Understand the pattern. Use it yourself.

Learn each noun with its article and plural. Der, die and das mark grammatical gender, which does not reliably follow the meaning of a word. In the nominative singular, the indefinite articles are ein for masculine and neuter nouns and eine for feminine nouns.

Der Tisch ist klein.

The table is small.

A present-tense verb changes with its subject. For many regular verbs, remove -en and add -e, -st, -t, -en, -t, -en for ich, du, er/sie/es, wir, ihr, sie/Sie. Some stems and endings change; learn frequent irregular verbs separately. Formal Sie takes the same form as plural sie.

Ich lerne Deutsch.

I am learning German.

In a statement, the conjugated verb occupies the second position. Position means a sentence element, not necessarily one word. If you put a time phrase first, the subject usually follows the verb. In a yes/no question, put the conjugated verb first.

Heute lerne ich Deutsch.

Today I am learning German.

A direct object often takes the accusative. Masculine der changes to den, and ein changes to einen. Feminine die/eine and neuter das/ein keep their nominative forms in the accusative. The subject remains nominative. Learn the case required by a verb as part of its pattern.

Ich kaufe einen Stift.

I am buying a pen.

Use kein to negate an indefinite noun or a noun without an article: kein Auto, keine Zeit. Its ending follows the noun’s gender, number and case. Nicht negates a verb, adjective or a specific part of the sentence; its position depends on what you are negating.

Ich habe kein Auto.

I do not have a car.

Conjugate the modal verb and put the other verb in the infinitive at the end of a main clause. Können expresses ability or possibility; müssen expresses necessity. Memorise the common singular forms ich kann, du kannst, er kann and ich muss, du musst, er muss.

Ich kann schwimmen.

I can swim.

In a simple main clause, the separable prefix goes to the end and the conjugated verb stays in second position. With a modal verb, the full infinitive stays together at the end. Learn whether a verb is separable when you learn the verb.

Ich stehe um sieben Uhr auf.

I get up at seven.

The Perfekt uses a conjugated auxiliary, haben or sein, and a past participle at the end of a main clause. Many verbs use haben. Some verbs describing a change of place or state use sein. Learn the auxiliary and participle with each new verb.

Ich habe Deutsch gelernt.

I studied German.

Many regular participles use ge- plus the stem plus -t. Separable verbs often insert ge- after the prefix. Verbs ending in -ieren and verbs with inseparable prefixes such as be- or ver- do not normally add ge-. Strong participles often change the vowel and end in -en.

Wir haben eingekauft.

We went shopping.

With two-way prepositions such as in, an and auf, the dative describes a location, while the accusative describes a destination or change into a spatial relation. Movement alone does not automatically mean accusative: you can move around within one location.

Ich bin in der Küche.

I am in the kitchen.

Weil introduces a reason; dass introduces a statement reported or expressed by another clause. The conjugated verb normally goes at the end of these subordinate clauses. If the subordinate clause comes first, the conjugated verb of the main clause follows the comma.

Ich bleibe hier, weil ich Zeit habe.

I am staying here because I have time.

Many comparative adjectives add -er; some also change their vowel. Use als when comparing unequal things and so … wie for equality. The common predicative superlative is am … -sten or -esten. Some forms are irregular, such as gut, besser, am besten.

Die Wohnung ist größer als mein Zimmer.

The flat is bigger than my room.

Some verbs use a reflexive pronoun referring back to the subject. The pronoun changes with person: ich erinnere mich, du erinnerst dich, sie erinnert sich. The verb determines the construction and case, so learn the full phrase. A separable reflexive verb still follows the usual prefix pattern.

Ich ruhe mich aus.

I am resting.

Dürfen expresses permission. Nicht dürfen means something is not permitted. Nicht müssen means there is no obligation; it does not express a prohibition. In a main clause, the modal is conjugated and the other verb remains an infinitive at the end.

Du musst nicht kommen.

You do not have to come.

An adjective before a noun usually needs an ending. The ending depends on case, gender, number and the preceding determiner. Compare der kleine Tisch with ein kleiner Tisch: the adjective supplies different grammatical information. An adjective after sein normally has no such ending.

Ich kaufe einen kleinen Tisch.

I am buying a small table.

Use als for a single past situation or a particular period in the past. Use wenn for repeated past occasions and for conditions. Sein, haben and modal verbs frequently appear in the Präteritum: war, hatte, konnte, musste. The subordinate clause introduced by als or wenn has its conjugated verb at the end.

Als ich in Berlin war, besuchte ich ein Museum.

When I was in Berlin, I visited a museum.

