Luxembourgish A1 : Class 5 📚

Table of Contents

1. Basic Grammar Rules
2. Vocabulary
3. Dialogues and Conversations
4. Luxembourg Geography and Culture
5. Practice Exercises
6. Pronunciation Guide

Basic Grammar Rules

The N-Rule (n-Reegel)

• Add ‘n’ before:
  • Vowels (A, E, I, O, U, Y)
  • Consonants D, H, N, T, Z
• No ‘n’ before other consonants

Examples:

• een Auto (a car)
• en Haus (a house)
• e Buch (a book)
• en Telefon (a telephone)

Negation Rules

1. keen/keng (none/not any)

   • For uncountable nouns
   • Examples:
     • Ech hunn keen Honger (I have no hunger)
     • Ech hunn keng Suen (I have no money)

2. net (not)

   • For negating statements
   • Examples:
     • Ech sinn net hongeresch (I’m not hungry)
     • Ech sinn net räich (I’m not rich)

Verb Conjugation

Regular Verbs (Reegelméisseg Verben)

Using “schwätzen” (to speak) as example:

• ech schwätzen
• du schwätz
• hien/si/hatt schwätzt
• mir schwätzen
• dir/Dir schwätzt
• si schwätzen

Irregular Verbs (Onreegelméisseg Verben)

Using “sinn” (to be) as example:

• ech sinn
• du bass
• hien/si/hatt ass
• mir sinn
• dir/Dir sidd
• si sinn

Vocabulary

Personal Information

• Numm - name
• Alter - age
• Nationalitéit - nationality
• Sprooch - language
• Beruff - profession

Countries and Nationalities

• Lëtzebuerg - Luxembourg
• Däitschland - Germany
• Frankräich - France
• Portugal - Portugal
• Italien - Italy

Languages

• Lëtzebuergesch - Luxembourgish
• Däitsch - German
• Franséisch - French
• Portugisesch - Portuguese
• Spuenesch - Spanish

Common Expressions

• Moien - Hello
• Äddi - Goodbye
• Merci - Thank you
• Wëllkomm - Welcome
• Gär geschitt - You’re welcome

Dialogues and Conversations

At the Language School (An der Sproocheschoul)

A: Moien! Bass du nei an der Klass?
B: Jo, ech sinn nei. Ech heeschen Sarah.
A: Wéi laang léiers du schonn Lëtzebuergesch?
B: Ech léieren zënter zwee Méint.

Basic Introduction

A: Moien! Ech heeschen [Numm]. Wéi heeschs du?
B: Ech heeschen [Numm]. Vu wou kënns du?
A: Ech kommen aus [Land]. An du?
B: Ech kommen aus [Land].

Luxembourg Geography and Culture

Regions

1. Éislek (Oesling)

   • Northern region
   • Ardennes mountains
   • Main cities: Clervaux, Vianden

2. Guttland

   • Central region
   • Capital city: Luxembourg City
   • Major towns: Mersch, Walferdange

3. Musel (Moselle)

   • Eastern wine region
   • Along German border
   • Towns: Remich, Grevenmacher

4. Minett

   • Southern industrial region
   • Major cities: Esch-sur-Alzette, Differdange
   • Historical steel industry

Languages in Luxembourg

• Official languages:
  • Lëtzebuergesch (national language)
  • Franséisch (administrative)
  • Däitsch (administrative and media)
• Language use:
  • Schools: German and French as teaching languages
  • Administration: Mainly French
  • Media: Mix of all three languages

Practice Exercises

Exercise 1: Present Tense

Fill in the correct verb form:

1. Ech _____ (kommen) aus Portugal.
2. Du _____ (schwätzen) Lëtzebuergesch.
3. Hien _____ (heeschen) Tom.

Exercise 2: Negation

Transform into negative sentences:

1. Ech hunn Zäit.
2. Si schwätzt Franséisch.
3. Mir sinn doheem.

[See Answer Key section for solutions]

Pronunciation Guide

Special Characters

• ë - pronounced like ‘uh’ in ‘butter’
• é - like ‘ay’ in ‘say’
• ä - like ‘e’ in ‘bed’
• äi - like ‘eye’
• ei - like ‘eye’
• ie - like ‘ee’ in ‘see’
• ou - like ‘ow’ in ‘now’

Consonant Combinations

• ch - like German ‘ich’
• sch - like ‘sh’ in ‘shop’
• ng - like ‘ng’ in ‘sing’

Answer Key

Exercise 1:

1. kommen
2. schwätz
3. heescht

Exercise 2:

1. Ech hunn keng Zäit.
2. Si schwätzt kee Franséisch.
3. Mir sinn net doheem.

Additional Resources

• LOD - Lëtzebuerger Online Dictionnaire (https://www.lod.lu)
• Learn Luxembourg (https://learn.llo.lu/platform/#/learning-path)
• SDL Platform (https://sdl.inll.lu/)