German · A1 · Everyday language
Pocket Money Count in German
Count pocket money and little treasures together using German numbers from one to ten and common plural forms.
What you'll learn
- Count objects from one to ten.
- Use singular nouns for one object and plural nouns for two or more.
- Say what your child has with “Du hast …”.
- Point out objects with “Hier sind …”.
German phrases for pocket money count
Du hast eine Münze.
You have one coin.
Use “du” when speaking to one child. “Eine Münze” means “one coin” or “a coin”.
Hier sind zwei Münzen.
Here are two coins.
“Hier sind” means “here are”. The plural of “Münze” is “Münzen”.
Du hast drei Aufkleber.
You have three stickers.
“Aufkleber” has the same form in the singular and plural.
Hier sind vier Bleistifte.
Here are four pencils.
Add “-e” to “Bleistift” to make the plural: “Bleistifte”.
Du hast fünf Karten.
You have five cards.
The plural of “Karte” is “Karten”. Keep the two dots in “fünf”.
Hier sind sechs Murmeln.
Here are six marbles.
The plural of “Murmel” is “Murmeln”.
Du hast sieben Perlen und acht Knöpfe.
You have seven beads and eight buttons.
“Und” means “and”. “Knopf” becomes “Knöpfe”: add “-e” and change “o” to “ö”.
Hier sind neun Muscheln und zehn Steine.
Here are nine shells and ten stones.
The plurals are “Muscheln” and “Steine”. Each number comes before its noun.
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 Münze
coin
Plural: die Münzen.
der Aufkleber
sticker
Plural: die Aufkleber. The noun does not change.
der Bleistift
pencil
Plural: die Bleistifte.
die Karte
card
Plural: die Karten.
die Murmel
marble
Plural: die Murmeln. This means a small ball used for playing.
die Perle
bead
Plural: die Perlen. “Perle” can also mean “pearl”.
der Knopf
button
Plural: die Knöpfe.
die Muschel
shell
Plural: die Muscheln. Use this for a seashell.
der Stein
stone
Plural: die Steine.
Numbers before nouns
When counting aloud, one is “eins”. Before a noun, its form depends on the noun's gender and role in the sentence. With “Münze”, use “eine”. Numbers two to ten do not change.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Counting aloud | eins, zwei, drei, vier, fünf, sechs, sieben, acht, neun, zehn | eins, zwei, drei |
| One coin | eine + singular noun | eine Münze |
| Two or more coins | number + plural noun | zwei Münzen |
Making plurals
German has several plural patterns, so learn each noun with its plural. All plural nouns use “die” as their dictionary article, but no article is needed in these number phrases. German nouns always start with a capital letter.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Add -n | Münze → Münzen | zwei Münzen |
| Add -e | Stein → Steine | zehn Steine |
| Change the vowel and add -e | Knopf → Knöpfe | acht Knöpfe |
| No change | Aufkleber → Aufkleber | drei Aufkleber |
Two useful sentence patterns
Use “Du hast …” to say what one child has. Use “Hier sind …” to show two or more objects. For just one object, use “Hier ist …”.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| You have | Du hast + objects | Du hast fünf Karten. |
| Here are | Hier sind + plural noun phrase | Hier sind sechs Murmeln. |
| Here is | Hier ist + singular noun phrase | Hier ist eine Münze. |
More examples
Hier ist eine Münze.
Here is one coin.
Use “ist” for one object.
Du hast zwei Münzen und drei Aufkleber.
You have two coins and three stickers.
Join two groups of objects with “und”.