German · A1 · Family moment
Time to Unplug in German
Use gentle German phrases to help your child take a calm screen break. These phrases use informal du forms for speaking to one child.
What you'll learn
- Suggest shared activities with Lass uns …
- Make gentle requests with bitte.
- Use simple words for screen breaks and quiet activities.
German phrases for time to unplug
Lass uns eine Pause machen.
Let's take a break.
Eine Pause machen means “to take a break.”
Leg bitte dein Handy weg.
Please put your phone away.
Handy is the everyday German word for a mobile phone. Weg goes at the end.
Lass uns nach draußen gehen.
Let's go outside.
Nach draußen means “outside” when describing movement.
Setz dich bitte zu mir.
Please sit with me.
This gently invites your child to sit down beside you.
Lass uns etwas Wasser trinken.
Let's have some water.
German naturally uses trinken, “to drink,” here.
Klapp bitte deinen Laptop zu.
Please close your laptop.
Zuklappen means to close something by folding it shut, such as a laptop.
Lass uns zusammen lesen.
Let's read together.
Zusammen means “together.”
Ruh dich bitte kurz aus.
Please rest for a moment.
Kurz means “briefly” or “for a moment” here.
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 Pause
break
Use eine Pause machen for “to take a break.”
das Handy
mobile phone
German nouns begin with a capital letter.
draußen
outside
Use nach draußen with gehen: “to go outside.”
das Wasser
water
Etwas Wasser means “some water.”
der Laptop
laptop
As the direct object here, dein Laptop becomes deinen Laptop.
zusammen
together
Useful for inviting your child to share an activity.
sich ausruhen
to rest
When speaking directly to one child, say Ruh dich aus.
Making suggestions with “let's”
Use Lass uns … to suggest doing something together. Put the activity verb in its infinitive form at the end. Lass is used when addressing one child.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Pattern | Lass uns + other words + infinitive. | Lass uns eine Pause machen. |
| Shared activity | Lass uns + zusammen + infinitive. | Lass uns zusammen lesen. |
Gentle requests with bitte
For a request to one child, use the informal singular imperative without du. Adding bitte means “please” and helps soften the request. A warm tone also matters.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Simple request | Imperative + bitte + other words. | Leg bitte dein Handy weg. |
| Request with dich | Imperative + dich + bitte + other words. | Setz dich bitte zu mir. |
Verbs with separated parts
Some German verbs split in direct requests. The first part of the infinitive moves to the end of the sentence. Sich setzen and sich ausruhen also need dich when addressing one child.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| weglegen — to put away | Leg … weg. | Leg bitte dein Handy weg. |
| zuklappen — to close | Klapp … zu. | Klapp bitte deinen Laptop zu. |
| sich ausruhen — to rest | Ruh dich … aus. | Ruh dich bitte kurz aus. |
More examples
Lass uns eine Pause machen. Leg bitte dein Handy weg.
Let's take a break. Please put your phone away.
Start with a shared suggestion, then make a gentle request.
Setz dich bitte zu mir. Lass uns zusammen lesen.
Please sit with me. Let's read together.
Offer a calm activity to do together.
Lass uns etwas Wasser trinken. Ruh dich bitte kurz aus.
Let's have some water. Please rest for a moment.
Use these phrases for a quiet pause after a busy day.