Modern G ERMAN Grammar Second Edition Routledge Modern Grammars Series concept and development – Sarah Butler Other books in the series: Modern French Grammar Modern Italian Grammar Modern Spanish Grammar, Second Edition Modern French Grammar Workbook Modern Italian Grammar Workbook Modern Spanish Grammar Workbook, Second Edition Modern G ERMAN Grammar A practical guide Second Edition Bill Dodd, Christine Eckhard-Black, John Klapper, Ruth Whittle First published in 1996 by Routledge Second edition first published in 2003 by Routledge 11 New Fetter Lane, London EC4P 4EE Simultaneously published in the USA and Canada by Routledge 29 West 35th Street, New York, NY 10001 Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2005. “To purchase your own copy of this or any of Taylor & Francis or Routledge’s collection of thousands of eBooks please go to www.eBookstore.tandf.co.uk.” © 1996, 2003 Ruth Whittle, Christine Eckhard-Black, John Klapper, Bill Dodd All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilized in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data Modern German grammar : a practical guide / Bill Dodd ... [et al.]. – 2nd ed. p. cm. – (Routledge modern grammars) Includes index. 1. German language – Grammar. 2. German language – Textbooks for foreign speakers – English. I. Dodd, Bill (Bill J. ), 1950– . II. Series. PF3112.M55 2003 438.2′421 – dc21 2002155517 ISBN 0-203-42829-3 Master e-book ISBN ISBN 0-203-44053-6 (Adobe eReader format) ISBN 0–415–27299–8 (hbk) ISBN 0–415–27300–5 (pbk) Contents Introduction ix How to use this book xi Glossary xiii PART A Structures I Letters and sounds 3 1 Vowels 3 2 Diphthongs 4 3 Consonants 4 4 Stress 5 II Word order 7 5 Simple sentences and main clauses 7 6 Two main clauses 9 7 Direct questions and commands 10 8 Subordinate clauses 11 9 Indirect questions 14 10 Relative clauses 14 11 Order of adverbials 16 12 Noun and pronoun objects 17 13 Position of nicht 18 14 Position of reflexive pronouns 19 15 Flexible word order and emphasis 20 III The case system 23 16 The cases 23 17 The nominative 23 18 The accusative 24 19 The dative 26 20 The genitive 31 21 Apposition 33 IV Nouns 36 22 The article 36 23 Use of the articles 37 24 Determiners 41 25 Gender 43 26 Compound nouns and acronyms 47 v CONTENTS 27 Gender variations 47 28 Noun declensions 48 29 Plurals 50 V Pronouns 54 30 Pronoun reference and forms 54 31 Other forms used as pronouns 57 32 Pronouns used after prepositions 58 VI Verbs 59 33 Verb forms 59 34 Use of tenses 71 35 Modal verbs 74 36 Separable and inseparable verbs 81 37 Reflexive verbs 87 38 Prepositional verbs 90 39 The subjunctive 93 40 The passive 102 41 Imperatives 105 42 Basic sentence patterns: verbs and their completion 107 VII Adjectives and adverbs 118 43 Predicative and attributive adjectives 118 44 Declension following der etc. 118 45 Declension following ein etc. 120 46 ‘Zero’ declension 121 47 Other adjective types 123 48 Comparison of adjectives 125 49 Extended adjectival phrases 129 50 Adverbs 129 51 Comparison of adverbs 132 VIII Word structure and word formation 134 52 Principles of word formation 134 53 Forming verbs 135 54 Forming nouns 135 55 Forming adjectives 139 56 Forming adverbs 141 57 The meaning of verbal prefixes 142 IX Style and orthography 146 58 Formal and informal style 146 59 Spelling and punctuation 148 vi Contents Part B Functions X Social contact 159 60 Greeting 159 61 Making introductions 165 62 Taking leave 175 63 Eating and drinking 180 64 Giving and receiving compliments 188 65 Expressing commiseration 191 66 Expressing good wishes 195 67 Giving and receiving thanks, expressing appreciation 201 68 Expressing apologies and regret 206 XI Giving and seeking factual information 211 69 Talking and enquiring about existence 211 70 Talking and enquiring about absence and non-existence 215 71 Expressing and enquiring about availability 221 72 Talking about non-availability 224 73 Identifying and seeking identification 227 74 Describing people 231 75 Describing objects 241 76 Describing actions and processes 252 77 Avoiding describing the agent of processes and actions 267 78 Describing origins and provenance 269 XII Putting events into a wider context 274 79 Giving reasons and purpose 274 80 Providing spatial context 281 81 Providing temporal context 286 82 Talking about cause and effect 296 83 Drawing conclusions with reference to sources 300 84 Referring to sources of information 303 85 Reporting other people’s words and