h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Im here ready to learn...and I've even got a question! Why are there three ways of saying "why"?

Wieso weshalb warum - wer nicht fragt bleibt dumm ( songline from the German 'Sesamy Street' - and you can even ask 'weswegen' - so that makes four ways, but I don't know why, I'm

So you can use any of them at any time?

Yes and no. I think 'wieso' is a bit more informal, what you generally ask is ' warum', the other three are just to vary the language, so you don't get bored in an interrogation

NOTE TO ALL:

We will be minus our HoD for a while due to severe computer problems. In the meantime hopefully B'elana will continue teaching on her own cheered on by all of us.

Thank you

*cheers her on*

So, do you think you can build some sentences with the interrogatives ?

wo sind meine Socken?
Warum ist mein Hund schwarz?
Wie mache ich ein Tisch?
wann ist B'elanas Geburtstag?
Wessen Socken sind diese?



****

where are my socks?
Why is my dog black?
How do I make a table?
When is B'elana's birthday?
Whose socks are these?

Well done Kath




Wie mache ich einen Tisch

and you'd rather say : Wessen Socken sind das or ---diese hier

and now write the answers

wo sind meine Socken?
Warum ist mein Hund schwarz?
Wie mache ich ein Tisch?
wann ist B'elanas Geburtstag?
Wessen Socken sind diese?

Meine Socken auf meinem Bett sind.
Weil mein Hund ist gemalt!
Ich weiss nicht wie mann einem Tisch machen.
B'elanas Geburtstag ist...ist...ein Geheimnis
Das Socken sind mein Vaters.

****
Not sure about word order there.

My socks are on my bed.
Because my dog is painted!
I do not know how one makes a table.
B'elanas birthday is...is...a secret
The socks are my fathers.

Wer hat meine Augen?
Wie esse ich mein Bein?
Wo ist die Musik?
Wann ist Ostern?
Warum habe ich einen Rock?

Who has my eyes?
How do I eat my leg?
Where is the music?
When is Easter?
Why do I have a skirt?


I think I didn't do that right... don't know why... I just think it.

Dani : well done, everything's correct

Kath : Meine Socken sind auf meinem Bett ( same word order as in English)
Weil mein Hund gemalt ist oder:
Weil mein Hund angemalt ist - I don't know which you mean
Ich weiß nicht wie man einen ( Akkusativ) Tisch macht. ( man macht, unlike in English, where you use to + infinitiv)
Das sind (die) Socken meines Vaters.
Mein Geburtstag ist am Boxing Day

"Das sind (die) Socken meines Vaters"

Why?? Im so confused!

Why are you confused ? You forgot to put the modal verb in your first sentence ( sind ), and if you are referring to a specified pair of socks,you put the article - die, if they're only some socks of the very many socks of your father's, then you leave the article, I think in this case, you'd say 'they're some of my father's socks' in English.

Oh right okay...sorry I got confused. That's a good point...we haven't done modal verbs yet.

*wanders in determined to learn about modal verbs*

MODAL VERBS


Here is a list of modal verbs:

können – can
müssen – must
sollen – shall
werden – will
dürfen – may
brauchen – need
(nicht dürfen – must not)
(nicht müssen – need not)


conjugations:

können – Present Tense

ich kann (I can)
du kannst (you can)
er/sie/es kann (he/she/it can)

wir können (we can)
ihr könnt (you can)
sie können (they can)

formal:
Sie können (you can)


examples:
Ich kann lesen. – I can read.
Du kannst lesen. – You can read.
.
.
.

negative form:
Ich kann nicht lesen. – I cannot read.
Du kannst nicht lesen. – You cannot read.
.
.
.



Is this of any use for you?

Do all the other modal verbs follow the normal verb pattern? Or are they weird like how können turns into kann and kannst?

Do we have normal verb patterns in German at all?

No, they are not conjugated the same way as “können”, if that was the question. Just wanted to be sure that what I’m writing down makes sense to you, before going on conjugating the other words of the list.
Shall I go on?

Yes please