Learn Pennsylvania Dutch

Eahsht (adj)

Use with nouns

Eahsht is an adjective in Pennsylvania Deitsh. So it’s used to describe a noun that is first in order or time.

This means that it needs to go along with a noun in a sentence — usually right before the noun.

Examples

• Vass henn selli in di eahsht century gedu…? (as in the first century)
• Gukket da eahsht paragraph. (as in the first paragraph)
• Eahsht, Zvett, un Dritt Johannes. (as in first John)
• Vass finna ma in di eahshti fiah bichah? (as in the first 4 books. Notice -i is added because it goes with a plural noun.)

S’eahsht (adj)

Use with nouns

S’eahsht is really just eahsht when used with a neuter noun.

The word es (the) sometimes gets shortened to s’ or ‘s; especially near the start of a sentence. Even though the and first are two separate words, they are often pronounced so they almost sound like one word.

Examples

• S’eahsht moll es ich do voah… (as in the first time)
• Gukket’s eahsht piktah. (as in the first picture)
• Vass hott kaebbend in’s eahsht part funn di fasamling? (part is neuter)

In both examples above, moll and piktah are neuter nouns, so they would normally have ‘s or es in front of them.

Seahsht (adv)

Use with verbs

Seahsht is an adverb in Pennsylvania Deitsh. It works along with a verb. It can also describe placing or viewing something as first in priority or importance.

Examples

• Vi kann ebbah mitt nett feel zeit alsnoch iahra family seahsht halda kann?
• Bei seahsht abheicha zu anri zayld’s uns helfa fa nett kshvind bays vadda.
• Boviah seahsht da mayn idea greeya funn da subject.

Ay, ayns, ayn, and vann can all mean one. Yet they do not mean the same thing. Here’s when to use each.

Ay (a single item)

Use ay when talking about one of an item. For example, one person.

Examples:

• Ay mann un ay fraw.
• Lann vass hott ay mann kolfa haebbi sei.
• Sell is ay reesin.

Ayns (one of; with funn)

Use ayns when talking about one (of) something. It is only used before funn.

Examples:

• Ayns funn sei friends voah da Amos.
• Sell is ayns funn di reesins es miah shaffa missa.

Ayn (a number)

Ayn means the number one and is used only when counting or as part of a number.

Examples:

• Ayn, zvay, drei…
• Gukk moll vass’s sawkt do in Markus gabiddel ayn.
• Miah henn drei geil: zvay sinn brau, un ayn is shvatz.

Vann (pronoun)

Vann is sometimes a pronoun meaning a person. For example, he is the one.

You can recognize when vann is used as a pronoun because it will have da or di right in front of it.

Examples:

• Da Andy is da vann es ‘s haus gebaut hott.
• Di Donna is di vann es ‘s broht gmacht hott.

In Pennsylvania Dutch, past tense verbs (past participles; PP) need a helper verb when speaking about the past. Most of the time, that helper verb is a form of havva (to have). However, there are some past tense words that use a form of sei (to be). Which ones?

When To Use Sei

The general rule for when to use sei (to be) is when the past tense verb is talking about a change in condition or location.

Note, what is explained here is not the same as when sei is used with adjectives that look like past tense verbs † We’re only talking about verbs that happened in the past.

Past Tense Verbs That Use Sei as the Helper Verb

To make things easier, here is a list of the most commonly used past tense verbs * that use the sei helper verb.

became = vadda
Eah is ald vadda. (He became old.)

came = kumma
Du bisht zrikk kumma. (You came back.)

died (animals) = doht-ganga
‘Sis doht-ganga. (It died.)

died (humans) = kshtauva
Eah is kshtauva. (He has died.)

fell = kfalla
Geshtah, is da bohm kfalla.

fell asleep = eikshlohfa
Si sinn eikshlohfa. (They fell asleep.)

flew = kflowwa
Deah raven is zrikk un faddi kflowwa.

grew up = ufgvaxa
Ich binn ufgvaxa in Ohio. (I grew up in Ohio.)

left = falossa
Si sinn falossa. (They left.)

ran = kshprunga
See is fatt kshprunga. (She ran away from home.)

resurrected / stood up / got up = uf kshtanna
Eah is uf kshtanna free. (He got up early.)
Da Jesus is uf kshtanna funn di dohda. (Jesus was resurrected from the dead.)

stayed = geblivva
Eah is datt geblivva. (He stayed there.)

walked = gloffa
Eah is vekk gloffa. (He walked away.)

went = ganga
Miah sinn haym ganga. (We went home.)

* Note 1: There may be other past tense verbs that also use sei as their helper verb. However, these are some of the more common ones that you might use in conversation.

† Note 2: Some adjectives are spelled like past tense verbs and may use a form of sei or vadda. Don’t get these adjectives confused with past tense verbs. They’re not the same.

Shtill, alsnoch, noch, and doch all mean still. But each word means something different.

Shtill

Shtill (adj) = quiet (as in “be still”)

Shtill is an adjective, so it always describes something. It is not to be confused with something that’s continuing.

Examples

• ‘S meisli is shtill.
• ‘S kind is nett shtill — eah is laut.
• En goodah hund is en shtillah hund.

Shtill is never used to talk about time. The next two words, alsnoch and noch, are used when talking about time.

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Alsnoch

Alsnoch = still (as in ongoing and continuing)

Alsnoch is used to talk about something that started in the past, or that is already happening and may continue.

