These little posters are free for teachers to download and use, like all the other materials on this blog. They contain only public domain images. It should be possible to print them in either A3 or A2 size. The main tenses used are the present and the perfect, since these are the ones most commonly taught in the junior years of high school.
die Galerie/das Museum/den Zoobesuchen – to visit the gallery / the museum / the zoo
⇠ A meerkat at the Zoo | Ein Erdmännchen im Zoo
⇢bewundern– to admire
die Kunstwerke in den Seitengassenbewundern – to admire the artworks in the side streets or lanes
⇠ A street artist in a narrow lane| Ein Straßenkünstler in einer engen Seitengasse
⇢entdecken – to discover
die Seitengassen und Einkaufspassagenentdecken – to discover the side streets and shopping arcades
einheimische Bäume und Pflanzenentdecken – to discover native trees and plants
die Stadt / die Geschichte der Stadtentdecken – to discover the city / the history of the city
⇠ A street artist on the Southgate Promenade| Ein Straßenkünstler auf der Southgate-Promenade
⇢gehen – to go
ins Café / ins Restaurant / ins Kino / ins Museum / ins Theatergehen – to go to a cafe or restaurant, see a film, visit the museum or go to the theatre
Die Hosier-Lane ist berühmt für ihre Straßenkunst oder Street Art*.
Hosier Lane is famous for its street art.
Dieses Gemälde hat die Bildunterschrift: „War schon immer das Land der Ureinwohner, wird es immer sein.“
This painting has the caption: “Always was, always will be Aboriginal land.”
*Street Art is used as a feminine noun in German.
⇠Photo by Sophie Leigh, used with her permission
• der Pier ordie Seebrücke, der Pinguin, der Strand, die Strandpromenade⇢ St Kilda
In St Kilda gibt es eine Menge zu entdecken. Man kann die Strandpromenade entlang spazieren und einen Kaffee am Ende des Piers trinken. Dort kann man bei Sonnenuntergang kleine Pinguine zwischen den Felsen sehen.
There is a lot to discover in Saint Kilda. You can walk along the seafront and have a coffee at the end of the pier. You can also see some little penguins among the rocks at sunset.
• der Freizeitpark – Amusement Park ⇢Luna Park, St Kilda
Das ist der ikonische Eingang von Luna Park. Mit der alten Achterbahn namens„Scenic Railway“fährt man zweimal um den ganzen Park.
This is the iconic entrance of Luna Park. The old roller coaster called the “Scenic Railway” takes you around the entire park twice.
• der Aussichtsturm– viewing tower ⇢ Eureka-Tower
Der Eureka-Tower ist das höchste Gebäude in Melbourne. Von der Aussichtsplattform hat man eine schöne Aussicht über das ganze Stadtzentrum und die Umgebung.
The Eureka Tower is the tallest building in Melbourne. From the observation deck you gain a beautiful view over the whole city centre and the surrounding area.
die Einkaufspassage – shopping arcade ⇢ Block Arcade
Zwischen den Straßen von Melbourne gibt es alte Einkaufspassagen mit interessanten Läden und Cafés. In der Block Arcade kann man in die “Tea Rooms” gehen, ein Café, das im Jahr 1892 gegründet wurde.
Between the streets of Melbourne there are old shopping arcades with interesting shops and cafés. In the Block Arcade you can go to the Tea Rooms, a café founded in 1892.
der Botanische Garten ⇢ Botanic Gardens
Der Botanische Gartenvon Melbourne ist berühmt. Dort kann man viele einheimische Bäume und Pflanzen entdecken.
The Botanical Gardens in Melbourne are famous. You can discover many native trees and plants there.
Both options above could be translated: We are going to the supermarket to buy milk.
The word zum is a contraction of zu + dem. It is a convenient standard way of saying to the in German and is used with both masculine and neuter place nouns.
The combination of in + the accusative articleden can be used for to the if the ultimate destination is inside a building. For instance, in den Supermarkt gehen is an alternative translation of to goto thesupermarket.
Feminine Place Nouns
Ich gehe
zur Bäckerei,
in die Bäckerei,
zur Post,
auf diePost,
um Brot 🍞zu kaufen.
um ein Paket 📦 zu schicken.
