German · A2 · Everyday language
Thoughts About Baby in German
Talk gently to your baby about what you think, know and hope. Use dass (“that”) to connect these thoughts to a second clause, placing its finite verb at the end.
What you'll learn
- Use denken, wissen, hoffen and sagen to introduce thoughts and information.
- Build dass clauses with the finite verb at the end.
- Talk about your baby’s sleep, teething and growth.
German phrases for thoughts about baby
Ich denke, dass du müde bist.
I think that you are tired.
Bist moves to the end of the dass clause.
Ich denke, dass dein erster Zahn kommt.
I think that your first tooth is coming.
Dein erster Zahn means “your first tooth.” Kommt goes at the end.
Ich weiß, dass du dieses Lied magst.
I know that you like this song.
Use ich weiß for “I know.” Magst goes at the end of the dass clause.
Ich weiß, dass dein Fläschchen leer ist.
I know that your bottle is empty.
Fläschchen is a common word for a baby’s feeding bottle.
Ich hoffe, dass du heute Nacht gut schläfst.
I hope that you sleep well tonight.
Heute Nacht means “tonight.” Schlafen becomes du schläfst.
Ich hoffe, dass es deinem Zahnfleisch bald besser geht.
I hope that your gums feel better soon.
German uses the singular noun Zahnfleisch for “gums.” Es geht … besser expresses feeling or getting better.
Papa sagt, dass du ein Nickerchen gemacht hast.
Dad says that you have had a nap.
With the perfect tense, the finite helping verb hast goes last: gemacht hast.
Der Arzt sagt, dass du gut wächst.
The doctor says that you are growing well.
Wachsen becomes du wächst. For a female doctor, use die Ärztin.
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
müde
tired
Use with sein: Du bist müde means “You are tired.”
der Zahn
tooth
The plural is die Zähne.
das Fläschchen
baby bottle; small bottle
Words ending in -chen are neuter and use das.
das Zahnfleisch
gums
German treats this as a singular, uncountable noun.
ein Nickerchen machen
to have a nap
German uses machen (“to do/make”) in this expression.
wachsen
to grow
The vowel changes in du wächst: “you grow” or “you are growing.”
Introducing a dass clause
Use a main clause such as Ich denke, then a comma and dass. Unlike English “that,” dass cannot simply be left out while keeping this word order.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Thinking | Ich denke, dass … | Ich denke, dass du müde bist. |
| Knowing | Ich weiß, dass … | Ich weiß, dass du dieses Lied magst. |
| Hoping | Ich hoffe, dass … | Ich hoffe, dass du heute Nacht gut schläfst. |
| Reporting | Papa sagt, dass … | Papa sagt, dass du ein Nickerchen gemacht hast. |
Put the finite verb at the end
The finite verb is the verb form that agrees with the subject, such as bist, magst or hast. In a dass clause, it goes at the end. In the perfect tense, the past participle comes before the finite helping verb.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Simple statement | subject + finite verb + other information | Du bist müde. |
| Dass clause | dass + subject + other information + finite verb | Ich denke, dass du müde bist. |
| Perfect tense | dass + subject + other information + past participle + finite helping verb | Papa sagt, dass du ein Nickerchen gemacht hast. |
Saying that something feels better
Use es geht … besser to describe an improvement in how someone or a body part feels. The person or body part takes the dative case: dein Zahnfleisch becomes deinem Zahnfleisch.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Basic statement | Es geht + dative + besser. | Es geht deinem Zahnfleisch besser. |
| With a hope | Ich hoffe, dass es + dative + bald besser geht. | Ich hoffe, dass es deinem Zahnfleisch bald besser geht. |
More examples
Ich denke, dass du Hunger hast.
I think that you are hungry.
German uses Hunger haben, literally “to have hunger.” Hast goes last.
Ich hoffe, dass du bald schläfst.
I hope that you sleep soon.
Bald means “soon.” Schläfst goes at the end.
Mama sagt, dass dein Fläschchen leer ist.
Mum says that your bottle is empty.
The pattern stays the same when a different person is speaking.