Punjab PSEB Matric German flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Final devoicing (Auslautverhärtung)

At the end of a word or syllable, the letters b, d, g, s and v are pronounced voiceless. So 'Tag' sounds like 'Tak', 'gibt' like 'gipt', and 'Haus' ends in an [s] sound.

'ch' pronunciation rule

After e, i, ä, ö, ü and consonants, 'ch' is the soft [ç] sound as in 'ich' and 'Milch'. After a, o, u and au it is the hard [x] sound as in 'Buch' and 'auch'.

Separable verb stress

Prefixes such as auf-, an-, mit-, ein-, zu- carry the stress and split off in a main clause: 'Ich stehe um sechs Uhr auf.' In a subordinate clause they rejoin: '…, weil ich früh aufstehe.'

Telling time with 'halb'

In colloquial German, 'halb' means half an hour before the coming hour. So 'halb acht' is 7:30, not 8:30, and 'Viertel vor acht' is 7:45.

Two-way prepositions: direction vs position

Prepositions like in, an, auf, über, unter, vor, hinter, neben, zwischen take the accusative for movement or direction ('in die Schule') and the dative for fixed position ('in der Schule').

Feminine noun suffixes

Nouns ending in -ung, -heit, -keit, -schaft, -ion and -in are feminine: die Wohnung, die Freiheit, die Möglichkeit, die Freundschaft, die Nation, die Lehrerin.

Neuter noun suffixes

Nouns ending in the diminutive suffixes -chen and -lein, and most nouns in -ment, are neuter: das Mädchen, das Fräulein, das Medikament, das Dokument.

Numbers 21 and above

From 21 upward, German names the unit before the ten, joined by 'und': 21 = einundzwanzig, 47 = siebenundvierzig, 100 = hundert. Years use hundreds: 1998 = neunzehnhundertachtundneunzig.

Time prepositions um, am, im

Use 'um' for clock times (um acht Uhr), 'am' for days and dates (am Montag, am 5. Mai), and 'im' for months and seasons (im Juli, im Winter).

Reading an Anzeige

A classified advertisement usually gives what is offered, the price, the time or place, and contact details. Scan specifically for Preis, Termin, Ort and Kontakt before answering questions.

Recognising split separable verbs

In a main clause a separable verb splits, with the prefix at the sentence end: 'Der Kurs fängt um neun Uhr an.' Finding the prefix reveals the base verb, here anfangen (to begin).

Perfect tense frame in texts

The perfect tense uses haben or sein in position two plus the past participle at the end: 'Ich habe den Film gesehen.' 'Sie ist nach Delhi gefahren.' This frame helps locate the main action.

Distractor pattern in reading tasks

A wrong option often repeats a word from the text but attaches it to a different person, time or condition. Check who did what and when before choosing.

Negation words that reverse meaning

Words like nicht, kein, nur, nie and ohne reverse or restrict a statement. In true/false items, one of these words can make an otherwise correct sentence false.

Compound noun meaning rule

In a compound noun, the last element decides both gender and basic meaning: der Fahrplan (der Plan), das Krankenhaus (das Haus), die Hausaufgabe (die Aufgabe).

Verb-second rule

In a German main clause the finite verb stands in position two. If the clause begins with an adverb or object, the subject moves behind the verb: 'Am Montag fahre ich nach Delhi.'

Subordinate clause verb position

After conjunctions such as weil, dass, wenn, obwohl and als, the finite verb moves to the end of the clause: 'Ich bleibe zu Hause, weil ich krank bin.'

Yes/no question formation

A question without a question word starts with the finite verb: 'Kommst du mit?' 'Hast du Zeit?' The subject follows the verb, and the answer is ja, nein or doch.

W-question formation

A question with a question word puts the word first and the finite verb second: 'Wann kommst du?' 'Wo wohnst du?' 'Wie heißt du?' The subject follows the verb.

Dative prepositions

The prepositions aus, bei, mit, nach, seit, von and zu always take the dative: mit dem Bus, nach der Schule, seit einem Jahr, bei meiner Tante.

Accusative personal pronouns

The accusative forms are mich, dich, ihn, sie, es, uns, euch, sie. They replace a direct object: 'Ich sehe ihn' (I see him), 'Wir besuchen sie' (we visit her).

Dative personal pronouns

The dative forms are mir, dir, ihm, ihr, ihm, uns, euch, ihnen. They mark the indirect object: 'Ich helfe dir' (I help you), 'Das Buch gehört mir'.

Sein in the perfect tense

Verbs of movement or change of state, and the verbs sein and bleiben, form the perfect with sein: 'Ich bin gefahren', 'Er ist gekommen', 'Sie ist geblieben'.

Regular past participle

Weak verbs form the participle with ge- + stem + -t: machen → gemacht, spielen → gespielt, lernen → gelernt. Verbs in -ieren take no ge-: studiert, telefoniert.

Strong past participle

Strong verbs form the participle with ge- + a changed stem + -en: sehen → gesehen, essen → gegessen, fahren → gefahren, sprechen → gesprochen.

Modal verb sentence pattern

Modal verbs (können, müssen, dürfen, sollen, wollen, mögen) take the personal ending and send the main infinitive to the end: 'Ich muss heute lernen.'

Writing a formal letter opening

A formal German letter opens with 'Sehr geehrte Damen und Herren' or 'Sehr geehrter Herr …' and closes with 'Mit freundlichen Grüßen' followed by the name.

Informal letter opening

An informal letter or e-mail opens with 'Liebe Anna' or 'Hallo Tom' and closes with 'Viele Grüße' or 'Bis bald'. The greeting takes a comma and the next line starts lowercase.

Country and city names

Most country and city names are neuter and used without an article: 'Ich fahre nach Berlin', 'Er kommt aus Indien'. Exceptions with an article include die Schweiz and die Türkei.

Polite requests with könnten

Use 'Könnten Sie bitte …?' for polite requests: 'Könnten Sie mir bitte helfen?' 'Könnten Sie das wiederholen?' The modal comes first, the infinitive last.

Expressing an opinion

Set phrases introduce a view: 'Meiner Meinung nach …', 'Ich finde, dass …', 'Ich bin der Meinung, dass …'. With 'dass' the verb moves to the end of the clause.

Common text abbreviations

German everyday texts use abbreviations: z. B. (zum Beispiel), u. a. (unter anderem), ca. (circa), usw. (und so weiter), Nr. (Nummer) and Str. (Straße).