"America cultivates best what Germany brought forth."
(Benjamin Franklin)
(Benjamin Franklin)
Online German Courses for Absolute Beginners and Levels A1 to C2
A German Course Online Especially for Absolute Beginners
PRICE: 19.50 Euros per 60 minutes
If you would like to give German a try for the very first time but are a little hesitant because you believe you may not have what it takes to master a foreign language, this course is for you. In just four steps, it offers an easy approach to learning a second language. Each lesson is supported by many pictures and illustrations as well as audios and videos. And at the end of each step, we are going to consolidate and practice what you have learned with a lot of training exercises. Its purpose above all is to ease you into the study of a second language and also, to give you just enough basic German so it will be less challenging for you to eventually begin with a standardized A1 German course.
Customized German Courses Online at All Levels A1 to C2
PRICE: 19.50 Euros per 60 minutes
If you have been thinking about taking a German course but you don't have the time or opportunity to attend a standard course at a language institute, I offer you similar courses from level A1 to C2. My courses contain all the subject matter you need if you want to learn German and eventually obtain a "Deutsch Zertifikat". However, each individual lesson can be specifically tailored to your learning needs and progress, and you can decide how many hours per week you want to take. This allows you to study and advance on your own terms, without the group pressure often experienced in courses with large numbers of students.
The personalized lessons in Google Drive are all being supported by PDF books, audio and video files, and corresponding Google Docs grammar lessons I have created myself.
The personalized lessons in Google Drive are all being supported by PDF books, audio and video files, and corresponding Google Docs grammar lessons I have created myself.
German Exam Preparation Courses Online for All German Certificate Levels A1 to C2
PRICE: 19.50 Euros per 60 minutes
If you need help preparing for an exam, for example at the Goethe Institute, I have specially designed exam preparation courses. These courses are intended to familiarize you with what the exam will be like and contain mostly training exercises for the four sections reading, listening, writing and speaking. However, they require that you already have a good command of the certificate's language level you want to obtain. During the course, I am going to show you how to best approach each individual task or question and what you should focus upon to get them done as fast as possible. There is a time limit for every section and task.
But whether you are planning to get a Goethe certificate, a TELC certificate, an ÖSD diploma or an officially recognized certificate from other venues around the world, their formats are all pretty much the same since all official language certificates have to comply with the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). So if you need a German certificate for work, a visa or for any other official purposes, make sure it follows the CEFR standards and is recognized as an official language certificate in Germany. If not sure, contact your nearest German embassy and confirm with them first before you sign up.
I am going to provide you with all the material you need. But please, plan ahead. Don't wait until the last minute. Give yourself plenty of time to do this properly.
But whether you are planning to get a Goethe certificate, a TELC certificate, an ÖSD diploma or an officially recognized certificate from other venues around the world, their formats are all pretty much the same since all official language certificates have to comply with the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). So if you need a German certificate for work, a visa or for any other official purposes, make sure it follows the CEFR standards and is recognized as an official language certificate in Germany. If not sure, contact your nearest German embassy and confirm with them first before you sign up.
I am going to provide you with all the material you need. But please, plan ahead. Don't wait until the last minute. Give yourself plenty of time to do this properly.
Personal Grammar Lessons Online for German Learners seeking additional support
PRICE: 19.50 Euros per 60 minutes
Having trouble comprehending German grammar? If you are already taking German lessons somewhere else but sometimes, you could use a little extra help with grammar, I would be happy to tutor you in German grammar. I personally find grammar fascinating and enjoy teaching it. The lessons will be individually prepared for you according to your grammar needs and will particularly focus on helping you to better understand the grammatical structure of German at the level you currently have. I already have a lot of prepared grammar files for all the important topics at every level. I can share them with you via Google Drive where we can do them together during our session online. And if necessary, I can also add more personalized support to each session. How many sessions you want is up to you.
Below, I have posted one of my grammar lessons as an example so you can see how I explain German grammar. Please check it out!
Below, I have posted one of my grammar lessons as an example so you can see how I explain German grammar. Please check it out!
○ I also have German course specially for children.
The Subject and the Predicate
1. The Positions of the Subject and the Verbs of the Predicate
The subject element as well as the predicate element are the two most important grammatical features. Together, they form the backbone of every sentence and express the fundamental idea of the statement.
