German I
German I on this exam checks elementary German vocabulary, article and case choice, verb conjugation, main-clause word order, and short reading or dialogue comprehension. The questions usually reward recognizing the function of a noun phrase, not translating every word.
Core patterns
- Nouns carry gender and case. Definite articles: nominative der/die/das, accusative den/die/das, dative dem/der/dem. Indefinite: ein/eine/ein, einen/eine/ein, einem/einer/einem.
- The finite verb stays in second position in a main clause. With a modal or separable verb, the infinitive or prefix goes to the end: Ich muss heute arbeiten; Ich stehe um sieben auf.
- Accusative prepositions: durch, für, gegen, ohne, um. Dative prepositions: aus, bei, mit, nach, seit, von, zu. Two-way prepositions take accusative for motion and dative for location.
- Perfect tense uses haben or sein plus past participle; sein with movement/change and sein/bleiben/werden.
Worked example
“Er hilft dem neuen Schüler.” The verb helfen governs the dative, so the masculine article is dem and the adjective ending is -en: dem neuen Schüler. Do not use den, which would be accusative.
Traps
- helfen, danken, gefallen, gehören take dative; many candidates copy the accusative from English.
- In subordinate clauses the finite verb moves to the end: ..., weil er heute kommt.
- Watch false friends: bekommen = receive, not become; also = so.
- Modal sentences put the lexical verb at the end, not after the modal.