Both Bäckerei options above could be translated: I am going to the bakery to buy bread.
Both Post options above could be translated: I am going to the post office to send a parcel.
The word zur is a contraction of zu + der. It is a convenient standard way of saying “to the” in German before feminine place nouns.
The combination of in + the accusative articledie can be used for to the if the ultimate destination is inside a building. This means that the phrase in die Bäckerei gehen is an alternative translation of to goto thebakery.
Neuter Place Nouns
Sie gehen
zum Fitnessstudio,
ins Fitnessstudio,
um zu trainieren 🏋🏾.
Both options above could be translated: They are going to the gym to work out.
The word zum is a contraction of zu + dem. It is a convenient standard way of saying to the in German and is used with both neuter and masculine place nouns.
The word ins is a contraction of in + das. The combination of in + the accusative articledas can be used for to the if the ultimate destination is inside a building. Therefore, ins Fitnessstudio gehen is an alternative translation ofto go to the gym.
das Altenheim oder das Seniorenheim – aged care facility
Ältere Menschen wohnen oft in einem Altenheim, wo sie Unterstützung und Hilfe erhalten können. – Older people often live in an aged care facility, where they can receive support and help.
Wollen wir schnell einen Kaffee trinken? In der Nähe des Brandenburger Tors gibt es ein kleines Café. – Shall we have a quick coffee? There’s a little café near the Brandenburg Gate.
In einem Einkaufszentrum gibtes viele Geschäfte. Man kann zum Beispiel Bücher, Kleidung, und Schuhe kaufen. – There are many shops in a shopping centre. For example, you can buy books, clothes and shoes.
Wir gehen morgen in den Freizeitpark. Ich fahre hoffentlich mit der Achterbahn! – We’re going to the amusement park tomorrow. I hope to go on the roller coaster.
das Gymnasium – high school
Bild von Gundula Vogel auf Pixabay (a high school in Templin in the rural district of Uckermark)
Ein Gymnasium in Deutschland ist eine akademische Schule. – A “Gymnasium” in Germany is an academic high school.
Der Hamburger Hafen ist spektakulär. Auf diesem Bild sieht man auch den Uhrturm. – The Hamburg harbour is spectacular. In this picture you can also see the clock tower.
Auf diesem Foto siehst du den Hauptbahnhof von Berlin, der Hauptstadt von Deutschland. – In this picture you can see the main railway station of Berlin, the capital of Germany.
In einem Museumkann man eine Menge über Geschichte und andere Kulturen lernen. – In a museum you can learn a great deal about history and other cultures.
Tausende von Fußballfans gehen gerne ins Stadion, um sich ein Fußballspiel anzusehen. – Thousands of football fans like going to the stadium to watch a football game.
Minh fits a lot into a day and visits many places in her city. This is a picture quiz with sentences and fill-the-gap tasks to help with consolidating the wording in the Bildlexikon above.
The flexibility of German word order opens up expressive possibilities that are unimaginable in English. As a result, a German writer or speaker can emphasise key ideas in dramatic and memorable ways. Nevertheless, there are rules: the first and most important one is about the position of the verb.
The anchor of the German sentence is the conjugated verb in the second position. Once the conjugated verb is moored in place, the rest of the sentence can flow around it, freed from the constraints of English word order.
Sandwiching the Verb Between the 1st and 3rd Positions
As the examples above show, the positions of the subject and the adverb are often interchangeable. They frequently inhabit the first and third positions, with the verbsandwiched between them.
In contrast to English, a subject and an adverbcannot appear together at the start of a German sentence. The verb must be placed in between and no comma is required. In fact, since German comma rules are far more exact and prescriptive than those of English, a comma is simply wrong.
❌ Leider, die Partywar ein glatter Reinfall.The comma must be deleted and the verb inserted between the adverb and the subject, as in the correct examples below:
✅ Leiderwardie Party ein glatter Reinfall. ⇢ Unfortunately, the party was a total flop.
✅ Die Partywarleider ein glatter Reinfall. ⇢ The party was unfortunately a total flop.
