German · A1 · Milestone
A1 Halfway Chest in German
Celebrate your progress with eight familiar German phrases for everyday moments with your little one. Review simple questions, feelings, gentle requests and family plans.
What you'll learn
- Offer milk and ask whether food is left.
- Invite your child to cuddle and gently ask for their hand.
- Talk about feelings, books and family plans.
- Review questions, word order and useful everyday verb forms.
German phrases for a1 halfway chest
Möchtest du etwas Milch?
Would you like some milk?
Möchtest du …? is a gentle way to offer something. Use du when speaking to your child.
Ist noch etwas Banane übrig?
Is there any banana left?
Noch etwas Banane means some banana still remaining, such as pieces or part of a banana.
Lass uns kuscheln.
Let's have a cuddle.
Lass uns … means let's …. Kuscheln means to cuddle.
Am Montag besuchen wir Oma.
On Monday, we visit Grandma.
Am means on with days of the week. Oma is the familiar word for Grandma.
Ich bin glücklich.
I am happy.
Bin is the form of sein (to be) used with ich.
In deinem Buch ist ein Elefant.
There is an elephant in your book.
German can use ist to say that something is in a particular place.
Gib mir bitte deine Hand.
Give me your hand, please.
Gib is the command form of geben for one person you call du. Bitte makes the request polite.
Es ist sonnig, also gehen wir spazieren.
It is sunny, so we are going to go for a walk.
German often uses the present tense for plans. Also means so here, not also in the English sense.
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
die Milch
milk
Usually used without an article when offering some: etwas Milch.
die Banane
banana
Etwas Banane means some banana; eine Banane means one banana.
übrig
left; remaining
Use with sein to say that something is left.
kuscheln
to cuddle
A warm, everyday word for close family moments.
das Buch
book
German nouns always begin with a capital letter.
der Elefant
elephant
Use ein Elefant when the elephant is the subject.
die Hand
hand
Your hand is deine Hand when speaking to your child.
spazieren gehen
to go for a walk
With wir, say wir gehen spazieren.
Yes/no questions
Put the conjugated verb first in a question that can be answered with yes or no.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Offer | Möchtest + du + …? | Möchtest du etwas Milch? |
| Ask what is left | Ist + … + übrig? | Ist noch etwas Banane übrig? |
Using sein: to be
The form of sein changes with the subject. Use bin with ich and ist with es or a single thing.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Feeling | ich bin | Ich bin glücklich. |
| Weather | es ist | Es ist sonnig. |
Verb position in statements
The conjugated verb comes in the second position. A time phrase or place phrase can fill the first position. After a clause beginning with also (so), the verb comes before the subject.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Time first | Am Montag + verb + subject | Am Montag besuchen wir Oma. |
| Place first | Place + verb + subject | In deinem Buch ist ein Elefant. |
| Result | also + verb + subject | Es ist sonnig, also gehen wir spazieren. |
Invitations and gentle requests
Use Lass uns with an infinitive to suggest doing something together. Use a command form to ask your child to do something, adding bitte for politeness.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Let's | Lass uns + infinitive | Lass uns kuscheln. |
| Give me | Gib mir bitte + thing | Gib mir bitte deine Hand. |
Forms of your
The ending of dein depends on the noun and its role. Learn these two useful chunks: deine Hand and in deinem Buch. In takes the dative when describing a location.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Your hand | deine + Hand | Gib mir bitte deine Hand. |
| In your book | in deinem + Buch | In deinem Buch ist ein Elefant. |
More examples
Möchtest du etwas Banane?
Would you like some banana?
Reuse the gentle offer with a different food.
Ist noch etwas Milch übrig?
Is there any milk left?
Reuse the question about what remains.
Am Montag gehen wir spazieren.
On Monday, we are going for a walk.
The present tense can describe a future plan.