After studying the material in this lesson, you will be able to:
- say hello
- start a conversation with a stranger
- introduce yourself
- ask the name of the interlocutor
Pronunciation lesson (click) - for those who for some reason have not yet studied it. Now there is the most actual information about German sounds.
Learn words and expressions for dialogue
| wie in and:
how |
(see example below) |
| heissen X a yiseng
be called, be called |
Wie heissen Sie? What is your name? |
| Sie zi:
you (form of politeness) |
Heissen Sie Martin? Is your name Martin? |
| Entschuldigen Sie! entsh at ldigan
Sorry! |
Entschuldigen Sie! Sind Sie Rolf? Sorry! Are you Rolf? |
| sind zint
(usually not translated) |
Sind Sie Walter Scholz? Are you Walter Scholz? |
| Herr N. hare
Mr N. |
Sind Sie Herr Kunze? Are you Mr Kunze? |
| Frau N. fr a at
Mrs N. |
Sind Sie Frau Müller? Are you Mrs Muller? |
| ja ya:
Yes |
Heißen Sie Fischer?-Ja. Your name is Fisher? -Yes. |
| nein nein
No |
Sind Sie Herr Schmidt?-Nein. Are you Mr. Schmidt? - No. |
| ich uh
I |
Ich heisse Alexej. My name is Aleksey. |
| bin bin
(usually not translated) |
Ich bin Wladimir Petrow. I am Vladimir Petrov. |
| gut gu:t
good, kind |
(see example below). |
| der Tag dea ta :k
day |
Guten Tag! Good afternoon! Hello! |
| der Morgen dea m about rgen
morning |
Guten Morgen, Frau Stein! Good morning Mrs Stein! |
| der Abend dea a:bant
evening |
Guten Abend, Paul! Good evening, Paul! |
| der Freund dea freint
friend |
Sind Sie Freunde? You are friends? |
Pay attention to the form and use of words
- Sie- 3rd person personal pronoun plural, used as a form of politeness (always written with capital letter). Yes, yes, you heard right polite you In German it's 3rd person!
- sind- 3rd person plural of linking verb sein"to be".
- ja used in the affirmative answer to a question without an interrogative word.
- nein used in the negative answer to a question without an interrogative word.
- ich- personal pronoun of the 1st person singular.
- bin- 1st person singular from linking verb sein"to be".
- der- article ( official word), which precedes a noun and determines its gender, number, and case. Article der is indicative of masculine nouns.
Memorize nouns with the article!
Remember the basic ways of word formation
- compounding (connection of two or more roots)
- formation of derivative words with the help of suffixes and prefixes
- root vowel alternation
- substantiation (using parts of speech as nouns)
Practice reading single words
| a - a | uh | ||
| Tag | t a: to | Herr | hare |
| ja | ya: | der | dea |
| Abend | a: bow | u-y | |
| au-ay | gut | gu:t | |
| Frau | fr a at | entschuldigen | entsh at ldigan |
| i, ie-and | ei-ai | ||
| bin | bin | nein | nein |
| sind | zint | heissen | X a yiseng |
| ich | uh | eu-oh | |
| Sie | zi: | Freund | front |
| wie | in and: | Neumann | n about yman |
Wie heissen Sie?
(play)media/sound/de/popov/01-1.mp3(/play)
| W. | Entschuldigen Sie! Sorry! Sind Sie Herr Smirnow? Are you Mr Smirnov? |
entsh at icegen zee:! zint zi: har smirnoff? |
| S. | Ja, ich bin Smirnow. Yes, I'm Smirnov. |
ya:, ihy bin smirnoff |
| W. | Guten Tag, Herr Smirnow! Hello Mr Smirnov! Ich heisse Fred Neumann. My name is Fred Neumann. |
G at: ten ta:k, her smirnoff! uh x a ise fret neumann. |
| S. | Guten Tag, Herr Neumann! Hello Mr Neumann! |
gu: ten ta: k, har neuman! |
Grammar explanations
- In German, unlike Russian, the place of the predicate (verb) in the sentence is strictly fixed, namely:
a) in simple declarative sentence verb costs In second place, the tone drops towards the end of the sentence:
c) in interrogative sentence no question word verb costs at the first place, the tone rises towards the end of the sentence:
The words ja and nein do not affect the word order in a sentence.
Remember personal pronouns and their corresponding linking verb forms sein"to be", "to be":
1st person singular
3rd person plural
Sie sind
Unlike the Russian language, the linking verb in German must be included in the offer. Compare:
Are you Mr Bergman? Sind Sie Herr Bergmann? - Remember that official address to a man named Lenz - Herr Lenz, and to a woman - Frau Lenz. Appeal Genosse"comrade" is used only when talking with members of the socialist and workers' parties. When referring to young people and tourists, the word is often used Freund.
