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A1.3: Where are you from?

Woher kommst du?

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Learn how to introduce yourself, ask about origins, and form basic sentences in German using definite and indefinite articles in the nominative case. This lesson explains the four grammatical cases, noun pluralization, and essential verbs such as "kommen" and "leben" through practical dialogues and exercises, helping you build a strong foundation in everyday conversation about nationality and place of living.

Vocabulary (17)

Spanien: Spain (German)

Spanien

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Spain Show

Frankreich: France (German)

Frankreich

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France Show

Italien: Italy (German)

Italien

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Italy Show

England: England (German)

England

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England Show

Die Niederlande: The Netherlands (German)

Die Niederlande

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The netherlands Show

Finnland: Finland (German)

Finnland

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Finland Show

Mexiko: Mexico (German)

Mexiko

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Mexico Show

Die Türkei: Turkey (German)

Die Türkei

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Turkey Show

Ich komme aus...: I come from... (German)

Ich komme aus...

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I come from... Show

Woher?: Where from? (German)

Woher?

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Where from? Show

Kommen (to come) - Verb conjugation and exercises

Kommen

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To come Show

Leben (to live) - Verb conjugation and exercises

Leben

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To live Show

Dänemark: Denmark (German)

Dänemark

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Denmark Show

Schweiz: Switzerland (German)

Schweiz

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Switzerland Show

Die Stadt: The city (German)

Die Stadt

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The city Show

Das Land: the country (German)

Das Land

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The country Show

Ich lebe in...: I live in... (German)

Ich lebe in...

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I live in... Show

Exercises

These exercises can be done together during conversation lessons or as homework.

Exercise 1: Reorder sentences

Instruction: Make correct sentences and translate.

Show answers
1.
du? | Woher | kommst
Woher kommst du?
(Where are you from?)
2.
Deutschland. | aus | komme | Ich
Ich komme aus Deutschland.
(I come from Germany.)
3.
aus Österreich? | aus der | Kommst du | Schweiz oder
Kommst du aus der Schweiz oder aus Österreich?
(Are you from Switzerland or Austria?)
4.
Stadt. | lebe | in | großen | Ich | einer
Ich lebe in einer großen Stadt.
(I live in a big city.)
5.
oder aus | Bist du | Italien? | aus Spanien
Bist du aus Spanien oder aus Italien?
(Are you from Spain or Italy?)
6.
du? | Welche | sprichst | Sprache
Welche Sprache sprichst du?
(Which language do you speak?)

Exercise 2: Match a word

Instruction: Match the translations

Ich komme aus Deutschland. (I come from Germany.)
Die Stadt ist schön. (The city is beautiful.)
Kommst du aus einem anderen Land? (Are you from another country?)
Ich lebe in der Schweiz. (I live in Switzerland.)

Exercise 3: Cluster the words

Instruction: Arrange the following words into two meaningful categories related to the topics origin and countries.

Städte

Länder

Exercise 4: Translate and use in a sentence

Instruction: Pick a word, translated and use the word in a sentence or dialogue.

1

Spanien

Spain

2

Mexiko

Mexico

3

Ich komme aus...

I come from...

4

England

England

5

Dänemark

Denmark

Übung 5: Conversation exercise

Anleitung:

  1. Describe the nationality of each person. (Describe the nationality of each person.)
  2. Say where do they currently live. (Say where do they currently live.)
  3. Tell where you live. (Tell where you live.)

Teaching guidelines +/- 10 minutes

¿De dónde eres?

Example phrases:

Eero ist aus Frankreich.

Eero is from France.

Ola kommt aus Polen und sie lebt in London.

Ola comes from Poland and she lives in London.

Maria ist Spanierin.

Maria is Spanish.

Jan kommt aus den Niederlanden.

Jan is from the Netherlands.

Woher kommst du?

Where are you from?

Wo wohnst du?

Where do you live?

...

Exercise 6: Dialogue Cards

Instruction: Select a situation and practice the conversation with your teacher or fellow students.

1

Begrüßung in der Sprachschule

2

Gespräch im Café

3

Neue Kollegen kennenlernen

Exercise 7: Multiple Choice

Instruction: Choose the correct solution

1. Woher ___ du?

(Where ___ you?)

2. Ich ___ aus Spanien.

(I ___ from Spain.)

3. Wo ___ du in Deutschland?

(Where ___ you in Germany?)

4. Ich ___ in Berlin.

(I ___ in Berlin.)

Exercise 8: Where are you from?

Instruction:

Ich (Kommen - Präsens) aus Italien und (Leben - Präsens) jetzt in Berlin. Meine Freundin (Kommen - Präsens) aus Spanien, aber sie (Leben - Präsens) ebenfalls in Deutschland. Wir treffen oft Freunde, die (Kommen - Präsens) aus verschiedenen Ländern. Mein Kollege von der Arbeit (Kommen - Präsens) aus den Niederlanden und er (Leben - Präsens) in Hamburg.

