Recapitulando…
-Los casos son variaciones de forma que experimentan las palabras. En el
alemán los casos se representan con sufijo, en la parte final de cada palabra.
Así el artículo masculino der, se puede transformar en den y en dem, según el caso.
-Declinar, por tanto, …….es modificar la parte final de una palabra de acuerdo a un caso.
-Cada caso es como un marco, como una caja que contiene una función gramatical (sujeto, objeto, complemento).
Como se vio en el anterior ejemplo, el artículo determinado masculino singular der, cuando entra en un marco, en una caja, se convierte en den, y si va aún a otro marco, a otra caja se convierte en dem.
El caso nominativo.
El caso nominativo es uno de los casos gramaticales comunes a muchas lenguas. Se utiliza principalmente para indicar a los sustantivos que son los sujetos de las oraciones. Los sustantivos en este caso pueden tener propiedades de género y número.
Los textos de referencia suelen utilizar el caso nominativo de los sustantivos. Los diccionarios del alemán, en los que el género es importante y está marcado por un artículo, suelen incluir ese artículo además del sustantivo en caso nominativo.
El nominativo es el caso “de fábrica”, por decirlo de manera divertida. Cada vez que nombramos una palabra, estamos usando el caso nominativo. Por ello, muchos dicen que es el más sencillo de los cuatro casos del alemán.
Der Baum... der Baum ist so wunderschön.
El árbol... el árbol está tan bonito.
Subtítulo 7, Jahreszeiten Der Frühling
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Un sustantivo o un pronombre y el respectivo artículo bastan para elaborar una frase con el caso nominativo.
Das Auto ist rot, aber es ist nicht groß, es ist klein.
El coche es rojo, pero no es grande, es pequeño.
Subtítulo 5, Nicos Weg A1 Folge 24: Das Auto ist rot
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Das Auto ist rot, aber es ist nicht groß, es ist klein.
Cuando usamos el verbo sein (ser o estar) o werden (llegar a ser, volverse) para definir o describir, estamos de seguro frente a una oración con caso nominativo.
Die Sonne scheint nach tausend Nächten
El sol brilla después de mil noches
Subtítulo 26, Christina Stürmer Wir leben den Moment
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En resumen, todo aquello que corresponde al sujeto de la oración está enmarcado en el caso nominativo. Pero recuerda, en una oración puedes encontrar varios casos a la vez.
Eso lo veremos en la próxima parte de esta lección.
German has a reputation for being a difficult and rough language, but there are in fact some words and constructions that are particularly lovely and not found in any other language. Let's have a look!
First of all, there are a number of nouns that are quite charming, including compound nouns. In what other language do you have words for a sense of happiness found when hiking, or being as happy as a poodle? Or what about the word for lightbulb, which literally translates as "glowing pear?"
Ein Mitbringsel gibt es für die Familie dann aber doch.
But there is a little present then for the family, nonetheless.
Caption 13, Katherine Heigl: Sie liebt deutsches Essen
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Die Biker fühlen sich pudelwohl hier zwischen S-Bahn und Autos
The bikers feel as happy as poodles here between the S-Bahn and cars,
Caption 48, Pumptrack: Rad fahren, ohne zu treten
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Zum Gipfelglück führt nur ein schmaler Grat durchs ewige Eis.
Enjoyment of the summit is only reachable by a narrow ridge, through eternal ice.
Caption 7, Die letzten Paradiese: Die Schönheit der Alpen 1
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...der typische Morgenmuffel namens Geli.
...a typical morning grouch by the name of Geli.
Caption 17, Galileo: So kommt man morgens leichter aus dem Bett
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Hier ist die Fassung und da ist die Birne. Kann man rein- und rausschrauben. -Ist eine Glühbirne.
Here is the socket and there is the bulb. You can screw it in and out. -It's a light bulb.
Captions 23-24, Unterwegs mit Cettina: auf dem Bruchsaler Weihnachtsmarkt - Part 2
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Then there is the ending -chen. You are probably already familiar with several words that simply have this ending, such as das Mädchen, das Hähnchen, or das Bisschen. But like the ending -lein, -chen is used to create diminutive forms, and there are many words that can be transformed with this suffix. Let's have a look.
As mentioned, these two words ending in -chen are simply standard German words:
Ein Junge und ein Mädchen, fünf Jahre und zwei Jahre.
A boy and a girl, five years old and two years old.
Caption 60, Cettina: interviewt Mütter
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Glaubst du, du wirst dort ein leckeres Hähnchen grillen?
Do you think you will grill a delicious chicken there?
Caption 38, Konjugation: Das Verb „grillen“
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In these next two examples, you can see that das Männchen can mean "the little man," in this case referring to small statues. However, it also can refer to the male of a species, in this case a male woodpecker:
Ja, richtig. Aus dem Ampelmännchen ist eine dreidimensionale Skulptur geworden.
Yes, exactly. A three dimensional sculpture has emerged from the little traffic light man.
Caption 2, 25 Jahre Wiedervereinigung: Ampelmännchen wird Einheitsmännchen
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Bei der Zimmererarbeit wechseln Männchen und Weibchen einander ab.
When it comes to carpentry work, males and females take turns.
Caption 35, Die letzten Paradiese Schätze der Natur: Südtirol
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This next example brings up a good point, which is that many diminutive forms result in the addition of an umlaut:
Aus dem „Hund“ wird dann ein „Hündchen“.
From "dog," we then get "little dog."
Caption 31, Deutsch mit Eylin: Umlaute - Part 1
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As you may have noticed, all of these words have the article das. While Mark Twain may have been quite critical of "the girl" having a neuter article rather than a feminine one, you have to admit it's quite convenient that they all follow the same pattern!
Further Learning
In addition to what you can find on Yabla German, there is a massive list of nouns that end with -chen on Wikipedia. Have a look! On Yabla, pay special attention to how the -chen ending is pronounced by native speakers, using the slow playback function if necessary.
In Part I of "Expressions using Tisch," we explored a number of German idioms that use the noun der Tisch. Let's take a look at some more of them today!
Wo ist denn der Herr Schöller? -Zu Tisch mit Herrn Fischer.
Where is Mr. Schöller? -Eating with Mr. Fischer.
Captions 26-27, Marga Engel schlägt zurück: Hochmut kommt vor dem Fall
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In the above example, the speaker dropped the verb, but the full sentence would read Herr Schöller ist zu Tisch mit Herrn Fischer. The phrase zu Tisch sein could also be translated more literally as "at the table," but in German it is, perhaps even more so than in English, suggesting that they are eating a meal.
