In this German lesson, we will cover the basics of introducing yourself and others in German.
Remember that German, like other languages has a honorific plural. Unlike in English where everybody is addressed with "you".
In French "vous" (2nd person plural), in Italian "Lei" (3rd person singular), in Spanish "usted" (3rd person singular), in Hindi "aap" (2nd person plural), in Persian "shuma" (2nd person plural).
The personal pronoun used to address strangers or persons of signority in German is "Sie" and is actually the equivalent of "they" in English (3rd person plural) and is used as such, too. But we use it as well in formal address for an individual. In written form it is always spelled with an upper case "S" (Sie), while if it means "they" it is spelled with a lower case "s".
1. Greetings:
- "Hallo!" - Hello!
- "Guten Tag!" - Good day!
- "Guten Morgen!" - Good morning!
- "Guten Abend!" - Good evening!
- "Wie geht es Ihnen?" - How are you? (formal)
- "Wie geht's?" or "Wie geht es dir?" - How are you? (informal)
2. Introducing Yourself:
- "Ich heiße [Your Name]." - My name is [Your Name].
- "Ich komme aus [Your Country]." - I come from [Your Country].
- "Ich bin [Your Age] Jahre alt." - I am [Your Age] years old.
- "Ich wohne in [Your City]." - I live in [Your City].
3. Asking Someone's Name:
- "Wie heißen Sie?" - What is your name? (formal)
- "Wie heißt du?" - What is your name? (informal)
4. Responding to Name Inquiries:
- "Ich heiße [Your Name]." - My name is [Your Name].
- "Ich bin die / der [Your Name]." - I am [Your Name].
5. Nationality:
- "Ich bin [Your Nationality]." - I am [Your Nationality].
- For example, "Ich bin Amerikaner." - I am American.
6. Expressing Origin:
- "Ich komme aus [Your Country]." - I (come) am from [Your Country].
- For instance, "Ich komme aus Deutschland." - I (come) am from Germany.
7. Asking About Someone's Origin:
- "Woher kommen Sie?" - Where are you from? (formal)
- "Woher kommst du?" - Where are you from? (informal)
8. Responding to Origin Inquiries:
- "Ich komme aus [Your City]." - I am from [Your City].
- "Ich komme aus [Your Country]." - I am from [Your Country].
9. Additional Information:
- "Ich spreche [Languages you speak]." - I speak [languages you speak].
- "Ich arbeite als / Ich bin [Your Profession]." - I work as / I am a [Your Profession].
10. Asking About Someone's Profession:
- "Was sind Sie von Beruf?"
- "Was machen Sie beruflich?"
What do you do for a living?
11. Responding to Profession Inquiries:
- "Ich arbeite als [Your Profession]." - I work as [Your Profession].
"Ich bin ..." - I am a ....
- For example, "Ich arbeite als Lehrer." - I work as a teacher.
"Ich bin Leher" - "I am a teacher"
12. Polite Farewells:
- "Auf Wiedersehen!" - Goodbye! (formal)
- "Tschüss!" or "Bis später!" - bye-bye! (informal)
13. Thanking and Expressing Politeness:
- "Danke! / Vielen Dank!" - Thank you! / Many thanks!
- "Bitte!" - You're welcome! / Please!
I hope you enjoyed this quick German lesson. :-)
If you want to learn German for real and live in Dubai, register on this site for my classes.
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