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In English the meaning of a verb can signifantly vary depending on the additional word used with the verb. "turn on" and "turn off" have very different meanings. In a typicall English dictionary you could find the word "turn" and in the description of the word "turn" you can see how different additional words alter the meaning.
In German language infinitive for of the verb includes this additional word. So for example you can find the word "anrufen" (to call someone on the phone) as well as the word "rufen"(to call out for someone). When you use a verb with separable prefix in present tense, the prefix is separated from the infinitive, the root of the verbs goes to the standard second place in the sentence and the prefix goes to the end of the sentence. So the translation of the English sentence "Call me (over the phone)" in German would be "Ruf mich an."
Here is the list of common prefixes with some example verbs:
| Prefix | Verbs |
| ab | abnehmen (to take off, to lose weight), absagen (to decline), abholen (to fetch, to pick up), abbauen (to dismantle), abfahren (to depart, to drive away) |
| an | anbieten (to offer), ankommen (to arrive), anfangen (to being), ansehen (to look at), anziehen (to put on for example clothes), anrufen (to call on the phone), anmelden (to sign up), anzeigen (to show), anzünden (to set on fire), anmachen (to turn on) |
| auf | aufgeben (to give up), aufhören (to stop), aufstehen (to stand up), aufwachen (to wake up), aufmachen (to open), aufräumen (to tidy up) |
| aus | aussehen (to look, to seem), ausgehen (to go out), ausmachen (to turn off), ausschließen (to exclude), auswählen (to choose), aussteigen (to get out, to exit), ausfüllen (to fill out), |
| ein | einladen (to invite), eintreten (to enter), einstürzen (to collapse), einschlafen (to fall asleep), einkaufen (to shop), |
| vor | vorstellen (to put forward, to represent), vorschlagen (to suggest), vornehmen (to undertake), vorhaben (to intend), |
| zu | zunehmen (to increase), zustimmen (to agree), zuhören (to listen to), zuschauen (to watch), zumachen (to close, to shut) |
| mit | mitbringen (to bring along), mitmachen (to participate), mitnehmen (to take with), mitkommen (to come with), mitarbeiten (to work together) |
| um | umziehen (to move, change residence) |
| durch | durchziehen (to pull through), durchfallen (to fail, to fall though) |
| zusammen | zusammenbrechen (to break down), zusammenarbeiten (to work together), zusammenpassen (to fit together) |
| nach | nachdenken (to think, to ponder), nachfragen (to inquire, to ask) |
In English the words like "yours", "hers" and "his" indicate possession. In German there you can use adjectives and pronouns to indicate possession.
First thing we need to do is see the stems used both for adjectives and pronouns:
| Stem | Meaning |
| mein | my/mine |
| dein | your/yours |
| sein | his |
| ihr | her/hers |
| sein | its |
| unser | our/ours |
| euer | your/yours (you plural) |
| ihr | their/theirs |
| Ihr | your/yours (you formal) |
Possessive adjectives typically go in front of the noun and they change just like the indefinite article ein in singular and like kein in plural. So for example, you can say "mein Bruder", but in dative it will be "meinem Bruder". On the other hand, you can say "meine Schwester", and in dative it will be "meiner Schwester".
A few examples:
| N | Mein Bruder mag Autos. | My brother likes cars. |
| A | Ruf meinen Bruder an. | Call my brother on the phone. |
| D | Ich möchte meinem Bruder ein Geschenk geben. | I would like to give my brother a present. |
| N | Meine Schwester tanzt gern. | My sister likes to dance. |
| A | Ruf meine Schwester an. | Call my sister on the phone. |
| D | Ich möchte meiner Schwester ein Geschenk geben. | I would like to give my sister a present. |
Possesive pronouns are used insted of a noun. They get the extensions like the definite article. Here is the example sentence to see how they are used: Dein Auto ist sehr schnell, meines ist nicht so schnell.
First let us see the questions that you will use when asking for a direction or for a location.
To ask for a direction you can use the question word wohin. In some situations you will also see the "hin" separated from "wo". If you want to ask some where they are going (in which direction) you can say "Wohin gehst du?" (Where are you going?). Another way to ask the question would be "Wo gehst du hin?".
To ask someone where are they coming from, you will use the question word woher. For example, "Woher kommst du?" (Where are you coming from?). The answer can be "Ich komme aus Italien".
And finaly to ask where is something located you will use the question word wo". For example, "Wo ist die Lampe?" (Where is the lamp?).
Words "hin" and "her" are used in other situations as well. "hin" indicates distancing from the speaker or some object that is currently being talked about, while "her" indicated approaching to the speaker, or to the object that is currently being talked about.
When we talk about directions or locations we can use different prepositions like in, auf, unter, hinter, über and so on. These prepositions come with accusative or dative case. If we want to indicate the direction, we will use accusative case, and if we want to indicate the location we will use dative.
Let us look at some examples:
| Location (D) | Direction (A) |
| Wir sind im Garten. | Wir gehen in den Garten. |
| Wir sind in der Stadt. | Wir gehen in die Stadt. |
| Wir sind im Kino. | Wir gehen ins Kino. |
Remember, im is short for "in dem" and ins is short for "in das".