Overview
This lecture provides a crash course in essential German for absolute beginners, covering pronunciation, key phrases, numbers, sentence structure, pronouns, days of the week, and noun genders.
German Alphabet & Pronunciation
- The German alphabet has 26 letters, similar to English, plus 4 special characters.
- Umlauts (ä, ö, ü) modify the sound of a, o, and u.
- The ß (Eszett or sharp S) sounds like "ss."
- "ch" has two pronunciations: soft (as in "ich") and hard (as in "Buch").
- "sch" is pronounced like "sh" in "school."
- The letter "z" is pronounced as "ts."
Basic Greetings & Phrases
- Hallo — Hello
- Guten Morgen — Good morning
- Guten Tag — Good day
- Guten Abend — Good evening
- Tschüss — Bye (casual)
- Bis später — See you later
- Auf Wiedersehen — Goodbye (formal)
Self-Introduction & Basic Sentences
- Mein Name ist [Name] — My name is [Name].
- Ich bin [Name] — I am [Name].
- Ich komme aus [Land] — I come from [country].
- Ich wohne in [Stadt] — I live in [city].
Sentence Structure & Personal Pronouns
- German uses Subject-Verb-Object (SVO) order like English.
- Example: Ich lerne Deutsch — I learn German.
- Personal pronouns: ich (I), du (you informal), er (he), sie (she), es (it), wir (we), ihr (you all), sie (they/you formal).
Forming Sentences with Pronouns
- Ich bin müde — I am tired.
- Du lernst Deutsch — You learn German.
- Er hat ein Auto — He has a car.
- Sie ist glücklich — She is happy.
- Es ist kalt — It is cold.
- Wir gehen ins Kino — We are going to the cinema.
- Ihr spielt Fußball — You all play football.
- Sie arbeiten hier — They work here.
Asking & Answering Basic Questions
- Woher kommst du? — Where are you from?
- Ich komme aus Spanien — I come from Spain.
- Was machst du? — What do you do?
- Ich bin Student — I am a student.
- Sprichst du Deutsch? — Do you speak German?
- Ja, ein bisschen — Yes, a little.
Numbers & Age
- Numbers 1–10: eins, zwei, drei, vier, fünf, sechs, sieben, acht, neun, zehn.
- Numbers 11–20: elf, zwölf, dreizehn, ... zwanzig (pattern: [number] + zehn).
- Example: Ich habe zwanzig — I have twenty.
- Wie alt bist du? — How old are you?
- Ich bin 19 — I am 19.
Days of the Week
- Montag (Monday), Dienstag (Tuesday), Mittwoch (Wednesday), Donnerstag (Thursday), Freitag (Friday), Samstag (Saturday), Sonntag (Sunday)
- Heute ist Montag — Today is Monday.
- Morgen ist Mittwoch — Tomorrow is Wednesday.
Noun Genders & Articles
- Three articles: der (masculine), die (feminine), das (neuter).
- Example: der Tisch (the table), die Katze (the cat), das Haus (the house).
- Noun genders must be memorized with each noun.
Key Terms & Definitions
- Umlaut — two dots above a vowel (ä, ö, ü) changing its sound.
- Eszett (ß) — sharp S, pronounced like "ss."
- Personal pronoun — words like I, you, he, she, etc.
- Subject-Verb-Object (SVO) — basic word order for sentences.
Action Items / Next Steps
- Practice German alphabet and pronunciation.
- Memorize greetings, introductions, pronouns, and basic questions.
- Learn numbers 1–20 and days of the week.
- Start associating nouns with their correct articles.
- Participate in basic self-introduction exercises using provided phrases.