Word order in a German sentence
Each exercise of both this and all subsequent lessons should be performed first with visual support, i.e., looking at an example, and then without visual support. You can check yourself by the key.
1. You are looking for Mr. Mayer. Ask an appropriate question. How would you answer in the place of Mr. Mayer?
2. You are looking for Mrs. Berg. Ask an appropriate question. How would you answer if you were not Mrs. Berg, but Liszt?
3. They ask you what your name is. Answer the question. Ask the interlocutor about the same.
German is spoken by millions of people, not only in Germany, but also in Austria, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg and other places around the world. Of course, in order to speak German fluently, you will have to study for a long time, but the simplest phrases can be mastered very quickly. Whether you're traveling to a German-speaking country, want to impress someone, or just get a little familiar with a new language, the tips in this article will come in handy. We will teach you how to greet people, introduce yourself, say goodbye, thank you, ask basic questions or ask for help.
Steps
Part 1
Greeting and farewell- "Guten Tag" (guten so) - "good afternoon" (used as the most common greeting during the day)
- "Guten Morgen" (guten morgen) - "good morning"
- "Guten Abend" (Guten Abent) - "Good evening"
- "Gute Nacht" (gute nacht) - " Good night» (said before going to bed, usually only between close people)
- "Hallo" (halo) - "hello" (used anywhere and anytime)
-
Remember the difference between formal and informal address in German. In German, as in Russian, it is customary to address unfamiliar and strangers(formally, to "you") and to close acquaintances (informally, to "you"). However, unlike Russian, in German the polite "you" in singular and "you" in the plural are two different words. For example, to ask someone's name, you would say:
- "Wie heissen Sie?" (vi haisen zi) - "what is your name?" (formally)
- "Wie heisst du?" (wee heist du) - "what's your name?" (informally)
-
Say goodbye. The forms of farewell, like greetings, may differ depending on where you are and who you are talking to. However, in general, you can't go wrong if you use one of the following:
- "Auf Wiedersehen" (auf viderzeen) - "goodbye"
- "Tschüss" (chyuc) - "bye"
- "Ciao" (chao) - "bye" (this word is Italian, but often used by Germans)
Part 2
Starting a conversation-
Ask the person how he is doing. You will not only show courtesy, but also demonstrate your knowledge of German!
Tell me how you are. If you are asked the question "wie geht es Ihnen?" or "wie geht" s?, you can answer in different ways.
Ask the person where he is from. good start conversation will ask the interlocutor what city or country he is from. For this there is the following phrases(both formal and informal).
- "Woher kommen Sie?" (woher komen zi) / "woher kommst du?" (voher comst du) - “where are you from?” / "where are you from?"
- "Ich komme aus ..." (ih komme aus ...) - "I'm from ...". For example, "ich komme aus Russland" (ih kome aus rusland) - "I'm from Russia."
- "Wo wohnen Sie?" (wo wohnst du) / "wo wohnst du?" (wonst doo) - "where do you live?" / "where do you live?". The verb "wohnen" is used with the name of the city, street, exact address; for a country or continent (but often for a city too), "leben" is used - "wo leben Sie?" (wo leben zee) / "wo lebst du?" (in lebst du).
- “Ich wohne in ...” (ich wohne in ...) or “ich lebe in ...” (ich lebe in ...) - “I live in ...”. For example, "ich wohne / lebe in Moskau" (ih vone / lebe in moskau) - "I live in Moscow."
Part 3
Further communication-
Learn a few more simple useful phrases. "Ja" (I) means "yes", "nein" (nein) means "no".
- "Wie bitte?" (vi bite) - "I'm sorry?" (if you need to ask again)
- "Es tut mir leid!" (es here world - "I'm sorry!"
- "Entschuldigung!" (entschuldigung) - "I'm sorry!"
-
Learn to say "please" and "thank you." In principle, there is a formal and informal way of expressing gratitude, but the usual "danke" (danke) - "thank you" - can be used in any situation.
-
Learn to formulate simple requests and questions about objects. To find out if something is available in a store, restaurant, and similar places, you can ask "haben Sie ...?" (haben zi ...) - "do you have ...?" For example, "haben Sie Kaffee?" (haben zi cafe) - "Do you have coffee?"
- If you want to ask about the price of something, ask the question "wie viel kostet das?" (vi fil costat das) - "how much does it cost?"
-
Learn to ask for directions. If you are lost or want to find a place, the following phrases will come in handy.
- To ask for help, say "Können Sie mir helfen, bitte?" (kyonen zi world helfeng, bitae) - "Could you help me please?"
