with the capitalized noun der Weg, meaning “way” or “path”; capitalization changes the word and its part of speech.
Mein Schlüssel ist weg.
My key is gone.
mein Schlüssel means “my key”, and ist means “is”. weg is an adverb describing the key’s state or location; it does not change for gender, case, or number.
Geh weg!
Go away!
geh means “go”. weg follows the imperative and tells someone to move away; unlike the noun der Weg, it is written with a lowercase letter.
der Weg — way, path, route; way, method
der Weg can mean a physical path or route, and it is also used in many expressions about progress or a method. The lowercase adverb weg means “away” and is a different word.
Der Weg zum Bahnhof ist kurz.
The way to the train station is short.
zum Bahnhof means “to the train station”, and kurz means “short”. Der Weg is nominative because it is the subject; zum Bahnhof is a destination phrase with zu, which takes the dative.
Wir suchen den Weg zum Museum.
We are looking for the way to the museum.
suchen means “look for”, and zum Museum means “to the museum”. den Weg is accusative because suchen takes a direct object; the finite verb suchen stands in position two.
Auf dem Weg nach Hause kaufe ich Brot.
On the way home, I buy bread.
nach Hause means “home”, and Brot is bread. dem Weg is dative because auf describes a fixed location or situation here; the phrase comes first, so kaufe follows it directly in position two.
Das Ende des Weges ist nicht weit.
The end of the path is not far away.
das Ende means “the end”, nicht weit means “not far”, and ist means “is”. des Weges is genitive because it identifies the path belonging to the end; the finite verb ist is in position two.
Im Park gibt es viele Wege.
There are many paths in the park.
im Park means “in the park”, gibt es means “there are”, and viele means “many”. Wege is plural after viele, but after the fixed expression es gibt it is accusative; the plural form has -e and an umlaut.
Das ist der Weg, wie wir das Problem lösen können.
That is the way we can solve the problem.
das Problem means “the problem”, and lösen means “solve”. der Weg is nominative after das ist; in the subordinate clause, the finite verb können goes to the end.
Wir müssen einen anderen Weg finden.
We have to find another way.
müssen means “have to”, einen anderen means “another”, and finden means “find”. einen anderen Weg is accusative because it is the object of finden; with the modal verb müssen, the infinitive finden goes to the end.
weggehen — to leave, to go away
Weggehen means leaving or going away without focusing on a vehicle. It is a separable strong verb, and its perfect uses sein.
Er geht um sechs Uhr weg.
He leaves at six o’clock.
um sechs Uhr means at six o’clock. The finite verb geht is in position two, and the separable prefix weg moves to the end.
Sie ist schon weggegangen.
She has already left.
schon means already, and sie means she. The movement verb weggehen takes sein in the perfect, with weggegangen at the end.
Er ging ohne ein Wort weg.
He left without a word.
ohne ein Wort means without a word. Ging is the strong past form, and the prefix weg separates and stands at the end.
Geh nicht weg!
Don’t go away!
nicht means not, so this is a negative command. The du imperative is geh, while the prefix weg stays at the end.
Ich würde lieber nicht weggehen.
I would rather not leave.
lieber means rather, and nicht means not. Würde marks the Konjunktiv II, so the complete infinitive weggehen stands at the end.
Die Gäste werden bald weggehen.
The guests will leave soon.
die Gäste are the guests, and bald means soon. Werden is the finite future auxiliary in position two, while weggehen goes to the end.
weiter — on, further, continuing; farther, onward
As an adverb, weiter commonly means continuing or on, especially with verbs such as gehen, machen, and lesen. It is different from the adjective use in ein weiterer Versuch, where it means an additional attempt.
Bitte lesen Sie weiter.
Please continue reading.
bitte means please, and lesen means to read. Weiter modifies the omitted or understood continuation of the action; lesen Sie is the formal imperative, with the verb in position one.
Nach der Pause geht der Unterricht weiter.
The lesson continues after the break.
nach der Pause means after the break, and der Unterricht is the lesson or class. The time phrase occupies position one, so the finite verb geht comes in position two; weiter stays at the end as the adverb of continuation.
Gehen Sie bitte noch weiter.
