German GCSE
German GCSE glossary
118 key terms for German GCSE, A to Z, each linked to the topic pages that use it.
A
- Abstract Noun
- A noun denoting an idea, quality, or state rather than a concrete object (e.g., Freiheit, Gesundheit).Pearson Edexcel
- Accusative Case
- The grammatical case used for the direct object of a sentence, or after certain prepositions (like 'für') and 'es gibt'.AQA, Pearson Edexcel
- Accusative Case (Akkusativ)
- The direct object of the sentence; the person or thing having the action done directly to them.Pearson Edexcel
- ach-Laut
- The hard, guttural 'ch' sound used after back vowels (a, o, u).Pearson Edexcel
- Adjective
- A word that describes a noun (e.g., the red car).AQA, Pearson Edexcel
- Adjective Agreement
- Changing the ending of an adjective to match the gender, number, and case of the noun it describes.AQA, Pearson Edexcel
- Adjective Agreement / Endings
- The rule that adjectives must change their ending to match the gender, case, and number of the noun they describe.Pearson Edexcel
- Adjective Ending
- The suffix added to an adjective (like a colour) when it comes before a noun, depending on the noun's gender and case.Pearson Edexcel
- Adverb
- A word that describes a verb, an adjective, or another adverb (e.g., quickly, very).Pearson Edexcel
- Agent Noun
- A noun denoting someone who performs the action of the verb (e.g., Lehrer from lehren).Pearson Edexcel
- Attributive Adjective
- An adjective that comes directly before the noun it describes (e.g., der rote Apfel).Pearson Edexcel
- Auxiliary Verb
- A 'helping' verb used to form compound tenses.AQA, Pearson Edexcel
- Auxiliary Verb (Hilfsverb)
- A 'helping' verb (haben, sein, werden) used alongside a main verb to form compound tenses like the perfect or future.Pearson Edexcel
B
- Base Word
- The core word to which prefixes and suffixes are added (e.g., 'glücklich' is the base of 'unglücklich').Pearson Edexcel
C
- Cognate
- A word that looks and sounds similar in both languages and has the same meaning (e.g., das Haus / house, der Apfel / apple).AQA, Pearson Edexcel
- Comparative
- The form of an adjective used to compare two things, usually ending in '-er' (e.g., schneller = faster).Pearson Edexcel
- Comparative Adverb
- The form of an adverb used to compare two actions, usually formed by adding -er.Pearson Edexcel
- Compound Noun
- A noun made by joining two or more words together.Pearson Edexcel
- Conjugated Verb
- The verb that has an ending matching the subject (e.g., ich spiel-e).Pearson Edexcel
- Conjugation
- Changing the verb ending to match the person doing the action (I, you, he, we).Pearson Edexcel
- Conjunction
- A linking word used to connect clauses or sentences (e.g., and, but, because).AQA, Pearson Edexcel
- Consonant Cluster
- A group of consonants with no intervening vowel (e.g., sch, sp, st).Pearson Edexcel
- Contraction
- When a preposition and a definite article merge into one word (e.g., in + das = ins).Pearson Edexcel
- Coordinating Conjunction
- A joining word (like und, aber, oder) that links two main clauses.AQA, Pearson Edexcel
D
- Da-compound
- A word formed by combining 'da' + a preposition (e.g., damit, dafür) to mean 'with it', 'for it', etc.Pearson Edexcel
- Das Futur (Future Tense)
- Formed with the auxiliary verb 'werden' and the infinitive of the main verb at the end of the clause.Pearson Edexcel
- Das Perfekt (Perfect Tense)
- The spoken past tense, formed with an auxiliary verb (haben or sein) and a past participle.Pearson Edexcel
- Dative Case
- The grammatical case used for the indirect object, or to indicate static location after two-way prepositions.AQA, Pearson Edexcel
- Dative Case (Dativ)
- The indirect object of the sentence; the person or thing to whom or for whom the action is done.Pearson Edexcel
- Declension
