All the tables

In a main clause the verb comes second. After weil, dass and wenn it goes to the end.

In the exam: Find the conjugated verb first. In a main clause it is second; after weil, dass, wenn or ob it is last. deshalb and a whole wenn clause count as part one.

kein replaces ein, or no article. nicht negates everything else.

In the exam: Could you put ein, or nothing, in front of the noun? Then kein. Otherwise nicht.

Könnten Sie …?, Würden Sie …?, Ich hätte gern …: the softer way to ask.

In the exam: In the speaking test, start requests with Könnten wir … or Würdest du …, and questions with Weißt du, ob …

The thing you act on is accusative. The person who gets something, or is helped, is dative.

In the exam: Ask who gets something or is helped: that person is dative (mir, dir, ihm, ihr). With gefallen, schmecken and passen the person is dative too.

ich, du, er change with the case: er becomes ihn in the accusative and ihm in the dative.

In the exam: Decide the case first (see Dative or accusative), then read across the table: er becomes ihn or ihm, sie becomes sie or ihr.

Possessives take the same endings as ein: mein, meine, meinen, meinem.

In the exam: Two questions: who owns it (sein or ihr?), then which case the noun is in (the ending).

Mostly -en. Learn the five spots that take something else.

In the exam: Find the article first. den, any dative, or a plural article (die, keine, meine): -en. ein with no ending of its own: the adjective takes it, -er or -es. Otherwise -e.

-er with als for more than, so … wie for as … as.

In the exam: Is there -er in the word? Then als. Is there so or genauso? Then wie.

wohin? takes the accusative, wo? takes the dative.

In the exam: Ask wohin? or wo?. If wohin? fits, use den, die, das. If only wo? fits, use dem, der, dem.

um for clock times, am for days, im for months and seasons.

In the exam: A clock: um. A day on the calendar: am. A month or season: im. Still true: seit. Over: vor.

Many verbs come with one preposition. Learn verb, preposition and case together.

In the exam: Don't translate the English preposition. Recall the chunk you learnt as one piece: warten auf, Angst vor, aufhören mit.

Some verbs always take mich, dich or sich. Others never do.

In the exam: Say it as a command. If the command needs a pronoun, the verb is reflexive: Beeil dich! Ruh dich aus! But Hör auf! and Ruf an! have none.

Most verbs take haben. Going from A to B, and changing state, take sein.

In the exam: Did someone go somewhere, or become something new? sein. Otherwise haben. Then check the four extras: sein, bleiben, passieren, begegnen.

Regular verbs make ge-…-t. Irregular verbs make ge-…-en, often with a new vowel.

In the exam: Check the start (a prefix?) and the end (-ieren?) before you add ge-.

For the past of sein, haben and the modal verbs, say war, hatte and konnte, not the Perfekt.

In the exam: sein, haben, a modal verb or es gibt in the past? Use war, hatte, konnte, gab. Everything else: the Perfekt.