German · B1 · Family moment
Care Happening Around You in German
Use the German present process passive to describe the care happening around your baby. Build it with a present-tense form of werden plus Partizip II (past participle). This puts the baby, or the thing being cared for, at the centre of the sentence.
What you'll learn
- Describe everyday care using werden plus a past participle.
- Choose wird, wirst or werden to match the subject.
- Distinguish the present process passive from Futur I.
- Use bevor to explain when care happens.
German phrases for care happening around you
Dein Fläschchen wird in der Küche gereinigt.
Your bottle is being cleaned in the kitchen.
Fläschchen is a common, affectionate word for a baby's bottle. Wird … gereinigt focuses on the cleaning.
Deine Windel wird vor unserem Spaziergang gewechselt.
Your nappy is being changed before our walk.
Eine Windel wechseln means to change a nappy. Vor unserem Spaziergang means before our walk.
Das Badewasser wird überprüft, bevor du in die Wanne kommst.
The bath water is being checked before you get in.
Bevor introduces a clause with the conjugated verb at the end: bevor du … kommst.
Dein Mittagessen wird mit einer Gabel zerdrückt.
Your lunch is being mashed with a fork.
Zerdrücken describes mashing or crushing food. Mit einer Gabel names the tool being used.
Deine sauberen Sachen werden in die Schublade gelegt.
Your clean clothes are being put in the drawer.
Sachen is an everyday word for clothes here. The plural subject takes werden.
Der Kinderwagen wird neben der Tür zusammengeklappt.
The pram is being folded beside the door.
Zusammenklappen means to fold up. Neben der Tür tells us where the folding happens.
Du wirst bei deiner Vorsorgeuntersuchung gewogen.
You are being weighed at your check-up.
With du, use wirst. Gewogen is the irregular past participle of wiegen, to weigh.
Dein Schlaflied wird ganz leise gesungen.
Your bedtime song is being sung very softly.
Schlaflied means lullaby or bedtime song. Ganz leise means very softly or very quietly.
Hear these phrases and practise them
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Try it free for 7 daysKey words
das Fläschchen
baby bottle; little bottle
Nouns ending in -chen are always neuter: das Fläschchen.
die Windel
nappy; diaper
The usual expression is die Windel wechseln.
das Badewasser
bath water
Überprüfen means to check; here this can include checking the water's temperature.
zerdrücken
to mash; to crush
Its past participle is zerdrückt, without ge-, because zer- is an inseparable prefix.
die Schublade
drawer
In die Schublade legen means to put something into the drawer.
der Kinderwagen
pram; baby carriage
Zusammenklappen describes folding it up.
die Vorsorgeuntersuchung
routine preventive check-up
For a baby, this commonly refers to a scheduled health and development check.
das Schlaflied
lullaby; bedtime song
Use singen for singing a song; its past participle is gesungen.
Present process passive: werden + Partizip II
The process passive describes what is being done to someone or something. In a main statement, the conjugated form of werden is in second position and the past participle goes at the end. German has no separate progressive tense: context tells us whether an action is happening now or regularly.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Singular subject | singular noun + wird + … + past participle | Deine Windel wird gewechselt. |
| Addressing your baby | du + wirst + … + past participle | Du wirst gewogen. |
| Plural subject | plural noun + werden + … + past participle | Deine Sachen werden in die Schublade gelegt. |
Focus on the care, not the carer
The person doing the action can be left out. To name that person, use von plus the dative.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Active: who does it | carer + action + object | Papa reinigt dein Fläschchen. |
| Passive: what receives the care | subject + wird + past participle | Dein Fläschchen wird gereinigt. |
| Optional carer | von + dative | Dein Fläschchen wird von Papa gereinigt. |
Present passive versus Futur I
Werden does not always signal the future. Werden plus a past participle forms the present process passive. Werden plus an infinitive forms Futur I.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Present passive | wird + gesungen (past participle) | Dein Schlaflied wird gesungen. — Your bedtime song is being sung. |
| Futur I | wird + singen (infinitive) | Papa wird dein Schlaflied singen. — Dad will sing your bedtime song. |
Saying before
Use vor plus the dative before a noun. Use bevor before a clause, placing its conjugated verb at the end. Separate the clauses with a comma.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Before an event | vor + dative noun phrase | Deine Windel wird vor unserem Spaziergang gewechselt. |
| Before something happens | bevor + subject + … + conjugated verb | Das Badewasser wird überprüft, bevor du in die Wanne kommst. |
More examples
Dein Fläschchen wird gerade gereinigt.
Your bottle is being cleaned right now.
Gerade makes it explicit that the action is happening now.
Deine Windel wird gewechselt, bevor wir spazieren gehen.
Your nappy is being changed before we go for a walk.
In the bevor clause, the conjugated verb gehen comes last.
Dein Schlaflied wird von Mama gesungen.
Your bedtime song is being sung by Mum.
Von Mama adds who is singing without changing the passive structure.