- The changing of the form of a word (like an adjective) to show case, gender, and number.Pearson Edexcel
- Definite Article
- The word for 'the' (der, die, das, die).Pearson Edexcel
- Degree Adverb
- An adverb that intensifies or weakens an adjective or another adverb (e.g., sehr, ziemlich, kaum).Pearson Edexcel
- Derivational Morphology
- The process of forming a new word from an existing base word by adding a prefix or suffix, changing its meaning or word class.Pearson Edexcel
- Determiner
- A word placed in front of a noun to specify quantity or clarify what the noun refers to (e.g., the, a, my, your).Pearson Edexcel
- Diminutive
- A suffix that implies smallness or endearment (-chen, -lein).Pearson Edexcel
- Diphthong
- A sound formed by the combination of two vowels in a single syllable (e.g., ei, au, eu).Pearson Edexcel
- Duales System
- The German dual education system combining vocational school (Berufsschule) with an apprenticeship (Lehre/Ausbildung).AQA
E
- Eszett (ß)
- A unique German letter that represents a double-s sound, used after long vowels and diphthongs.Pearson Edexcel
F
- False Friend
- A word that looks similar to an English word but has a different meaning (e.g., das Gift = poison, not gift).AQA, Pearson Edexcel
- False Friend (Falscher Freund)
- A word in German that looks or sounds like an English word but has a completely different meaning.Pearson Edexcel
- Final Consonant Devoicing (Auslautverhärtung)
- The rule where b, d, and g at the end of a word are pronounced as p, t, and k.Pearson Edexcel
- Futur I
- The future tense, formed using the auxiliary verb 'werden' (conjugated) and the infinitive of the main verb at the end of the clause.AQA
G
- Gender
- The grammatical classification of nouns into masculine (der), feminine (die), or neuter (das).Pearson Edexcel
- Gender (Genus)
- The grammatical category of a noun: masculine (der), feminine (die), or neuter (das).Pearson Edexcel
- Gender (m/f/n)
- Nouns in German are masculine (der), feminine (die), or neuter (das).AQA
I
- ich-Laut
- The soft, hissing 'ch' sound used after front vowels (i, e, ä, ö, ü).Pearson Edexcel
- Imperative (Imperativ)
- The command form of a verb, used to give orders or instructions.Pearson Edexcel
- Imperfect Tense
- The simple past tense.Pearson Edexcel
- Indefinite Article
- The word for 'a' or 'an' (ein, eine).Pearson Edexcel
- Infinitive
- The original, unconjugated form of a verb, usually ending in '-en' (e.g., spielen, machen).AQA, Pearson Edexcel
- Infinitive (Infinitiv)
- The basic, unconjugated form of a verb, usually ending in -en (e.g., spielen, machen).Pearson Edexcel
- Infinitive Clause
- A subordinate clause built around an infinitive verb, often introduced by um, ohne, or statt, with 'zu' preceding the infinitive at the end of the clause.Pearson Edexcel
- Infinitive Construction
- A clause using 'um...zu', 'ohne...zu', or 'statt...zu' followed by an infinitive verb at the end.Pearson Edexcel
- Inversion
- Swapping the subject and the verb so the verb remains in the second position when a clause starts with a time phrase or adverb (e.g., Morgen spiele ich...).AQA, Pearson Edexcel
- Inversion (Comma-Verb-Verb)
- When a sentence starts with a subordinate clause, the main clause that follows must start with its verb.AQA
K
- Konjunktiv II
- The conditional mood, often formed with 'würde' + infinitive, translating to 'would [verb]'.AQA
L
- Lokaladverb
- An adverb of place.Pearson Edexcel
M
- Main Clause (Hauptsatz)
- A clause that makes sense on its own.AQA, Pearson Edexcel
- Modal Verb
- Verbs like können, müssen, wollen, sollen, dürfen, mögen that express ability, necessity, or desire.AQA, Pearson Edexcel
- Modal Verbs
- Verbs that express necessity, ability, or desire (müssen, können, wollen, dürfen, sollen, mögen).AQA
- Modaladverb
- An adverb of manner.Pearson Edexcel
- Modalverb (Modal Verb)