Dann ist das gleich vom Tisch.
Then it'll be resolved soon.
Caption 20, Lerchenberg: Sascha hautnah
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The phrase vom Tisch sein means "to resolve" something, whereas the English expression "off the table" means that something, such as an offer, is no longer valid or being considered. Beware of false friends!
Zwei Jahre hat der Bau gedauert und 1,4 Milliarden Euro hat Betreiber EnBW dafür auf den Tisch gelegt.
The construction lasted two years, and 1.4 billion euros is what the operator EnBW invested.
Captions 14-15, Windenergie Ostsee-Windpark: Baltic 2 speist Strom ins Netz ein
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If you were talking about business and said that an investor "laid 1.4 billion euros on the table," it would probably be understood, but for clarity it's best to translate auf den Tisch legen as "to invest."
Also würdest du mich jetzt hier ruhig unter den Tisch saufen können?
So, could you easily drink me under the table here now?
Caption 13, Schauspielerin: Jessica Schwarz
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This one is a double whammy since saufen (literally "to soak") is also slang. The slightly more polite version is unter den Tisch trinken, but that is easy, as the expression is identical in English!
Dann: „Jemanden über den Tisch ziehen“.
Then, "To take advantage of someone."
Caption 4, Nicos Weg: Bei uns oder bei euch?
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"To pull someone over the table" doesn't make much sense in English, though it doesn't sound like a very nice thing to do! As you see, jemanden über den Tisch ziehen means "to take advantage of someone."
Further Learning
Make up some new sentences using the expressions we just learned about and have your teacher or a fellow student check your work:
zu Tisch sein
vom Tisch sein
auf den Tisch legen
unter den Tisch trinken
über den Tisch ziehen
Afterwards go to Yabla German and watch the full videos above to see the context in which these expressions have been used.
At some point while learning German, it may have dawned on you that there isn't exactly a German equivalent for the adjective "fun." There is, of course, the noun der Spaß, which is used to describe how someone can "have fun" (Spaß haben) or something can "be fun" (Spaß machen):
Ich glaube, auch die Erwachsenen haben Spaß an dem Film.
I think adults also have fun with this film.
Caption 11, Michael Mittermeier: Hexe Lilli
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Und ich hab auch gelernt, dass es mir Spaß macht, vor der Kamera zu stehen,
And I also learned that standing in front of the camera is fun for me,
Caption 20, Anja Polzer: Interview
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The adjective spaßig does exist, but is more specific, meaning that something is either "merry" or "celebratory," or "jocular" or "playful." Es hat Spaß gemacht is therefore not really the same thing as Es war spaßig.
Und spaßig ging es auch in der Festhalle weiter.
And it continued merrily in the Festhalle too.
Caption 24, Rheinmain im Blick: Live-Entertainment-Award in Frankfurt
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In terms of adjectives, however, there are a few other contenders. The adjective lustig can mean either "funny" or "fun" depending on the context.
Es ist einfach lustig und immer wieder da zwischendurch kommt trotzdem wieder ein Fund.
It's just fun, and time and time again in between, another find is still made.
Caption 64, Ausgrabungen: Auf den Spuren der Dinosaurier
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The adjectives amüsant and unterhaltsam also play a role here, as they describe something or someone being fun in the sense of being entertaining.
Er ist sicher wahnsinnig locker und unheimlich amüsant.
I'm sure he's incredibly easygoing and incredibly entertaining.
Caption 28, Weihnachtsmann gesucht: Bist du verliebt?
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So unterhaltsam kann Lernen sein!
Learning can be so entertaining!
Caption 5, Theaterstück über gesunde Ernährung: Henrietta in Fructonia
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Für die knappe Stunde Flug ist die Außenansicht unterhaltsam genug.
For just under an hour's flight, the view outside is entertaining enough.
Caption 10, Galileo Zug vs. Flugzeug: Von München nach Berlin
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Further Learning
On Yabla German, you can find many examples of how Germans cleverly use Spaß machen and Spaß haben to describe various fun occurrences and events. What has been fun for you in the last months? How would you tell someone about it in German?
In an earlier Yabla lesson, we started discussing idioms and slang expressions for "crazy." We'll be taking a look today at some more expressions that seriously question somebody's psychological well-being. But a word of warning if you are in Germany: these expressions are insulting and may make the person you are directing them at very angry. If that person has witnesses, it's possible that they could personally file criminal charges against you, take you to court, and have you convicted for insulting them. In Germany, Beleidigung is a felony crime punishable by up to two years' imprisonment and a fine. If the person who was insulted is a police officer or other public official, either the person or their supervisor can file charges against you. In that case it's called die Beamtenbeleidigung. So much for freedom of speech! Let's take a look at a few expressions that could get you in trouble in the wrong circumstances.
Sag mal, bist du völlig verrückt geworden?
Tell me, have you completely gone crazy?
Caption 47, Großstadtrevier: Leben kommt, Leben geht
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The adjective verrückt is slang and used very commonly. It comes from a 16th century usage which meant "brought to the wrong place."
Die spinnen ja wohl. Das ist ja wahnsinnig.
They're crazy. This is insane.
Caption 38, Großstadtrevier: Nicht mit mir
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The verb spinnen was described in the previous Yabla lesson. The adjective wahnsinnig may also be translated as "crazy." It's also used in a casual sense to add emphasis, such as Das ist wahnsinnig teuer ("That is very expensive" or "That is crazy expensive"). It comes from the Old and Middle German word wan, which meant "lacking" or "empty."
Diese irre Öko-Oma wollte neulich einen echten Klimaplan verabschieden.
This crazy eco-grandma recently wanted to pass a real climate plan.
Caption 25, heute-show: Das kann die Welt beim Klimaschutz von Deutschland lernen
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The expression irre comes from an obsolete noun that meant "the wrong way" or "the wrong direction."
Seid ihr bescheuert oder was?
Are you crazy or what?
Caption 4, Lilly unter den Linden: Umzug in die DDR
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The answer to that is, "No, we're just trying to learn German!" The adjective bescheuert is derived from the verb scheuern, which means "to thoroughly scrub out" with a brush or similar cleaning tool. The less than polite suggestion is that someone's brain has been scrubbed out of their skull!
Further Learning
Make up some new sentences using the expressions discussed above and have your teacher or a fellow student check your work. Please be sure that the sentences you construct are not aimed at your fellow students or your teacher—it always pays to be polite! Go to the videos mentioned above on Yabla German to better understand the contexts in which these expressions have been used.
