'Um' Definition

What is the meaning of the German word 'Um'?

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The word 'Um' is a German word that can mean 'Around' in English. You can find example sentences below to help you understand how to use the word in context.

Definition of 'Um' in English

Um - Around

preposition

The preposition 'um' is commonly used in German to indicate movement around a location or direction. It can be translated as 'around' in English in this context.

Related Words

Bezaubernd

German Challenges

Intermediate

Which auxiliary verb correctly completes the sentence to fit the context given?

Ich bin nach Hause gelaufen.

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'Laufen' is an action verb that indicates movement, thus it generally requires 'sein' as the auxiliary verb when forming the past tense. So, the correct sentence would be 'Ich bin nach Hause gelaufen', which means 'I ran home'. 'Haben' would generally be incorrect in this context. Understanding the appropriate application of 'haben' and 'sein' with different verbs is fundamental in constructing accurate sentences in the German language.
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Beginner

Which coordinating conjunction fits best in this sentence?

Er spricht nicht nur Deutsch, sondern auch Französisch.

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The coordinating conjunction that is used to show a contrasting idea or correction is 'sondern', which means 'but/on the contrary'. 'Sondern' is used specifically after a negation to introduce an alternative or a contrasting statement, implying a correction or refinement of what was negated. It's similar to "but rather" or "but instead" in English.
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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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Intermediate

Which word correctly depicts the action of stealing in the past?

Deine Sachen wurden gestern vom Zimmer gestohlen.

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'Gestohlen' is the past participle of the German verb 'stehlen', which means 'to steal' in English. The past participle is used in this sentence to depict an action that has been done in the past - here, the stealing of the things. The other options are not recognized words in the German language or are the incorrect form of the verb 'stehlen'.
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Beginner

Conjugate the modal verb "dürfen" to fit the sentence below.

Ihr dürft nicht rauchen.

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The correct form for 'dürfen' in the third person plural for a negative statement is 'dürfen'. The full translation is "You (plural) may not smoke".
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Intermediate

Which preposition correctly pairs with the verb "sprechen" to mean "to speak with"?

Er spricht mit seinem Vater

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The correct preposition to use with "sprechen" to convey the meaning of "to speak with" is "mit", making the expression "sprechen mit". The sentence "Er spricht mit seinem Vater" means "He is speaking with his father". The other prepositions are not suitable to express the act of speaking with someone.
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Beginner

Which word correctly identifies the subject of the sentence?

Er öffnet das Buch und beginnt die komplizierten Texte zu lesen.

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In this context, 'Er' is a personal pronoun used in the nominative case, indicating the subject of the sentence, translated as 'He' in English. The pronoun 'Er' is essential here as it refers to a specific male subject who is performing the action. All the other options are personal pronouns as well but in different forms such as 'Ihr' (You - formal), 'Du' (You - informal) and 'Es' (It), and would not fit in this sentence gramatically.
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Beginner

What is the correct form of the definite article "the" in the genitive case for the masculine noun "Baum" (tree)?

Die Blätter des Baumes sind grün.

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The appropriate definite article for masculine nouns in the genitive case is "des." Therefore, the sentence should be "Die Blätter des Baumes sind grün," which translates to "The leaves of the tree are green" in English.
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Intermediate

What is the correct form of the definite article "the" in the genitive case for the masculine noun "Lehrer" (teacher)?

Das ist das Buch des Lehrers.

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The correct definite article for masculine nouns in the genitive case is "des." Therefore, the sentence should be "Das ist das Buch des Lehrers," which translates to "That is the teacher's book" in English.
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Beginner

Which coordinating conjunction fits best in this sentence?

Ich konnte nicht schlafen, denn ich hatte viel Kaffee getrunken.

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The coordinating conjunction 'denn' is used to give an explanation or reason for a stated fact or action. Therefore, in this context 'denn' is the best fit as it explains why the person couldn't sleep (because they had a lot of coffee).
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