I. Clauses and clause word order were discussed in Unit 10. Some common CLAUSE INTRODUCERS were noted there, and additional ones have been added in the intervening units. From Unit 12 on some sentences have occurred containing clauses introduced by the words der, das, die, etc. Note the following examples:
a) Kennen Sie den Herrn, mit dem sie sich unterhält? (12)
Do you know the gentleman she's talking to?
b) Zum Glück stand gerade ein Gepäckträger da, ~ den Koffer gleich ins Abteil brachte. (14)
Luckily a porter just happened to be standing there who took the suitcases right to the compartment.
c) Ich fuhr vor zwei Wochen zur Segelregatta, die jedes Jahr in Kiel stattfindet. d) Gewisse Schwierigkeiten, mit ~ ich gerechnet hatte, sind garnicht eingetreten.
Two weeks ago I went to the sailing regatta that takes place in Kiel every year. (16 ) Certain difficulties I had anticipated didn't arise at all. (16 )
Notice that in these sentences the clauses all refer back or 'relate' to a specific preceding noun. They are called RELATIVE CLAUSES and the words which introduce them are called RELATIVE PRONOUNS. Note that RELATIVE CLAUSES are always introduced by RELATIVE PRONOUNS in German. A RELATIVE PRONOUN does not always appear in English, however.
11. Relative pronoun forms
1. Most RELATIVE PRONOUNS are identical in form with the specifiers der, ~, die, etc. table:
There are a few special forms however. Here is a complete
Referring to:
der-words das-words die-words plural words
Nominative forms
der das die die
Accusative forms
den das die die
Dative forms
dem delll der denen
Genitive forms
dessen delOsen deren deren
The five places in the table where the RELATIVE PRONOUNS have special forms have been underlined.
2. The form of the RELATIVE PRONOUN depends on two factors: the kind of noun it refers back to, or replaces, and its function in the clause it introduces. Thus in paragraph I. example a) above dem refers back to, or replaces a der-word (Herr); it has the dative form following the preposition mit. träger); it has the nominative form as subject of the clause it introduces.
In example b) der also replaces a der-word (Gepäck-
In example c) die replaces a die-word (Segelregatta) and has the nominative form as subject of the clause. In example d) denen replaces the plural word Schwierigkeiten and has the dative form following the preposition mit.
3. In the additional examples below note how the RELATIVE PRONOUNS relate to the words they replace and how they function in the clauses they introduce. To give a clearer picture of these relationships each clause has been written as aseparate sentence on the right.
a) Fahren Sie dann durch den Teutoburger Wald, dessen historische Bedeutung auf die Schlacht im Jahre 9 n.Chr. zurückgeht.
Die historische Bedeutung des Teutoburger Waldes geht auf die Schlacht im Jahre 9 n. ehr. zurück.
b) Im Ruhrgebiet, durch das wir später reisten, wollten wir einige Industriestädte besuchen.
Wir reisten später durch das Ruhrgebiet.
c) Die Konferenz, deren Ergebnis heute abend in der Zeitung stehen wird, fand in der Kongresshalle statt.
Das Ergebnis der Konferenz wird heute abend in der Zeitung stehen.
d) Die Zeitung, in der der Artikel fiber die Verhandlungen mit Bonn stand, kann ich nicht mehr finden.
Der Artikel über die Verhandlungen mit Bonn stand in der Zeitung.
e) Die ausländischen Architekten, deren Arbeit ein wichtiger Beitrag zur Internationalen Bauausstellung ist, werden morgen auf einem Empfang im Rathaus vorgestellt.
Die Arbeit der ausländischen Architekten ist ein wichtiger Beitrag zur Internationalen Bauausstellung.
f) Neumanns, von deren jüngster Tochter ich heute einen Brief bekam, sind noch in Amerika.
Ich bekam heute einen Brief von Neumanns jüngster Tochter.