Examples

• Miah sinn alsnoch in di ald veld.
• Bisht du alsnoch am shaffa an dei haus?
• “Dess is alsnoch unsah land…” (2 Chronik 14:7)

Noch

Noch = yet (for the future), after, another

Examples

• Vass gebt noch dee zeit? (as in in the future)
• … awl mensha kumma noch een. (as in after)
• Noch aynah is da Sam. (as in another)
• Vass noch musht du du ebdihand? (as in yet or what still needs to happen)
• Noch nett. (as in not happened yet.)

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Doch

Doch = still, even so/nevertheless, after all

Doch is used to talk about something that is true, continues to be true, or is happening even when this is surprising. Doch is almost always used when talking about something that has already been mentioned.

Examples:

• Unsah boss is en importandah mann mitt feel responsibilities, eah is doch immah goot zu uns. (as in still)
• Leit henn iahra questions kshikt zu iahra boss. Doch, si feela es iahra questions sinn nett gensaht. (as in even so)
• Di Mowrey’s zayla doch pizza macha. (as in after all.)

Note: In the last example, if the Mowrey’s plans to make pizza had never been called into question, doch would not be used. You would instead simply say, “Di Mowrey’s zayla pizza macha.”

Basically both nee nett and selayva nett mean never.

Nee Nett → Selayva Nett

Both phrases mean never, and using either one interchangeably should be understandable to a native speaker. So don’t get too worried about which to use.

As with many similar words that mean the same thing, it’s often a matter of picking which sounds and flows better in the sentence.

Nee Nett = Never

Examples

• Di batteries zayla nee nett shtauva koss si sinn rechargeable.
• Favass sedda miah nee nett unsah family lossa unsah meind tshaynsha?

Selayva Nett = Never

Examples

• Du kansht shuah sei es Gott zayld dich selayva nett frohwa fa may du es du du kansht.
• Eiyah baybi is selayva nett zu yung fa en anri language lanna.

Eb → before, whether

Use eb for the words before and whether.

Before = eb

PG: Eb di Laura kshtauva is hott see kshvetzt mitt fiah funn iahra kinnah.
EN: Before Laura died, she talked with four of her children.

    ?Remember: Use Eb and before as you go out the door.

Whether = eb

Eb can mean whether (as in, when talking about which of 2 possible options).

PG: Di Donna vill vissa eb du hinkel-flaysh adda fish vitt. 
EN: Donna wants to know whether you want chicken or fish.

?Remember: Eb and whether go together. 🙂

More Examples

• Vass sett ma du eb ma shteaht en haus bauwa? (as in, before)
• Es zayld haebna eb du’s gleichsht adda nett. (as in, whether)
• Yaydah vann muss diseiyda fa sich selvaht eb si fisha vella adda nett.​ (as in, whether)

Vann → when, if

Use vann for the words when and if.

When = vann

Vann is used when you’re wanting to say when something happens.

?Remember: Vann and when are like chicks and hens.

If = vann (as in, if this, then that)

PG: Vann miah greeni paint uf di vand doon, zayld’s goot gukka.
EN: If we put green paint on the wall, it will look good.

?Remember: With if and vann, it won’t take long.

More Examples

• Vass gebt mitt uns vann miah shtauva? (as in, when)
• Vann du’s gleichsht, ich kann’s viddah macha. (as in, if)
• Vann du en mann bisht… (as in, if)
• Vann du goodi decisions machsht, zaylsht du haebbi sei. (as in, if or when—depending on the context)
• Vann miah sell doon dann macht’s uns haebbi un si aw. (as in, if or when—depending on the context)

WHETHER / EB	IF / VANN
Whether is used in English for which of at least 2 possible things might happen — as in, which one?	If is used in English when talking about if something happens, then something else will happen.

Bonus

Occasionally, vann can also be used as a pronoun (as in one).

PG: Eah is da vann es alles gmacht hott. (as in, one)
EN: He is the one that made everything.

? When used as a pronoun, vann will always have da or di right in front of it — depending on whether the noun that’s being replaced is masculine or feminine.

Examples 

• PG: Di Donna is di vann es ‘s broht gmacht hott.
• EN: Donna is the one that made the bread.

• PG: Da Andy is da vann es ‘s haus gebaut hott.
• EN: Andy is the one that built the house.

Both een and eem mean him. But the RTO only uses een for simplicity. To make things easier, it’s perfectly acceptable to simply use een anytime you would use him in a sentence.

een

Een is used to refer to him.

Examples

• Vass hott da Billy gedu es een kolfa hott?
• No vitt du alles du es du kansht fa dei leevi veisa zu een.

eem

Eem means him. Used only in The Heilich Shrift.

Examples

• “Eah kumd an sei end, un nimmand zayld eem helfa.”
• Hayvet oh zu eem.

eena

Eena is used when talking about them (dative case). Used only in The Heilich Shrift.

Instead of eena, use si for them or they.

Examples

• “Ich selvaht zayl gay sucha fa mei shohf un nohch gukka noch eena.”
• No hott Jesus eena grawt raus ksawt, ‘Da Lazarus is kshtauva.’

Though different words, thank, think, and thinking sound similar in Pennsylvania Dutch. How do you keep them straight?

To Thank

To thank someone, say thanks, and to be thankful are all different words. See the examples below.

To Thank (v) = danka
(ex: Miah danka een fa awl sei shayni promises.)

Thanks = denki (notice the spelling change)
(ex: Miah sawwa denki fa awl eiyah haddi eahvet.)

Thankful (adj) = dankboah (always used with a form of sei)
(ex: Miah sinn so dankboah fa alles es du gedu hosht.)

To Think

Thinking

Thinking, as in the way a person thinks. This is a noun, not a verb.

Thinking (n) = denkes
(ex: Di veld iahra denkes is letz!)