The predicate element consists of either a single conjugated main verb ("Präsens" and "Präteritum") or a combination of a conjugated auxiliary or modal verb with a non-conjugated main verb ("Partizip II" or "Infinitiv").
There are three important rules in German grammar that clearly determine where in a statement, one must position the subject and the verb or verbs of the predicate. I like to call them Rule No.1, Rule No.2 and Rule No.3 since these rules are "literally" the first three most important rules in German grammar. As they undoubtedly place those elements into fixed positions, the rules also help you to extract the most essential elements, which can be important when a sentence has quite a few additional elements. Once you have localized the subject element, you now know who or what the sentence is making a statement about. And after you have found the verb or verbs of the predicate element, you can also tell what the sentence is fundamentally saying about the subject and whether the statement occurred in the past, the present or the future. Most other additional elements have more flexible position rules. So by being able to at least count on the fixed positions of the subject and the predicate, you can more easily extract the basic idea of a sentence's statement.
The predicate element consists of either a single conjugated main verb ("Präsens" and "Präteritum") or a combination of a conjugated auxiliary or modal verb with a non-conjugated main verb ("Partizip II" or "Infinitiv").
There are three important rules in German grammar that clearly determine where in a statement, one must position the subject and the verb or verbs of the predicate. I like to call them Rule No.1, Rule No.2 and Rule No.3 since these rules are "literally" the first three most important rules in German grammar. As they undoubtedly place those elements into fixed positions, the rules also help you to extract the most essential elements, which can be important when a sentence has quite a few additional elements. Once you have localized the subject element, you now know who or what the sentence is making a statement about. And after you have found the verb or verbs of the predicate element, you can also tell what the sentence is fundamentally saying about the subject and whether the statement occurred in the past, the present or the future. Most other additional elements have more flexible position rules. So by being able to at least count on the fixed positions of the subject and the predicate, you can more easily extract the basic idea of a sentence's statement.
The Three Position Rules for the Subject and Predicate in German
IMPORTANT: Although these three rules do clearly define the positions of those elements, in German, unlike in English, the actual positions differ in a main clause and a subordinate clause. A single main sentence which can stand by itself is grammatically a main clause. A subordinate clause, however, cannot stand by itself and is always linked to a main clause by a subordinating conjunction (e.g. weil, wenn, dass). Usually, the subordinate clause is directly linked to its main clause by a comma. But sometimes, a subordinate clause wants to link back and respond to a previously mentioned sentence or question and then, the subordinate clause can be expressed as a single sentence.
A single word does not always represent a sentence element. Often, it is part of a group of words which together make up the sentence element. For example:
The Subject Element - Example
In German, the prepositional elements are often found at the beginning of a sentence and then, they actually represent the first sentence element. So when we talk about positions here, we mean the positions of the sentence elements regardless of how many words they contain. You will be able to see this now in my examples below.
2. The Three Rules for the Main Clause (Hauptsatz)
The Three Rules for the Main Clause in German - Examples
3. The Three Rules for the Subordinate Clause (Nebensatz)
The Three Rules for the Subordinate Clause in German - Examples
So you know, it is possible to position certain elements before the subject in a subordinate clause. But this is only optional. There is nothing wrong to always place the subject after the conjunction. Here are two examples:
A Dative Pronoun and an Adverb of Time Before the Subject in a Subordinate Clause
4. Position Change of the Conjugated Verb
Here, I want to show you how only the conjugated verb changes its position when a single main sentence is being transformed into a subordinate clause. This is an example that shows when a subordinate clause can be expressed as a single sentence. Since the subordinating conjunction "weil" indicates a response to the question "warum", there is no need to mention the main clause as it is clearly implied by the question.
Position Change of the Conjugated Verb in German
5. The Position of a Subordinate Clause
Some subordinate clauses can also be placed before the main clause. In such case, the subordinate clause becomes the first sentence element of the full sentence. The conjugated verb of the main clause must therefore be positioned right after the comma into second position, and then the subject into third position after the conjugated verb. A subordinate clause is indeed a sentence element of the whole sentence.
Position of the Subordinate Clause in a Sentence