Today, we’re going to explore a very useful topic: how to ask someone’s name, age and ask where they’re from in German and how to talk about yourself too. This is a great way to get to know people and practise your German skills.
Basic introductions
When you meet someone new, it’s helpful to introduce yourself. You can say:
- Ich heiße… My name is…
- Ich komme aus Schottland. I come from Scotland.
- Ich wohne in Edinburgh. I live in Edinburgh.
- Ich lebe in Edinburgh. I live in Edinburgh.
You may hear both verbs, wohnen and leben used. However, wohnen is more commonly heard.
These phrases help you break the ice and get to know people right away!
Talking about your family
Next, let’s talk about family. You might want to share information about your children or siblings. Here are some useful sentences:
- Ich habe einen Sohn. I have a son. Note that haben always requires the accusative to be used. This means that ein Sohn becomes einen Sohn.
- Ich habe eine Tochter. I have a daughter. There is no change from the nominative to the accusative in the feminine form; eine stays the same.
- Ich habe zwei Söhne, sie heißen Daniel und Jürgen. I have two sons; their names are Daniel and Jürgen. Note that an Umlaut and -e is added to Sohn to form the plural, Söhne.
- Ich habe zwei Töchter, sie heißen Anna und Rachel. I have two daughters; their names are Anna and Rachel. The plural form of Tochter also adds an Umlaut > Töchter.
- Ich habe eine Schwester. I have a sister.
You can also ask others about their families:
- Hast du Kinder? Do you have children? This is the familiar form. It may be better when first talking to someone to use the polite form, listed below:
- Haben Sie Kinder? Do you have children? – formal
- Wie heißen sie? What are their names? Note the difference between sie and Sie. With a lower-case -s, it means they or them. Whereas Sie means you in the formal sense.
Asking about ages
Here’s how you can ask someone their age:
- Wie alt bist du? How old are you? – informal
- Wie alt sind Sie? How old are you? – formal
You can answer these questions like this:
- Ich bin zwölf Jahre alt. I am twelve years old.
- Er ist zwölf Jahre alt. He is twelve years old.
- Sie sind zwölf und dreizehn Jahre alt. They are twelve and thirteen years old.
Giving ages in German follows a very similar pattern to English. So long as you feel comfortable with numbers in German, it can be quite straightforward.
Discussing your stay in a German-speaking place
If you are visiting Germany, Switzerland or Austria, you might want to share why you are there. Here are some phrases to help you:
- Warum bist du hier in Deutschland? Why are you here in Germany? – informal
- Warum sind Sie hier in Österreich? Why are you here in Austria? – formal
- Ich bin hier im Urlaub. I am here on holiday.
In takes the dative in this expression, changing das Urlaub > dem Urlaub. Here we see an abbreviation of in + dem = im. - Ich bin hier mit meiner Familie im Urlaub. I am here on holiday with my family.
Note that after the preposition mit the dative case has to be used. This means that meine Familie > meiner Famile.
- Ich arbeite hier. I work here.
- Ich studiere hier. I study here.
- Ich besuche einen Freund. I am visiting a friend.
Putting it all together
Let’s imagine a conversation where you introduce yourself, ask about age, and talk about your family:
- A: Hallo! Ich heiße John. Ich komme aus Schottland und ich wohne in Edinburgh. Ich habe einen Sohn. Er heißt Simon. Wie heißt du und wie alt bist du?
- B: Hallo, ich heiße Anna. Ich bin zweiundzwanzig Jahre alt. Wie alt ist dein Sohn?
- A: Er ist zwölf Jahre alt. Warum bist du hier in Deutschland?
- B: Ich bin hier im Urlaub mit meiner Familie.
Making introductions and asking others about themselves and their families is a great way to connect with others in German. Practice these phrases, and soon you’ll feel more comfortable in conversations. Viel Erfolg!
If you would like to continue expanding your vocabulary, learn how to talk about your job in German in our next blog post!
