
 
 
 Unit 8
 
 
 
  BEIM EINKÄUFEN

  Basic Sentences


 
            
 Notes on Pronunciation

A. German ng and rik

     The English words "singer" and "finger" both contain the same nasal sound, a kind of hum through the nose made with the tongue in the position for g.
In the first word the nasal sound occurs alone before the following voweT.
In the second word we actually have a cluster of n£ plus g. We might write "fing-ger" to represent the sounds more accurately. This cluster never occurs in German; only the nasal sound alone occurs between vowels. Practice the following words with your instructor:

Practice 1

     bringe	Finger	Klingel
    senge	Hunger	Angel
    Lunge	Sänger	Bengel
     The English words "bank" and "banker" contain the same nasal sound, but it is followed here by k. We might write "bangk" and "bangker” to represent this cluster more accurately. The same cluster occurs in German, but it is represented in the writing system by both n£ an<ä nk. Many speakers pronounce final n£ and nj before voiceless consonants as if it were followed by k; other speakers pronounce only a very short nasal sound without the following k. Follow the pronunciation your instructor gives you for these words:

Practice 2

    sinke	Wink	Ring	rings	links
     lenke	Geschenk	eng	längst	lenkst
    Funke	Trunk	jung	jüngst	dankst
    danke	Bank	lang	langsam	tunkst

B.	Final -b, -d and -s.

     Final stops and spirants are always voiceless in German. There is nothing like English "had" or "beg" or "was". In the writing system the symbols b, d and s. indicate sounds Which are voiced at the beginning of words and syllables but voiceless at the end of words and syllables.

Practice 3

Sack	was	Bonn	ob
Süden	als	Leibe	Leib
also	Hotels	Grabes	Grab
      Unsinn	preiswert	lobe	Lobgesang
Dose	Jod	gut	Bug
Bades	Bad	Tage	Tag
Süden	Südseite	Sieges	Sieg
       leide	leidlich	schweige	schweigsam
Notice also that German, unlike English, may thus have long vowels followed by voiceless consonants.

C.	Final -m and -n

     English vowels followed by an n or an m tend to be nasalized. There is an anticipation of the nasal consonant during the pronunciation of the vowel. Compare the sounds in English "ban" and "bad" or "on" and "ought", for example, and see if you can hear and feel the difference. The nasalization of vowels does not occur in German in this way. There is, rather, a separation between vowel articulation and articulation of the following m and n. it is almost as if there were two syllables, a vowel syllable and a separate m-syllable or n-syllable with a distinct but very brief hum on the m or n. Practice the following words with your instructor taking care not to nasalize the vowels but to articulate the final nasals separately and distinctly:

Practice 4

         lahm	Plan
         Lehm	zehn
          intim	Wien
         Atom	Lohn
         Ruhm	Huhn

D.	Unstressed final -en

     In normal speech the unstressed ending -en often is not pronounced as a full, separate syllable but only as a hum-like extension of the preceding consonant. The same thing takes place in English when you say "wooden" or "broken" at conversational speed. You leave your tongue in the position for d or k while you open your nose and hum for a split second. By this kind of assimilation final -en in German is actually only an	, hummed briefly,
after d, t or n; after b^ £ or m it is an /_"m_/; after q, k or ng it is actually a short hum on Zng_7*
Practice 5
Z~-n_7	Z~-m_7	Z^-ng_7
       eingeladen	ausgeben	gegen
     Boden	bleiben	liegen
        vermieten	Aktenmappen	umgezogen
      arbeiten	tippen	Wolldecken
      ihnen	Stehlampen	Socken
     wohnen	kommen	bringen
        Strassenbahnen	zusammen	Zeitungen

                                Notes on Grammar (For Home Study)

A. Specifiers and Adjectives

  I. In the last five units we have presented the forms and patterns of
     specifiers and adjectives in sequences and standing alone. A few additional items we have encountered should also be noted. Here are examples:
     Das ist alles.	That's everything.
        Die finden Sie in allen	You'll find them in all price ranges.
         Preislagen.
        Können Sie mir ein paar	Can you show me a few white shirts?
         weisse Hemden zeigen?
Was für ein Stoff ist das?	What kind of material is that?
        In der Preislage finden Sie	In that price range you'11 certainly
       sicher etwas Passendes.	find something suitable.
     
1.	All- is a der-type specifier. In the singular it usually occurs with the endings -es or -em and usually stands alone or is followed only by an adjective. In the plural it occurs both alone and as part of the regular specifier-adjective-noun sequence.
          Haben Sie alles?	Do you have everything?
          Ich bin mit allem	I’m satisfied with everything,
              zufrieden.
           Alles andere kaufe ich	I'11 buy everything else tomorrow,
              morgen.
           Nicht alle deutschen	Not all German cars are small.
             Wagen sind klein.
            In allen grossen Städten	In all large cities you'11 find a
           finden Sie einige gute	few good hotels.
              Hotels.
    