claims 307 86 Expressing necessity 309 87 Expressing ability to do something 317 88 Conveying doubt and certainty 319 89 Expressing assumptions, discussing possibility, probability and conditions 322 XIII Transactions: getting things done 325 90 Attracting attention 325 91 Helping and advising 328 92 Asking for something to be done 333 93 Expressing needs, wishes and desires 336 vii CONTENTS 94 Expressing objections and complaints 339 95 Giving and seeking promises and assurances 346 96 Issuing, accepting and declining invitations and offers 349 97 Seeking, granting and denying permission 353 98 Making, accepting and declining suggestions 356 99 Issuing and responding to warnings 358 XIV Conveying attitudes and mental states 362 100 Asserting and denying the truth of something 362 101 Expressing knowledge 364 102 Remembering and forgetting 366 103 Expressing future intentions 368 104 Expressing likes and dislikes: people, things and situations 369 105 Indicating preferences 371 106 Expressing indifference 373 107 Voicing opinion 373 108 Expressing firm convictions 375 109 Expressing agreement and disagreement 376 110 Talking about physical well being 381 111 Expressing happiness, fear and sadness 393 112 Expressing satisfaction and dissatisfaction 401 113 Expressing hopes, wishes and disappointment 404 114 Expressing surprise 409 115 Expressing enjoyment and pleasure 412 XV Communication strategies 416 116 Using fillers 416 117 Keeping the channel open 418 118 Asking for spoken linguistic cues 425 119 Shaping the course of a conversation 427 120 Turn-taking in conversations 432 121 Delivering monologues (formal speaking) 435 Index 441 viii Introduction Modern German Grammar. A Practical Guide is an innovative reference grammar designed to be used with modern approaches to teaching and learning German as a foreign language. The book addresses learners’ practical needs by combining a detailed description of the grammatical structures of German with a ‘functional’ approach to language. By functions we mean the specific uses to which we can put language in order to communicate effectively in particular situations: e.g. apologizing, accepting or declining an invitation, expressing regret, voicing an opinion or casting doubt on something. The book is intended for all those who have a basic knowledge of German, including undergraduates taking German as a major or minor part of their studies, as well as intermediate and advanced students in both schools and adult education. It will also prove an invaluable resource for teachers seeking back-up to syllabuses organized around functions, or designers of German language courses and syllabuses in all sectors of education. Before using the book the reader is advised to refer to pp. xi–xii on ‘How to use this book’. There are two main parts. Part A (sections 1–59) provides a detailed description of the structures of modern German, and is in this respect quite close to being a ‘traditional’ grammar. The explanations given in Part A are supported by a detailed glossary of grammatical terms which assumes no previous grammatical training. In contrast, the larger Part B (sections 60–121) focuses on functions, explaining and illustrating the appropriate use of German in particular contexts, the specific ideas the learner wishes to express and the concrete situations in which he or she is likely to wish to use them. There is a comprehensive index at the back of the book. This is a very important section as the detailed entries on functions, structures and grammatical terminology allow the reader to approach the language in more than one way: he or she can either look up how to express a particular function or seek information on how a certain aspect of the language works. Having located the required function (e.g. ‘Attracting attention in a dangerous situation’ 90.1), the learner is referred to relevant structures in Part A (e.g. ‘Use of Subjunctive II’). This approach avoids the difficulties learners have with traditional grammars, where, faced with expressing something in German, they frequently do not know which structure(s) they need to look up. In this book, the grammatical structures needed to perform the function successfully are highlighted in Part B and can be checked more fully in Part A. An extensive system of cross-references within and between the two major parts of the book provides further information which the user may find helpful, especially when consulting individual functions. ix