In this lesson, students will learn how to ask for and give personal information in German, such as name, age, nationality, address, and contact details. This lesson will help students engage in simple introductions and provide basic details about themselves or others.
Lesson Objectives
By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:
- Introduce themselves and share basic information in German.
- Ask questions to obtain personal information from others.
- Use vocabulary related to age, nationality, and contact information.
Lesson Content
1. Asking for and Giving Personal Information
Here are some key phrases and questions to ask for or provide personal information in German.
English | German | Pronunciation |
---|---|---|
What’s your name? | Wie heißt du? / Wie heißen Sie? | “vee high-st doo” / “vee high-sen zee” |
My name is… | Ich heiße… | “ikh high-suh” |
How old are you? | Wie alt bist du? / Wie alt sind Sie? | “vee ahlt bist doo” / “vee ahlt zind zee” |
I am … years old. | Ich bin … Jahre alt. | “ikh bin … yah-re ahlt” |
Where are you from? | Woher kommst du? / Woher kommen Sie? | “voh-hair komt doo” / “voh-hair kommen zee” |
I am from… | Ich komme aus… | “ikh koh-muh owss” |
What is your nationality? | Was ist deine Nationalität? | “vahs ist dine-ah nah-tzee-oh-nah-lee-tate” |
I am German/American/etc. | Ich bin Deutscher/Deutsche, Amerikaner/in | “ikh bin doyt-shuh/ am-er-ee-kah-nuh” |
Where do you live? | Wo wohnst du? / Wo wohnen Sie? | “voh vohnst doo” / “voh voh-nen zee” |
I live in… | Ich wohne in… | “ikh voh-nuh in” |
What’s your address? | Wie ist deine Adresse? | “vee ist dine-ah ah-dress-uh” |
My address is… | Meine Adresse ist… | “mine-uh ah-dress-uh ist” |
What is your phone number? | Wie ist deine Telefonnummer? | “vee ist dine-uh tel-eh-fone noom-mer” |
My phone number is… | Meine Telefonnummer ist… | “mine-uh tel-eh-fone noom-mer ist” |
2. Vocabulary for Personal Information
Basic Information
English | German | Pronunciation |
---|---|---|
Name | der Name | “dair nah-muh” |
Age | das Alter | “dahs ahl-ter” |
Nationality | die Nationalität | “dee nah-tzee-oh-nah-lee-tate” |
Address | die Adresse | “dee ah-dress-uh” |
Phone Number | die Telefonnummer | “dee tel-eh-fone noom-mer” |
Country | das Land | “dahs lahnd” |
City | die Stadt | “dee shtat” |
Nationalities (Examples)
English | German (Male) / (Female) | Pronunciation |
---|---|---|
German | Deutscher / Deutsche | “doyt-shuh / doy-tuh” |
American | Amerikaner / Amerikanerin | “am-er-ee-kah-nuh / am-er-ee-kah-ner-in” |
French | Franzose / Französin | “fran-tsoh-zuh / fran-tsoh-zin” |
Italian | Italiener / Italienerin | “it-ah-lee-ay-ner / it-ah-lee-ay-ner-in” |
Spanish | Spanier / Spanierin | “shpah-nee-er / shpah-nee-er-in” |
3. Sample Dialogues for Introducing Yourself
Dialogue 1: Simple Introduction
Person A: Wie heißt du?
Person B: Ich heiße Anna. Und du?
Person A: Ich heiße Max. Schön, dich kennenzulernen!
Person B: Schön, dich kennenzulernen!
Dialogue 2: Sharing More Details
Person A: Wie alt bist du?
Person B: Ich bin 25 Jahre alt. Und du?
Person A: Ich bin 22 Jahre alt.
Person A: Woher kommst du?
Person B: Ich komme aus Deutschland. Woher kommst du?
Person A: Ich komme aus den USA.
Dialogue 3: Full Introduction
Person A: Guten Tag! Wie heißen Sie?
Person B: Guten Tag! Ich heiße Julia Müller. Und Sie?
Person A: Ich heiße Thomas Becker. Wo wohnen Sie, Frau Müller?
Person B: Ich wohne in München. Und Sie?
Person A: Ich wohne in Berlin.
Person A: Was ist Ihre Nationalität?
Person B: Ich bin Deutsche. Und Sie?
Person A: Ich bin Amerikaner.
4. Practice Exercises
-
Fill in the Blanks
- Complete the sentences with your own information.
- Ich heiße __________.
- Ich bin __________ Jahre alt.
- Ich komme aus __________.
- Complete the sentences with your own information.
-
Pair Practice: Ask and Answer Questions
- Practice with a partner by asking and answering the following questions in German:
- Wie heißt du?
- Wie alt bist du?
- Woher kommst du?
- Was ist deine Nationalität?
- Practice with a partner by asking and answering the following questions in German:
-
Introduce a Friend
- Imagine you are introducing a friend. Use the following structure:
- Das ist mein Freund/meine Freundin. Er/Sie heißt __________. Er/Sie ist __________ Jahre alt und kommt aus __________.
- Imagine you are introducing a friend. Use the following structure:
-
Role Play: Meeting a New Neighbor
- Take turns role-playing a scenario where you meet a new neighbor. Exchange greetings, ask for each other’s names, ages, nationalities, and addresses. Use as much vocabulary from this lesson as possible.
5. Common Mistakes to Avoid
-
Using the Wrong Formality
- Use du for informal situations (friends, family) and Sie for formal interactions (adults you don’t know well, professional settings).
-
Confusing Nationalities with Countries
- Remember that “Ich bin Deutscher” means “I am German,” while “Ich komme aus Deutschland” means “I come from Germany.”
-
Mispronouncing Common Words
- Practice pronouncing ich as “ikh” and wie as “vee” to avoid common pronunciation errors in German.
Lesson Summary
In this lesson, students learned how to give and ask for basic personal information, including name, age, nationality, address, and contact details. This skill set is essential for introductions and casual conversations in German-speaking settings.