This week, let's have a look at the German verb halten and consider how it is combined with prefixes to make other verbs. Even by itself, the verb halten has a number of meanings. First of all, it translates as "to stop":
Nein, Peter! Du darfst ihnen nichts geben. -Halt!
No, Peter! You mustn't give them anything. -Stop!
Caption 9, Heidi: Die Mutprobe
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Halten may also mean "to hold" or "to hold onto" (also in the variation festhalten) in either a literal or figurative sense.
Und zwar dürfen Sie sich jetzt mal hier kurz festhalten. Genau.
And, that is, you may now hold onto this here for a moment. Exactly.
Caption 44, TEDx: Lebenslange Fitness
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...und dann halt die Finger so über deinen Ohren.
...and then hold your fingers over your ears like this.
Caption 112, Coronavirus: Schutzmasken zum Selbermachen
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It can also mean "to keep" or "to last." Here you can see an example with the reflexive verb sich halten:
Die Rohmilch hält sich natürlich nicht ganz so lange wie die Supermarkt-Milch.
The raw milk, of course, doesn't keep quite as long as supermarket milk.
Caption 47, Rhein-Main-TV Moderne Milchtankstelle
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The first phrase below is heard constantly these days, and is one instance in which halten means "to keep" as in "to maintain." The phrase aufrecht halten would normally be translated as "to uphold," but in this case is also better translated as "to maintain."
Wir müssen Abstand halten.
We have to maintain distance.
Caption 24, Bundesamt für Gesundheit: Coronavirus und Schulen
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Und ich leite den Einsatz und halte die Kommunikation mit den Gastronomen und Hoteliers aufrecht.
And I lead the operation and maintain the communication with the restaurants and hotels.
Captions 23-24, Schweizer Felsenputzer: suchen Nachwuchs
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"To sustain" and "to abide by" are other possible translations of halten. The structure in this example is sich an etwas halten:
Alle Einwohner und Einwohnerinnen und der Staat müssen sich an die Gesetze halten.
All inhabitants and the federal state have to abide by the law.
Captions 36-37, Bundesrepublik: Deutschland Einbürgerungstest
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Then, as is the case with many other common German verbs, there are verbs that consist of halten combined with a prefix and may have either a related or an entirely different meaning. Here are two examples:
So, was könnte Olaf Scholz noch aufhalten auf seinem Weg ins Kanzleramt?
So, what could still stop Olaf Scholz on his way to the chancellorship?
Caption 20, heute-show: Die männliche Merkel hat Erinnerungslücken
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Wie sollte sie es nur ohne ihn aushalten?
Just how was she supposed to bear it without him?
Caption 70, Märchen - Sagenhaft: Die Weiber von Weinsberg
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Further Learning
Many examples with halten and related verbs can be found on Yabla German in both reflexive and non-reflexive forms. Can you find examples with enthalten / sich enthalten, erhalten, behalten, and verhalten / sich verhalten?
Es necesario reconocer que la información gramatical sirve como complemento. Sin embargo, el uso frecuente es la mejor manera de hablar otro idioma, es decir, establecer contacto con personas nativas, con textos y con audiovisuales. Haz que tu vida cotidiana interactúe con el alemán, sumérgete en el idioma y rodéate de él.
Vayamos al argumento importante de esta lección: las declinaciones y sus casos en alemán.
Como ya dijimos en la primera parte de esta lección, hay cuatro Kasus (casos) de declinación en el alemán moderno: nominativo, genitivo, acusativo y dativo (En el aprendizaje adicional, mostrado abajo, compartimos el enlace a dicha lección)
Recuerden que:
-En gramática los casos son variaciones de forma que experimentan las palabras.
-Cada caso representa una función gramatical (sujeto, objeto, complemento) en la oración.
-Declinar es modificar la parte final de una palabra de acuerdo a un caso, así como conjugar es cuando cambiamos la parte final de los verbos.
Ejemplo:
Die Straße: la calle (sustantivo)
Hässlich: feo/a (adjetivo)
Grau: gris (color/adjetivo)
Die hässliche graue Straße: La fea calle gris. En este caso los adjetivos hässlich y grau según las reglas tiene que ser declinado y por ello se les ha agregado una “e”. Sin embargo, después del verbo sein (ser o estar) los adjetivos no se declinan.
Die Straße ist hässlich und grau
La calle es fea y gris
Subtítulo 40, Oskar - Gehen, wenn es am schönsten ist Loslassen - Part 1
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No obstante, cabe destacar que no todas las palabras en el alemán deben ser declinadas, los sustantivos sí son declinados. Nombres y pronombres (Ich, du, sie, wir, esto, aquellos, etc.) pertenecen a la categoría de los sustantivos. También artículos (der, die, das, ein, eine, etc.) y adjetivos (schön, klein, weit, modern, etc) también deben ser declinados.
Entonces, para ejemplificar lo anterior, tomemos la palabra “casa” que en alemán es un sustantivo con género neutro.
Haus: casa. (Sustantivo)
Das Haus: la casa (Artículo determinado + sustantivo)
Ein Haus: una casa (Artículo indeterminado + sustantivo)
SchönES Haus: linda casa. (Adjetivo + sustantivo. En alemán los adjetivos van siempre delante del sustantivo)
Ein schönES Haus: una linda casa (Artículo indeterminado + adjetivo + sustantivo)
Das schönE Haus: la linda casa (Artículo determinado + adjetivo + sustantivo)
Como se nota, en la palabra schön se han agregado las letras “es” y “e”, esas son las declinaciones del llamado caso nominativo que explicaremos en la próxima lección.
Also, Nominativ ist unser Subjekt, ist das klar? -Ja. -Super.
Entonces, nominativo es nuestro sujeto, ¿está claro eso? -Sí. -Estupendo.
Subtítulo 55, Deutschkurs in Tübingen Satzbau - Part 1
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A modo de resumen, puede decirse que para declinar correctamente una palabra es necesario conocer, primero que todo, su género (masculino, femenino, neutro) y su número (singular o plural). Es necesario recordar también que cuando los sustantivos, los artículos y los adjetivos se escriben juntos en una oración todos serán declinados. Por otra parte, el uso de las preposiciones (con, para, desde, por, hacia, etc.) trae consigo cambio de forma en la declinación habitual.
Solo un ejemplo introductorio al respecto:
Die Hand: la mano. (Hand es una palabra femenina, die es el artículo femenino “la”)
Mit der hand: con la mano. (Mit es la conjunción “con”, la cual al escribirse con un sustantivo femenino como Hand, obliga a que el artículo deba escribirse con la forma der.
