Basic German Grammar

Here is a short introduction to the structure of sentences. It will help you understand what is the difference between a subject, object, preposition, verb and articles

English	German	Description	Examples
Article	Artikel	Comes before a noun, indicating definiteness or indefiniteness.	Definite (Bestimmte): der, die, das Indefinite (Unbestimmte): ein, eine, einen
Noun	Nomen	A noun names a person, place, thing, or idea. All nouns are capitalized in German.	English: car, house, girl German: Auto, Haus, Mädchen
Subject	Subjekt	The subject performs the action in a sentence.	Der Junge spielt Fußball. (The boy plays football.)
Object	Objekt	The object receives the action.	Der Junge wirft den Ball. (The boy throws the ball.)
		Direct Object (Akkusativ) – answers “what?” or “who?” (Wen? Was?)	Ich sehe den Hund. (I see the dog.)
		Indirect Object (Dativ) – answers “to whom?” or “for whom?” (Wem?)	Ich gebe dem Mann das Buch. (I give the man the book.)
Pronoun	Pronomen	A pronoun replaces a noun.	ich (I), du (you), er (he), sie (she), es (it), wir (we), ihr (you all), sie (they)
Possessive Pronoun	Possessivpronomen	Shows ownership.	mein (my), dein (your), sein (his), ihr (her)
Verb	Verb	An action or state of being word.	essen (eat), lieben (love), malen (paint), schreiben (write)
Adjective	Adjektiv	Describes a noun or pronoun.	Ein großer Hund läuft. (A big dog is running.)
Adverb	Adverb	Describes a verb, adjective, or another adverb. Answers “how?”, “when?”, “how much?”, “how often?”	Der Junge singt laut. (The boy sings loudly.)
Preposition	Präposition	Shows the relationship between a noun and another word, often indicating location, time, or direction.	Location: in, auf, unter (Das Buch liegt auf dem Tisch. – The book is on the table.) Time: seit, vor, nach (Ich warte seit einer Stunde. – I have been waiting for an hour.)

Visual Grammar – German