German · A1 · Family moment
Our School Morning in German
Use these simple German sentences to connect with your child on the way to school. Practise common verbs in the present tense while talking about your morning routine.
What you'll learn
- Talk about getting ready and walking to school.
- Use ich (I), du (you) and wir (we) with common present-tense verbs.
- Notice the special form du siehst and the word order in Ich komme später wieder.
German phrases for our school morning
Ich trage deine Brotdose.
I carry your lunchbox.
Trage is the ich form of tragen (to carry). Deine means 'your' before the feminine noun Brotdose.
Du packst deine Schultasche.
You pack your school bag.
Use du when speaking to one child. Packst is the du form of packen (to pack).
Wir gehen zu Fuß zur Schule.
We walk to school.
Zu Fuß means 'on foot' and makes it clear that you are walking.
Du siehst deine Freunde.
You see your friends.
Sehen (to see) changes its vowel in the du form: du siehst.
Ich warte am Tor.
I wait at the gate.
Am Tor means 'at the gate'. Am is short for an dem.
Du lernst neue Wörter.
You learn new words.
Lernst is the du form of lernen (to learn). Wörter is the plural of Wort (word).
Wir sagen Tschüss.
We say goodbye.
Tschüss is a friendly, everyday way to say goodbye.
Ich komme später wieder.
I come back later.
Wiederkommen means 'to come back'. In this sentence, wieder goes at the end.
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
die Brotdose
lunchbox
A box for sandwiches or snacks. Plural: die Brotdosen.
die Schultasche
school bag
Plural: die Schultaschen.
zu Fuß
on foot
Use gehen with zu Fuß to say 'walk'.
zur Schule
to school
Zur is short for zu der.
die Freunde
friends
Used for male friends or a mixed group. For an all-female group, use die Freundinnen.
das Tor
gate
Am Tor means 'at the gate'.
das Wort
word
Use the plural Wörter for individual words you learn.
später
later
Use it to talk about something happening after now.
Present-tense verb endings
For most verbs, remove -en to find the stem, then add an ending. Use -e with ich, -st with du and -en with wir.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| ich — I | stem + -e | Ich packe deine Schultasche. |
| du — you | stem + -st | Du packst deine Schultasche. |
| wir — we | stem + -en | Wir packen deine Schultasche. |
Common verbs with vowel changes
Some common verbs change their stem vowel with du. Learn these forms as small chunks. The ich and wir forms keep the original vowel.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| sehen — to see | ich sehe · du siehst · wir sehen | Du siehst deine Freunde. |
| tragen — to carry | ich trage · du trägst · wir tragen | Ich trage deine Brotdose. |
Simple sentence order
In these statements, the subject comes first and the conjugated verb comes second. With the separable verb wiederkommen, wieder moves to the end.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Simple statement | subject + verb + other information | Du lernst neue Wörter. |
| Separable verb | subject + komme/kommst/kommen + other information + wieder | Ich komme später wieder. |
One German tense, several English uses
The German present tense can describe a routine or something happening now. With a time word such as später, it can also describe a future plan.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Routine or happening now | ich warte | Ich warte am Tor. — I wait / I am waiting at the gate. |
| Future plan | present tense + später | Ich komme später wieder. — I'll come back later. |
More examples
Wir tragen deine Schultasche.
We carry your school bag.
With wir, use tragen without a vowel change.
Ich sehe deine Freunde.
I see your friends.
Compare ich sehe with du siehst.
Wir warten am Tor.
We wait at the gate.
The wir form is warten.