THEOLOGICAL GERMAN GRAMMAR
Walter Bense

Updated by H. Daniel Zacharias

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2008

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PRONUNCIATION AND WORD RECOGNITION

1. Pronunciation

    Vowels

    Consonants

2. Word Recognition

NOUNS AND RELATED WORDS

3. Article and Cases

    Definite and Indefinite Article

    Case

4. Prepositions and Postpositions

5. The Declension of the Noun

6. Pronouns

7. Pronominal Adjectives

8. Adjectives and Adverbs

THE VERB

9. The Tenses

10. Perfect Tense(s) and Conditionals

11. Active and Passive Voice; the Reflexive Verb

12. Subjunctive Forms and the Imperative Mode

13. The Position of the Verb in the Sentence

14. Participles and Infinitives

15. The Modal Auxiliaries

16. Extended Adjective Construction

17. Summary of German Verb Tenses

PRONUNCIATION AND WORD RECOGNITION

Chapter 1:

Pronunciation

Learning how to pronounce German is not entirely necessary for reading it, but it is a good idea to try and sound moderately intelligent when saying German words in the midst of your colleagues or especially native German speakers. Plus, if you tell someone you know how to read German, they are going to want to hear you say a few gutterly-tuned words. So here is a snapshot on German pronunciation.

Vowels

1. Vowels are long when:

a. When just a single consonant follows the vowel (and often ends the word). Gut (good) is “goot”

b. when they are followed by an h. Sehen(to see) is like “see hen”

c. they are doubled. Haar(hair) is like “hair”

2. Vowels are short when:

a. when followed by more than one consonant. Mensche(man) is “men -s- che”

b. they are followed by a double consonant. Mann(man) is “man”

3. a long like awww (eg. father). Vater(father)

4. a short is more like english short o (eg. hot). alt(old)

5. e long sounds more like the proverbial Canadian “Ay”. Geben(to give) is “gay-bin”.

6. e short is the standard English short e, like get. Ende is “end-e”.

7. i long AND ie is like an English double e like green. Tiger(take a wild guess) is “tee-ger”, or Bier(Beer).

8. i short is like the standard short , like hit. Mitte(in the middle of) is “mit-te”.

9. o long is like the standard English long o, like open. Brot(bread) is “broh-t”.

10. o short is much like the short German a, hot. Sommer(Summer) is “somm-er”.

11. u long is like an English double o, like hoot. Pudel(dog) is “poo-dl”.

12. u short is much like short u in English, like bush. Mutter(mother) is “mut-ter”.

13. Umlauted Vowels: (note: sometimes ä, ö, or ü can be written as ae, oe, or ue)

a. ä long like hair. Often, but not always, followed by a single consonant. Mädchen(girl) is “maid-chen”.

b. ä short is like the short German e, usually followed by more than one consonant. Männer(men) is “men-ner”.

c. ö long. Okay, there is a bit of a trick to this one. Round your lips then stick them out like you are going to say “ooooo”. But instead of the “ooo” say “ay” (Almost like the “oi” in oil). That’s what this sounds like. östlich(east) is “oyst-lik”.

d. ö short. Do the same lip arrangement as the previous one, but say a short e sound. öffnen(open) is “eff-nen”.

e. ü long. Do the same lip trick but say “eee”. grün(green) is “green (but with your lips out)”.

f. ü short Do the same lip trick but say a short i sound. Küssen(kisses) is “kiss-en (but with your lips out)”.

14. Diphthongs:

a. ei, ai, ey, and ay are all like “I” (or eye). Wein(wine).

b. au is like English ou, as in house. Haus (take a guess!)

c. äu and eu are like oy or oi, as in oil. Feuer(fire) is “foy-er”.

Consonants

1. Many German consonants are the same as English. f (and ph), h, k, m, n, p, t, ck, nk.

2. b is a normal b sound except when it ends a word—then it is like a p. Halb(half) is “halp”.

3. c:

a. Before a, e, i is a “ts” sound. Cäsar is “tsa-sar”.

b. Before a, o, u is like K. Café.

4. ch:

a. When following a, o, u is pronounced in the back of the mouth as a k sound. Nacht(night) is “knock-t”.

b. Pronounced like K when beginning words of Greek origin. Christus(Christ).

c. Pronounced like “sh” when heading words of French origin, like the French word Chauvinist.

d. chs is like “ks” or X sound. Sechs(six).

5. d is as you would expect, except when at the end of the word when it takes on a T sound. Hund(dog) is “hoont”.

6. g is as you would expect, except when at the end of the word when it takes on a K sound. Weg(away) is “wek”.

a. ig frequently ends a word and makes and “eech” sound. König(king) is “kon-eek”.

7. j is like the english Y. This is an important one to note. Jung(young).

8. qu is prnounced like KV. Qualität(Quality) is “kval-i-tat”.

9. s is as you would expect, except when beginning a word it is like an English Z. Senden(send) is “zen-den”.

10. ss and ß are just like double S in English.

11. sp and st are a little tricky. They both sound like the English “SH”. Staat(state) is “shay-t”.

12. th is like the English T. Luther is “loo-ter”.

13. v makes an F sound if it is a German word. But if it is a loanword of another language, it is like an English V. Volk(People) is “Folk”.

14. w is like the English V. Wort(word) is “vor-t”.

15. x is like KS.

16. z is pronounced like TS, like hats. Zoo(zoo) is “tsoo”.

Chapter 2:
Word Recognition¹

Because of the relationship between German and English, you will be able to recognize quite a few words. Here are a few tips for recognizing cognates with English.

NOUNS AND RELATED WORDS

Chapter 3:

Article and Cases

Definite and Indefinite Article

The article, both definite and indefinite, has case, gender, and number (singular or plural). There are three genders in the singular: masculine, feminine, and neuter. The plural is common to the case regardless of gender.

