practice with zahlen and bezahlen I wrote a questions about the rules of using each word, and here are some sample sentences that I thought I would post as a notebook as well. Any corrections are appreciated. === I paid for the lunch - Ich habe das Mittagessen bezahlt I had to pay taxes this year - ich musste dieses Jahr Steuern zahlen I had to pay $5000 extra in taxes this year - ich musste dieses Jahr $5000 Steuer zusätzlich zahlen I paid for a magazine subscription - ich zahlte eine Zeitschriftenabonnement. He paid me for the ticket - Er bezahlte mir das Ticket - Er zahlte mir das Ticket I paid him yesterday. - Ich bezahlte ihn gestern When will I get paid? - Wann bezahltest du mich? I bought a old bicycle and only had to pay $50 for it - Ich habe ein altes Fahrrad gekauft und musste das nur $50 bezahlen - Ich habe ein altes Fahrrad gekauft und musste das nur $50 zahlen

zahlen vs bezahlen I've had a little trouble with discerning when to use either of these verbs. I listed some rules and would like to know if I have it figured out correctly. Also, I tried translating several example sentences to see if I could apply the rules. I appreciate the help and corrections! Rules: Bezahlen vs zahlen As I understand it currently (A) If a person is the object, then 1) Use bezahlen - (I paid HIM - ich bezahlte ihn). 2) But I can use either bezahlen or zahlen when the thing that is paid for is mentioned - and in this case I have to remember to put the person in the dative (ihm) and the thing paid for in the accusative. (ich habe ihm das Mittagessen 5 gezahlt / bezahlt) (B) If a person is not the object, then 1) zahlen is generally used when there is no object (I would like to pay now - ich möchte jetzt zahlen). 2) bezahlen is generally used when there is an object (I would like to pay the bill - ich möchte die Rechnung bezahlen). (C) When it's about handing over money for fees, taxes, fines, subscriptions, etc, then use zahlen 1) this means, use zahlen when the object is the fee, tax, subscription, etc (i had to pay taxes - ich musste Steuern zahlen) Translations attempts: I paid for the lunch - Ich habe das Mittagessen bezahlt I had to pay taxes this year - ich musste dieses Jahr Steuern zahlen I had to pay $5000 extra in taxes this year - ich musste dieses Jahr $5000 Steuer zusätzlich zahlen I paid for a magazine subscription - ich zahlte eine Zeitschriftenabonnement. He paid me for the ticket - Er bezahlte mir das Ticket - Er zahlte mir das Ticket I paid him yesterday. - Ich bezahlte ihn gestern When will I get paid? - Wann bezahltest du mich? I bought a old bicycle and only had to pay $50 for it - Ich habe ein altes Fahrrad gekauft und musste das nur $50 bezahlen - Ich habe ein altes Fahrrad gekauft und musste das nur $50 zahlen

when to use mir or mich / dir or dich (acc. or dat. reflexive) I have two sentences from my vocabulary book: 1. Hast du dir mit der Nadel in den Finger gestochen 2. Ich habe mich beim Brotschneiden in den Finger geschnitten I can make them simpler to work with by leaving out a few details: 1. Hast du dir in den Finger gestochen 2. Ich habe mich in den Finger geschnitten Why is it "dir" (dative) in #1, but it is "mich" (accusative) in #2? What happens if I remove "in den Finger"?... like below... 1. 1. Hast du dir gestochen 2. Ich habe mich geschnitten Someone told me that there are times when dir/dich (dat/acc) can be used interchangeably, but I don't understand why. Any help is appreciated.

ch hasse unsere Hunde (I hate our dogs) native English: Hate is a strong word, I know. I don't really hate our dogs. It's the poop and the pee that I hate. In my opinion, if dogs can't learn to do their business outside, then they need to find another owner. Deutscher Versuch : "hassen" ist ein zu starkes Wort, das weiß ich schon. Ich hasse unsere Hunde nicht wirklich. Es ist nur die Kacka und das Pipi, die ich hasse. Meiner Meinung nach müssen die Hunde einen anderen Haustierbesitzer finden, wenn sie nicht lernen kann, hinausgehen um hinzumachen. spoken recording attached (in german) Danke im Voraus!

All und alle - what's the difference? I heard the following sentence in an episode of "24": Wenn sie nicht zurück ist, bis ich da bin, rufen wir all ihre Freunde an, alle die wir kennen, bis wir wissen wo sie steckt. Is their a rule for using "all" and "alle"? Could the speaker also have said, "... rufen wir alle ihre Freunde an, all die wir kennen"? Danke im Voraus!

kann / könnte + past participle + modal What is the difference between "kann + past verb + modal" and "könnte + past verb + modal". In English, I think these are both translated as "could have done" (where "done" stands for any verb) For example, I have two books, and each gives a different example for the english "could have done (but didn't)". 1) Er könnte dem Mann geholfen haben - He could have helped the man (but didn't) 2) Sie kann die Inhaberin des Hotels gewesen sein (She could have been the owner of the hotel (but she isn't - ie, she had the opportunity to buy the hotel, but didn't). many thanks in advance! :)

Viele Frauen nehmen bei der Heirat den Familiennamen ihres Mannes an. It's a sample sentence from one of my books. Viele Frauen nehmen bei der Heirat den Familiennamen ihres Mannes an. Many women take their husbands' last name (family name) when the marry. The subject is plural "viele Frauen", but the possessive pronoun that refers back to the subject is in the singular, "ihres Mannes". Is that common? Is there a mistake in the book? In English, that would be like, "many women take the name of her husband", and wenn man so spricht, ist er auf dem Holzweg! Correct in English "many women take the name of their husbands" or "many women take their husbands' name" ("their husbands" is plural and agrees in Number with the subject). Thanks! :)

how to say in German, "I should have seen that coming", modally? Yesterday, I learned about "Ich habe das kommen sehen" (I saw that coming) where sehen acts like a modal, working with haben in the past tense. We have an expression here in the USA, if a friend makes fun of you after you do or say something stupid, we can say to him/her, "ah, I should have seen that coming!". Likewise, when an enemy does something hurtful to you (throws an egg on your car, or whatever), you can say, "I should have seen that coming".... ie, you should have expected it, but you didn't expect it. Can I say this similarly in German: Ich hätte das kommen sehen sollen! Is that totally wrong? Maybe "Ich hätte das erwarten sollen"??? Occasionally I see some sentences with more than 2 verbs on the end, but that sort of construction is a bit beyond my current skill set. Many thanks in advance.