| Using a German Dictionary 3 | |
| How to Get the Most Out of Your German-English Dictionary | |
1: Nouns | 2: Verbs | 3: Other Words
This article is a supplement to our basic How to Use a German Dictionary and Before You Buy a German Dictionary.
OTHER WORDS
Looking up adjectives, adverbs, conjunctions, particles, prepositions, or other words in a German dictionary...
PREPOSITIONS
Entries for prepositions will indicate the case(s) that a preposition takes. Here are three examples for "with":
mit Präp. mit Dat. with, by
mit prep. +dat. with, by
mit prp (dat.) with, by
Each entry above tells you that mit is a preposition that takes the dative case: mit dem Zug (by train), mit meinem Freund (with my friend), mit mir (with me).
Here is a sample entry for another preposition/adverb/conjunction:
(1) auf Präp. mit Dat. on, at
(2) auf Präp. mit Akk. on, on to; to
(3) auf Adverb on, open, up, upwards
(4) auf dass Konj. in order (that)
The entries above tell you that auf can be used in several ways and that it is not always just a two-way (accusative/dative) preposition. It can also function as an adverb or a conjunction.
Note: If you need to know more about cases in German, see The Four German Cases.
ADJECTIVES/ADVERBS
Most German adjectives can also function as adverbs. Here is a sample entry for frisch:
(1) frisch Adj. fresh, new-laid (egg)
(2) frisch Adv. freshly, newly, wet (paint)
(3) frisch gebacken wet behind the ears, green, newly qualified
The entries above tell you that frisch can be used both as an adjective and an adverb (-ly in English). In compounds (i.e., frisch gebacken) it can have special meanings.
TIPP 1: When looking up the meaning of words that are not nouns or verbs, notice how they function. A dictionary entry will tell you whether a word is used as an adjective, adverb, conjunction, preposition, etc. Many German words can function in more than one way — and have more than one meaning.
BACK > Part 2: Looking Up Verbs
BACK > Part 1: Looking Up Nouns
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