“the” “a”		SINGULAR			PLURAL Common
		Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nominative	definite	der	die	das	die
	indefinite	ein	ein	eine	keine
Genitive	definite	des	der	des	der
	indefinite	eines	eines	einer	keiner
Dative	definite	dem	der	dem	den
	indefinite	einem	einem	einer	keinen
Accusative	definite	den	die	das	die
	indefinite	einen	ein	eine	keine

Case

1. German has four cases: the nominative, the genitive, the dative, and the accusative. Nouns, pronouns, adjectives, and articles have case; i.e. they can be declined. The case of a word indicates its function in the sentence.

2. The nominative is the case of the subject and of the subjective complement (predicate nominative).

• Die Theologie ist eine Wissenschaft.
Theology is a science (or discipline).

– “Die Theologie” is in the nominative because it is the subject; “eine Wissenschaft” is in the nominative because it is the subjective complement (predicate nominative) , i.e. it complements the subject. Verbs of being--e.g. to be, to become--take subjective complements instead of the objective case.

3. The genitive is the case of possession.

• Die Frömmigkeit ist das Gefühl der Abhängigkeit.
Piety is the feeling of dependence.

a. A genitival noun is often prefixed to another noun, and can be translated either by an English genitive (often using “of”) or by an adjective. This illustrates the close connection of the genitive to the adjective. The following three expressions convey essentially the same thought.

• die Geschichte der Menschheit
the history of mankind

• die Menschheitsgeschichte
the history of mankind (or human history)

• die Geschichte
human history

4. The dative is the case of the indirect object, or, more generally, of reference or respect. It expresses to whom something is given, from whom something is taken, or for whom an action is intended.

• Der Herr gibt seiner Gemeinde Licht.
The Lord gives light to his congregation.

• Der christliche Theologe entnimmt seine Wissenschaft der Bibel.
The Christian theologian draws his knowledge from the Bible.

• Wir sehen der Freiheit ein Ende.
We see an end for freedom.

a. Verbs that require the accusative in English sometimes require the dative in German.

• Das Wort Gottes begegnete dem Paulus.
The Word of God encountered Paul.

– “begegnen” (“to encounter”) is here understood, not as a transitive verb requiring a direct object, but as intransitive: the Word of God took a contrary position to (with respect to) Paul, i.e. it stood over against (confronted) him.

5. The accusative is the case of the direct object. The case of the substantive, not its position in the sentence, determines its function. Do not expect the object to come after the verb as in English, because it usually doesn’t.

• Wir machen das Mass voll.
We fill up (make full) the measure.

• Das Mass machen wir voll.

• We fill up (make full) the measure.

Chapter 4:
Prepositions and Postpositions

1. Prepositions and postpositions indicate a relationship between a substantive (a noun or pronoun) and other parts of the sentence. The preposition precedes the substantive, while the postposition follows it.

• Nach Luther steht das in der Bibel.
According to Luther this stands (written) in the Bible.

• Seiner Meinung nach steht das in der Bibel.
According to his opinion this stands (written) in the Bible.

2. Some prepositions and postpositions require the genitive case.

• Das Transzendente liegt jenseits der Zeit.
The transcendent lies beyond (on the other side of) time.

3. Some prepositions and postpositions require the dative case.

• Mit diesem Satz endete er.
With this sentence he ended.

4. Some prepositions and postpositions require the accusative case.

• Christus schreitet durch die Zeit.
Christ strides through time.

5. Some prepositions and postpositions can take either the dative or the accusative case. Here the dative indicates position, the accusative direction (movement).

• Dative: Der historische Jesus lebte in der Zeit.
The historical Jesus lived in time.

• Accusative: Der ewige Logos kam in die Zeit.
The eternal Logos came into time.

• Dative: Er orientiert sich an der Religion.
He orients himself to (by reference to) religion.

• Accusative: Er denkt an die Religion.
He thinks of (directs his thought towards) religion.

Chapter 5:
The Declension of the Noun

1. The masculine noun is generally declined in one of two patterns, while the feminine noun does not undergo any change in declension. The neuter noun follows the first pattern of the masculine noun.

2.	Masculine		Feminine	Neuter
	pattern 1	pattern 2
Nominative	der Kaiser	der Theologe	die Revolution	das Gefühl
Genitive	des Kaisers	des Theologen	der Revolution	des Gefühls
Dative	dem Kaiser	dem Theologen	der Revolution	dem Gefühl
Accusative	den Kaiser	den Theologen	die Revolution	das Gefühl

3. Some masculine and neuter nouns have an optional final e in the dative singular:

4. Nominative	der Satz
Genitive	des Satzes
Dative	dem Satz(e)
Accusative	den Satz

5. Nouns can form their plural in a variety of ways:

6. morphology	singular	plural
No change	der Kaiser	die Kaiser
Umlaut	der Vater	die Väter
Add e	das Gefühl	die Gefühle
Add e and Umlaut	der Anfang	die Anfänge
Add n	die Sünde	die Sünden
Add en	der Mensch	die Menschen
Add er	das Licht	die Lichter
Add er and Umlaut	der Gott	die Götter
Add s	das Credo	die Credos

7. Plural nouns can add an (e)n in the dative, unless they end in n or s.

PLURAL
Nominative	die Kaiser	die Sätze	die Revolutionen	die Credos
Genitive	der Kaiser	der Sätze	der Revolutionen	der Credos
Dative	den Kaisern	den Sätzen	den Revolutionen	den Credos
Accusative	die Kaiser	die Sätze	die Revolutionen	die Credos

Chapter 6:
Pronouns

1. The Personal Pronoun

2.		First “I”	Second “you”		Third “he, she, it”
				polite form	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Sg	N.	Ich	du	Sie	er	sie	es
	G.	meiner	deiner	Ihrer	seiner	ihrer	seiner
	D.	mir	dir	Ihnen	ihm	ihr	ihm
	A.	mich	dich	Sie	ihn	sie	es
Pl	N.	wir	ihr	Sie	sie
	G.	unser	euer, eurer	Ihrer	ihrer
	D.	uns	euch	Ihnen	ihnen
	A.	uns	euch	Sie	sie

