German for Beginners Grade 3 · Unit 1
🛠️ DIE GRAMMATIK-WERKSTATT | Grammar Workshop
🇩🇪 German for Beginners — Grade 3 · Unit 1
📘 Theme: “Hallo! Wie heißt du?” (Hello! What’s your name?)
💡 Teacher’s Note: At the Grade 3 level, grammar structures should not be memorized as formulas. Greetings, introductions, and question-answer patterns should be introduced through color coding, rhythmic chants, and role-play activities.
🎯 Unit 1 — Learning Objectives
By the end of Unit 1, students will be able to:
- Greet people at different times of the day
- Introduce themselves (name, age, where they live)
- Ask and answer “How are you?” using mir/dir
- Count from 1 to 20 in German
- Say the German alphabet and spell simple names
- Respond to classroom instructions with actions
- Recognize the sounds of ei, ß, sch, w, ch
🌅 A) Greetings by Time of Day
In German, the endings of greeting words change depending on the gender (article) of the time of day.
🔵 For times of day with the article der (Guten…) ➔ The word ends in “-en”.
- der Morgen ➔ Guten Morgen! (Good morning!)
- der Tag ➔ Guten Tag! (Good day!)
- der Abend ➔ Guten Abend! (Good evening!)
🔴 For times of day with the article die (Gute…) ➔ The word ends in “-e”.
- die Nacht ➔ Gute Nacht! (Good night!)
❓ B) Asking “How Are You?” — The Dative Effect
In German, the question “How are you?” is built using the Dative case. This is why the words for “me” and “you” change form into mir and dir.
🔹 dir [deer] (to you) ➔ Wie geht es dir? (How are you?)
🔹 mir [meer] (to me) ➔ Mir geht es gut. (I’m fine.)
🔹 dir [deer] (to you) ➔ Und dir? (And you?)
🆕 C) Introducing Yourself — Sich vorstellen
The most important questions in Unit 1:
❓ Wie heißt du? [vee hice-t doo?] ➔ What is your name?
✅ Ich heiße … [ish hice-uh …] ➔ My name is …
❓ Wie alt bist du? [vee alt bist doo?] ➔ How old are you?
✅ Ich bin … Jahre alt. [ish bin … yah-reh alt] ➔ I am … years old.
❓ Woher kommst du? [vo-hair komst doo?] ➔ Where are you from?
✅ Ich komme aus … [ish kom-meh ouss …] ➔ I come from …
❓ Wo wohnst du? [vo vonst doo?] ➔ Where do you live?
✅ Ich wohne in … [ish vo-neh in …] ➔ I live in …
🔢 D) Numbers 1–20 — Die Zahlen
| Number | German | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | eins | [ines] |
| 2 | zwei | [tsvai] |
| 3 | drei | [dry] |
| 4 | vier | [feer] |
| 5 | fünf | [fuenf] |
| 6 | sechs | [zeks] |
| 7 | sieben | [zee-ben] |
| 8 | acht | [ahkht] |
| 9 | neun | [noyn] |
| 10 | zehn | [tsayn] |
| 11 | elf | [elf] |
| 12 | zwölf | [tsvulf] |
| 13 | dreizehn | [dry-tsayn] |
| 14 | vierzehn | [feer-tsayn] |
| 15 | fünfzehn | [fuenf-tsayn] |
| 16 | sechzehn | [zeks-tsayn] |
| 17 | siebzehn | [zeep-tsayn] |
| 18 | achtzehn | [ahkht-tsayn] |
| 19 | neunzehn | [noyn-tsayn] |
| 20 | zwanzig | [tsvan-tsikh] |
🔤 E) The German Alphabet — Das Alphabet
| Letter | Pronunciation | Letter | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | [ah] | N | [en] |
| B | [beh] | O | [oh] |
| C | [tseh] | P | [peh] |
| D | [deh] | Q | [koo] |
| E | [eh] | R | [er] |
| F | [ef] | S | [es] |
| G | [geh] | T | [teh] |
| H | [hah] | U | [oo] |
| I | [ee] | V | [fow] |
| J | [yot] | W | [veh] |
| K | [kah] | X | [iks] |
| L | [el] | Y | [uep-si-lon] |
| M | [em] | Z | [tset] |
➕ Extra letters: Ä [eh] · Ö [uh] · Ü [ue] · ß [es-tset]
🗣️ PHONETIK-ECKE | Phonetics and Sound Lab
To help children pronounce words correctly, the hidden sounds produced by these letter combinations should be discovered through cheerful imitation.
