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What comes back
Every word with the dictionary form it comes from and the endings it carries here: case, number, gender, tense, and the job it does in the clause. Then the grammar rules the sentence uses, each one linked to the words that show it.
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Read today's news
German published today, taken apart sentence by sentence. Every line links back to the article it came from.
My words
What you saved, and when each card comes back.
The lexicon
Every word this backend has met, commonest first. The count is what it has read, not an estimate.
Grammar rules
The sixty-nine rules the analysis chooses from, A1 to B2. Open one to read it with the sentences that use it. A rule the analysis wanted and could not find waits here as proposed until a person approves it.
- Accusative CaseAkkusativ The accusative marks the direct object: the thing the action is done to. Only the masculine changes visibly, from der to den and from ein to einen, which is why the masculine is where accusative errors show. A1 76 sentences
- Prepositions with the AccusativePräpositionen mit Akkusativ Durch, für, gegen, ohne and um always take the accusative, whatever they mean and whatever follows them. A2 46 sentences
- Adjectives Used as NounsNominalisierte Adjektive An adjective can be capitalised and used as a noun, and it goes on taking adjective endings: der Alte, ein Alter, etwas Neues. B1 18 sentences
- Mixed Adjective EndingsGemischte Adjektivdeklination After ein, kein and a possessive, the adjective takes strong endings exactly where the article shows nothing, which is the masculine nominative and the neuter nominative and accusative, and weak endings everywhere else. B1 49 sentences
- Strong Adjective EndingsStarke Adjektivdeklination With no article in front of it the adjective has to carry the case marking itself, so it takes the endings the definite article would have had, with the exception of the masculine and neuter genitive singular. B1 45 sentences
- Weak Adjective EndingsSchwache Adjektivdeklination After a definite article the adjective ending is e in the five nominative and accusative singular slots and en everywhere else, because the article has already shown the case and gender. A2 58 sentences
- als, wenn and wannals, wenn, wann Three words where English has when. Als is a single completed occasion in the past, wenn is a repeated occasion or a condition, and wann is only ever a question. A2 1 sentence
- Comparative and SuperlativeKomparativ und Superlativ German adds er and st rather than using more and most, however long the adjective. Many one syllable adjectives take an umlaut, and the superlative before a noun takes an ordinary adjective ending while a standalone one uses am plus sten. A2 35 sentences
- Compound NounsKomposita German builds long nouns by joining shorter ones. The last part carries the gender and the plural, and everything before it modifies what follows, so a compound is read from the right. A2 130 sentences
- Concessive ClausesKonzessivsätze Obwohl and obgleich introduce a subordinate clause and send the verb to the end; trotzdem is an adverb and keeps the verb in second position. Mixing the two is a common error. B1 no sentences yet
- Conditional ClausesKonditionalsätze Wenn introduces a condition and sends its verb to the end. The wenn can be dropped, in which case the verb moves to the front of the clause instead. B1 8 sentences
- Coordinating ConjunctionsNebenordnende Konjunktionen Und, aber, oder, denn and sondern join two main clauses and do not count as an element, so the word order after them is unchanged and the verb stays in second position. A1 51 sentences
- Paired ConjunctionsMehrteilige Konjunktionen Entweder oder, sowohl als auch, weder noch, nicht nur sondern auch and je desto come in two parts. Weder noch negates by itself, and je desto sends the verb to the end of the je clause. B1 3 sentences
- da-CompoundsDa-Komposita Where a preposition would be followed by a pronoun standing for a thing rather than a person, German fuses the two: damit, darauf, davon. An r appears between them when the preposition begins with a vowel. B1 16 sentences
- Dates and TimesDatum und Uhrzeit Dates take am with an ordinal in the dative, and clock times take um. Halb counts forward to the coming hour, so halb acht is half past seven. A2 4 sentences
