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Chapter Objectives

Communication Scenario

Core Vocabulary

Begrüßungen und Verabschiedungen — Greetings and farewells

The expressions below let you open and close almost any everyday conversation. Some are used at any time of day; others are tied to the time of day, much like English "good morning" versus "good evening."

German greetings, like English ones, are not strictly tied to the clock — Guten Tag can extend well into the afternoon, and exact cutoffs vary by speaker and region. Treat the time labels above as helpful tendencies rather than fixed rules.

Höflichkeitsausdrücke — Courtesy expressions

Namen vorstellen — Introducing names

The words below let you ask for and give a name. You will learn how German nouns work with grammatical gender and articles starting in Chapter 2; for now, simply notice that each noun below appears together with its article, which you will practice using actively in the next chapter.

Die Zahlen 0–10 — Numbers 0–10

The number eins changes its ending in certain grammatical contexts (for example, ein Name, "one name"). You will learn these patterns gradually; for now, use eins when counting aloud.

Im Kursraum — Classroom survival expressions

These are formulaic chunks you can use immediately, even though you have not yet studied how German questions and statements are built piece by piece. That analysis begins in the next two chapters.

Das Alphabet — The German alphabet

To spell your name aloud, you need the German names of the letters, which often differ noticeably from their English names. The table gives a practical respelling for each letter; precise pronunciation is best learned by listening to an instructor or audio model.

Three additional letters and one special character are essential in German: Ä (ah-Umlaut), Ö (oh-Umlaut), Ü (uh-Umlaut), and ß (Eszett, also called scharfes S, "sharp s"). These are covered in the orthography section below.

Pronunciation and Spelling

Three letters that mislead English speakers: w, j, z

English speakers consistently mispronounce three German letters by reading them as if they were English. Correcting this now will save you repeated correction later.

A first look at vowel length

German vowels can be long or short, and the difference is meaningful — it can distinguish one word from another. You will study this system in detail beginning in later chapters. For now, simply notice the difference in a few words from this chapter: the ie in Wie is a long /iː/ sound (similar to English "ee" in "see"), while the i in bitte is short. Listen for this contrast whenever your instructor or an audio model reads chapter vocabulary aloud.

Statement versus question intonation

In the formulas of this chapter, you can often hear whether a sentence is a statement or a question through pitch alone, even before you have studied German word order in detail.

• Ich heiße Lena. My name is Lena. (statement: pitch falls at the end)
• Wie heißt du? What's your name? (question: pitch typically rises slightly on the final syllable)

Practice reading the example sentences above aloud, exaggerating the pitch difference at first so the contrast becomes automatic.

Careful pronunciation of names

When you introduce yourself in German, your own name does not change, but the sounds around it should follow German pronunciation patterns. Practice saying Ich heiße [your name] several times, keeping the consonants in heiße crisp and clearly separate from your name.

Grammar Instruction

1.1 ich, du, and formal Sie

Purpose: identify yourself and address one other person, choosing the level of formality the situation calls for.

German has more than one way to say "you," and the choice is not optional — it signals the relationship between speakers. This chapter introduces the two forms you need for one-on-one conversation:

• du — informal "you," used with one person you know well, a peer, a child, or in many casual settings.
• Sie — formal "you," used with one or more people you do not know well, in professional contexts, or as a sign of respect. Sie is always capitalized, in every position in the sentence — not only at the beginning.

German also has ihr, used to address more than one person informally. You will meet ihr only receptively in this chapter — for example, if your instructor asks the whole class Wie heißt ihr? ("What are your names?", addressed to the group). You are not yet expected to produce ihr on your own; that becomes a full topic in Chapter 2.

1.2 Formulaic identity expressions

Purpose: introduce yourself and ask someone's name, using complete expressions before studying the full verb system behind them.

The expressions below all involve the verb heißen ("to be called") and the verb sein ("to be"). At this stage, learn each expression as a complete, fixed unit rather than analyzing its internal grammar — you will study the full present tense of sein in Chapter 2 and regular verb endings in Chapter 3.

1.3 Simple affirmative and negative responses

Purpose: answer a yes-or-no question with a single word or a short formulaic phrase.

• Bist du neu hier? — Ja, ich bin neu. Are you new here? — Yes, I'm new.
• Heißt du Anna? — Nein, ich heiße Lena. Is your name Anna? — No, my name is Lena.

1.4 Statement order versus question order in these formulas

Purpose: notice, without yet naming the full rule, that German statements and questions in this chapter's formulas place their words in a predictable but different order.

