Day 3: Word order, basic questions and answers
Overview
Self-Study Topic | Duration: 25–30 minutes
Level: Absolute Beginner
OBJECTIVE
By the end of this topic, you will be able to:
✔ Use basic German word order (Subject-Verb-Object/Predicative).
✔ Ask formally and informally questions (name, origin, residence).
✔ Answer such questions.
✔ Use personal pronouns and conjugate basic verbs in the present tense.
CONTENT
1. Self-check
Regular self-testing helps retain new knowledge and skills. Before proceeding with the new topic, check what you have learned so far.
Numbers
Use your mobile phone to record the following:
- Count from 1-20.
- Read the following numbers in German: 28, 36, 45, 51, 60, 74, 89, 97, 100.
- Listen to the recordings to check your answers:
Formal and informal questions and answers
Record yourself asking the people listed below formal and informal questions about their age. Answer the questions appropriately.
2. Learn Basic Word Order (SVO/P)
Step 1: Subject-Verb-Object (SVO) & subject-verb-predicative (SVP)
- German follows SVO word order in simple sentences, just like English:
- Subject (who) + Verb (action) + Object (what/whom).
- Example:
- Ich trinke Wasser. (I drink water.)
- Sie liest ein Buch. (She reads a book.)
- Another frequent sentence pattern is SVP structure:
- Subject (who) + Verb (action) + Predicative (additional information about the subject).
- Example:
- Ich bin 12 Jahre alt. (I am 12 years old.)
- Du heißt Thomas. (Du heter Thomas.)
Step 2: Verb placement rules
- In simple sentences, the verb comes always as the second phrase:
- Ich heiße Anna. (I am called Anna.)
- Heute lerne ich Deutsch. (Today I learn German.) ← Time phrase first → verb second.
- Anna und Hans sind 20 Jahre alt. (Anna and Hans are 20 years old)
- In yes/no questions, the verb comes first:
- Heißt du Anna? (Are you called Anna?)
- Wohnst du in Berlin? (Do you live in Berlin?)
- In specific questions, the verb comes after the question word or phrase:
- Wie heißt du? (What are you called?)
- Wo wohnst du? (Where do you live?)
- Wie alt bist du? (How old are you?)
Step 3: Practice
Exercise 1
Choose the correct answer.
Exercise 2
Record yourself answering the questions in the audio file.
3. Personal Questions & Answers
Step 1: Key Phrases
- Study the phrases in the table.
- Then listen to the recording below it and repeat.
| Question (Informal) | Question (Formal) | Answer |
|---|---|---|
| Wie heißt du? (What are you called? / What is your name?) | Wie heißen Sie? (What are you called? / What is your name?) | Ich heiße [Name]. (I am called [name]. / My name is [name].) |
| Woher kommst du? (Where do you come from?) | Woher kommen Sie? (Where do you come from?) | Ich komme aus [Land]. (I come from [country].) |
| Wo wohnst du? (Where do you live?) | Wo wohnen Sie? (Where do you live?) | Ich wohne in [Stadt/Land]. (I live in [town/country].) |
Grammar note:
- Meaning of question words:
- Wie means how in most contexts.
- Woher means where from.
- Wo means where.
Step 2: Practice
Task 1
Task 2
Record yourself answering questions in the audio file.
Listen to our educational song and sing Along
4. German Personal Pronouns & Present Tense
Step 1: What are Personal Pronouns?
- Pronouns are words like “I”, “you”, “he”, “she”, “it”, “we”, and “they”.
- They replace the names of people or things.
Here is a comparison of the English and the German personal pronouns:
| English | German (Neutral and informal) | German (Formal) | When to Use It |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | ich | Talking about yourself. | |
| you (singular) | du | Sie | du: Friends, family, kids. Sie: A formal and polite way to address a person, like a stranger, a boss, an adults you don’t know well. |
| he / she / it | er / sie / es | er (he), sie (she), es (it). | |
| we | wir | Talking about yourself and others. | |
| you (plural) | ihr | Sie | ihr: A group of friends. Sie: A formal and polite way to address a group of people (see also Sie above). |
| they | sie | Talking about other people. |
Important! The formal Sie (you) and the plural sie (they) both use the same verb conjugation. You can tell them apart by context and capitalization (the formal Sie is always capitalized).
Step 2: Practice
Step 3: How to Conjugate Verbs (Present Tense)
- “Conjugating” a verb means changing its ending to match the subject (the pronoun).
- The pattern is usually: Stem + Ending
- To find the stem in German, take the infinitive (the basic form of the verb, which usually ends in -en) and remove the -en.
Example:
- wohnen (to live)
- Stem = wohn-
- Add endings: ich wohn-e, du wohn-st, er wohn-t
Verb Conjugation Tables
The Most Important Verbs: sein (to be) & haben (to have)
These are irregular, which means they don’t follow the normal pattern. You must memorize them.
| Pronoun | sein (to be) | haben (to have) |
|---|---|---|
| ich | bin | habe |
| du | bist | hast |
| er / sie / es | ist | hat |
| wir | sind | haben |
| ihr | seid | habt |
| Sie / sie | sind | haben |
Examples:
- Ich bin Student. (I am a student.)
- Du hast ein Buch. (You have a book.)
Regular Verbs (No Vowel Change)
These verbs follow a regular pattern. Learn this pattern—it works for hundreds of verbs!
Pattern: stem + -e, -st, -t, -en, -t, -en
| Pronoun | kommen (to come) | wohnen (to live) | heißen (to be called) | lernen (to learn) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ich | komm-e | wohn-e | heiß-e | lern-e |
| du | komm-st | wohn-st | heiß-t | lern-st |
| er / sie / es | komm-t | wohn-t | heiß-t | lern-t |
| wir | komm-en | wohn-en | heiß-en | lern-en |
| ihr | komm-t | wohn-t | heiß-t | lern-t |
| Sie / sie | komm-en | wohn-en | heiß-en | lern-en |
Examples:
- Woher kommst du? (Where do you come from?)
- Ich wohne in Berlin. (I live in Berlin.)
- Wie heißt er? (What is his name?)
- Wir lernen Deutsch. (We learn German.)
Quick Summary for Beginners:
- Find the verb’s stem (e.g., lern- from lernen).
- Add the ending that matches the pronoun:
- ich → -e
- du → -st
- er/sie/es → -t
- wir / sie / Sie → -en
- ihr → -t
- Memorize sein and haben. They are used all the time!
Listen to the recording and repeat
5. Homework & Preview FOR TOMORROW
Homework
- Writing: Write a paragraph introducing yourself (name, origin, residence).
- Listening: Watch our Kennenlern-Lied and sing along.
- Speaking: Record a video introducing yourself in German.
- Learn verb conjugation patterns by heart.
PREVIEW
Tomorrow, we’ll learn days of the week and telling time.
You’re now building real sentences.
word of encouragement
This is huge progress! Keep going!