Grammar and Structure
Grammar and Structure tests control of basic German forms and sentence building: articles and cases, verb conjugation, tenses, word order, prepositions, negation and questions. Accuracy matters because a wrong ending or verb position can change the meaning or make the sentence unintelligible.
Core rules
- Learn every noun with its article and plural: der Termin / die Termine, das Ergebnis / die Ergebnisse, die Wohnung / die Wohnungen. Gender controls the article and adjective ending.
- Typical patterns are nominative for subjects, accusative with many direct objects and dative with many recipients. Case is ultimately governed by the verb, preposition or construction: for example, helfen takes a dative object. Feminine die changes to die in the accusative but to der in the dative; masculine der changes to den (accusative) and dem (dative).
- Present endings: ich -e, du -st, er/sie/es -t, wir -en, ihr -t, sie/Sie -en. Some stems change: du fährst, du isst, er sieht. Sein and haben are irregular.
- Main-clause word order: the conjugated verb is second. Ich fahre heute nach Berlin. Heute fahre ich nach Berlin. A yes/no question starts with the verb: Fährst du heute? A W-question has the W-word first, then the verb.
- Subordinate clauses with weil, dass, wenn, ob send the conjugated verb to the end: Ich bleibe zu Hause, weil ich krank bin.
- Modal verbs go in position two and the infinitive goes to the end: Ich muss heute arbeiten. Separable verbs split: Ich stehe um sechs Uhr auf.
- Prepositions: mit, nach, aus, zu, von, bei, seit take the dative; durch, für, gegen, ohne, um take the accusative. Learn zu Hause (at home) versus nach Hause (homeward).
Worked example
Sentence: Ich fahre morgen mit dem Fahrrad zur Arbeit. Check the cases. Mit is a dative preposition, so das Fahrrad becomes dem Fahrrad. Zu is also dative; die Arbeit becomes der Arbeit, and zu + der contracts to zur. Morgen is an adverb and does not change the verb position: fahre remains second. The sentence is correct.
Traps that cost marks
- Using English order after a time expression: Heute ich fahre is wrong; Heute fahre ich is correct.
- Forgetting the dative after mit and the accusative after für.
- Leaving the separable prefix attached in a main clause, or putting the verb before weil.
- Confusing seit (since/for, dative) with vor (ago, dative) and für (for, accusative).
- Omitting the comma before a subordinate clause.
More demanding choices
Adjective endings depend on case, gender, number and the preceding determiner. Relative pronouns agree with their antecedent in gender and number but take their case from their role inside the relative clause. In „die Frau, deren Auto fehlt“, deren expresses possession. Compare passive process and state: „Die Tür wird geöffnet“ presents the opening event, while „Die Tür ist geöffnet“ presents the resulting state. Interpret these forms in context instead of choosing solely by an English translation.