German · A1 · Everyday language
Find Your School Things in German
Help your child find school things using simple German sentences. Practise saying where things are: on, under, in, next to and behind.
What you'll learn
- Name common school belongings in German.
- Describe where things are using five location prepositions.
- Use simple dative forms after prepositions that describe location.
German phrases for find your school things
Dein Buch liegt auf dem Tisch.
Your book is on the table.
Auf means “on”. German often uses liegt for an object lying somewhere.
Dein Bleistift liegt unter dem Stuhl.
Your pencil is under the chair.
Unter means “under”. Der Stuhl becomes dem Stuhl here.
Deine Brotdose ist in deinem Schulranzen.
Your lunchbox is in your school bag.
In means “in”. Deinem means “your” in the masculine dative form.
Deine Flasche steht neben deiner Tasche.
Your bottle is next to your bag.
Neben means “next to”. Steht describes the bottle standing upright.
Deine Tasche steht hinter der Tür.
Your bag is behind the door.
Hinter means “behind”. Die Tür becomes der Tür here.
Dein Lineal liegt auf dem Schreibtisch.
Your ruler is on the desk.
Der Schreibtisch means “desk”; der Tisch means “table”.
Deine Schuhe stehen unter dem Bett.
Your shoes are under the bed.
Schuhe is plural, so use stehen rather than steht.
Dein Radiergummi liegt in deinem Mäppchen.
Your rubber is in your pencil case.
Radiergummi means “rubber” or “eraser”. Das Mäppchen becomes deinem Mäppchen with “your” 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
das Buch
book
Use dein Buch for “your book”.
der Bleistift
pencil
Specifically a graphite pencil; a coloured pencil is a Buntstift.
die Brotdose
lunchbox
A box for packed food or snacks.
der Schulranzen
school bag
Usually a structured school bag worn on the back.
die Flasche
bottle
Use deine Flasche for “your bottle”.
die Tasche
bag
A general word for a bag.
das Lineal
ruler
Use dein Lineal for “your ruler”.
der Schuh / die Schuhe
shoe / shoes
Use deine Schuhe for “your shoes”.
der Radiergummi
rubber; eraser
Use dein Radiergummi for “your rubber”.
das Mäppchen
pencil case
A common everyday word for a school pencil case.
Prepositions for location
To say where something is, use auf, unter, in, neben or hinter followed by the dative case. These sentences answer Wo? (“Where?”).
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| on | auf + dative | auf dem Tisch — on the table |
| under | unter + dative | unter dem Stuhl — under the chair |
| in | in + dative | in deinem Schulranzen — in your school bag |
| next to | neben + dative | neben deiner Tasche — next to your bag |
| behind | hinter + dative | hinter der Tür — behind the door |
Small word changes in the dative
Learn each noun with its article: der, die or das. For the locations here, masculine and neuter nouns use dem or deinem; feminine nouns use der or deiner. Dein is the informal singular “your”, used when speaking to one child.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Masculine: the / your | der → dem; dein → deinem | in deinem Schulranzen — in your school bag |
| Neuter: the / your | das → dem; dein → deinem | unter dem Bett — under the bed |
| Feminine: the / your | die → der; deine → deiner | neben deiner Tasche — next to your bag |
Saying where things are
German often describes an object's position more precisely than English: liegt means “is lying” and steht means “is standing”. Ist simply means “is”.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Lying | liegt | Dein Buch liegt auf dem Tisch. |
| Standing | steht | Deine Flasche steht neben deiner Tasche. |
| Plural standing | stehen | Deine Schuhe stehen unter dem Bett. |
| General location | ist | Deine Brotdose ist in deinem Schulranzen. |
More examples
Wo ist dein Buch?
Where is your book?
Use Wo ist …? to ask where one thing is.
Wo sind deine Schuhe?
Where are your shoes?
Use Wo sind …? for more than one thing.
Dein Bleistift liegt neben deinem Lineal.
Your pencil is next to your ruler.
Try placing two school things next to each other and describing them together.