Languages

German Sikhiye: A Beginner's Guide for Hindi and Urdu Speakers

 As-salamu Alaikum and Namaste! German Sikhiye is crafted for Hindi and Urdu speakers eager to learn German in a simple, relatable way. We'll draw parallels with Hindi and Urdu to make concepts familiar, such as "tum" (Hindi) or "tum/tu" (Urdu) being like "du" (informal you) and "aap" in both languages being like "Sie" (formal you). Fun fact: words like "ananas" (pineapple) are the same in German, Hindi, and Urdu!

Let’s get started!

German or Deutsch Language is spoken by over 90 million people, mainly in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. It’s a Germanic language, related to English, with unique features like noun genders and cases.

Alphabet and Pronunciation

German uses the Latin alphabet with four extra characters: ä, ö, ü, and ß (sharp s).

• Vowels: A (ah), E (eh), I (ee), O (oh), U (oo). Umlauts: ä sounds like "eh" in "bed," ö like "oe" in "poem," ü has no exact Hindi/Urdu equivalent but is like a tight "u."

• Consonants: Mostly like English, but "ch" is a soft hiss (e.g., "ich" = I), "sch" like "sh" in "shukriya" (Urdu) or "shukr" (Hindi), and "r" is rolled or guttural.

Pronouns replace nouns and change based on case, gender, and formality, much like Hindi/Urdu pronouns shift with respect or context.

Personal Pronouns (Nominative Case)

• I: ich (like Hindi/Urdu मैं /main/میں)

• You (informal singular): du (like Hindi / Urdu तुम /tum "تم" or " तूँ /tu "تو" – used with friends)

• You (formal singular/plural): Sie (like Hindi/Urdu " आप /aap/آپ" – polite, always capitalized)

• He: er (like Hindi/Urdu " वो /woh/وہ" for male)

• She: sie (like Hindi/Urdu " आप /aap/آپ" " वो /woh/وہ" for female; lowercase, context matters)

aorat ko tum nhi kehte aap kehte hain, seekh lo 😀

• It: es (like Hindi/Urdu " ये /yeh/یہ" for objects)

• We: wir (like Hindi/Urdu " हम /hum/ہم")

• You (informal plural): ihr (like Hindi /Urdu" तुम लोग /tum log / تم لوگ " or " तुम सब /tum sab/ آپ سب ")

• They: sie (like Hindi/Urdu " वो लोग /woh log/ وہ لوگ"  or " वो सब / woh sab/ یہ سب "plural; lowercase)

Examples:

• Du bist mein Freund (if male) and meine Freundin (if female)

(You are my friend. – Hindi: Tum mere dost ho)

• Sie sind mein Lehrer (if male) and meine Lehrerin (if female)

       (You are my teacher. – Hindi/Urdu: Aap mere ustad hain)

• Ich esse ananas. (I eat pineapple. – Hindi: Main ananas khata hoon)

• Er ist mein Vater/Papa. (He is my father/Papa. – Hindi/Urdu: Wo mere papa hain)

• Es ist eine Tomate. (It is a tomato. – Hindi/Urdu: Ye ek tamatar hai)

• In Questions: Bist du müde? (Are you tired? – Informal)

      (In Hindi/Urdu - Kya tum thak gaye ho?)

 Nouns (Nomen)

German nouns are capitalized and have three genders: masculine (der), feminine (die), neuter (das). Plural is usually "die." This is different from Hindi/Urdu, where nouns have only masculine/feminine genders (e.g., "ghar/گھر" is masculine, "kitab/کتاب" is feminine).

German has four cases – Nominativ (subject), Akkusativ (direct object), Dativ (indirect object), Genitiv (possession) which are discussed here after nouns, adjectives and verbs.

Definite Articles (The)

• Masculine: der (nominative), den (accusative)

• Feminine: die, die

• Neuter: das, das

• Plural: die, die

Indefinite Articles (A/An)

• Masculine: ein, einen

• Feminine: eine, eine

• Neuter: ein, ein

Examples:

• Der Apfel (The apple – Masculine, like Hindi/Urdu "seb/سیب") Seb ‘hota’ hai, Seb ‘hoti’ nhi hai

• Die Banane (The banana – Feminine, but this is unlike Hindi/Urdu "kela/کیلا") German me Kela ‘hota’ nhi ‘hoti hai 😀

• Das Haus (The house – Neuter, again unlike Hindi/Urdu "ghar/گھر") German me Ghar na ‘hota’ hai na ‘hoti’ hai, ye neuter Gender hai

Adjectives (Adjektiv)

German Language Adjectives describe Nouns and must match the Noun’s gender, number, and case, similar to how Hindi/Urdu adjectives change.

e.g., "achha ladka” vs. "achhi ladki"

Basic Endings (simplified):

• After definite article: -e (singular), -en (plural)

• After indefinite article: -er (maskulin Nominativ), -e (feminin/neuter Nominativ), etc.

