German · A2 · Milestone
A2 graduation chest in German
Celebrate growing independence with everyday German for helping friends, making plans, getting ready and taking breaks. This A2 review brings familiar grammar together in supportive parent–child conversations.
What you'll learn
- Ask about completed activities using the Perfekt.
- Use dative forms, comparisons and possessive pronouns.
- Talk about feelings and routines with reflexive verbs.
- Connect ideas with weil, dass, bevor and deshalb.
- Give polite instructions to one child or several children.
- Explain that something does not have to be finished today.
German phrases for a2 graduation chest
Hast du deinem Freund beim Projekt geholfen?
Have you helped your friend with the project?
Helfen takes the dative: deinem Freund. Beim means bei dem. For a female friend, use deiner Freundin.
Dein Rucksack ist schwerer als meiner.
Your backpack is heavier than mine.
Use schwerer als for 'heavier than'. Meiner replaces mein Rucksack, so you do not need to repeat the noun.
Freust du dich auf die Übernachtungsparty?
Are you looking forward to the sleepover?
Sich auf etwas freuen means 'to look forward to something'. With du, the reflexive pronoun is dich.
Wir bleiben zu Hause, weil du müde bist.
We are staying home because you are tired.
Weil gives a reason. The conjugated verb bist goes at the end of its clause.
Ich denke, dass dein Plan gut ist.
I think that your plan is good.
Dass introduces what you think. The conjugated verb ist goes at the end.
Bitte leg dein Handy weg und mach dich bettfertig.
Please put your phone away and get ready for bed.
Leg and mach are instructions to one child. Weglegen separates into leg … weg; sich bettfertig machen means 'to get ready for bed'.
Kinder, räumt bitte den Tisch ab, bevor ihr spielt.
Children, please clear the table before you play.
Räumt is an instruction to several children. Abräumen separates into räumt … ab. After bevor, the verb goes at the end.
Du musst heute nicht fertig werden; deshalb können wir eine Pause machen.
You do not have to finish today; that is why we can take a break.
Nicht müssen means 'not have to', not 'must not'. After deshalb, the conjugated verb können comes before the subject wir.
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Try it free for 7 daysKey words
jemandem bei etwas helfen
to help someone with something
Both the person after helfen and the noun after bei are in the dative.
der Rucksack
backpack
Plural: die Rucksäcke.
schwer – schwerer
heavy – heavier
Use als when comparing two things: schwerer als meiner.
die Übernachtungsparty
sleepover
A party where children stay overnight, usually at a friend's home.
zu Hause
at home
Use zu Hause for location; nach Hause means 'home' when describing movement.
das Handy
mobile phone; cell phone
A common German noun. It does not mean the English adjective 'handy'.
sich bettfertig machen
to get ready for bed
A useful everyday expression for the bedtime routine.
den Tisch abräumen
to clear the table
Use this for removing dishes and other items after a meal.
fertig werden
to finish; to get finished
This focuses on reaching the end of a task.
eine Pause machen
to take a break
German uses machen, literally 'make', in this expression.
Perfekt: asking about completed actions
The Perfekt uses a conjugated form of haben or sein plus a past participle. Helfen uses haben and the irregular participle geholfen. In a yes/no question, the auxiliary comes first.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Question | Hast du … geholfen? | Hast du deinem Freund beim Projekt geholfen? |
| Statement | Subject + haben + … + past participle | Du hast deinem Freund geholfen. |
Dative constructions
Helfen takes a dative object for the person receiving help. Bei also always takes the dative. Possessive endings change to match the noun's gender and case.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Masculine dative | deinem Freund | Ich helfe deinem Freund. |
| Feminine dative | deiner Freundin | Ich helfe deiner Freundin. |
| Contraction | bei + dem = beim | Ich helfe dir beim Projekt. |
Comparisons and possessive pronouns
Many comparative adjectives end in -er. Use als for 'than'. A possessive pronoun can replace a noun; its ending depends on the noun's gender, number and case.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Comparative | schwer + -er + als | Dein Rucksack ist schwerer als meiner. |
| Possessive before a noun | mein Rucksack | Mein Rucksack ist schwer. |
| Possessive replacing a noun | meiner = mein Rucksack | Dein Rucksack ist leichter als meiner. |
Reflexive verbs
Reflexive pronouns refer back to the subject. In these expressions, use mich with ich, dich with du and euch with ihr. Sich freuen auf takes an accusative object when talking about something you look forward to.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Looking forward to something | sich freuen auf + accusative | Du freust dich auf die Übernachtungsparty. |
| Getting ready for bed | sich bettfertig machen | Ich mache mich bettfertig. |
| Several children | ihr + euch | Ihr macht euch bettfertig. |
Weil, dass and bevor clauses
These words introduce subordinate clauses. Put a comma before the clause and move its conjugated verb to the end. Weil gives a reason, dass introduces content, and bevor shows that one action happens before another.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Reason | weil + subject + … + verb | Wir bleiben zu Hause, weil du müde bist. |
| What someone thinks | dass + subject + … + verb | Ich denke, dass dein Plan gut ist. |
| Order of actions | bevor + subject + … + verb | Räumt den Tisch ab, bevor ihr spielt. |
Imperatives and separable verbs
For one child, use the du imperative without du. For several children, use the ihr verb form without ihr. Bitte makes instructions more polite. Separable prefixes go at the end of their clause.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| One child | leg … weg | Bitte leg dein Handy weg. |
| Reflexive instruction | mach dich … | Mach dich bitte bettfertig. |
| Several children | räumt … ab | Kinder, räumt bitte den Tisch ab. |
Modal verbs and no obligation
With a modal verb, the other verb stays in the infinitive at the end. Nicht müssen means something is not necessary. Nicht dürfen means something is not allowed.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Not necessary | nicht müssen + infinitive | Du musst heute nicht fertig werden. |
| Possibility | können + infinitive | Wir können eine Pause machen. |
Deshalb and main-clause word order
Deshalb means 'that is why' or 'therefore' and introduces a result. Unlike weil, it does not send the conjugated verb to the end. When deshalb comes first, the conjugated verb comes next, followed by the subject.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Result | deshalb + conjugated verb + subject + … | Deshalb können wir eine Pause machen. |
| Reason and result | Statement; deshalb + verb + subject | Du bist müde; deshalb bleiben wir zu Hause. |
More examples
Hast du deiner Freundin beim Lernen geholfen?
Have you helped your friend with studying?
Deiner Freundin is feminine dative. Beim Lernen means 'with studying'; Lernen is capitalized because it is used as a noun.
Kinder, legt bitte eure Handys weg und macht euch bettfertig.
Children, please put your phones away and get ready for bed.
For several children, use legt, macht and the reflexive pronoun euch.
Ich freue mich, dass du deinen Plan gut findest.
I'm glad that you like your plan.
This combines a reflexive expression with a dass clause. Findest goes at the end.
Du musst das nicht allein machen. Ich helfe dir.
You don't have to do that alone. I'll help you.
Nicht müssen removes pressure. Dir is the dative form of du, used here after helfen.