| was |
| 1. pron. (interrogative) what | |
| Was machst du heute? - What are you doing today? | |
| 2. pron. (relative) which ((referring to the entire preceding clause)) | |
| Sie tanzte gut, was er bewunderte. - She was a good dancer, which he admired. | |
| 3. pron. (relative) that, which ((referring to das, alles, etwas, nichts, and neuter substantival adjectives)) | |
| Das ist alles, was ich weiß. - That's all that I know. | |
| Das ist das Beste, was mir passieren konnte. - That's the best that could have happened to me. | |
| 4. pron. (relative, colloquial) that, which ((referring to neuter singular nouns, instead of standard das)) | |
| Siehst du das weiße Haus, was renoviert wird? - Do you see that white house, which is being renovated? | |
| 5. pron. (indefinite, colloquial) something, anything ((instead of standard etwas)) | |
| Ich hab was gefunden. - I've found something. | |
| 6. pron. (interrogative, dated) why (with emphasis, astonishment or disapproval) | |
| Was birgst du so bang dein Gesicht? - Why on earth are you hiding your face so fearfully? | |
| 7. adv. (colloquial) a little, somewhat | |
| Ich komm was später. - I'll arrive a little later. | |
| 8. adv. (interrogative, colloquial) why, what for | |
| Was bist du heute so stumm? - Why are you so silent today? | |
| ist |
| 1. v. third-person singular present of sein | |
| sein |
| 1. v. (copulative, with a predicate adjective or predicate nominative) to be | |
| Das ist schön. - That is beautiful. | |
| Das ist ein Auto. - That is a car. | |
| 2. v. (with a dative object and certain adjectives) to feel, (to experience a condition) | |
| Usage: In this sense sein is always conjugated in the third person singular and takes a Dative noun. The impersonal subject es may be present, but is often taken as implied. For example: "Mir i | |
| Ist dir kalt? - Are you cold? | |
| Mir ist schlecht. - I'm sick. | |
| Dem Mann ist schwindelig. - The man feels dizzy. | |
| Den Kindern ist langweilig. - The children are bored. | |
| 3. v. (with a dative object and nach or danach, sometimes with zumute) to feel like, to be in the mood for | |
| Usage: As in the previous sense sein takes a Dative noun and is always conjugated according to the impersonal subject es, although it is usually omitted. | |
| Uns ist nach einem Film zumute. - We feel like watching a movie. | |
| Mir ist nicht danach. - I don't feel like it. | |
| 4. v. (auxiliary) forms the present perfect and past perfect tenses of certain intransitive verbs | |
| Er ist alt geworden. - He has become old. | |
| 5. v. to exist; there to be; to be alive | |
| Was nicht ist, kann noch werden. (a common proverb) - That which does not exist now, may come into existence. | |
| Wenn ich nicht mehr bin, erbst du das Haus. - When I am no more, you'll inherit the house. | |
| 6. v. to have the next turn (in a game, in a queue, etc.) | |
| Du bist. - It’s your turn. | |
| Du bist nach mir. - Your turn is after mine. | |
| 7. v. to be "it"; to be the tagger in a game of tag | |
| Du bist! - You're it! | |
| Ich bin nicht mehr. - I'm not it anymore. | |
| 8. det. his | |
| Daniel schickt seiner Schwester eine SMS. - Daniel is sending a text to his sister. | |
| Der Kater spielt oft mit seinen Spielsachen. - The cat often plays with his toys. | |
| 9. det. its (agreeing with a masculine or neuter noun) | |
| der Mond und sein Licht - the moon and its light | |
| das Schaf und seine Lämmer - the sheep and its lambs | |
| 10. det. (informal) Used to express an approximate number, often with so. | |
| Der kostet so seine zweihundert Euro. - That one costs around two hundred euros. | |
| 11. det. one's | |
| Man muss seinem Herzen folgen. - One must follow one’s heart. | |
| denn |
| 1. conj. for; because; since | |
