Of course, you'll have to
acquire a basic vocabulary.
But did you know that you already have a small foundation of German words?
Just look at these:
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Here we see a benefit of the ongoing globalization of communication. Languages throughout
the world contain more and more Such words can be keys to help you unlock the content of a German text. You'll recognize many additional words once you've learned to relax before slight spelling differences. |
The
following words all look very "German" because they have a
different letter or two,
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Because
both English and German are Germanic languages, they contain many words that
you can recognize and understand without using a dictionary.
Such words are called cognates.
Cognates are similar in form and meaning because they have the same root in
the parent language.
Some of these cognates are mentioned in the two pictures above:
| auf Deutsch | in English |
| Tabak | tobacco |
| Kaffee | coffee |
| Fisch | fish |
They look
so much alike that they need no further explanation. Most cognates, however,
are not so easily identifiable.
Changes in the German language, among them the so-called "sound shift," have
obscured the original relationships.
Yet, many German words are really just English words in disguise.
You can improve your ability to recognize and understand cognates by knowing
certain patterns.
For example,
the English sound "p" shifts to "f" in German.
So, when you come across an "f" in a German word, replace it with a "p" and
see if the word looks or sounds more familiar.
Then try to guess the meaning.
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Look at the German word "Schiff." |
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By
replacing the "ff" with a "p"
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you
get "schip."
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From
this you can guess that "Schiff" probably means "ship."
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This example is an easy one. For other cognates, like the ones in Activity 2 below, you might need a little more imagination. But that just means more fun!
If you'd like to find
the pattern yourself, start with 2a).
In 2b) you'll find
a list of consonant sound-shifts. To see the sound-shift
rules, go directly to 2b).
| 2a) |
Please
There are
two pairs of words for each sound-shift pattern.
Drag the sound shift underneath each pair of answers. (You may need to scroll
down to see the sound-shift pattern-boxes).
Correct answers will appear.
| 2b) |
Click
anywhere on a line to reveal the English equivalent of the German letter
shown.
Now you
have a chance to suggest English equivalents of the following words.
(Drop the underlined German endings and prefixes.)
Please type the English word in the box.
Correct answers will turn green and automatically
take you to the next box.
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