- A verb that expresses necessity, possibility, or permission (e.g., müssen, können, dürfen).Pearson Edexcel
N
- Nebensatz (Subordinate Clause)
- A dependent clause introduced by words like weil, dass, or ob, which sends the conjugated verb to the end.Pearson Edexcel
- Nominative / Accusative / Dative
- The grammatical cases in German that show the function of a noun in a sentence (subject, direct object, indirect object).AQA
- Nominative Case
- The grammatical case used for the subject of a sentence, or after the verb 'sein' (to be).AQA, Pearson Edexcel
- Nominative Case (Nominativ)
- The subject of the sentence; the person or thing doing the action.Pearson Edexcel
- Noun
- A naming word for a thing, like 'der Kreis' (the circle).AQA, Pearson Edexcel
- Noun (Nomen)
- A naming word for a person, place, thing, or abstract idea.Pearson Edexcel
- Noun Capitalisation
- The rule in German that every single noun must start with a capital letter, regardless of where it is in the sentence.Pearson Edexcel
- Noun Gender
- In German, nouns are masculine (der), feminine (die), or neuter (das).Pearson Edexcel
O
- Ordinal Number
- A number defining a thing's position in a series (first, second, third).Pearson Edexcel
P
- Partizip II (Past Participle)
- The form of the verb used in the perfect tense, usually starting with ge- (e.g., gespielt, gesehen).Pearson Edexcel
- Past Participle
- The form of the verb used with the auxiliary to create the perfect tense.AQA, Pearson Edexcel
- Past Participle (Partizip Perfekt)
- The form of the verb used with an auxiliary to create the perfect tense (e.g., gespielt, gegangen).Pearson Edexcel
- Perfect Tense
- A past tense formed with an auxiliary verb (haben or sein) and a past participle at the end of the clause.AQA, Pearson Edexcel
- Perfekt (Perfect Tense)
- The conversational past tense formed with an auxiliary verb (haben/sein) and a past participle.Pearson Edexcel
- Perfekt Tense
- The conversational past tense, formed with an auxiliary verb (haben or sein) and a past participle.AQA
- Personal Pronoun
- Words that replace nouns to avoid repetition (ich, du, er, sie, es).Pearson Edexcel
- Plural
- The form of a noun indicating more than one.Pearson Edexcel
- Possessive Adjective
- Words that show ownership (mein, dein, sein, ihr).Pearson Edexcel
- Predicate Adjective
- An adjective that comes after the verb 'to be' (sein) or 'to become' (werden) (e.g., Der Apfel ist rot).Pearson Edexcel
- Prefix
- A group of letters added to the beginning of a word to change its meaning (e.g., un-, Haupt-, Lieblings-).Pearson Edexcel
- Preposition
- A word that shows the relationship between a noun/pronoun and other words in a sentence (e.g., in, on, with).Pearson Edexcel
- Pronoun
- A word that replaces a noun (e.g., he, she, it, they).Pearson Edexcel
R
- Reflexive Pronoun
- Pronouns used when the subject and object are the same (e.g., myself, yourself).Pearson Edexcel
- Reflexive Verb
- A verb where the action reflects back on the subject (e.g., I wash myself).AQA, Pearson Edexcel
- Reflexives Verb
- A verb whose action reflects back on the subject, requiring a reflexive pronoun (mich, dich, sich).Pearson Edexcel
- Register
- The level of formality used in language (e.g., using 'Sie' for formal situations instead of 'du').AQA
- Relative Clause
- A clause introduced by a relative pronoun (der/die/das) that provides more information about a noun.AQA
S
- Separable Verb
- A verb with a prefix that detaches and moves to the end of the clause in the present tense (e.g., aufmachen -> ich mache auf).AQA, Pearson Edexcel
- Simple Past (Imperfekt / Präteritum)
- A one-word past tense used mainly in written German, but essential for 'sein' (war) and 'haben' (hatte) in spoken German.Pearson Edexcel
- Sound-Symbol Correspondence (SSC)
- The predictable relationship between a written letter (or group of letters) and its spoken sound.Pearson Edexcel
