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Greetings, Introductions and Personal Information
Greetings, Introductions and Personal Information
Being able to greet people, introduce yourself and share personal information is the foundation of GCSE German. These skills are tested across all four exam papers — listening, speaking, reading and writing — and are essential for AQA, Edexcel and OCR specifications. This lesson covers formal and informal greetings, self-introduction phrases, asking and answering questions about yourself, and key cultural notes about German social customs.
1. Greetings (Begrüßungen)
German greetings vary by time of day, formality and region. Understanding when to use each greeting is important for the speaking exam.
Formal and Informal Greetings
| German | English | Register | When to use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Guten Morgen | Good morning | Formal & informal | Until about 10 or 11 am |
| Guten Tag | Good day / Hello | Formal & informal | The standard daytime greeting |
| Guten Abend | Good evening | Formal & informal | From early evening onwards |
| Gute Nacht | Good night | Formal & informal | Only when someone is going to bed |
| Hallo | Hello / Hi | Informal | The most common casual greeting |
| Hi | Hi | Very informal | Among young people |
| Tschüs(s) | Bye | Informal | Standard informal farewell |
| Auf Wiedersehen | Goodbye | Formal | Standard formal farewell |
| Auf Wiederhören | Goodbye (on the phone) | Formal | Used when ending a phone call |
| Bis bald | See you soon | Informal | When you expect to see someone again |
| Bis morgen | See you tomorrow | Informal | At the end of a school day |
| Bis später | See you later | Informal | Common among friends |
| Mach's gut | Take care | Informal | Friendly farewell |
Regional Greetings
| German | Region | English |
|---|---|---|
| Grüß Gott | Southern Germany, Austria | Hello (lit. "Greet God") |
| Servus | Bavaria, Austria | Hello / Bye |
| Moin (Moin) | Northern Germany | Hello |
| Grüezi | Switzerland | Hello |
Exam tip: In the speaking exam, always use Sie (formal "you") unless the role-play card explicitly says you are speaking to a friend. Using the wrong register can lose you marks for communication.
2. Du vs Sie — The Formality Rule
German has two words for "you": du (informal, singular) and Sie (formal, singular and plural). This distinction is critical.
| Use du when speaking to… | Use Sie when speaking to… |
|---|---|
| A friend | An adult you do not know |
| A family member | A teacher or employer |
| A child | A shopkeeper or waiter |
| A classmate | Any stranger |
| A pet | In professional or official contexts |
Sie is always capitalised (even in the middle of a sentence) to distinguish it from sie (she/they).
| Informal (du) | Formal (Sie) | English |
|---|---|---|
| Wie heißt du? | Wie heißen Sie? | What is your name? |
| Wo wohnst du? | Wo wohnen Sie? | Where do you live? |
| Wie alt bist du? | Wie alt sind Sie? | How old are you? |
| Hast du Geschwister? | Haben Sie Geschwister? | Do you have siblings? |
Exam tip: In writing tasks, if you are writing to a pen friend, use du. If writing a formal letter (e.g. to a hotel or employer), use Sie throughout. Consistency in register is essential.
3. Self-Introduction Patterns (Sich vorstellen)
Key Phrases for Introducing Yourself
| German | English |
|---|---|
| Ich heiße Max. / Mein Name ist Max. | My name is Max. |
| Ich bin fünfzehn Jahre alt. | I am fifteen years old. |
| Ich habe am dritten Mai Geburtstag. | My birthday is on the 3rd of May. |
| Ich bin am fünfundzwanzigsten Dezember geboren. | I was born on the 25th of December. |
| Ich wohne in London, in Südengland. | I live in London, in southern England. |
| Ich komme aus England. | I come from England. |
| Ich bin Engländer(in). | I am English. |
| Ich bin Brite/Britin. | I am British. |
| Ich spreche Englisch und ein bisschen Deutsch. | I speak English and a little German. |
Ordinal Numbers for Dates
When giving dates, German uses ordinal numbers with specific endings:
| Number | Ordinal (German) | Used for |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | ersten (1.) | am ersten Januar |
| 2 | zweiten (2.) | am zweiten Februar |
| 3 | dritten (3.) | am dritten März |
| 7 | siebten (7.) | am siebten Juli |
| 20 | zwanzigsten (20.) | am zwanzigsten August |
| 31 | einunddreißigsten (31.) | am einunddreißigsten Dezember |
Rule: Numbers 1–19 add -ten, numbers 20+ add -sten. Exceptions: ersten (1st), dritten (3rd), siebten (7th), achten (8th).
