NCEA Level 2 German key terms

The case used for the direct object of a verb, and after certain prepositions such as durch, für, gegen, ohne and um. Only masculine articles change form, so der becomes den and ein becomes einen.

The case marking an indirect object or the object of prepositions such as mit, nach, bei, seit, von and zu. Articles shift to dem, der, dem, den, and pronouns change to mir, dir, ihm and so on.

A small linking word such as in, auf, mit or für that shows place, time or direction. German prepositions decide which case follows them, so each one must be learned together with its case.

A preposition such as in, an, auf, über or unter that takes the accusative when it expresses movement towards a place and the dative when it expresses a fixed position.

The word that expresses an action or state and carries the endings that agree with the subject. In a main clause the finite verb sits in second position; in a subordinate clause it moves to the end.

Changing a verb so that it matches its subject in person and number, for example ich mache, du machst, er macht. Irregular verbs also change their stem vowel, as in fahren becoming du fährst.

The spoken past tense, formed with a present form of haben or sein plus the past participle, as in ich habe gelernt or ich bin gefahren. It is the tense most used when talking about past events.

The simple past tense, formed by adding endings to a stem, as in ich machte or ich ging. It appears mainly in written texts such as stories and reports, and with sein and haben even in speech.

The past participle used to build the Perfekt tense, usually starting with ge- and ending in -t or -en, as in gemacht, gelernt or gefahren. Separable verbs place ge- between prefix and stem, as in eingekauft.

An auxiliary verb such as haben or sein that carries the personal ending while a main verb appears as a participle or infinitive. Sein is used with verbs of movement or change of state, for example ich bin gegangen.

A verb such as können, müssen, wollen, sollen, dürfen or mögen that expresses ability, obligation, permission or wish. It pushes the main verb's infinitive to the end of the sentence.

A verb with a stressed prefix, such as aufstehen or einkaufen, that separates in a main clause and sends the prefix to the end, as in ich stehe früh auf. In the infinitive and participle the parts stay together.

The order of words in a German sentence. The finite verb occupies position two in a main clause, so if a time expression starts the sentence the subject follows the verb: Morgen fahre ich nach Berlin.

A subordinate clause that cannot stand alone and sends its conjugated verb to the very end, as in weil ich müde bin. It is introduced by conjunctions such as weil, dass, wenn or ob.

A joining word linking words or clauses. Coordinating ones such as und, aber and oder leave word order unchanged, while subordinating ones such as weil and dass push the verb to the end.

A subordinate clause that describes a noun in the main clause, introduced by a relative pronoun such as der, die or das. The pronoun takes its gender and number from the noun and its case from its role in the clause.

A describing word such as groß, interessant or billig. Before a noun it takes an ending that depends on the article before it, as in ein großes Haus but das große Haus.

The system of endings added to an adjective placed before a noun. The ending shows case, gender and number, and it varies depending on whether a definite article, indefinite article or no article comes first.

The comparative form of an adjective or adverb, made by adding -er, as in schneller or besser, and followed by als when making a comparison. The superlative adds -sten, as in am schnellsten.

A word placed before a noun that shows its gender, number and case. Definite forms are der, die and das; indefinite forms are ein and eine; negation uses kein. Articles change form across the four cases.

A naming word for a person, thing, place or idea. German nouns are always written with a capital letter and carry one of three genders, which the learner has to memorise with each new word.

The grammatical gender of a noun: masculine, feminine or neuter. Gender is not predictable from meaning, so das Mädchen is neuter and die Wohnung is feminine; it must be learned word by word.

The form of a noun used for more than one item. German makes plurals in several ways, such as die Häuser, die Frauen, die Autos and die Kinder, and the plural article is always die.

A pronoun standing in for a person or thing already mentioned, such as ich, du, er, sie, es, wir, ihr and sie. Its form changes with case: mich, mir, dich, dir and so on.