2.	The fixed phrases ein paar and was für are NOT specifiers. They are indeclinable modifiers like the numbers. They are invariable; that is, they have no endings or variations in form. Ein paar has indefinite plural reference, and adjectives following it have the forms of the adjective-noun sequence noted in Unit 7- Was für has both plural and singular reference. In the singular it is usually followed by a form of the specifier ein, in the plural by the adjective-noun sequence.
         Was für may function both to introduce a question: "What kind of ...?" or to introduce an exclamation: "What ... '.
         Hier sind ein paar	Here are a couple of light-weight
         leichte Sommeranzüge.	summer suits.
Ich habe nur ein paar	I only have a couple of green
       grüne Krawatten.	neckties.
         Das sind Briefe von ein	Those are letters from a couple of
         paar alten Freunden in	old friends in Germany.
           Deutschland.
Was für Anzüge sind das,	What kind of suits are those,
      Sommeranzüge?	summer suits?
          Was für schöne und preis-	What good and inexpensive suits those
         werte Anzüge sind das'.	are*.
          Was für ein guter Stoff	What good material that is*, ist das'.
          Mit was für einem Füller	What kind of a pen are you writing
      schreiben Sie?	with?
         In was für ein Geschäft	What kind of a store are we going
        gehen wir, in ein	to, a men's ready-made clothing
          Herrenkonfektionsgeschäft?	store?
  
3. The quantity words etwas and nichts likewise are NOT specifiers, and adjectives following them have the forms of the adjective-noun sequence or of the adjective standing alone.
          Ich möchte gern etwas Kal-	I'd like something cold to drink, tes trinken.
          Haben Sie etwas Ähnliches	Do you have something similar here? hier?
         Es gibt nichts Neues.	There's nothing new.
          Ich habe nichts Bestimm-	I don’t have anything particular
    tes vor.	planned.
     Note that an adjective standing alone after one of these words has indefinite reference, and its forms are those of an adjective referring to a das-noun. The adjective itself functions as a noun, and it is usually capitalized in the writing system.

II. Some confusion arises in phrases with alle, viele, einige, ein paar and was für. Here is a summary presentation of specifier-adjective-noun sequences and adjective-noun sequences involving these words.
   
1.	Specifier-adjective-noun sequences:
          Sind das meine deutschen	Are those my German books?
           Bücher?
Welche deutschen Bücher	Which German books are those?
           sind das?
Nicht alle deutschen	Not all German books are so expensive.
           Bücher sind so teuer.
         Was für ein deutsches	What kind of a German book is that?
           Buch ist denn das?
  
 2.	Adjective-noun sequences:
          Sind das deutsche Bücher?	Are those German books?
          Hier sind ein paar deut-	Here are a couple of German books. sehe Bücher.
          Was für deutsche Bücher	What kind of German books are those? sind denn das?
         Viele deutsche Bücher	Many German books are important
        sind für uns wichtig.	for us.
         Einige deutsche Bücher	Some German books are very expensive, sind sehr teuer.
           Remember'. Alle is a specifier. Viele and einige are adjectives.
            Ein paar and was für are indeclinable modifiers and not part of the specifier-adjective-noun or adjective-noun sequences.

B.	Adjectives with Dative
 
 I.	We have only one or two examples of an adjective which is followed or preceded by a dative form of the noun or pronoun.
         Das ist mir recht.	That's all right with me.
         Ist Ihnen das recht?	Is that all right with you?
 
 II.	A number of adjectives may be accompanied or COMPLEMENTED in this way by a dative form of a noun or pronoun.
           Dieser Anzug ist dem ande-	This suit is very similar to the
        ren sehr ähnlich.	other one.
          Der Mann ist mir bekannt.	The man is known to me.
         Das ist mir ganz neu.	That's a new one on me.
           Das ist seinem Bruder nicht	That's not possible for his brother
       möglich.	(i.e., his brother can't do that.)
           Machen Sie mir die Schreib-	Dijn't wreck the typewriter on me*, maschine nicht kaputt'.
 