| 🔤 Letter / Combination | 🗣️ Sound Produced | 📝 Example Word | 🇬🇧 Pronunciation & Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| ei | [eye] | nein / mein | [nine] (No) / [mine] (My) |
| ß (Eszett) | [ss] | groß / heiße | [gross] (Big) / [hice-uh] (am called) |
| sch | [sh] | Tschüss / schlecht | [chuess] (Bye) / [shlekht] (Bad) |
| w | [v] | Wie / Wer / was | [vee] (How) / [vair] (Who) / [vahss] (What) |
| ch | [kh / sh] | Nacht / ich | [nakht] (Night) / [ish] (I) |
📝 1. DIE WÖRTER UND DIE AUSSPRACHE | Words and Pronunciation
📊 Greetings, Moods & Introductions Table
| ⏰ / 🎭 | 📝 German Spelling | 🗣️ Pronunciation | 🇬🇧 English Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🌅 | Guten Morgen! | [goo-ten mor-gen!] | Good morning! |
| ☀️ | Guten Tag! | [goo-ten tahk!] | Good day! |
| 🌆 | Guten Abend! | [goo-ten ah-bent!] | Good evening! |
| 🌌 | Gute Nacht! | [goo-te nakh-t!] | Good night! |
| 👋 | Hallo! | [hah-lo!] | Hello! |
| 😊 | gut | [goot] | Good / Fine |
| 🚀 | super | [zoo-per] | Super / Great |
| 🤷 | so lala | [zo la-la] | So-so / Okay |
| 🙁 | schlecht | [shlekht] | Bad |
| 🙏 | Danke | [dahn-keh] | Thank you |
| 🌸 | Bitte | [bit-teh] | Please / You’re welcome |
| 🎓 | Tschüss | [chuess] | Bye |
| 👦 | der Junge | [dair yoon-geh] | Boy |
| 👧 | das Mädchen | [dahs mayd-shen] | Girl |
| 🏫 | die Schule | [dee shoo-leh] | School |
| 👩🏫 | der Lehrer / die Lehrerin | [dair lay-rehr / dee lay-reh-rin] | Teacher (m/f) |
💬 2. DIE KOMMUNIKATION UND RECHTSCHREIBUNG | Communication Patterns
🎯 Core Question-Answer Pairs
| ❓ Question | ✅ Answer |
|---|---|
| Wie heißt du? (What’s your name?) | Ich heiße … (My name is …) |
| Wie alt bist du? (How old are you?) | Ich bin … Jahre alt. (I am … years old.) |
| Woher kommst du? (Where are you from?) | Ich komme aus … (I come from …) |
| Wo wohnst du? (Where do you live?) | Ich wohne in … (I live in …) |
| Wie geht es dir? (How are you?) | Mir geht es gut, danke. (I’m fine, thank you.) |
| Und dir? (And you?) | Mir geht es super! (I’m great!) |
🗣️ 3. DIE DIALOGE IM ALLTAG | Everyday Dialogues
🏫 DIALOGUE 1: Auf dem Schulhof (Meeting in the Schoolyard)
👦 Ahmet: Guten Tag, Elif! Willkommen zurück! (Good day, Elif! Welcome back!)
👧 Elif: Guten Tag, Ahmet! Danke schön! (Good day, Ahmet! Thank you!)
👦 Ahmet: Wie geht es dir? (How are you?)
👧 Elif: Mir geht es gut, danke. Und dir? (I’m fine, thank you. And you?)
👦 Ahmet: Mir geht es super! Das Spiel macht Spaß. (I’m great! The game is fun.)
👧 Elif: Klasse! Tschüss, Ahmet! (Awesome! Bye, Ahmet!)
👦 Ahmet: Tschüss, Elif! (Bye, Elif!)
🏠 DIALOGUE 2: Am Abend zu Hause (In the Evening at Home)
👨 Dad: Guten Abend, Leo! (Good evening, Leo!)
👦 Leo: Guten Abend, Papa! (Good evening, Dad!)
👨 Dad: Wie geht es dir heute? (How are you today?)
👦 Leo: Mmm, so lala. Ich bin müde. (Mmm, so-so. I’m tired.)
