Daily Language Challenge
'Er' Definition
What is the meaning of the German word 'Er'?
The word 'Er' is a German word that can mean 'He' in English. You can find example sentences below to help you understand how to use the word in context.
Definition of 'Er' in English
German Challenges
Beginner
Which word is correctly declined in the nominative singular case?
Der Wald ist grün und voller Leben.
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In this specific context, 'Wald' is the correct noun as it is in nominative singular form. This case is used for the subject of a sentence. In this context, it means 'forest'. The other options 'Wälder' (plural), 'Walde' (singular in dated dative form), or 'Waldes' (genitive) do not fit into the sentence properly.
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Intermediate
Which preposition correctly pairs with the verb "sich freuen" to mean "to be happy about"?
Ich freue mich über mein Geburtstagsgeschenk
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The correct preposition to use with "sich freuen" to convey the meaning of "to be happy about" is "über", making the expression "sich freuen über". The sentence "Ich freue mich über mein Geburtstagsgeschenk" means "I am happy about my birthday gift.".
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Intermediate
Which preposition correctly pairs with the verb "warten" to mean "to wait for"?
Ich warte auf den Bus
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The correct preposition to use with "warten" to convey the meaning of "to wait for" is "auf", making the expression "warten auf". The sentence "Ich warte auf den Bus" means "I am waiting for the bus." The other prepositions cannot be used to express the act of waiting for something or someone.Did you know? Prepositions in German can change the case of the noun that follows them. In the case of "warten auf", the preposition "auf" requires the noun to be in the accusative case.
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Beginner
Fill in the blanks with the correct form of the personal pronoun 'du' in the dative case.
Ich habe dir bereits die Einladung gegeben
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The dative case form of the personal pronoun 'du' (you) is 'dir'. In the sentence, 'dir' is used as the indirect object, receiving the action of the verb. Here, the verb 'gegeben' ("given" - to give) requires an indirect object to indicate to whom the book is given. 'Du' changes to 'dir' in the dative case to reflect its role as the recipient of the action in the sentence.
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Beginner
Fill in the blanks with the correct form of the definite article "the" in the accusative case for a Neuter noun.
Ich sehe das Auto.
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In the given sentence, "Ich sehe das Auto," the word "Auto" is a neuter noun. In German, "Auto" is "das Auto" in the nominative case. Since neuter nouns do not change their article in the accusative case, "das" remains "das" even when it is the direct object of the verb "sehen" (to see). Therefore, the correct sentence is "Ich sehe das Auto," which translates to "I see the car" in English.
Remembering that neuter and feminine articles do not change in the accusative case can be very helpful. It means that every time you see "das" or "die" as an article for a single noun, it will remain the same in the accusative case. Keep practicing to get the hang of these changes in the different cases!
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Beginner
Conjugate the modal verb "wollen" to fit the sentence.
Ihr wollt tanzen lernen
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The correct form for 'wollen' in the second person plural is 'wollt'. The full translation is "You (plural) want to learn to dance".
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Beginner
Which adjective correctly describes the feminine noun in the nominative case?
Er fand eine alte, verfallene Hütte
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The adjective 'alte' is the correct word to use here because it is in the nominative case, feminine form. This adjective describes the noun 'Hütte', which is a feminine noun. 'Alt', the base form of the adjective, 'alten', the masculine or dative plural form, and 'altes', the neutral form, would all be incorrect in this context because they do not match the gender of the noun being described.
Beginner
Fill in the blanks with the correct form of the indefinite article "a/an" ("eine") in the dative case for a feminine noun.
Ich schenke einer Freundin eine Blume.
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The sentence indicates the indirect object in the dative case. We are giving a flower to a friend (female). The correct form of the indefinite article for feminine nouns in the dative case is "einer." Therefore, the sentence should be "Ich schenke einer Freundin eine Blume," which means "I give a flower to a friend (female)" in English.
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Intermediate
Which preposition correctly pairs with the verb "kaufen" to mean "to buy for"?
Ich kaufe ein Geschenk für meine Freundin
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The correct preposition to use with "kaufen" to convey the meaning of "to buy for" is "für", making the expression "kaufen für". The sentence "Ich kaufe ein Geschenk für meine Freundin" means "I am buying a gift for my girlfriend." The other prepositions cannot be used to express the act of buying something for someone. Remember: In German, prepositions can change the case of the noun that follows them. In the case of "kaufen für", the preposition "für" requires the noun to be in the accusative case.
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Intermediate
Which auxiliary verb correctly completes the sentence to fit the context given?
Ich bin nach Berlin gefahren.
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When using the verb 'fahren' in the German past tense, 'sein' is the correct auxiliary verb to indicate movement or travel, such as in 'Ich bin nach Berlin gefahren' which means 'I traveled to Berlin'. The choice of 'sein' over 'haben' is pivotal in such contexts because 'fahren' is an intransitive verb that implies a change of location, a state where 'sein' is appropriate to express the action. However, in the sentence 'Ich habe das Auto gefahren' ('I have driven the car'), it uses 'haben' because it emphasizes the action of driving a specific object – the car. Understanding the nuances of 'haben' and 'sein' helps in accurately conveying past actions and is essential for fluency in German.
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