4 EASY STEPS To Improve Your German INSTANTLY

[@MarkALong64]

I heard of a situation where an interpreter in Brussels was translating a very talkative German MEP and went quiet for a long time before finally muttering "The verb, Man. Get to the damn verb."

[@boogerie]

The key to understanding this use of the Dative case is the German expression of "I'm sorry," "Es tut mir lied." If you translate that phrase literally into English you get "It does me sorrow," which sounds strangely archaic to English speakers. Not "caveman" but somewhat Elizabethan. When you say "mir is kalt" you are really saying "(It) is cold (to) me" "mir is langweilig" "(this) is boring (to) me" even "mir is schwindelig" is "(It) is dizzy(ing) me." "Dative" is the case of the object that "is given" (Latin "do, dare" hence Da-tive) advantage or disadvantage. I never understood grammatical cases until I studied Latin

[@aaronwhite1786]

Somehow "Es tut mir leid" is one of the few things that stuck in my head from highschool German back in the early 2000's that I didn't take nearly serious enough. I just remember thinking "It brings me sorrow is how you say I'm sorry...what the hell?"

[@Sturmreiter1]

Most things in German are not said literally but through strictly context. Saying things literally and from left to right will screw you up if that’s all you try to do. It just takes practice using the right methods

[@enopp9977]

Yes, please, make more videos of this kind. My German students love them! Thank you for your awesome work, Trixi! 👏💖

[@gonzalo4658]

wait so why are you talking in English here you aren't actually German?

[@martimalvesdelima6536]

@@gonzalo4658 ♡♡ CHERISH your explanatory profile name... It's such a IAN McKELLEN passive-agressive MOOD :D

[@XDrakeX1]

Ich bin langweilig -> I am boring Mir ist langweilig -> I am bored

[@stevenreplogle8644]

Bist du auch langsam?

[@lanekarabani8084]

Vergessen Sie nicht, ich habe Langeweile.

[@daleburrell6273]

WELL, IF YA DON'T LIKE IT- YOU DON'T HAVE TO EAT IT!!

[@delta9c21h30o2]

Stating the latter often implies the first, so you can mostly use it interchangeably.

[@henrykjaronowski8023]

A funny use of the "dative of interest" hahahaha. :-)

[@daicon2k6]

“Whenever the literary German dives into a sentence, this is the last you are going to see of him till he emerges on the other side of his Atlantic with his verb in his mouth.” - Mark Twain

[@jaimegallegos6299]

Danke Trixie! Übung macht den Meister! 😎

[@the_artisan]

Learnt more from this 10 minute video than 2 years of German at school. More videos like this Trixi!

[@adamh6094]

I’ve been trying to learn German on and off over the last year or so, and it is the grammar that messes with me the most. The caveman part really made me laugh!! I’ve been told by non-native English speakers that in regard to learning the English ‘sounds’, the ‘th’ is a rather difficult one to master. Interestingly, when learning German, I found it similar learning the basics such as ‘die, der und das’ etc. It kind of felt like I was speaking like a small child who was still learning their th’s and often used d instead haha. Great vid, keep it up!

[@aeroman1964]

Trixi, I definitely need more educationally oriented videos from you. I found you because I'm trying to learn German, but your humor (and beauty) kept me engaged. With that said, what I really need is to learn German. Either way, keep up the awesome work. :^D

[@jialiangliu6432]

BEAUTY YESSSSSSS

[@joegirl09]

Just one more reason I love you. Your ability to explain language, structure, pronunciation and all of the above. It is so much fun to learn from you. ❤️❤️❤️

[@bbroom101]

"ich habe heiß" is a trend that we, people who speaks spanish, use to say. "Haben" verb is so percetive for other expresions in spanish like "Tengo hambre" o "tengo sed" that we finally say something like that with temperature. In spanish also have we a "to be" plus dativ to mark perception: "me es igual". In german "Mir ist egal". Althouh we keeping sayin "ich habe heiß".

[@petereggers7603]

Same like in other roman languages like italian or french. It's the topic of using another auxiliary verb like in german... to have instead of to be. Every german will remember the legendary press conference of FC Bayern Munich coach Luigi Trapatoni held in rudimentary german ending with "Ich habe fertig!" 😂😂😂 ...that became a saying in german.