Compare the pairs below. In each statement, the subject (ich, du) comes immediately before the verb. In each question, the verb comes before the subject, or a question word opens the sentence.

• Ich heiße Tom. subject + verb + name
• Heißt du Tom? verb + subject + name (question)
• Du bist neu. subject + verb + description
• Wie heißt du? question word + verb + subject

You are only asked to recognize this pattern in this chapter's fixed formulas, not to apply a general rule. German word order becomes a full instructional topic in Chapter 3.

Practice — Choosing du or Sie

For each situation, decide whether du or Sie is the more likely choice.

1. You meet another student your age on the first day of class.
2. You are introduced to the course director, an adult you have never met.
3. A classmate asks for your name during a coffee break.
4. You check in at the front desk of a language school for the first time.

Practice — Completing the formula

Fill in the missing word in each exchange.

1. Wie _____ du? — Ich heiße Marco.
2. Wie _____ Sie? — Mein Name ist Frau Hartmann.
3. _____ du neu hier? — Ja, ich bin neu.
4. _____ Sie der Kursleiter? — Nein, ich bin nicht der Kursleiter.

Model Dialogues

Dialog A — Unter Kursteilnehmern (informal, du)

Dialog B — Mit der Kursleiterin (formal, Sie)

Fragen zum Verständnis — Comprehension questions:

1. Wer ist neu im Kurs — Lena, Paul, oder beide? (Who is new to the course — Lena, Paul, or both?)
2. Wie schreibt man "Lena"? (How is "Lena" spelled?)
3. Warum sagt der Teilnehmer in Dialog B "Sie" und nicht "du"? (Why does the participant in Dialogue B say "Sie" and not "du"?)
4. Wie heißt die Kursleiterin mit Nachnamen? (What is the instructor's last name?)
5. Finden Sie in beiden Dialogen je ein Beispiel für eine Begrüßung und eine Verabschiedung. (Find one example of a greeting and one of a farewell in each dialogue.)

Listening

Ask your instructor, a partner, or a text-to-speech tool to read the following short introductions aloud at a moderate pace. Listen once for general comprehension. Then listen a second time to complete the tasks below. Do not read along the first time.

Aufgabe 1 — Listening comprehension table: Complete the table for each speaker.

Aufgabe 2 — True or false: Write richtig (true) or falsch (false).

1. Mia ist neu hier. ______
2. Robert Schulz sagt "Tschüss". ______
3. Jonas buchstabiert seinen Namen "J-O-N-A-S". ______

Reading

Read the following name badges from the welcome table of the Berlin language course. Each participant has written a short note on their badge.

Fragen zum Verständnis — Comprehension questions:

1. Wie heißt der zweite Teilnehmer mit vollem Namen? (What is the second participant's full name?)
2. Wer schreibt seinen Namen buchstabenweise auf das Schild? (Who spells out their name letter by letter on the badge?)
3. Welches Schild verwendet "Sie", und welches "ich" allein? (Which badge uses "Sie," and which uses only "ich"?)
4. Welche Begrüßung oder Verabschiedung finden Sie auf jedem Schild? (What greeting or farewell do you find on each badge?)

Writing Workshop

In this chapter, you will create your own name badge — a short personal card you might wear or post on the first day of a German course, in the style of the badges above.

1. Analyze a model. Reread Greta's badge. Identify: (a) the greeting she chooses, (b) how she gives her name, (c) how she spells it out, and (d) the farewell she uses. Your own badge should follow a similar structure.
2. Plan your badge. Before writing, answer these questions in notes: What greeting will you use? What is your name, and how would you spell it letter by letter in German? Are you new to the course? What farewell or closing phrase will you use?
3. Write your first draft. Write two to three sentences. Include a greeting, your name given with either Ich heiße ... or Mein Name ist ..., and a closing expression.
4. Revise. Check your draft against the editing checklist before writing a final version.

Checkliste zur Überarbeitung — Editing checklist:

• My sentence begins with a capital letter.
• I used a complete greeting expression, not just a single word fragment.
• I gave my name using a correct formula (Ich heiße ... or Mein Name ist ...).
• If I used "Sie," I capitalized it everywhere it appears.
• I included a closing or farewell expression.
• Any required umlauts (ä, ö, ü) or ß in my name or text are written correctly, not replaced with plain letters.

Speaking Practice

Culture and Communication

Common Mistakes

Chapter Review

Chapter Performance Task

Looking Ahead