Please go a little farther.
gehen means to go, noch means a little more or still, and bitte means please. Weiter modifies the direction or distance of gehen; in the formal imperative, gehen Sie comes first and the adverb follows.
Der Bus fährt weiter bis zum Zentrum.
The bus continues as far as the city centre.
der Bus is the bus, bis zum Zentrum means as far as the city centre, and fahren means to travel or drive. Weiter means onward here; the finite verb fährt is in position two, while the destination phrase comes at the end.
wieder — again, back; again and again, repeatedly
wieder usually means again, but with places or states it often means back. Do not confuse it with wider, which means against and is mainly found in formal or fixed words.
Ich komme morgen wieder.
I’ll come again tomorrow.
morgen means tomorrow, and kommen means to come. The finite verb komme is in position two; wieder is an adverb and can stand at the end here.
Nach der Reise ist sie wieder zu Hause.
After the trip, she is back home.
nach der Reise means after the trip, and zu Hause means at home. nach takes the dative, so der Reise is dative; wieder says that she has returned to her earlier situation.
Ich möchte das nie wieder erleben.
I never want to experience that again.
nie means never, möchte means would like, and erleben means to experience. das is an accusative object of erleben, while wieder follows nie to mean again.
Sie fragt immer wieder nach dem Weg.
She keeps asking for directions.
immer means always, fragt means asks, and nach dem Weg means for directions. The preposition nach takes the dative, so dem Weg is dative; immer wieder means again and again.
wiederkommen — to come back
Wiederkommen is a strong, separable verb: kommen changes to kam in the past. It normally takes sein in the perfect because it describes movement, and it does not take a direct object.
Er kommt morgen wieder.
He is coming back tomorrow.
morgen means tomorrow. The verb is separable: finite kommt stands in position two and wieder goes to the end; er is the subject.
Sie ist spät wiedergekommen.
She came back late.
spät means late. The perfect uses ist plus wiedergekommen because the verb expresses movement, and the Partizip II stands at the end.
Der Bus kam erst um zehn Uhr wieder.
The bus did not come back until ten o’clock.
Bus means bus and erst means not until or only then. The strong past form kam is in position two, while wieder is separated and placed at the end.
Komm bald wieder!
Come back soon!
bald means soon. In the singular imperative, komm comes first and the separable prefix wieder goes to the end; the subject du is omitted.
Ich würde gern wiederkommen.
I would like to come back.
gern means gladly or would like to. The polite hypothetical uses würde plus the whole infinitive wiederkommen, so the prefix is not separated.
Wir werden im Sommer wiederkommen.
We will come back in summer.
im Sommer means in summer. In the future, the finite form werden is in position two and the complete infinitive wiederkommen goes to the end; it is not split.
winken — to wave; to wave someone over, to wave down
The usual pattern is jemandem winken, to wave to someone, so the person is in the dative. The verb is weak: winken – winkte – hat gewinkt; the less standard form gewunken is heard in colloquial speech, but gewinkt is the safe learner form.
Ich winke meiner Nachbarin.
I wave to my neighbour.
meiner Nachbarin means my female neighbour. The person waved to is in the dative because winken commonly takes jemandem; the finite verb winke stands in position two.
Er hat am Bahnhof gewinkt.
He waved at the station.
der Bahnhof means the train station. gewinkt is the Partizip II and combines with hat because winken takes haben; hat is in position two and gewinkt goes to the end.
Sie winkte lange.
She waved for a long time.
lange means for a long time. winkte is the regular simple-past form of winken and stands in position two.
Wink deiner Mutter!
Wave to your mother!
deiner Mutter means to your mother. Wink is the du imperative, with the subject omitted; Mutter is dative because winken takes jemandem.
Ich würde dir winken, wenn ich dich sehen könnte.
I would wave to you if I could see you.
wenn means if, and sehen means to see. würde winken expresses a hypothetical action; dir is dative after winken, and the infinitive winken goes to the end of the subordinate clause.
Wir werden euch später winken.
We will wave to you later.
euch means to you, and später means later. werden is in position two and the infinitive winken goes to the end; euch is dative because it is the person waved to.
Der Polizist winkte den Bus heran.
The police officer waved the bus over.
der Polizist is the police officer and der Bus is the bus. In heranwinken, the bus is accusative because it is the direct object; the separable prefix heran stands at the end of the main clause.