- To ask for a location, say "Wo ist...?" (in ist ...) - “where is ...?”. For example, "wo ist die Toilette, bitte?" (wo ist di toilette, - “where is the toilet?” or “wo ist der Bahnhof?” (wo ist der bahnhof) - “where is the station?”
- To make your question sound more polite, start it with an apology: "Entschuldigen Sie bitte, wo ist der Bahnhof?" (entshuldigen zi bite, vo ist der bahnhof) - "Excuse me, please, where is the station?"
- To find out if a person speaks another language, ask: “Sprechen Sie englisch (russisch, französisch…)?” (shprechen zi English (Russian, French ...)), that is: “Do you speak English (Russian, French ...)?”
-
Learn to count in German. In general, German numerals follow the same logic as Russian or English ones. The main difference is that in numbers from 21 to 100, units are placed before tens. For example, 21 is "einundzwanzig" (aynuntzvantsikh), literally "one and twenty"; 34 is "vierunddreißig" (firuntdraisikh), literally "four and thirty"; 67 is "siebenundsechzig" (zibenuntzekhtsikh), literally "seven and sixty" and so on.
- 1 - "eins" (ains)
- 2 - "zwei" (zwei)
- 3 - "drei" (dry)
- 4 - "vier" (fir)
- 5 - "unf" (funf)
- 6 - "sechs" (zeks)
- 7 - "sieben" (ziben)
- 8 - "acht" (aht)
- 9 - "neun" (noyn)
- 10 - "zehn" (zein)
- 11 - "elf" (elf)
- 12 - "zwölf" (zwölf)
- 13 - "dreizehn" (dreizen)
- 14 - "vierzehn" (firzein)
- 15 - "ünfzehn" (fünfzein)
- 16 - "sechzehn" (zekhzein)
- 17 - "siebzehn" (zip chain)
- 18 - "achtzehn" (akhtzeyn)
- 19 - "neunzehn" (neunzein)
- 20 - "zwanzig" (zwanzig)
- 21 - "einundzwanzig" (aynuntzwanzig)
- 22 - "zweiundzwanzig" (zweiuntzwanzig)
- 30 - "dreißig" (dreißig)
- 40 - "vierzig" (firtsikh)
- 50 - "ünfzig" (funzich)
- 60 - "sechzig" (zekhtsikh)
- 70 - "siebzig" (ziptsikh)
- 80 - "achtzig" (ahtsikh)
- 90 - "neunzig" (neunzig)
- 100 - "hundert" (hundert)
Use standard greetings. Each German-speaking country has its own special greetings. However, the following standard forms will be appropriate in any of them.
Getting to know the basics German grammar, consider a basic set of phrases that will be useful in different situations communication.
After studying this lesson you will learn how to say hello and goodbye in German.
Greetings
Like any other language, German has several ways to greet someone. You can wish good morning or just say hello, or you can say a simple "hello". The main thing is to remember who your interlocutor is and in what relationship you are.
If you greet unfamiliar person or with the people you are associated with business relationship, then you can use the following phrases:
Guten Morgen[´gu: ten ´morgan] - Good morning. You can usually say this phrase before noon.
Guten Tag[´gu: ten ta: k] - Good afternoon. This phrase consumed after noon until 6 pm.
Guten Abend[´gu:ten ´a:bent] - Good evening. This greeting is used after 6pm.
Also in German there is a neutral greeting Hallo [ha´lo], which means "Hello" and can be used in any situation. There is no analogue of the Russian word "hello" in German.
When meeting, in addition to greeting, you can also use a number of useful phrases or questions.
"Wie geht es Ihnen?"[vee gate es 'inen] - How are you (with you)? - Do not forget that this question is formal.
"Geht es Ihnen gut?"[gate es 'inan gut] - Are you all right?
The answer to this question is the phrase: Gut, danke.[gu:t ´danke] – It's fine, thank you.
Or a phrase Es geht mir sehr gut.[es gate mia zea gut] - I'm fine.
Or: Ziemlich good.[´tsimlich gu:t] - Good enough.
You can also use the phrase "Sehr erfreut."[zea er'froit] - Nice to meet you.
To be polite and ask a question back, use the phrase "Und Ihnen?"[unt ´inen] - And you?
Remember that all these phrases are very formal and are used in business communication situations.
In an informal communication situation, use analogues of the above phrases, namely:
"Wie geht es dir?"[vee gate es dia] - How are you (doing)?
This phrase in colloquial German is very often shortened to "Wie geht's?"[wee gates] - How are you?
The answer to this question could be: Es geht mir gut.[S gate mia gu:t] - I'm fine.
Super![´zu:pea] – Excellent!
"Nothing schlecht."[niht schlecht] - Not bad.