3. The Relative and Demonstrative Pronoun“who” “this”	SINGULAR			PLURAL Common
	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nominative	der	die	das	die
Genitive	dessen	derer, deren	dessen	derer, deren
Dative	dem	der	dem	denen
Accusative	den	die	das	die

4. The Interrogative Pronoun

5.	Personal		Impersonal
Nominative	wer	who	was	what
Genitive	wessen	whose
Dative	wem	(to) whom
Accusative	wen	whom	was	what

Chapter 7:
Pronominal Adjectives

1. Pronominal adjectives follow two patterns, dies-type words and kein-type words.

2. Dies-type words have adjectival endings on all forms. Know your definite articles, and these types become easily recognizable. Common words that follow this pattern are:

a. dieser (this)

b. jener (that)

c. jeder (every)

d. mancher (many)

e. welcher (which)

f. solcher (such)	SINGULAR			PLURAL Common
	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nominative	dies-er	dies-e	dies-es	dies-e
Genitive	dieses	dieser	dieses	dieser
Dative	diesem	dieser	diesem	diesen
Accusative	diesen	diese	dieses	diese

3. Kein-type words have no adjectival ending in the masculine nominative singular or in the neuter nominative and accusative singular, like the indefinite article of chapter 1. Common kein-type words are:

a. indefinite article ein (a)

b. kein (no)

c. mein (my)

d. dein (thy)

e. sein (his)

f. ihr (her, their)

g. unser (our)

h. euer (your)

i. “no”	SINGULAR			PLURAL Common
	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nominative	kein	keine	kein	keine
Genitive	keines	keiner	keines	keiner
Dative	keinem	keiner	keinem	keinen
Accusative	keinen	keine	kein	keine

Chapter 8:
Adjectives and Adverbs

1. Adjectives and adverbs differ structurally — adjectives have “adjectival endings”, adverbs don’t. Predicate adjectives also lack adjectival endings, and are therefore indistinguishable from adverbs.

a. Adjective in attributive position:

• Der gläubige Mensch betet.
The believing man (i.e. believer) prays.

b. Adjective in predicate position:

• Der betende Mensch ist gläubig.
The praying man is a believer (believing).

c. Adverb modifying the verb:

• Der Mensch betet gläubig.
the man prays believingly.

2. There are two sets of adjectival endings. Weak adjectival endings are attached to the adjectival stem only if the adjective is preceded by some other modifier with a “strong” ending (e.g. the definite article). In other words, the adjective will often be “weak” if it can rely on something else to determine the case.

		Strong	Weak
Masculine	Nominative	wahrer Katholizismus	der wahre Katholizismus
	Genitive	wahren Katholizismusses	des wahren Katholizismusses
	Dative	wahrem Katholizismus	dem wahren Katholizismus
	Accusative	wahren Katholizismus	den wahren Katholizismus
Feminine	Nominative	wahre Frömmigkeit	die wahre Frömmigkeit
	Genitive	wahrer Frömmigkeit	der wahren Frömmigkeit
	Dative	wahrer Frömmigkeit	der wahren Frömmigkeit
	Accusative	wahre Frömmigkeit	die wahre Frömmigkeit
Neuter	Nominative	wahres Christentum	das wahre Christentum
	Genitive	wahren Christentums	des wahren Christentums
	Dative	wahrem Christentum	dem wahren Christentum
	Accusative	wahres Christentum	das wahre Christentum
Plural	Nominative	wahre Religionen	die wahren Religionen
	Genitive	wahrer Religionen	der wahren Religionen
	Dative	wahren Religionen	den wahren Religionen
	Accusative	wahre Religionen	die wahren Religionen

1. Regular comparison of adverbs:

2. positive	comparative	superlative
leicht easily	leichter more easily	am leichtesten most easily
sinnlos senselessly	sinnloser more senselessly	am sinnlosesten most senselessly

3. Regular comparison of adjectives:

4. eine grosse Sünde a great sin

eine grössere Sünde a greater sin

die grösste Sünde the greatest sin

5. Important irregular comparisons that you need to learn:

6. positive		comparative		superlative
gut	good	besser	better	am besten	best
hoch, hoh-	high	höher	higher	am höchsten	highest
nah	near	näher	nearer	am nächsten	nearest
viel	much	mehr	more	am meisten	most
gern	gladly	lieber	rather	am liebsten	best of all

THE VERB

Chapter 9:
The Tenses

1. German has four main indicative verb forms.:

a. Present

• Er führt den man
He leads a man

b. Past

• Er führte den man
He led a man

c. Present Perfect

• er hat den man geführt
he has led the man

d. Past Perfect

• er hatte den man geführt
he had led the man

2. The first two forms will be discussed this chapter, and the perfects in the next chapter.

3. Verbs are usually divided into weak and strong verbs. The weak verbs conform generally to the pattern of führen (to lead). Finden (to find) represents the strong verbs only in the sense that it illustrates the kind of change that takes place in the past tense and the past participle. Haben (to have), sein (to be), and werden (to become) are important irregular verbs that also function as tense auxiliaries.