[@avenp.5739]

This helps a LOT with the whole "auxillary verb" "action verb" arrangement thing. My class didn't explain it very well. Thank you for these videos!!

[@zacharywitt4009]

I have watched a lot of German learning videos and the one really stood out amongst many of them.

[@KarlKarsnark]

I love these little technical vids. The more the better, I say. Danke!

[@alanhilame2897]

LOL I really laughed out loud, you're so funny, amazing way of teaching! Congratulations, wonderful videos!

[@draconisneurocam]

I have been learning German on my own with apps and it is really helpful to have explanations of syntax I am familiar with, but have never formally been explained to me.

[@heidirichter]

Thank you very much, this is genuinely very helpful indeed. Thank you. I'll have to come back to watch this one a few more times until it all sinks in, but you make these videos enough fun that I don't mind at all watching again. Great work!

[@Unpainted_Huffhines]

Vielen dank! You've explained the grammatical rules that no other source ever has, not textbooks or online apps.

[@krankyjsmith9780]

You bring levity to even technical (and highly necessary) topics like this-- so yes more videos like this -- thank you!

[@andersmiguelsalhuanaalejos5743]

you are getting better and better! in your videos

[@tomyoung9834]

Tolles Video! I always tell students to think of phrases like “Mir ist kalt” as “to me, it is cold” and they usually grasp the idea...they laugh when I explain the meaning of “ich bin heiß “, and remember what not to say!

[@mtgreengarden]

As I learned German, (I'm an American) the dative was very easy for me to comprehend when I thought to myself: "It is hot to me." (Mir ist heiss.)

[@kornvondorn5275]

Educational approach is the most crucial. Its the reason im here. So please continue to produce this shön content. Danke.

[@nicholasblay8343]

more like this please, I feel like i learnt a lot from this out of many of you're videos, the others just feel interesting comparisons which is also fine, but i think this is more useful.

[@tjstarr2960]

About moving the main verb to the end of a sentence when you have an auxiliary verb: It isn't as confusing as "separable phrasal verbs" in English. This is comparable to separable verb prefixes in German. A "phrasal verb" is a verb made of several words that together has ONE meaning, distinct from its parts. For example, the phrasal verb "turn on" in English: "I _turned_ the lights _on_." This is comparable to verbs in German like "abdrehen", where the "ab" can be put at the end of the sentence. To me, I think of the auxiliary verb acting as the main verb in the sentence, and the verb that ACTUALLY contains the information about what you are talking about like the prefix ab-. I translate it word-for-word in my head as "I _want_ to the store _go_". It makes perfect sense to me, although it isn't grammatically correct in English. I think the two languages just share a lot in common.

[@AgentZeb]

this video is really helpful for my wife who has been in germany since 2011, and this helps her to improve the grammar and to avoid those small mistakes etc, so yea pls more like this ;)

[@michaelcardona9237]

Great video.I have been watching many german language videos online and reading translation books.it is a difficult language however I've been applying what you teach and on my own and I've been moderately successful.thank you!

[@geneandelman4857]

This video is fantastic and very helpful. Please continue with proper grammar tips. You are a wonderful teacher.

[@siteshsingh9265]

I'm learning German and this video was quite educational. Please make more of these. And as a new rabbit, may I have a heart?

[@SD965]

Your videos are fun. :) I really struggled remembering the German grammar structure when I started taking classes, but you've summed it up quite simply.

[@colt-one]

Wow. I've been using "Ich bin heiß" correctly! Seriously, Trixi, this is an excellent video. Even though I already knew these things, there was a time when I didn't and would have really appreciated understanding them with such a direct and clear explanation. Mysteriously, this info is often either left out entirely or delivered in a way that's unclear. Beginners are left wondering why they keep seeing sentences that don't look correct. The subject/verb switch was particularly annoying as I sometimes thought the order meant that it was a question.

[@Luv2tickt]

Thank you so much for this video. With no longer having anyone to converse with in German, I've lost a lot of what I once knew. This is quite helpful so please, keep it up.

[@brendon2462]

Really good educational content and your sense of humor is a very nice touch. It makes it entertaining to learn otherwise dull topics. Please make more vids just like this.

