TASC German cheat sheet

German stress falls on the first syllable of native roots (ÁRbeit, LÉben); inseparable prefixes (be-, ge-, er-, ver-, ent-, zer-, emp-) are unstressed, so the stem carries the accent.

Final devoicing: b, d, g, s, v are pronounced voiceless at word or syllable end - Tag sounds like Tak, und like unt, lieb like liep. This changes what a word sounds like versus how it is spelled.

Umlauted vowels are distinct phonemes: short ä/ö/ü resemble e/oe/ue; long ä = [ɛː], long ö = [øː], long ü = [yː]. Confusing ü with u changes meaning (Mutter vs. Mütter).

The ich-Laut [ç] follows front vowels and consonants (ich, Milch, Mädchen); the ach-Laut [x] follows back vowels (Buch, Nacht, hoch). Both are written ch.

Numbers and times are inverted: 21 = einundzwanzig (one-and-twenty); 7:30 = halb acht (half to eight); 7:15 = Viertel nach sieben; 7:45 = Viertel vor acht.

Separable prefixes are stressed and detach in main clauses: ÁNrufen → Ich rufe dich an; ÁNgefangen in the perfect participle. Listen for the stressed prefix and the verb-final particle.

Negation cues: nicht negates the whole clause or a specific element; kein/keine negates nouns with indefinite or no article. Position of nicht usually precedes the focused element.

Modal particles (doch, mal, ja, halt, eben) carry tone, not literal meaning: Komm doch mal her = friendly invitation; Das ist ja toll can be genuine or ironic by intonation.

German main clauses are verb-second: the finite verb occupies position 2, so if an adverb or object leads, the subject moves after the verb (Heute fahre ich nach Berlin).

Subordinate clauses introduced by dass, weil, wenn, obwohl, der/die/das (relative) send the finite verb to the end: Ich weiß, dass er morgen kommt.

Noun gender is signaled by articles and endings: -ung, -heit, -keit, -schaft, -tion are feminine; -er (agent), -ling, -ismus are masculine; -chen, -lein, -ment, -um are neuter.

Compound nouns take the gender of the final element: das Krankenhaus (das Haus), der Haustürschlüssel (der Schlüssel). Split long compounds right-to-left to find the head.

Case is marked on articles/adjectives: nominative der/die/das, accusative den/die/das, dative dem/der/dem, genitive des/der/des. Track the article to identify the grammatical role.

Passive voice: werden + past participle (Das Haus wird gebaut); agent takes von (person) or durch (means). Leser should distinguish passive from future (werden + infinitive).

Konjunktiv II signals hypotheticals or politeness: würde + infinitive, hätte, wäre, könnte. Reading cue: wenn-clause plus würde/hätte often marks an unreal condition.

Connectors change logic: deshalb/deswegen = therefore (consequence), trotzdem = nevertheless (contrast), außerdem = moreover (addition), sonst = otherwise (condition).

Definite articles by case: nom. der/die/das/die, acc. den/die/das/die, dat. dem/der/dem/den (+n on plural noun), gen. des/der/des/der.

Adjective endings after definite article: -e in nominative singular all genders and in feminine/neuter accusative; -en in all other positions (den alten Mann, dem alten Mann).

Two-way prepositions (in, an, auf, über, unter, vor, hinter, neben, zwischen) take accusative for motion/direction and dative for location: ins Kino (direction) vs. im Kino (location).

Perfect tense: haben with most verbs; sein with intransitive motion/change-of-state verbs (gehen, fahren, kommen, werden, bleiben, sterben) and with sein/werden.

Past participle: regular ge- + stem + -t (gemacht); strong verbs ge- + stem change + -en (gesprochen, geschrieben). Verbs with inseparable prefixes drop ge- (besucht, verstanden).

Modal verbs in main clauses: modal in position 2, infinitive at the end (Ich muss heute arbeiten). In subordinate clauses both stack at the end (…, weil ich arbeiten muss).

Prepositions fix case: mit, nach, bei, seit, von, zu, aus take dative; durch, für, gegen, ohne, um, bis take accusative; wegen, trotz, während, statt take genitive.

Word formation: un- negates (unmöglich), -los means without (arbeitslos), -bar/-lich mean -able (machbar), ge-…-heit/-keit forms nouns from adjectives (Freiheit, Möglichkeit).

Formal letter conventions: Sehr geehrte Damen und Herren, (unknown) or Sehr geehrte Frau Müller, / Sehr geehrter Herr Schmidt,; close with Mit freundlichen Grüßen and no comma after the greeting line's salutation.

Informal letter: Liebe Anna, / Lieber Tom, and close with Liebe Grüße, Viele Grüße, or Bis bald. Du-forms throughout; formal letters use Sie-forms consistently.

German nouns are always capitalized, including nominalized verbs and adjectives (das Lesen, das Gute, etwas Neues). All other words lowercase except sentence starts and proper names.

Comma rules: precede subordinate clauses (dass, weil, wenn, obwohl), relative clauses, and infinitive clauses with zu when expanded (Ich hoffe, dich bald zu sehen).

ss vs. ß: after long vowels and diphthongs write ß (Straße, heißen, Fuß); after short vowels write ss (müssen, Fluss, wissen). Switzerland uses ss throughout.

Text structure for short essays: Einleitung (thesis), Hauptteil (2-3 supporting points with examples), Schluss (conclusion/opinion). Use connectors: zunächst, außerdem, dennoch, zusammenfassend.

Time and date format: TT.MM.JJJJ (31.12.2024); dates in letters: Berlin, den 5. März 2024. Times use 24-hour clock in formal writing (14:30 Uhr).

Register markers: formal writing avoids contractions, colloquial particles (mal, halt, eben), and abbreviations; prefers Konjunktiv II for polite requests (Ich würde Sie bitten …).

Siezen vs. duzen: Sie with strangers, officials, and most adults at work; du with family, close friends, students, and children. Offering du requires the older/higher-status person to propose it.

Punctuality is a strong norm: arriving 5-10 minutes early is expected for appointments; 15+ minutes late requires an apology and message. Academic lateness (akademisches Viertel) applies mainly to university lectures.

German directness in requests is not rudeness: Könnten Sie bitte … ? plus bitte softens; plain imperatives among strangers read as brusque. Small talk favors weather, travel, and hobbies over salary or religion.

DACH region: D = Deutschland, A = Österreich, CH = Schweiz. Each has standard varieties; Austrian German uses Jänner (January), Erdapfel (potato), Sackerl (bag); Swiss German uses Velo (bicycle), Natel (mobile phone).

Greeting and farewell by region and formality: Guten Tag / Guten Morgen / Guten Abend; casual Hallo, Servus (southern Germany/Austria), Grüezi (Switzerland); farewell Auf Wiedersehen, Tschüss, Servus, Grüezi.

Meal culture: das Frühstück (bread, cold cuts, cheese, coffee), das Mittagessen is traditionally the warm main meal, Abendbrot (cold evening meal). Kaffee und Kuchen around 15-16 Uhr is a social ritual.

Feierabend marks the end of the workday; shops close Sundays and often Saturday afternoons, and many regions observe quiet hours (Ruhezeit) on Sundays and after 22:00.

Du/Sie and titles in correspondence: include academic titles (Frau Dr. Weber), use Nachname with Sie; in Austria, professional titles (Hofrat, Magister) are used more frequently in address than in Germany.