In a) above dessen refers to Wald, a der-word, indicating a possessive relationship to the noun following it. refers to RUhrgebiet, a das-word, it has the accusative form following the preposition durch. genitive indicating a possessive relationship to the following noun. In d) der refers to zeitung, a die-word, and has the dative form indicating "place where" after the preposition in. a plural word, and is genitive indicating possession. plural relative pronoun deren likewise indicates possession and replaces the plural form Neumanns in the relative clause. Genitive relative pronouns indicating a possessive relationship may be followed either by a noun (c and e ) or by an adjective-noun sequence (a and f ) whose form is determined by its function in the clause. English, between apreposition and its object (f ).
it has the genitive form In b) das In c) deren refers to Konferenz, a die-word and is also In e) deren refers to Architekten, In f} the genitive They mayaIso occur, just as in
B. DEMONSTRATIVE PRONOUNS
I. In Unit 3 we noted that der, das and die when stressed serve to point out things or people. We have had several examples of this use:
a) Wissen Sie, in welcher Gegend das amerikanische Konsulat ist? Das ist hier ganz in der Nähe. (3)
Do you know what part of town the American Consulate is in? It's right near here.
b) Ich muss einige Geschäftsbriefe schreiben. Die schreibe ich nicht gern mit der Hand. (5)
I have to write some business letters. I don't like to write them in longhand.
c) Gut, fangen wir mit dem Teppich an. Den legen wir in die Mitte des Zimmers. (7)
Good, let's begin with the rug. We'll lay it in the middle of the room.
d) Darüber stand neulich bereits ein Artikel in der '~rankfurter Allgemeinen". Ja, aber der war nicht sehr ausführlich. (13)
There was an article about that in the "Frankfurter Allgemeine" recently. Yes, but it wasn't very complete.
These stressed pointing words are called DEMONSTRATIVE PRONOUNS. Note that their form, as with the RELATIVE PRONOUNS, depends on the kind of noun they refer back to, whether a der-, das-, die- or plural word, and on their function in the sentence in which they occur.
11. The forms of the DEMONSTRATIVE PRONOUNS are exactly the same as the forms of the RELATIVE PRONOUNS. Here are some more examples illustrating the forms that are new to you:
a ) Kennen Sie die Geschäfte in der Ludwigstrasse? Ja, in denen habe ich schon after gekauft.
Are you familiar with the stores in the 'Ludwigstrasse'? Yes, l've often shopped in those stores.
b) Der Page brachte das Gepäck von Herrn Schmidt auf dessen Zimmer.
The bellhop brought Mr. Schmidt's luggage up to the latter's room.
c ) Das sind Herr und Frau Schumann. Arbeitet de- ~ Sohn nicht im Wirtschaftsministerium?
That's Mr. and Mrs. Schumann. Isn't their son the one that works at the Ministry of Economic Affairs?
d ) Sie kennen doch Frau Schulze, nicht wahr? ~ Tochter hat zwei Jahre in Amerika studiert.
You know Mrs. Schulze, don't you? It was her daughter who studied at an American university for two years.
Notice that English does not always use a DEMONSTRATIVE PRONOUN where one occurs in German. We often use an unstressed personal pronoun or, with some additional emphasis, repeat the noun. timel:l say "the latter" or, with very strong stress, use a phrase such as those illustrated in examples c) and d).
If there is danger of confusion we some-
111. Remember that RELATIVE PRONOUNS are always followed by CLAUSE WORD ORDER, whereas DEMONSTRATIVE PRONOUNS as such do not affect word order.
C. TIME EXPRESSIONS
I. Further compounds in -mal and the noun das Mal
1. In Unit 13 we noted several time words ending in -mal, most of them compounds with the numerals. A number of time expressions occur with the word Mal as a separate element, not compounded. We have had one example in this Unit:
Dieses Mal standen mir sogar mehrere Tage zur Verfügung.
This time I even had several days at my disposal.
Here are a few other examples:
Das war das letzte Mal~ Nächstes Mal werde ich früher kommen. Ich bin schon mehrere Malt durch die Lüneburger Heide gefahren.
That was the last time~ Next time 1'11 come earlier. l've driven through the Lüneburger Heide several times already.
2. The following, frequently occurring compounds in -mal have not been encountered in the basic sentences: diesmal, ein paarmal, jedesmal.
Diesmal hatten wir keine Schwierigkeiten. Er kommt jedesmal fünfzehn Minuten zu spät. Diese Strecke bin ich schon ein paarmal gefahren.
This time we didn't have any trouble. He comes fifteen minutes late every time. l've already traveled this route a couple of times.
3. Time express ions with Mal or -mal also occur with clauses introduced by dass, wenn or als.
Das letzte Mal, als wir in München waren, konnten wiI nur zwei Tage bleiben. Das ist das erste Mal, dass ich ihn ohne seine Frau sehe Jedesmal, wenn wir nach Hamburg fahren, regnet es. Das nächste Mal, wenn wir nach Berlin fahren, wollen wir unbedingt in die Oper gehen. Als ich das letzte Mal eine Reifenpanne hatte, war keine Tankstelle in der Nähe.