4. Asking and Answering Questions
W-Fragen (Question Words)
| German | English |
|---|---|
| Wer? | Who? |
| Was? | What? |
| Wo? | Where? |
| Woher? | Where from? |
| Wohin? | Where to? |
| Wann? | When? |
| Warum? | Why? |
| Wie? | How? |
| Wie viel(e)? | How much / How many? |
| Welcher/Welche/Welches? | Which? |
Sample Question-and-Answer Pairs
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Wie heißt du? | Ich heiße Anna. |
| Wie alt bist du? | Ich bin sechzehn Jahre alt. |
| Wo wohnst du? | Ich wohne in Manchester. |
| Woher kommst du? | Ich komme aus Wales. |
| Wann hast du Geburtstag? | Ich habe am zehnten März Geburtstag. |
| Was sind deine Hobbys? | Ich spiele gern Fußball und ich lese gern. |
Exam tip: In the speaking exam, you will be asked questions. Practise answering in full sentences, not single words. "Sechzehn" is not enough — say "Ich bin sechzehn Jahre alt."
5. Numbers, Alphabet and Spelling
Numbers 0–31
| 0 null | 8 acht | 16 sechzehn | 24 vierundzwanzig |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 eins | 9 neun | 17 siebzehn | 25 fünfundzwanzig |
| 2 zwei | 10 zehn | 18 achtzehn | 26 sechsundzwanzig |
| 3 drei | 11 elf | 19 neunzehn | 27 siebenundzwanzig |
| 4 vier | 12 zwölf | 20 zwanzig | 28 achtundzwanzig |
| 5 fünf | 13 dreizehn | 21 einundzwanzig | 29 neunundzwanzig |
| 6 sechs | 14 vierzehn | 22 zweiundzwanzig | 30 dreißig |
| 7 sieben | 15 fünfzehn | 23 dreiundzwanzig | 31 einunddreißig |
Note: German numbers 21–99 say the unit before the ten (e.g. 25 = fünf-und-zwanzig = "five and twenty").
The German Alphabet
The German alphabet has 26 letters plus four special characters: ä, ö, ü (Umlaute) and ß (Eszett / scharfes S). In the listening exam, you may need to spell or recognise spelled-out words.
Exam tip: The letters e and i sound different in German. "E" is pronounced like English "ay" and "i" like English "ee". This is the opposite of English. Watch out for this in listening tasks with spelled words.
6. Cultural Notes
German-Speaking Countries
German is an official language in Germany (Deutschland), Austria (Österreich), Switzerland (die Schweiz) and Liechtenstein. It is also spoken in parts of Luxembourg, Belgium and South Tyrol (Italy). The GCSE may reference any of these.
Greetings in Practice
- Germans typically shake hands when meeting someone for the first time in a formal context.
- Close friends and family may hug or give a kiss on the cheek, though this is less common than in France.
- Using Herr (Mr) and Frau (Mrs/Ms) with the surname is standard in formal situations: Guten Tag, Frau Müller.
- The transition from Sie to du (called Duzen) is an important social moment — the older or more senior person usually offers it first.
Exam tip: Cultural knowledge can earn you marks in the writing and speaking exams. Mentioning German customs shows broader understanding beyond just vocabulary.
Summary Checklist
- Greetings: 15+ formal and informal phrases including regional variants
- Du vs Sie: when to use each form, with verb conjugation differences
- Self-introduction: name, age, birthday, nationality, home town
- Question words: 10 W-Fragen with sample questions and answers
- Numbers: 0–31 with the German unit-before-ten rule
- Dates: ordinal number formation for birthdays and events
- Cultural notes: handshaking, Duzen vs Siezen, German-speaking countries