German · A2 · Family moment
A gentle haircut in German
Use gentle hair-care phrases to support your child's independence. Practise mir and dir when talking about caring for your own hair, face and other body parts.
What you'll learn
- Use mir with ich and dir with du in body-care phrases.
- Combine a dative reflexive pronoun with an accusative body-part object.
- Talk gently about brushing, combing, wetting and drying.
German phrases for a gentle haircut
Ich bürste mir zuerst die Haare.
I'm brushing my hair first.
Mir shows that you are brushing your own hair; die Haare is the accusative object.
Möchtest du dir selbst die Haare kämmen?
Would you like to comb your hair yourself?
Dir refers back to du. Selbst emphasizes doing it yourself.
Du kannst dir die Haare ein bisschen nass machen.
You can wet your hair a little.
Dir die Haare means your own hair in this care action.
Ich trockne mir das Gesicht mit diesem Handtuch ab.
I'm drying my face with this towel.
Use mir for yourself and das Gesicht for the body part being dried.
Du kannst dir jetzt den Nacken abwischen.
You can wipe your neck now.
Nacken means the back of the neck, where loose hair may collect. The accusative form is den Nacken.
Ich halte mir die Nase fest, weil es kitzelt.
I'm holding my nose because it tickles.
Mir refers to yourself; die Nase is the body part you are holding.
Soll ich mir noch einmal die Haare bürsten?
Shall I brush my hair again?
Use mir because you are brushing your own hair.
Du trocknest dir ganz allein die Haare ab.
You're drying your hair all by yourself.
Dir refers to your own hair. Ganz allein warmly emphasizes independence.
Hear these phrases and practise them
Tildi plays every phrase out loud, tests you in five-minute lessons and builds them into bedtime stories from your own picture books.
Try it free for 7 daysKey words
das Haar
hair; a hair
Plural: die Haare. German usually uses die Haare when talking about the hair on your head.
das Gesicht
face
Plural: die Gesichter.
der Nacken
back of the neck
Plural: die Nacken.
die Nase
nose
Plural: die Nasen.
das Handtuch
towel
Plural: die Handtücher.
bürsten
to brush
Sich die Haare bürsten: to brush one's hair.
kämmen
to comb
Sich die Haare kämmen: to comb one's hair.
abtrocknen
to dry
Used here for drying hair or skin with a towel.
abwischen
to wipe
Used here for wiping the back of the neck.
nass machen
to wet
Sich die Haare nass machen: to wet one's hair.
Mir and dir with your own body parts
When you act on your own body part, German commonly uses a dative reflexive pronoun plus an accusative body-part object. Use mir with ich and dir with du. The body part normally has a definite article rather than a possessive: mir die Haare corresponds to English 'my hair'.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| I care for my own body | ich + verb + mir + body-part object | Ich bürste mir die Haare. |
| You care for your own body | du + verb + dir + body-part object | Du kämmst dir die Haare. |
The body part is the accusative object
The body-part object tells you what is being brushed, dried, wiped or held. Mir or dir identifies the person whose body part it is. In these patterns, use mir and dir, not mich and dich.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Hair | mir / dir + die Haare | Ich kämme mir die Haare. |
| Face | mir / dir + das Gesicht | Du trocknest dir das Gesicht ab. |
| Back of the neck | mir / dir + den Nacken | Ich wische mir den Nacken ab. |
| Nose | mir / dir + die Nase | Ich halte mir die Nase fest. |
More examples
Ich kämme mir vorsichtig die Haare.
I'm combing my hair carefully.
Mir refers back to ich; die Haare is what you are combing.
Du kannst dir selbst das Gesicht abtrocknen.
You can dry your face yourself.
Dir identifies whose face it is; selbst emphasizes independence.
Ich wische mir den Nacken ab.
I'm wiping the back of my neck.
Der Nacken becomes den Nacken as the accusative body-part object.