Many verbs in German are paired with specific prepositions. Quite often, these prepositions have nothing to do with location or direction. Examples in English would be: “to think about”, “to wait for”, “to be afraid of”, etc. Knowing which preposition to use is so natural that the native English speaker doesn’t have to think about it at all. It’s automatic. But when the English learner repeatedly uses incorrect verb-preposition combinations, it can cause that person sound overly “foreign”. The same problem can occur in German if the German learner isn’t aware of which specific preposition(s) to use for a given verb. This handout provides a list of over 60 common German verb-preposition combinations that a student is likely to encounter in normal conversation, writing and media reporting. (Grammatical case is indicated for 2-way prepositions.)

In this six-page lesson, students learn how to say the equivalent of ‘some’, ‘any’ or ‘one’ in German using indefinite pronouns. (Examples of these pronouns used in English would be: “I’d like some.” “Do you have any?” “Can you find one for me?”, etc.) Over 50 German example sentences are provided along with parallel English translations. A review of the demonstrative pronouns is included on pages 1 and 2.

Many verbs in German are used in tandem with specific prepositions. Examples of similar combinations in English are: ‘to think about’, ‘to be afraid of’, ‘to suffer from’, etc. Very often, these prepositions have nothing to do with location or direction, but instead link verbs to nouns in a more abstract way. German has its own set of verb-preposition combinations, but since the German learner doesn’t always have the luxury of hearing them being used in a natural environment, these combinations also have to be studied and memorized. By this point, a student may have already run across some of them: ‘denken an’, ‘sorgen für’, ‘Angst haben vor’, and a number of others. This lesson will introduce the student to verb-preposition combinations in a more deliberate and concentrated way, opening the door to greater fluency in both reading and speaking. For students wishing to skim the highlights of this topic, the first two pages provide a good introductory view. These students can skip forward to the “More Example Sentences” section at the bottom of page 6. Here, nine frequently occurring verb-preposition combinations are illustrated in different tenses. For students wishing to delve deeper into the subject, the rest of the document provides plenty of information and new vocabulary to help assist in fluency. Over 70 verb-preposition combinations are provided in this lesson. Twenty of these combinations are illustrated in example sentences, some color coded for clarity. (As a prerequisite, students should already be familiar with how to use reflexive verbs.)

This short, two-page story about a small Bavarian village in northern Georgia tests students on adjective endings in all four cases. Empty blanks appear after each adjective to be filled in with the appropriate ending. Included is a small glossary, an answer key (color-coded and annotated) and an English translation of the text. Appropriate for 2nd or 3rd-year students of German, or for adult learners at around the A2.2 level.

This 13-page handout concentrates on elementary German sentence structure and word order for sentences/clauses having one verb. The concept of ‘position’ is discussed as it relates to subject, verb,object and adverbial. This lesson is a good primer on sentence structure for beginners who are comfortable with conjugating verbs in the present tense and have studied the accusative case. More advanced students may find the lesson to be a good refresher. Students will learn about typical SVO statements, inversions, questions, 'W-Fragen’ (question words) and how to link clauses using coordinating conjunctions. More than 75 example sentences are included, many of them diagrammed and color coded. A summary of the lesson is provided at the end of the handout.**

A2.2-level grammar review test covering: subjunctive forms of ‘werden’, ‘sein’ & ‘haben’ (würden, wären, hätten), comparative & superlative (predicate adjectives & adverbs), ‘trotzdem’ vs. ‘deshalb’, adjective endings. The test consists entirely of fill-in-the-blank questions and tables. It’s suitable as an end-of-course assessment for informal adult courses, but can also be used for 2nd or 3rd-year students of German at the high school or college level. An answer key is provided. Some annotations explaining grammar are also shown.

This handout introduces the student to the different ways of expressing likes and dislikes in everyday situations, starting with the adverb ‘gern’ and then progressing to the verbs ‘mögen’ and ‘gefallen’. Numerous sample sentences are provided — including questions and sentences with negations.

A1.1-level German grammar review test covering: nominative and dative personal pronouns (dative: ‘mir’, ‘dir’ & ‘Ihnen’ only), regular-verb conjugations (present tense), stem-changing verb conjugations (present tense), Nominative-case possessives (‘mein’, ‘dein’ & ‘Ihr’ only). The test consists of fill-in-the-blank questions. It’s suitable either as a mid-course or end-of-course assessment for informal adult classes, but can also be used for 1st-year German classes at the high school or college level. Some of the sentences are written at a slightly higher level than what the average student might expect, but the answers themselves are appropriate for the A1.1 level. An answer key is provided. Translations and additional notes are not included for this test.