Sie winkt ein Taxi heran.
She waves down a taxi.
ein Taxi means a taxi. The taxi is accusative as the direct object, and the finite part winkt is in position two while the prefix heran goes to the end.
die Wippe — seesaw
Die Wippe steht neben dem Sandkasten.
The seesaw is next to the sandbox.
der Sandkasten means sandbox, and neben means next to. Die Wippe is nominative because it is the subject, and the finite verb steht is in position two.
Die Kinder benutzen die Wippe.
The children use the seesaw.
die Kinder means the children, and benutzen means use. Die Wippe is accusative because benutzen takes a direct object; the finite verb benutzen stands in position two.
Ich helfe dem Kind auf der Wippe.
I help the child on the seesaw.
helfen means to help, and das Kind means the child. Dem Kind is dative because helfen takes a dative object; der Wippe is also dative after auf here because it describes a location, not movement.
Die Farbe der Wippe ist blau.
The seesaw's colour is blue.
die Farbe means colour, and blau means blue. Der Wippe is genitive because it shows possession or association; the finite verb ist is in position two.
Auf dem Spielplatz stehen drei Wippen.
There are three seesaws in the playground.
der Spielplatz means playground, and drei means three. Wippen is plural after drei; auf dem Spielplatz is dative because it describes a fixed location, and the verb stehen comes in position two.
der Zug — train; pull; draught; move in a game
Der Zug usually means train. With mit, use the dative in mit dem Zug; Zug can also have other meanings such as a pull or a move in a game.
Der Zug kommt um acht Uhr an.
The train arrives at eight o’clock.
um acht Uhr means at eight o’clock and ankommen means to arrive. Der Zug is nominative because it is the subject; the separable verb kommt ... an puts kommt in position two and an at the end.
Ich nehme den Zug nach Berlin.
I am taking the train to Berlin.
nehmen means to take and nach Berlin means to Berlin. Den Zug is accusative because nehmen takes a direct object; the finite verb nehme stands in position two.
Wir fahren mit dem Zug.
We are travelling by train.
fahren means to travel or go by vehicle. Mit always takes the dative, so dem Zug is dative; the finite verb fahren is in position two.
Die Türen des Zuges sind geschlossen.
The train’s doors are closed.
die Türen means the doors and geschlossen means closed. Des Zuges is genitive because it shows that the doors belong to the train; the finite verb sind is in position two and geschlossen is the predicative adjective.
Am Bahnhof warten viele Züge.
Many trains are waiting at the station.
der Bahnhof means the station and viele means many. Züge is plural and nominative because it is the subject; the plural changes u to ü and adds -e, and warten follows in position two.
Du bist Zug – mach deinen Zug.
It’s your turn—make your move.
Du bist Zug is a fixed expression meaning it is your turn, and deinen Zug means your move. The second Zug is accusative because machen takes a direct object; mach is the imperative and the finite verb comes first.
Der Zug an der Tür war sehr stark.
The draught at the door was very strong.
die Tür means the door and stark means strong. Here Zug means draught or current of air; an der Tür uses the dative for location, while war is in position two.
zurück — back; back again; backwards; back
zurück describes movement or a return to an earlier place or state. It can also be part of a separable verb such as zurückgeben, where it moves to the end of a main clause.
Ich gehe morgen zurück.
I am going back tomorrow.
gehe means go and morgen means tomorrow. zurück is an adverb of direction and stands at the end here; the finite verb gehe is in position two.
Komm bitte zurück!
Please come back!
komm means come and bitte means please. zurück shows the direction back and follows the imperative; the subject du is omitted, as is normal in an informal command.
Bitte gehen Sie einen Schritt zurück.
Please take one step back.
gehen Sie is the formal command go, einen Schritt means one step, and bitte means please. einen Schritt is accusative as the measured movement, while zurück is an adverb at the end showing backwards direction.
Der Ball rollt zurück.
The ball rolls back.
der Ball is the ball and rollt means rolls. zurück shows that the ball moves back to its earlier position; the finite verb rollt is in position two.
zurückgehen — to go back, to walk back
This verb normally describes movement back to a place and therefore takes sein in the perfect. For returning by vehicle, zurückfahren is often more precise.
