Lesson 1 · German A1-2

Greetings & Introducing Yourself

Begrüßung und sich vorstellen

This is the single most-used skill in German: greeting someone and saying who you are. It is also, word for word, the first thing examiners ask in the Sprechen (speaking) part of the Goethe A1 and telc A1 exams - and the first thing you will do at every Anmeldung appointment, apartment viewing, and doctor's office in Germany.

Today's win: by the end of this lesson you can greet someone, say your name, say where you're from, and ask the same back - in both the formal and informal register.

The one grammar rule you need today: du vs. Sie

German has two words for "you," and picking the wrong one is one of the most common beginner mistakes:

When in doubt in real life (and always on the exam), use Sie. Germans will tell you if they'd rather you switch to du.

The verb: sein (to be)

You only need two forms today:

ichbinIch bin Anna.
SiesindSind Sie Herr Schmidt?

Full reference: Glossary - sein present tense.

Formal introduction

A: Guten Tag! Wie heißen Sie?
B: Ich heiße Nok. Und wie heißen Sie?
A: Ich heiße Peter Schmidt. Woher kommen Sie?
B: Ich komme aus Thailand. Und Sie?
A: Ich komme aus Deutschland.

Informal introduction

A: Hallo! Wie heißt du?
B: Ich heiße Nok. Und du?
A: Ich heiße Max. Woher kommst du?
B: Ich komme aus Thailand.

Notice the pattern: heißt (du) becomes heißen (Sie), and kommst (du) becomes kommen (Sie). This -st/-en swap is the same for almost every regular verb - you'll meet it again in Lesson 2.

Try it out loud: before the quiz, say your own formal introduction (Guten Tag, Ich heiße ..., Ich komme aus ...) out loud once. Speaking it, even alone, is what makes it stick - this is exactly what the Sprechen exam asks for.

Quick recall check

Fill in each blank from memory before revealing the answer. No peeking at the dialogues above first - that's the point.

1. Formal "How are you?" - Wie geht es ______?

Show answer
Ihnen

2. Informal "What's your name?" - Wie heißt ______?

Show answer
du

3. "I come from ..." - Ich ______ aus ...

Show answer
komme

4. Formal "Are you Mr. Schmidt?" - ______ Sie Herr Schmidt?

Show answer
Sind

5. "My name is ..." - Ich ______ ...

Show answer
heiße

Primary source

Vocabulary and register (du/Sie) cross-checked against the official Goethe-Zertifikat A1 Wortliste. For the exam format this dialogue prepares you for, see the official Goethe A1 Modellsatz, Sprechen Teil 1 ("sich vorstellen").

Something unclear, or want to practice a live back-and-forth introduction? Ask your teaching agent - it can role-play the dialogue with you right now.

Glossary Lesson 2 →