| Ich möchte diese Hose kaufen, denn sie gefällt mir sehr. - I'd like to buy these pants since I like them a lot. | |
| 2. conj. (after a comparative, archaic, or dialectal) than | |
| 3. adv. (in a question, modal particle) then, ever, but, now (used for emphasis or to express interest, surprise or doubt, or in rhetorical questions) | |
| Wo ist er denn? - Where is he, then?/Where ever can he be? | |
| Wieso denn? - How so, then? | |
| Was denn? - But what? | |
| 4. adv. (rather rare) thus, so; (expresses a consequence; see usage notes) | |
| 5. adv. (colloquial regional northern Germany) then, after that, in that case | |
| Hier |
| 1. n. (abstract) here, this place. | |
| Im Hier und Jetzt leben. - To live in the here and now. | |
| 2. adv. (location) here; in this place; refers to an environment one is currently in, or to something within reach | |
| Ich bin hier in diesem Dorf geboren. - I was born here in this village. | |
| Setzen wir uns hier aufs Sofa. - Let’s sit down here on the sofa. | |
| 3. adv. (location) there; right there; in that place; refers to something that is considered nearby, or can be seen and pointed at | |
| Die Kirche ist gleich hier am Ende der Straße. - The church is right there at the end of the street. | |
| Siehst du die Wolke hier neben der Bergspitze? - Can you see that cloud there next to the mountain top? | |
| 4. adv. (abstract) here (within this context) | |
| Die Frist wurde hier überhaupt nicht erwähnt. - The deadline was not mentioned here at all. | |
| 5. adv. used with the definite article or the determiner dieser, , this, that to express proximity (“this”) | |
| Die Kneipe hier ist sehr beliebt. - This pub is very popular. | |
| Hierder Stuhl ist kaputt. - This chair is broken. | |
| Dieser Schrank hier ist 200 Jahre alt. - This cupboard is 200 years old. | |
| 6. interj. (colloquial) Used for emphasis or to call for attention, often when changing the subject | |
| Hier, der Markus ist doch jetzt auch verheiratet, ne? - Hey, wait, Markus is married now, too, isn't he? | |
| passiert |
| 1. Participle. past participle of passieren | |
| 2. adj. sieved | |
| passierte Tomaten in der Tube - sieved tomatoes in the tube | |
| 3. v. third-person singular present of passieren | |
| 4. v. second-person plural present of passieren | |
| 5. v. plural imperative of passieren | |
| passieren |
| 1. v. to happen | |
| Wie konnte das nur passieren? - How could that have happened? | |
| 2. v. to move beyond; pass | |
| Die Gruppe hat soeben die Grenze passiert. - The group has just passed the border. | |
| 3. v. to pass through a sieve, to strain (+aux, haben) | |
| Als nächstes muss die Brühe durch das Sieb passiert werden. - Next, the broth needs to be passed through the sieve. | |
| Hier |
| 1. n. (abstract) here, this place. | |
| Im Hier und Jetzt leben. - To live in the here and now. | |
| 2. adv. (location) here; in this place; refers to an environment one is currently in, or to something within reach | |
| Ich bin hier in diesem Dorf geboren. - I was born here in this village. | |
| Setzen wir uns hier aufs Sofa. - Let’s sit down here on the sofa. | |
| 3. adv. (location) there; right there; in that place; refers to something that is considered nearby, or can be seen and pointed at | |
| Die Kirche ist gleich hier am Ende der Straße. - The church is right there at the end of the street. | |
| Siehst du die Wolke hier neben der Bergspitze? - Can you see that cloud there next to the mountain top? | |
| 4. adv. (abstract) here (within this context) | |
| Die Frist wurde hier überhaupt nicht erwähnt. - The deadline was not mentioned here at all. | |
| 5. adv. used with the definite article or the determiner dieser, , this, that to express proximity (“this”) | |
