National 5 German SQA

This subject is broken down into 25 topics in 2 modules:

  1. Vocabulary, Use of Language, Speaking 13 topics
  2. Grammar 12 topics
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This page was last modified on 28 September 2024.

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German

Vocabulary, Use of Language, Speaking

Numbers and Quantities

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Numbers and Quantities

Basic Numbers

  • The numbers from 1 to 10 in German are eins, zwei, drei, vier, fünf, sechs, sieben, acht, neun, and zehn respectively.
  • Pay attention to the spelling and pronunciation of each number, as these can greatly aid in understanding and sounding more authentic in your spoken German.

Numbers 11 to 20

  • The numbers from 11 to 20 are elf, zwölf, dreizehn, vierzehn, fünfzehn, sechzehn, siebzehn, achtzehn, neunzehn, and zwanzig respectively.
  • Note how 13-19 are formed by adding 'zehn' ('ten') after the smaller digit; e.g. 'dreizehn' is 'three and ten'.

Multiples of Ten

  • The multiples of ten are zwanzig (20), dreißig (30), vierzig (40), fünfzig (50), sechzig (60), siebzig (70), achtzig (80), and neunzig (90).
  • Note the pattern in these numbers – most of them simply add '-zig' to the end of the digit.

Hundreds and Thousands

  • German for 'hundred' is hundert and 'thousand' is tausend.
  • For numbers like 200, 300 etc., you simply attach 'hundert' after the digit; e.g., 'zweihundert' is 'two hundred'. The same pattern applies with thousands.

Quantifying Nouns

  • Use ein for 'one' or 'a/an' when quantifying masculine or neuter nouns, and eine for feminine nouns.
  • For plural quantities, German requires the use of zwei (two), drei (three), etc., directly before the noun. Unlike in English, you do not always need to include 'of' (e.g. 'two apples' is 'zwei Äpfel', not 'zwei von Äpfel').

Time

  • When telling time, the word "Uhr" is used to represent 'o'clock'. For example, '2 o'clock' is 'zwei Uhr'.
  • Quarter and half hours are expressed as "Viertel" (quarter) and "halb" (half). 'Half past two' would be 'halb drei', literally 'half three'. This is because in German you're referring to the upcoming hour, not the current one.

Dates

  • Dates in German are expressed as 'the + number + month'. The word for 'the' (der) changes according to the gender, case and number of the noun it is qualifying. The number stays the same as it is, except for 'first', which is 'erste'.
  • For example, 'the first of May' is 'der erste Mai'.

Course material for German, module Vocabulary, Use of Language, Speaking, topic Numbers and Quantities

German

Grammar

Cases

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Cases

Understanding Cases in German Grammar

Cases in German are an integral part of the language and are crucial to understanding how to construct sentences and use words correctly.

What are Cases?

  • In German grammar, cases indicate the role that a noun, pronoun or article plays in a sentence.
  • The four cases in German are Nominative, Accusative, Dative, and Genitive.

Nominative Case

  • The nominative case is used for the subject of a sentence, i.e., the person or thing doing the action.
  • For example, "Der Mann liest ein Buch." (The man reads a book.) - "Der Mann" is in the nominative case as it's the subject doing the reading.

Accusative Case

  • The accusative case is used for the direct object of a sentence, i.e., the person or thing that the action is done to.
  • For example, "Ich habe einen Hund." (I have a dog.) - "einen Hund" is in the accusative case as it's the object being had.

Dative Case

  • The dative case is used for the indirect object of a sentence, i.e., the person or thing that is indirectly affected by the action.
  • For example, "Ich gebe dem Mann ein Buch." (I give the man a book.) - "dem Mann" is in the dative case as it's the indirect object receiving the book.

Genitive Case

  • The genitive case shows possession and is equivalent to using 'of' or an apostrophe 's' in English.
  • For example, "Das ist das Buch des Mannes." (That's the man's book.) - "des Mannes" is in the genitive case, indicating possession of the book.

Remember, the cases apply to all nouns, pronouns, and articles – not just those in the singular number, but also those in the plural.

Course material for German, module Grammar, topic Cases

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