(vee gayt es deer) – How are you? (Informal)
Mir geht es gut (meer gayt es goot) – I’m fine
Nicht so gut (niht zo goot) – Not so good
Es geht (es gayt) – It’s okay
Wie heißen Sie? (vee hai-sen zee) – What’s your name? (Formal)
Wie heißt du? (vee haist doo) – What’s your name? (Informal)
Ich heiße… (ihh hai-se…) – My name is…
Freut mich, Sie kennenzulernen! (froit mihh, zee ke-nen-tsoo-ler-nen) – Pleased to meet you! (Formal)
Freut mich, dich kennenzulernen! (froit mihh, dihh ke-nen-tsoo-ler-nen) – Pleased to meet you! (Informal)
Auf Wiedersehen! (auf vee-der-zay-en) – Goodbye! (Formal)
Tschüss! (chüs) – Bye! (Informal)
Bis bald! (bis bahlt) – See you soon!
Exercises
How would you greet a friend in the morning?
How would you greet your professor in the afternoon?
How would you ask someone their name in a formal situation?
Practice pronouncing the following words: Hallo, Guten Tag, Tschüss.
Imagine you are meeting a new colleague at work. Write a short dialogue where you greet them, ask how they are, and introduce yourself.
That’s the end of Chapter 1! We’ve covered some essential greetings and introductions, along with a basic overview of German pronunciation and the formal/informal.
Chapter 2: Numbers, Colors, and Days of the Week
In this chapter, we’ll learn how to count, identify colors, and talk about the days of the week and months of the year. These are essential building blocks for everyday conversations.
Counting from 1 to 20
Let’s start with the numbers 1—20. Learning these will make it easier to understand prices, tell the time, and more!
1 – eins (ains)
2 – zwei (tsvai)
3 – drei (drai)
4 – vier (feer)
5 – fünf (fünf)
6 – sechs (zeks)
7 – sieben (zee-ben)
8 – acht (ahht)
9 – neun (noin)
10 – zehn (tsayn)
11 – elf (elf)
12 – zwölf (tsvölf)
13 – dreizehn (drai-tsayn)
14 – vierzehn (feer-tsayn)
15 – fünfzehn (fünf-tsayn)
16 – sechzehn (zehks-tsayn)
17 – siebzehn (zee-b-tsayn)
18 – achtzehn (ahht-tsayn)
19 – neunzehn (noin-tsayn)
20 – zwanzig (tsvan-tsih)
Tips for Remembering Numbers:
Look for patterns: Notice how numbers 13—19 are formed by adding “-zehn» to the base number (with a few slight spelling changes).
Practice regularly: Recite the numbers aloud until you can say them easily.
Use them in context: Count objects around you, practice saying phone numbers, or play number-based games.
Counting by Tens to 100
Now let’s learn the multiples of ten:
20 – zwanzig (tsvan-tsih)
30 – dreißig (drai-sih)
40 – vierzig (feer-tsih)
50 – fünfzig (fünf-tsih)
60 – sechzig (zehks-tsih)
70 – siebzig (zee-b-tsih)
80 – achtzig (ahht-tsih)
90 – neunzig (noin-tsih)
100 – hundert (hoon-dert)
Forming Numbers Between Tens
To form numbers between the tens (e.g., 21, 32, 45), you combine the smaller number with the larger one, but with a twist: you say the ones digit before the tens digit, and you add «und» (and) in between.
For example:
21 – einundzwanzig (ain-oont-tsvan-tsih) – one and twenty
32 – zweiunddreißig (tsvai-oont-drai-sih) – two and thirty
45 – fünfundvierzig (fünf-oont-feer-tsih) – five and forty
Basic Colors (Farben)
Knowing the colors will help you describe things and express yourself more vividly.
Red – rot (roht)
Blue – blau (blau)
Green – grün (grün)
Yellow – gelb (gelp)
Black – schwarz (shvarts)
White – weiß (vais)
Orange – orange (o-ron-zhe)
Purple – lila (lee-la)
Pink – rosa (ro-za)
Brown – braun (braun)
Gray – grau (grau)
Asking About Color
To ask what color something is, you can say:
Welche Farbe ist das? (vel-he far-be ist das) – What color is that?
Days of the Week (Tage der Woche)
Knowing the days of the week is essential for making plans and scheduling appointments.
Monday – Montag (mon-tahk)
Tuesday – Dienstag (deens-tahk)
Wednesday – Mittwoch (mit-vohh)
Thursday – Donnerstag (don-ners-tahk)
Friday – Freitag (frai-tahk)
Saturday – Samstag (zahms-tahk) /Sonnabend (zon-ah-bent) – Note: In some parts of Germany, «Sonnabend» is used more commonly.
Sunday – Sonntag (zon-tahk)
Months of the Year (Monate)
Here are the months of the year in German:
January – Januar (yah-nu-ar)
February – Februar (fay-bru-ar)
March – März (merts)
April – April (ah-pril)
May – Mai (mai)
June – Juni (yoo-nee)
July – Juli (yoo-lee)
August – August (au-goost)
September – September (zep-tem-ber)
October – Oktober (ok-to-ber)
November – November (no-vem-ber)
December – Dezember (de-tsem-ber)
Seasons (Jahreszeiten)
Spring – Frühling (frü-ling)
Summer – Sommer (zo-mer)
Autumn/Fall – Herbst (herpst)
Winter – Winter (vin-ter)
Simple Exercises:
What color is the sky? (Der Himmel ist blau.)
What