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Would you like to learn more German?
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- Category: German grammar
This audio and article will take the fear out of using wäre in German. All it means is "would be," but would be has nothing to do with reality. It actually has to do with things which are unreal. Something that isn't true now, but would be nice or would be nuts or would be fantastic.
This grammar topic is known as the "Konjunktiv II." We'll use only the present tense today.
If this is brand new for you, it's best to take it one step at a time. The first step are the very straight-forward sentences (or "simple sentences") in this audio.
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- Category: German grammar
The difference between "zu Hause" vs. "nach Hause" easily trips up German learners, but it doesn't have to trip you up if you use the tips below.
1. "zu Hause" = (at) home
"zu" is usually used as a preposition, so it would stand by itself and you might think that "zu Hause" means "to home."
This is an exception.
When you say "zu Hause," you're really using it as one block of language.
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- Category: German grammar
Almost all of the people who sign up for private German lessons have already run into German verbs and their conjugations. When we get to the Perfekt (the present perfect or spoken past tense), it's always interesting to hear what they think of it so far. Here are a few of the top questions people have asked me about learning the Perfekt:
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Are these regular or irregular verbs?
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What's the difference between them?
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What's the pattern for these verbs? And for these verbs? And for these? Why are these verbs all different?!
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Do you have a list of ALL of the verbs? I want to learn them all this weekend.
There are various names for verb categories, too: regular, irregular, strong, weak, mixed verbs.
If you'd like an easier, better way of understanding regular and irregular verbs, you're in the right place.
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- Category: German grammar
When you first learn German - or first start learning German - you say everything in the present tense. You learn only a little bit of the past tense, mainly the two verbs here, and then later you learn the Perfekt, or the spoken past tense (Ich bin gefahren. Wir haben ein Buch gelesen.).
This is the order you would ideally learn everything in:
Present tense --> these two verbs --> a bunch of the Perfekt
If you learn the past tense in any other order than that, it is out of order.
No exceptions.
If you've jumped from the present to the Perfekt, or you don't have a handle on these two verbs, then press pause on the Perfekt and get a good handle on these two first.
Why?
Because they are the easiest, most widely used and easy to understand past tense verbs in German.
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- Details
- Category: German grammar
Today you get to learn separable verbs (trennbare Verben) just like one of my German clients!
This is a technique I've used with dozens of German learners and it makes separable verbs a kinaesthetic exercise--and that in two different ways.
You'll need print out or write out some cards, and to have one supply to have ready when you start the video.
Los geht's!
Step 1: Print out or make these cards of trennbare Verben
Download this PDF of 4x6 cards and print them.
If you can't print them, simply open the PDF and use small cards of slips of paper and write them out like they are on the cards.
Your cards don't need to be perfect, they simply need to be made.
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