Category: German

German modal particles (Modalpartikel) are uninflected words that are used mainly in the spontaneous spoken language in colloquial registers in German. Their dual function is to reflect the mood or…

Relative clauses are used extensively in German, and they use dependent word order (i.e. the conjugated verb moves to the end of the clause). In…

The German verb lassen is a very useful irregular (strong) verb with the basic meaning of “to allow” or “to let.” But it has many other meanings and…

The passive voice is usually used when the person who does an action is not clear, not important or not known. There are, however, some…

In German passive sentences, we seem to put more emphasis on the actions rather than who is doing the action. When those actions involve a…

Unlike the active voice, when the subject of the sentence performs an action, the passive is the form of the verb that is used when the subject…

Infinitive clauses are dependent clauses which are constructed with the infinitive form of a verb and the preposition zu. Infinitive clauses with um zu express the purpose of an action. Infinitival clauses, also known as infinitive…

When it comes to auxiliary (haben and sein) and modal verbs, we should use the first form. That means that in these cases we do…

The Subjunctive II (Konjunktiv II) is the verb form that we use for polite requests, wishes, suggestions, theories and hypothetical situations. German has two forms of the subjunctive: the general and the special subjunctive.…