4. The Present tense may generally be translated by the English ordinary present (I lead, etc.), the progressive present (I am leading, etc.), or the emphatic present (I do lead, etc.).

a. The present tense of the regular verb is formed by dropping the infinitival ending (-en) from the present infinitive and adding the present endings to this stem.

b. To remember the endings for the present regular verb, just remember that according to Eastern Standard Time, it is 10:10 — EST 10 10, or e/st t/en t/en.

c.			Führen to lead	Finden to find	Haben to have	Werden to become	Sein to be
Sg	1	ich	führ-e I lead, etc.	find-e I find, etc.	habe I have, etc.	werde I become, etc.	bin I am, etc.
	2	du	führst	findest	hast	wirst	bist
	3	er	führt	findet	hat	wird	ist
Pl	1	wir	führ-en	finden	haben	werden	sind
	2	ihr	führ-t	findet	habt	werdet	seid
	3	sie	führ-en	finden	haben	werden	sind

d. An unaccented e may be added in the second person (singular and plural) for ease of pronunciation or to add a certain solemnity (the e in “Hirte” is also optional):

• Du, guter Hirte, führest deine Herde neben den stillen Wassern.
Thou, good shepherd, leadest thy flock beside the still waters.

5. The past tense of the weak verb is formed by adding -te to the present stem,· plus personal endings in the second person singular and all three plurals. The past stem of the strong verb must be memorized; it normally involves a vowel change from the present stem; to this past stem are added endings corresponding to the personal endings of the weak verb.
To remember the endings of the past tense weak verb, just imagine that someone with a stutter is telling you that they have a test at 10:10: tetest teten teten. (te/test/te/ten/tet/ten)

a.			Führen to lead	Finden to find	Haben to have	Werden to become	Sein to be
Sg	1	ich	führ-te I led, etc.	fand I found, etc.	hatte I had, etc.	wurde I became, etc.	war I was, etc.
	2	du	führtest	fandest	hattest	wurdest	warst
	3	er	führte	fand	hatte	wurde	war
Pl	1	wir	führ-ten	fanden	hatten	wurden	waren
	2	ihr	führ-tet	fandet	hattet	wurdet	wart
	3	sie	führ-ten	fanden	hatten	wurden	waren

6. The future tense is formed (as in English) by conjugating the tense auxiliary (werden) with the infinitive of the main verb.

a. auxiliary werden + finite			Führen to lead	Finden to find	Haben to have	Werden to become	Sein to be
Sg	1	ich werde....	führen I will lead, etc.	finden I will find, etc.	haben I will have, etc.	werden I will become	sein I will be, etc.
	2	du wirst....
	3	er wird....
Pl	1	wir werden...
	2	ihr werdet...
	3	sie werden...

Chapter 10:
Perfect Tense(s) and Conditionals

1. The perfect tenses are formed (as in English) by conjugating the tense auxiliary (haben or sein) with the past participle of the main verb. The past participle of the weak verb is formed by adding t to the present stem and prefixing ge. The past participle of the strong verb must be memorized; it normally begins with ge and ends with -en.

a. The present perfect tense should be translated by the English present perfect or the ordinary past, depending on the content and context ("I have led" or "I led", etc.).

b. present tense haben + past participle			Führen to lead	Finden to find	Haben to have
Sg	1	ich habe....	geführt I have led, etc.	gefunden I have found, etc.	gehabt I have had, etc.
	2	du hast....
	3	er hat....
Pl	1	wir haben...
	2	ihr habt...
	3	sie haben...
present tense sein + past participle			Sein to be	Werden to become
Sg	1	ich bin....	gewesen I have been, etc.	geworden I have become, etc.
	2	du bist....
	3	er ist....
Pl	1	wir sind...
	2	ihr seid...
	3	sie sind...

c. The past perfect (pluperfect) tense should be translated by the English past perfect (I had led, etc.). It is formed by taking the past tense of haben or werden + the past participle of the verb.

d. past tense haben + past participle			Führen to lead	Finden to find	Haben to have
Sg	1	ich hatte....	geführt I had led, etc.	gefunden I had found, etc.	gehabt I had had, etc.
	2	du hattest....
	3	er hatte....
Pl	1	wir hatten...
	2	ihr hattet...
	3	sie hatten...
past tense werden + past participle			Sein to be	Werden to become
Sg	1	ich war....	gewesen I had been, etc.	geworden I had become, etc.
	2	du warst....
	3	er war....
Pl	1	wir waren...
	2	ihr wart...
	3	sie waren...

e. The future perfect tense is not used too often. It should be translated by the English future perfect (I will have led, etc.). It is formed with an auxiliary werden (the “will” part), the past participle of the verb, and the infinitive form of either haben or sein (the “have” part).

f. auxiliary werden + past participle + infinitive haben or sein			Führen to lead	Finden to find	Haben to have	Sein to be	Werden to become	Infinitive haben or sein
Sg	1	ich werde....	geführt I will have led, etc.	gefunden I will have found, etc.	gehabt I will have had, etc.	gewesen I will have been, etc.	geworden I will have become, etc.	haben	sein
	2	du wirst....
	3	er wird....
Pl	1	wir werden...
	2	ihr werdet...
	3	sie werden...

2. The present conditional is formed by adding the conditional endings to the past stem, and often changing the vowel to an umlaut. The results are very similar to the past forms of the verb, with the exception of the umlaut in many verbs.

a.			Führen to lead	Finden to find	Haben to have	Werden to become	Sein to be
Sg	1	ich	führte	fände	hätte	würde	wäre
	2	du	führtest	fändest	hättest	würdest	warest
	3	er	führte	fände	hätte	würde	wäre
Pl	1	wir	führten	fänden	hätten	würden	wären
	2	ihr	führtet	fändet	hättet	würdet	wäret
	3	sie	führten	fänden	hätten	würden	wären

3. The conditional tenses (akin to the Subjunctive mood in Greek) closely correspond to their English counterparts.

a. Present conditional is formed with just the conditional form.

b. Present Perfect conditional is formed with the auxiliary verb haben or werden in the conditional form + the past participle form of the verb.

c. Future conditional is formed with the auxiliary verb werden in the conditional form + the infinitive form of the verb.

d. Future Perfect conditional is formed with the auxiliarty verb werden in the conditional form + the past participle form of the verb + the infinitive haben or sein.

e.	Present Cond.	Present Perfect Cond.	Future Cond.	Future Perfect Cond.
Führen to lead	führte would lead	hätte geführt would have led	würde führen would lead	würde geführt haben would have led
Finden to find	fände would find	hätte gefunden would have found	würde finden would find	würde gefunden haben would have found
Haben to have	hätte would have	hätte gehabt would have had	würde haben would have	würde gehabt haben would have had
Werden to become	würde would become	hätte geworden would have become	würde werden would become	würde geworden sein would have become
Sein to be	wäre would be, were	hätte gewesen would have been	würde sein would be	würde gewesen sein would have been

4. The conditional is used in indirect statements when the writer does not mean to imply that he agrees with the statement he is reporting.

