In this lesson, students learn the endings for attributive adjectives following so-called ‘der’-words. (As a prerequisite, students should already have studied the handout on ‘ein’-word adjective endings. If not, a short re-cap on ‘ein’-word endings is provided.) The ‘der’-words include the definite articles as well as the quasi-adjectives ‘dieser’, ‘welcher’, ‘solcher’, ‘jeder’, ‘mancher’ and ‘jener’. Example sentences are provided with adjectives in the nominative, accusative and dative cases.

Second in a series on sentence structure (Satzbau), this 7-page handout describes how adverbs and prepositional phrases are ordered in a typical sentence or clause using the ‘TeKaMoLo’ rule. Certain exceptions to this rule are also discussed. Twenty German example sentences are provided in large font, most with parallel English translations. All example sentences are diagrammed, some color-coded for clarity. Annotations are included in the margins to supplement the lesson text. A short summary is included on the final page, along with a space for writing notes. (This lesson is a follow-up to the “Basic Sentence Structure” handout and is geared towards students at the high A1 level.)

Collection of 158 flash cards reviewing the preterite (simple past) tense forms of common German verbs. Verbs with separable and inseparable prefixes are included, in addition to some reflexive verbs. Conjugation tables and example sentences with English translations are provided. Verbs frequently used in the preterite tense in normal, everyday conversation are indicated using check marks or equal signs, though this can vary based on region and personal preference. How to use the flash cards: Print double-sided (short edge) and cut along the dashed lines. The German infinitive and corresponding English meaning will appear on the front side of the card. The preterite form of the verb (ich/er/sie - form), example sentence and conjugation table will appear on the reverse side. Preterite forms are color-coded to show changes to the verb — for example, from “stehen” to “standen”.

Two-page set of printables on the major human body parts in landscape layout.

Three-page printable on landscapes and bodies of water in landscape layout (includes glossary and some commentary).

Three-page set of printables covering basic articles of clothing and accessories in landscape layout (includes glossaries).

This two-page handout includes a color printable of assorted public clocks with the times written out, mostly in colloquial time (“Zeit im Umgangssprache” / “inoffizielle Zeit”). The second page shows the same clocks in greyscale, but with a blank line underneath instead of text. This page can be used as a homework assignment or for a test.

Single-page printable on basic German weather terms. A short glossary is included.

Geared towards advanced A1 students, this handout includes a single-page printable with twelve pictures taken at different times of the year. The names of the German months and captions are provided for each picture. (A glossary of vocabulary words used in the captions is included on page 2 of the handout.)

This 7-page handout covers the basics of the German accusative case, beginning with all the articles and their declensions. (The first page describes what a case system is and provides a brief overview of each of the German cases: nominative, accusative, dative & genitive.) Color-coded sample sentences illustrate the function of nouns in the sentence and how to differentiate between the nominative and the accusative. Accusative prepositions are covered next. Sample sentences containing “für”, “durch” and the 2-way preposition “in” are provided – all with parallel English translations. The handout ends with a section on the accusative personal pronouns. This is an excellent and thorough primer for students who are encountering the accusative case for the first time. For students who’ve studied German before, but are still not comfortable using the accusative, this handout should prove to be helpful.

This is an extensive 16-page lesson on two-way prepositions (Wechselpräpositionen) and how they behave in the dative and accusative cases. The material is geared primarily towards students at the A2 level wishing to increase their knowledge of the subject. Numerous example phrases and sentences are given, some color-coded. Exceptions to general tendencies and rules are discussed, along with the occasional anecdote. Although not intended as a primer on two-way prepositions, some A1 students may find this handout useful. Simple 3D illustrations clearly show the function of each preposition in the two cases. By studying the pictures and the accompanying text in the colored boxes, basic concepts can be absorbed quickly. A summary of the entire handout is provided, beginning on page 15. Before using this handout, students should already be comfortable with article declensions in the accusative and dative cases.