| Die Kneipe hier ist sehr beliebt. - This pub is very popular. | |
| Hierder Stuhl ist kaputt. - This chair is broken. | |
| Dieser Schrank hier ist 200 Jahre alt. - This cupboard is 200 years old. | |
| 6. interj. (colloquial) Used for emphasis or to call for attention, often when changing the subject | |
| Hier, der Markus ist doch jetzt auch verheiratet, ne? - Hey, wait, Markus is married now, too, isn't he? | |
| sieht |
| 1. v. third-person singular present of sehen | |
| sehen |
| 1. v. to see; to have sight | |
| Er sieht nicht gut. - He doesn’t see well. | |
| 2. v. to see (something); to perceive by vision | |
| 3. v. to realize; to notice; to see; to find out | |
| 4. v. to meet (somebody); to meet up; to see; (butnot in the sense of “pay a visit to”, nor as a euphemism for having a romantic or sexual relation) | |
| Siehst du den Markus noch? - Do you still see Markus? (Do you meet him regularly? Are you still friends with him?) | |
| 5. v. to look at; to watch; (the construction with nach often implies a turning of the head; other prepositions can be used depending on the context) | |
| auf/nach etwas sehen - to look at something | |
| 6. v. to check on; to look after; to see to (+preo, nach) | |
| Hast du in letzter Zeit nach dem Baby gesehen? - Have you seen to the baby recently? | |
| 7. v. to decide spontaneously and/or by personal preference; to wait and see | |
| Das werden wir dann sehen. - We’ll see then. / We’ll play it by ear. | |
| Soll ich Nudeln oder Pizza nehmen? — Das musst du selber sehen. - Should I take pasta or pizza? — You’ll have to decide for yourself. | |
| Es |
| 1. n. (music) E-flat | |
| 2. n. (psychoanalysis) id | |
| 3. pron. Nominative and accusative neuter third-person singular personal pronoun | |
| Wo ist das Buch? Es liegt auf dem Tisch. - Where's the book? It’s on the table. | |
| Wo ist das Kind? Ich habe es. - Where is the child? I have it. | |
| Welche Farbe hat das Pferd? Es ist weiß. - What color is the horse? It is white. | |
| Ich bemerkte ein merkwürdiges bärtiges Individuum und beschloss, es im Auge zu behalten. - I remarked a strange bearded individual and decided to keep an eye on him. | |
| Das Mädchen wusste nicht, dass es beobachtet wurde. - The girl didn’t know that she was being observed. | |
| Jedes Vorstandsmitglied kann das Wort ergreifen, wenn es dies wünscht. - Any board member may take the floor if they so wish. | |
| 4. pron. (Impersonal pronoun used to refer to statements, activities, the environment etc., or as a placeholder/dummy pronoun) — it | |
| Das kann es nicht geben. - This is nothing that could possibly exist. | |
| Sie begann zu laufen, und ich tat es auch. - She began to run, and I did it also. | |
| Es war einmal eine schöne Prinzessin. - There was once a beautiful princess. | |
| Es ist gut zu leben! - It's good to be alive! | |
| Es regnet. - It’s raining. | |
| Es ist sicher, dass morgen die Sonne scheinen wird. - It's certain that the sun will shine tomorrow. | |
| Wie geht es dir? - How are you doing? | |
| Ich bin es, Michael. - It's me, Michael. | |
| Es spielt das Fernsehorchester. - The television orchestra is playing. | |
| Sie wird es noch weit bringen. - She is going to go far. | |
| 5. art. (regional, colloquial) alt form-lite, das | |
| Soll ich es Fenster zumachen? - Should I close the window? | |
| Ja |
| 1. n. a yes | |
| 2. adv. yes; yea, yeah, aye | |
| Willst du das? Ja. - Do you want that? Yes. | |
| Aber ja! - Yes, of course! | |
| 3. adv. (intensifier) obviously; certainly; of course; really; just; as you know; as is generally known (indicates and emphasises that one is expressing a known fact) | |
| Es kann ja nicht immer so bleiben. - It obviously cannot always remain so. | |