• Er sagte, ich hätte kein System.
He said I had no system.

• Er sagte, ich hätte kein System gehabt.
He said I had had no system.

• Er sagte, ich würde kein System haben.
He said I would have no system.

• Er sagte, ich würde kein System gehabt haben.
He said I would have had no system.

5. The conditional is also used in hypothetical statements.

• Das wäre möglich.
This would be possible.

• Zu diesem Gott könnte man beten.

• One could pray to this god.

• Wäre der Mensch anders konstituiert, dann würde er auch anders handeln.
Were man constituted differently, he would also act differently.

• Man könnte sagen, dass das eine neue Theorie ist.
One could say that this is a new theory.

Chapter 11:
Active and Passive Voice; the Reflexive Verb

1. The paradigms in the previous chapter represent the active voice— the grammatical subject (ich, du, etc.) is also the logical subject performing the action of the verb. In the passive voice the grammatical subject is logically the object— it receives the action of the verb. Accordingly, intransitive verbs and verbs of being and having cannot be put in the passive voice.

a. The Present passive is formed with the present tense auxiliary werden + the past participle of the main verb.

b. The Past passive is formed with the past tense auxiliary werden + the past participle of the main verb.

c. The Future passive is formed with the present tense auxiliary werden + the past participle of the main verb + the infinitive werden.

d. The Present Perfect passive is formed with the present tense auxiliary sein + the past participle of the main verb + the infinitive werden.

e. The Past Perfect passive is formed with

f. The Future Perfect passive is formed with

Present Passive:	ich werde geführt (gefunden)
Past Passive:	ich wurde geführt (gefunden)
Future Passive:	ich werde geführt (gefunden) werden
Present Perfect Passive:	ich bin geführt (gefunden) worden
Past Perfect Passive:	ich war geführt (gefunden) worden
Future Perfect Passive:	ich werde geführt (gefunden) worden sein

1. The reflexive construction indicates that the grammatical subject is logically both the subject and the (direct or indirect) object of the sentence. As in English, a reflexive pronoun is employed. In the third person (both singular and plural, dative and accusative), the reflexive pronoun is sich. Everywhere else, the reflexive pronoun is identical with the corresponding personal pronoun.

Direct Object	Indirect Object
ich finde mich “I find myself, etc”	ich finde mir “I find myself, etc”
du findest dich	du findest dir
er findet sich	er findet sich
wir finden uns	wir finden uns
ihr findet euch	ihr findet euch
siè finden sich	sie finden sich

Chapter 12:
Subjunctive Forms and the Imperative Mode

1. The subjunctive is generally formed by adding the subjunctive endings (-e, -est, -e, -en, -et, -en) to the present stem of the verb.

a.			Führen to lead	Finden to find	Haben to have	Werden to become	Sein to be
Sg	1	ich	führe	finde	habe	werde	sei
	2	dü	führest	findest	habest	werdest	seiest
	3	er	führe	finde	habe	werde	sei
Pl	1	wir	führen	finden	haben	werden	seien
	2	ihr	führet	findet	habet	werdet	seiet
	3	sie	führen	finden	haben	werden	seien

2. Verbs always correspond to “actions”. Basically, there are three modes in which· the verb may be related to the action. The verb may describe the action, it may request a description of the action, or it may request the action itself. The descriptive level is represented in grammar by the indicative and interrogative modes. The action-itself level is represented by the imperative mode.

3. When action is requested of the first person (plural), the imperative is expressed by putting the verb in the subjunctive and making it the first element in the sentence.

a. Indicative

• Wir lesen.
We read.

• Wir sind geduldig.
We are patient.

b. Imperative

• Lesen wir.
Let us read.

• Seien wir geduldig
Let us be patient.

4. There are three ways of requesting action of the second person:

a. The ordinary imperative singular is generally formed by dropping the -n of the infinitive.

b. Führen to lead	Finden to find	Haben to have	Werden to become	Sein to be
führe!	finde!	habe!	werde!	sei!

c. The ordinary imperative plural uses the same form as the indicative, omitting the pronoun.

5. Führen to lead	Finden to find	Haben to have	Werden to become	Sein to be
führt!	findet!	habt!	werdet!	seid!

a. The polite imperative (singular and plural) uses the subjunctive and makes the verb the first element in the sentence.

Führen to lead	Finden to find	Haben to have	Werden to become	Sein to be
führen Sie!	finden Sie!	haben Sie!	werden Sie!	seien Sie!

1. When action is requested of the third person singular, the imperative is expressed by putting the verb in the subjunctive.

• Gott sei Dank!
Thanks be to God. (Thank God!)

• Der Herr segne euch.
The Lord bless you.

• Geheiligt werde dein Name.
Hallowed (sanctified) be thy name.

• Dein Reich komme.
Thy kingdom come.

• Dein Wille geschehe.
Thy will be done.

• Der Leser denke an Niemoeller.
Let the reader think of Niemoeller.

a. Action is seldom requested of the third person plural; such an imperative may be expressed by putting the verb in the subjunctive and making it the first element in the sentence.

• Denken die Leser an Niemoeller.
Let the readers think of Niemoeller.

