My own business
Mein eigenes Unternehmen
- Discuss plans for starting a business.
- Talk about daily bookkeeping responsibilities.
This lesson guides you through practical dialogues about starting your own business, focusing on key vocabulary like "Geschäft gründen" (to start a business), "Buchführung" (bookkeeping), and "Einnahmen und Ausgaben" (income and expenses). You will learn to discuss daily tasks for business management and financial organization effectively in German.
Vocabulary (14) Share Copied!
Exercises Share Copied!
These exercises can be done together during conversation lessons or as homework.
Übung 1: Conversation exercise
Anleitung:
- Do you run your own business? Do you have a partner? (Do you run your own business? Do you have a partner?)
- Did you ever have an idea for your own business? (Did you ever have an idea for your own business?)
- What doubts did you have? (What doubts did you have?)
Teaching guidelines +/- 10 minutes
Example phrases:
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Ich führe kein eigenes Unternehmen. Das ist mir zu viel Verantwortung. I don't run my own business. It is too much responsibility for me. |
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Ich betreibe ein Bekleidungsgeschäft in der Stadt. Ich habe einen Partner und es läuft großartig. I run a clothing shop in the city. I have a partner and it is going great. |
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Als ich Anfang zwanzig war, wollte ich ein Café eröffnen. When I was in my early twenties I wanted to open a coffee shop. |
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Ich hatte nie eine Idee für mein eigenes Unternehmen. Ich bevorzuge es, für jemand anderen zu arbeiten. I never had an idea for my own business. I prefer to work for someone else. |
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Ich habe mich gegen mein eigenes Geschäft entschieden, weil es weniger anstrengend ist. I decided against my own business because it is less exhausting. |
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Ich denke immer noch darüber nach, mein eigenes Unternehmen zu gründen. Es ist jedoch weniger sicher, deshalb habe ich es bisher noch nicht getan. It am still thinking about opening my own business. It is less secure though, that is the reason why I haven't done it yet. |
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Exercise 2: Dialogue Cards
Instruction: Select a situation and practice the conversation with your teacher or fellow students.
Exercise 3: Multiple Choice
Instruction: Choose the correct solution
1. Ich ______ nächstes Jahr ein Unternehmen gründen.
(I ______ will found a company next year.)2. Du ______ viel Mut brauchen, um das Projekt zu starten.
(You ______ will need a lot of courage to start the project.)3. Er ______ am Anfang die Buchhaltung selbst machen.
(He ______ will do the accounting himself at the beginning.)4. Wir ______ unseren Geschäftspartner nach einem Kredit fragen.
(We ______ will ask our business partner for a loan.)Exercise 4: Starting My Own Business
Instruction:
Verb Tables
Werden - Become
Futur I
- ich werde
- du wirst
- er/sie/es wird
- wir werden
- ihr werdet
- sie/Sie werden
Gründen - Start
Futur I
- ich gründe
- du gründest
- er/sie/es gründet
- wir gründen
- ihr gründet
- sie/Sie gründen
Sein - Be
Futur I
- ich werde sein
- du wirst sein
- er/sie/es wird sein
- wir werden sein
- ihr werdet sein
- sie/Sie werden sein
Investieren - Invest
Futur I
- ich investiere
- du investierst
- er/sie/es investiert
- wir investieren
- ihr investiert
- sie/Sie investieren
Haben - Have
Präsens
- ich habe
- du hast
- er/sie/es hat
- wir haben
- ihr habt
- sie/Sie haben
Zeigen - Show
Präsens
- ich zeige
- du zeigst
- er/sie/es zeigt
- wir zeigen
- ihr zeigt
- sie/Sie zeigen
Machen - Do
Futur I
- ich mache
- du machst
- er/sie/es macht
- wir machen
- ihr macht
- sie/Sie machen
Führen - Lead
Futur I
- ich führe
- du führst
- er/sie/es führt
- wir führen
- ihr führt
- sie/Sie führen
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Lesson Overview: Starting Your Own Business in German
This lesson is designed for A2 level learners to explore vocabulary, expressions, and conversations related to starting and managing a small business, particularly focused on opening a café or shop. Through practical dialogues and verb conjugation exercises, you will learn how to discuss your business plans, daily bookkeeping tasks, and interactions with professionals such as tax advisors, as well as informal conversations with friends about business ideas.
Key Topics Covered
- Business Planning Vocabulary: Words and phrases such as "mein eigenes Café eröffnen" (to open my own café), "Buchführung" (bookkeeping), "Einnahmen und Ausgaben" (income and expenses), and "Tagesberichte schreiben" (writing daily reports) help you articulate your business intentions clearly.
- Daily Business Tasks: Learn to talk about practical responsibilities like "die Kasse kontrollieren" (checking the cash register), "die Belege sammeln" (collecting receipts), and the importance of staying organized for financial or tax purposes.
- Communicating with Professionals: Expressions used in conversations with a tax advisor, including asking for help in bookkeeping and clarifying daily record-keeping duties.
- Informal Discussions about Business Ideas: Practice conversational phrases to discuss plans and necessary daily tasks with friends or partners, helping you build confidence in casual settings.
Verb Focus: The Future Tense (Futur I) with "werden"
The lesson emphasizes the use of the future tense to describe upcoming plans and intentions. For example:
- Ich werde nächstes Jahr ein Unternehmen gründen. (I will start a company next year.)
- Wir werden viel Kapital investieren. (We will invest a lot of capital.)
Here, the auxiliary verb werden is conjugated differently depending on the subject, such as ich werde, du wirst, er/sie/es wird, wir werden. Understanding this conjugation is crucial for expressing future intentions accurately.
Useful Vocabulary and Phrases
- das Geschäft führen – to run the business
- täglich – daily
- Buchhaltung – accounting/bookkeeping
- Kapital investieren – to invest capital
- einen Kredit fragen – to ask for a loan
- den Überblick behalten – to keep an overview
Language Notes: Differences Between English and German
German often uses the future tense to express plans formally, whereas English speakers might use the present continuous or simple present in casual speech. For example, Germans say "Ich werde mein eigenes Café eröffnen" to emphasize the intention in the future, while in English, "I'm opening my own café" is common.
The noun Buchführung is specific to bookkeeping and accounting tasks, often not as narrowly defined as the English "bookkeeping" could be.
Another difference is the frequent explicit mention of daily financial tasks in conversations, which reflects the importance of organization in German business culture.
Summary
This lesson equips you with practical vocabulary and conversational skills needed to discuss business plans, daily bookkeeping tasks, and interactions with tax professionals or friends. By mastering the future tense and relevant nouns and verbs, you will be better prepared to talk about business in German confidently.
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