 III.	A still greater number of adjectives are COMPLEMENTED by a dative form when they are also accompanied by a modifier such as zu.
           Das ist unseren Studenten	That's too simple for our students,
            zu einfach.
Diese Arbeit ist mir zu	This job is too much for me.
             viel.
          Der Brief ist mir zu	The letter is too important to me
       wichtig dafür. ^	for that.
Der Mantel ist Ihnen	The coat isn't at all too big for you.
            garnicht zu gross.
           Der Anzug ist mir zu klein. The suit is too small for me.
          Herr Keller ist meiner	Mr. Keller is too old for my sister's
       Schwester zu alt.	taste.
Am Sonnabend Nachmittag	On Saturday afternoon then, or is that
          dann, oder ist Ihnen das	too indefinite for you?
            zu unbestimmt?
      Note that the adjective is complemented in English by a phrase with a preposition, usually "to" or "for". The prepositional phrase may occur in German as a complement to some adjectives also.
          Diese Jacke ist zu klein	This suit-coat is too small for me.
            für mich.
          Er ist viel zu alt für	He's much too old for my sister,
            meine Schwester.
           Die Arbeit ist zu viel für	The work is too much for my wife,
            meine Frau.

C.	WORD ORDER
  
I. In Unit 3 we observed that the FINITE VERB FORM is the SECOND ELEMENT of a German statement. Here are some more examples illustrating this basic German word order pattern taken from the basic sentences of Units 4-8.
 
      Die finden Sie in allen	You'll find them in all price ranges.
         Preislagen.
        Wein trinke ich nicht gfern.	I don't care for wine.
Der neue Schreibtisch pasSt	The new desk matches your furniture
       sehr gut zu Ihren Möbeln.	very well.
        Die Angehörigen meiner Frau My wife1 s family lives hier, leben hier.
Hier im Vorort ist es wirk-	It* s really much nicer and quieter
       lieh viel schöner und	here in the suburbs than in the city,
         ruhiger als in der Stadt.
        In den anderen Zimmern steht Everything's in place in the other schon alles an Ort und	rooms.
         Stelle.
        Den grauen habe ich leider	I'm sorry, I don't have the grey one
        nicht mehr in Ihrer Grösse.	in your size any more.
        Wie ich sehe, haben Sie eine (As) I see you have a fine library, schöne Bibliothek.
   Note that the FIRST ELEMENT of these sentences may be as short as a pronoun or a noun alone, or as long as a complete specifier-adjective-noun sequence. It may have the nominative, accusative or dative form. It may be a prepositional phrase or a phrase consisting of a noun or specifier-adjective noun sequence plus another noun or sequence in the genitive form. It may also be a separate clause with its own s\ibject and verb. Notice, too, how often German word order differs from the patterns Subject-Verb-Object, which is basic in English.

II.	The words ein, einige, viele usually do not begin a sentence which gives a location, anwering the question "where?". The following examples from the basic sentences illustrate this point.

Direkt neben der Post ist	There's a stationery store right
        ein Schreibwarengeschäft.	next to the post office.
        Da drüben ist ein Spiegel.	There’s a mirror over there.
       Hier nebenan ist eins.	There's one next door here.
Hier sind noch einige nette	There äre still some nice houses
      Häuser zu vermieten.	for rent here.
   Notice that English likewise avoids beginning sentences with the indefinite article or the words "some" and "a few". Try re-phrasing the English sentences on the right above so as to begin with "one" or "some" or "a" and notice how awkward and unnatural these sentences sound.

III.	THE FINITE VERB FORM is the SECOND ELEMENT also in statements which are preceded by an introductory phrase containing a verb such as finden, fürchten, glauben, sagen. Note the following examples:
        
Ich fürchte, das ist tele- I'm afraid that's a bit complicated phonisch etwas umständlich. on the telephone.
Ich höre, Sie wollen nach	I hear you're planning to go to
     Amerika fahren.	America.
        Ich glaube, Fräulein Bruce I think Miss Bruce has one. hat eine.
        Sagen Sie ihm doch bitte,	Please tell him I'd like him to call
        er möchte mich sobald wie me as soon as possible, möglich anrufen.
        Ich finde, Jetzt sieht es	I think it looks really comfortable
       schon richtig gemütlich	here now.
         aus.
   These examples actually represent in each case two separate statements.
   The first statement is thus not an element of the second; in each one separately the basic word order pattern is observed.
 
D. COMPOUND NOUNS

 I.	English has many compound nouns like newspaper, fireman, outpost, etc., which the writing system treats as single units. We have others like letter-paper, Minute Man, lookout post, after-effect, etc., which, although they are the same sort of compounds, are written as two units, sometimes completely separate and sometimes connected by a hyphen. In German, compound nouns are of very common occurrence and not infrequently contain four or five or even more elements. They are almost all written as single units and hence often look rather formidable. They may turn out to be more difficult than automobileinsurancesalesman, however.