2. The subjunctive (like the indicative and the conditional) may be used in indirect statements.

a. Indicative:

• Die Behauptung, dass er ein Christ ist, ist gerechtfertigt.
The assertion that he is a Christian is justified.

b. Conditional:

• Die Behauptung, dass er ein Christ wäre, ist Unsinn.
The assertion that he would be a Christian is nonsense.

c. Subjunctive:

• Die Behauptung, dass er ein Christ sei, ist unerwiesen.
The assertion· that he be a Christia;-is unproven.

3. The use of the indicative tends to suggest that the speaker agrees with the statement he is reporting; the conditional (whose basic use is to describe a contrary-to-fact condition) tends to suggest that the speaker disagrees with the statement he is reporting; the subjunctive tends to suggest that the speaker regards the statement he is reporting as purely hypothetical—it is particularly appropriate, therefore, in describing the breach of an imperative. (The subjunctive's relationship to the imperative is here analogous to the conditional's relationship to the indicative: contrariety to what is described or requested.) These distinctions are not very carefully observed, however, and all three verb forms can therefore generally be translated by an English indicative.

Chapter 13:
The Position of the Verb in the Sentence

1. The verb is the only part of a German sentence that has a definite place. In a main clause, it is the second element. It may be preceded by the subject (with its modifiers), the object (with its modifiers), a prepositional phrase, an adverb, etc. Co-ordinate conjunctions and interjections do not count as elements.

• Der Mensch macht seinen eigenen Himmel.
Man makes his own heaven.

• Seinen eigenen Himmel macht der Mensch.
Man makes his own heaven.

• Ja, in seiner Brust existiert der Himmel.
Yes, Heaven exists in his breast.

• Aber ausserhalb des Weltalls existiert er nicht.
But outside of the universe it does not exist.

2. If the verb consists of more than one part, only the conjugated part takes the second position. The other parts go to the end of the clause.

• Die Lerche hat ihr Lied gesungen.
The lark has sung her song.

a. Some verbs (e.g. aufgehen, niedergehen) have separable prefixes. This means that in a main clause the prefix is separated from the conjugated verb and goes to the end of the clause.

• Die Sonne geht im Osten auf.
The sun rises (goes up) in the East.

• Sie wird im Westen niedergehen.
It will set (go down) in the West.

3. Infinitival constructions end with the infinitive (in English, the infinitive begins the infinitival construction). The infinitival construction Counts as one element.

• Den Anfang machen ist mir leicht.
To make a beginning is easy for me.

4. In a dependent clause, the entire verb comes at the end. The parts of the verb should be translated in reverse order. (Dependent clauses are introduced by subordinate conjunctions or relative pronouns.)

• Er sagte, dass die Zeit gekommen wäre.
He said that the time had come.

• Der Student, der die Theologie noch nicht stüdiert haben wird, wird das nicht leicht finden.
The student who will not have studied theology as yet will not find this easy.

5. There are five types of main clauses in which the verb begins the clause. Some types of imperatives begin with the verb (cf. Section C). These are often punctuated with an exclamation mark.

• Konzentrieren wir uns auf Kant.
Let us concentrate on Kant.

• Denkt an seine erste Kritik!
Think of his first Critique.

a. Questions (interrogatives) begin with the verb, unless they begin with an interrogative pronoun or an interrogative adverb.

• Vergibt er jede Sünde?
Does he forgive every sin?

• Und ist das wirklich wahr?
And is that actually true?

• Wo lesen wir etwas darüber?
Where do we read anything about this?

• Woher wissen wir das?
Whence do we know this?

• Wohin führt uns das?
Where does this lead us?

• Wann wird das Ende kommen?
When will the end come?

• Warum heisst es das Ende?
Why is it called the end?

• Wie stehen die Toten auf?
How do the dead rise?

b. The protasis of a conditional sentence begins with a verb, unless it begins with a conditional adverb (e.g. wenn, falls). The protasis is regarded as the first element in the sentence, and is therefore followed by the conjugated verb of the apodosis. The apodosis is normally introduced by so or dann.

• Wenn er noch lebt, (dann) wird er kommen.
If he is still living, he will come.

• Lebt er noch, so wird er kommen.
If he is still living, he will come.

c. The fourth kind of sentence beginning with the verb is marked by the presence of the adverb doch near the beginning of the sentence. It is best translated by a sentence beginning with the conjunction “for”.

• Hängt doch so viel davon ab.
For so much depends on it.

d. The fifth kind usually begins with mag (from mögen). Its meaning is concessive.

• Mag Gott auch tot sein, die Theologie ist nicht tot.
Even though God may be dead (i.e., Granted that God may be dead), theology is not dead.

6. To Sum up:

a. A one-verb clause will have the verb in second place

b. If the clause begins with a verb:

• It may be a question (questions can have the auxiliary of the main verb in first spot, with the verb being at the end)

• It may be a command

• It may be signaling an “if....then” construction

c. If the verb is at the end, it is a subordinate clause.

d. If an auxiliary (sein, haben, werden) or a modal is in second place, the verb (infinitive or participle) will be at the end of the clause.

e. In a dependent clause, the auxiliary will be last, and the main verb (participle or infinitive) will be second last.

f. When you see three or more verbs, translated the conjugated verb first, the verb sitting at the end second, and the second last verb third. Any more verbs would be translated after the final one.

Chapter 14:
Participles and Infinitives

1. We have already met the past participle as a constitutive part of the perfect tenses (including the present and future perfect conditional) and the passive voice. The past participle is passive in meaning. The past participle can also be used adverbially.

• Er redete sehr überzeugt.
He spoke in a very convinced manner.

a. The past participle can also be used adjectivally, and must then have the proper (weak or strong) adjectival ending.

• das gefundene Schaf
the found sheep

• wohl-geführte Gemeinden
well-led congregations

2. The present participle is formed by adding (e)nd to the present stem. It may be used adverbially or adjectivally. It is active in meaning.

