Hmm, I seem to be unmethodical in my German learning ... why not start at the beginning? Here is the vocabulary that I don't already know for the first Harry Potter, up to chapter 6. What seems to work fairly well now, is I watch sections of the movie three different ways. I first watch with English speech but subtitles with German for the hearing impaired. I pause frequently to scan for words I don't know, and to test if I understand what I am reading. I suppose this is similar to German speech and English subtitles, but in that I know instantly what word is being used. Then I watch two more times with German speech, one with German subtitles, and then without.
One thing I find, when scanning the German subtitles for the first time, is that even if I am familiar with all the words, the word order or grammar baffles me, and I have no idea of the meaning of the phrase. This is after having some instruction so I know basic sentence construction. These are presumably more specific constructions, or colloquial phrases. I have not made note of these here, but perhaps I will in the future.
And as an example of how the English construction does not transfer to German construction, here is what Dudley's English mother says on his birthday, "I want everything to be special on my Dudley's special day". Dudley's German mother says instead (directly translated) "I want, that everything is perfect, when my Dudley has his special day". More verbs in the German one. And somehow, the Germans split up complex sentences into prepositional phrases automatically.
das Gerüchte - rumor
trauen - to be true
etwas fürchten - to fear something
etwas für etwas halten - to regard/hold something to be something
weise - wise (and, btw: der Weise - a sage person; die Weise - a tune)
jemand etwas anvertrauen - to entrust someone with something
heulen - to howl (ein Motor heult)
der Rabauke - hooligan
einschlafen - to fall asleep
aufwecken - to arouse
verantworten - to take responsibility
jmdm gehören - to belong to someone
der Verwandten - a relative
berühmt - famous
aufwachsen - to grow up
keineswegs - by no means/in no way
das Lebewohl - farewell
aufstehen - to get up
aufwachen - to wake up
anbrennen - to scorch
warnen - to warn
die Albernheit - silliness
die Fratze - grotesque face
die Scheibe - disk, or panel
der Käfig - cage
aufzeigen - to show
fassen - to bite
das Thema - issue/matter (i.e. kein Thema)
das Geschrei - yelling, clamor
reingeraten - to get into
nässen - to moisten
verschwinden - to disappear, dissolve
der Magen - stomach
verdorben - spoiled/tainted
vergammeln - to go to seed (i.e. vergammelten Muschel?)
etwas kriegen - to get something (colloquial)
der Bohrer - drill
surren - to buzz/whir
der Schlitz - slot (i.e. Briefschlitz)
Kusch! - Shoo!
etw. austragen - to distribute something
verflixt - darned/blasted
lumpig - measly
winzig - tiny, miniscule
rumpeln - to rumble
krachen - to crash
unbefugt - unauthorized
eindringen - to break in/infiltrate (i.e. Sie sind unbefugt hier eingedrungen)
der Hüter - guardian
verdammt - damned
wetten - to wager
die Übung - practice
sobald - as soon as
etw. verwechseln - to mix something up
geschehen - to occur
unklärlich - inexplicable
rätselhaft - baffling
die Wut - anger
die Angst - fear
mitteilen - to inform
etw. aufnehmen - to accept something
schwören - to swear
der Unfug - mischief
der Stolz (stolz) - pride (proud)
eigenartig - strange
unnormal - abnormal
in die Luft jagen - to be blown up
der Autounfall - car crash
die Schande - disgrace
vermerken - to make note
der Dummkopf - bozo
jmdm etw. beibringen - to teach someone something
jmdn beleidigen - to insult
die Gegenwart - presence
aufbrechen - to hit the road/to break open
austatten - to equip
folgende - following
gestatten - to allow
das Übliche - the usual stuff
der Auftrag - assignment/mission
etw. besorgen - to obtain something
der Federkiel - quill
die Tinte - ink
der Kram - odds and ends
der Besen - broom (i.e. Rennbesen)
überhaupt - at all
der Kobold - goblin
abheben - to withdraw (money), to lift, scrape off
der Lümmel - bugger
Momentchen - hold
das Verlies - dungeon
für jmdn sorgen - to look after someone
äußerst - extremely
geheim - secret
treten - to step