- Stem Change
- A change in the vowel of the verb's stem (the part before the -en ending).Pearson Edexcel
- Strong Verb
- An irregular verb that changes its stem vowel in the present tense (du/er forms) and has an unpredictable past participle.Pearson Edexcel
- Strong Verb (Irregular Verb)
- A verb that does not follow the standard, predictable conjugation patterns.Pearson Edexcel
- Strong Verb (Starkes Verb)
- A verb that changes its stem vowel in the past tense and has a past participle ending in -en.Pearson Edexcel
- Subordinate Clause
- A clause that cannot stand alone as a sentence.Pearson Edexcel
- Subordinate Clause (Nebensatz)
- A dependent clause introduced by a conjunction like 'weil', 'dass', or 'obwohl', where the conjugated verb is placed at the very end.AQA, Pearson Edexcel
- Subordinating Conjunction
- A word like 'weil', 'dass', or 'obwohl' that links a main clause to a subordinate clause, forcing the conjugated verb to the end of the subordinate clause.AQA, Pearson Edexcel
- Subordinating Conjunctions
- Words like 'weil', 'dass', 'obwohl', and 'da' that introduce a dependent clause and force the conjugated verb to the end.AQA
- Suffix
- A group of letters added to the end of a word to change its meaning or grammatical function (e.g., -ung, -los, -heit).Pearson Edexcel
- Superlative
- The form of an adjective used to say something is the 'most', usually formed with 'am ...-sten' (e.g., am schnellsten = fastest).Pearson Edexcel
- Superlative Adverb
- The highest degree of an adverb, formed with 'am' and '-sten'.Pearson Edexcel
T
- Temporaladverb
- An adverb of time.Pearson Edexcel
- Time, Manner, Place (TMP)
- The standard word order rule in German for adverbial phrases.Pearson Edexcel
- Timeframe Marker
- Adverbs like früher, heute, and morgen that indicate past, present, or future.Pearson Edexcel
- TMP Rule
- The strict word order rule for German adverbs: Time, then Manner, then Place.Pearson Edexcel
- Transactional Phrase
- Set phrases used to get things done in real life, like ordering food or buying tickets.Pearson Edexcel
- Two-Way Prepositions (Wechselpräpositionen)
- Prepositions (in, an, auf, etc.) that take the Dative case for location (where?) and the Accusative case for movement (where to?).Pearson Edexcel
U
- Umlaut
- The two dots placed over vowels (ä, ö, ü) that change their pronunciation.Pearson Edexcel
V
- V2 Rule (Verb Second)
- The rule stating that in a standard German main clause, the conjugated verb is always the second element.AQA
- Verb Inversion
- Swapping the subject and the verb so the verb is in 2nd position (e.g., Heute spiele ich).Pearson Edexcel
- Verb Second Rule (V2)
- In a main clause, the conjugated verb must always be the second idea/element.Pearson Edexcel
- Verb-End Rule
- The grammatical rule stating that in a subordinate clause, the conjugated verb must be placed at the very end.AQA
- Verschmelzungsformen
- Contracted forms where a preposition and a definite article merge into a single word (e.g., in + dem = im).Pearson Edexcel
- Vowel Change (Vokalwechsel)
- When the main vowel in the verb stem changes, usually in the 'du' and 'er/sie/es' forms of the present tense.Pearson Edexcel
W
- Wechselpräpositionen
- Dual-case prepositions that take the accusative when indicating movement towards a goal, and dative when indicating a static location.Pearson Edexcel
Other terms
- 24-Hour Clock
- A timekeeping system running from 00:00 to 23:59, used officially in Germany.Pearson Edexcel
Where these terms come from
Each definition is one we publish on a German GCSE topic page or study guide. Open a term to see how each exam board words it and which topic it belongs to. For the full course, go to German revision or the glossary for every subject.
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