In this post we’ll get to grips with German infinitives. What do we actually mean when we talk about the infinitive of a German verb? When do you use the infinitive in German and can you use it on its own as a bare infinitive or do you have to use the zu infinitiv (Infinitiv mit zu)? How similar are German and English here? Eh? Read on! All will be revealed, with lots of … [Read more...]
The 50 most common German verbs
Learning the most frequent German words is makes tactical sense when you're starting to learn the language. The most common German verbs - words expressing an action like “to eat” or a state like “to be” - should be at the top of your list. After all, beyond pointing at objects and naming them, you won’t get far in German without some "action"! :) There’s good … [Read more...]
The German imperfect tense: form and uses made clear
In this post you'll find all you need to know about how to form and use the German imperfect tense (also called the simple past tense or the preterite) or, in German, das Präteritum or das Imperfekt. The imperfect or preterite is one of the three tenses used to talk about the past in German. The others are the perfect and the pluperfect (the "past in the past"). In English, … [Read more...]