- Dative CaseDativ The dative marks the indirect object, usually the person something is given, said or shown to. A number of common verbs take a dative object where English would use a direct one, and several prepositions always take it. A2 70 sentences
- Prepositions with the DativePräpositionen mit Dativ Aus, außer, bei, mit, nach, seit, von and zu always take the dative. Several of them contract with the article: von dem becomes vom, zu der becomes zur. A2 96 sentences
- Verbs Taking the DativeVerben mit Dativ Helfen, danken, folgen, gefallen, gehören, passen, antworten and a few dozen others take a dative object where English would use a direct one. Ich helfe dir, never ich helfe dich. A2 5 sentences
- Definite ArticleBestimmter Artikel Der, die and das change their form according to the gender, number and case of the noun. The full set of sixteen forms is the backbone of the case system, because most other endings follow the same pattern. A1 8 sentences
- DemonstrativesDemonstrativpronomen Dieser and jener decline like the definite article. The article forms themselves are also used demonstratively in speech, with stress doing the work: Den kenne ich. B1 9 sentences
- Double InfinitiveDoppelter Infinitiv A modal in the perfect uses an infinitive rather than a participle, giving two infinitives at the end. In a subordinate clause the finite verb jumps in front of them instead of standing last. B2 3 sentences
- Extended Participle PhrasesErweiterte Partizipialattribute Formal written German can expand a participle before a noun into a long phrase standing between the article and the noun, where English would use a relative clause after it. B2 6 sentences
- Formal Address with SieSiezen Sie, always capitalised, is the polite form for one person or several. It takes the same verb form as the third person plural, so only the capital letter and the context tell Sie and sie apart. A1 5 sentences
- Future TenseFutur I Werden plus an infinitive at the end of the clause. German uses it less than English does, because the present with a time expression already says the future; werden often carries a shade of prediction or intention rather than simple futurity. A2 3 sentences
- Genitive CaseGenitiv The genitive shows possession and follows a small set of prepositions. Masculine and neuter nouns add s or es. In speech it is often replaced by von plus the dative, but it is alive in writing and in fixed expressions. B1 86 sentences
- Prepositions with the GenitivePräpositionen mit Genitiv Während, wegen, trotz, statt and a longer list in formal writing take the genitive, though the dative is widely heard with them in speech. B1 17 sentences
- ImperativeImperativ Commands have three forms. The du form drops the ending and usually the pronoun, the ihr form is the ordinary present, and the Sie form inverts the verb and the pronoun. A1 no sentences yet
- Indefinite ArticleUnbestimmter Artikel Ein and eine decline like the definite article except that the masculine nominative and the neuter nominative and accusative carry no ending. Kein and the possessives follow exactly the same pattern. A1 5 sentences
- Indirect QuestionsIndirekte Fragen A question inside another sentence becomes a subordinate clause and its verb moves to the end. A question word introduces it, and where there is none, ob does the job. B1 6 sentences
- Infinitive with zuInfinitiv mit zu Many verbs, adjectives and nouns take an infinitive introduced by zu, which stands at the end of its clause. With a separable verb the zu goes between the prefix and the stem, giving aufzustehen. B1 33 sentences
- Inseparable VerbsUntrennbare Verben The prefixes be, emp, ent, er, ge, miss, ver and zer never separate and are never stressed. A verb carrying one also forms its past participle without ge, so verstehen gives verstanden. A2 7 sentences
- Konjunktiv IKonjunktiv I Reported speech in journalism and formal writing. It is built from the infinitive stem, and where its form would be identical to the ordinary present, Konjunktiv II is used instead to keep the reporting visible. B2 42 sentences
- Konjunktiv IIKonjunktiv II The form for the hypothetical, the unreal and the polite. Wäre, hätte and the modals have their own forms; most other verbs use würde plus an infinitive. B1 30 sentences
- Modal ParticlesModalpartikeln Doch, mal, ja, denn, halt and eben carry no dictionary meaning but colour the sentence with impatience, softening, surprise or resignation. Leaving them out is grammatical and sounds abrupt. B1 2 sentences