[@jcmc1111]

Oh mt god Trixie ! Please make more videos like this. It is somehow like knowing the roots that will give birth to a healthy tree with all its branches. I liked this video :)

[@Heartbreaker357]

Thank you! I'm SLOWLY learning, the verb/noun/ subject order has been difficult but I am making progress. Love your videos!

[@lkeim9345]

ja mach bitte mehrere videos Trixi. Sie sind doch prima und hilfreich und unterhaltsam....

[@TC-BCN]

You really make me want to learn German! Sometimes I use some German words in the correct place and time that I learned from your videos and surprise my German friends a lot! Thanks for your efforts, Trixie!

[@duncansharp4908]

Danke Trixie! Videos wie das sind sehr nützlich für mich. Ich finde Ihre Videos Toll!

[@ianpeloquin2653]

This video was a big help with how to use auxiliary verbs. Very informative.

[@chilenaerrante]

OMG this is honestly one of the most useful videos I've seen. I have been trying to figure out german sentence structure and I had a grafic saying ok first this, then that, but couldn't find the logic to it or when to use what but now, it feels way easier! Thank you so much! Here a fan from Chile :)

[@aleztfu]

Danke sehr für die nützlichen Räte. Ich habe seit fast 6 Jahren Deutsch gelernt und kann jetzt meistens okay sprechen, aber natürlich fehlen mir noch kleine Einzelheiten, wie die, die du im Video erwähnst. Hoffentlich lädst du mehr Videos wie dieses hoch! :)

[@rhbusby]

Trixie thank you very much for this inside or tip type of video. it is very helpful for us English speakers to improve our German skills all of your videos are very informative and have been very helpful. because I from 19 78 to 1981 but my German skills have gotten very Rusty. I'll switch to Geman here and let yo see how rusty my sklls hace become. Don't laugh too much, please. Ja, es ist wahr, dass es schwierig ist, fließend zu bleiben, wenn ich nicht täglich Deutsch spreche. Ich mache mir keine Sorgen, denn ich habe festgestellt, dass deutsche Muttersprachler sehr verständnisvoll und hilfreich waren, wenn ich mein Bestes gebe. Deutsch zu sprechen ist eine Fähigkeit, die es braucht. Mach die großartige Arbeit. Tausend Dank!

[@PresentMindedSG]

This really helped clear up questions I already had. Thank you so much for this video! I’d definitely find more like this very useful

[@isaacrcason]

Probably the best sentence structure explanation I've heard yet!

[@sechale]

Thanks! Your videos are very memorable :) Really like them! Learned German in High School and part of Uni, but have forgotten much. Did the Goethe Institut entrance exam and though my spoken German is good, in grammar I was schrecklich :) These really help!

[@muhannadbitar7861]

Very informative! Making more of these videos is definitely a good idea! Thanks for the effort!

[@robcreel4257]

You should make more videos like this. I enjoy your educational videos. They are entertaining as well. Thanks for posting.

[@yanzi8543]

Geniales Video Trixie! :) Voll witzig gemacht.

[@mackjefferson121]

Trixie I tune you in once a week to learn about you, not to learn German. I’m too old to learn a foreign language but I still love to listen to you and find out what you have been doing for the past week. Tell us about your hopes and especially your dreams and about your family and what goes on. Your stories of when you were growing up were all very interesting. I like this show too; I could listen to you speak in English or German for hours. Keep it up! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️🐰

[@Quotenwagnerianer]

One is never too old to learn a new language. Maybe too old to really master it.

[@bkc1965]

A note about the English Present Progressive (Present Continuous): It isn't necessarily used only for something happening at the moment. It actually is used for something that is not finished. Yes....if it isn't finished...it is happening at the moment. But, for example, I am reading a book about Franklin Roosevelt. But at the moment I am typing this message, the book is in the other room, but I haven't finished reading it yet.

[@elviravalted5796]

really enjoyed this video, simple and fun. would like to see more videos for beginners like that

[@jonathanwetherell3609]

Thanks very much. I am going to have to really study this video again (and probably again).

[@maxwilli3718]

Trixi I love you for these videos!

[@adambaruch5190]

7:04-7:10 is pure gold. I can't stop watching it!

