German · A2 · Milestone
A2 three-quarter milestone in German
Celebrate growing independence with eight familiar family phrases. This A2 milestone reviews how to give instructions, ask polite questions, describe shared activities and connect ideas.
What you'll learn
- Give everyday instructions using familiar case patterns.
- Use mit, ohne and adjective endings accurately.
- Ask indirect questions and make polite requests with könnte.
- Review the Perfekt of separable verbs and word order with trotzdem and bevor.
German phrases for a2 three-quarter milestone
Leg dein Lesebuch in die Schultasche.
Put your reading book into the school bag.
Leg is the informal singular command of legen. In takes the accusative here because the book moves into the bag.
Gehst du mit mir oder ohne mich zum Sportverein?
Are you going to the sports club with me or without me?
Mit takes the dative: mir. Ohne takes the accusative: mich. Zum means zu dem.
Wasch dir die Hände, bevor du deine Brotdose packst.
Wash your hands before you pack your lunchbox.
German uses the dative reflexive dir with the body part die Hände. After bevor, the conjugated verb goes at the end.
Weißt du, wann dein Freund kommt?
Do you know when your friend is coming?
The indirect question starts with wann and ends with kommt. For a female friend, use deine Freundin.
Könntest du mir bitte bei deinem Hausaufgabenblatt helfen?
Could you help me with your homework sheet, please?
Könntest du …? makes a polite request. Helfen takes a dative person, mir; bei also takes the dative.
Du brauchst einen kleinen Ball für das Spiel.
You need a small ball for the game.
Ball is masculine and is the direct object: einen kleinen Ball. Für always takes the accusative.
Wir haben das Tor zusammen aufgebaut.
We set up the goal together.
This describes a completed activity. The separable verb aufbauen forms its past participle with ge between the prefix and stem: aufgebaut.
Die Geschichte ist schwierig. Trotzdem willst du sie lesen.
The story is difficult. Still, you want to read it.
Trotzdem means 'still' or 'nevertheless.' When it comes first, the conjugated verb follows immediately: Trotzdem willst du …
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 Lesebuch
reading book
A book used for reading practice, often at school.
die Schultasche
school bag
Use in die Schultasche for movement into the bag.
der Sportverein
sports club
A club where children or adults take part in organized sports.
die Brotdose
lunchbox
A container for a packed lunch or snack, not only for bread.
das Hausaufgabenblatt
homework sheet
A worksheet with homework tasks.
der Ball
ball
Its masculine gender gives einen kleinen Ball in the accusative.
das Tor
goal
Here, the physical goal used in a game. Tor can also mean 'gate.'
die Geschichte
story
Use sie to refer back to this feminine noun.
Direction: in + accusative
With in, use the accusative when something moves into a place. For a location without a change of place, use the dative.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Destination: where to? | in + accusative | Leg dein Lesebuch in die Schultasche. |
| Location: where? | in + dative | Das Lesebuch ist in der Schultasche. |
Mit and ohne
Mit always takes the dative; ohne always takes the accusative. Their case does not depend on movement.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| With me | mit + mir | Gehst du mit mir? |
| Without me | ohne + mich | Gehst du ohne mich? |
Dative reflexives with body parts
When washing your own hands, German normally uses a dative reflexive pronoun and the definite article: dir die Hände, rather than 'your hands.' The hands are the direct object.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Instruction to one child | Wasch + dir + die Hände | Wasch dir die Hände. |
| Talking about yourself | Ich wasche + mir + die Hände | Ich wasche mir die Hände. |
Indirect question-word clauses
An indirect question keeps its question word, such as wann, but places the conjugated verb at the end. Separate it from the main clause with a comma.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Direct question | wann + verb + subject | Wann kommt dein Freund? |
| Indirect question | Weißt du, wann + subject + verb? | Weißt du, wann dein Freund kommt? |
Polite requests with könnte
Use Könntest du …? to ask one familiar person politely. The main verb stays in the infinitive at the end. With helfen, the person receiving help is in the dative.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Polite request | Könntest du + … + infinitive? | Könntest du mir bitte helfen? |
| Help with a task | jemandem bei + dative helfen | Du hilfst mir bei deinem Hausaufgabenblatt. |
Adjective endings
Before a noun, an adjective has an ending. For a masculine accusative noun after einen, the adjective ends in -en.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Masculine subject | ein kleiner Ball | Ein kleiner Ball liegt hier. |
| Masculine direct object | einen kleinen Ball | Du brauchst einen kleinen Ball. |
Separable verbs in the Perfekt
Aufbauen uses haben in the Perfekt. Its participle is aufgebaut, with ge inserted after auf-. Put the participle at the end of the main clause.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Present | bauen + … + auf | Wir bauen das Tor zusammen auf. |
| Perfekt | haben + … + aufgebaut | Wir haben das Tor zusammen aufgebaut. |
Connecting ideas with trotzdem and bevor
Trotzdem introduces an unexpected contrast and keeps main-clause word order. Bevor means 'before' and introduces a subordinate clause with the conjugated verb at the end.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Unexpected contrast | Trotzdem + conjugated verb + subject + … | Die Geschichte ist schwierig. Trotzdem willst du sie lesen. |
| Order of activities | main clause, bevor + subject + … + conjugated verb | Wasch dir die Hände, bevor du deine Brotdose packst. |
More examples
Leg den kleinen Ball in die Schultasche.
Put the small ball into the school bag.
Review combination: masculine accusative den kleinen Ball and directional in die Schultasche.
Weißt du, wann deine Freundin kommt?
Do you know when your friend is coming?
Freundin refers to a female friend. The verb still goes at the end of the indirect question.
Wir haben das Tor ohne dich aufgebaut.
We set up the goal without you.
Ohne takes the accusative dich. Aufgebaut stays at the end.