Certain German grammar topics remain a mystery to those who just try to cram information into their heads. When the founders of DAS Akademie kicked off their top-quality German courses, they were certain of one thing: You need to immerse yourself into the German language to fine-tune your skills. In fact, learning German grammar through conversations, stories and games is effective and fun.
Any favourite German grammar topics?
Today, we asked our teachers to name their picks for favourite German grammar topics, just for fun! Here are their 3 choices. If you would like to learn German grammar online, you might find added motivation in the following answers:
Wechselpräpostionen
My favourite grammar topic in German are “Wechselpräpositionen” – prepositions that can be used in the akkusativ and the dativ case. What makes these seemingly small words so much fun is how much they alter the meaning of a sentence with sometimes nothing more than changing a single letter. When, instead of saying that the man is walking onto the hill (Der Mann läuft auf den Hügel), I want to express that he is walking round in circles on top of the hill (Der Mann läuft auf dem Hügel), I find this method incredibly simple. Yet, German learners often struggle with the concept and I have heard it being called some unsavoury names in many different languages. This is possibly why I like them so much: Thanks to Wechselpräpositionen I have learned so many new words 🙂
Subordinate Clause Connectors
Naming my favourite German grammar topic is difficult, because there are so many that are important and exciting if you deal with them for long enough. If I had to choose, I would say that my favourite German grammar topic is subordinate clause connectors like “weil”, “dass” and “wenn”. They are three very short words, but they have a big effect on the linguistic competence of my students. As a teacher, my heart beats faster when my students start linking complex structures and thus create conversations that go beyond simple “question-answer games.” And they also notice the change when they cross this magical threshold, which gives them another motivation boost.
Genitiv
My favourite German Grammar topic is Genitiv. It makes you look so sophisticated if you can use it. It is like wearing Rayban glasses while driving a Cadillac. Use this grammatical structure in a formal context and you will gain immediate admiration for your refined German skills. Be mindful not to speak in Genitiv in a Döner Laden though. They might think you have come from outer space. Stick to “wegen dem Geld” to stay cool in the Imbiss context. Needless to mention perhaps, der Dativ ist dem Genitiv sein Tod is one of my favourite German grammar books for advanced learners.
Other German Grammar Topics to Explore
In our previous Blog article, we recommended resources to learn German online for free. Just take a look at our list to find all the German grammar topics you could ever need and to try out a new way of learning them!