[@thomasbarashukis6819]

Hallo Trixi, I'm Thomas I've been living in America to long. When I was a kid I used to speak perfect German. But in due time I became Americanized. I'm trying to learn my native language back. But it isn't easy now. I actually hailed from Bavaria.

[@daleburrell6273]

...well, if it means THAT much to you, then why don't you MOVE BACK TO BAVARIA?!! WE CAN MANAGE WITHOUT YOU!!!

[@MrLynch-ei4dc]

@@daleburrell6273 HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.......awsome!

[@daleburrell6273]

@@MrLynch-ei4dc Glad you think so-!!!

[@lazyperfectionist1]

Oh. Well, you know, there's a series of German-English readers you can buy on Amazon by a fellow named Brian Smith: German Easy Reader: Super 500 for Beginners German Pre-Intermediate Reader: Super 1000 German Intermediate Reader German Intermediate Reader 2 German Intermediate Reader 3 German Power Reader Each has a website listed at which can be found recordings of the author reading the German. I have found them quite helpful, and I am coming to German as someone who has not previously known it. For you, they should be all the more so.

[@daleburrell6273]

@@lazyperfectionist1 ...if you say so-!!!

[@VernonKeszler]

I love this. I'm new to learning German and found this very helpful.

[@tutejshaja]

wow, thanx Trixi! I've been doing the last mistake all the time, no joke :D :D :D and the auxiliary verb rule is one of my favourite (or maybe "favourite") topics when talking about German language. Also, you look so full of life, it instantly makes my mood better, thank you for that too! :)

[@michaelxx7022]

Love your work Trixi !

[@Letheanscheme]

wow! for the first time, i didn't learn anything from your video--but that's a good thing, glad to find out I'm on the right track with Duolingo& my german self teaching!

[@paulbarham1038]

I'd love to do a review of German grammar. I had forgotten a couple of basics which you mentioned in this video (due to lack of use), but which sounded normal to me when I heard you say them, which tells me that what I learned years ago is still fairly engrained in my mind, even if it is simple, basic German. So thx for the quick review. On another note I just listened to 3 of your videos in a row, which tells me that I had an appetite, or at least a significant interest in the topics, as well as simply wanting to listen to you (speak about a subject)...which I generally find quite pleasing! Lastly, did I hear you say your first name is Svenya (sp?). I was kinda dozing and listening at the same time as its early morning here. And I did enjoy your openness the other day about body faults (you speaking of your own)...I just remember the pregnancy y stretch marks in truth, but thot it was courageous of you to share. One does like and admire you, Trixie! Best wishes☺ Auf wiederhören

[@premierexterior8720]

That was great.. More of them ones please Trixi

[@EduAliAngel]

Thank you for this video, rabbit, I definitely would like to see more with the same approach.

[@vanderkrul4810]

In Spanischen lösen wir das Problem vom Dativ mit zwei Formen fürs Verb „sein": "ser" und "estar". Dann „ich bin langweilig" sagt man "soy aburrido" (ich bin ein langweiliger Mensch) und „mir ist langweilig" wäre "estoy aburrido" :) Tolles Video für Anfänger!

[@briancrawford8751]

10/10, Trixie. Mir is krank, so krank. Mir ist krank! As a Latin teacher teaching a five or six case language, depending on your interpretation of "case," explaining the dative was easy. English speakers, just substitute "to" or "for" before the noun in the dative case. Now, don't ask me a thing about my knowledge of the ablative, because my copy of Wheelock is up two flights of stairs, and I have a sinus and lung infection to fight right now.

[@thereturningshadow]

Trixi, I am just going to believe that you exactly what you were doing and the impression you made when holding that carrot in the thumbnail. You dirty girl. I LOVE IT!

[@briancrawford8751]

She's an experienced KZbinr. You figure it out.

[@BoréalBigfoot]

Best German lesson I've ever got. Thank you so much.

[@nelsongonzalez4533]

because we love you so much, we watch your videos all the time.

[@Cadfael007]

In the Lower Rhine Area (Germany) we have the Present Progressive, talking "every day German" . We say: "Ich bin ein Buch am lesen." the "am" means "at the moment".

[@EASYTIGER10]

Trixi, I want for your interesting and informative video on usage of verbs and their order in a sentence...to thank.