| Der Peter war ja gestern krank. - Peter was sick yesterday, as you know. | |
| 4. interj. yes | |
| Aus |
| 1. n. (sports) an out; the end of play for an individual or a team | |
| 2. n. (sports) the out of bounds area | |
| 3. n. end | |
| 4. adv. out | |
| 5. adv. (with sein) over; finished; done; up | |
| Das Spiel ist aus! - The game is up! | |
| 6. adj. (of a device) off | |
| 7. prep. out of; from (from the inside of something) | |
| Hol das Besteck aus der Schublade! - Get the cutlery from the drawer! | |
| 8. prep. from (a place; see usage notes below) | |
| Er kommt aus dem selben Dorf wie ich. - He’s from the same village as I am. | |
| 9. prep. of; made of; out of | |
| ein Haus aus Eis - a house made of ice | |
| 10. prep. for; out of (because of a feeling or inner quality) | |
| etwas aus Freundschaft tun - to do something out of friendship (i.e. a sense of friendship) | |
| etwas aus Feigheit unterlassen - to neglect something out of cowardice | |
| wie |
| 1. adv. how | |
| Wie groß bist du? - How tall are you? | |
| Ich weiß nicht, wie die Katze hereingekommen ist. - I don't know how the cat got in. | |
| Wie wunderbar! - How wonderful! | |
| 2. conj. like | |
| Freunde sind wie Sterne in der Nacht. - Friends are like stars in the night. | |
| 3. conj. as | |
| Wie ihr wisst, bin ich in Dortmund aufgewachsen. - As you know, I grew up in Dortmund. | |
| Ich bin so schnell wie du. - I’m as fast as you are. | |
| 4. conj. (colloquial nonstandard) than | |
| Der Junge ist größer wie sein Vater. - The boy is taller than his father. | |
| 5. conj. (chiefly colloquial) when referring to the past | |
| Ich hab ihn gesehen, wie ich in Köln war. - I saw him when I was in Cologne. | |
| Wie ich zur Tür herauskomme, steht da mein alter Schulfreund. - When I came out the door, my old school-day friend was standing in front of me. | |
| bei |
| 1. prep. (locative) by; near | |
| die Bank bei der Kirche - the bench/bank by the church | |
| die Bäckerei beim Bahnhof - the bakery near the train station | |
| 2. prep. (with a person, family, shop) at | |
| Ich schlafe bei Peter. - I’m sleeping at Peter’s place. | |
| Ich bin beim Metzger. - I'm at the butcher’s. | |
| 3. prep. (with an organization or company) for; at; in | |
| bei der Firma arbeiten - to work for the firm | |
| das Arbeitsklima bei Schmidt & Co. - the working atmosphere at Schmidt & Co. | |
| 4. prep. (formal, reflexive) with; on | |
| Er hat es nicht bei sich. - He doesn’t have it on him. | |
| → for which usually: Er hat es nicht dabei. | |
| 5. prep. (with an event considered certain) upon, at the time of | |
| bei Abfahrt des Zuges - upon departure of the train | |
| 6. prep. (with an event considered theoretical) in case of, in the event of | |
| bei Hochwasser - in case of flooding | |
| 7. prep. (with a continuing activity or condition) during; while; during the existence of | |
| bei der Arbeit - during work | |
| beim Lesen des Textes - while reading the text | |
| bei Schnee - when there is snow | |
| 8. prep. (with an item that implies an activity) over; during | |
| bei einem Glas Wein - over a glass of wine (that is, while drinking it) | |
| bei einem Film - during a film (that is, while watching it) | |
| 9. prep. (dated, in a postal address) care of; via | |
| Frau Tina Müller bei Firma Schmidt & Co. - Mrs Tina Müller, care of Schmidt & Co. | |
| 10. prep. (now dialectal, nonstandard, northern and central Germany, withaccusative) with, to, towards | |
| Leg dat bei die andern Sachen! - Put that with the other things! | |
| Komm ma bei mich! - Come to me! | |
| Hempels |
|
| unterm |
| 1. contraction. contraction of unter dem | |
| Sofa |
| 1. n. sofa, couch (upholstered seat with a raised back and one or two raised ends, that accommodates at least two people) | |