- Modal VerbsModalverben The six modals können, müssen, dürfen, sollen, wollen and mögen say something about the main verb rather than naming an action. The modal is the finite verb in second position and the main verb goes to the end of the clause as an infinitive. A2 63 sentences
- Weak Masculine NounsN-Deklination A group of masculine nouns takes an n or en in every case but the nominative singular: der Student but den Studenten, dem Studenten, des Studenten. Most denote people and many end in e, ent, ist or ant. B1 23 sentences
- Negation with keinNegation mit kein A noun that would take ein or no article at all is negated with kein rather than nicht. Kein declines exactly like ein and has a plural, so Ich habe keine Zeit and Ich habe keine Kinder. A1 5 sentences
- Negation with nichtNegation mit nicht Nicht negates a verb, an adjective or a whole clause. It stands at the end of the middle field, before a separable prefix, a participle, an infinitive or a predicate adjective, but after most objects and time expressions. A1 16 sentences
- Nominative CaseNominativ The nominative marks the subject of the clause: whoever or whatever is doing the verb. It is also the case used after the verbs sein, werden and bleiben, so both sides of Das ist mein Bruder stand in the nominative. A1 84 sentences
- Noun GenderGenus Every German noun is masculine, feminine or neuter. The gender is a property of the word rather than of the thing it names, and it decides the form of every article, adjective and pronoun that refers to it, so it has to be learned with the noun. A1 29 sentences
- Ordinal NumbersOrdnungszahlen Ordinals are formed with t up to nineteen and st from twenty, and they take adjective endings. Written as digits they are followed by a full stop, so der 3. Mai. A2 3 sentences
- Participles Used as AdjectivesPartizipien als Adjektive Both participles can stand before a noun and take ordinary adjective endings. The past participle is passive in sense, the present participle active: das gekochte Ei against das kochende Wasser. B2 33 sentences
- Alternatives to the PassivePassiversatzformen Man plus an active verb, sich lassen plus an infinitive, and sein plus an infinitive with zu all express what a passive would, and all three are commoner in speech than the werden passive. B2 7 sentences
- Passive VoicePassiv Werden plus a past participle. The agent, when it is mentioned at all, follows von for a person and durch for a means. In the perfect passive the participle of werden appears as worden rather than geworden. B1 53 sentences
- Past Participle FormationPartizip II A weak verb forms its participle as ge plus stem plus t, a strong verb as ge plus a often changed stem plus en. Verbs with an inseparable prefix and verbs ending in ieren take no ge at all. A2 40 sentences
- Perfect Tense with habenPerfekt mit haben The perfect is the ordinary spoken past. It is built from the present of haben in second position and the past participle at the end of the clause. Most verbs take haben, including every verb with a direct object and every reflexive verb. A2 35 sentences
- Perfect Tense with seinPerfekt mit sein Verbs of motion from one place to another and verbs of change of state take sein rather than haben in the perfect, along with sein, werden and bleiben themselves. Er ist gegangen, not er hat gegangen. A2 20 sentences
- Personal PronounsPersonalpronomen Personal pronouns change form by case: ich, mich, mir. They agree with the grammatical gender of the noun they replace, so a table is sie and a spoon is er. A1 3 sentences
- PluperfectPlusquamperfekt The pluperfect describes what had already happened before some other past event. It is built like the perfect but with hatte or war instead of hat or ist, and it very often appears in a clause introduced by nachdem. B1 14 sentences
- Plural FormationPluralbildung German forms plurals in five main ways: adding e, er, en, s, or nothing at all, often with an umlaut on the stem vowel. The plural is not predictable from the singular and is learned with the noun. A1 3 sentences
- Possessive DeterminersPossessivartikel Mein, dein, sein, ihr, unser, euer and Ihr take their stem from the owner and their ending from the thing owned, which is why seine Mutter and ihr Vater are the way they are. A1 16 sentences
- Present TensePräsens The present describes what is happening now, what happens habitually, and very often what is going to happen, since German uses the present with a time expression where English would use a future. A1 83 sentences