This handout provides basic guidelines for using the correct adjective endings in German. It was created for those students who find it easier to learn simple rules rather than memorizing tables. It can also be used as a test-prep for those who’ve learned the adjective endings in the more traditional manner. The 3-page handout is broken into four neat sections that are easy to digest: predicate adjectives, adjectives with the “-en” ending, adjectives with the “-e” ending, and adjectives with other endings. As with the other handouts on adjective endings, it is important for the student to have already mastered all the articles and their declined forms.

This 3-page handout introduces students to the separable verb — first by comparing it to the English ‘phrasal verb’ and then providing examples in German. Many people learning English have initial success with the language, but are unable to get a handle on the large number of phrasal verbs, and the rich subtleties of the language remain impenetrable to them. A similar thing can happen in German with separable verbs, therefore it’s important to become familiar with them early. In this handout, nine common separable verbs have been chosen as examples — conjugated and used in sample sentences.

At the A1 level, students first learn to use the subjunctive mood (Konjunktiv II) for making polite requests. In this handout, students will learn how to use the subjunctive to describe improbable situations and make hypothetical statements. This lesson focuses on the verbs ‘würden’, ‘wären’ and ‘hätten’. Copious example sentences are provided with parallel English translations. The English subjunctive is described in detail alongside the German subjunctive, illustrating the structural differences between the two. At the end of the lesson is a section on how to use the adverbs ‘gern’, ‘lieber’ and ‘am liebsten’ together with subjunctive verbs.

A two-page quiz on separable verbs for the A2 level. In the first section, the verb in parentheses is conjugated in the present tense. In the 2nd section, the verb in parentheses is put in its ‘Perfekt’ tense form. In the final section, the student is instructed to put the verb in its proper form based on available cues. Answers may be in the present tense, the ‘Perfekt’ tense or in the verb’s infinitive form. An answer key is provided along with some grammatical notes. Appropriate for 2nd or 3rd-year students of German, or for adult learners at around the A2.1 level.

An eight-page lesson on inseparable prefix verbs and how they’re used in the present and ‘Perfekt’ tenses. The lesson starts out with a refresher on separable verbs and what makes inseparable verbs different, both in terms of syntax and also pronunciation. Roughly 40 sample sentences are provided, most with parallel English translations. Some sentences are also color-coded for clarity. A summary of the lesson is provided at the end.

This is a thorough primer on subordinating conjunctions and the placement of verbs in dependent (subordinate) clauses in German. The lesson starts out with a review of coordinating conjunctions and then compares how they’re used vs. subordinating conjunctions by comparing ‘denn’ with ‘weil’. Other conjunctions covered are: ‘wenn’, ‘ob’, ‘als’, ‘da’ and ‘obwohl’. The subtle differences between some of these conjunctions are discussed, as well as how they should be translated into English, and vice-versa. Also covered is how to formulate a dependent clause using separable prefix verbs, modal verbs and the ‘Perfekt’ tense. Approximately 80 example sentences are used in this lesson, the majority with parallel English translations and color-coded for easy understanding. A summary of the lesson and a page for taking notes is included at the end of the document.

Quiz on local prepositions in the dative case (lokale Präpositionen im Dativ). Match the vocabulary words with the objects in the picture, then fill in the blanks with the appropriate preposition and article/ending. Answer key provided.

In his short, two-page story we learn about Marie and her journey from Milan, Italy to Cologne, where she goes to school to get her training in office administration. This story tests skills in using the ‘Perfekt’ tense. A list of verbs is provided at the top of the first page. Using these verbs, students reading the story will fill in the blanks with the appropriate participle and helping verb. Included is a small glossary, an answer key and an English translation of the text. Appropriate for 2nd or 3rd-year students of German, or for adult learners at around the A2.2 level. A knowledge of some subordinating conjunctions and related word order rules is helpful.

Ten-page primer on how to use pronominal adverbs in German (damit, dafür, darauf, womit, wofür, worauf, …, etc.). The lesson contains over 30 sample sentences in large font, color-coded for clarity. Companion English translations are provided for most of the German sample sentences. A quick summary is provided on the final page. This lesson is geared towards students at the high end of A2, and as a prerequisite, students should already be familiar with common accusative and dative prepositions as well as verbs with prepositions: (“Angst haben + vor”, “sich interessieren + für”, “warten + auf”, etc.).

This is a very simple 2-page document that students can use for writing out the conjugations of new verbs. Conjugation sheets are very helpful for new students just beginning to get a handle on new verbs and how they’re conjugated. These can be hole-punched and placed in a binder with other hard-copy notes for quick reference. The second page is blank and can be photocopied / printed in bulk to suit your needs. The first page is an example sheet with six German verbs — fully conjugated in the present tense (kommen, lernen, sprechen, wissen, haben, sein).

3-page vocabulary quiz on parts of the body. The first page on basic body parts can be given to A1-level students. The entire set is intended for more advanced students and tests their knowledge of the smaller and more complex parts of the body. Answer key is included.