German · A1 · Family moment
Sleepy Little Snuggles in German
Use gentle German phrases to settle down together with cuddles, a book and a song. Learn how to make shared suggestions with the meaning “let’s.”
What you'll learn
- Suggest simple bedtime activities in German.
- Use Lass uns + infinitive to mean “let’s + verb.”
- Recognize another “let’s” pattern: verb + wir.
German phrases for sleepy little snuggles
Lass uns kuscheln.
Let's have a cuddle.
Kuscheln means to cuddle or snuggle. This is a warm, natural bedtime phrase.
Lass uns ein Buch lesen.
Let's read a book.
Ein Buch means “a book.” Lesen goes at the end.
Lass uns die Bilder anschauen.
Let's look at the pictures.
Die Bilder means “the pictures.” Anschauen means “to look at.”
Lass uns ein Lied singen.
Let's sing a song.
Ein Lied means “a song.”
Lass uns Gute Nacht sagen.
Let's say goodnight.
Gute Nacht is the usual expression for “goodnight.”
Lass uns die Vorhänge zuziehen.
Let's close the curtains.
Vorhänge are curtains. Zuziehen means to draw them closed.
Legen wir uns hin.
Let's lie down.
A natural alternative “let’s” pattern. Sich hinlegen means “to lie down”; with wir, use uns.
Ruhen wir uns jetzt aus.
Let's rest now.
Sich ausruhen means “to rest.” Jetzt means “now.”
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
kuscheln
to cuddle; to snuggle
Useful for cosy moments with your child.
das Buch
the book
Use ein Buch for “a book.”
das Bild / die Bilder
the picture / the pictures
Use die Bilder when looking at several pictures together.
das Lied
the song
Use ein Lied for “a song.”
Gute Nacht
goodnight
Say this when someone is going to bed.
der Vorhang / die Vorhänge
the curtain / the curtains
Zuziehen is the usual verb for drawing curtains closed.
Saying “let’s” with Lass uns
When speaking to one child, use Lass uns followed by an infinitive, the basic verb form. Put the infinitive at the end. Here, Lass uns means “let’s” and suggests doing something together.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Simple suggestion | Lass uns + infinitive. | Lass uns kuscheln. |
| With an object | Lass uns + object + infinitive. | Lass uns ein Buch lesen. |
| With a separable verb | Keep the infinitive together at the end. | Lass uns die Vorhänge zuziehen. |
Another “let’s” pattern: verb + wir
You can also put the verb before wir to suggest doing something together. For sich hinlegen and sich ausruhen, include uns. These verbs are separable: hin or aus moves to the end in this pattern.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Lie down | Legen + wir + uns + hin. | Legen wir uns hin. |
| Rest now | Ruhen + wir + uns + jetzt + aus. | Ruhen wir uns jetzt aus. |
More examples
Lass uns kuscheln und ein Buch lesen.
Let's have a cuddle and read a book.
Und means “and” and joins two activities.
Lass uns jetzt Gute Nacht sagen.
Let's say goodnight now.
Jetzt adds “now”; sagen stays at the end.