A relative pronoun takes its gender and number from the noun it refers to. Its case depends on its role inside the relative clause. The conjugated verb goes at the end. Der Mann, dem ich helfe uses dem because helfen takes the dative.

Das ist die Frau, die hier arbeitet.

That is the woman who works here.

Many expressions take an infinitive with zu. With a separable verb, zu goes between prefix and stem: anzufangen. Modal verbs normally take an infinitive without zu. Um … zu expresses a purpose when the understood subject is the same; damit can introduce a purpose with a different subject.

Ich hoffe, bald eine Stelle zu finden.

I hope to find a job soon.

Konjunktiv II can express imagined situations, wishes and polite suggestions. Common forms include wäre, hätte and könnte. Würde plus infinitive is another frequent pattern. Keep the distinction between an imagined condition and a statement of fact.

Wenn ich mehr Zeit hätte, würde ich mehr lesen.

If I had more time, I would read more.

The process passive uses werden plus a past participle and focuses on an action. Sein plus a participle can describe a resulting state. The object of an active accusative construction can become the passive subject. Not every German verb forms a personal passive in the same way.

Die Tür wird geschlossen.

The door is being closed.

Obwohl introduces a subordinate clause with the conjugated verb at the end. Trotzdem and deshalb can introduce a main clause, where the conjugated verb is second. Trotzdem expresses an unexpected contrast; deshalb expresses a consequence.

Obwohl es regnet, fahre ich Rad.

Although it is raining, I am cycling.

Konjunktiv I can mark reported speech, especially in formal writing. Common forms include sei and habe. If its form is identical to the indicative, Konjunktiv II may distinguish the report. A reported form attributes a claim; it does not prove the claim true or false.

Sie sagt, sie habe Zeit.

She says she has time.

A modal passive uses a conjugated modal plus participle plus werden. The Perfekt of the process passive uses sein plus participle plus worden. Do not confuse worden with geworden, the participle of werden when it means become.

Die Daten müssen geprüft werden.

The data must be checked.

Nominalisation turns a verbal idea into a noun phrase. It can make writing compact but may hide who acts. Wegen normally takes the genitive in formal standard writing. Compare weil der Verkehr zunimmt with wegen der Zunahme des Verkehrs.

Wegen des Regens bleiben wir hier.

Because of the rain, we are staying here.

Zwar … aber acknowledges one point and then introduces a contrasting consideration. Both parts can use main-clause word order. Although they often occur together, Zwar is not itself a subordinating conjunction and does not send the verb to the end.

Der Kurs ist zwar teuer, aber er ist hilfreich.

The course is expensive, but it is helpful.

A participial phrase before a noun can condense a relative clause. Present participles often express an active or ongoing relation; past participles can express a completed or passive relation, depending on the verb. The final participle used as an adjective takes the appropriate ending.

Die gestern veröffentlichten Ergebnisse sind wichtig.

The results published yesterday are important.

Sofern introduces a condition or restriction and normally sends the conjugated verb to the end. Vorausgesetzt, dass also introduces a condition. State the actual condition clearly: a conditional sentence should not imply that the condition has already been met.

Wir stimmen zu, sofern die Kosten sinken.

We agree provided that costs fall.

Focus particles affect scope and expectations. Erst often suggests less or later than expected; schon can suggest more or earlier. Nur restricts alternatives. The context and the particle’s position determine the interpretation; do not treat these words as interchangeable decorations.

Erst zehn Personen haben geantwortet.

Only ten people have responded so far.

Modal forms can qualify how strongly a claim is presented. In an inference, dürfte often conveys a cautious expectation rather than permission. Distinguish a possibility from a certainty and a lack of evidence from a disproof. Preserve that distinction when rewriting.

Das dürfte die Ursache sein.

That is probably the cause.

The scope of nicht changes a proposition. Nicht alle means that at least one does not satisfy the statement; it does not mean none do. Avoid an ambiguous formulation when the distinction matters. Use explicit wording to show whether you mean some, none or not every case.

Nicht alle Anträge wurden abgelehnt.

Not all applications were rejected.

A grammatical edit can change meaning even when both versions are fluent. Replacing könnte with wird strengthens a possibility into a prediction. Check modality, negation, quantifiers, agency and time relations before accepting a shorter or more elegant sentence.

Die Maßnahme könnte helfen.

The measure could help.

When summarising a report, retain the source and the strength of its claim. An attribution such as laut Bericht separates the source’s statement from your own assertion. Reported speech, quotations and a narrator’s voice can serve different purposes; context is needed to identify who is responsible for an evaluation.

Laut Bericht könnte die Nachfrage steigen.

According to the report, demand could rise.