- PreteritePräteritum The simple past is the written narrative past. In speech it survives mainly in sein, haben and the modals, where hatte and war are far commoner than the perfect forms. A2 78 sentences
- Reflexive VerbsReflexive Verben A reflexive verb takes a pronoun pointing back at the subject. The pronoun is usually accusative, but it turns dative as soon as the verb has another direct object, which is why it is ich wasche mich but ich wasche mir die Hände. A2 29 sentences
- Relative ClausesRelativsätze A relative pronoun takes its gender and number from the noun it refers back to, and its case from the job it does inside the relative clause. The clause is verb-final and always separated by a comma. B1 36 sentences
- Separable VerbsTrennbare Verben Some verbs carry a prefix that detaches in a main clause and moves to the very end: aufstehen becomes Ich stehe um sieben auf. The prefix is stressed, which is what tells a separable prefix from an inseparable one. In a subordinate clause and in the infinitive the verb stays whole. A2 83 sentences
- Subject and Verb AgreementSubjekt-Verb-Kongruenz The finite verb takes an ending that matches its subject in person and number. The endings for regular verbs in the present are e, st, t, en, t, en. A1 118 sentences
- Modals Expressing LikelihoodSubjektive Modalverben A modal can say how sure the speaker is rather than what is permitted or possible. Er muss krank sein means he must be ill in the sense of a deduction, and sollen reports what others claim. B2 5 sentences
- Subordinate Clause in First PositionNebensatz im Vorfeld A subordinate clause standing before the main clause fills the first position on its own, so the main clause verb comes immediately after the comma and the subject follows it. Weil ich müde war, bin ich früh ins Bett gegangen. B1 5 sentences
- Verb-Final Word Order in Subordinate ClausesVerbletztstellung In a subordinate clause the finite verb stands last. Where the clause also holds a participle or an infinitive, the finite verb goes after them, so the order at the end is participle then auxiliary. A2 85 sentences
- Subordinating ConjunctionsUnterordnende Konjunktionen Weil, dass, wenn, als, ob, obwohl, damit, nachdem, bevor and the rest introduce a subordinate clause and send its finite verb to the very end. A2 24 sentences
- Time, Manner, PlaceTemporal, Modal, Lokal When several adverbial phrases stand in the middle field, the usual order is time, then manner, then place. This is the opposite of the common English order and it is why Ich fahre morgen mit dem Zug nach Berlin sounds right. A2 7 sentences
- Two-Way PrepositionsWechselpräpositionen An, auf, hinter, in, neben, über, unter, vor and zwischen take the accusative when the phrase answers where to, and the dative when it answers where. The distinction is movement across a boundary against position, not motion against stillness. A2 151 sentences
- Purpose with um zuFinalsätze mit um zu Um plus an infinitive with zu at the end expresses purpose. It works only where both clauses share a subject; where they do not, damit is used instead. B1 6 sentences
- Verb in Second PositionVerbzweitstellung In a German main clause the finite verb is always the second element. The first element can be the subject, but it can just as easily be a time expression, an object or a whole subordinate clause; whatever it is, it counts as one element and the verb follows it. This is why putting something other than the subject first pushes the subject after the verb. A1 297 sentences
- Verbs with Fixed PrepositionsVerben mit Präpositionen Many verbs are tied to one preposition and one case, and the pairing rarely matches the English one. Warten auf takes the accusative, denken an takes the accusative, teilnehmen an takes the dative. B1 51 sentences
- Question WordsW-Fragen Wer, was, wo, wann, wie, warum and the rest fill the first position, and the finite verb follows in second place as in any statement. Wer and was decline for case, giving wen and wem. A1 7 sentences
- wo-CompoundsWo-Komposita The question counterpart of the da-compounds. Worauf wartest du rather than auf was wartest du, with the same r before a vowel. B1 no sentences yet
- Yes-No QuestionsJa-Nein-Fragen A question expecting yes or no puts the finite verb first and the subject immediately after it. Nothing else moves. A1 4 sentences
How it works
Four steps, and the two places the sentences come from.
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1
You paste a sentence
Anything up to 500 characters. Or pick one of today's news sentences instead.
