Learn how to use the sentence pattern to ask for a reason
Now Playing: Lesson Audio
Get a breakdown of the dialogue and translations instantly with the Premium line-by-line Audio. Sign up for your Free Lifetime Account Now and get 7 Days of Premium Access including this feature.
Get this lesson’s key vocab, their translations and pronunciations. Sign up for your Free Lifetime Account Now and get 7 Days of Premium Access including this feature.
Unlock Lesson Notes and Transcripts for every single lesson. Sign Up for a Free Lifetime Account and Get 7 Days of Premium Access.
| INTRODUCTION |
| Maryssa: Hi everyone, I'm Maryssa. |
| Albert: And I'm Albert. |
| Maryssa: And welcome to Must-Know German Sentence Structures, Season 1, Lesson 23. Asking for a Reason. |
| Maryssa: In this lesson, you'll learn how to use a sentence pattern for asking for a reason. |
| PATTERN |
| Maryssa: For example, |
| Maryssa: "Why are you so slow?" |
| Albert: Warum bist du so langsam? |
| Albert: [slow] Warum bist du so langsam? |
| Maryssa: The pattern for asking for a reason has three elements. First, "Why". |
| Albert: Warum. |
| Maryssa: Second, the conjugated verb for "to be". |
| Albert: bist. |
| Maryssa: Third, the complement for "you so slow". |
| Albert: du so langsam?. |
| Maryssa: Altogether, we have... "Why are you so slow?" |
| Albert: Warum bist du so langsam? [slow] Warum bist du so langsam? [normal] Warum bist du so langsam? |
| Maryssa: First you have the adverb meaning "why" followed by the conjugated verb for "to be", which has to be in the correct tense according to the complement used in the next step. Finally, there’s the complement, which mostly consists of an adjective and can be followed by a noun. |
| Albert: Warum bist du so langsam? |
| Maryssa: So remember, to ask for a reason, just use the German "why" followed by the conjugated "to be" and end the question with an complement. |
| Maryssa: Here is another example meaning, "Why are you so fast in eating?" First, "Why". |
| Albert: Warum. |
| Maryssa: Second, the conjugated verb for "to be". |
| Albert: bist. |
| Maryssa: Third, the complement for "you so fast in eating". |
| Albert: du so schnell im essen?. |
| Maryssa: Altogether we have... |
| Albert: Warum bist du so schnell im essen? [slow] Warum bist du so schnell im essen? [normal] Warum bist du so schnell im essen? |
| Maryssa: "Why are you so fast in eating?" |
| [pause] |
| Albert: Warum bist du so schnell im essen? |
| Maryssa: How do you say - "Why are you so friendly to your boss?" To give you a hint, "friendly" is... |
| Albert: nett. [slow] nett. [normal] nett. |
| Maryssa: "Why are you so friendly to your boss?" |
| [pause] |
| Albert: Warum bist du so nett zu deinem Chef? [slow] Warum bist du so nett zu deinem Chef? [normal] Warum bist du so nett zu deinem Chef? |
| [pause] |
| Albert: Warum bist du so nett zu deinem Chef? |
| REVIEW |
| Maryssa: Let's review the sentences from this lesson. I will give you the English equivalent of the phrase and you are responsible for shouting it out loud in German. Here we go. |
| Maryssa: "Why are you so slow?" |
| [pause] |
| Albert: Warum bist du so langsam? |
| [pause] |
| Albert: Warum bist du so langsam? |
| Maryssa: "Why are you so fast in eating?" |
| [pause] |
| Albert: Warum bist du so schnell im essen? |
| [pause] |
| Albert: Warum bist du so schnell im essen? |
| Maryssa: "Why are you so friendly to your boss?" |
| [pause] |
| Albert: Warum bist du so nett zu deinem Chef? |
| [pause] |
| Albert: Warum bist du so nett zu deinem Chef? |
Outro |
|---|
| Maryssa: Okay. That's all for this lesson. You learned a pattern for asking for a reason, as in... |
| Albert: Warum bist du so langsam? |
| Maryssa: meaning "Why are you so slow?" |
| Maryssa: You can find more vocab or phrases that go with this sentence pattern in the lesson notes. So please be sure to check them out on GermanPod101.com. Thanks everyone, see you next time! |
| Albert: Bis zum nächsten Mal! |
Comments
Hide