A word showing ownership, such as mein, dein, sein, ihr or unser. It takes endings like the indefinite article, for example meine Schwester or mit meinem Bruder.

The arrangement of subject, verb and object in a clause. Learners must master the verb-second rule in main clauses, the verb-final rule in subordinate clauses, and the position of time, manner and place expressions.

The meaning a word or phrase carries in context. In listening and reading tasks candidates must infer meaning from surrounding words rather than relying only on a dictionary translation.

The words and situation surrounding a phrase, which help the reader or listener work out meaning. Guessing from context is a key strategy when an unfamiliar word appears in a reading or listening passage.

A word with a similar meaning to another, such as beginnen and anfangen, or Fahrrad and Rad. Recognising synonyms helps candidates match paraphrased ideas in texts with the wording of a question.

A word with the opposite meaning to another, such as teuer and billig, or laut and leise. Contrasting pairs often carry the key distinction in a multiple-choice listening or reading item.

The specific detail a task asks for, such as a time, price, place or reason. Skimming or listening for this detail, rather than translating everything, is the core skill in NCEA comprehension papers.

The purpose behind a spoken or written message, for example to persuade, complain, invite or inform. Identifying intention is often tested by asking what the speaker or writer is trying to achieve.

A person's view or judgement about something, expressed with phrases such as ich finde, meiner Meinung nach or ich denke. Candidates must distinguish opinion from fact in listening and reading texts.

A statement that shows how two things are similar or different, often using als, wie, mehr or weniger. Many NCEA tasks ask candidates to compare information from two speakers or two short texts.

A spoken exchange in which people give and respond to views on a topic. In the speaking assessment candidates must contribute opinions, agree or disagree politely, and keep the exchange going.

The way words are pronounced. Clear German pronunciation includes sounding final -e, distinguishing umlauts such as ü and u, and using correct word stress, all of which are assessed in spoken tasks.

The rise and fall of the voice across a phrase. In German, falling pitch usually marks a statement and rising pitch marks a yes-or-no question, which affects how meaning is understood by a listener.

The syllable in a word that is spoken most strongly. Stress often falls on the first syllable, but separable prefixes are stressed, as in AUFstehen, while inseparable ones are not, as in verSTEHen.

The give-and-take of a conversation, including asking questions, reacting, taking turns and repairing misunderstandings. It is a central criterion in the speaking assessment, where candidates talk with a partner or teacher.

A written or spoken story about events, usually in the past tense and linked by time words such as zuerst, dann, danach and schließlich. Writing tasks often ask for a short narrative of this kind.

A text type that portrays a person, place or object in detail, using adjectives and present-tense verbs. It may describe appearance, character, location or a sequence of events for a reader.

The category a piece of writing belongs to, such as letter, email, blog post, report, advertisement or article. Each type has its own conventions of layout, greeting and register that candidates must follow.

A letter written in polite style to someone unfamiliar or in authority, opening with Sehr geehrte Damen und Herren and closing with Mit freundlichen Grüßen. It uses Sie throughout and avoids slang.

A letter or email to a friend or family member, opening with Liebe or Lieber plus a name and closing with Viele Grüße or Bis bald. It uses du and a relaxed, personal tone.

The words used to address someone directly, such as du, Sie, ihr or a name. Choosing between du and Sie correctly is essential for register in both writing and speaking tasks.

A structured piece of writing with an introduction, body and conclusion that presents and supports a viewpoint. It requires linking words, paragraphing and a consistent register throughout.

The plan or structure of a piece of writing, showing the order of paragraphs and ideas. A clear plan helps a candidate cover all task requirements and keep the text logical and coherent.

A fixed expression whose meaning is not obvious from its individual words, such as jemandem einen Bären aufbinden. Understanding common idioms helps in listening and reading; using them adds natural style in writing.

A group of words related to the same topic, such as vocabulary for travel, health or school. Organising learning by topic fields is an efficient way to prepare for the themes used in NCEA tasks.