Fortsetzung folgt… (continuará)
Aprendizaje adicional.
Luego de leer estas lecciones sobre los casos, comienza a identificar algunas cambios de forma en palabras. Haz una lista de palabras con sus artículos correspondientes y memoriza todas las que puedas, poco a poco. Te será de gran ayuda.
Asimismo, te recomendamos revisar la primera parte de esta serie de lecciones
Declinación y casos en el alemán. Primera parte. - Yabla German - Free German Lessons
La gramática alemana es muy completa y tiene infinidad de reglas que serán parte de tu vida cotidiana, la aprenderás en la práctica, pero conviene hacer consciente las reglas.
Los prefijos son una parte importante de los verbos alemanes. La adición de una partícula antes de la raíz del verbo le confiere un nuevo significado o matiz.
De hecho, no se trata de un concepto tan alejado de otros idiomas, también existen en español, por ejemplo, estimar y subestimar.
Al respecto, presta atención a los ejemplos que siguen.
Entonces para comenzar, vamos a describir qué tipo de palabras suelen anteceder a los verbos en alemán.
Muy a menudo el prefijo es una preposición:
auf, an, vor, nach, mit, bei, zu…
Verbo aufhören. Preposición: auf
Das stimmt, man sollte aufhören damit.
Es verdad, se debería dejar de hacer eso.
Subtítulo 30, Böhmermann Wie geht man als Satiriker mit Rechtspopulismus um? - Part 12
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El prefijo también puede ser un sustantivo:
Verbo teilnehmen. Sustantivo: Teil
steht eine große Messe auf dem Programm, an der traditionell auch der Papst teilnimmt.
figura en el programa una gran Misa, en la que tradicionalmente, el Papa también participa.
Subtítulos 10-11, Papst Franziskus Der neue Papst hat viel zu tun
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Asimismo, los prefijos de los verbos alemanes suelen ser un adjetivo:
Verbo fernsehen. Adjetivos: fern.
Hurra, wir können fernsehen!
Hurra, -¡Podemos ver la televisión!
Subtítulo 21, Kurzfilme NICHTLUSTIG - Part 5
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Los adverbios también se usan en el alemán como partícula que se anticipa al verbo.
Verbo zurückkommen. Adverbio: zurück.
Sie sind wütend, weil ich nicht zurückkommen will.
Están enfadados porque no quiero volver.
Subtítulo 8, Nicos Weg A2 Folge 5: Geld ist für mich…
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Aprendizaje adicional
Para finalizar esta explicación introductoria, hay que mencionar a los verbos que tienen como prefijo a otro verbo, por ejemplo, el verbo sitzenbleiben. Estos verbos pueden escribirse unidos o separados. También hay verbos con prefijos que no existen como palabra autónoma: be- emp- ent- er- ge- miss- ver- zer y que no se pueden separar del mismo.
Una característica muy importante de los verbos con prefijos es que cuando se escriben pueden dividirse en dos, es decir, el prefijo y la raíz, pueen estar en distintas partres de una oración . Todos estos contenidos se ampliarán en lecciónes sucesivas.
In English, we have a number of expressions that use the word "table," such as "to sweep something under table" (to hide something), "to take something off the table" (to make something unavailable), or "to bring something to the table" (to provide or offer a useful skill or attribute). The German language also has a wide variety of expressions relating to der Tisch. Let's take a look at some of them today!
Die Suppe aß er hübsch bei Tisch.
He ate the soup nicely at the table.
Caption 23, Kindergeschichten: Der Suppenkasper
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Of course, am Tisch is also "at the table." Depending upon the context, the expression bei Tisch could also be translated as "during the meal."
Das Thema ist endlich vom Tisch.
The issue has finally been resolved.
The German expression vom Tisch sein is kind of a false friend, because in German, it means that something is resolved or finished, which has a positive connotation. But if you say that something is "off the table" in English, it means that something (like an offer) has been withdrawn and is no longer available. A very different meaning indeed!
Ich kann den Tisch decken und Milch eingießen oder Brot holen.
I can set the table, and pour milk, or get bread.
Caption 38, Heidi: Heidis erster Tag beim Großvater
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You probably knew this one already, but it's also easy to misunderstand, since den Tisch decken translates literally as "to cover the table," which could be misinterpreted to mean to cover it with a tablecloth or something! Of course, it just means to set the table with silverware and such.
Lass die nicht im Stich, Eddie! Mach reinen Tisch.
Don't leave her in the lurch, Eddie! Make a fresh start.
Captions 34-35, Die Pfefferkörner: Endspurt
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The expression einen reinen Tisch machen is very close to the English expression "to start with a clean state," which means to start something over again despite old mistakes.
Das Angebot liegt auf dem Tisch.
The offer is on the table.
The expression auf dem Tisch liegen is pretty easy, because it has the same meaning as the English idiom: to be presented, to be put forth, to be offered, or to be shown.
Und wenn da jemand die Frauen unter den Tisch fallen lassen wollte... dann verschwinden sie eben aus der Kunstgeschichte.
And if someone, didn't want to take the women into account... then they simply disappear from art history.
Captions 30-31, Malerei: Impressionistinnen
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In English, to be paid "under the table" means that somebody is getting paid off the record, but "to fall under the table" usually just means that something got dropped on the floor! And in German, to "let something fall under the table" means that something has been omitted, ignored, is no longer considered or mentioned, or is not taken into account.
Further Learning
Make up some new sentences using the expressions we just learned about and have your teacher or a fellow student check your work:
bei Tisch
vom Tisch sein
den Tisch decken
einen reinen Tisch machen
auf dem Tischen liegen
unter den Tisch fallen lassen
Afterwards go to Yabla German and watch the full videos above to see the context in which these expressions have been used.
Although perhaps less so this year, December is often a month of visiting and hosting. As the year comes to an end, let's have a look at some vocabulary related to spending time with loved ones.
You likely know the German verb besuchen ("to visit"). The noun der Besuch can mean "the visit," but also means "the visitor"/"the visitors." You can also say der Gastgeber / die Gastgeberin for "the host" and der Gast / die Gäste for "the guest"/"the guests."
Nun muss ich nur noch auf meinen Besuch warten.
Now I just have to wait for my visitors.
Caption 38, Apfelkuchen: mit Eva
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Ich bekomme heute nämlich Besuch, Günther.
I am getting a visitor today, Günther.
