Lesson 4-1 - Lektion 4-1
Transitive - intransitive verbs. Dative case. Negation kein
Lesson 4: Visit. Activity 1
From this activity you will know how to:
- reply on greeting upon meeting
- enquire about how the interlocutor is doing
- invite your interlocutor to your place
- agree upon the time of the visit
Learn the words and expressions for the dialogue
to invite
May I invite you (to my place)?
Glad to see you!
I’m glad to see you, Mr. Rot!
How is it going? How are you doing? How are you?
How are you, Mrs. Sand?
I am fine / okay. (lit.: it goes with me good)
How are you? – I’m fine.
thank you, thanks
How are you? – Fine, thank you.
to have
Do you have a brother?
today
Mr. Scholz is not coming today.
tomorrow
I (will) come tomorrow.
tonight (tomorrow evening)
I (will) come tonight (tomorrow evening).
time
When do you have time?
unfortunately
Are you coming? – Unfortunately not.
there; here; then
Here he comes.
watch; clock
Is this your watch?
at ... o’clock
I (will) come at 2 o’clock.
to agree
Do you agree? – Yes.
no, not a, not any
I don’t have a watch. (lit.: I have no watch)
Pay attention to the form and the usage of the words
There are transitive and intransitive verbs both in German and in English. Transitive verbs are followed by an object. Intransitive verbs are not followed by objects. Much like in English, you need to learn whether the verb is followed by an object, or it is followed by a preposition with an object. It may not be very logical to you and it may differ from English:
vorstellen (А) – to introduce (someone) (match)
Deutsch (А) sprechen – to speak English (match)However, one of our new verbs does not match. The verb einladen is used with the preposition für, literally it means: invite at (a certain time).
Darf ich Sie für morgen Abend einladen?
May I invite you tomorrow evening? (no match)This whole relationship between a word and its dependents called government.
The plural form of the word “die Uhr” (watch) is “die Uhren” (watches). The expression “at ... o’clock” is used with the preposition um: at 1 o’clock – um ein Uhr; at 3 o’clock – um drei Uhr usw.
Don’t confuse the noun der Morgen (morning, for example: guten Morgen!) with the adverb morgen (tomorrow, for example: Er kommt morgen.)!
heute morgen
this morning
morgen Abend
tomorrow evening
Remember the following way of word-formation (2)
einladen + ung = die Einladung invitation
Practise in reading the words
Darf ich Sie einladen?
Freut mich, Sie zu sehen!
Wann darf ich kommen?
Grammar points
Not only nouns change their form in different cases, but the pronouns are declined as well. Remember the forms of the dative case (D) of personal pronouns:
N ich er sie es wir sie Sie D mir ihm ihr ihm uns ihnen Ihnen The dative case is used to indicate the indirect object of a sentence. It answers the question: To or for whom?
Personal pronouns in the dative case are used in questions and answers as their equivalent pronouns in the nominative case (see lesson 2, activity 3), namely:
in question – Ihnen
in answer – mir (or uns)
in question – ihm, ihr, ihnen
in answer – ihm, ihr, ihnen
We will continue this grammar point in the next activity.
Remember the forms the verb haben (to have):
ich
habe
wir
haben
er
hat
Sie
haben
You already know the negation nicht (see lesson 2, activity 4). There is another negation in German: kein (keine). It is used when a noun is negated either with the indefinite article (see lesson 6, activity 1) or without any:
Ich habe keine Eltern. – I don’t have parents (lit.: I have no).
Haben Sie Zeit? – Nein, ich habe keine Zeit.
Do you have a minute (lit.: time)? – No, I don’t have a minute (lit.: no time).
Forms of the negation kein in comparison with mein and ein
| Singular | Plural | |||
| Masc. | Neut. | Fem. | all genders | |
| N | kein mein ein |
kein mein ein |
keine meine eine |
keine meine — |
| A | keinen meinen einen |
kein mein ein |
keine meine eine |
keine meine — |
1. You are asked about how your friend is doing. Answer the question. Ask your interlocutor the same thing.
B. Danke, es geht ihm gut.
Continue:
Herr Krüger, Rolf, Sabine, Herr Moser, Karin, Dieter und Thomas, Herr Kranz, Sie.
2. You want to know when your father (brother etc.) is coming. Ask an appropriate question. Answer if you are asked the same question.
B. Der Vater kommt um 3 Uhr.
Continue:
der Bruder (2), die Mutter (6), die Schwester (12), der Freund (10), die Kollegen (5), die Eltern (8).
3. Your father (friend etc.) doesn’t have time for anything right now. Give the negative answer to the interlocutor. Ask him or her the same question.
B. Nein, er hat leider keine Zeit.
Continue:
Ihr Freund, Ihre Frau, Ihre Mutter, Ihr Bruder, Ihr Kollege, Ihre Eltern, Sie.
4. Invite your interlocutor to your place at a certain time. Reply on such an invitation.
B. Danke, ich komme gern.
Continue:
morgen, morgen Abend, heute Abend, acht Uhr, zwei Uhr, heute um sieben Uhr.
5. Fill in the gaps with the appropriate words from the dialogue.
1. Darf ich Sie einladen? — Danke, ich komme . 2. Wie geht es ? Es geht ihm gut. 3. Haben Sie heute Zeit? habe ich heute keine Zeit. 4. Wann kommt Martin? Er kommt drei Uhr. 5. Wann darf ich kommen? Um 5 Uhr. ?
6. Reconstruct the dialogue by filling in the gaps with the appropriate words.
!
Wann darf ich kommen?
Freut mich, Sie zu sehen!
?
7. Try to reproduce the dialogue “Darf ich Sie einladen?” by memory.
Check yourself!
What expressions will you use if you want to:
reply on greeting upon meeting
enquire about how the interlocutor is doing
invite your interlocutor to your place
agree upon the time of the visit
