Lesson 8-4 - Lektion 8-4
Declension of adjectives without the article
Lesson 8: At the shop. Activity 4
From this activity you will know how to:
- say what products you would like to buy
- ask the cost of the products
- find out where you can find certain goods
- say that you don’t need anything else
Learn the words and expressions for the dialogue
bread
I like to eat bread.
black
I’d like a (loaf of) black bread.
white
Half a loaf of white bread, please!
milk
Do you like to drink milk?
wish
Would you like anything else? (not lit.)
cheese
Milk and cheese are healthy.
500 grams, half a kilo(gram); pound
I’d like a pound of cheese.
fresh
Are the bread rolls are fresh?
kilo(gram)
I’d like a kilo of meat.
else; otherwise
Would you like anything else?
butter
He eats too much butter.
egg
I have an egg for breakfast.
sausage
This sausage tastes good.
bockwurst (type of sausage)
Would you like a bockwurst?
fruit
Do you like fruit?
potato
I like to eat potato.
Pay attention to the form and the usage of the words
German Pfund of 500 grams is not equal to English pound of 453 grams, however, pound is used as an informal term for 500 grams:
Ich möchte zwei Pfund Fleisch.
I’d like two pounds of meat.
The word sonst is used in two meanings: “else” and “otherwise”:
Hat er sonst etwas gesagt?
Did he say anything else?
Wir müssen gehen, sonst kommen wir sehr spät nach Hause.
We have to go, otherwise we’ll come home very late.The preposition von is always governed by the dative case. It may be translated differently: “by”, “from”, “about” and, as you already know from the previous activity, it may have the meaning of the genitive case:
Das ist ein Glückwunsch von meinem Vater.
These are congratulations from my father.
Wir sprechen von Lehrbüchern.
We are talking about textbooks.
Er hat das Buch vom Tisch genommen.
He took the book from the table, and so on.
Remember the following ways of word-formation (1 and 2)
schwarz + das Brot = das Schwarzbrot black bread
weiß + das Brot = das Weißbrot white bread
das Brot + chen = das Brötchen bread roll
Practise in reading the words
Im Lebensmittelgeschäft
Grammar points
You already know that uncountable nouns like materials and substances are usually used without the article (see lesson 4, activity 3). This is also the case for different measures: Gramm, Pfund, Glas, Flasche etc. However, sometimes these nouns may have the definite article denoting the meaning “this”, “that”:
Ich möchte ein Pfund Wurst.
I’d like a pound of sausages.
Ich möchte ein Pfund von der Wurst.
I’d like a pound of that sausage.
You have recently learned about the two types of adjective declension — after the indefinite article (see lesson 7, activity 2) and after the definite article (see lesson 8, activity 3). Let’s examine the third type of adjective declension — without the article:
Masculine Feminine Neuter Sing. N alter Mann alte Frau kleines Kind А alten Mann alte Frau kleines Kind D altem Mann alter Frau kleinem Kind G alten Mannes alter Frau kleinen Kindes Masculine Feminine Neuter Pl. N alte Männer alte Frauen kleine Kinder А alte Männer alte Frauen kleine Kinder D alten Männern alten Frauen kleinen Kindern G alter Männer alter Frauen kleiner Kinder Such endings get the adjectives if they do not have either an article or a replacing word for an article. This is often the case when adjectives are used with nouns like substances: guter Käse, schönes Obst usw.
Declension (endings) of adjectives without the article
| Singular | Plural | |||
| Masc. | Fem. | Neut. | all genders | |
| N | -еr | -е | -еs | -е |
| А | -en | -e | -es | -e |
| D | -em | -er | -em | -en |
| G | -en | -er | -en | -er |
1. You are asked if you still wish something more (lit.). Answer the question. Ask the same question to the interlocutor.
B. Ich möchte noch ein (halbes) Pfund Wurst.
Continue:
das Brot, die Kartoffeln, der Käse, die Butter, das Obst, das Gemüse, das Schwarzbrot, das Weißbrot.
2. You are offered to take something, but you would like something else. Say it to the interlocutor. What question would you ask if you were the interlocutor?
B. Nein, ich nehme lieber die hier.
Continue:
die Wurst, das Brot, das Obst, der Käse, das Gemüse, die Kartoffeln, die Brötchen.
3. You ask your interlocutor to buy something and explain why you need it.
Sonst haben wir zum Frühstück kein Brot.
Continue:
das Obst, die Milch, der Käse, die Wurst, die Butter, der Saft, die Brötchen (pl), das Schwarzbrot.
4. Some people say that you do not like a certain product. Deny this opinion. What would the interlocutor say if (s)he were you?
B. Doch, ich esse Obst sehr gern.
Continue:
das Schwarzbrot, der Käse, das Weißbrot, die Wurst, die Butter, das Gemüse, die Kartoffeln, die Eier.
5. Fill in the gaps with the appropriate words from the dialogue.
1. Ich möchte ein Weißbrot. 2. Noch 200 Gramm von der da. 3. Was kostet der da? 4. Haben Sie noch einen ? 5. Wo sind hier und Gemüse?—Da bitte! 6. Ist der Käse ?
6. Reconstruct the dialogue by filling in the gaps with the appropriate words.
7. Try to reproduce the dialogue “Im Lebensmittelgeschäft” by memory.
Check yourself!
What expressions will you use if you want to:
say what products you would like to buy
ask the cost of the products
find out where you can find certain goods
say that you don’t need anything else
