German B2 grammar-specific translations

Das Passiv im Präteritum

Express completed actions in the passive.

Das Passiv im Perfekt

Express completed actions in the passive.

The past tense form of the passive voice used for stories, narratives, or reports. It is formed by placing the simple past of the auxiliary verb werden ("wurde", "wurdest", "wurde", "wurden", etc.) in position 2 and the past participle of the actual main verb at the absolute end of the sentence (e.g., Das Gebäude wurde im Jahr 1920 gebaut).

Präpositionen mit Genitiv

Use prepositions such as „wegen“, „trotz“ and „während“ correctly.

Pronouns and adverbs that express a total absence of people, things, or places, thereby completely negating the sentence. Key examples include: niemand (no one), nichts (nothing), nirgends or nirgendwo (nowhere), and nie or niemals (never).

Relativsätze im Genitiv

Express possession and belonging in relative clauses.

Special prepositions used in formal German and written language that strictly demand the genitive case (2nd case). The most common examples include: wegen (reason: wegen des Wetters), trotz (concession/counter-reason: trotz der Kälte), während (duration), and innerhalb/außerhalb (location).

Das Zustandspassiv

Describe states using „sein + Partizip II“.

Subordinate clauses that describe a noun in more detail, where the relative pronoun stands in the genitive case to express possession or a fixed belonging. The forms are "dessen" for masculine/neuter and "deren" for feminine/plural (e.g., Das ist der Mann, dessen Auto gestohlen wurde).

Konjunktiv I: Indirekte Rede

Report what other people have said using the subjunctive I.

The statal passive does not focus on the ongoing process of an action, but rather on the finished result or condition remaining after an action has occurred. It is formed with the conjugated auxiliary verb "sein" in the present or past tense and the past participle of the main verb (e.g., Das Fenster ist geöffnet / Die Tür war geschlossen).

Irreale Konditionalsätze in der Vergangenheit

Describe past situations that did not happen.

The formal grammatical form of indirect speech used almost exclusively in written media such as newspapers, news broadcasts, or scientific reports. It objectively distances the speaker from the content being reported (e.g., Er behauptet, er habe kein Geld erhalten).

Irreale Konditionalsätze mit Modalverben

Express past possibilities and conditions with modal verbs.

Conditional sentences (if-clauses) that refer to the past. Since the past is over, the condition has become impossible and entirely unrealistic. This structure is formed using the subjunctive II of haben/sein in the past tense ("hätte"/"wäre") + the past participle (e.g., Wenn ich gelernt hätte, hätte ich bestanden).

Irreale Vergleiche mit „als ob“

Express situations and comparisons that do not reflect reality.

Conditional sentences in the past that additionally contain a modal verb. This structure utilizes a unique feature at the end of the sentence: the so-called "double infinitive" consisting of the main verb and the modal verb, while the auxiliary verb "hätte" stands before them (e.g., Wenn ich das hätte machen müssen, wäre ich unglücklich gewesen).

Funktionsverbgefüge

Use common noun-verb combinations correctly.

The reciprocal pronoun used to express a mutual relationship or a joint action between two or more people (meaning "each other" or "one another"). It can stand alone (Wir lieben einander) or be firmly combined with a preposition (Sie sprechen miteinander / Sie denken aneinander).

„Indem“, „ohne zu“ & „ohne dass“

Express manner and the absence of actions.

Temporal subordinate conjunctions. "Sobald" expresses that a main clause begins the exact second the action of the subordinate clause is completed (Sobald ich ankomme, rufe ich dich an). "Solange" describes a simultaneity spanning the entire duration of two processes (Solange es regnet, bleiben wir drinnen).

Negationswörter

Use words such as „niemand“, „nichts“, „nirgendwo“ and „nie“.

Subordinate clauses for circumstances. "Indem" describes the exact method or means by which a goal is achieved (Man lernt eine Sprache, indem man sie viel spricht). "Ohne zu" (used when the subject is identical) and "ohne dass" (used when the subjects are different) describe the absence of an expected accompanying action.

„Ein­ander“ mit & ohne Präpositionen

Express reciprocal actions and relationships.

Subordinate clauses that describe a hypothetical, unreal situation contrasting with reality. They are introduced by the conjunction "als ob" (as if), and the verb stands at the end of the clause in the subjunctive II mood (e.g., Er tut so, als ob er alles wissen würde / Er spricht, als ob er der Chef wäre).

„Sobald“ & „solange“

Express temporal relationships between actions.

The past tense form of the passive voice used primarily in spoken language. It is formed with the present tense of sein ("ist", "sind", etc.) in position 2, the past participle of the main verb at the end, and the shortened word "worden" as the final element (e.g., Das Haus ist erfolgreich renoviert worden).