Constructing German Phrases

Andreas will of course be way better(perfect) at this than me, but basically, when you have 2 verbs, one of them is going to go at the end. So, "Kann" Can, is your first verb, and so "lassen" leave, will have to go at the end. If you should happen to mix it up, don't worry, everyone will know what you mean. Just like mixing up the tenses, the formal forms and endings and the articles. As long as you have some of the vocabulary right, they can figure out the rest. Most important is to try and use the formal "Sie" form when talking to strangers. That is fairly important.

Try some other books, like "German for Dummies" or "Just enough German" to help you out. Listen to some German news or films if possible, or go to your local university and see if they have any German exchange students that can help you get started, especially with the pronunciation, and some basic phrases.

Jo is right, if you construct or deconstruct a German sentence, you have to start from the predicate (verbs). E.g.: It's a yes/no question, so there is nothing before the verb bracket. The finite (conjugated) part of the predicate comes first: "Kann" Subject ("ich") and object ("das Gepäck"), in the usual non-Yoda sequence. And because the adverb is mandatory (*"can I leave baggage" is ungrammatical) it too goes into the verb bracket. The bracket is closed with the infinite part of the predicate "lassen".

A non-mandatory adverbial or adverbial clause, like "während ich weg bin" ("as long as I'm away") would go behind the verb bracket: "Kann ich das Gepäck hier lassen während ich weg bin?"

I'd also recommend to get a book to learn the German language beyond the phrase book. Personally I like Berlitz or the "Themen" series. Berlitz is geared more to the needs of tourists and keeps things easy. "Themen" is more structured and will help you to really understand how the language works.

In terms of sentence structure this is the way I summarize it for a German language beginner:

Sentence Structure

Present

Subject....Verb....Object

Ich........liebe....Sport

Past Perfect

Subject...aux. Verb...Object...main verb

Ich.......habe........Sport.....geliebt

Question

Q-word...Verb...Subject...Object

Was......liebst...du?

Wann.....geht....der Zug...nach Berlin?

Question without q-word:

Modalverb...Subject...Object......Verb

Kann........ich.....das Gepaeck...[hier]lassen?

Kann........ich.....das Ticket....[hier]kaufen?

btw [hier] is not an adverb but a prepositon.

The big difference to the English sentence structure is how the place of the verb changes in questions and in the Past Perfekt (simple past is rarely used in spoken German but very common in written form). Mainly because you have to place TWO verbs, so one is in the front, one at the end of the sentence.

German is very much about rules and regulation - in language as in culture. Very structured. Once you get the structure it's fairly easy. But explaining the structure in the context of this post doesn't really give me enough space so do get a book that explains the basic grammar principles.

The Berlitz book is very good. If you have an iPod, go onto the Itunes store, and search for German language. There are several podcasts or basic and tourist German (last time I checked), as well as just about any other language you can think of (Italian, Spanish, French, Russian). I've downloaded a few, and really liked them! :)

I am a jelly doughnut!

(looks at speech notes again)

Chris is right, Berlitz is great for beginners in many languages and pretty much all libraries carry it. I had it out on loan to learn Italian myself last year and had borrowed the German version earlier this year to teach German to a "blutiger Anfaenger" - "bloody beginner" literally translated :-)

Sorry to hog the spot, but can anyone translate this for me? I tried my German phrases and the response is light years over my head. Thanksherzlichen Dank für Ihre Anfrage. Leider müssen wir Ihnen jedoch
mitteilen, dass wir zum gewünschten Termin bereits ausgebucht sind.
Gerne begrüßen wir Sie zu einem anderen Zeitpunkt in unserem
Landgasthaus und verbleiben
Thanks Mark

mit schönen Grüßen aus Dörscheid

For translation, try Google Translate

German translation in short:

Thanks for your inquiry but unfortunately we are fully booked for the requested time. You're very welcome to visit us at another point in time.

Mark, they said something like, "Heartfelt thanks for your request. Unfortunately we must inform you, that for your requested time we are already booked. We would happily greet you at another time in our establishment. We remain, thanks, Mark.".

Thanks everyone. I thought they were messing with my head or giving me a recipe to make chocolate chip cookies HAHA

The important thing, when they respond in German, if the say "Leider" it's unfortunate, they can't help you. If the say "Gern", if means happily, they can offer you a place.

Unfortunately (Leider) they also said the they would gladly (Gerne), welcome you at another time.

There is really no substitute for learning the language.

I only have experience with French, not German. Please remember that here in America, if you have a non-English person trying to talk to you, the verb tenses and sentence structure may be off but you still generally understand the meaning. Do your best to learn the language, but don't stress out too much.