German · B1 · Milestone
B1 halfway chest in German
Celebrate growing independence by looking back on challenges, recognising progress and planning the next steps together. This B1 guide reviews familiar German structures for supportive conversations with your child.
What you'll learn
- Reflect on past experiences using familiar past-tense forms.
- Distinguish repeated past situations with wenn from single events or periods with als.
- Connect ideas using clauses of contrast, time, purpose and result.
- Review relative pronouns, adjective endings and two-way prepositions.
- Discuss future plans and independent problem-solving.
German phrases for b1 halfway chest
Obwohl ich dachte, dass das Projekt schwierig war, wusste ich, dass du es schaffen konntest.
Although I thought the project was difficult, I knew you could manage it.
Obwohl introduces a contrast and sends the verb to the end. Dachte and wusste are common Präteritum forms of denken and wissen.
Als du jünger warst, hast du oft deine Materialien vergessen, aber als sich deine Gruppe gestern getroffen hat, hast du alles mitgebracht.
When you were younger, you often forgot your materials, but when your group met yesterday, you brought everything.
Both clauses use als: the first describes one past period, and the second one specific meeting. Oft makes the forgetting repeated; it does not change the time period into a wenn clause.
Die Freundin, die dir geholfen hat, ist das Mädchen, das wir in der Bibliothek getroffen haben.
The friend who helped you is the girl whom we met at the library.
Die is nominative because the friend did the helping. Das is accusative because we met the girl. Mädchen is grammatically neuter.
Wir werden mit einem hilfsbereiten Nachbarn bunte Plakate machen.
We will make colourful posters with a helpful neighbour.
Werden + machen forms Futur I. Mit takes the dative: einem hilfsbereiten Nachbarn. Without an article, the plural adjective in bunte Plakate ends in -e.
Während deine Notizen auf dem Schreibtisch liegen, kannst du die Bücher ins Regal stellen.
While your notes are lying on the desk, you can put the books onto the shelf.
Auf dem Schreibtisch describes a location and uses the dative. Ins Regal describes a destination and uses the accusative. German normally uses in for putting books on a shelving unit.
Sobald du mit deinem Plan fertig bist, werde ich ihn überprüfen, damit du ihn an deine Gruppe schicken kannst.
As soon as you finish your plan, I will check it so that you can send it to your group.
Sobald introduces the earliest point for the next action. Damit expresses purpose and allows a different subject: I check; you send.
Du hast jeden Abend geübt, um deine Präsentation zu verbessern, sodass du sicherer gesprochen hast.
You practised every evening to improve your presentation, with the result that you spoke more confidently.
Um ... zu gives the purpose of practising. Sodass introduces the actual result: speaking more confidently.
Solange dir die Herausforderung Spaß macht, kannst du versuchen, das Problem zu lösen, ohne aufzugeben.
As long as you enjoy the challenge, you can try to solve the problem without giving up.
Solange means 'as long as'. Versuchen is followed here by a zu-infinitive. With separable aufgeben, zu goes inside the verb: aufzugeben.
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
etwas schaffen
to manage something; to succeed at something
Du kannst das schaffen is a supportive way to say 'You can do it'.
die Materialien
materials; supplies
Useful for things needed for schoolwork or a project. The singular is das Material.
mitbringen
to bring along
A separable verb: du bringst mit, du brachtest mit, du hast mitgebracht.
hilfsbereit
helpful; willing to help
Describes someone who is ready to support others.
der Nachbar
the neighbour
The masculine noun adds -n outside the nominative singular: mit einem Nachbarn.
das Regal
shelf; shelving unit
Bücher ins Regal stellen means to put books on the shelf or into the shelving unit.
überprüfen
to check; to review
Use it when checking a plan or a piece of work for accuracy.
die Herausforderung
the challenge
Can describe a demanding task that offers a chance to learn.
aufgeben
to give up
In ohne aufzugeben, zu appears between the separable prefix auf- and geben.