This lesson is the follow-up to the handout, “Introduction to Reflexive Verbs”. In that lesson, the basic principles of reflexive verbs are explained, with a specific focus on verbs with accusative pronouns. This handout goes a step further and introduces students to reflexive verbs with dative pronouns (‘mir’, ‘dir’, ‘sich’, ‘uns’, ‘euch’), highlighting the critical differences between the two types. Although these differences are fairly easy to grasp (“Ich wasche mich.” / “Ich wasche mir die Hände.”), there are many additional nuances of dative reflexives that students can learn in their quest towards fluency. This lesson might be especially helpful to those making the jump from A2 to B1 and can serve as review notes to this end. Approximately 15 reflexive verbs with dative pronouns are chosen for this lesson, with over 50 sample sentences included. The majority are color-coded, clearly marking subject, direct object and indirect object in the sentence. A handy summary is included on page 8 of the handout. As a prerequisite, students should already be familiar with the basics of how reflexive verbs work and should also know the dative-case articles.

Reflexive verbs are special verbs used in situations where the subject and the object are one in the same. Reflexive verbs are used frequently in German, often on occasions where the reflexive wouldn’t normally be used in English. This handout dissects the basic elements of the reflexive verb and explains how it’s used. The differences between reflexive pronouns and accusative personal pronouns are illustrated. (Dative reflexive pronouns are discussed in a different handout.) Six verbs are chosen as examples for this lesson: ‘sich waschen’, ‘sich interessieren’, ‘sich erinnern’, ‘sich fühlen’, ‘sich kümmern’ and ‘sich ängstigen’. Nearly 40 example sentences are provided, color coded for clarity. Some sentences are broken down in schematic form to make the sentence structure easier to understand. A summary of the lesson is provided on page 6.

Most students encounter the dative case just a couple weeks or so into their first German course, not yet knowing what it is or how it functions. In the beginning, we take it almost for granted that “Wie geht es dir?” means “How are you doing?” We also learn to say things like “Ich komme aus den Niederlanden”, or “Wir leben in der Schweiz” — without fully learning the underlying grammar. In this advanced A1-level handout, students will get their first nuts & bolts view of how this versatile and complex case works. Articles including possessives and ‘dieser-’ words along with their appropriate endings are shown in chart form and used in sample sentences. Also discussed are the dative personal pronouns. Students learn how to use dative prepositions and how to form contractions with prepositions and definite articles (zum, zur, beim, am, im, etc.). Nearly 70 color-coded example sentences are provided. A summary of the entire lesson is found on page 10 of the handout. (Pages 11 and 12 contain special example sentences with detailed grammatical notes). Before starting this lesson, students should already be comfortable using the accusative case.

Collection of 118 flash cards reviewing past participles of the most common beginner’s verbs and how to use the ‘Perfekt’ tense (Partizip II). Verbs with various separable and inseparable prefixes are also included. Example sentences with English translations and additional grammar information are provided as well. How to use the flash cards: Print double-sided (short edge) and cut along the dashed lines. The German infinitive and corresponding English meaning will appear on the front side of the card. The participle and example sentence will appear on the reverse. Participles are color-coded to show changes to the verb — for example, the addition of a “ge-” prefix, etc.

This short informational handout introduces students to verbs that often appear in the preterite tense in colloquial German. It can help students identify these verbs when hearing them in films or audio, or when interacting with German-speaking people in ordinary situations. Conjugation tables are provided for some of the verbs listed.

By now, students should be familiar with all the articles and their various forms in the nominative, accusative and dative cases. Here, the student begins learning about endings for attributive adjectives. When used in the predicate form (e.g., “Der Hund ist freundlich.”), adjectives take no ending at all. But when preceding a noun directly, German adjectives require an ending (e.g., “Das ist ein freundlicher Hund.”). There are three sets of endings for attributive adjectives in German that have to be learned. This lesson focuses on endings for adjectives following so-called ‘ein’-words. The ‘ein’-words include the indefinite and negative articles and all possessive articles. Example sentences with adjectives in the nominative, accusative and dative cases are provided.

4 pages of vocabulary notes (2 lessons) on clothing and shopping. Additional vocabulary on major geographical features (lake, beach, mountain, forest, etc.) are presented. Grammatical topics include verbs with dative objects and the comparative/superlative forms of ‘gut’, ‘gern’ and ‘viel’. Many of the vocabulary words are shown in example sentences.

4 pages of vocabulary notes (2 lessons) on holidays and celebrations. In addition to vocabulary words, these lessons are chock full of common sayings and expressions used during celebrations throughout the German-speaking world. Ordinal numbers and reflexive verbs ‘sich fühlen’ and ‘sich freuen’ are introduced.