A Foundation Course in Reading German, 2017a

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Offline Textbook | A Foundation Course in Reading German https://courses.dcs.wisc.edu/wp/readinggerman/print-entire-textbook/ Page 127 of 151 12/8/2017 Es ist den Engländern gelungen, über den Stillen Ozean zu segeln. The Englishmen succeeded in sailing across the Pacific Ocean. This verb is what we call an impersonal verb: the grammatical subject is es, and the verb’s actor is in the dative case. We, however, ignore the es and translate the dative pronoun / noun as the subject. sich handeln um (to be a matter of, to deal with) Hier handelt es sich um das neue Modell. Here we are dealing with the new model. [or:] This has to do with the new model. Es handelt sich darum, Geld zu verdienen. It is a matter of earning money. liegen an (to be due to / to be the cause of) Das liegt an den Katastrophen in diesem Land. That is due to the catastrophes in this country. Es liegt daran, daß die Autofirma in die Verlustzone gerutscht ist. The cause is that the auto company slid into the loss column. denken an (to think about, to think of) Haben Sie oft an Ihre Tante gedacht? Did you often think about your aunt? [or:] Has your aunt often come to mind? Prepositions Used Idiomatically In Unit 5 we listed the major prepositions and their most common meanings. You should have noticed by this point in the course that a preposition – just as in English – will always take on an idiomatic meaning when used with a certain verb or noun. Note the varied translations of um and an in the preceding examples. While it is a good idea to learn idiomatic expressions, you will be able to understand prepositions correctly only if you always consider the context of the sentence. For example, in the following sentence für is best translated as “in” to fit our English idiom. You would first discover this by consulting your dictionary entry for interessieren. Der Student interessiert sich für die Musik. The student is interested in music.
Offline Textbook | A Foundation Course in Reading German https://courses.dcs.wisc.edu/wp/readinggerman/print-entire-textbook/ Page 128 of 151 12/8/2017 Likewise, in the next sentence, auf is best translated as “for.” You would first learn that when you consult your dictionary entry for warten. An der Straßenecke wartet der Vater auf seine Kinder. The father waits for his children at the street corner. Two examples of an idiomatic combination with a noun are zum Wohl! and zu Hause which you would find explained in your dictionary under Wohl and Haus, respectively. When in doubt about the meaning of a preposition, consult the dictionary entry for the preposition’s object (noun) and/or the verb of the clause. You may see that the noun and/or verb (along with the preposition) together take on an idiomatic meaning when used in combination. Unit: 16: Finishing touches 4. Particles You will have seen and will continue to see in German-language texts the adverbs that are listed below. They are used often in German to add shades of meaning and emphasis to German sentences, and are not usually translateable with one-word equivalents. In fact, it is sometimes better to avoid trying to add a corresponding word to your translation. Instead, simply take the effect of these particles into consideration as you select the most appropriate translations of other words and phrases in the sentence. auch doch ja schon also, even really, nevertheless, but certainly, after all certainly, to be sure already, even Unit: 16: Finishing touches 5. Imperative Mood
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A Foundation Course in Reading German, 2017a

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