Greetings and Farewells
Grüße und Abschiede
- Basic greetings and farewells.
- Starting and ending a conversation.
- Useful phrases to use during class (asking for clarification, repetition, etc.).
- Personal pronouns
This lesson introduces essential German greetings and farewells like "Guten Morgen" (Good morning), "Hallo" (Hello), "Auf Wiedersehen" (Goodbye), and phrases to ask "Wie geht's dir?" (How are you?). You'll practice polite expressions for daily conversations and learn key verbs such as "sein" (to be) and "sprechen" (to speak) in present tense.
Listening and reading
Start this class by listening to the audio and completing the corresponding exercises.
Vocabulary (15) 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 following words to the categories "Greetings" and "Farewells" to learn them better.
Begrüßungen
Verabschiedungen
Exercise 4: Translate and use in a sentence
Instruction: Pick a word, translated and use the word in a sentence or dialogue.
1
Bis bald
See you soon
2
Gut
Good
3
Sprechen
To speak
4
Hallo
Hello
5
Guten Abend
Good evening
Übung 5: Conversation exercise
Anleitung:
- Verwenden Sie die richtige Begrüßung in jeder Situation und beginnen Sie einen Smalltalk. (Use the correct greeting in each situation and start a small talk.)
Teaching guidelines +/- 10 minutes
Example phrases:
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Guten Morgen! Good morning! |
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Guten Nachmittag! Good afternoon! |
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Guten Abend! Good evening! |
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Wie geht es dir? How are you? |
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Gut. Und dir? Fine. And you? |
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Bis später! See you later! |
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Entschuldigung, können Sie das bitte wiederholen? Sorry, can you repeat, please? |
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Ich verstehe nicht. I don’t understand. |
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Könnten Sie das buchstabieren? Could you spell that? |
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Freut mich, Sie kennenzulernen. Nice to meet you. |
| ... |
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 ___ heute müde, aber ich spreche gern mit dir.
(I ___ am tired today, but I like to talk to you.)2. Du ___ freundlich und höflich, das gefällt mir.
(You ___ are friendly and polite, I like that.)3. Wir ___ viel Deutsch in der Deutschklasse.
(We ___ speak a lot of German in the German class.)4. Ihr ___ gut, aber wir müssen noch üben.
(You (you all) ___ speak well, but we still have to practice.)Exercise 8: Greeting at the Office
Instruction:
Verb Tables
Sein - To be
Präsens
- ich bin
- du bist
- er / sie / es ist
- wir sind
- ihr seid
- sie / Sie sind
Sprechen - To talk
Präsens
- ich spreche
- du sprichst
- er / sie / es spricht
- wir sprechen
- ihr sprecht
- sie / Sie sprechen
Fragen - To ask
Präsens
- ich frage
- du fragst
- er / sie / es fragt
- wir fragen
- ihr fragt
- sie / Sie fragen
Sagen - To say
Präsens
- ich sage
- du sagst
- er / sie / es sagt
- wir sagen
- ihr sagt
- sie / Sie sagen
Antworten - To answer
Präsens
- ich antworte
- du antwortest
- er / sie / es antwortet
- wir antworten
- ihr antwortet
- sie / Sie antworten
Verabschieden - To say goodbye
Präsens
- ich verabschiede
- du verabschiedest
- er / sie / es verabschiedet
- wir verabschieden
- ihr verabschiedet
- sie / Sie verabschieden
Grammar Share Copied!
It's not the most exciting thing, we admit, but it’s absolutely essential (and we promise it'll pay off)!
Verb conjugation tables for this lesson Share Copied!
Sein to be Share Copied!
Präsens
| German | English |
|---|---|
| (ich) bin | I am |
| (du) bist | you are |
| (er/sie/es) ist | he/she/it is |
| (wir) sind | we are |
| (ihr) seid | you are |
| (sie) sind | they are |
Sprechen to speak Share Copied!
Präsens
| German | English |
|---|---|
| (ich) spreche | I speak |
| (du) sprichst | you speak |
| (er/sie/es) spricht | he/she/it speaks |
| (wir) sprechen | we speak |
| (ihr) sprecht | you speak |
| (sie) sprechen | they speak |
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Lesson Overview: Greetings and Farewells in German
This lesson covers basic personal pronouns along with common German greetings and farewells that are essential for everyday conversations. It is designed for A1 learners who want to build a solid foundation in politely starting and ending social interactions.
Key Content
- Personal pronouns: Understanding and using "ich," "du," "er/sie/es," "wir," "ihr," and "sie/Sie" correctly in simple sentences.
- Common Greetings: Phrases such as Guten Morgen, Guten Abend, Hallo, and Wie geht's dir? for friendly and polite openings.
- Farewells: Useful expressions like Auf Wiedersehen, Tschüss, and Bis bald to close conversations naturally.
Examples of Core Expressions
- Guten Morgen, wie geht es dir heute? (Good morning, how are you today?)
- Hallo, sprechen wir später? (Hello, shall we speak later?)
- Auf Wiedersehen und bis bald! (Goodbye and see you soon!)
- Kannst du das bitte wiederholen? (Can you please repeat that?)
- Danke, ich verstehe gut. (Thank you, I understand well.)
- Gute Nacht, schlaf gut. (Good night, sleep well.)
Dialogue Practice Contexts
- Office greetings and farewells
- Supermarket encounters with brief conversations
- Classroom situations for asking questions and saying goodbye
Important Grammar Focus
The lesson emphasizes verb conjugation in the present tense alongside the use of personal pronouns. For example: Ich bin müde (I am tired), du sprichst (you speak), and sie versteht (she understands). Conjugation helps form correct and natural sentences.
Instruction Language vs German
In this lesson, the instruction language is English, while the learning language is German, which affects the way explanations and translations are provided. German greetings and farewells often include formal and informal variations, influenced by social context. For instance, Hallo is informal, similar to "hello" in English, whereas Guten Tag is more formal. The pronoun system in German is more complex due to formal (Sie) and informal (du) forms for "you," which English does not distinguish.
Useful Phrases Highlighting Differences:
- Wie geht's dir? – literally "How goes it to you?" = "How are you?"
- Auf Wiedersehen – literally "Until we see again" = formal goodbye
- Tschüss – informal goodbye equivalent to "bye"
- Kannst du das bitte wiederholen? – "Can you please repeat that?" useful for classroom interactions
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