Er geht nach der Arbeit nach Hause zurück.
He walks back home after work.
nach der Arbeit means after work, and nach Hause means home. nach der Arbeit is a time phrase, while nach Hause expresses direction; the finite verb geht is in position two and zurück is separated to the end.
Wir sind spät zurückgegangen.
We went back late.
spät means late, and wir means we. zurückgegangen combines with sein because the verb describes movement; the Partizip II stands at the end of the clause.
Sie ging allein zum Bahnhof zurück.
She went back to the train station alone.
allein means alone, and der Bahnhof is the train station. zum Bahnhof is a direction phrase with zu, which takes the dative; ging is in position two and zurück goes to the end.
Geh sofort zurück!
Go back immediately!
sofort means immediately. This is a singular command with omitted du; the finite imperative geh comes first and the separable prefix zurück comes at the end.
Ich würde jetzt nicht zurückgehen.
I would not go back now.
jetzt means now, and nicht means not. würde expresses the conditional, while the complete infinitive zurückgehen stands at the end; because the verb is whole there, it is written as one word.
Nach dem Essen werden wir zum Hotel zurückgehen.
After the meal, we will walk back to the hotel.
nach dem Essen means after the meal, and das Hotel is the hotel. nach dem Essen and zum Hotel use the dative after nach and zu; werden is in position two and zurückgehen is the final infinitive.
zurückkommen — to come back, to return
Use zurückkommen for returning to the speaker's place or another reference point. It takes sein in the perfect because it describes movement.
Meine Schwester kommt heute Abend nach Hause zurück.
My sister is coming home this evening.
meine Schwester means my sister, heute Abend means this evening, and nach Hause means home. heute Abend is a time expression and nach Hause expresses direction; kommt is in position two and zurück goes to the end.
Wir sind um zehn Uhr zurückgekommen.
We came back at ten o'clock.
um zehn Uhr means at ten o’clock. zurückgekommen combines with sein because the verb describes movement, and the Partizip II stands at the end of the perfect clause.
Der Bus kam um Mitternacht zurück.
The bus came back at midnight.
der Bus is the bus, and um Mitternacht means at midnight. The time phrase does not change the word order: the finite verb kam is in position two and zurück is at the end.
Komm schnell zurück!
Come back quickly!
schnell means quickly. This is a singular command with omitted du; komm comes first and the separable prefix zurück comes at the end.
Ich würde gern morgen zurückkommen.
I would like to come back tomorrow.
gern means gladly or would like to, and morgen means tomorrow. würde expresses the conditional, while the complete infinitive zurückkommen stands at the end and is written as one word.
Sie wird am Sonntag zurückkommen.
She will come back on Sunday.
am Sonntag means on Sunday. wird is in position two, and the complete infinitive zurückkommen goes to the end; do not split it in this future construction.
überqueren — to cross
Unlike some movement verbs, überqueren takes the crossed place as an accusative object: die Straße überqueren. Its perfect is formed with haben, not sein.
Das Kind überquert die Straße.
The child crosses the street.
das Kind means the child and die Straße means the street. die Straße is accusative because überqueren takes the thing crossed as a direct object; überquert is in position two.
Wir haben die Brücke überquert.
We crossed the bridge.
wir means we and die Brücke means the bridge. The perfect uses haben plus überquert at the end; die Brücke is accusative, even though crossing involves movement.
Sie überquerte den Fluss bei Nacht.
She crossed the river at night.
sie means she, der Fluss means the river, and bei Nacht means at night. The regular past form überquerte stands in position two, and den Fluss is accusative.
Überquere die Straße an der Ampel.
Cross the street at the traffic light.
die Straße means the street, an der Ampel means at the traffic light, and die Ampel means traffic light. The imperative omits du; die Straße is accusative as the direct object, while an der Ampel is dative for location.
Ich würde die Grenze nicht allein überqueren.
I would not cross the border alone.
die Grenze means the border and allein means alone. würde ... überqueren expresses a hypothetical action, and die Grenze is accusative.
Der Zug wird bald die Grenze überqueren.
The train will soon cross the border.
der Zug means the train and bald means soon. In the future, wird is in position two and überqueren goes to the end; die Grenze is accusative.