II.	Let us examine some typical German compound nouns which we have encountered in the last few units and see what they are composed of:
           lj	das Papiergeschäft	=	das Papier	+	das Geschäft
           2)	die Schreibmaschine	=	schreib-	+	die Maschine
         3)	der Nachmittag	=	nach	+	der Mittag
       4)	der Neubau	=	neu	+	der Bau
     Notice that the FINAL ELEMENT of each of these words is a noun. This is Just like English, as the examples in the paragraph above show. Notice also that each of these compounds is a der-noun, a das-noun or a die-noun according to whether its FINAL ELEMENT is a der-noun, a das-noun or a die-noun. PRECEDING ELEMENTS may be: 1) another NOUN, 2)a PREPOSITION, or 4) an ADJECTIVE. Let us examine these types of compound nouns in turn.
     
1.	Compounds made up of NOUN + NOUN

         der	Sommer,-	+	der Anzug,-e	= der Sommeranzug,-e
          das	Papier,-e	+	das Geschäft,-e	= das Papiergeschäft,-e
         die	Heimat	+	die Stadt,-e	= die Heimatstadt,-e
         die Bahn,-en	+	der Hof,-e	= der Bahnhof,-e
         der	Sport	+	das Hemd,-en	= das Sporthemd,-en
        das Blei	+	der Stift,-e	= der Bleistift,-e
        Notice that das-nouns may combine with der-nouns and die-nouns as well as with das-nouns, and der-nouns may combine with die-nouns and das-nouns as well as with der-nouns, etc., BUT IT IS ALWAYS THE FINAL ELEMENT that determines whether the compound as a whole is a der-noun, a das-noun or a die-noun. A compound noun also has the same plural as its final element. What are the component parts of the following compound nouns?
         der Autobus	das Briefpapier	die Stuhllehne
          der Stadtplan	das Telephonbuch	die Briefmarke
    
 2.	Compounds made up of VERB STEM + NOUN

park- (parken)	+ der Platz	= der Parkplatz
          schau- (schauen)	+ das Fenster	= das Schaufenster
           schreib- (schreiben) + die Maschine	= die Schreibmaschine
        Here are some more compounds of the same type. What are their component parts?
der Rauchtisch	das Wohnzimmer	die Stehlampe
          der Fahrstuhl	das Schlafzimmer die Schreibwaren (pl)
     
3.	Compounds made up of a PREPOSITION + NOUN

       nach	+ der Mittag	= der Nachmittag
bei	+ das Spiel	= das Beispiel
        vor	+ die Anmeldung	= die Voranmeldung
    Here are a few more compounds of this type. Although some of them are new you will have no difficulty in recognizing their component parts.
der Vorort	das Hinterhaus	die Unterwäsche
der Umweg	die Nebenstrasse die Zwischenzeit
   
 4.	Compounds made up of an ADJECTIVE + NOUN
  
  neu	+ der Bau	= der Neubau
fern	+ das Gespräch	= das Ferngespräch
gross	+ die Stadt	= die Grosstadt
    The following are a few more examples of this type of compound;
der Kühlschrank	das Fernamt	die Kleinstadt

III.	Many nouns and verbs have special forms or plural forms when they occur as non-final elements in compounds. The following compounds contain such special forms:

Staats- (der Staat)	+ der Angehörige = der Staatsangehörige
          Wirtschafts- (die Wirtschaft) + die Abteilung = die Wirtschaftsabteilung
Etagen- (die Etage)	+ das Haus	= das Etagenhaus
Frage- (fragen)	+ der Bogen	= der Fragebogen
        Elektro- (elektrisch)	+ der Herd	= der Elektroherd
    In the following compounds identify both the special combining form of the first element and the form the element has when not combined.
        der Bücherschrank	das Zigarrengeschäft	die Geschäftsreise
       der Küchentisch	das Besuchsvisum	die Bilderkiste
         der Kassenzettel	das Konfektionsgeschäft die Visa-Abteilung

IV.	As mentioned in paragraph I, German compound nouns frequently have more than two elements. The following examples have occurred in our basic sentences up to this point. Can you break them down into their component elements?
das Herrenkonfektionsgeschäft der Sommerschlussverkauf

V.	Compounding is an active process in the language, and you will often hear and see compounds which no dictionary lists. Since the meaning of the whole compound is usually the sum of its parts (cf. Geschäftsbrief.
    Sehreibwarengeschäft), you will usually be able to figure out the meaning of a new compound with little or no difficulty. In a few cases, of course, the English equivalent may not be apparent at all (cf. Fahrstuhl. Vorort), but words of this kind are almost always listed in the dictionary.
 

 


 
 

