German · B1 · Family moment
Skills Grow Slowly in German
Help your child practise favourite hobbies in small, manageable steps. Use indem clauses to explain how an action is achieved: indem often means “by doing something.”
What you'll learn
- Explain how a technique helps using indem.
- Place the finite verb at the end of an indem clause.
- Use encouraging language about practice, confidence and teamwork.
German phrases for skills grow slowly
Du verbesserst dein Gleichgewicht, indem du geradeaus schaust.
You improve your balance by looking straight ahead.
Geradeaus means “straight ahead.” The finite verb schaust comes at the end of the indem clause.
Du lernst das Lied, indem du immer nur einen kurzen Abschnitt auf einmal übst.
You learn the song by practising one short section at a time.
Immer nur einen kurzen Abschnitt auf einmal expresses practising just one short section at a time.
Du machst deinen Vortrag verständlicher, indem du langsam sprichst.
You make your presentation clearer by speaking slowly.
Verständlicher means “easier to understand.” Sprechen changes to sprichst with du.
Du merkst dir die Regeln, indem du sie jemand anderem erklärst.
You remember the rules by explaining them to someone else.
Sich etwas merken means “to remember something.” Sie refers back to die Regeln.
Du hältst dein Fahrrad verkehrssicher, indem du regelmäßig die Bremsen überprüfst.
You keep your bike safe by checking the brakes regularly.
Verkehrssicher means “safe to use in traffic.” This describes the bike’s condition, not protection against theft.
Du löst schwierige Rätsel, indem du verschiedene Lösungswege ausprobierst.
You solve difficult puzzles by trying different approaches.
Lösungswege are different ways of solving a problem. Ausprobierst stays together at the end of the clause.
Du stärkst dein Selbstvertrauen, indem du dir kleine Ziele setzt.
You build your confidence by setting yourself small goals.
Dir means “yourself” here: du setzt dir Ziele means “you set yourself goals.”
Du hilfst deinem Team, indem du dir die Ideen von allen anhörst.
You help your team by listening to everyone's ideas.
Helfen takes the dative: deinem Team. Sich Ideen anhören means listening to or hearing out ideas.
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
das Gleichgewicht
balance
Use dein Gleichgewicht verbessern for “improve your balance.”
der Abschnitt
section
A manageable part of a song, text or other longer work.
regelmäßig
regularly
Describes something you do repeatedly as a habit.
ausprobieren
to try out
A separable verb: du probierst aus, but indem du ausprobierst.
das Selbstvertrauen
self-confidence
Selbstvertrauen stärken means “to build confidence.”
das Ziel
goal
Plural: die Ziele. Kleine Ziele are small, achievable targets.
Explain how with indem
An indem clause explains the method used to achieve the main action. English often uses “by” plus an -ing form; German uses indem plus a subject and a finite verb.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Result or main action | Main clause | Du verbesserst dein Gleichgewicht. |
| Method | indem + subject + other information + finite verb | indem du geradeaus schaust |
Comma and verb-final order
Separate the indem clause from the main clause with a comma. Put its finite verb at the end. Separable verbs stay together in this position.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Simple verb | indem du … übst | Du lernst das Lied, indem du einen kurzen Abschnitt übst. |
| Separable verb | indem du … ausprobierst | Du löst das Rätsel, indem du verschiedene Lösungswege ausprobierst. |
Putting the method first
You can start with the indem clause. The main clause then begins with its finite verb, followed by its subject.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Method first | Indem + subject + … + verb, main verb + subject + … | Indem du langsam sprichst, machst du deinen Vortrag verständlicher. |
More examples
Du lernst den Tanz, indem du jeden Schritt langsam übst.
You learn the dance by practising each step slowly.
The indem clause names a practical learning technique.
Indem du jeden Tag ein bisschen übst, wirst du sicherer.
By practising a little every day, you become more confident.
With the indem clause first, the main clause starts with wirst du.