German · A2 · Family moment
Before We Cross in German
Use these reassuring phrases to build safe habits on the journey to school and back. Practise bevor (“before”) to explain what needs to happen before another action.
What you'll learn
- Give a child clear, friendly safety instructions.
- Use bevor to link an instruction with a later action.
- Place the verb at the end of a bevor clause.
- Recognise common words for walking, cycling and taking the bus.
German phrases for before we cross
Halte meine Hand, bevor wir die Straße überqueren.
Hold my hand before we cross the road.
Use wir (“we”) for an action you and your child do together. Überqueren goes at the end of the bevor clause.
Schau nach links und rechts, bevor du auf die Straße gehst.
Look both ways before you step onto the road.
Nach links und rechts means “to the left and right,” a natural way to express “both ways” here.
Warte auf Grün, bevor du die Straße überquerst.
Wait for the green light before you cross.
Auf Grün warten is a common way to say “wait for the green light.”
Setz deinen Helm auf, bevor du zur Schule fährst.
Put on your helmet before you ride to school.
Aufsetzen means “to put on” a helmet or hat. In this instruction, it separates: Setz … auf.
Prüfe deine Bremsen, bevor du das Haus verlässt.
Check your brakes before you leave home.
Deine Bremsen means “your brakes.” Verlässt is the du form of verlassen (“to leave”).
Warte, bis der Bus steht, bevor du einsteigst.
Wait until the bus stops before you get on.
Bis der Bus steht means “until the bus is stationary.” Einsteigen means “to get on” or “to board.”
Schau, ob Fahrräder kommen, bevor du die Autotür öffnest.
Look for bikes before you open the car door.
Schau, ob Fahrräder kommen naturally means “check whether bikes are coming.”
Sag mir Bescheid, bevor du mit einem Freund oder einer Freundin nach Hause gehst.
Tell me before you walk home with a friend.
Sag mir Bescheid means “let me know.” Einem Freund and einer Freundin refer to a male and a female friend respectively.
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 Straße überqueren
to cross the road
Die Straße means “the road” or “the street.”
auf etwas warten
to wait for something
German uses auf for “for” in this expression: Warte auf Grün.
der Helm
helmet
As the object of aufsetzen, der Helm becomes den Helm: Setz den Helm auf.
die Bremse; die Bremsen
brake; brakes
Use the plural when talking about checking a bicycle’s brakes.
einsteigen
to get on; to get in
Use this for boarding a bus or train, or getting into a car.
die Autotür
car door
A compound made from Auto (“car”) and Tür (“door”).
Bescheid sagen
to let someone know
Sag mir Bescheid is a useful everyday instruction meaning “let me know.”
zur Schule; nach Hause
to school; home
These expressions show a destination. Zu Hause means “at home.”
Using bevor: before another action
Bevor introduces a subordinate clause describing the later action. Put a comma before bevor and place the conjugated verb at the end of its clause.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Pattern | Instruction + comma + bevor + subject + other words + verb | Halte meine Hand, bevor wir die Straße überqueren. |
| With du | bevor + du + … + du-form of the verb | Warte auf Grün, bevor du die Straße überquerst. |
| With wir | bevor + wir + … + wir-form of the verb | Schau nach links und rechts, bevor wir losgehen. |
Separable verbs in instructions and bevor clauses
In a direct instruction, a separable prefix goes at the end. In a bevor clause, the prefix stays attached to the verb, and the whole verb goes at the end.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Direct instruction | Steig + … + ein. | Steig bitte ein. |
| Subordinate clause | bevor + du + … + einsteigst | Warte, bis der Bus steht, bevor du einsteigst. |
Bis and bevor
Bis means “until”: it tells you how long to wait. Bevor means “before”: it introduces the action that follows. Both put the conjugated verb at the end of their clause.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Until | bis + subject + … + verb | Warte, bis der Bus steht. |
| Before | bevor + subject + … + verb | Warte, bevor du einsteigst. |
More examples
Schau nach links und rechts, bevor wir die Straße überqueren.
Look both ways before we cross the road.
Changing du to wir makes crossing a shared action.
Prüfe deine Bremsen, bevor du zur Schule fährst.
Check your brakes before you ride to school.
The instruction comes first; the ride happens afterwards.
Sag mir bitte Bescheid, bevor du nach Hause gehst.
Please let me know before you walk home.
Bitte adds “please” without changing the verb-final pattern after bevor.