Smells like Bean Spirit

I spend my last four months with learning German in DKFA, Munich. I think 20 hours per week is enough to stick my life with this language along time. Of course i still need more time to be able to both write and speak German fluently, but i am good enough already for the daily conversation, i guess. Some of my friends asked me which language is more difficult, English or German? I will give a “brief introduction” here to answer the question.

What is the first sentence that you learned in English? It will give so many possibility, but i am sure that two of them are : HOW ARE YOU and I LOVE YOU. So, let us take them for examples.

First, let us translate the first sentence directly (2^nd person informal) : HOW = WIE, ARE = BIST, YOU = DU. Unfortunately, the direct translation WIE BIST DU has a different meaning. It means “how good are you”. For example “i am good at singing”. The statement “i am fine” or “i am good” will make people in German thinking about your talent or capability. But WIE BIST DU has a meaning. It doesn’t have the grammar mistake.

The correct answer is WIE GEHT ES DIR (in english : how does it go you). Strange? Funny? OK, but that is only the semantic difference. The way to say something is not same for each language. But consider about the grammar. Notice that DU is transformed to DIR.

Let us move first to the next sentence. Direct translation : I = ICH, LOVE = LIEBEN, YOU = DU. The problem that we get from the direct translation is bigger than the first one. ICH LIEBEN DU has an absolutely grammar mistake. The correct answer is ICH LIEBE DICH. Consider that LIEBEN and DU are transformed.

Let me present the informations and conclusions now :

1. DU is transformed twice, to DICH and DIR. It is called NOMINATIV into AKKUSATIV and DATIV. Most of the verbs in German will be followed with AKKUSATIV form of a personal pronoun and article. The rest will be followed with DATIV form and another rules. You must be able to know which verbs is followed by which rule.

2. Verbs have a different form for each personal pronoun. For example LIEBEN (to love) : ICH (I) = LIEBE, DU (YOU) = LIEBST, ER (HE) = LIEBT, WIR (WE) = LIEBEN, etc. You must be able to know the form of the regular and irregular verbs for each personal pronoun in PRESENT and PAST.

3. Another informations are : All nouns in German are classified in 3 genus, that are Maskulinum, Feministin, Neutrum. You must be able to know the articles of the nouns. For example : the car (DAS AUTO) is Neutrum, the bird (DER VOGEL) is Maskulinum and the cat (DIE KATZE) is Feministin. And German still has so many other rules.

What do you think now? I will say, that German is more difficult than English. Too many rules to think. It is normal in Germany, if people make few or many mistakes in a conversation on the street.

So, are you interested to learn German? ^^