Translate to German:
lots of money
viel Geld
lots of (singular uncountable noun) = viel
Note that viel is used with uncountable nouns like Geld (“money”). The singular ending is used, even though it means “many”.
Translate to German:
a little money
ein bisschen Geld
a little = ein bisschen
Note that ein bisschen is used with singular uncountable nouns without any article.
Like in English it cannot be used for countable nouns like Äpfel (“apples”).
Translate to German:
lots of kids
viele Kinder
lots of (plural noun) = viele
Note that viele is used before the plural noun Kinder (“kids”), and therefore has the plural ending -e.
Translate to German:
a big car
ein großes Auto
big = groß
groß is the adjective for “big”. When describing a neuter singular noun like Auto that follows the indefinite article ein, the adjective adds the ending -es becoming großes.
Translate to German:
a small house
ein kleines Haus
small = klein
klein is the adjective for “small”. When describing a neuter singular noun like Haus that follows the indefinite article ein, the adjective adds the ending -es becoming kleines.
Translate to German:
The house is big.
Das Haus ist groß.
is = ist
In German, the verb ist links a noun to what or how it “is”, similar to English.
ist is the he/she/it form of sein (“to be”).
Note that the letter ß is used. It is called “sharp S” or “Eszett” and can be replaced with “ss”.
Translate to German:
a very small car
ein sehr kleines Auto
very = sehr
sehr is used as an adverb to intensify an adjective or adverb, just like “very” in English.
Translate to German:
here
hier
hier is used just like “here” in English, referring to a location or position nearby.
Translate to German:
It is here.
Es ist hier.
it = es
es is the neuter pronoun meaning “it”. It can refer to objects, animals, or situations.
In this sentence, es is used to say that something is in a place or present, as in Es ist hier (“It is here”).
Translate to German:
there
dort / da
dort means “over there” and is used to indicate a location away from the speaker.
Note that both da and dort mean “there”. They are often interchangeable, but there is a difference:
- dort points to a more specific place somewhere slightly farther away (like “over there” in English).
- da points at a more general location that is closer by the speaker.
Translate to German:
There is a car over there.
Da ist ein Auto.
there is = da ist
“There is” can also be translated with es gibt, emphasizing that something exists or is generally available. If pointing at something you see da ist is used.
Translate to German:
There are a lot of girls here.
Hier sind viele Mädchen.
sind means “are” - the plural form of “is” (sein).
Note that Mädchen has the same form in singular and plural (zero plural). Only the article changes: das (singular) vs. die (plural).
[What is being said in the audio recording?]
Gibt es hier viele große Häuser?
Translation:
“Are there a lot of big houses here?”
Note that here “are there” is translated as gibt es, not as da sind, because the question is more general and does not point at something specifically.
Because here the plural is used (“houses”), Haus has changed to Häuser. Many German nouns with a, o, u, au add an Umlaut (two dots on top of it: ä, ö, ü, äu) in plural: Haus - Häuser
Translate to German:
a person
eine Person
Reminder: All German nouns are capitalized, unlike in English, where only proper nouns are capitalized.
Translate to German:
two people
zwei Personen
people = Personen
Personen is the plural form of Person, and it is used similarly to “people” in English when referring to individuals.
Translate to German:
people
Leute / Menschen
Both nouns, Leute and Menschen mean “people”.
While they can be used interchangeably, when referring to “people”, Menschen emphasises “human beings” and is also used when referring to humans in general.
Leute, on the other hand, only refers to groups of people and is more informal and conversational.
[What is being said in the audio recording?]
- Woman: Gibt es dort viele Leute?
- Man: Nein, hier sind wenige Leute.
Translation:
- Woman: “Are there many people there?”
- Man: “No, there are few people here.”
wenig (“few”) becomes wenige because it is used directly before the plural noun Leute (“people”) and must take the strong plural ending -e (like an adjective).
Translate to German:
a big dog
ein großer Hund
dog = Hund
Hund is a masculine singular noun. When preceded by the indefinite article ein, the adjective groß adds the ending -er becoming großer.
Translate to German:
Is the dog big?
Ist der Hund groß?
Like in English, German forms yes/no questions by putting the verb at the beginning of the sentence.
Translate to German:
Is the cat small?
Ist die Katze klein?
cat = Katze
Translate to German:
a new car
ein neues Auto
new = neu
neu is the adjective for “new”. When describing a neuter singular noun like Auto that follows the indefinite article ein, the adjective adds the ending -es becoming neues.
Translate to German:
an old woman
eine alte Frau
old = alt
alt is the adjective for “old”. When describing a feminine singular noun like Frau that follows the indefinite article eine, the adjective adds the ending -e becoming alte.
Translate to German:
a young man
ein junger Mann
young = jung
jung is the adjective for “young”. When describing a masculine singular noun like Mann that follows the indefinite article ein, the adjective adds the ending -er becoming junger.
Translate to German:
a baby
ein Baby
German uses the same word used in English, with the same pronunciation: Baby.
Note that Baby is a neuter noun in German, therefore ein is used.
