Introducing Yourself (Junior Cert German): Revision Notes
Introducing Yourself
When you meet someone for the first time in German, you'll need to know how to greet them properly, share basic information about yourself, and be polite. This guide covers all the essential phrases and grammar you need to confidently introduce yourself in German-speaking situations.
Basic greetings
The greeting you choose depends on the time of day and how well you know the person. German greetings follow predictable patterns that make them easier to remember.
Time-based greetings
| German | English |
|---|---|
| hallo | hello |
| guten Morgen | good morning |
| guten Tag | good day |
| guten Abend | good evening |
| gute Nacht | good night |
Notice how guten appears in most daytime greetings - this creates a helpful pattern. Use "guten Morgen" until around midday, "guten Tag" during the afternoon, and "guten Abend" from late afternoon onwards. "Gute Nacht" is only used when going to bed.
Sample Greeting Conversations:
Formal morning greeting:
- "Guten Morgen, ich heiße Anna." (Good morning, I'm called Anna.)
Casual greeting:
- "Hallo, wie geht's?" (Hello, how are you?)
Saying goodbye
| German | English |
|---|---|
| tschüss | bye |
| bis bald | see you soon |
| auf Wiedersehen | goodbye |
Tschüss is informal and used with friends, whilst auf Wiedersehen is more formal and suitable for any situation.
Asking and saying how you are
After greeting someone, it's natural to ask how they are. The standard question is wie geht's? which literally translates as "how is it going?" but means "how are you?"
Positive to negative responses
| German | English |
|---|---|
| sehr gut, danke | very good, thanks |
| gut | good |
| sehr gut | very good |
| toll | great |
| nicht schlecht | not bad |
| nicht so gut | not so good |
| furchtbar | awful |
When someone asks you "wie geht's?", you can respond with any of these phrases. It's polite to add danke (thanks) and then ask und dir? (and you?) to show interest in their wellbeing.
Complete Conversation Flow:
- Person A: "Hallo, wie geht's?" (Hello, how are you?)
- Person B: "Sehr gut, danke. Und dir?" (Very good, thanks. And you?)
- Person A: "Gut, danke." (Good, thanks.)
Introducing yourself by name
There are two main ways to tell someone your name in German, both using different grammatical structures that you should practice.
Using the verb heißen
The verb heißen literally means "to be called" and is the most common way to introduce yourself:
| German | English |
|---|---|
| Wie heißt du? | What is your name? (literally: How are you called?) |
| Ich heiße [name] | I am called [name] |
You can also ask the question back by repeating "wie heißt du?" or simply asking "und du?" (and you?).
Alternative method
| German | English |
|---|---|
| mein Name ist [name] | my name is [name] |
Name Exchange Conversation:
- "Wie heißt du?" (What's your name?)
- "Ich heiße Sarah. Und du?" (I'm called Sarah. And you?)
- "Mein Name ist Michael." (My name is Michael.)
Pronunciation tip: The letter ß is called an "Eszett" and represents a double 's' sound.
Stating your age
Talking about age in German requires you to use the irregular verb sein (to be), which changes its form depending on who you're talking about.
The verb "sein" is completely irregular and must be memorised. Unlike regular verbs, it doesn't follow predictable patterns, so you need to learn each form individually.
The verb sein for age
| German | English |
|---|---|
| Wie alt bist du? | How old are you? |
| Ich bin ... Jahre alt | I am ... years old |
| Er ist ... Jahre alt | He is ... years old |
| Sie ist ... Jahre alt | She is ... years old |
The word Jahre means "years" and alt means "old". This structure literally translates as "I am twelve years old."
Numbers 13-19
When forming numbers from 13-19, German adds -zehn (meaning ten) to the single digits. However, watch out for two important exceptions:
| German | English |
|---|---|
| dreizehn | 13 |
| vierzehn | 14 |
| sechzehn | 16 (not sechszehn!) |
| siebzehn | 17 (not siebenzehn!) |
The numbers 16 and 17 are irregular: "sechzehn" and "siebzehn" don't follow the usual pattern of simply adding "-zehn" to the single digit.
Age Statements:
- "Ich bin fünfzehn Jahre alt." (I am fifteen years old.)
