Crash Course in German Language

Overview

• 25-minute session aimed to take learners from zero to basic conversational German (A1 level)
• Presenter: Native German speaker with experience teaching over 1,000 students
• Focus: Fun and easy learning through essential pronunciation, key phrases, basic grammar, and real-life examples

German Alphabet and Pronunciation

• Alphabet: 26 letters plus 4 umlauts (ä, ö, ü) and the sharp s (ß)
• Pronunciation of letters:
  • A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P, Q, R, S, T, U, V, W, X, Y, Z
  • Umlauts: ä (as in "Mädchen"), ö (as in "Österreich"), ü (as in "über")
  • Sharp S: ß (sounds like "ss")

Basic Greetings

• Hello: Hallo
• Good morning: Guten Morgen
• Good day: Guten Tag
• Good evening: Guten Abend
• Goodbye:
  • Tschüss (informal)
  • Bis später (see you later)
  • Auf Wiedersehen (formal)

Introducing Yourself

• Name:
  • „Ich heiße [Your Name]“ (I am called [Your Name])
  • „Ich bin [Your Name]“ (I am [Your Name])
• Where from:
  • „Ich komme aus [Country]“ (I come from [Country])
• City:
  • „Ich wohne in [City]“ (I live in [City])

Basic German Grammar

• Sentence structure: Subject-Verb-Object
  • Example:
    • „Ich lerne Deutsch.“ (I learn German)
    • „Ich trinke Wasser.“ (I drink water)
    • „Ich esse Brot.“ (I eat bread)
• Personal pronouns:
  • ich (I), du (you informal), er (he), sie (she), es (it), wir (we), ihr (you all), sie (they), Sie (you formal)

Asking and Answering Questions

• Where from: „Woher kommst du?“ (Where do you come from?)
• What do you do: „Was machst du?“ (What do you do?)
  • Response: „Ich bin Student.“ (I am a student)
• Do you speak German?: „Sprichst du Deutsch?“
  • Response: „Ja, ein wenig.“ (Yes, a little)

Numbers

• 1-10: eins, zwei, drei, vier, fünf, sechs, sieben, acht, neun, zehn
• 11-20: eleven (elf), twelve (zwölf), thirteen (dreizehn) to nineteen (neunzehn; patterns in formation)
• Asking age: „Wie alt bist du?“ (How old are you?)
  • Response: „Ich bin [Age] Jahre alt.“ (I am [Age] years old)

Days of the Week

• Monday: Montag
• Tuesday: Dienstag
• Wednesday: Mittwoch
• Thursday: Donnerstag
• Friday: Freitag
• Saturday: Samstag
• Sunday: Sonntag

Noun Genders and Articles

• Three articles in German:
  • der (masculine), die (feminine), das (neuter)
• Example nouns:
  • der Tisch (the table - masculine)
  • die Katze (the cat - feminine)
  • das Haus (the house - neuter)
• Importance of memorizing nouns with their articles

Dialogue Practice

• Short dialogue between two characters (Max and Leon) introducing themselves and discussing their backgrounds.

Course Offer

• Promotes a complete A1 German course with grammar lessons, vocabulary, flashcards, and exam preparation.
• Encouragement to subscribe for further resources and videos.

Conclusion

• Acknowledges that 25 minutes is not enough for complete mastery of the language but provides a solid foundation.
• Reminder to stay focused and enjoy the learning process.