Caption 14, Nicos Weg: Lebensmittel
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Warum dauert denn das alles ewig? Die Gäste sind schon da.
Why is everything taking forever then? The guests are already here.
Caption 1, Marga Engel schlägt zurück: Arbeiten für den Feind
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When it comes to actually staying with someone, two more advanced verbs to know are unterbringen and unterkommen.
Ach, er ist ein Austauschschüler, der vorübergehend eine Unterkunft braucht.
Oh, he is an exchange student who needs a place to stay for a while.
Caption 17, Küss mich, Frosch: Die Zeiten haben sich geändert
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Wir hätten noch kurzfristig Möglichkeiten, dich unterzubringen...
We would have the last minute possibility of housing you...
Caption 14, Lilly unter den Linden: Umzug in die DDR
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However, to talk about someone staying with you or staying with someone, it's perhaps more common to simply use wohnen paired with bei:
Ich bin zu Besuch in Berlin und wohne bei meinen zwei Freundinnen.
I'm visiting Berlin and staying with my two friends.
Caption 2, Die Wohngemeinschaft: Probleme
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Of course, it all starts with an invitation:
Da hat man sich Gäste zum Essen eingeladen
You have invited guests to dinner
Caption 1, Das perfekte Dinner: Kochen für Gäste
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Further Learning
In addition to checking out our recent holiday content on Yabla German, create five to ten sentences about this December. Who did you visit? Who visited you? Who will you visit for New Year's Eve? This is a great opportunity to practice building sentences in a number of tenses.
With all of the genders available today, it's kind of amazing that German still has only three to choose from: feminine, masculine, and neuter (respectively die, der, and das in the nominative case). In German, there are two different ways to say "one of the" followed by a plural noun, such as "one of the cats," one of the dogs," or "one of the guinea pigs."
What makes this expression a bit difficult in German is that the gender in the "one" (in "one of") has to correspond to the gender of the plural noun you are using. This is a typical example of needing to know in German exactly what you're going to say before you say the first word of the sentence.
Imagine you're at an animal shelter trying to decide between adopting a cat or a dog or a guinea pig, and are looking at one pen full of kitties, next to one full of puppies, and another full of guinea pigs. When they ask what kind of pet you are looking for, in English you could start saying "One of the..." and then finish the sentence once you'd decided. But not in German, because the "one" (einer/eine/eines) in German has to agree with the gender of animal you're about to pick: "cat" is die Katze, a feminine noun; "dog" is der Hund, a masculine noun; and "guinea pig" is das Meerschweinchen, a neuter noun. So you'd have to make your decision before you open your mouth to say either:
Eine von den Katzen, bitte. (dative)
Eine der Katzen, bitte. (genitive)
One of the cats, please.
Einen von den Hunden, bitte. (dative)
Einen der Hunde, bitte. (genitive)
One of the dogs, please.
Eines von den Meerschweinchen, bitte. (dative)
Eines der Meerschweinchen, bitte. (genitive)
One of the guinea pigs, please.
Note that in the accusative case, the masculine einer becomes einen. As you can see, there is both a dative and a genitive way to say this. In spoken German, using the dative case is most common, whereas in formal written German, it's better to use the genitive. It's particularly tricky in that you need to know the gender of what you're discussing beforehand, and of course the definite articles are different in dative and genitive. But at least the plural definite article in dative is always den, and the plural definite article in genitive is always der.
Eines der letzten Spiele war dann von 1906 gegen 1860.
One of the last games was 1906 versus 1860.
Captions 15-16, Ball des Weines: Franz Beckenbauer
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The following example uses the adjective viel instead of the definite article:
Einer von vielen Punkten, die auch zwischen den Verhandlungspartnern hoch umstritten sind.
One of many points that are highly disputed between the negotiating parties.
Caption 34, Deutsche-Welle-Nachrichten: Massenprotest gegen TTIP
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When you use plural pronouns such as uns (us) or ihnen ("them") in a gender non-specific way, you always use the masculine form einer:
Einer von ihnen ist jüdisch, er geht jetzt hier zur Armee und so.
One of them is Jewish, he's going into the army here now and such.
Caption 28, Konstantin: ein Freiwilliger in Israel
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But if you are talking about women (die Frau, plural die Frauen) or children (das Kind, plural die Kinder), the genders must agree:
Es gibt 20 Frauen. Eine von ihnen...
Es gibt 20 Kinder. Eines von ihnen
Further Learning
Make a list of 20 or so nouns including their definite articles, such as die Frau, der Mann, das Kind. Then go through the list include each noun in a "one of the..." sentences, being sure to get the plural right. Don't forget too that many plural nouns in dative get an extra -n at the end: Einer von den Männern. Then go to Yabla German and watch the full videos above to see the context in which they have been used.
Above you can see two adverbs, a conjunction, and a noun that are close to identical. Can you differentiate between them?
The best translation of the adverb eh is "anyway," but—Achtung!—it can't be used in every situation like its English counterpart. Have a look at this lesson to review the different contexts in which eh and similar words like sowieso and trotzdem are used.
Ich find's eh schade, dass man ihn kaum noch bei uns im Zweiten sieht.
I think it's a shame anyway that you hardly ever see him with us on Zweiten ["Second," a TV channel].
Caption 9, Lerchenberg: Ein Fall für Zwei
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Der war eh potthässlich.
It was really ugly anyway.
Caption 71, Lerchenberg: Du bist, was du isst
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The conjunction ehe means "before." To see it compared to other words with the same meaning, have a look at this lesson. Here are more examples:
„Wir müssen uns ganz schnell davonschleichen“, sagte Frederick leise, „ehe er uns bemerkt.“
"We have to sneak away very quickly," said Frederick quietly, "before he notices us."
Captions 33-34, Piggeldy und Frederick: Der Elefant
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Und ehe die beiden sich's versahen, befanden sie sich auf dem Wagen.
And before they both knew it, they found themselves on the truck.
Caption 25, Piggeldy und Frederick Reise nach Schweinebrück
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Next we come to the adverb eher, which has two main meanings. First of all, it can be a synonym for früher ("earlier"):
Könntest du mir morgen den Brief etwas eher schicken?
Could you send the letter to me a bit earlier tomorrow?
Caption 36, Janoschs Traumstunde: Post für den Tiger
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However, eher can also refer to likelihood or preference. The best way to get a sense of this is to look at the diverse translations for eher related to this context:
Die Luftballons sind eher was für die Kleinen.
The balloons are more something for the little ones.
Caption 19, Das Fest: Open-Air in Karlsruhe
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Also ich bin dann eher lieber Nachtmensch.