The last time we were in Munich we could only stay two days. This is the first time l've seen him without his wife. Every time we take a trip to Hamburg it rains. The next time we take a trip to Berlin we definitely want to go to the opera. The last time I had a flat tire therE was no gas station nearby.
Note that the clause introducer always occurs in German, although it is usually omitted in English. The time expression sometimes precedes the clause, sometimes occurs within it.
11. The preposition YQf.
"ago"
1. We have already encounte:>:"ed the preposition vor meaning ''before''. unit it occurs with a new meaning: Ich fuhr vor zwei Wochen zur Segelregatta. Vor plus a dative phrase referring to extent of time has the meaning "ago". Note these additional examples:
In this --- Two weeks ago I went to the sailing regatta.
Vor zehn Jahren war der Verkehr auf den Strassen nicht so stark wie jetzt. Vor einer Stunde sass er bei mir im Büro. Ich habe sie vor einigen Tagen gesehen.
Ten years ago the traffic in the streets was not as heavy (severe) as [it is] now. An hour ago he was sitting with me in my office. I saw her a few days ago.
111. The words seit and seitdem
"since"
1. In Unit 12 we n9ted that past time continuing in the present can be indicated by a present tense form of the verb together with the word seit and an adverb or dative phrase. In this unit we have encountered the word seitdem as a clause introducer, or subordinating conjunction: Seitdem ich einen wagen naoe, fahre ich diese Strecke öfter. Seitdem, like seit, together with present tense forms of the verb signals past time continuing in the present, both in the clause it introduces and in the main clause. Here is another example: Seitdem wir in München wohnen, gehen wir jeden Monat ins Theater.
Since I have had a car, I have been traveling this route frequently. Since we've been living in Munich we've been going to the theater every month.
2. Both seit and seitdem may occur in sentences with forms of the past tense or perfect phrase, however: Seit ihrem letzten Besuch hat sie uns nicht mehr angerufen. Ich war seit 1936 nicht mehr in der Lüneburger Heide. Seit vorigem Monat hat er uns erst zweimal angerufen. Seitdem man angefangen hat, die Gebäude wiederaufzubauen, sind viele Schwierigkeiten eI'ilcietreten.
She hasn't called us since her last visit. I haven't (once) been in the 'Lüneburger Heide' since 1936. Since last month he has only called us twice. Since they began to rebuild the buildings many difficulties have arisen.
Notice that in these examples reference is to a specific event, or events, which did or did not occur within aperiod of time beginning in the past and continuing up to the present. In this case i t is the period of time, whose beginning point is established by the phrase with ~ or the clause with seitdem, which has continuing relevance in the present, not necessarily the action or event.
VI ERHUNDERTACHTUNDDREISSIG
BASIC COURSE GER MAN UNIT 16
3. In a few cases seit or seitdem may occur either with a present tense or a perfect phrase:
Seit letztem Sonnabend ruft er mich jeden Tag an. or: hat er mich jeden Tag angerufen.
Hels been calling me up every day Seit letztem Sonnabend since last Saturday.
Without further qualification by other elements of the sentence or by a following statement, both verb forms may imply exactly the same thing, the continuation of past time in the present with the expectation of continuation beyond the present. To this extent they are interchangeable. Where other sentence elements or following statements imply a cut-off ~ , however, only the perfect phrase is used:
Hier hat es seit Tagen geregnet, und heute regnet es immer noch. or: Hier regnet es seit Tagen, und heute regnet es immer noch. but: Hier hat es seit Tagen geregnet, aber heute scheint die Sonne wieder.
It's been raining here for days, and itls still raining today. It's been raining here for days, but today the sun is shining again.
4. Very frequently both present and past tense or perfect phrase forms of the verb occur in sentences with seitdem.
wir sind erst einmal im Museum gewesen, seitdem wir hier wohnen.
We've only been in the museum once since we've been living here.
Seitdem er einen Artikel über zollfreie Spirituosen las, will er nach Helgoland fahren.
Ever since he read an article on duty-free alcoholic beverages he has been wanting to go to Helgoland.
Seitdem ich diese Aufträge bekommen habe, habe ich keine zeit mehr für private Interessen.
Since I received these orders I haven't had any time for my own private interests.
D. PREPOSITIONS - SPECIAL USES OF ~, auf, zu
The use of prepositions i5 often c~nplicated by the fact that there are many situations in which German and English prepositions do not correspond exactly. In English we often say "for" when Germans say "to"; we often say "in" or "at" when Germans say "on". In this and the next several units we will examine some of these situations.