Examples:

• Ein roter Apfel: A red apple – Hindi/Urdu: "Ek laal seb"

• Die schöne Banane: The beautiful banana – Hindi/Urdu: "Sundar kela"

• Das große Haus: The big house – Hindi/Urdu: "Badaa ghar"

Verbs (Verben)

German verbs conjugate based on the subject and tense, like Hindi/Urdu verbs (e.g., "khaata hoon" vs. "khaati hai").

Regular verbs follow patterns. However, the irregular ones; like "sein" = “to be” are trickier.

Present Tense (Präsens)

For regular verbs (e.g., "lernen" = to learn):

• Ich lerne (I learn) – Hindi/Urdu: "Main seekhta hoon”

• Du lernst (You learn – informal)

• Sie lernt (She learns/You learn – formal)

• Wir lernen (We learn)

Example with "essen" (to eat):

• Ich esse Ananas. (I eat pineapple.)

• Du isst Brot. (You eat bread.) – Hindi/Urdu: "Tum roti khate ho."

Irregular Verb: Sein (To Be)

• Ich bin (I am)

• Du bist (You are – informal)

• Sie sind (You are – formal/They are)

Example: Ich bin müde. (I am tired. – Hindi/Urdu: "Main thaka hua hoon"

Sentence Structure:

German sentence structure is stricter than Hindi/Urdu. The verb is usually the second element in a statement (Subject-Verb-Object) unlike the flexible Hindi/Urdu order (often Subject-Object-Verb).

Examples:

• Ich liebe dich. (I love you) – Hindi/Urdu: "Main tumse pyar karta hoon"

• Er kauft ein Auto. (He buys a car) – Hindi/Urdu: "Woh car kharidta hai"

Questions: Invert subject and verb.

• Liebst du mich? - Do you love me? – Hindi/Urdu: "Kya tum mujhe pyar karte ho?"

Cases (Fälle)

German uses four cases to show a noun’s role. Hindi/Urdu use postpositions (e.g., "ko," "se"), while German changes articles/pronouns.

1. Nominative (Subject): Der Mann isst. (The man eats.)

2. Accusative (Direct Object): Ich sehe den Mann. (I see the man.)

3. Dative (Indirect Object): Ich gebe dem Mann ein Buch. (I give the man a book.)

4. Genitive (Possession): Das Haus des Mannes. (The man’s house.)

Dativ Case Example:

• German: Ich gebe dem Freund das Buch.

Hindi/Urdu: "Main dost ko kitab deta hoon"

Common Sentences Translated

Here are practical sentences translated from Hindi/Urdu to German, useful for daily life.

1. Greetings:

   • Hindi/Urdu: "Namaste/As-salamu Alaikum" (Hello)

   • German: Hallo / Guten Tag (Good day)

2. Introduction:

   • Hindi/Urdu: "Mera naam [Name] hai" (My name is [Name].)

   • German: Mein Name ist [Name].

3. Asking for Help:

   • Hindi/Urdu: "Kya aap meri madad kar sakte hain?" - Can you help me?

   • German: Können Sie mir helfen?

4. Shopping:

   • Hindi/Urdu: "Yeh kitne ka hai?" - How much is this?

   • German: Wie viel kostet das?

5. Directions:

   • Hindi/Urdu: "Station kahan hai?" - Where is the station?

   • German: Wo ist der Bahnhof?

6. Ordering Food:

   • Hindi/Urdu: "Mujhe ek roti aur sabzi chahiye" (I want one bread and vegetable.)

   • German: Ich möchte ein Brot und Gemüse.

7. Expressing Thanks:

   • Hindi/Urdu: "Shukriya" (Thank you)

   • German: Danke

8. Apology:

   • Hindi/Urdu: "Maaf kijiye" (Sorry)

   • German: Entschuldigung

9. Time:

   • Hindi/Urdu: "Abhi time kya hai?" - What time is it now?

   • German: Wie spät ist es?

10. Farewell:

    • Hindi/Urdu: "Alvida" (Goodbye)

    • German: Tschüss / Auf Wiedersehen

Learning German as a Hindi or Urdu speaker is a rewarding journey. By relating German pronouns or recognizing shared words, you can build a strong foundation. Practice the grammar rules and common sentences.

Write to us for one-on-one sessions. Soon you’ll be speaking Deutsch with confidence. Viel Glück (Good luck)!