So then I'm more of a night person.
Caption 13, Angelique Kerber Generali fragt Angelique Kerber: Ist Angie Frühaufsteherin?
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Ich würde dann eher nicht so einen kräftigen Lack nehmen.
I would then rather not select such a bright polish.
Caption 21, Das Beauty-Einmaleins: Fingernägel
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Die großen traditionellen Weihnachtsmärkte findet man eher im Süden Deutschlands.
One is more likely to find the large traditional Christmas markets in the south of Germany.
Caption 6, Weihnachtsmärkte: mit Eva
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Like all German nouns, die Ehe ("the marriage") is capitalized, which makes it easily distinguishable from ehe.
Dabei hat die Kanzlerin doch vorher gegen die Ehe für alle gestimmt.
Yet the chancellor previously voted against marriage for all.
Caption 9, heute-show: Die männliche Merkel hat Erinnerungslücken
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Further Learning
You will find many examples of eh and eher on Yabla German, which can help you understand how to integrate these words into your own spoken German.
An indefinite pronoun describes an indefinite number of things or people. Words such as "few," "some," "many," and "most" are indefinite pronouns. The German indefinite pronoun manch can be a bit difficult to translate when used as an adjective paired to noun.
The pronoun manch suggests "some" or "a few" things or persons—enough to be significant—but not "many" things or people, which inherently may suggest "most." The indefinite pronoun manch is usually translated as "some" when used in a plural sense:
Manche Menschen sind immer hungrig und werden nie satt.
Some people are always hungry and never get full.
Caption 33, Deutsch mit Eylin: Adjektive und ihre Gegenteile
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Manche Länder bilden auf der Rückseite ihre Königin oder ihren König ab.
Some countries depict their queen or their king on the reverse side.
Caption 7, Sparefroh-TV: Warum sehen die Euromünzen in jedem Land anders aus?
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You run into a problem, however, when you encounter manch used in a singular sense, because the indefinite pronoun "some" can only be used in the plural form in English. If you say "some man," you mean one single man, which is different than "some men." Even if you say, for example, "some person or another," which might at first seem singular because "person" is singular, by adding "or another" you are still referring in plural to two or more people.
If you try to translate the singular version of manch on Google Translate, it translates "some" correctly, but renders the noun and verb less literally as plural. Whereas if you translate the singular version of manch on DeepL, it keeps the noun and verb singular, but instead of using "some," it translates manch as "Many a..." This is problematic, because as we also discussed, manch implies the smaller proportion ("some") of those mentioned, not the larger proportion ("many").
Original German phrase using:
Mancher Finanzminister ist...
Google translation:
Some finance ministers are...
Deepl translation:
Many a finance minister is...
DeepL retains the singular of the noun and verb, but translates manch as "many," suggesting falsely "most" of the finance ministers, rather than "some" or "few," as the original German suggested. Because of the erroneous translation of manch as many, the less literal Google translation is the better compromise. There is actually no way to translate manch in German and retain this literal accuracy with the singular of the noun and verb, since in English, all indefinite pronouns such as "some" (or "a few of..." etc.) require a plural noun and verb.
Notice, in this next example, that Pflanze is singular and uses the singular verb form ist. In both examples, the singular noun and verb in German have had to be translated into the plural in order to get the correct meaning of manch:
Manche Pflanze, wie das flammende Indische Springkraut, ist grad erst bei uns eingewandert.
Some plants, such as the flaming Himalayan balsam, have migrated to our area only recently.
Caption 31, Die letzten Paradiese: Die Schönheit der Alpen
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Mancher Finanzminister der Länder ist der Meinung...
Some state finance ministers are of the opinion...
Caption 15, Angela Merkel: beim Nachhaltigkeitsrat
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It's a subtle difference, but when somebody with a large audience is making a statement that needs to be precise, such as (soon to be former) German Chancellor Angel Merkel, it can be an important distinction.
Further Learning
Go to Yabla German and look for videos using manch as an adjective before a noun. Then make up some German sentences using manch with a singular noun and verb, and practice translating them using "some" and changing the noun and verb to plural. Have your teacher or a fellow pupil or student check your work.
El tiempo que precede a la Navidad es el tiempo de Adviento, die Adventszeit. Es una tradición Luterana que se inicia en el siglo dieciséis. El símbolo del Adviento es der Adventskranz (la corona de Adviento). Está formada por cuatro velas rodeadas de un lecho de piñas, bayas, flores secas y adornos navideños. También es parte de la tradición el famoso calendario de Adviento, der Adventskalender.
En el siguiente vídeo, Eva nos habla de manera muy amena sobre el Adventskalender:
Die Tage und Wochen bis zum Weihnachtsfest werden in der christlichen Tradition als Advent bezeichnet.
Los días y las semanas antes de Navidad se llaman Adviento en la tradición cristiana.
Subtítulo 4, Eva erklärt den Adventskalender
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Entonces, celebrar la Navidad en Alemania se refiere a las cuatro semanas previas al 25 de Diciembre, bien sea disfrutando con la familia o con los amigos en los mercados navideños, der Weihnachtsmarkt, donde pueden beber vino caliente, der Glühwein, o también horneando galletas de navidad, die Plätzchen, en casa.
Es cierto que la magia de los mercados navideños se ha extendido a muchos otros países y continentes, pero los orígenes de los mercados navideños se remontan a la parte germana de Europa en la Edad Media. Cada año se celebran unos cuantos miles de mercados navideños en toda Alemania.
Die großen traditionellen Weihnachtsmärkte findet man eher im Süden Deutschlands,
Los mercadillos tradicionales de Navidad se encuentran más bien en el sur de Alemania,
Subtítulo 6, Weihnachtsmärkte mit Eva
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En cuanto a las galletas de Navidad al estilo alemán, te proponemos este video para que aprendas cómo se hacen.
Heute wollen wir mit euch Plätzchen backen.
