English and German Grammar Terms
Explained in Plain English
O-Pl | Pos-Punc | S-Z
HOW TO USE THIS GLOSSARY: Each grammar term is listed alphabetically in English, along with its German equivalent (often Latin-based) and in some cases the Germanic term. Words in ALL CAPS refer to terms that are also defined in this glossary. Noun gender is indicated by r (der), e (die), or s (das). Most entries have a link to a related lesson or grammar guide.
| German Grammar Glossary Deutsches Grammatik-Lexikon |
||
| English | Deutsch | Explanation |
| > Continued from O-Pl | ||
| POSSESSIVE PRONOUN | s Possessivpronomen Besitz anzeigendes Fürwort |
An EIN-WORD that indicates to whom something belongs. Examples: dein (your), mein (my), sein (his), ihr (her/their), unser (our), and euer (your). Karl, ich habe deinen Bleistift. - Meine CDs sind in deinem Auto. Also see ADJECTIVES. > Adjective Endings |
| PREDICATE | s Prädikat r Satzkern e Satzaussage |
The VERB or verbal phrase in a sentence that asserts something about the SUBJECT - usually all of the sentence other than the subject and a PREDICATE COMPLEMENT (see below). |
| PREDICATE ADJECTIVE PREDICATE COMPLEMENT PREDICATE NOMINATIVE |
s Prädikats- adjektiv nomen e Gleichsetzung |
A word or phrase in the PREDICATE that is equal to or related to the SUBJECT. A predicate complement can be an ADJECTIVE/adjective phrase, a NOUN/noun phrase, or a PRONOUN/pronoun phrase. Examples: Er ist mein Bruder. - Er wird alt. Also see LINKING VERB. |
| PREFIX | s Präfix e Vorsilbe |
A word, SYLLABLE or group of syllables attached to the front of a word to create a new word. The word "prefix" (Vorsilbe) is a good example in both languages: pre + fix = prefix (vor + Silbe = Vorsilbe). Other common German prefixes include: ab-, an-, er-, pro-, un-, and zer-. Verb prefixes can be SEPARABLE or INSEPARABLE. Also see ENDING/SUFFIX. |
| PREPOSITION | e Präposition s Verhältniswort |
A word that connects two or more elements in a sentence and indicates their relationhip, direction, location, or function. Common prepositions in English/German include: in/in, to/zu, for/für, and with/mit. German prepositions fall into four categories, each governed by a particular CASE or cases: ACCUSATIVE, DATIVE, dual (acc. or dat.), and GENITIVE. Examples of prepositional phrases: auf dem Tisch (on the table), fürs Geld (for the money), im Wasser (in the water), mit seiner Mutter (with his mother). > Prepositional Pitfalls |
| PRESENT TENSE | s Präsens e Gegenwart |
The verb TENSE that indicates action or conditions in the present. However, German can use the present tense with certain PREPOSITIONS to refer to events that began in the PAST and are continuing into the present (the PRESENT PERFECT PROGRESSIVE in English). Example: Er wohnt seit fünf Jahren in Hamburg. (He has been living in Hamburg for five years.) > German Verbs |
| PROGRESSIVE | e Verlaufsform | A VERB TENSE indicating ongoing or continuing action or conditions, as in the phrase "she is sleeping" or "we are working." German does not have a progressive form, using the PRESENT TENSE plus modifiers to indicate a progressive condition. Example: Er arbeitet immer noch. = He is still working. > German Verbs |
| PRONOUN | s Pronomen s Fürwort |
A word that stands for or refers back to a NOUN. Examples: he, who, which, they, I, you, himself. Both English and German pronouns fall into several classes: INTERROGATIVE PRONOUNS, PERSONAL PRONOUNS, POSSESSIVE PRONOUNS, RELATIVE PRONOUNS, REFLEXIVE PRONOUNS, etc. > Personal Pronouns and Reflexive Verbs |
| PUNCTUATION | e Interpunktion e Zeichensetzung |
The use of commas, colons, dashes, exclamation marks, question marks, periods, and other marks of punctuation to set off or indicate various elements or meanings of a sentence. > German Punctuation |
| MORE > Q-Z | ||
NEXT > Index 3 (Q-Z)
Index 1 | M-N | O-Pl | Pos-Punc | More Terms (Q-Z)
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