• Er sagte das lächelnd.
He said this smilingly.

• Führende Theologen tün das nicht.
Leading theologians do not do this.

3. The future participle is made up of the particle ~ and the present participle. It is normally used adjectivally. It is passive in meaning.

• das zu findende Schaf
the sheep that is to be found (the to-be-found sheep)

4. Like adjectives, the participles can be used as nouns. They must then be capitalized. but they retain their adjectival endings, and their modifiers remain adverbs, i.e. they do not get adjectival endings.

• das gefundene
the found one (i.e. sheep)

• das Zu-Findende
the one to be found

• die Führenden
the leading ones (i.e. theologians)

• die jetzt Führenden

• the ones leading now

• die anfänglich Führenden
the originally leading ones

• das Seiende
that which is

5. The present infinitive always ends in n (normally in en). We have already met the present infinitive as a constitütive part of all future forms.

6. The perfect infinitive and the passive infinitive are made up of the past participle of the main verb ahd the present infinitive of the aüxiliary.

• gefunden haben.
to have found

• gefünden werden
to be found

7. Infinitives may be used to construct a verbal complex. The infinitive is then called a complementary infinitive. It is usually preceded by zu.

• Er hofft, das Heil zu finden.
He hopes to find salvation.

• Er glaubt, das Heil gefunden zu haben.
He believes that he has found (to have found) salvation.

a. The complementary infinitive may be active, passive, or ambiguous in meaning.

• Der Kaiser sucht zu regieren.
The emperor seeks to rule (govern).

• Das ist heute zu machen.
This is to be made today.

• Da ist viel zu tun.
There is much to do (to be done).

8. The infinitive can be used as a noun. Its modifiers are adjectives.

• Wichtiger als das Finden oder das Gefunden-Haben ist das ehrliche Suchen.
More important than to find or to have found is honestly to seek.

a. Infinitives are often best translated by geründs.

• Wichtiger als das Finden oder das Gefunden-Haben ist das ehrliche Suchen.
More important than finding or having found is the honest seeking.

Chapter 15:
The Modal Auxiliaries

1. The modal auxiliaries express the mood of the main verb; hence they require another verb to complete the verbal notion. The completing (main) verb is a complementary infinitive (without zu).
(Remember that ss can often be ß)

Infinitive	Imperative		Present	Past	Conditional	Past Participle
müssen	ich	müsse	muß	musste	müsste	gemusst
	dü		mußt	musstest	müsstest
	er		muß	musste	müsste
	wir		müßen	mussten	müssten
	ihr		müßt	musstet	müsstet
	sie		müßen	mussten	müssten
dürfen	ich	dürfe	darf	durfte	dürfte	gedurft
	dü		darfst	durftest	dürftest
	er		darf	durfte	dürfte
	wir		dürfen	durften	dürften
	ihr		dürft	durftet	dürftet
	sie		dürfen	durften	dürften
sollen	ich	solle	soll	sollte	sollte	gesollt
	dü		sollst	solltest	solltest
	er		soll	sollte	sollte
	wir		sollen	sollten	sollten
	ihr		sollt	solltet	solltet
	sie		sollen	sollten	sollten
wollen	ich	wolle	will	wollte	wollte	gewollt
	dü		willst	wolltest	wolltest
	er		will	wollte	wollte
	wir		wollen	wollten	wollten
	ihr		wollt	wolltet	wolltet
	sie		wollen	wollten	wollten
können	ich	könne	kann	konnt	könnte	gekonnt
	dü		kannst	konntest	könntest
	er		kan	konnte	könnte
	wir		können	konnten	könnten
	ihr		könnt	konntet	könntet
	sie		können	konnten	könnten
mögen	ich	möge	mag	mochte	möchte	gemocht
	dü		magst	mochtest	möchtest
	er		mag	mochte	möchte
	wir		mögen	mochten	möchten
	ihr		mögt	mochtet	möchtet
	sie		mögen	mochten	möchten
vermögen	ich	vermöge	vermag	vermochte	vermöchte	vermocht
	dü		vermagst	vermochtest	vermöchtest
	er		vermag	vermochte	vermöchte
	wir		vermögen	vermochten	vermöchten
	ihr		vermögt	vermochtet	vermöchtet
	sie		vermögen	vermochten	vermöchten

1. Each of these modal auxiliaries expresses a basic mood. This mood is usually expressed in various ways in English.

a. müssen basically denotes compulsion.

• Ich muss dieses Buch lesen.
I must read this book.

• Ich musste dieses Buch lesen.
I had to read this book.

• Ich muss dieses Buch nicht lesen.
I do not have to read this book.

• Ich muss sagen....
I am compelled to say....

• Ich müsste sagen....
I should be compelled to say....

b. dürfen basically denotes permission.

• Ich darf dieses Buch lesen.
I am allowed to read this book. (I may read this book.)

• Ich darf dieses Buch nicht lesen.
I am not allowed to read this book. (I must not read this book.)

• Ich darf wohl sagen....
Perhaps I may (be allowed to) say.....

• Ich dürfte wohl sagen....
Perhaps I might (be allowed to) say....

c. sollen basically denotes “oughtness”, the “categorical imperative.”

• Dü sollst nicht ehebrechen!
Thou shalt not commit adultery.

• Ich soll Theologie studieren.
I am to study theology.

• Ich sollte auch Deutsch lernen.
I should also learn German.

d. wollen basically denotes will, intention (sometimes pretension).

• Ich will das Buch lesen.
I will read the book. (I want to read the book.)

• Ich soll Theologie stüdieren, will es aber nicht.
I am (supposed) to study theology, but I do not intend to.

• Er will ein neues System erfunden haben.
He claims to have invented a new System.

e. können denotes ability, know-how.

• Ich kann dieses Buch lesen.
I know how to read this book.

• Ich kann sagen....
I can say....

