Lesson 4-2 - Lektion 4-2
The dative case
Lesson 4: Visit. Activity 2
From this activity you will know how to:
- invite your guest to come in, take of the clothes
- offer your guest something refreshing
- reply if you are offered to smoke
- say how your friends are doing
Learn the words and expressions for the dialogue
to come in
Come in, please!
to take off (outer clothing)
Take off your coat, please! (not lit.)
to offer (smth.)
What may I offer you?
wine
The wine is good.
for
This is for you.
nothing; not … anything
I don’t understand anything.
(fruit) juice
Juice for me, please!
or
Who is coming: you or your colleague?
water
Unfortunately, we don’t have any water.
to wish
What do you wish? (formal, e.g. in a restaurant)
cigarette
Do you have cigarettes?
much, a lot
I have a lot of time. / I don’t have much time.
thanks, gratitude
Thank you very much! I’d love to come (lit.: come gladly).
to smoke
Do you smoke?—Yes.
more
I don’t smoke anymore (lit.: no more).
already
My father is already 60 years old.
Pay attention to the form and the usage of the words
The most common answer to the question Wie geht es Ihnen? is: Es geht mir gut. Because it is not always true, there is another answer: Es geht (schon), which is something like “I’ll manage okay”, where the word schon is more like a filler there and can be omitted.
Notice the difference in usage of the word mehr and its English equivalent more:
Ich wohne nicht mehr in Berlin. – I don’t live in Berlin anymore. (lit.: I live in Berlin no more)
Some prepositions require the same case all the time (for example: aus—always D); some may require both dative and accusative (for example: in). The preposition für (for) always requires the accusative case:
Das sind Formulare für den Arzt. – These are forms for the doctor.
As in English, the German sentence may contain only one negation. Compare:
Ich verstehe nichts. – I don’t understand anything. (lit.: I understand nothing)
Remember the following way of word-formation (1)
das Mineral + das Wasser = das Mineralwasser
Practise in reading the words
Kommen Sie herein!
Guten Abend, Herr Neumann!
Bitte legen Sie ab!
Was darf ich Ihnen anbieten? Kognak, Wein...
Saft oder Mineralwasser.
Eine Zigarette?
Grammar points
You already know the nominative case and the accusative case (см. lesson 3, activity 4). Now remember how the article is declined in the dative case:
Singular Plural Masc. Fem. Neut. all genders N der die das die D dem der dem den The same endings go to the possessive pronouns in the dative case
The dative case is used to indicate the indirect object of a sentence. It answers the question: To or for whom?
Wem schreiben Sie? – Ich schreibe dem Bruder usw.
The nouns der Name, der Kollege, der Student, der Herr have the ending -(е)n both in singular and in plural in the dative case; the other nouns do not take endings. In plural all the nouns in the dative case get the ending -(еn):
Wie geht es den Eltern (den Brüdern, den Lehrern usw.)?
You already know that there are verbs with separable prefixes, which go at the end of the sentence in the present tense (see lesson 3, activity 4) and in the imperative mood expressing an order, a request, an invitation and so on:
ablegen: Legen Sie (bitte) ab! – Take your coat off (, please)!
You already know the dative case of personal pronouns (см. lesson 4, activity 1). Now remember the forms of the accusative case:
N ich er sie es wir sie Sie A mich ihn sie es uns sie Sie Notice the difference in the 1st person singular and plural and in the 3rd person singular masculine.
The dative cas of nouns and pronouns
| Singular | Plural | |||
| Masc. | Neut. | Fem. | all genders | |
| N | der ein mein |
das ein mein |
die eine meine |
die — meine |
| D | dem einem meinem |
dem einem meinem |
der einer meiner |
den — meinen |
1. You are asked how your father (friend etc.) is doing. Answer the question. Ask the interlocutor the same question.
B. Danke, es geht ihm gut.
Continue:
die Schwester, der Freund, die Eltern, die Tochter, der Bruder, die Kollegen, Herr Wagner.
2. You are asked for whom something is intended. Answer the question. Ask the same question.
B. Das ist für den Vater.
Continue:
der Arzt, die Krankenschwester, der Student, der Journalist (склоняется как Student), der Lehrer, die Eltern.
3. You are asked about something. Answer the question. What question would you asked if you needed to ask the interlocutor the same thing?
B. Ja, ich stelle ihn vor.
Continue:
das Formular ausfüllen, den Kollegen verstehen, den Freund vorstellen, den Saft wünschen, die Zigarette rauchen.
4. Give the negative answer to the interlocutor’s question. Ask him or her the same question.
B. Nein, ich studiere nichts.
Continue:
schreiben, wünschen, haben, verstehen, rauchen, ausfüllen.
5. Fill in the gaps with the appropriate words from the dialogue.
1. Kommen Sie bitte ! 2. Eine Zigarette? — Danke, ich nicht. 3. Wie geht es Ihrem Freund? — . 4. Was darf ich Ihnen ? 5. Für mich bitte oder . 6. Bitte Sie ab!
6. Reconstruct the dialogue by filling in the gaps with the appropriate words.
!
Bitte legen Sie ab!
Was darf ich Ihnen anbieten?
Kognak, Wein...
Eine Zigarette?
.
Guten Abend, Herr Neumann!
!
?
?
Ich rauche nicht mehr.
7. Try to reproduce the dialogue “Kommen Sie herein!” by memory.
Check yourself!
What expressions will you use if you want to:
invite your guest to come in, take of the clothes
offer your guest something refreshing
reply if you are offered to smoke
say how your friends are doing
