German · A2 · Family moment
Brush Wash Smile in German
Practise calm, everyday care routines together. Learn how to talk about brushing hair, drying faces, washing hands and brushing teeth using mir and dir.
What you'll learn
- Describe your own care routines with mir.
- Ask your child about care routines using dir.
- Give gentle instructions with reflexive verbs.
- Use definite articles with body parts instead of possessives.
German phrases for brush wash smile
Ich bürste mir die Haare, bevor ich dich zur Schule bringe.
I brush my hair before the school run.
Bevor ich dich zur Schule bringe means “before I take you to school.” The verb bringe goes at the end of this clause.
Bürstest du dir nach dem Schwimmen die Haare?
Do you brush your hair after swimming?
Start a yes/no question with the verb. Nach dem Schwimmen means “after swimming.”
Ich trockne mir das Gesicht mit einem kleinen Handtuch ab.
I dry my face with a small towel.
Abtrocknen is separable: trockne comes near the start, and ab goes at the end.
Bitte trockne dir nach dem Waschen das Gesicht ab.
Please dry your face after washing.
Use trockne dir ... ab for a direct instruction to one child. Bitte makes it polite.
Ich wasche mir die Hände, bevor ich deine Brotdose packe.
I wash my hands before packing your lunchbox.
Mir shows whose hands are being washed. Die Hände is the accusative object.
Wäschst du dir vor dem Mittagessen die Hände?
Do you wash your hands before lunch?
Waschen changes its vowel with du: du wäschst. Vor dem Mittagessen means “before lunch.”
Ich putze mir neben dir die Zähne.
I brush my teeth beside you.
German uses die Zähne putzen for “brush teeth.” Neben dir means “beside you.”
Bitte putze dir vorsichtig um den Wackelzahn herum die Zähne.
Please brush your teeth gently around the loose tooth.
Wackelzahn is a child-friendly word for a loose tooth. Vorsichtig means “gently” or “carefully” here.
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
sich die Haare bürsten
to brush one's hair
Use mir with ich and dir with du. German normally uses the plural die Haare here.
sich das Gesicht abtrocknen
to dry one's face
Das Gesicht means “face.” Abtrocknen is a separable verb.
sich die Hände waschen
to wash one's hands
One hand is die Hand; the plural is die Hände.
sich die Zähne putzen
to brush one's teeth
One tooth is der Zahn; the plural is die Zähne. Use putzen, not bürsten, for teeth.
das Handtuch
towel
Mit einem kleinen Handtuch means “with a small towel.” Mit takes the dative.
die Brotdose
lunchbox
A common word for a child's packed-lunch or snack box.
der Wackelzahn
loose tooth; wobbly tooth
Commonly used for a child's loose baby tooth.
vorsichtig
carefully; gently
Useful for encouraging gentle movements during care routines.
Mir and dir with body parts
In these care expressions, the body part is the accusative object: it is what you wash, brush or dry. The reflexive pronoun is dative: mir with ich, and dir with du. It refers back to the person doing the action.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Talking about yourself | ich + verb + mir + body part | Ich wasche mir die Hände. — I wash my hands. |
| Talking to your child | du + verb + dir + body part | Du bürstest dir die Haare. — You brush your hair. |
| Body-part article | mir/dir + die Haare / das Gesicht / die Hände / die Zähne | Ich putze mir die Zähne. — I brush my teeth. |
Articles, questions and gentle instructions
German usually uses the definite article with body parts in this pattern, rather than “my” or “your.” For a yes/no question, put the verb first. For an instruction to one child, leave out du but keep dir.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Use the definite article | mir die Hände, rather than meine Hände | Ich wasche mir die Hände. — I wash my hands. |
| Ask a question | verb + du + dir + body part? | Putzt du dir die Zähne? — Do you brush your teeth? |
| Give a polite instruction | Bitte + imperative + dir + body part | Bitte bürste dir die Haare. — Please brush your hair. |
Useful verb patterns
Practise the vowel change in waschen and the separated prefix in abtrocknen. After bevor, the conjugated verb goes at the end of its clause.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Vowel change | ich wasche → du wäschst | Wäschst du dir die Hände? — Do you wash your hands? |
| Separable verb | abtrocknen → ich trockne ... ab | Ich trockne mir das Gesicht ab. — I dry my face. |
| Before another action | bevor + subject + ... + verb | Ich wasche mir die Hände, bevor ich deine Brotdose packe. — I wash my hands before packing your lunchbox. |
More examples
Ich bürste mir die Haare. Bürstest du dir auch die Haare?
I brush my hair. Do you brush your hair too?
Notice the switch from mir with ich to dir with du.
Bitte wasch dir die Hände.
Please wash your hands.
Wasch is a common singular imperative of waschen. Unlike du wäschst, it has no umlaut.
Bitte trockne dir die Hände mit einem Handtuch ab.
Please dry your hands with a towel.
The same dative pattern works when you change the body part from face to hands.