In this lesson, you will learn about German verbs and the objects or complements (Ergänzungen) that they require. We will also discuss the valency of verbs and the importance of understanding both complements and verb valency in German.
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What is an object?
What is verb valency?
Verbs with ONE complement
Verbs with TWO complement
Verbs with THREE complement
Verbs categorised according to the type of complement they use
The valency of a verb is related to its meaning
What is an object?
All German verbs have the characteristic of connecting to other words as predicates in a sentence, which means they must be in a specific form.
For example, the verb “helfen” requires that the subject (noun or pronoun) is in the nominative case, while another complement or object (noun or pronoun) must be in the dative case for the sentence to be complete.
For example:
Meine Mutter hilft mir. – My mother helps me.
Wem hilft meine Mutter? Mir (DATIVE)
Who does my mother help? Me.
When we ask a question using WHO? in English, the equivalent question in German is WEM? This specifically seeks an answer that corresponds to the dative case. For example, the answer could be: mir (me).
Additionally, the verb “sein” (“to be”) functions as a predicate and requires, alongside the subject in the nominative case, another component: either an adjective in its basic (invariable) form or a noun also in the nominative case.
For example:
Lena ist krank. – Lena is sick.
Meine Mutter ist Ärztin. – My mum is a doctor.
The verb sehen requires, in addition to the subject, a complement in the accusative.
For example:
Ich sehe einen Mann. – I see a man.
The verb warten requires another addition to the subject, which must be in the accusative with the preposition auf.
For example:
Er wartet auf den Bus.
All modal verbs must be completed with the infinitive of another verb.
For example:
Ich darf/ kann/ will/ soll / muss meine Oma besuchen.
What is verb valency?
Every verb used as a predicate in a sentence requires a specific number of complements or objects, which must be in a particular form within its context.
This characteristic of verbs (as well as some nouns, adjectives, and pronouns) is known as valency. While complements can be interchangeable, their quantity and structure must remain consistent.
So it can be said:
Depending on the valency, it is possible to group verbs according to the number of necessary complements/objects.
There are also verbs without any complement. These are impersonal verbs:
Es regnet. – It is raining.
Es schneit. – It snows.
Es donnert. – It thunders.
Es blitzt. – There is lightning.
NOTE!
This es with impersonal verbs is not a subject, because it cannot be replaced by another pronoun or noun, but is considered an integral part of the verb
Verbs with ONE complement
These verbs have only one complement: a subject: schlafen (to sleep), blühen ( to blossom), weinen (to cry), sterben (to die):
For example:
Jonas schläft. – Jonas is asleep.
Lena weint. – Lena is crying.
Die Rosen blühen. – The roses are blooming.
Meine Oma ist gestorben. – My grandma has died.
Verbs with TWO complements
These verbs have two complements, a subject plus one more complement:
For example:
Er ist Student. (a subject + a nominative object)
Sie lernt Mathe. (a subject + an accusative object)
Die Tasche gehört mir. (a subject + a dative object)
Verbs with THREE complements
These verbs have three complements, a subject plus two complements:
For example:
Ich schenke meiner Schwester eine Tasche. (a subject + a dative object + an accusative object)
Sie machen Urlaub auf einer griechischen Insel. (a subject + an accusative object + a prepositional object)
Verbs categorised according to the type of complement they use
Verbs can also be grouped according to the form of the complement.
In addition to the subject, which is always in the nominative case, other complements can be nouns, or pronouns in the nominative, genitive, dative, accusative case, with a preposition, a verb in the infinitive, or an adjective in the basic form.
Nominative object
For example:
Er heißt Lukas. Sie ist Lehrerin.
Genitive object (there are few verbs with this complement)
For example:
Wir gedenken heute der Opfer des Zweiten Weltkriegs.
Dative object
For example:
Julia hilft mir. Der Wagen gehört meinem Bruder.
Accusative object
For example:
Ich liebe dich. Sie haben den Schlüssel vergessen.
Prepositional object
For example:
Er denkt an seine Frau.
Ich will mit dem Lehrer sprechen.
Complement in the infinitive
For example:
Ich muss Deutsch lernen.
Es beginnt zu regnen.
Complement as an adjective
For example:
Sie war krank.
The valency of a verb is related to its meaning.
finden
So, for example, the verb finden has two meanings.
1. In the meaning of “find/to find”, it requires ONE complement in the accusative case:
For example:
Ich finde die Schlüssel nicht. – I can’t find my keys.
2. In the meaning of “consider”, it requires TWO complements, one in the accusative case and one as an adjective:
For example:
Sie fand das Buch interessant. – She found the book interesting.
rechnen
The verb rechnen has three meanings.
1. In the meaning of “count” has only ONE complement: a subject.
For example:
Er kann schon rechnen. – He can already count.
2. In the meaning of „ to include someone in something” , has THREE complements: a subject, an accusative object and a preposition “zu “:
For example:
Wir rechnen ihn zu den besten Sportlern der Welt. – We count him among the best athletes in the world.
3. In the meaning of “count with whom/what, rely on whom/what”, has TWO complements: a subject and prepositional object ”auf”.
For example:
Er rechnet auf meine Unterstützung. – He counts on my support.
We have to know the valency of a German verb to be able to use it correctly. This is sometimes different from the valency of what may seem to be the equivalent English verb:
Thus, the verb begegnen in German has a subject and a complement in the dative, and the English verb meet has a second complement in the accusative:
Ich begegnete deiner Schwester. – I met your sister.
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