• Ich kann das auf Deutsch sagen.
I am able to say this in German.

• Ich kann Deutsch.
I (am able to) speak German.

f. mögen denotes liking; but mag (3rd pers. sing.) often simply means “may”.

• Er mag das Buch gelesen haben.
He may have read the book.

• Ich mag es nicht.
I do not like it (i.e. the book).

• Mag er kommen wann er will.
Let him come when he wants to.

• Ich möchte Theologie studieren.
I should like to study theology.

g. vermögen denotes ability, capacity.

• Er vermag das nicht.
He lacks the capacity to do so.

• Aber ohne die Theologie vermögen wir uns nicht zu orientieren.
But without theology we are unable to orient ourselves.

2. When the modal auxiliaries (and a few other verbs) are used in a perfect tense, a double infinitive construction results if the dependent infinitive is expressed. The modal infinitive functions as a past participle and is translated accordingly.

• Er hat lange studieren müssen.
He has had to study a long time.

a. The double infinitive (with its modifiers) must be the last element in its clause.

• Obgleich er hat lange stüdieren müssen....
Although he had to study a long time....

Chapter 16:
Extended Adjective Construction

Nouns are normally modified by adjectives. Sometimes, however, more than one word is required to express a single modification; the resulting construction is called an extended adjective construction.

In its simplest form, the extended adjective construction consists of an adjective with its modifier, an adverb. Such a construction is normally translated by the corresponding English construction (adjective plus adverb). But note that the same meaning can be expressed by a dependent clause introduced by the appropriate forms of the relative pronoun and of the verb “to be.”

• ein ganz revolutionärer Akt
a quite revolutionary act (or an act that is quite revolutionary).

Sometimes the extended adjective construction is more complex. It is then regularly translated by a dependent clause introduced by the appropriate relative pronoun. The verb is either the appropriate form of “to be,” or, if the extended adjective construction ends in an adjective with a definite verbal meaning (usually a participle), the verb that best expresses that meaning.

• ein von diesem Gesichtspunkt aus ganz revolutionärer Akt
an act that is quite revolutionary from this point of view

• eine den “Glaüben von Nicäa” bekennende Kirche
a church that confesses the “faith of Nicaea”.

When an extended adjective construction is translated by a dependent clause, the tense of the verb of that clause is determined by the tense of the verb of the main clause and the “tense value” of the participle, if there is one. Participles also retain their “voice value”: the present participle is normally active, the past and future participle passive in meaning.

• Die den Kultus nach Gottes Wort reformierenden Kirchen nannten sich evangelisch.
The churches that were reforming (their) worship according to God's word called themselves evangelical.

• Die nach Gottes Wort reformierten Kirchen vereinigten sich zu Synoden.
The churches that had been reformed according to God's word united (themselves) into synods.

• Der nach Gottes Wort zu reformierende Kultus sollte einfacher werden.
Worship, which was to be reformed according to God's word, was to become more simple.

Chapter 17:
Summary of German Verb Tenses

German has a range of tenses, more even than what is provided here. You need not memorize these, as learning your basic indicative tenses, auxiliaries, and modals will aid you in proper translation.

Tense	German Construction sagen= to say	Translation
Present	er sagt	he says
Past	er sagte	he said
Present Perfect	er hat gesagt	he said has said
Past Perfect	er hatte gesagt	he had said
Future	er wird sagen	he will say
Present (With A Modal)	er will sagen	he wants to say
Past (With A Modal)	er wollte sagen	he wanted to say
Present Perfect (+ A Modal)	er hat sagen wollen	he (has) wanted to say
Past Perfect (+ A Modal)	er hatte sagen wollen	he had wanted to say
Future (+ A Modal)	er wird sagen wollen	he will want to say
Present Passive	es wird gesagt	it is said
Past Passive	es wurde gesagt	it was said
Present Perfect Passive	es ist gesagt worden	it has been said
Past Perfect Passive	es war gesagt worden	it had been said
Future Passive	es wird gesagt werden	it will be said
Present Passive (+ Modal)	es will gesagt werden	it wants to be said
Past Passive (+ Modal)	es wollte gesagt werden	it wanted to be said
Present Perfect Passive (+ Modal)	es hat gesagt werden wollen	it has wanted to be said
Past Perfect Passive (+ Modal)	es hatte gesagt werden wollen	it had wanted to be said
Present And Past Subj. I	er sage	he may say he says he said
Present And Past Subj. Ii	er sagte	he would say he had said if he were to say

Tense	German Construction singen= to sing	Translation
Present	er singt	he sings
Past	er sang	he sang
Present Perfect	er hat gesungen	he has sung
Past Perfect	er hatte gesungen	he had sung
Future	er wird singen	he will sing
Present (With A Modal)	er kann singen	he can sing
Past (With A Modal)	er konnte singen	he could sing
Present Perfect (+ A Modal)	er hat singen konnen	he could sing he has been able to sing
Past Perfect (+ A Modal)	er hatte singen konnen	he had been able to sing
Future (+ A Modal)	er wird singen konnen	he will be able to sing
Present Passive	es wird gesungen	it is sung
Past Passive	es wurde gesungen	it was sung
Present Perfect Passive	es ist gesungen worden	it has been sung
Past Perfect Passive	es war gesungen worden	it had been sung
Future Passive	es wird gesungen werden	it will be sung
Present Passive (+ Modal)	es kann gesungen werden	it can be sung
Past Passive (+ Modal)	es konnte gesungen werden	it could be sung
Present Perfect Passive (+ Modal)	es hat gesungen werden konnen	it is able to have been sung
Past Perfect Passive (+ Modal)	es hatte gesungen werden konnen	it was able to have been sung
Present And Past Subj. I	er singe	(translates as indicative) he may sing he sings he sang
Present And Past Subj. II	er sänge	(translates as indicative) he sang he would sing if he were to sing