Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1852, by

WEIK & WIECK,

In the clerk's office of the District Court of the eastern district of
Pennsylvania.

Stereotyped and printed by KING & BAIRD, No. 9 Sansom St.
Philadelphia.

THEORETICAL PART.

CHAPTER I.

PRELIMINARY REMARKS.

§ 1. The German language is composed of nine kinds of words, called the parts of speech. They are: the Article, the Substantive, the Adjective, the Pronoun, the Verb, the Adverb, the Preposition, the Conjunction and the Interjection.

2. There are in German two numbers: the Singular and the Plural; three genders: the masculine, the feminine and the neuter; four cases: the Nominative, the Genitive, the Dative and the Accusative. *)

OF THE ARTICLE.

3. We distinguish in German two kinds of Articles: the definite Article der, die, das, and the indefinite Article ein, eine, ein.

I. Declension of the definite Article.

It is to be observed that almost all declinable words, excepting the Substantives, take the same terminations as the definite article, viz:

*) The Nominative answers to the English nominative case, the Accusative to the objective case, and the Genitive partly to the possessive case.

The neuter Gender differs from the masculine only in the Nominative and Accusative. The Accusative of the feminine and neuter genders is always the same as the Nominative.

CHAPTER II.

OF THE SUBSTANTIVE.

I. Of the gender of Substantives.

4. Of the masculine gender are:

1. The Substantives, which denote a male being, as well by nature as by condition or occupation. Ex.:

Der Sohn, the son;

der Hirt, the herdsman;

2. The names of the seasons,

Der Winter, the winter;

der Herbst, the autumn;

der Schneider, the tailor;
der Stier, the bull.

months and days. Ex.:

der Mai, May;

der Sonntag, Sunday.

3. The Substantives ending in all, el, er, en and ing. Ex.:

Der Ball, the ball;

der Stall, the stable;

der Löffel, the spoon;

der Schlüssel, the key;

der Hammer, the hammer;

der Kutscher, the coachman;
der Degen, the sword;

der Ofen, the stove;
der Sperling, the sparrow;
der Häring, the herring.

Exceptions to the preceding rules:

Die Gabel, the fork;
die Kartoffel, the potato;

die Leiter, the ladder;

bas Ruder, the oar;

das Alter, the age;

das Fenster, the window;

das Fieber, the fever;

5. Of the feminine gender are:

die Schüssel, the dish;
die Feier, the festival;

die Leier, the lyre;
das Kissen, the cushion;
das Zeichen, the mark;
das Eisen, iron;'

das Messing, brass.

1. The Substantives which denote a female being, as well by nature as by condition or occupation.

Die Tochter, the daughter;

die Wirthin, the hostess;

Ex.:

die Magd, the maid-servant;
die Ziege, the she-goat.

2. The Substantives ending in ei, heit, keit, schaft, ung,

in and niß. Ex.:

Die Druckerei, the printing-office;

die Abtei, the abbey;

die Gesundheit, health;

die Sauberkeit, neatness;

bie Freundschaft, friendship;

die Hoffnung, hope;
die Königin, the queen;
die Herrin, the mistress;
die Kenntniß, knowledge;
die Erlaubniß, the permission.

Das Weib, the woman;

Exceptions.

das Frauenzimmer, the woman;
das Bildniß, the image;

das Verhältniß, the proportion;
das Bedürfniß, the want;
das Gleichniß, the similitude;

6. Of the neuter gender are:

das Bündniß, the alliance;
das Bekenntniß, the confession;
das Zeugniß, the testimony;
das Hinderniß, the obstacle;
das Ereigniß, the event;
das Begräbniß, the burial.

1. The names of metals, countries, towns and letters. Ex.:

Das Eisen, the iron;

das Gold, the gold;

das A, das B, the A, the B;

Petersburg, Petersburgh;
Preußen, Prussia;

Holland, Holland.

2. The Substantives ending in thum, sal and sel. Ex.:

Das Ritterthum, chivalry;

das Alterthum, antiquity;

3. The diminutives in chen and

Das Stühlchen, the little chair;

das Söhnchen, the little son;

das Mädchen, the girl;

das Schicksal, the fate;
das Räthsel, the riddle.

lein. Ex.:

das Bächlein, the little brook;
das Fräulein, the young lady;
das Knäblein, the little boy.

4. The Substantives beginning with the syllable ge. Ex.:

Das Geschrei, the clamor;

das Gebet, the prayer;

5. All kinds of words taken

Das Warum, the why;

das Nein, the no;

Der Stahl, the steel;

der Tomback, tombac;
der Zink, zinc;

die Platina, platina;
der Gedanke, the thought;
der Geruch, the odor, smell;
der Geschmack, the taste;
der Gebrauch, the use;
der Gehorsam, obedience;
der Gewinn, the gain;

das Gewölf, the clouds;
das Gedächtniß, memory.

substantively. Ex.:

das Trinken, drinking;
das Nügliche, the useful.

Exceptions.

der Gesang, the song;
die Gestalt, the shape;
die Gefahr, the danger;
die Geduld, patience;
die Türkei, Turkey;
die Pfalz, Palatinate;
die Moldau, Moldavia;
die Schweiz, Switzerland;
der Irrthum, the error;
der Reichthum, wealth.

§ 7. Compound Substantives take the gender of their last component. Ex.:

Der Hausherr, the master of the house;
die Hausfrau, the mistress of the house;
das Rathhaus, the town-house.

Exceptions: The following words, although terminating in the masculine Substantive der Muth, the courage, are of the feminine gender:

Die Anmuth, gracefulness;

die Demuth, humility;

die Großmuth, generosity;

die Sanftmuth, meekness;
die Wehmuth, sadness;
die Schwermuth, melancholy.

Other words compounded with Muth, are masculine. Ex.: der Hochmuth, haughtiness.

8. There are some Substantives which have two genders, but with different meanings:

der Band, the volume;
der Erbe, the heir;
der Schild, the shield;
der Thor, the fool;
der Verdienst, the gain;

der See, the lake;
der Leiter, the guide;

der Heide, the heathen;

das Band, the ribbon;

das Erbe, the inheritance;

das Schild, the sign (of an inn);
das Thor, the gate;
das Verdienst, merit;
die See, the sea;
die Leiter, the ladder;
die Heide, the heath.

II. Of the declension of Substantives.

9. All the substantives may be comprehended under three declensions:

The first forms the Genitive in 6.

The second forms the Genitive in n.

The third has the Genitive like the Nominative.

FIRST DECLENSION.

10. The first declension comprehends:

1. All neuter Substantives without exception.

2. All masculine Substantives, which do not follow the second declension.

1. Genitive in 8.

Nom. der Spiegel, the mirror;
Gen. des Spiegels, of the mirror;
Dat. dem Spiegel, to the mirror;
Acc. den Spiegel, the mirror.

To be declined in the same way:

Der Himmel, the sky;
der Vater, the father;
der Degen, the sword;

das Fenster, the window;
das Auge, the eye;
das Mädchen, the girl.

2. Genitive in es.

When euphony requires it, the of the Genitive may be preceded by an e, and this be retained in the Dative. In a familiar style this softening is generally neglected, but it is necessary in the Genitive of all those Substantives which end in a hissing sound, such as f, B, sch or 3. Ex.:

Nom. der Tisch, the table;

Gen. des Tisches,

Dat. dem Tische,

Acc. den Tisch,

das Kind, the child;
des Kindes,
dem Kinde,
das Kind.