The answer is to ask the question: "Und dir?"– [unt dia] - And you?
As for pronunciation, remember that voiced g, b, d in German are pronounced dull, so in the word "guten" the first sound will be very close to the Russian sound "k".
It is interesting to note that some parts of Germany have their own peculiarities of greetings. For example, greeting "Moin Moin!"[moin moin] or just "Moin!" common in Northern Germany,
a phrase Grüss Gott[gryus goth] - in the South.
If you need to wish a person good night phrases will help you "Schlaf gut"[shlaf gut] - Sleep well,
or "Gute nacht"[´gute nakht] - Good night.
Parting
To end a conversation and say goodbye in German, the following phrases are used:
"Auf Wiedersehen!"[auf ´videa´zeen] - Goodbye! The shortened form Wiedersehen is used in informal communication.
"Auf Wiederhoren!"[auf 'videa'hyoren] - Goodbye! - This phrase is used when you are talking on the phone.
It is interesting to note that in the pronunciation in these two phrases, the sounds [f] and [v] practically merge into one, therefore [v] weakens and is pronounced close to the sound [f]. The vowels [i] and [e] are long, don't forget that.
"Tschüss!"[Chyus] - Bye! — An informal parting phrase.
If you want to sound more casual, I'll help you with phrases "Bis morgen!"[bis 'morgan] - See you tomorrow!
"Bisbald!"[bis balt] - Bye! See you soon!
"Bis dann!"[bis dan] - See you soon!
A common form of goodbye among teenagers and young people is the phrase "Tschau/ciao!"- Chao!
Goodbye is used in some parts of Germany Adieu![adyo] - Bye! This phrase was borrowed from French, which means "Go with God."
What is your name?
To introduce yourself, you will need phrases such as:
Ich heisse…. [ih ´haise] - My name is...
Mein Name ist….. [mein ´na: me] - My name is…. This phrase can be used when you want to say only the first name, or both the first and last name.
To give only a surname, phrases will help you:
Mein Vorname… [mein ´foana:me]
Mein family name... [mein fa´milienname]
If you are interested in the name of the interlocutor, you can ask the following questions:
Wie heissen Sie?[vi: ´haisen zi] - when referring to a person as "you".
Wie heist du?[vi: heist du] - when addressing a person to "you".
Wie heist ihr?[vi: heist ia] - when referring to a group of people on "you".
If you have already been asked this question, and you want to show interest in return, then you can use the short:
Und Sie?[Unt zee] - And you?
Und du?[Unt doo] - And you?
Be prepared to be politely addressed in Germany as Herr/Frau (Mr/Madam). Most often you will meet this appeal in a hotel or airport / vocal. For example:
Sind Sie Frau Weiss?[zint si frau weiss] - Are you Mrs. Weiss?
You can answer in two ways:
- agree - Ja, ich Frau Weiss[i, ih bin frau weiss]. - Yes, I'm Ms. Weiss.
- or disagree - Nein, ich bin Frau Schwarz[nein, ih bin frau schwartz]. - No, I'm Mrs. Schwartz.
Where are you from?
To say where you are from, use the following template:
Ich bin aus Russland. [ih bin aus 'ruslant]. Ich komme aus Russland [ih kome aus ruslant]. - I'm from Russia. Instead of a country, you can name a city or any other locality. To indicate where you currently live, use the verb wohnen. Don't forget to conjugate this verb by person!
Ich wohne in Moscow[ih vone in 'moskau] - I live in Moscow.
If you want to ask where your interlocutor is from or where they live, use these questions:
Woher kommen Sie?[wo´hea komen zi] - Where are you from?
It is interesting to note that in question word"woher" the "her" part can be moved to the end of the question, so it turns out:
Wo kommst du her?[comst do ha] - Where are you from?
You can also use these phrases:
Sind Sie aus Morocco?[zint zi aus ma´roko] - Are you from Morocco?
Kommen Sie aus Italien?[´komen zi aus it´alien] - Are you from Italy?
Aus welchem Land kommen Sie?[aus velhem lant komen zi] - What country are you from?
Another question related to this topic - "Wo sind Sie geboren?"[wo zint zi ge´boren]
"Wo bist du geboren?"[vo bist du ge´boren] - Where were you born?/Where were you born?
The answer is the phrase “Ich bin in……. geboren"[ih bin in….. ge´boren]. In place of the pass, put the desired settlement, for example, a city.
What is your telephone number?
If you want to know the phone number, then use the question "Wie ist Ihre Telefonnummer?"[vi: ist ´ire tele´fonnumea], when addressing a person with “you”.
And "Wie ist deine Telefonnummer?"[vi: ist 'daine tele'fonnumea] - if you communicate on "you".
