Houseplants and garden plants
Zimmerpflanzen und Gartenpflanzen
- Learn the names of common plants and flowers in the house and in the garden.
- Daily plant care routine and gardening.
- The present continuous tense
Learn how to use the present continuous form in German by discussing houseplants and garden plants. This lesson covers key vocabulary for indoor and garden plants, practical phrases for plant care, and explains the German way to express ongoing actions compared to English.
Vocabulary (20) Share Copied!
Exercises Share Copied!
These exercises can be done together during conversation lessons or as homework.
Exercise 1: Reorder sentences
Instruction: Make correct sentences and translate.
Exercise 2: Match a word
Instruction: Match the translations
Exercise 3: Cluster the words
Instruction: Assign the words correctly to the categories "houseplants" and "garden plants".
Zimmerpflanzen
Gartenpflanzen
Exercise 4: Translate and use in a sentence
Instruction: Pick a word, translated and use the word in a sentence or dialogue.
1
Der Samen
The seed
2
Das Gras
The grass
3
Die Rose
The rose
4
Die Erde
The soil
5
Die Blume
The flower
Übung 5: Conversation exercise
Anleitung:
- Say what you can see in the garden. (Say what you can see in the garden.)
- Describe your own or your ideal garden. (Describe your own or your ideal garden.)
Teaching guidelines +/- 10 minutes
Example phrases:
|
Im Garten gibt es violette Blumen. There are purple flowers in the garden. |
|
Es gibt einen großen alten Baum. There is a big old tree. |
|
Ich habe gelbe und pinke Blumen in meinem Garten. I have yellow and pink flowers in my garden. |
|
Ich habe eine Schaukel in meinem Garten für meine Kinder. I have a swing in my garden for my children. |
|
Ich habe keine Kakteen in meinem Garten. I don't have cactuses in my garden. |
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Ich gieße meine Pflanzen alle 3 Tage. I water my plants every 3 days. |
| ... |
Exercise 6: Dialogue Cards
Instruction: Select a situation and practice the conversation with your teacher or fellow students.
Exercise 7: Multiple Choice
Instruction: Choose the correct solution
1. Ich _____ gerade den Kaktus in meinem Wohnzimmer.
(I am _____ currently watering the cactus in my living room.)2. Der Gärtner _____ gerade auf der Schaukel im Garten.
(The gardener _____ is currently sitting on the swing in the garden.)3. Wir _____ dabei, die Blumen im Garten zu pflanzen.
(We _____ are in the process of planting the flowers in the garden.)4. Sie _____ gerade die Pflanzen auf dem Balkon.
(She _____ is currently tending to the plants on the balcony.)Exercise 8: Houseplants and Garden Plants: Our Garden Project
Instruction:
Verb Tables
Gießen - Water
Präsens
- ich gieße
- du gießt
- er/sie/es gießt
- wir gießen
- ihr gießt
- sie/Sie gießen
Sitzen - Sit
Präsens
- ich sitze
- du sitzt
- er/sie/es sitzt
- wir sitzen
- ihr sitzt
- sie/Sie sitzen
Pflanzen - Plant
Präsens
- ich pflanze
- du pflanzt
- er/sie/es pflanzt
- wir pflanzen
- ihr pflanzt
- sie/Sie pflanzen
Sein - Be
Präsens
- ich bin
- du bist
- er/sie/es ist
- wir sind
- ihr seid
- sie/Sie sind
Exercise 9: DIe Verlaufsform im Präsens
Instruction: Fill in the correct word.
Grammar: The present continuous tense
Show translation Show answerssind dabei, gerade, bin dabei
Grammar Share Copied!
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Verb conjugation tables for this lesson Share Copied!
Pflanzen to plant Share Copied!
prasens
| German | English |
|---|---|
| (ich) pflanze | I plant |
| (du) pflanzt | You plant |
| (er/sie/es) pflanzt | he/she/it plants |
| (wir) pflanzen | we plant |
| (ihr) pflanzt | you plant |
| (sie) pflanzen | they plant |
Sitzen to sit Share Copied!
prasens
| German | English |
|---|---|
| ich sitze | I sit |
| du sitzt | you sit |
| er/sie/es sitzt | he/she/it sits |
| wir sitzen | we sit |
| ihr sitzt | you sit |
| sie sitzen | they sit |
Gießen to water Share Copied!
prasens
| German | English |
|---|---|
| (ich) gieße/gieß | I water |
| (du) gießt | You water |
| (er/sie/es) gießt | he/she/it waters |
| (wir) gießen | we water |
| (ihr) gießt | You water |
| (sie) gießen | she waters |
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Present Continuous Tense with Houseplants and Garden Plants
This lesson introduces you to the German present continuous form, teaching how to describe ongoing actions related to caring for both indoor (Zimmerpflanzen) and garden plants (Gartenpflanzen). You'll learn useful vocabulary such as der Kaktus (cactus), die Rose (rose), and gießen (to water), which are essential when talking about plants and their maintenance.
Key Grammar Focus
We focus on the Verlaufsform im Präsens, which describes actions happening right now. For example, Ich gieße gerade die Zimmerpflanzen im Wohnzimmer means "I am currently watering the houseplants in the living room." This structure is common to express ongoing activities in German even if the continuous form is less explicit than in English.
Practical Vocabulary and Phrases
- Zimmerpflanzen: der Kaktus, die Pflanze, das Blatt, gießen, die Erde
- Gartenpflanzen: die Rose, das Gänseblümchen, der Baum, der Samen, die Tulpe
You will also see useful dialogues for talking about plants, such as discussing the frequency of watering or describing planting activities in the garden.
Difference Between English and German Usage
English uses a distinct continuous tense form with the verb "to be" plus the -ing form (e.g., "I am watering"). German often uses the simple present tense with words like gerade (just now) or phrases like ist dabei (is in the process of) to indicate ongoing actions. For example, "Ich gieße gerade" translates to "I am watering right now." This lesson helps you master these nuanced differences.
Additional Notes
Besides vocabulary and grammar, you will practice sentence construction, verb conjugations such as gieße, sitzt, pflanze, sind, and dialogues to improve conversational skills related to plants and gardening.
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