German · A1 · Everyday language
Around the house in German
Learn simple German phrases for rooms and household objects, saying where things are, and giving friendly instructions. Practise es gibt for 'there is' and 'there are'.
What you'll learn
- Name common rooms and household objects.
- Ask where a room is and say where something is.
- Give simple instructions to one child.
- Use es gibt to say what is in a room.
German phrases for around the house
Das ist die Küche.
This is the kitchen.
Use Das ist to introduce a room or object.
Wo ist das Badezimmer?
Where is the bathroom?
Wo means 'where'. Das Bad is another common word for 'the bathroom'.
In meinem Schlafzimmer.
In my bedroom.
A short answer to a location question. Mein becomes meinem after in when describing this location.
Auf dem Tisch.
On the table.
Auf means 'on'. For this location, der Tisch becomes dem Tisch.
Unter dem Bett.
Under the bed.
Unter means 'under'. For this location, das Bett becomes dem Bett.
Mach die Tür auf.
Open the door.
A natural instruction to one child. Add bitte to make it more polite.
Mach das Fenster zu.
Close the window.
A natural instruction to one child. Zu at the end gives the meaning 'closed'.
Das Haus ist aufgeräumt.
The house is tidy.
Aufgeräumt means 'tidy' or 'tidied up'.
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 Küche
kitchen
Learn the noun together with its article die.
das Badezimmer
bathroom
Often shortened to das Bad.
das Schlafzimmer
bedroom
German compound nouns are written as one word.
der Tisch
table
On the table is auf dem Tisch.
das Bett
bed
Under the bed is unter dem Bett.
die Tür
door
Keep the two dots in ü when writing this word.
das Fenster
window
Its plural is die Fenster.
das Haus
house
German nouns always start with a capital letter.
aufgeräumt
tidy
Use it after ist to describe a tidy room or house.
There is / there are: es gibt
German uses es gibt for both 'there is' and 'there are'. It tells us that something exists or is available. The noun after it takes the accusative case: ein becomes einen for masculine nouns, while eine and ein stay the same for feminine and neuter nouns.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Masculine singular | Es gibt einen + noun. | Es gibt einen Tisch. — There is a table. |
| Feminine singular | Es gibt eine + noun. | Es gibt eine Küche. — There is a kitchen. |
| Neuter singular | Es gibt ein + noun. | Es gibt ein Bett. — There is a bed. |
| Plural | Es gibt + number + plural noun. | Es gibt zwei Fenster. — There are two windows. |
Saying where something is
Ask Wo ist ...? for 'Where is ...?' Use ist to locate a specific thing, rather than es gibt. After in, auf and unter, use the dative case when saying where something is: der and das become dem, and die becomes der.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| In | in meinem Schlafzimmer | Das Bett ist in meinem Schlafzimmer. — The bed is in my bedroom. |
| On | auf dem Tisch | Das Buch ist auf dem Tisch. — The book is on the table. |
| Under | unter dem Bett | Der Ball ist unter dem Bett. — The ball is under the bed. |
| Feminine location | in der Küche | Der Tisch ist in der Küche. — The table is in the kitchen. |
Simple instructions
When speaking to one child, use Mach ... auf for 'Open ...' and Mach ... zu for 'Close ...'. These come from aufmachen and zumachen. The first part separates and goes at the end. Bitte means 'please'.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Open | Mach + object + auf. | Mach die Tür auf. — Open the door. |
| Close politely | Mach bitte + object + zu. | Mach bitte das Fenster zu. — Please close the window. |
More examples
In der Küche gibt es einen Tisch.
There is a table in the kitchen.
When the location comes first, gibt comes next, followed by es.
Es gibt zwei Betten.
There are two beds.
Es gibt stays the same with plural nouns.
Wo ist das Buch?
Where is the book?
You can answer with a short phrase such as Auf dem Tisch.
Der Ball ist unter dem Bett.
The ball is under the bed.
Use ist to say where a specific object is.
Mach bitte das Fenster auf.
Please open the window.
Use the same opening pattern with a different object.