👨 Dad: Oh, okay. Trink bitte Milch! (Oh, okay. Please drink some milk!)
👦 Leo: Danke, Papa! Gute Nacht! (Thank you, Dad! Good night!)
👨 Dad: Gute Nacht, Leo! (Good night, Leo!)
🆕 DIALOGUE 3: Erster Schultag (First Day of School)
👦 Ali: Hallo! Ich heiße Ali. Wie heißt du? (Hello! My name is Ali. What’s your name?)
👧 Emma: Hallo Ali! Ich heiße Emma. (Hello Ali! My name is Emma.)
👦 Ali: Wie alt bist du, Emma? (How old are you, Emma?)
👧 Emma: Ich bin neun Jahre alt. Und du? (I am nine years old. And you?)
👦 Ali: Ich bin auch neun. Woher kommst du? (I’m nine too. Where are you from?)
👧 Emma: Ich komme aus Berlin. Und du? (I come from Berlin. And you?)
👦 Ali: Ich komme aus Istanbul. Freut mich! (I come from Istanbul. Nice to meet you!)
👧 Emma: Freut mich auch! (Nice to meet you too!)
🏫 4. DIE KLASSENZIMMER-ANWEISUNGEN | Fun Classroom Instructions
🗣️ Frag deinen Freund! [frahk dye-nen froynt!] ➔ Ask your friend!
(Point to the friend next to you)
🙋 Antworte, bitte! [ant-vor-teh, bit-teh!] ➔ Answer, please!
(Raise your hand to ask for a turn)
🎭 Zeig dein Gefühl! [tsike dyne geh-fool!] ➔ Show your feeling!
(Use body language to show a happy or sad pose)
🤪 Mach ein Gesicht! [makh ine gezisht!] ➔ Make a face!
(Put your hands on your cheeks and make a funny gesture)
📖 Lies laut! [leez lout!] ➔ Read aloud!
✍️ Schreib das auf! [shripe dahs ouf!] ➔ Write that down!
🎧 Hör zu! [hur tsoo!] ➔ Listen!
👀 Schau her! [shou hair!] ➔ Look here!
🎮 5. ÜBUNGEN | Practice Activities
🎯 Activity 1: Match the Greeting to the Time
| Time of Day | Greeting |
|---|---|
| 🌅 Morning | ? |
| ☀️ Daytime | ? |
| 🌆 Evening | ? |
| 🌌 Night | ? |
Answer Key: Guten Morgen · Guten Tag · Guten Abend · Gute Nacht
🎯 Activity 2: Fill in the Blank
- Hallo! Ich _______ Ali. (heiße / bin / komme)
- Ich bin neun _______ alt. (Jahre / Zeit / Tag)
- Ich komme _______ Berlin. (in / aus / an)
- Wie geht es _______ ? (mir / dir / ich)
- Mir _______ es gut. (geht / bin / heiße)
Answers: 1. heiße · 2. Jahre · 3. aus · 4. dir · 5. geht
🎯 Activity 3: Role-Play — Introduce Yourself
Work in pairs. Take turns:
A: Hallo! Wie heißt du?
B: Ich heiße ______. Und du?
A: Ich heiße ______. Wie alt bist du?
B: Ich bin ______ Jahre alt.
A: Woher kommst du?
B: Ich komme aus ______. Freut mich!
A: Freut mich auch!
📋 Unit 1 Summary
| Section | Topic | Key Focus |
|---|---|---|
| A | Greetings by Time | der/die article endings |
| B | “How Are You?” | Dative case (mir / dir) |
| C | Introductions | Name, age, origin |
| D | Numbers 1–20 | Counting in German |
| E | Alphabet | Spelling names |
| Phonetics | Sound Lab | ei, ß, sch, w, ch |
| 1 | Vocabulary | Words & pronunciation |
| 2 | Communication | Q&A patterns |
| 3 | Dialogues | Real-life practice |
| 4 | Classroom | Fun instructions |
| 5 | Practice | Games & activities |
🏁 End of Unit 1
📘 DIE GRAMMATIK-WERKSTATT
Level: A1 · Grade: 3 · Language: German → English
Unit: 1 — “Hallo! Wie heißt du?”
Grammar Focus: Greetings · Introductions · Dative (mir/dir) · Numbers · Alphabet on your cheeks and make a funny gesture)