German · A1 · Everyday language
Find Your Teddy in German
Find Your Teddy: Practise saying where familiar toys and everyday objects are. Learn the German words for on, under, in, next to and behind.
What you'll learn
- Describe where toys and objects are.
- Use auf, unter, in, neben and hinter for positions.
- Recognise simple dative forms such as dem, der and dir.
German phrases for find your teddy
Der Teddy ist auf der Matte.
Teddy is on the mat.
Auf means 'on'. For this location, die Matte becomes auf der Matte.
Der Ball ist unter dem Stuhl.
The ball is under the chair.
Unter means 'under'. Der Stuhl becomes unter dem Stuhl.
Die Rassel ist in der Kiste.
The rattle is in the box.
In means 'in'. Die Kiste becomes in der Kiste.
Der Teddy ist neben dir.
Teddy is next to you.
Neben means 'next to'. Dir is the dative form of du, used when speaking to one child.
Der Ball ist hinter der Kiste.
The ball is behind the box.
Hinter means 'behind'. Use der Kiste to describe this location.
Die Ente ist in der Badewanne.
The duck is in the bath.
Die Badewanne means 'the bathtub'. For this location, use in der Badewanne.
Das Buch ist auf meinem Schoß.
The book is on my lap.
Der Schoß means 'lap'. Mein becomes meinem after auf in this location phrase.
Die Tasse ist neben der Schüssel.
The cup is next to the bowl.
Die Schüssel becomes neben der Schüssel when saying where the cup is.
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
der Teddy
teddy bear
German usually includes the article: der Teddy.
die Matte
mat
Learn the noun together with its article, die.
der Ball
ball
German nouns start with a capital letter.
der Stuhl
chair
Under the chair is unter dem Stuhl.
die Rassel
rattle
A shaking toy for a baby.
die Kiste
box
A box or crate, such as one used to store toys.
die Ente
duck
Can refer to a real duck or a toy duck.
die Badewanne
bath; bathtub
The tub itself, not the bathroom.
das Buch
book
Learn the noun together with its article, das.
der Schoß
lap
On my lap is auf meinem Schoß.
die Tasse
cup
Usually a cup with a handle.
die Schüssel
bowl
Next to the bowl is neben der Schüssel.
Saying where something is
Use the pattern 'object + ist + location'. Ist means 'is'. These five prepositions take the dative case when they describe where something is.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| on | auf + dative | Der Teddy ist auf der Matte. |
| under | unter + dative | Der Ball ist unter dem Stuhl. |
| in | in + dative | Die Rassel ist in der Kiste. |
| next to | neben + dative | Der Teddy ist neben dir. |
| behind | hinter + dative | Der Ball ist hinter der Kiste. |
Useful dative changes
In these location phrases, the article or pronoun changes. The article naming the object at the start of the sentence stays unchanged. Learn the short location chunks together.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Masculine: the | der → dem | der Stuhl → unter dem Stuhl (under the chair) |
| Feminine: the | die → der | die Kiste → in der Kiste (in the box) |
| Neuter: the | das → dem | das Buch → neben dem Buch (next to the book) |
| My, with a masculine noun | mein → meinem | mein Schoß → auf meinem Schoß (on my lap) |
| You, speaking to one child | du → dir | neben dir (next to you) |
More examples
Wo ist der Teddy?
Where is Teddy?
Wo means 'where'. Use this question to start a toy-finding game.
Der Teddy ist hinter dem Stuhl.
Teddy is behind the chair.
Try a new hiding place using hinter.
Die Rassel ist neben dem Buch.
The rattle is next to the book.
Das Buch becomes dem Buch in this location phrase.