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  4. Wissen (“to know”) and Lassen (“to let”)

Wissen (“to know”) and Lassen (“to let”) by Jeffery Donley, Ph.D.

Remember that wissen, meaning “to know (a fact)”, has a conjugation like the modals, but is not, in fact, a modal auxiliary verb.

Exercise 13

Translate the following.

<tgroup cols="2" align="center"> <colspec colnum="1" colname="col1" colwidth="50%" colsep="0" rowsep="0" align="left"/> <colspec colnum="2" colname="col2" colwidth="50%" colsep="0" rowsep="0" align="left"/> <tbody> <tr> <td><p>1. Past: <emphasis>sie wussten</emphasis></p></td> <td><p>________________</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>2. Present: <emphasis>ihr wisst</emphasis></p></td> <td><p>________________</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>3. Present: <emphasis>wir wissen</emphasis></p></td> <td><p>________________</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>4. Past: <emphasis>ihr wusstet</emphasis></p></td> <td><p>________________</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>5. Present: <emphasis>sie wissen</emphasis></p></td> <td><p>________________</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>6. Past: <emphasis>wir wussten</emphasis></p></td> <td><p>________________</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>7. Present: <emphasis>du weißt</emphasis></p></td> <td><p>________________</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>8. Past: <emphasis>ich wusste</emphasis></p></td> <td><p>________________</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>9. Present<emphasis>: er weiß</emphasis></p></td> <td><p>________________</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>10. Past: <emphasis>du wusstest</emphasis></p></td> <td><p>________________</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>11. Present: <emphasis>ich weiß</emphasis></p></td> <td><p>________________</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>12. Past: <emphasis>er wusste</emphasis></p></td> <td><p>________________</p></td> </tr> </tbody> </tgroup> </table> <h2>Exercise 14</h2> <p>Match the following German words with their English counterparts.</p> <table width="100%" frame="none"> <title/> <tgroup cols="2" align="center"> <colspec colnum="1" colname="col1" colwidth="50%" colsep="0" rowsep="0" align="left"/> <colspec colnum="2" colname="col2" colwidth="50%" colsep="0" rowsep="0" align="left"/> <tbody> <tr> <td><p>1. <emphasis>Pullover</emphasis></p></td> <td><p>black</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>2. <emphasis>Regenschirm</emphasis></p></td> <td><p>neighbor</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>3. <emphasis>rosa</emphasis></p></td> <td><p>immigrant</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>4. <emphasis>blau</emphasis></p></td> <td><p>gray</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>5. <emphasis>weiß</emphasis></p></td> <td><p>knowledge</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>6. <emphasis>grau</emphasis></p></td> <td><p>sweater</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>7. <emphasis>Erkenntnis</emphasis></p></td> <td><p>blue</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>8. <emphasis>Nachbar</emphasis></p></td> <td><p>white</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>9. <emphasis>Einwanderer</emphasis></p></td> <td><p>umbrella</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>10.<emphasis>schwarz</emphasis></p></td> <td><p><emphasis>pink</emphasis></p></td> </tr> </tbody> </tgroup> </table> <h2>Exercise 15</h2> <p><emphasis>Wissen</emphasis> conjugates as a weak verb. Translate <emphasis>wissen</emphasis> as “to know (a fact),” <emphasis>können</emphasis> as “to know, to be able,” and <emphasis>kennen</emphasis> as “to know, be acquainted with.”</p> <p>Translate the following sentences.</p> <ul> <li><p><emphasis>Ich kenne Bern</emphasis>.</p> <p>________________</p></li> <li><p><emphasis>Kennen Sie Herrn Jacobs</emphasis>?</p> <p>________________</p></li> <li><p><emphasis>Können Sie den Stuhl heben</emphasis>?</p> <p>________________</p></li> <li><p><emphasis>Ich kann Chinesisch sprechen</emphasis>.</p> <p>________________</p></li> <li><p><emphasis>Er kann nicht kochen</emphasis>.</p> <p>________________</p></li> <li><p><emphasis>Sie weiß, wann die Feier beginnt</emphasis>.</p> <p>________________</p></li> <li><p><emphasis>Sie weiß, dass du Katrin heißt</emphasis>.</p> <p>________________</p></li> </ul> <h2>Exercise 16</h2> <p>Translate the following words.