Character and personality
Charakter und Persönlichkeit
- Learn to describe the character of people.
- Talk about personalities.
- The comparative - irregular adjectives
This lesson teaches the use of the comparative with irregular adjectives in German, focusing on describing character and personality traits such as freundlich (friendly), ehrlich (honest), and fleißig (hardworking). Learn to compare people using useful adjectives like älter (older), schlauer (smarter), and netter (nicer).
Listening and reading
Start this class by listening to the audio and completing the corresponding exercises.
Vocabulary (17) 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: Sort the following words into the two categories to describe positive or negative character traits.
Positive Charaktereigenschaften
Negative Charaktereigenschaften
Exercise 4: Translate and use in a sentence
Instruction: Pick a word, translated and use the word in a sentence or dialogue.
1
Kennenlernen
To meet
2
Faul
Lazy
3
Unfreundlich
Unfriendly
4
Freundlich
Friendly
5
Jemanden nett finden
To find someone nice
Übung 5: Conversation exercise
Anleitung:
- Beschreibe und vergleiche die Personen. (Describe and compare the people. )
- Beschreibe deinen eigenen Charakter. (Describe your own character.)
- Beschreibe deine Familienmitglieder und Freunde. (Describe your family members and friends.)
Teaching guidelines +/- 10 minutes
Example phrases:
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Juliette und Lukas sind ein liebevolles Paar. Juliette and Lukas are an affectionate couple. |
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Raúl ist die verschlossenste Person. Er ist introvertiert. Raúl is the most closed person. He is introverted. |
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Caitlin ist unsportlich; sie ist die am wenigsten aktive Person. Caitlin is not sporty; she is the least active person. |
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Er ist die faulste Person. He is the most lazy person. |
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Ich wirke faul, aber ich bin aktiv. I seem lazy but I am active. |
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Ich kann schüchtern sein, wenn ich die Leute nicht kenne. I can be shy if I do not know the people. |
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Er ist nicht ehrlich. He is not honest. |
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Sie ist sehr freundlich, aber nicht sehr klug. She is very friendly but not very smart. |
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Sie sind intelligente Schüler. They are intelligent students. |
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Sie sind ziemlich dumm, aber wir werden es ihnen nicht sagen. They are rather dumb, but we will not tell them. |
| ... |
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 ___ diese Person sehr freundlich.
(I ___ this person very friendly.)2. Du ___, dass er ehrlich ist.
(You ___ that he is honest.)3. Wir ___ seine Persönlichkeit lustiger als vorher.
(We ___ his personality funnier than before.)4. Sie ___, dass die neue Kollegin nett ist.
(She ___ that the new colleague is nice.)Exercise 8: Character and Personality in Everyday Work Life
Instruction:
Verb Tables
Finden - Finden
Präsens
- ich finde
- du findest
- er/sie/es findet
- wir finden
- ihr findet
- sie/Sie finden
Glauben - Glauben
Präsens
- ich glaube
- du glaubst
- er/sie/es glaubt
- wir glauben
- ihr glaubt
- sie/Sie glauben
Exercise 9: Der Komparativ - unregelmäßige Adjektive
Instruction: Fill in the correct word.
Grammar: The comparative - irregular adjectives
Show translation Show answersälter, härter, jünger, wärmer, höher, besser, dümmer, lieber
Grammar Share Copied!
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Verb conjugation tables for this lesson Share Copied!
Finden to find Share Copied!
Präsens
| German | English |
|---|---|
| (ich) finde | I find |
| (du) findest | you find |
| (er/sie/es) findet | he/she/it finds |
| (wir) finden | we find |
| (ihr) findet | you find |
| (sie) finden | they find |
Glauben to believe Share Copied!
Präsens
| German | English |
|---|---|
| (ich) glaube | I believe |
| (du) glaubst | You believe |
| (er/sie/es) glaubt | he/she/it believes |
| (wir) glauben | we believe |
| (ihr) glaubt | you believe |
| (sie) glauben | they believe |
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Introduction to Character and Personality in German
This lesson focuses on describing character and personality traits in German, combined with practicing the comparative form of irregular adjectives. You will learn how to describe people, express opinions about their traits, and compare them effectively using common adjectives and verbs.
Key Adjectives for Character Traits
The lesson introduces a set of positive and negative character traits commonly used in everyday German:
- Positive traits: ehrlich (honest), fleißig (hard-working), freundlich (friendly), herzlich (warm-hearted), lustig (funny), nett (nice)
- Negative traits: dumm (stupid), faul (lazy)
The Comparative Form of Irregular Adjectives
You will practice the comparative forms to compare personalities, such as:
- älter (older)
- schlauer (smarter)
- ehrlicher (more honest)
- offener (more open)
- fauler (lazier)
- fleißiger (more hard-working)
- netter (nicer/friendlier)
Examples include sentences like „Mein Bruder ist älter, aber ich bin schlauer.“ or „Sie ist ehrlicher und offener als ihr Kollege.“
Common Verbs with Character Descriptions
The verbs finden (to find/think) and glauben (to believe) are essential when expressing opinions about people’s personalities. For example:
- Ich finde deine Freundin sehr nett.
- Er glaubt, dass die Person härter arbeitet als früher.
Verb Conjugation in Present Tense
The lesson provides practice with conjugating finden and glauben in the present tense, which is crucial for forming these opinions.
Useful Phrases for Interaction
To discuss colleagues, friends, or family members, the lesson includes dialogues such as:
- „Mein Kollege Thomas ist sehr freundlich. Er ist älter als seine Kollegin Anna.“
- „Sarah ist netter als ihr Bruder. Ihr Bruder ist bei der Arbeit dümmer.“
- „Der neue Kollege ist ehrlicher als der alte. Ich arbeite lieber mit ihm.“
Differences Between English and German in Expressing Character
In German, adjectives change endings and sometimes form irregular comparatives, unlike in English where comparatives are mostly regular. For example, nett becomes netter (nicer), and faul becomes fauler (lazier). Also, German comparative sentences frequently use als (than) to compare two things, similar to English, but the adjective endings must agree with the noun gender and case.
Useful structures include:
- sein + comparative adjective + als — e.g., Mein Bruder ist älter als ich.
- Using finde or glaube to express personal judgments, e.g., Ich finde ihn sehr freundlich.
Summary
This lesson equips you with vocabulary for describing personalities and comparing people’s traits using irregular adjective comparatives and important verbs. Practice these expressions to confidently talk about character in various social contexts.
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