Lessons for English speakers

Learn to read German

A short, active path into reading German: decode nine real words from a ten-rule sound table, learn where the verb goes and why der becomes den, then read a fable whose pronunciation and English begin hidden.

13 core sections · ≈ 33 min + 4 optional lookups · ≈ 53 min with everything

How sentences work

3 sections

First sentences: people, “is”, and saying no

≈ 4 min

What you'll learn

Six short words stand in for a name, and German nearly always writes them out.
siezee means both “she” and “they”; the doing word beside it decides.
Four forms of “to be” cover almost everything.
nichtnicht“not” sits late in the sentence; keinkine“not a” stands where “a” would.

A standing-in word takes the place of a name: “she sees the dog”. German nearly always writes them out — if a printed statement is about somebody, the word for that somebody is on the line. The common exception is a direct order, which drops the doer exactly as English does.

The six standing-in words a fable runs on

English	German
I	ichich“I”
you — one person you know	dudoo“you”
he	erair“he”
she	siezee“she”
it	esess“it”
they	siezee“they”

siezee appears twice: the doing word decides — sie istzee ist“she is” is one person, sie sindzee zint“they are” several. Capital Siezee mid-sentence is the polite “you”. The words for “we” and “you all” are in the verb lookup.

The four forms of “to be” worth knowing

English	German
I am	ich binich bin“I am”
you are	du bistdoo bist“you are”
he / she / it is	er istair ist“he is”
we / they are	wir sindveer zint“we are”

One word, two jobs: istist says what something is and also where it is.

My, your, his

English	German
my	meinmine“my”
your	deindine“your”
his / its	seinzine“his”

In front of some nouns they grow an -e — meine KatzeMY-nuh KAT-suh“my cat”. Bookkeeping; the word underneath is the same word.

Three greetings that open and close a scene

Guten MorgenGOO-ten MOR-gen“good morning” — until mid-morning

Guten AbendGOO-ten AH-bent“good evening” — from early evening

Auf Wiedersehenowf VEE-duh-zay-en“goodbye” — the full, polite goodbye

German greets by the clock. The rest of the clock, and the casual hello and bye, are in the word lists.

Introducing yourself: two questions, two answers

English	German
What is your name?	Wie heißt du?vee hyst doo“what are you called?”
My name is Mina.	Ich heiße Mina.ich HY-suh MEE-na“I am called Mina.”
Where are you from?	Woher kommst du?vo-HAIR komst doo“from where come you?”
I am from Berlin.	Ich komme aus Berlin.ich KOM-uh owss bair-LEEN“I come from Berlin.”

Word for word, German asks how you are called and where you come from. Swap the name and the town; nothing else moves.

Read the sentence before revealing it

Ich bin Mina.
I · am · a name.
Show answer +Hide answer −
Ich bin Mina.ich bin MEE-na“I am Mina.”
Das ist nicht mein Haus.
No “a” in it, so the denying word is the late one.
Show answer +Hide answer −
Das ist nicht mein Haus.dass ist nicht mine howss“That is not my house.”
der Fuchs
From two steps ago.
Show answer +Hide answer −
der Fuchsdair fooks“the fox”