</p> <table width="100%" frame="none"> <title/> <tgroup cols="2" align="center"> <colspec colnum="1" colname="col1" colwidth="50%" colsep="0" rowsep="0" align="left"/> <colspec colnum="2" colname="col2" colwidth="50%" colsep="0" rowsep="0" align="left"/> <tbody> <tr> <td><p>1. <emphasis>Angestellter</emphasis></p></td> <td><p>________________</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>2. <emphasis>Zelle</emphasis></p></td> <td><p>________________</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>3. <emphasis>Stimme</emphasis></p></td> <td><p>________________</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>4. <emphasis>Kreuz</emphasis></p></td> <td><p>________________</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>5. <emphasis>Erfolg</emphasis></p></td> <td><p>________________</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>6. <emphasis>Wachstum</emphasis></p></td> <td><p>________________</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>7. <emphasis>vollkommen</emphasis></p></td> <td><p>________________</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>8. <emphasis>Spiegelei</emphasis></p></td> <td><p>________________</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>9. <emphasis>Loch</emphasis></p></td> <td><p>________________</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>10. <emphasis>teilnahmsvoll</emphasis></p></td> <td><p>________________</p></td> </tr> </tbody> </tgroup> </table> <h2>Exercise 17</h2> <div class="npmo"><img src="http://0.tqn.com/d/np/german-practice/track.jpg"><div class="npcp"><p>TRACK 27</p></div></div> <p><emphasis>Lassen</emphasis> is translated as “to be,” “to leave,” or “to have something done or to cause something to be done.” Translate <emphasis>lassen</emphasis> with a reflexive infinitive as “to have something done.”</p> <p>Listen and translate into English.</p> <ul> <li><p><emphasis>Sie lässt mich nicht fernsehen</emphasis>.</p> <p>________________</p></li> <li><p><emphasis>Lass mich allein</emphasis>!</p> <p>________________</p></li> <li><p><emphasis>Sie ließ einen Arzt kommen</emphasis>.</p> <p>________________</p></li> <li><p><emphasis>Ich lasse mir ein Kleid machen</emphasis>.</p> <p>________________</p></li> <li><p><emphasis>Sie ließ sich eine Flasche Wasser bringen</emphasis>.</p> <p>________________</p></li> <li><p><emphasis>Das lässt sich leicht denken</emphasis>.</p> <p>________________</p></li> </ul> <h2>Exercise 18</h2> <p>Circle the correct translation for each word.</p> <table width="100%" frame="none"> <title/> <tgroup cols="2" align="center"> <colspec colnum="1" colname="col1" colwidth="50%" colsep="0" rowsep="0" align="left"/> <colspec colnum="2" colname="col2" colwidth="50%" colsep="0" rowsep="0" align="left"/> <tbody> <tr> <td><p>1. <emphasis>volkstümlich</emphasis></p></td> <td><p>(folksy, car, folk song)</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>2. <emphasis>Schloß</emphasis></p></td> <td><p>(castle, sore, farm)</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>3. <emphasis>Grenze</emphasis></p></td> <td><p>(border/boundary, green, grass)</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>4. <emphasis>Schlacht</emphasis></p></td> <td><p>(shoe, battle, school)</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>5. <emphasis>Bekannte</emphasis></p></td> <td><p>(friend, enemy, acquaintance)</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>6. <emphasis>Zusammensetzung</emphasis></p></td> <td><p>(composition, zoo, wagon)</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>7. <emphasis>trotzdem</emphasis></p></td> <td><p>(seldom, sometimes, nevertheless)</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>8. <emphasis>durchschnittlich</emphasis></p></td> <td><p>(excellent, poor, average)</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>9. <emphasis>tief</emphasis></p></td> <td><p>(deep/low, high, width)</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>10. <emphasis>Lauf</emphasis></p></td> <td><p><emphasis>(sample, course, letter)</emphasis></p></td> </tr> </tbody> </tgroup> </table> <h2>Exercise 19</h2> <p>Translate the following words.</p> <table width="100%" frame="none"> <title/> <tgroup cols="2" align="center"> <colspec colnum="1" colname="col1" colwidth="50%" colsep="0" rowsep="0" align="left"/> <colspec colnum="2" colname="col2" colwidth="50%" colsep="0" rowsep="0" align="left"/> <tbody> <tr> <td><p>1. <emphasis>Koch</emphasis></p></td> <td><p>________________</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>2. <emphasis>geheim</emphasis></p></td> <td><p>________________</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>3. <emphasis>Stahl</emphasis></p></td> <td><p>________________</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>4. <emphasis>stark</emphasis></p></td> <td><p>________________</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>5. <emphasis>Teil</emphasis></p></td> <td><p>________________</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>6. <emphasis>Breite</emphasis></p></td> <td><p>________________</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>7. <emphasis>Druck</emphasis></p></td> <td><p>________________</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>8. <emphasis>Breitengrad</emphasis></p></td> <td><p>________________</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>9. <emphasis>Siedepunkt</emphasis></p></td> <td><p>________________</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>10. <emphasis>Beobachtung</emphasis></p></td> <td><p>________________</p></td> </tr> </tbody> </tgroup> </table> <!--/gc--> <div id="pagination"><ul><li class="prev"><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/german-practice/verbs-section-b/idiomatic-verbs-in-action.htm" 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