Hoy queremos hornear galletas con vosotro
Subtítulo 3, Weihnachtsplätzchen backen mit Diane und vielen kleinen Helfern - Part 1
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Por supuesto, en Alemania también existe el día de San Nicolás, der Nikolaustag, el cual se celebra el 6 de diciembre, y no el 24 como es usual en otros países. El día 5 de Diciembre por la noche, los niños dejan sus zapatos con la esperanza de que San Nicolás los llene de chocolates. Resulta curioso, pues en lo que respecta a los regalos del día de Navidad, sobre todo en el norte y el este de Alemania, los niños esperan los regalos de otro personaje llamado der Weihnachtsmann, algo así como Papa Noel,
En lo que respecta al Año Nuevo en Alemania se le suele llamar Silvester -es el santo del día en el calendario católico-. Si se quiere desear a alguien un feliz año nuevo se puede decir Frohes neues Jahr! También está el famoso guten Rutsch ins neue Jahr: se traduce literalmente como "que tengas un buen deslizamiento hacia el nuevo año", pero en realidad significa "que tengas un buen comienzo de año", o bien se puede decir komm gut ins neue Jahr: que tengas un buen año nuevo, al igual que komm gesund ins neue Jahr: llega con salud al nuevo año
ich wünsch euch auch einen guten Rutsch ins neue Jahr,
Os deseo una buena entrada en el nuevo año
Subtítulo 100, Silvester Vorsätze für das neue Jahr - Linkenheim
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Aprendizaje adicional
En Yabla alemán hay un gran número de películas y series sobre la navidad y el fin de año. Disfruta de nuestra amplia biblioteca de videos, de las múltiples funciones que tiene el reproductor de Yabla y de nuestros juegos exclusivos, viel Spaß!
You may have noticed that the German verb finden doesn't only mean "to find" as in "to locate" or "to retrieve," but also has another meaning:
Und ich finde wirklich, dass sie in dieser Zeit am besten schmecken.
And I really think that they taste best during this time.
Captions 19-20, Deutsch mit Eylin: Gemüse aus Deutschland
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Die meisten Menschen finden Warzenschweine hässlich.
Most people find warthogs ugly.
Caption 28, Deutsch mit Eylin: Adjektive und ihre Gegenteile
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The verbs denken ("to think") and glauben ("to believe") can also be used to express opinions. Then there is the question of the verb meinen. This verb can either be translated as "to mean" in the sense of referring to something, but also in the sense of having an opinion.
Du meinst, die machen Überstunden? -Illegale Überstunden.
You mean that they are working overtime? -Illegal overtime.
Caption 21, Großstadtrevier: Von Monstern und Mördern
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Eins meinte, Stroh wäre das richtige.
One thought that straw would be the right thing.
Caption 26, Märchen - Sagenhaft: Die drei kleinen Schweinchen
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One word for "the opinion" in German is die Meinung. For expressing your opinion with this noun, there are two different constructions to know about:
Was den Nahen-Ost-Friedensprozess anbelangt, so, bin ich der Meinung, dass die Kerry-Initiative eine gute Grundlage ist, um Friedensgespräche wieder in Gang zu bringen.
With regard to the Middle East peace process, well, I am of the opinion that the Kerry initiative is a good basis to restart the peace talks.
Captions 59-61, Angela Merkel: Gemeinsame Pressekonferenz mit Barack Obama
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Mancher Finanzminister der Länder ist der Meinung, das tun wir heute schon.
Some state finance ministers are of the opinion that we are already doing that today.
Captions 15-16, Angela Merkel: beim Nachhaltigkeitsrat
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Es hat aber meiner Meinung nach natürlich auch sogar einen Forschungscharakter.
But in my opinion it also of course has a research character.
Caption 39, Für Tierfreunde: Przewalski-Wildpferde
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Ihrer Meinung nach ist der Beluga-Wal der wahre Gewinner.
In their opinion, the beluga whale is the real winner.
Caption 57, Die Top Ten: Die 12 freundlichsten Meerestiere der Welt
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Another noun that can be used similarly is die Ansicht, which can also mean "the perspective" or "the point of view." Here are a few more examples:
Und ich bin der Ansicht, dass das die neuen Volkslieder der neuen Generation sind.
And I am of the opinion that these are the new folk songs of the new generation.
Captions 12-13, Heino Neue Volkslieder
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Das Geld ist meiner Ansicht nach nicht verloren.
In my opinion, the money isn't lost yet.
Caption 29, Finanzkrise Die Lehman-Pleite
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Further Learning
Using the verbs and phrases above, build some sentences that express your opinions about food, politics, languages, movies... whatever you want! And, as always, you can find further examples on Yabla German.
Let's talk today about the adjectives and adverbs we can use for the English word "small" and its synonyms. Everyone should already know klein, but there are also other similar words that are used with similar meaning in different idioms and contexts.
Der Prinz hatte nicht die geringsten Zweifel daran.
The Prince did not have the slightest doubt about it.
Caption 57, Märchen - Sagenhaft: Die Prinzessin auf der Erbse
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Der Enthusiasmus ist ein bisschen gering heute.
I notice that the enthusiasm is a little bit limited today.
Caption 50, Deutschkurs in Tübingen: Verben der 2. Kategorie
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So while you could perhaps replace the above contexts with die kleinsten Zweifel or ein bisschen klein heute, the adjective and adverb gering is generally used in contexts where something can't really be counted, such as "doubt" or "enthusiasm." And while you may say die Chancen sind gering ("the chances are low" or "the chances are small"), against all expectation you more commonly say its opposite as die Chancen sind groß ("the chances are great") rather than die Chancen sind hoch ("the chances are high"). The latter is acceptable, but less common.
Ich glaub, mein Ruhepuls ist schon sehr niedrig.
I think my resting heart rate is very low.
Caption 8, Generali fragt Angelique Kerber: Lieblinge
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The adjective and adverb niedrig is usually translated as "low," but you have to be careful, for though it may be understandable to native speakers, it would not be correct German to say die Chancen sind niedrig! But the word niedrig is usually associated with the height of things, such as low heart rate levels, or physical things such as low walls or buildings.
Let's take a look at some other words relating to "small." The adjective and adverb winzig is also sometimes translated as "diminutive," "minute," or "miniscule":
Das Mädchen war barfuß und hinterließ winzige Fußabdrücke
The girl was barefoot and left tiny footprints behind,
Caption 9, Märchen - Sagenhaft: Das kleine Mädchen mit den Schwefelhölzern
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You should be careful with the false friend schmal, since it resembles the English word "small"— but just because the windows are schmal does not necessarily mean that they are small:
Richtig. Meistens sind ja die Fenster dann auch noch recht schmal.
Right. The windows are also mostly really narrow.
Caption 57, Feuerwehr Heidelberg: Löschfahrzeug
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You'll find a "real friend" in mikroskopisch, however, as it does indeed mean "microscopic."
Further Learning
Go to Yabla German and look for videos containing the "small" German adjectives and adverbs gering, niedrig, and winzig. You may make up some sentences containing different English words for "small" and translate them to German, then have your teacher or tandem partner check your work.