I come from Italy and live now in Berlin. My girlfriend comes from Spain, but she also lives in Germany. We often meet friends who come from different countries. My colleague from work comes from the Netherlands and he lives in Hamburg.

Verb Tables

Kommen - Come

Präsens

  • ich komme
  • du kommst
  • er/sie/es kommt
  • wir kommen
  • ihr kommt
  • sie/Sie kommen

Leben - Live

Präsens

  • ich lebe
  • du lebst
  • er/sie/es lebt
  • wir leben
  • ihr lebt
  • sie/Sie leben

Exercise 9: Bestimmte und unbestimmte Artikel - Nominativ

Instruction: Fill in the correct word.

Grammar: Definite and indefinite articles - nominative

Show translation Show answers

Der, Die, ein, Ein, Eine, Das

1. Unbestimmt:
... Stadt in Deutschland ist Freiburg.
(A city in Germany is Freiburg.)
2. Bestimmt :
... Schweiz ist in Europa.
(Switzerland is in Europe.)
3. Bestimmt :
... Name kommt aus Mexiko.
(The name comes from Mexico.)
4. Unbestimmt :
... Hauptstadt liegt in der Türkei.
(A capital city is located in Turkey.)
5. Bestimmt :
... Land heißt Spanien.
(The country is called Spain.)
6. Bestimmt :
... Antwort ist Frankreich.
(The answer is France.)
7. Unbestimmt :
... Bewohner kommt aus Dänemark.
(A resident comes from Denmark.)
8. Unbestimmt :
Spanien ist ... Land in Europa.
(Spain is a country in Europe.)

Exercise 11: Nomen und ihre Pluralformen

Instruction: Fill in the correct word.

Grammar: Nouns and their plural forms

Show translation Show answers

Frauen, Antworten, Länder, Fragen, Städte

1. Die Stadt (mit Umlaut):
Die ....
(The cities)
2. Die Frage:
Die ....
(The questions.)
3. Die Antwort:
Die ....
(The answers.)
4. Die Frau:
Die ....
(The women)
5. Das Land (mit Umlaut) :
Die ....
(The countries)

Grammar

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A1.3.1 Grammatik

Bestimmte und unbestimmte Artikel - Nominativ

Definite and indefinite articles - nominative

A1.3.2 Grammatik

Was sind die vier Fälle? Warum brauchen wir sie?

What are the four cases? Why do we need them?

A1.3.3 Grammatik

Nomen und ihre Pluralformen

Nouns and their plural forms

Verb conjugation tables for this lesson

Kommen to come

prasens

German English
(ich) komme I come
(du) kommst You come
(er/sie/es) kommt he/she/it comes
(wir) kommen we come
(ihr) kommt you come
(sie) kommen they come

Exercises and examples phrases

Leben to live

prasens

German English
(ich) lebe I live
(du) lebst You live
(er/sie/es) lebt he/she/it lives
(wir) leben we live
(ihr) lebt you live
(sie) leben they live

Exercises and examples phrases

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Introduction to Articles, Cases, and Basic Nouns in German

This lesson covers fundamental elements of the German language focusing on definite and indefinite articles in the nominative case, an introduction to the four grammatical cases, and plural forms of nouns. By exploring these basics, you will learn essential structures to form simple, correct sentences when talking about your origin and nationality.

Definite & Indefinite Articles in Nominative

Understanding der (the), ein (a/an), and their forms is key. For example, "Ich komme aus Deutschland" demonstrates how to use articles with country names and simple statements.

German Cases Overview

You will be introduced to the four cases (Nominative, Accusative, Dative, Genitive) focusing on the nominative, which is used for the subject of a sentence. Recognizing cases helps in proper article and adjective usage as well as understanding sentence roles.

Nouns and Their Plurals

The lesson also introduces common nouns related to cities and countries, such as "die Stadt" (the city), "Spanien" (Spain), and demonstrates plural formations important for conversation.

Practical Dialogues and Exercises

Engage with dialogues like greeting colleagues or asking someone about their origin, e.g., "Hallo, woher kommst du?" (Hello, where are you from?). These help practice real-life scenarios.
Verb conjugations for "kommen" (to come) and "leben" (to live) in present tense solidify your grasp of common verbs used when discussing nationality and residence.

Key Language Differences and Useful Phrases

Unlike English, German articles agree in gender, number, and case with the noun. For instance, "die Stadt" (feminine singular) versus "das Land" (neuter singular). The verb "kommen" changes with the subject: "du kommst" vs. "ich komme".
Useful phrases:

  • "Woher kommst du?" – Where do you come from?
  • "Ich komme aus..." – I come from...
  • "Ich lebe in..." – I live in...

Remember that in German, the question word "woher" specifically asks "from where," while English often just uses "where." Mastering such nuances will improve your conversational skills.

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