[@brandon3740]

Seit drei Wochen lerne ich Deutsch an der Universität. Vielen Dank für deine Hilfe :D

[@Tintenfischchen]

Sehr gut!

[@skycarl]

This was very good Trixi. Thanks as always.

[@STFUCA]

Always love these videos!!!

[@ronru]

Trixi, your dimples look very dimply today. Very nice. Different lighting? Your perfect skin looks great too!

[@allenalsop6032]

Love the educatioanal format.

[@DaGleese]

Yep I trip up on these all the time, and I have not understood the meaning behind why until now. Thanks for sharing! :-)

[@ashleym.7233]

I was just about to ask for this! Thanks! I have like 5 other people learning German too so ill show this to them😊😊

[@yingxuk]

Thanks Trixi! hope you can make one video about common German phrases, that would be very helpful! When it comes to pronunciation, I found out most Chinese can do a really good german pronunciation without any accent. On the contrary, it is still difficult for some Chinese to speak English without accent. Let's say 6 out of 10 Chinese speak German without accent but 8 out of 10 Chinese have strong accent when they speak English. For me that's very interesting, maybe you could seek more then tell us about german pronunciation.

[@thomasbayer2832]

Love you and your videos ❤

[@CuDobh]

Being the language geek I am I note that German uses a lot of grammatical formations that have not been used in Swedish for centuries.. AND that is two languages that are pretty closely related. But, great video to explain the traps for English speakers, they also point to traps that might trip up Swedish speakers as well when learning German.

[@Nifuruc]

There actually is a present progressive form in German. It's weird, that no books teach it although every German knows and uses it. I'm reading. - Ich bin am Lesen. I'm eating. - Ich bin am Essen. See how similar these patterns are? You have the auxiliary verb (am - bin) and the nominalized verb (reading - Essen). Nominalized verbs are written with capital letters in German and with 'ing' in English. And for me as a linguist it's funny how all Germans ignore the fact, that it exists. So Americans almost do it right, if they just add the preposition "am". Isn't this a good idea for another video, Trixi? Oh another thing I have to add... In German the verb (auxiliary verb in perfect) is ALWAYS in the second position. If you know that you won't make mistakes anymore. Of course it can be complicated if you have multiple words as a subject or a subordinated clause but it's a very simple rule in a rather difficult language.

[@NiniNinja92]

Ich bin am lesen geht nur in einem Dialekt!!! Und ist falsch. Wirklich.

[@Nifuruc]

+hiijanina Du meinst den rheinischen Dialekt (rheinische Verlaufsform) und damit würdest du fast richtig liegen, wenn es hier darum ginge, ob eine Grammatik allgemein gültig und akzeptiert sei. Die Verlaufsform ist tatsächlich umstritten und wird seit jeher von Germanisten ignoriert. Trotzdem wird sie in ganz Deutschland genutzt und verstanden. Ich kann nur aus der Sicht eines Linguisten sprechen. Für uns gibt es kein "richtig" oder "falsch" sondern nur existent oder fiktiv (bzw. allgemein gebräuchlich oder nicht). Bitte, wenn ihr etwas kritisieren oder klar stellen wollt, sagt nicht einfach nur "das ist falsch" und fügt mehrere Ausrufezeichen an, sondern erläutert, wie ihr darauf kommt. Ich nehme nicht an, dass du ein Germanist bist also wirst du es irgendwo mal gehört haben. In dem Fall würde ich dir raten, dass du dich in das Thema einliest und nicht stumpf auf diejenigen hörst, die mit aller Macht eine Sprachentwicklung boykottieren... Sprachen sind niemals nur schwarz/weiß! Wirklich.

[@Quotenwagnerianer]

Ich komme selber aus dem Rheinland, und ja hier sagen die Leute das so. Macht es das zu korrektem Deutsch? Nein. Ein weiteres Beispiel, das außerhalb des Rheinlands für Stirnrunzeln sorgt: "Wem gehört die Jacke?" "Die ist mir."

