Be sure to study the summary charts and info on p. 1 of your workbook before doing each exercise in the workbook for this chapter. The same material is found in the same order in your book, which you should practice also before writing each exercise.
A pointing finger after the directions for each workbook exercise refers you to the section of the Strukturen, or structures, is being practiced in that exercise. It is helping you to learn the new material by using it in a logical, meaningful context. Don't just guess! ALWAYS THINK OF THE MEANING OF WHAT YOU ARE READING AND WRITING. And always remember the point of each exercise. Why are you being asked to do the activity? You should always know the answer to this question in order to learn effectively.
It is best to learn the material by heart as well as you can first, then attempt the exercise without looking at the charts. After you are finished, go back and verify your work. A key skill to good language study is TEST YOURSELF, TEST YOURSELF, TEST YOURSELF. The less you allow yourself to do your work while referring to the book, the faster you will be able to use your German for real communication.
Here are some hints and/or a couple of answers for you for each exercise.
E-1 Rechenaufgaben (*Can you tell what English expression in the directions is the translation for this long word?)
The point here is not only learning the numbers in German, but also spelling. Pay attention to the slight irregularities shown in boldface on WB p. 1 (and pp. 5-6 in the textbook). Note that the "ß" letter in "dreißig" is NOT a capital B. Pronounce the problems all out loud as you write, then once again when you are done. Make up additional problems orally as you walk around during the day. *Answer to question above: arithmetic problems.
E-2 Persönliches (Scan what is asked for in the exercise. *What do think the word Persönliches might mean?)
Fill in according to your real situation. Vocabulary is based on p. 7, E-10 in the textbook. "Use single digits" means not to try to say "four hundred thirty-five", but "four-three-five". Practice saying your personal information aloud throughout the day. *Answer to question above: personal stuff.
E-3 Auf dem Flohmarkt (*What phrase from the directions gives the meaning of the title?)
Be sure to spell items correctly. Note that ALL NOUNS are capitalized in German, not only geographical or personal names. It is incorrect not to do so. Numbers from 21-99 are reversed from the English order: "Fifty-seven" is "seven-and-fifty" (7+50), thus siebenundfünfzig. Remember the nursery rhyme, "Four and twenty blackbirds baked in a pie ..." Note that there are no spaces between the individual words that make up numbers, even really long ones. *Answer to question above: at the flea market.
E-4 Ein Wortspiel (*Any idea what this title means? Hint: The first syllable is almost the same as in English!)
Remember to capitalize all nouns. *Answer to question above: a word game.
E-5 Was passt zusammen? (This means What fits together?, or What matches?)
Pronounce the abbreviations and what they stand for orally (as best you can). Practice spelling each entire word aloud using German letter names. Spell things aloud as you walk around during the day.
E-6 Fragen (*What does this mean? Look at the mark at the end of each item for a clue.)
Use your head on these! This activity and many others are meant to get you used to GUESSING THE MEANING from context and from similarity to English words. You can figure out an awful lot of German without actually "knowing" it! These abbreviations are all quite common in German-speaking countries. *Answer to question above: questions.
E-7 Wir lernen einander kennen (We get to know each other.)
Remember: DO NOT translate word by word from English to German. It rarely will give you satisfactory results. Rather, translate the ideas expressed by phrases you have learned for the situations given in our textbook. Review all vocabulary from the entire chapter first before doing any of these translation exercises. In addition to hitting new vocabulary, they also target structures that have been presented in the chapter. The point is to get you to apply everything in a natural conversation. In this translation, remember when to use du, ihr and Sie appropriately. (Hint: Look at the names used among speakers. First or last? What level of formality?)