German · A1 · Family moment
Quiet time and naps in German
Gentle German phrases for quiet time, naps and cuddles. Use these with one child in a familiar setting.
What you'll learn
- Introduce quiet time and offer comfort.
- Give gentle instructions using familiar du forms.
- Make a shared suggestion using German for “let’s.”
- Ask whether your child slept well.
German phrases for quiet time and naps
Jetzt ist Ruhezeit.
It is quiet time.
Literally, “Now it is quiet time.”
Leg dich bitte hin.
Lie down, please.
A familiar instruction to one child. Bitte means “please.”
Mach deine Augen zu.
Close your eyes.
A natural everyday instruction. Use a gentle tone.
Hier ist dein Teddy.
Here is your teddy.
Dein means “your” when speaking to one child.
Psst, das Baby schläft.
Shh, the baby is sleeping.
Schläft means “sleeps” or “is sleeping.”
Hast du gut geschlafen?
Did you sleep well?
A common question after a nap or a night's sleep.
Du kannst leise lesen.
You can read quietly.
Leise means “quietly,” with little or no sound.
Lass uns kuscheln.
Let's cuddle.
Lass uns introduces something you suggest doing together.
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 Ruhezeit
quiet time; rest period
Plural: die Ruhezeiten.
sich hinlegen
to lie down
For one child: Leg dich hin.
das Auge
eye
Plural: die Augen.
der Teddy
teddy bear
Plural: die Teddys.
das Baby
baby
Plural: die Babys.
schlafen
to sleep
With das Baby, use schläft. The past participle is geschlafen.
leise
quiet; quietly
Use it for activities done with little or no sound.
lesen
to read
After kannst, use the basic form lesen.
kuscheln
to cuddle
A warm, informal word for cuddling.
Gentle instructions
When giving an instruction to one child, use the familiar singular imperative without du. Bitte and a warm tone make it gentler. With separable verbs, the prefix goes at the end.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Lie down | sich hinlegen → Leg dich … hin. | Leg dich bitte hin. |
| Close | zumachen → Mach … zu. | Mach deine Augen zu. |
Saying “let’s”
Use Lass uns followed by the basic verb form to suggest doing something together when speaking to one child.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Shared suggestion | Lass uns + infinitive | Lass uns kuscheln. |
Saying “you can”
Du kannst can express ability or permission. Put the activity verb in its basic form at the end.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Quiet activity | Du kannst + … + infinitive | Du kannst leise lesen. |
Asking about sleep
Learn Hast du gut geschlafen? as a useful whole phrase. It uses the conversational past tense. In this yes/no question, hast comes before du.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Past-tense question | Hast du + … + geschlafen? | Hast du gut geschlafen? |
More examples
Jetzt ist Ruhezeit. Leg dich bitte hin.
It is quiet time. Lie down, please.
Gently introduce the rest period.
Hier ist dein Teddy. Mach deine Augen zu.
Here is your teddy. Close your eyes.
Offer comfort before settling down.
Psst, das Baby schläft. Du kannst leise lesen.
Shh, the baby is sleeping. You can read quietly.
Offer a quiet activity while the baby sleeps.