Sprechen: Vorstellung

Lesson · 3 rules · about 3 min

Your first German sentences — hello, your name, where you're from — sound German the moment you copy their melody.

1Copy the rhythm, not the letters
2The four sounds English doesn't have
3Hello and goodbye by time of day and formality

Why this matters

These twelve phrases are the first things you will ever say in German — greeting, giving your name, saying where you are from, saying goodbye — the phrases you will use with every new colleague, neighbour and classmate. The point of this exercise is not vocabulary but sound: listen to each phrase, then say it back copying the melody and stress of the whole thing rather than hunting for individual letters. German is said with the stress on the first syllable of most words and a falling tone at the end of a statement, and once your ear has that, everything else you learn will sound German too.

Rule · 1 of 3

Copy the rhythm, not the letters

Listen to the whole phrase, then say it as one piece with the same ups and downs. Stress lands on the first syllable of most German words.

GUten TAG! – Ich HEIße Anna. Good day! – My name is Anna.
WOher KOMMST du? – Ich KOMme aus ENGland. Where are you from? – I'm from England.

Quick check

Where does the stress go in Morgen?

Memory trick · 2 of 3

The four sounds English doesn't have

w is v (wie = 'vee'); ei is 'eye' (heiße = 'HIGH-sseh'); ie is 'ee' (wie, Sie); ch after e/i is a soft hiss (ich, nicht) — say 'hue' and hold the h.

Wie heißen Sie? vee HIGH-ssen zee
Ich wohne in Wien. ikh VOH-neh in veen

Quick check

How does Wein (wine) sound?

Rule · 3 of 3

Hello and goodbye by time of day and formality

Guten Morgen (until ~10), Guten Tag (day), Guten Abend (evening), Gute Nacht (bedtime only). Hallo and Tschüss are friendly; Auf Wiedersehen is the safe formal goodbye.

6:00 midnight

Guten Morgen morning

Guten Tag daytime

Guten Abend evening

Gute Nacht going to bed

The greeting follows the clock. Hallo and Tschüss fit any time with friends.

Guten Abend, Frau Müller! – Auf Wiedersehen! Good evening, Mrs Müller! – Goodbye!
Hallo, Tom! – Tschüss, bis morgen! Hi, Tom! – Bye, see you tomorrow!

Quick check

It's 8 p.m. and you meet your neighbour: „, Herr Braun!“

Words · tap to hear

The words you need

Practise these words as flashcards

Cheat sheet

What to take with you

Copy the rhythm, not the letters
The four sounds English doesn't have
Hello and goodbye by time of day and formality

How to remember it

Stress the first syllable and let the sentence fall at the end — that is 80% of sounding German.
Say each phrase three times: slow, normal, then fast.

Introducing yourself in full sentences — name, country, languages, job — is how the A1 speaking exam opens, and how every first meeting in Germany does too.

Your first German sentences — hello, your name, where you're from — sound German the moment you copy their melody.

Copy the rhythm, not the letters

Where does the stress go in Morgen?

The four sounds English doesn't have

How does Wein (wine) sound?

Hello and goodbye by time of day and formality

It's 8 p.m. and you meet your neighbour: „, Herr Braun!“

The words you need

What to take with you

More

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