German Cheatsheet
Basic Concepts
- German is a language spoken in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and other parts of Europe.
- German is a member of the West Germanic language family, which also includes English and Dutch.
- German has a reputation for being a difficult language to learn, but it is also a very rewarding language to master.
Pronunciation
- German has 6 vowel sounds: a, e, i, o, u, and ü.
- German has 16 consonant sounds, including the “ch” sound, which can be pronounced differently in different regions.
- German has a stress accent, where stress is placed on the first syllable of a word.
Grammar
- German grammar is based on a subject-verb-object (SVO) word order.
- German has four cases: nominative, accusative, dative, and genitive.
- German nouns are gendered, with three genders: masculine, feminine, and neuter.
Vocabulary
- German vocabulary includes many loanwords from other languages, such as English and French.
- German has many compound words, where two or more words are combined to create a new word with a new meaning.
- German has a rich literary tradition, with many famous writers and poets.
Writing
- German uses the Latin alphabet, with the addition of umlauts (ä, ö, ü) and the Eszett (ß).
- German text can be written horizontally from left to right, or vertically from top to bottom.
Culture
- German culture includes traditions such as Oktoberfest, Christmas markets, and Carnival.
- German music includes classical composers such as Bach, Beethoven, and Mozart, as well as modern pop and rock artists.
- German cuisine includes dishes such as sausages, sauerkraut, and schnitzel.
Common Phrases
- Hallo - Hello
- Guten Morgen - Good morning
- Auf Wiedersehen - Goodbye
- Danke - Thank you
- Bitte - Please/You’re welcome
- Wie geht’s? - How are you?
- Mir geht’s gut - I’m doing well
- Ich verstehe nicht - I don’t understand
- Entschuldigung - Excuse me/I’m sorry
- Prost - Cheers
These phrases are just a few examples of the many common phrases used in German.
Resources