German Flashcards
1
Q
Kaffee - /ˈkafe/
A
Noun
Kaffee m (strong, genitive Kaffees, plural Kaffees, diminutive Käffchen n or Kaffeechen n or Käfflein n or Kaffeelein n)
coffee (beverage made by infusing coffee beans in hot water)
(regional) afternoon coffee, afternoon tea, coffee and cake (afternoon meal in northern and central Germany, particularly on Sundays)
Wir fahren am Sonntag zum Kaffee zur Oma.
On Sunday, we go to Grandma's for coffee [and cake].
Usage notes
(beverage): As with most beverages in German, the plural Kaffees is only used to mean “several kinds of coffee”. Otherwise the singular form is used: Zwei Kaffee, bitte! – “Two coffees, please!”
(meal): The use for the afternoon meal is still applicable if one prefers other beverages, such as tea. It would not be all too extraordinary to say:
Wir trinken meistens Tee zum Kaffee. (literally, “We usually have tea for coffee.”)
2
Q
und - /ʊnt/
A
Conjunction
und
(co-ordinating) and
Kaffee und Kuchen ― coffee and cake
Ich kam, sah und siegte. ― I came, saw, and conquered.
(colloquial) links two nouns, often a person and an activity, in rhetoric questions to express an opposition between them
Er und Abwaschen? Vielleicht einmal im Jahr!
Him doing the dishes? Maybe once per year!
Usage notes
As seen in the second example, commas are never used before und in enumerations, even where some English style guides prescribe this.
Commas are used before und (and oder) in complex sentences when a subclause intervenes. Compare:
Er erklärte, dass er den Vorschlag gutheiße, und bat um Zustimmung. (und continues the main clause)
He declared that he approved of the proposal, and asked for endorsement.
Er erklärte, dass er den Vorschlag gutheiße und um Zustimmung bitte. (und continues the subclause)
He declared that he approved of the proposal and (that he) asked for endorsement.
Commas are optional when und connects two complete sentences (i.e. when a full stop could be used instead of the conjunction):
Der Fischer fischt[,] und der Jäger jagt. ― The fisherman fishes and the hunter hunts.
Interjection
und
so?, now?, and?
Und? Wie ist es gelaufen?
So? How did it go?
3
Q
Milch - /mɪlç/
A
Noun
Milch f (genitive Milch, plural Milchen or Milche)
milk (white liquid produced by female mammals for their young to consume) milk (white or whitish liquid that is exuded by certain plants) white liquid that is a mixture of other substances, where one of the components is very finely distributed white semen of a male fish Synonym: Fischmilch
4
Q
bitte - /ˈbɪtə/
A
Adverb
bitte
please, if you please (used to make a polite request or affirm an offer)
Interjection
bitte
you're welcome (acknowledgement of thanks) Synonyms: bitte schön, gern geschehen
excuse me, sorry (request to repeat information)
Synonym: Entschuldigung
here you are (when handing something over to someone)
(sarcastic) OK then, well then, all right (indication of mock acquiescence to someone’s apparent demanding attitude)
Verb
bitte
inflection of bitten:
first-person singular present
first/third-person singular subjunctive I
singular imperative
5
Q
ja
A
Adverb
ja
yes; yea, yeah, aye Synonym: jawohl Willst du das? Ja. ― Do you want that? Yes. Aber ja! ― Yes, of course!
(intensifier) obviously; certainly; of course; really; just; as you know; as is generally known (indicates and emphasises that one is expressing a known fact)
Synonyms: doch, bekanntlich
Es kann ja nicht immer so bleiben. ― It obviously cannot always remain so.
Der Peter war ja gestern krank. ― Peter was sick yesterday, as you know.