If you're studying German, you're learning about the accusative and dative cases. You've likely looked at many sentences with a direct and indirect object that look similar to this one:
Also: Ich schenke ihm ein Ticket fürs Theater.
So, I give him a ticket to the theater.
Caption 15, Nicos Weg: Herzlichen Glückwunsch!
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In the sentence above, the ticket is the direct object and the pronoun "him" is the indirect object in the dative case, which is why it is ihm and not ihn. Generally in German, the direct object is associated with the accusative case. Here's a classic example, with the accusative personal pronoun dich as the direct object:
Weil ich dich liebe, noch immer und mehr.
Because I love you, still and more.
Caption 9, Marius Müller-Westernhagen Weil Ich Dich Liebe
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However, there are a number of common verbs that normally take an object in the dative case, even when there is no object with the accusative case in the sentence. You may already be familiar with this sort of structure from these common phrases:
Wir lassen jetzt die Sabine unser Gericht probieren und hoffen, dass es ihr schmeckt.
We'll now let Sabine taste our dish and hope that she likes it.
Captions 74-75, Bundesländer und ihre Rezepte Rheinland-Pfalz
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Ich habe den ersten Teil schon gesehen und der hat mir sehr gut gefallen.
I saw the first part already and I liked it a lot.
Caption 43, Diane erklärt: Fragewörter
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Das braune Portemonnaie gehört dir, oder?
The brown wallet belongs to you, right?
Caption 18, Nicos Weg: Meine Familie
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Here are some other verbs that follow this pattern, each with a dative personal pronoun:
Du kannst mir vertrauen. Ich will dir helfen.
You can trust me. I want to help you.
Caption 7, Die Pfefferkörner: Cybermobbing
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Und ich hätte wirklich stundenlang dir zuhören können.
And I really could have listened to you for hours.
Caption 42, The Voice of German: Isabel Nolte singt „Als ich fortging“
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Lisa, ich gratuliere dir.
Lisa, I congratulate you.
Caption 7, Nicos Weg: Das ist mir wichtig!
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Bleib bei mir, verzeih mir.
Stay with me, forgive me.
Caption 16, Clueso: Weil ich dich liebe
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Further Learning
Try to create sentences with other common verbs that follow this pattern: danken, dienen, einfallen, fehlen, folgen, gelingen, passieren, schwer fallen, wehtun, and widersprechen. You can find an extensive list on this website and will also find examples with these verbs on Yabla German.
A few lessons ago, we discussed the names of classical music instruments in German. Let's take a look today at the German names of some of the most common musical instruments used in pop music.
We already discussed the piano in the classical instruments lesson, but there are also a number of other kinds of keyboard instruments (das Tasteninstrument) that are used in pop music. They are also called das Keyboard, plural die Keyboards. A person who plays keyboards is der Keyboarder / die Keyboarderin.
The Hammond organ is a popular vintage organ that is still much-loved in pop and jazz music. Although Hammond is actually a brand name, it is listed in the German dictionary as a proper German word: die Hammondorgel. Other popular electronic organs from the 1960s, which were produced cheaply by companies such as Farfisa in Italy and Vox in the UK, are often referred to casually—or deprecatingly—as die Schweineorgel, which translates literally to "pig organ"!
Another popular Tasteninstrument that began to be widely used in the 1970s is the synthesizer (der Synthesizer). It's often referred to casually as der Synthi.
Diese ganzen analogen Synthesizer?
All those analog synthesizers?
Caption 115, LOTTE & Max Giesinger: Interview
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Probably the most important instrument in rock music, especially in heavy metal and punk rock music, is the electric guitar, called die elektrische Gitarre (or die Elektrogitarre), or die E-Gitarre for short. Generally, a person who plays guitar is called der Gitarrist / die Gitarristin. A common slang word for the electric guitar, especially among musicians, is die Klampfe. A very old-fashioned term for the guitar is die Zupfgeige, which translates literally to "pluck violin"!
So gibt es hier die elektrische Gitarre für den abgebrühten Rockstar.
Thus there is the electric guitar here for the jaded rock star.
Caption 2, Rheinmain im Blick: Musikmesse in Frankfurt
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On the bottom end of the harmonic spectrum, we find the electric bass and upright bass, called die Bassgitarre (or der E-Bass) and der Kontrabass respectively. A person who plays bass is der Bassist / die Bassistin.
Sie schafft Platz zu Hause und erfreut die Fans, die bald Burger unter der Bassgitarre futtern können.
She makes room at home and pleases the fans, who will soon be able to scarf down burgers under the bass guitar.
Captions 8-9, Christina Stürmer: ist reif fürs Museum
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Let's look now at the beat, an intrinsic element of most forms of pop music, with the drums at the forefront: das Schlagzeug, or the English-based derivative, die Drums. A person who plays the drums is der Schlagzeuger / die Schlagzeugerin or, perhaps somewhat old-fashioned, der Trommler / die Trommlerin. Again, the English derivative is also available: der Drummer / die Drummerin.
Geige ist mir zu langweilig, ich will gleich Schlagzeug spielen.
Violin is too boring for me, I want to play drums right away.
Caption 36, Sons of Sounds: Interview
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Of course, brass instruments have always played a role in pop music, but the most common horn in pop music is probably the saxophone: das Saxofon. A foreign-influenced spelling, das Saxophon, is also acceptable, though the Duden dictionary has das Saxofon as the preferred spelling. A person who plays the saxophone is der Saxofonist / die Saxofonistin, and here too the foreign-influenced spelling is allowed.
Ich bin Musiker. Ich spiele Saxofon.
I'm a musician. I play saxophone.
Caption 14, Melanie und Thomas: treffen sich
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Let's not neglect a major aspect of pop music, the one item that makes it possible to play so loudly: the amplifier, in German der Verstärker. A guitar amplifier is der Gitarrenverstärker, a bass amplifier der Bassverstärker, and a keyboard amplifier is der Keyboardverstärker. Vocals, horns, and other acoustic instruments are usually amplified through a microphone: das Mikrofon, or its foreign-influenced spelling variant das Mikrophon—or just das Mikro for short. All of these instruments are usually amplified on larger stages through a PA system. The proper German dictionary word is die Beschallungsanlage, but as Wikipedia will attest, in common parlance, it's most commonly called die PA-Anlage.
Further Learning
Go to Yabla German and watch the videos above relating to musical instruments. You can also search for the names of the instruments and find other videos. Find a tandem partner in your class and make up some sentences in German using these musical instrument words, then compare what you both came up with.
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