Grammar
German Parts of Speech (Wortarten)
Introduction to German parts of speech (Wortarten), covering key categories such as nouns, verbs, adjectives, pronouns, and more, along with their roles, grammatical behavior, and importance in building correct sentences.
German Grammar
Wortarten
Parts of Speech
Nouns
Verbs
Adjectives
German Parts of Speech (Wortarten)
Every German word belongs to one of 10 parts of speech (Wortarten).
1.Variable
These change form depending on case, gender, number, person, tense, etc.
1.1. Declinable (deklinierbar)
Change based on case (Nominativ, Akkusativ, Dativ, Genitiv)
| index | Part of Speech | German | How It Changes | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Noun 📓 | Nomen |
Declined (Case, Number) | Has gender & plural |
| 2 | Article 📝 | Artikel |
Declined (Case, Gender, Number) | Definite & indefinite |
| 3 | Pronoun 🗣️ | Pronomen |
Declined (Case, Gender, Number) | Replaces noun |
| 4 | Adjective 🎨 | Adjektiv |
Declined and Compared | Changes endings |
| 5 | Numeral 🔢 | Numerale |
Some are declined depending on usage | Numbers (sometimes decline) |
1.2. Conjugable (konjugierbar)
Change based on Person, Tense, Mood
| Index | Part of Speech | German | How It Changes | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | Verb 🏃 | Verb |
Conjugated (Person, Number, Tense, Mood) | only fully conjugated class |
2. Invariable
This means that the word itself does not change its stem form
- it is neither declined nor conjugated.
| Index | Part of Speech | German | Example | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Adverb 🏃💨 | Adverb |
heute, schnell | Describes verb |
| 2 | Preposition 📍 | Präposition |
mit, auf | Governs case |
| 3 | Conjunction 🧲 | Konjunktion |
und, weil | Connects clauses |
| 4 | Interjection ❗ | Interjektion |
oh!, ah! | Emotion/sound |
Memory Map
mindmap
root((Parts of Speech))
Variable(Variable X)
Declinable
Noun(Nomen 📓)
Article(Artikel 📝)
Adjective(Adjektiv 🎨)
Pronoun(Pronomen 🗣️)
Numeral(Numerale 🔢)
Conjugable
Verb(Verb 🏃)
Invariable(Invariable C)
Adverb(Adverb 🏃💨)
Preposition(Präposition 📍)
Conjunction(Konjunktion 🧲)
Interjection(Interjektion ❗)
German Grammar Roadmap (A1–B2)
1. Parts of Speech (Wortarten)
Variable (Inflected)
- Verb (Verb)
- Article (Artikel)
- Noun (Nomen/Substantiv)
- Pronoun (Pronomen)
- Adjective (Adjektiv)
- Numeral (Numerale)
Invariable
- Adverb (Adverb)
- Preposition (Präposition)
- Conjunction (Konjunktion)
- Interjection (Interjektion)
2. Nouns (Nomen)
-
Gender (der, die, das)
-
Singular & Plural
-
Compound nouns
-
Capitalization
-
Cases
- Nominative
- Accusative
- Dative
- Genitive
-
Noun declension
-
Noun-forming suffixes
3. Articles (Artikel)
Definite
- der
- die
- das
Indefinite
- ein
- eine
Negative
- kein
Zero article
4. Pronouns (Pronomen)
- Personal
- Possessive
- Reflexive
- Demonstrative
- Relative
- Interrogative
- Indefinite
- Reciprocal
- Impersonal (es)
5. Adjectives (Adjektive)
-
Predicate adjectives
-
Attributive adjectives
-
Adjective endings
- After definite article
- After indefinite article
- Without article
-
Comparative
-
Superlative
-
Participial adjectives
6. Verbs (Verben)
Types
- Regular
- Irregular
- Mixed
- Separable
- Inseparable
- Modal
- Reflexive
- Auxiliary
- Impersonal
- Transitive
- Intransitive
Conjugation
- Present
- Past
- Future
7. Tenses (Zeitformen)
Present
- Präsens
Past
- Präteritum
- Perfekt
- Plusquamperfekt
Future
- Futur I
- Futur II
8. Voice (Genus Verbi)
Active (Aktiv)
- Present
- Past
- Future
Passive (Passiv)
Vorgangspassiv
- Präsens
- Präteritum
- Perfekt
- Plusquamperfekt
- Futur I
Zustandspassiv
- Present
- Past
- Future
Passive with Modal Verbs
9. Mood (Modus)
Indicative
- Indikativ
Imperative
- Commands
Subjunctive
Konjunktiv I
- Reported speech
Konjunktiv II
- Wishes
- Polite requests
- Unreal situations
- Advice
würde + Infinitiv
10. Sentence Structure (Satzbau)
- Main clauses
- Subordinate clauses
- Verb-second rule
- Verb-final rule
- Questions
- Negation
- Position of nicht
- Position of adverbs
- Position of objects
11. Cases (Fälle)
- Nominative
- Accusative
- Dative
- Genitive
Case usage
- Articles
- Pronouns
- Adjectives
12. Prepositions (Präpositionen)
Accusative
- für
- ohne
- durch
- gegen
- um
- bis
Dative
- aus
- bei
- mit
- nach
- seit
- von
- zu
- gegenüber
Two-way
- an
- auf
- hinter
- in
- neben
- über
- unter
- vor
- zwischen
Genitive
- während
- trotz
- wegen
- innerhalb
- außerhalb
13. Conjunctions (Konjunktionen)
Coordinating
- und
- oder
- aber
- denn
- sondern
Subordinating
- weil
- dass
- wenn
- als
- bevor
- nachdem
- obwohl
- während
- falls
- seit
- bis
Correlative
- entweder...oder
- sowohl...als auch
- weder...noch
- nicht nur...sondern auch
14. Infinitive Constructions
- zu + Infinitiv
- um...zu
- ohne...zu
- statt...zu
15. Relative Clauses
- der, die, das
- welcher
- Relative pronouns
- Relative prepositions
- wo / wohin / woher
16. Questions
- Yes/No
- W-questions
- Indirect questions
17. Negation
- nicht
- kein
- double negatives
18. Word Formation (Wortbildung)
- Prefixes
- Suffixes
- Compound words
- Nominalization
- Verb formation
- Adjective formation
19. Numbers (Numerale)
- Cardinal
- Ordinal
- Fractions
- Percentages
- Dates
- Time
20. Adverbs
- Time
- Place
- Manner
- Reason
- Frequency
21. Particles
- Modal particles
- Focus particles
- Answer particles
22. Reported Speech
- Konjunktiv I
- dass clauses
- Tense changes
23. Common Grammar Patterns
- es gibt
- man
- lassen
- brauchen zu
- sein zu
- haben zu
- bekommen + Partizip II
- werden + Infinitiv
- werden + Partizip II
24. B1/B2 Advanced Grammar
- Extended passive
- Passive alternatives
- Nominalization
- Participle constructions
- Infinitive clauses
- Complex connectors
- Relative clauses with prepositions
- Double infinitives
- Verbs with prepositions
- Fixed expressions
25. Exam Grammar Checklist
- □ A1 Complete
- □ A2 Complete
- □ B1 Complete
- □ B2 Complete
Track each topic as:
- ✅ Covered
- 🟡 In Progress
- ❌ Missing