Usage notes
(yes): Ja is used to indicate agreement with a positive statement. To contradict a negative statement (where English would use “yes”), doch is used instead. (obviously): Ja means roughly the same as English obviously or as you know, but given its shortness it is used much more frequently. In colloquial German, ja is used in most statements of facts already known to the one addressed. Interjection
ja
yes Synonym: jawohl Antonym: nein
6
Q
oder - /ˈʔoːdɐ/
A
Conjunction
oder
or
Danach alles gestr. oder noch 1–2 Wörter?
Is everything after that crossed out or are there one or two more words?
Particle
oder
(tag question) right?; is it?; is it not? Synonyms: gell, ne, nicht, nicht wahr, wa Es ist kalt heute, oder? ― It’s cold today, isn’t it? Das war keine so gute Idee, oder? ― That wasn’t such a good idea, was it? Du kommst aus Deutschland, oder? ― You’re from Germany, aren’t you?
7
Q
nein - /naɪ̯n/
A
Interjection
nein
no
Antonyms: ja, doch
Hast du morgen Abend Zeit? — Nein, leider nicht.
“Do you have time tomorrow night?” — “No, unfortunately not.”
Usage notes
Nein, being the standard word, is acceptable in all contexts. Colloquial German has a strong tendency to prefer the alternative forms given above, however
8
Q
hallo - /haˈloː/
A
Interjection
hallo
hello (a general greeting used when meeting somebody)
9
Q
tschüss - /t͡ʃʏs/
A
Interjection
tschüss
(informal) bye, cheers, ciao
Usage notes
Tschüss was originally common only in northern and central Germany, but it has gained wider acceptance and is now also commonly used in southern Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and South Tyrol. The farewell auf Wiedersehen is often considered more appropriate to use towards strangers and generally in formal situations in Southern Germany. In northern and central Germany, tschüss is a standard goodbye in all but official situations, with the north preferring the older form tschüß.
10
Q
Tee - /teː/
A
Noun
Tee m (strong, genitive Tees, plural Tees)
tea (drink made by infusing parts of a plant, especially leaves or buds of Camellia sinensis, in water)
11
Q
danke - [ˈdaŋkə]
A
Verb
danke
inflection of danken:
first-person singular present
first/third-person singular subjunctive I
singular imperative
Interjection
danke
thanks, thank you
12
Q
Brot - /bʁoːt/
A
Noun
Brot n (strong, genitive Brotes or Brots, plural Brote, diminutive Brötchen n)
(usually uncountable) bread (countable) loaf of bread (countable) slice of bread; sandwich (uncountable, figurative) livelihood, subsistence
13
Q
Wasser - [ˈva.sɐ]
A
Noun
Wasser n (strong, genitive Wassers, plural Wasser or Wässer, diminutive Wässerchen n or Wässerlein n)
water (H₂O) alcoholic beverage, similar to brandy, made from fermented fruit (colloquial) Clipping of Mineralwasser/Tafelwasser.
Usage notes
Both plural forms are infrequent. Unchanged Wasser is used as a purely emphatic plural: die Wasser des Rheins – the waters of the Rhine. Wässer is used as an actual plural meaning different kinds of water (or brandy): teure und preiswerte Wässer – expensive and inexpensive [table] waters. However, Wässer is also used emphatically in some compound words such as Abwässer (“waste water”) and Schmutzwässer (“dirty water”).
14
Q
Bier - /biːɐ̯/
A
Noun
Bier n (strong, genitive Bieres or Biers, plural Biere or Bier, diminutive Bierchen n)
(beverage) beer (alcoholic beverage fermented from starch material; a serving of this beverage) (informal) business, beeswax (personal affairs)
Usage notes
As is common with beverages in German, the unchanged plural Bier can be used after numerals in the sense of “quantities of beer” (glasses, bottles, cans). One may order: „Zwei Bier, bitte!“ – “Two beers, please!” (Nota bene: In many places of the German language area, this is not a common order; instead one needs to specify Pils, Weißbier, Kölsch, etc.) The marked plural Biere is used to mean different kinds of beer. For example: „Pils und Kölsch sind beliebte deutsche Biere.“ – “Pils and Kölsch are popular German beers.”
