German · A2 · Milestone
A2 graduation chest in German
Celebrate your A2 progress with caring German phrases for everyday parenting. This guide reviews familiar grammar through sleep, dressing, comfort and going outside. Use informal du when speaking to one child.
What you'll learn
- Review the Perfekt when talking about completed events.
- Use dative forms, comparisons and possessive pronouns in everyday situations.
- Practise reflexive verbs and verb-final clauses with weil and dass.
- Give simple instructions and suggest doing something together.
German phrases for a2 graduation chest
Du hast heute gut geschlafen.
You have slept well today.
The Perfekt uses hast plus the past participle geschlafen.
Ich helfe dir mit deiner Jacke.
I am helping you with your jacket.
Helfen takes the dative: dir means 'you'. Mit also takes the dative: mit deiner Jacke.
Diese Decke ist weicher als die da.
This blanket is softer than that one.
Weicher means 'softer'; als means 'than'. Die da points to the other blanket.
Das ist deine Flasche, und diese hier ist meine.
That is your bottle, and this one is mine.
Deine goes before Flasche. Meine stands alone for 'mine' and matches the feminine noun Flasche.
Wir ziehen uns für unseren Spaziergang an.
We are getting dressed for our walk.
Sich anziehen means 'to get dressed'. With wir, use uns; the separable prefix an goes at the end.
Du weinst, weil dein Zahn wehtut.
You are crying because your tooth hurts.
Weil introduces the reason and sends wehtut to the end of its clause.
Ich denke, dass du müde bist.
I think that you are tired.
After dass, the conjugated verb bist goes at the end.
Gib mir deine Hand, und lass uns nach draußen gehen.
Give me your hand, and let's go outside.
Gib is the du imperative of geben. Lass uns plus an infinitive means 'let's'.
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Try it free for 7 daysKey words
die Jacke
jacket
After mit, deine Jacke becomes deiner Jacke.
die Decke
blanket
A useful word for bedtime and keeping warm.
weich
soft
The comparative is weicher: 'softer'.
die Flasche
bottle
This noun is feminine, so 'your bottle' is deine Flasche.
der Spaziergang
walk; stroll
Für takes the accusative: für unseren Spaziergang.
wehtun
to hurt
A separable verb: Dein Zahn tut weh. After weil: weil dein Zahn wehtut.
müde
tired
Use with sein: Du bist müde.
nach draußen
outside; to the outside
Use for movement outdoors. Draußen alone describes a location.
Perfekt review
The Perfekt combines a present-tense form of haben or sein with a past participle. Schlafen uses haben. In a main clause, the participle goes at the end.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Completed sleep | du hast + past participle | Du hast heute gut geschlafen. |
Present tense for actions happening now
German uses the simple present where English often uses 'am/is/are' plus an -ing form.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Helping now | ich + present-tense verb | Ich helfe dir mit deiner Jacke. |
| Crying now | du + present-tense verb | Du weinst. |
Dative constructions
Helfen takes a dative object, and mit takes the dative. With geben, the recipient is dative, while the thing given is accusative.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Person receiving help | helfen + dir | Ich helfe dir. |
| After mit | mit + dative | Ich helfe dir mit deiner Jacke. |
| Recipient and thing | geben + dative recipient + accusative thing | Gib mir deine Hand. |
Comparisons
To compare two things, use a comparative adjective followed by als. Many comparatives add -er. After ist, weicher needs no additional adjective ending.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Softer than | weich → weicher + als | Diese Decke ist weicher als die da. |
Possessives
Possessive forms can come before a noun or stand alone. Their endings depend on the noun's gender, number and case.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Before a feminine noun | deine + Flasche | Das ist deine Flasche. |
| Standing alone | meine = my bottle | Diese hier ist meine. |
| After für | für + accusative masculine: unseren | Wir ziehen uns für unseren Spaziergang an. |
Reflexive and separable verbs
In sich anziehen, the reflexive pronoun refers back to the person getting dressed. Use mich with ich, dich with du and uns with wir. In a main clause, an separates and goes at the end.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| I get dressed | ich ziehe mich … an | Ich ziehe mich an. |
| We get dressed | wir ziehen uns … an | Wir ziehen uns für unseren Spaziergang an. |
Clauses with weil and dass
Weil gives a reason. Dass introduces what someone thinks or says. Both send the conjugated verb to the end of their clause. Use a comma before these clauses.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Giving a reason | weil + subject + … + verb | Du weinst, weil dein Zahn wehtut. |
| Expressing a thought | dass + subject + … + verb | Ich denke, dass du müde bist. |
Instructions and shared suggestions
For an instruction to one child, use the du imperative without du. Some forms are irregular, such as gib. Use lass uns plus an infinitive to suggest doing something together. Bitte makes an instruction more polite.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Direct instruction | gib + objects | Gib mir deine Hand. |
| Polite instruction | imperative + bitte | Gib mir bitte deine Hand. |
| Shared suggestion | lass uns + … + infinitive | Lass uns nach draußen gehen. |
More examples
Ich helfe dir, weil du müde bist.
I am helping you because you are tired.
Combines dative dir with a verb-final weil clause.
Ich denke, dass diese Decke weicher ist.
I think that this blanket is softer.
Combines a comparison with a dass clause; ist goes last.
Zieh dich bitte an, und lass uns nach draußen gehen.
Please get dressed, and let's go outside.
Reviews a reflexive, separable imperative and a shared suggestion.