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2
A model reads it
It splits the sentence into words and records the dictionary form and endings of each one.
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3
Rules get linked
It matches the sentence against the catalogue of sixty-nine rules and records the words that show each one.
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It is stored for good
The next person to ask that sentence gets the stored answer, without going back to the model.
What you are looking at
Every word, and why it is that shape
Pick any word and its reading opens beside the sentence: the dictionary form it came from, its case, its person, and the job it does in the clause.
The underline colour repeats the word class, and the key under the sentence names every colour in words, so the colour is never the only thing carrying the meaning.
Then the rules that put it there
Under the words come the grammar rules the sentence uses. Each one names the words in this sentence that prove it, and says why it applies here rather than in general.
Open a rule to read it on its own page, with more sentences from the lexicon that use the same thing.
Questions
Where do the sentences come from
Two places. You type them, or the backend reads them. Every five minutes it fetches the German news from tagesschau.de, takes the first several sentences of each new article, and queues them. That is where most of the lexicon comes from: current German written for adults, rather than textbook sentences about a pencil on a table.
Every sentence taken from an article carries its headline, its publisher, a link back to the piece, and where in the piece it stood. Nothing here is presented as this site's own writing. If you publish German and would rather not be read this way, say so and you will be left out.
Can I trust what it says
Not blindly. A language model wrote every word of German in here. This one is better than expected: asked to conjugate helfen, it produced ihm wird geholfen for the passive, which is right precisely because helfen takes the dative and so has no personal passive.
It is also confidently wrong sometimes, and a learner is exactly the person who cannot tell. So every form, gender and plural carries two controls: right and wrong. Marking something wrong asks you for one sentence saying what is wrong with it, and that sentence is worth more than the count.
The counts show as two numbers rather than a score. One report against two approvals means something different from one report against two hundred, and a single number hides that.
What does it cost
Reading is free and needs no account. Analysing a sentence nobody has analysed spends money on a language model, so each account gets a daily allowance and can ask for more. Everything after that first analysis is free forever. The result is stored, and so is every word it taught the lexicon.
How does my list decide when to show a card again
You can save a whole word, a whole sentence, or a single form. A single form is usually the useful one: helfen, Präsens, er/sie/es is one thing to learn, and it can be solid while ihr helft is still shaky. Forms group under the word they belong to, so a verb with twenty forms is one entry rather than twenty.
You grade each card when you review it, and the grade sets the gap before you see it next. Forgot sends it back to the start. Hard stretches the gap a little. Good multiplies it. Easy multiplies it and then some. A card you keep forgetting keeps coming back sooner, for good, rather than being forgiven after one correct answer. Re-adding a set of forms never resets progress on cards you already have.
Who can read what
The lexicon is shared. Every sentence, word, form and rule is readable by anyone without an account, because a shared lexicon that everyone improves is the whole idea.
Your study list and review history are yours alone. Nobody else can read them, and the storage layer enforces that rather than the application remembering to check.
Why is the rule catalogue fixed
Sixty-nine rules, A1 to B2, written by hand. The analysis may only choose from them. That is what stops one rule appearing under four names and the links between sentences becoming meaningless.
Where a sentence uses something the catalogue lacks, the analysis may propose a rule. The proposal is stored and linked, so nothing is lost, but it stays marked as proposed until a person approves it. You can read the proposed ones under Rules.
Account
Signing in gives you a study list of your own. Reading the lexicon needs no account.
Signing in keeps a study list of your own. Reading the lexicon needs no account.
Admin
Everything here needs an API key, which is the backend itself rather than a person.
API key
Analysing a new sentence asks a language model, so it needs a key. Reading needs none. The key stays in this browser. It also opens these admin pages, so treat it as an administrator credential and do not hand it to a learner.
No key saved. Reading works without one.
The backend
Whether the thing is running. The queue is sentences waiting to be analysed; it should be draining, not growing.
Reported facts
What readers said is wrong. The note is the part worth reading; the counts only say how disputed something is.
People
Everyone who has analysed a sentence, and what they may spend a day. Requests for more are at the top.