Chapter 1A1
Der Schlüssel
The Key
Before you read
ich bin and ist
Use ich bin for I am: Ich bin Emma. Use ist for one person or thing: Das Café ist klein. German puts the verb in the second position in a simple statement.
Learn nouns with their article
German nouns begin with a capital letter and come with a grammatical gender. Learn each pair together: der Schlüssel, die Tür, das Café, der Kaffee, das Brot, die Oma, das Foto, and die Küche.
in der and in dem
After in for a fixed location, the article can change: in der Küche and in dem Café. In dem is often shortened to im.
sagt marks the speaker
Sagt means says. Emma sagt can introduce her words, while sagt Emma can follow them.
Gengenbach is old.
Emma is here now.
That is Gengenbach.
Emma says, "Hello, Gengenbach."
The café is here.
The little café is old.
Emma says, "The café?"
"Hello," Emma says.
The door is small.
The old door is here.
The key is in the door.
Emma says, "The key is good."
Now Emma is inside the café.
That is Grandma's café.
"Grandma's café," Emma says.
The kitchen is in the café.
The kitchen is small and old.
The photo is in the kitchen.
The old photo is small.
That is Grete.
Grete is the grandmother.
Emma says, "Hello, Grandma."
"I am Emma," Emma says.
"I am here now."
Emma is here.
Grete's photo is here.
Emma says, "The café is small."
That is Grandma's photo.
"Hello, Grandma," Emma says.
Emma is here, and the photo is here.
"Good morning," Hilde says.
Hilde is in the kitchen.
Emma is in the kitchen now.
The bread is here.
The coffee is here.
Hilde says, "Good morning."
Emma says, "Hello?"
Hilde says, "Bread."
Now Hilde says, "Coffee."
"Thank you," Emma says.
Emma says, "I am Emma."
Hilde says, "I am Hilde."
Hilde is here, and Emma is here.
The old kitchen is small.
Grandma's photo is in the kitchen.
The coffee is good.
The bread is good.
"Good," Emma says.
Hilde says, "Thank you."
Emma says, "Bread and coffee."
"Coffee and bread," Hilde says.
Emma says, "Good bread."
Hilde says, "Good coffee."
Emma says, "Thank you."
Hilde says, "Grete."
Emma says, "Grandma."
Hilde says, "Grandma and Hilde."
The little café is Grandma's café.
Emma is in Grandma's café now.
"I am here," Emma says.
Chapter 1 complete
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