Start learning German! Follow our little course package to become familiar with the language of your new home.
In this video activity set you learn and practise
– how to introduce yourself in formal situations
– the difference between du and Sie
– the no. 1 German question: “Wie geht’s?”
Let’s start! (7 exercises, duration: ca. 20 minutes)
Go ahead and see how well you do in the exercises.
Vocabulary: Formal and informal language
| Deutsch | Englisch |
|---|---|
| Hallo! | Hello! (informal) |
| Guten Tag! | Good afternoon! (formal) |
| du | you (informal) |
| Sie | you (formal) |
| Wir können du sagen. | We can say du. |
| Wie heißt du? | What’s your name? (informal) |
| Wie heißen Sie? | What’s your name? (formal) |
| Ich heiße Max Meier. | I am Max Meier. (formal) |
| (der) Vorname | (the) first name (e.g. Max) |
| (der) Nachname (der) Familienname |
(the) last name (the) family name (e.g. Meier) |
| Frau Meier | Ms Meier / Mrs Meier (formal) |
| Herr Meier | Mr Meier (formal) |
| Woher kommst du? | Where are you from? (informal) |
| Woher kommen Sie? | Where are you from? (formal) |
| Wie geht es dir? | How are you? (informal) |
| Wie geht es Ihnen? | How are you? (formal) |
| Es geht mir gut. | I’m good. I’m fine. |
| Es geht mir nicht so gut. | I’m not so good. |
Grammar: Verb forms
| The verbs coming with the formal personal pronoun Sie also get a specific ending, the -en. This is especially important for questions: Wie heißen Sie? Woher kommen Sie? |
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Culture: du vs Sie
| In Germany, the difference between formal and informal language is quite important. When you meet new people it is best to start with formal language to be on the safe side. So for example, you would say Guten Tag! Wie geht es Ihnen? instead of Hallo! Wie geht es dir? Among people of the same age or colleagues it is quite common to offer the du right away or after some time (Wir können du sagen.). If you address someone familiar in a formal way (in your company or customers), you use Frau or Herr and the last name of the person, so for example Guten Tag, Frau Meier. |
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Culture: Wie geht es dir? / Wie geht es Ihnen?
| This phrase starts off almost every German conversation. It is quite common to use the short form Wie geht’s? especially in informal contexts (with people you say du to). |
|---|
You have completed this question set. Treat yourself to something nice!