[@Nifuruc]

@@Quotenwagnerianer Ich habe lange Zeit in Hessen gewohnt und komme ursprünglich aus der Pfalz. In beiden Bundesländern wird die Verlaufsform absolut selbstverständlich benutzt. "Korrektes" Deutsch existiert nicht. Entweder du sprichst von Hochdeutsch (Standard, bundesdeutsches Hochdeutsch) oder von Dialekt und Umgangssprache. Sie unterscheiden sich phonologisch, lexisch, morphologisch und in ihrer Syntax. "Falsch" ist nur, was sich nicht an grammatische Regeln hält. In deinem Beispiel wäre das "Die bist mir" (falsche Person), "Die ist mich" (falscher Kasus), "Die mir ist" (falsche Topologie), und so weiter. Ich verstehe wirklich nicht, warum manche Leute Dialekte als falsche Sprache betrachten. Das ist eine Beleidigung für die Sprachenvielfalt und führt nur dazu, dass immer weniger Dialekte gesprochen werden, was wirklich schade ist.

[@hipocampelofantocame]

@@Nifuruc: My first wife spoke Schwäbisch, which is far more difficult than Hochdeutsch. My present wife speaks Hesse; we converse in English. I enjoy your explanations.

[@NiniNinja92]

Hi Trixi, ich bin Muttersprachlerin und hab mir das Video trotzdem bis zum Ende angeschaut. Ich finde du erklärst alles so schön. Beste Grüße Janina

[@sweetiepie7539]

The most lovely channel for learning German language, you have a really interesting and funny way. Keep up the good work. ♥️🌼♥️

[@datdang9113]

Thank you Trixie. I like your videos with a lot of tips and good examples watching. 😎

[@apefrost]

Love this video! Your editing and other "you" bantering back and forth is hilarious

[@nataliaadriana2287]

Danke Trixi, ich liebe deine Videos, keep doing educational videos 🤗, you help us a lot in German learning. L.G. aus Mexiko 🇲🇽🙂

[@_lumiaart_2010]

Thank you Trixie

[@hipocampelofantocame]

Love your show, largely due to your dynamite ability for expression and general attractiveness. I'm so pleased that you're living in Germany and I hope that you're pulling for Drs. Meuthen, Weidel, Gauland, and Curio and AfD. And, oh! Your English pronunciation is without peer. Kudos.

[@kenslack7166]

I enjoyed your video, your examples are excellent, they communicate instantly and makes a direct hit in my mind, I have struggled with German for a long time, these tips make a big difference for me, Vielen Dank! Muchas Gracias, Muito Obrigado

[@Alewxx]

Der sidekick verdient ein eigenes Video, getreu dem Motto: wenn es alles besser weißt, dann mach es doch selbst.

[@johnmeyer2072]

I'm sending this to my kids in college in Germany. My daughter especially struggles with this kind of thing, or did.

[@jonathancolt552]

Keep doing these type of vids please!

[@protectiongeek]

Use of the dative case is very similar in Russian. Love your videos. Danke Trixi

[@drakocarrion]

Is it bad that I don't watch your videos to learn German at all but just find you entertaining?

[@srikanthreddy9153]

Thank you for helping us,we are struggling to learn German

[@kellyandrichweddle2425]

I like the format.

[@moonreft]

This is great, I'm going my Tsol cert and I totally get it.

[@innakoblents3286]

Super! Super entertaining and super helpful! Great job!

[@redmardamsma7917]

Thanks a lot for that video! I did not know the fourth one (mir ist heiss, mir ist kalt etc.), in Dutch we don't have that. Second one and third one are the same in Dutch (which will explain why Dutch people speak German far better than most other non-natives, no problems with inflexion!!). First one almost the same (except that in Dutch we do have a tense if you do something right now, but you use it far less than in English).

[@joegerich641]

I watch your channel for one reason, well actually two.

[@paulmanson253]

Makes me think of Mark Twain's comment about a German " emerging from the other side of the Atlantic with the verb in his mouth ". Cracked me up when I was a kid. A very simple description of a very different language approach.

[@davidcoleman4800]

The clearest explanation of everyday German grammar I have ever heard. If only my mush-for-brains language skills can retain it. But at least it explains why every time I try to show my Austrian family that I am not completely inept they respond with "oh, not in this case." The dative form of personal pronouns is the only thing more complicated than the genders for the articles... how is the moon masculine!?! :-P