Greetings and Introductions
Learning Objectives
By the end of this lesson, you should be able to:
- Greet people in German at different times of day
- Introduce yourself and ask basic questions about others
- Use essential vocabulary related to personal information
- Conjugate basic verbs in the present tense
- Understand and use simple German sentence structures
1. Greetings and Phrases
Learn these greetings and practice them throughout the day:
German | English | Usage |
---|---|---|
Hallo | Hello | Informal, any time |
Guten Morgen | Good morning | Until about 11 AM |
Guten Tag | Good day | From late morning to early evening |
Guten Abend | Good evening | From early evening onwards |
Gute Nacht | Good night | When parting for the night |
Tschüss | Bye | Informal farewell |
Auf Wiedersehen | Goodbye | Formal farewell |
Danke | Thank you | Expressing gratitude |
Bitte | Please / You're welcome | Request or response to thanks |
🎯 Practice: Record yourself saying each greeting, focusing on pronunciation.
2. Essential Vocabulary
Nouns
German | English | Article |
---|---|---|
der Name | name | der |
die Stadt | city | die |
das Land | country | das |
die Sprache | language | die |
der Beruf | profession/job | der |
die Adresse | address | die |
das Alter | age | das |
die Telefonnummer | phone number | die |
🎯 Practice: Create flashcards for these words, including their articles.
Question Words
German | English | Example Usage |
---|---|---|
Wie | How | Wie heißen Sie? (What's your name?) |
Wann | When | Wann kommst du? (When are you coming?) |
Wer | Who | Wer ist das? (Who is that?) |
Woher | From where | Woher kommst du? (Where are you from?) |
Wo | Where | Wo wohnst du? (Where do you live?) |
Was | What | Was ist dein Beruf? (What's your job?) |
🎯 Practice: Create a question using each of these words.
3. Pronouns and Verb Conjugation
Personal Pronouns
German | English |
---|---|
ich | I |
du | you (informal) |
Sie | you (formal) |
er | he |
sie | she |
es | it |
wir | we |
ihr | you (plural) |
sie | they |
Verb Conjugation in Present Tense
Infinitive | ich | du | Sie/sie/er/es | wir | ihr | sie | English |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
heißen | heiße | heißt | heißt/heißen | heißen | heißt | heißen | to be called |
kommen | komme | kommst | kommt/kommen | kommen | kommt | kommen | to come (from) |
wohnen | wohne | wohnst | wohnt/wohnen | wohnen | wohnt | wohnen | to live |
sprechen | spreche | sprichst | spricht/sprechen | sprechen | sprecht | sprechen | to speak |
sein (irregular) | bin | bist | ist/sind | sind | seid | sind | to be |
🎯 Practice: Conjugate the verbs "machen" (to do/make), "lernen" (to learn), and "arbeiten" (to work).
4. Dialogue Practice
Read and practice these dialogues with a partner:
Dialogue 1: Formal Introduction
A: Guten Tag! Wie heißen Sie?
B: Guten Tag! Ich heiße Maria Schmidt. Und Sie?
A: Ich bin Thomas Müller. Woher kommen Sie, Frau Schmidt?
B: Ich komme aus Österreich. Und Sie, Herr Müller?
A: Ich komme aus Deutschland. Freut mich, Sie kennenzulernen!
B: Mich auch! Auf Wiedersehen, Herr Müller.
A: Auf Wiedersehen, Frau Schmidt.
Dialogue 2: Informal Introduction
A: Hallo! Ich bin Lisa. Wie heißt du?
B: Hi Lisa! Ich heiße Jan. Woher kommst du?
A: Ich komme aus der Schweiz. Und du?
B: Cool! Ich bin aus Deutschland. Wo wohnst du hier?
A: Ich wohne in Berlin. Wie alt bist du, Jan?
B: Ich bin 25 Jahre alt. Und du?
A: Ich bin 23. Schön, dich kennenzulernen!
B: Finde ich auch! Tschüss, Lisa!
A: Tschüss, Jan!
🎯 Practice:
- Read the dialogues aloud, focusing on pronunciation and intonation.
- Create your own dialogue using the vocabulary and structures you've learned.
5. Cultural Note
In German-speaking countries, it's common to use formal language (Sie) when meeting someone for the first time, especially in professional settings or with older individuals. The informal "du" is used among friends, family, and younger people. Always err on the side of formality if you're unsure.
6. Pronunciation Challenge
Try this tongue-twister to practice German sounds:
Schnecken erschrecken, wenn Schnecken an Schnecken schlecken, weil zum Schrecken vieler Schnecken, Schnecken nicht schmecken.
(Snails are frightened when snails lick snails because, to the horror of many snails, snails don't taste good.)
Use Forvo to hear native pronunciations of challenging words.
7. Interactive Exercises
-
Fill in the Blanks: Complete the sentences with the correct form of the verb:
- Ich _______ (heißen) Anna.
- Woher _______ (kommen) du?
- Er _______ (wohnen) in München.
-
Matching: Match the question word with its English equivalent:
- Wie [ ] Where
- Wer [ ] How
- Wo [ ] Who
- Wann [ ] When
-
Role-play: With a partner, create and act out a dialogue where you:
- Greet each other
- Introduce yourselves
- Ask and answer questions about name, origin, and age
- Say goodbye
8. Homework
- Write a short paragraph introducing yourself in German, using the vocabulary and structures learned.
- Create a mind map of greetings and introductions vocabulary.
- Practice conjugating 5 new verbs in the present tense.
Additional Resources
- Interactive German Lessons - Deutsche Welle
- German Pronunciation Guide - About.com
- Quizlet Flashcards for this Lesson
Remember, consistent practice is key to language learning. Viel Erfolg! (Good luck!)