- "Sie ist siebzehn Jahre alt." (She is seventeen years old.)
Saying where you live
To talk about where you live, German uses the verb wohnen (to live) followed by in and the place name.
Basic location phrases
| German | English |
|---|---|
| Wo wohnst du? | Where do you live? |
| Ich wohne | I live |
| Ich wohne in [place] | I live in [place] |
This structure is straightforward - just remember to include in before the place name.
Location Conversation:
- "Wo wohnst du?" (Where do you live?)
- "Ich wohne in Manchester." (I live in Manchester.)
- "Ich wohne in Leeds." (I live in Leeds.)
Discussing nationality
Nationality in German involves learning specific terms for different countries and understanding how they change for males and females.
Common nationalities
| German | English |
|---|---|
| Engländer (m) / Engländerin (f) | English |
| Deutscher (m) / Deutsche (f) | German |
| Pole (m) / Polin (f) | Polish |
For most nationalities, you add -in to the end when talking about females. However, "German" is irregular - "Deutscher" becomes "Deutsche" for females, not "Deutscherin".
Using nationalities with sein
Since sein is irregular, you need to conjugate it correctly:
| German | English |
|---|---|
| Ich bin Engländer(in) | I am English |
| Er ist Inder | He is Indian |
| Sie ist Inderin | She is Indian |
Nationality Statements:
- "Ich bin Engländerin." (I am English - female speaker)
- "Er ist Deutscher." (He is German.)
Talking about where you come from
Sometimes where you live is different from where you originally come from. German uses the regular verb kommen (to come) with aus (from) for this.
Verb kommen conjugation
| Subject | Verb |
|---|---|
| ich | komme |
| du | kommst |
| er/sie | kommt |
Origin phrases
| German | English |
|---|---|
| Woher kommst du? | Where do you come from? |
| Ich komme aus [country] | I come from [country] |
Origin Examples:
- "Ich komme aus Schottland." (I come from Scotland.)
- "Du kommst aus Wales." (You come from Wales.)
- "Er kommt aus England." (He comes from England.)
- "Sie kommt aus Nordirland." (She comes from Northern Ireland.)
Polite expressions
Good manners are just as important in German as they are in English. These essential phrases will help you sound polite and respectful.
Essential politeness
| German | English |
|---|---|
| danke | thank you |
| dankeschön | thank you |
| vielen Dank | many thanks |
| bitte | please/you're welcome |
Bitte is particularly useful as it means both "please" (when making a request) and "you're welcome" (when someone thanks you).
Translation practice
Translation Exercise:
- "Guten Morgen, wie heißt du?"
- "Ich bin sechzehn Jahre alt und wohne in Berlin."
- "Good evening, how are you?"
- "I come from England but I live in Germany."
Answers:
- "Good morning, what's your name?"
- "I am sixteen years old and live in Berlin."
- "Guten Abend, wie geht's?"
- "Ich komme aus England, aber ich wohne in Deutschland."
Common mistakes and tips
Capitalisation errors: Remember that ALL German nouns start with a capital letter, including "Jahre" (years), "Name" (name), and "Morgen" (morning). This is different from English and catches many students out.
Verb conjugation mistakes: Pay careful attention to verb endings. Ich bin (I am) vs du bist (you are) vs er/sie ist (he/she is) - these must be memorised as "sein" is completely irregular.
Number confusion: The numbers 16 and 17 are tricky - remember "sechzehn" and "siebzehn" don't follow the usual pattern of adding "-zehn" to the single digit.
Gender agreement: When talking about nationality, don't forget to use the feminine form when appropriate - "Engländerin" not "Engländer" for a female English person.
False friends: "Wie geht's?" doesn't mean "what's going?" - it's the standard way to ask "how are you?" in German.
Key Points to Remember:
- German greetings change depending on the time of day - use the "guten" pattern for morning, day, and evening
- The verb sein (to be) is irregular and must be memorised for talking about age and nationality
- All German nouns start with capital letters, no exceptions
- Numbers 16 and 17 have irregular spellings: "sechzehn" and "siebzehn"
- Adding -in to most nationality words creates the feminine form, but "German" is irregular