german_sentence_builder

In the plural, the German and English third person pronouns are used identically: gender is
not considered, and all nouns are replaced by a single pronoun, sie (they):
Plural
Pronoun
die Leute people sie they
die Zeitungen newspapers sie they
Man
The third person pronoun man is generally translated as one. But in reality it has other English
translations: you, they, someone, people, and certain phrases expressed in the passive voice. For
example, the most common use of man is in sentences such as these:
Man soll nicht fluchen.
Man kann nie wissen.
Man hat ihn dafür verprügelt.
But other translations can also be used for this pronoun:
Man wartet vor dem Eingang.
Damals glaubte man, dass die Erde flach
war.
Man hat herausgefunden, dass sie das
Geld gestohlen hat.
One should not curse.
You can never tell.
They beat him up for it.
Someone is waiting in front of the entrance.
Back then people believed the earth was flat.
It was discovered that she stole the money.
The pronoun man is not a substitute for a specific noun. It is used to express what people do
in general or to point out that the person or persons carrying out an action are unknown. Man is
used only as a replacement for people and is only used in the nominative case. If another case is
required, a form of einer is used:
Man ist froh, wenn einem ein kleines
Geschenk gegeben wird.
One is happy when one is given a little gift.
When forming German sentences, it is wise to consider carefully whether the English relates
to people in general or specific people. This will help to determine whether man is the appropriate
pronoun for a sentence. For example:
Man liebte den alten König.
Das Volk des Dorfes liebte den alten
König.
People loved the old king. (general)
The people of the village loved the old king.
(specific)
Übung
11·1
Example:
Rewrite each sentence, changing the underlined words and phrases to man or einer, as
appropriate. Make any other necessary changes.
Die Jungen sollen nicht fluchen.
Man soll nicht fluchen.
1. Die Politiker erwarten von den Bürgern respektiert zu werden.
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