Review: subordinate clauses and word order
With obwohl, während, sobald and solange, the conjugated verb goes at the end of the subordinate clause. If that clause comes first, the main clause begins with its conjugated verb.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Contrast: although | obwohl + subject + ... + verb | Obwohl das Projekt schwierig war, hast du es geschafft. |
| Simultaneous actions: while | während + subject + ... + verb | Während du schreibst, suche ich die Bücher. |
| Immediate sequence: as soon as | sobald + subject + ... + verb | Sobald du fertig bist, helfe ich dir. |
| Duration or condition: as long as | solange + subject + ... + verb | Solange du Spaß daran hast, kannst du weitermachen. |
Review: familiar Präteritum forms
Dachte and wusste are common in everyday accounts of the past. Brachte is the Präteritum of bringen; in conversation, hat gebracht is also common. A separable prefix goes at the end of a simple main clause.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| denken | ich dachte; du dachtest | Ich dachte, dass das Projekt schwierig war. |
| wissen | ich wusste; du wusstest | Ich wusste, dass du es schaffen konntest. |
| bringen / mitbringen | ich brachte; du brachtest | Du brachtest alles mit. |
Review: wenn versus als in the past
Use als for one past event or one past period. Use wenn for repeated occasions, meaning 'whenever'. Repeated actions can still happen within a single period introduced by als.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| One past period | als + past situation | Als du jünger warst, hast du oft deine Materialien vergessen. |
| One past event | als + specific past event | Als sich deine Gruppe gestern getroffen hat, hattest du alles dabei. |
| Repeated past occasions | (immer) wenn + repeated past situation | Immer wenn sich deine Gruppe traf, brachtest du deine Notizen mit. |
Review: nominative and accusative relative clauses
A relative pronoun matches the noun's gender and number. Its case depends on its role inside the relative clause: nominative for the subject, accusative for the direct object. The conjugated verb goes at the end.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | der / die / das / die | Die Freundin, die dir geholfen hat, ist hier. |
| Accusative | den / die / das / die | Das Mädchen, das wir getroffen haben, ist hier. |
Review: Futur I
Form Futur I with a conjugated form of werden and an infinitive at the end. It can express a plan or promise. German also often uses the present tense when the future time is clear.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Future plan | subject + werden + ... + infinitive | Wir werden bunte Plakate machen. |
| Future main clause after a time clause | Sobald ..., werde ich + ... + infinitive. | Sobald du fertig bist, werde ich deinen Plan überprüfen. |
Review: adjective endings
After a dative article such as einem, the adjective ends in -en. Without an article, plural adjectives end in -e in the nominative and accusative, and -en in the dative.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Dative with an article | mit einem + adjective-en + noun | Wir arbeiten mit einem hilfsbereiten Nachbarn. |
| Article-free nominative plural | adjective-e + plural noun | Bunte Plakate hängen an der Wand. |
| Article-free accusative plural | adjective-e + plural noun | Wir machen bunte Plakate. |
| Article-free dative plural | mit + adjective-en + plural noun | Wir arbeiten mit bunten Stiften. |
Review: two-way prepositions
With two-way prepositions such as auf and in, use the dative for a location and the accusative for a destination. The distinction is location versus destination, not simply whether something moves.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Location: where? | auf + dative | Die Notizen liegen auf dem Schreibtisch. |
| Destination: where to? | in + accusative; in das = ins | Du stellst die Bücher ins Regal. |
Review: purpose and result
Damit expresses purpose and can connect clauses with different subjects. Um ... zu also expresses purpose, normally with the same person doing both actions. Sodass describes a result rather than an intention.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose with a full clause | damit + subject + ... + conjugated verb | Ich überprüfe den Plan, damit du ihn schicken kannst. |
| Purpose with an infinitive | um + ... + zu + infinitive | Du übst, um deine Präsentation zu verbessern. |
| Result | sodass + subject + ... + conjugated verb | Du hast viel geübt, sodass du sicherer gesprochen hast. |
Review: dependent infinitives and ohne ... zu
Versuchen can introduce a zu-infinitive describing what someone tries to do. Ohne ... zu means 'without doing' and normally shares its understood subject with the main clause. Use a comma before ohne ... zu.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Trying to do something | versuchen, ... zu + infinitive | Du kannst versuchen, das Problem zu lösen. |
| Without doing something | ohne ... zu + infinitive | Du arbeitest weiter, ohne aufzugeben. |
| Separable verb with zu | aufgeben → aufzugeben | Du versuchst, nicht aufzugeben. |
More examples
Obwohl du unsicher warst, hast du es allein geschafft.
Although you were unsure, you managed it on your own.
A supportive way to recognise independent effort.
Immer wenn wir zusammen übten, brachtest du neue Ideen mit.
Whenever we practised together, you brought along new ideas.
Wenn marks repeated past occasions; brachtest reviews the Präteritum of mitbringen.
Wir werden mit bunten Stiften arbeiten, um das Plakat zu gestalten.
We will work with colourful pens to design the poster.
Combines Futur I, article-free dative plural endings and um ... zu for purpose.