German · A1 · Everyday language
Animals we know in German
Practise naming familiar animals, describing them and asking simple questions in German. Learn how English “a/an” becomes ein, eine or einen.
What you'll learn
- Name familiar pets and farm animals.
- Use ein, eine and einen in simple animal phrases.
- Describe an animal and ask about its sound.
- Ask someone whether they like horses.
German phrases for animals we know
Schau mal, ein Hund!
Look, a dog!
Schau mal is a friendly way to draw one child's attention to something.
Ich habe eine Katze.
I have a cat.
Katze is feminine, so use eine after habe.
Die Kuh ist groß.
The cow is big.
Die means “the” with the feminine noun Kuh. Groß means “big” or “large.”
Wie macht es?
What sound does it make?
A natural, playful question about animal sounds. Es can refer to das Tier (“the animal”); use er or sie when referring back to a masculine or feminine animal noun.
Ein kleiner Vogel.
A little bird.
Vogel is masculine. In this naming phrase, klein takes the ending -er after ein.
Magst du Pferde?
Do you like horses?
Use du when speaking to one child. Pferde is plural and needs no article when talking about horses in general.
Der Fisch schwimmt.
The fish swims.
Der marks Fisch as masculine. Schwimmt means “swims” or “is swimming.”
Mein Lieblingstier.
My favourite animal.
German combines Lieblings- (“favourite”) and Tier (“animal”) into one word.
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
der Hund
dog
Masculine noun; plural: die Hunde.
die Katze
cat
Feminine noun; plural: die Katzen.
die Kuh
cow
Feminine noun; plural: die Kühe.
der Vogel
bird
Masculine noun; plural: die Vögel.
das Pferd
horse
Neuter noun; plural: die Pferde.
der Fisch
fish
Masculine noun; plural: die Fische.
das Lieblingstier
favourite animal
Neuter noun, like das Tier.
groß
big; large
Its opposite is klein (“small”).
Saying “a” or “an”: ein and eine
German chooses the article by the noun's grammatical gender, not its first sound. Learn each noun with der, die or das. These forms are used when naming an animal or making it the subject.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Masculine: der | ein + noun | Ein Hund spielt. — A dog is playing. |
| Feminine: die | eine + noun | Eine Katze schläft. — A cat is sleeping. |
| Neuter: das | ein + noun | Ein Pferd frisst. — A horse is eating. |
After “I have”: ein, eine or einen
The animal you have is the direct object, which uses the accusative case. Only masculine ein changes to einen; feminine eine and neuter ein stay the same.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Masculine object | Ich habe einen … | Ich habe einen Hund. — I have a dog. |
| Feminine object | Ich habe eine … | Ich habe eine Katze. — I have a cat. |
| Neuter object | Ich habe ein … | Ich habe ein Pferd. — I have a horse. |
Describing animals with adjectives
An adjective after ist has no added ending. Before a noun, it needs an ending. For a masculine naming phrase with ein, use -er.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| After ist | noun + ist + adjective | Der Vogel ist klein. — The bird is small. |
| Before a masculine noun | ein + adjective-er + noun | Ein kleiner Vogel. — A little bird. |
More examples
Schau mal, eine Katze!
Look, a cat!
Use eine with the feminine noun Katze.
Ich habe einen Fisch.
I have a fish.
Masculine ein becomes einen for the direct object after habe.
Das Pferd ist groß.
The horse is big.
Groß has no added ending after ist.
Magst du Hunde?
Do you like dogs?
Put magst before du to ask a yes/no question.
Wie macht die Kuh? Muh!
What sound does the cow make? Moo!
Name the animal directly when playing an animal-sounds game.