I. Note the following special uses of the preposition ~
1. In referring to a location OI: destination on or by a body of water:
Letzten Sommer waren wir ~ der Ostsee. Wenn ich es zeitlich schaffe, fahre ich noch an den Rhein. Bremen liegt an der Weser. Fahren Sie dieses Jahr ~ die Nordsee?
Last summer we were ~ the Baltic. If I make it in time I'm going to drive to the Rhine. Bremen is situated ~ the Weser. Are you going to the North Sea this year?
2. To indicate the addressee or specific destination of a written communication:
Zuerst einen (Brief) an das Arbeitsamt und dann einen an die Handelskammer. Schreiben Sie ~ die Botschaft. Er schrieb einen langen Brief ~ den Generalkonsul. Wo ist der Bericht ~ die Qualitz G.m.b.H.?
First a (letter) to the Employment Office and then one to the Chamber of Commerce. Write to the Embassy. He wrote a long letter to the Consul General. Where i5 the report to the Qualitz Company?
3. In conjunction with particular adjective, verb or noun forms: Meine Frau kann sich nicht an das Klima gewöhnen. An dem Projekt waren zahlreiche ausländische Architekten beteiligt. Der Tiergarten ist ein Park, der ~ den Zoo grenzt. Sie erwähnten Ihr Interesse an der Geschichte der Insel.
My wife can't get used to the climate. Numerous foreign architects participated in the project. The 'Tiergarten' is a park that borders on the zoo. You mentioned your interest in the history of the island.
11. Here are some special uses of the preposition ~
1. To refer to a location on the surface of a map or picture:
Ich kann die Universität auf dem Stadtplan nicht finden. Die Bäume sind noch auf alten Bildern zu sehen. Ich zeige es Ihnen auf der Autokarte.
I can't find the university 2n the map of the city. The trees still can be seen in old pictures. I '11 show you on the road map.
2. To refer to certain meetings and social gatherings:
Das war auf einer Gesellschaft.
That was at a party.
Ich habe sie auf einem Empfang beim Geueralkonsul kennengelernt. Auf der Konferen~ sprach der Gewerkschaftssekretär über seine Pläne, verschiedene Industriestädte im Ruhrgebiet zu besuchen.
I met her at a reception at the Consul General's. At the conference the union secretary spoke about his plans to visit various industrial cities in the Ruhr.
3. In conjunction with particular adjective, verb or noun forms: Ich freue mich schon auf die Alpen. Jetzt habe ich noch Appetit auf ein stUck Kuchen. Meine Abreise war zuerst auf morgen festgelegt. Die historische Bedeutung des Teutoburger Waldes geht auf die schlacht im Jahre 9 n. ehr. zurück.
I'm lookinq forward to the Alps. Now I still have room for a piece of cake. My departure was originally set for tomorrow. The historical significance of the 'Teutoburger Wald' goes back to the battle in 9 A.D.
111. Note the following special uses of the preposition ~
1. To denote the accompaniment of food and drink:
Und da~ trinken wir Tee. Trinken Sie Bier zum Essen? Ich möchte ein StUck Kuchen zum Kaffee. Ich esse auch Röstkartoffeln zum Rumpsteak.
And we have tea with it. Are you going to have beer with the meal? l'd like a piece of cake with my coffee. 1 ' m going to have fried potatoes with the steak too.
2. To refer to a planned or impending meeting or other undertaking
Er erwartet Sie um fünf Uhr ~ einer Besprechung. Waren Sie im Wirtschaftsministerium zur Konfer~.nz? Sie treffen sich zu einer kleinen Autofahrt.
He's expecting you at five o'clock for a conference. Were you at the Ministry of Economic Affairs for the conference? They meet for (the purpose of) a little drive.
5. In conjunction with particular adjective, noun or verb forms
Dazu haben wir nachher während des Konzerts die beste Gelegenheit. Ich hatte keine Gelegenheit ~ einem Gespräch mit ihm. Früher reichte mir die Zeit nie dazu aus. Haben Sie Zeit zu einer Tasse Kaffee? Das war Amerikas Beitrag zur Internationalen Bauaus" stellung. Haben Sie Lust zu einem Spaziergang durch den Wald?
We'll have the best opportunity for that afterward during the concert. I had no opportunity for a conversation with him. I never had time enough for that before. Do you have time for a cup of coffee? That was America's contribution to the International Architectural Exhibition. Do you feel like ('have the desire for') a walk through the forest?