German · A1 · Everyday language
Meet Your Friends in German
Use these simple German phrases to talk with your child about friends, teachers and belonging. Practise personal pronouns and sein, the German verb meaning “to be”.
What you'll learn
- Talk about familiar people at school.
- Use personal pronouns such as ich, du and wir.
- Match personal pronouns with the correct form of sein.
- Distinguish between speaking to one child and speaking to a group.
German phrases for meet your friends
Ich bin deine Mama.
I am your mum.
Mama is a warm, everyday word for “mum”.
Du bist sechs Jahre alt.
You are six.
German commonly includes Jahre alt, meaning “years old”, when giving someone's age.
Er ist dein Freund.
He is your friend.
Er means “he”. Use Freund for a male friend.
Sie ist deine Lehrerin.
She is your teacher.
Sie means “she” here. Lehrerin refers to a female teacher.
Du bist dran.
It is your turn.
This is the natural everyday expression. German uses du (“you”), not es (“it”), here.
Wir sind ein Team.
We are a team.
Wir means “we”. Team is a German noun too, so it starts with a capital letter.
Ihr seid alle willkommen.
You are all welcome.
Use ihr when speaking informally to several people, such as a group of children.
Sie sind deine Mitschülerinnen und Mitschüler.
They are your classmates.
Sie means “they” here. The two nouns explicitly include female and male classmates.
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 Freund / die Freundin
friend
Freund refers to a male friend; Freundin refers to a female friend.
die Lehrerin / der Lehrer
teacher
Lehrerin refers to a female teacher; Lehrer refers to a male teacher.
die Mitschülerin / der Mitschüler
classmate or fellow pupil
The plurals are Mitschülerinnen and Mitschüler.
dran sein
to have one's turn
Useful during games and classroom activities: Du bist dran.
willkommen
welcome
Use it to help someone feel included.
dein / deine
your
Use these when speaking informally to one person. In these phrases, use dein before a masculine noun and deine before a feminine or plural noun.
Personal pronouns with sein
Sein means “to be”. Its form changes with the subject, so learn each pronoun together with its verb form.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| I | ich bin | Ich bin deine Mama. |
| you — one person, informal | du bist | Du bist sechs Jahre alt. |
| he / she / it | er / sie / es ist | Er ist dein Freund. |
| we | wir sind | Wir sind ein Team. |
| you — several people, informal | ihr seid | Ihr seid alle willkommen. |
| they | sie sind | Sie sind deine Mitschülerinnen und Mitschüler. |
Understanding sie
Sie can mean “she” or “they”. The verb helps you tell them apart. At the start of a sentence, both are written with a capital S. Formal “you” is also Sie sind, but that is not the meaning in these phrases.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| she | sie ist | Sie ist deine Lehrerin. |
| they | sie sind | Sie sind deine Freunde. |
More examples
Ich bin dran.
It is my turn.
Change du bist to ich bin to talk about your own turn.
Sie ist deine Freundin.
She is your friend.
Use Freundin for a female friend.
Du bist willkommen.
You are welcome.
Said to one child to show they are welcome to join, not as a reply to “thank you”.