People and Relationships in German
Meet the Schmidt Family! 👨👩👧👦
Imagine you’re visiting a cozy house in Germany. A friendly family opens the door. Let’s meet everyone inside and learn how to talk about them in German!
1. Family Members (Die Familie)
Think of a family tree like a big puzzle. Each piece has a special name!
The Main People
| English | German | Say it like… |
|---|---|---|
| Mother | die Mutter | MOO-ter |
| Father | der Vater | FAH-ter |
| Sister | die Schwester | SHVES-ter |
| Brother | der Bruder | BROO-der |
| Grandmother | die Oma | OH-ma |
| Grandfather | der Opa | OH-pa |
| Aunt | die Tante | TAN-te |
| Uncle | der Onkel | ON-kel |
| Cousin (boy) | der Cousin | koo-ZAHN |
| Cousin (girl) | die Cousine | koo-ZEE-ne |
| Son | der Sohn | ZOHN |
| Daughter | die Tochter | TOKH-ter |
Simple Example
“Das ist meine Mutter.” = This is my mother.
“Mein Bruder heißt Max.” = My brother is called Max.
💡 Easy Tip: “Mein” means “my” for boys/things. “Meine” means “my” for girls!
2. Body Parts (Der Körper)
Your body is like a robot with many parts. Each part has a German name!
Head to Toe
👤 der Kopf (head)
↓
👁️ das Auge (eye)
👂 das Ohr (ear)
👃 die Nase (nose)
👄 der Mund (mouth)
↓
💪 der Arm (arm)
✋ die Hand (hand)
👆 der Finger (finger)
↓
🦵 das Bein (leg)
🦶 der Fuß (foot)
More Body Words
| English | German | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Hair | das Haar | “Ich habe braunes Haar.” (I have brown hair.) |
| Eye | das Auge | “Er hat blaue Augen.” (He has blue eyes.) |
| Nose | die Nase | “Meine Nase ist klein.” (My nose is small.) |
| Mouth | der Mund | “Öffne den Mund!” (Open your mouth!) |
| Tooth | der Zahn | “Ich putze meine Zähne.” (I brush my teeth.) |
| Stomach | der Bauch | “Mein Bauch tut weh.” (My stomach hurts.) |
| Back | der Rücken | “Mein Rücken ist stark.” (My back is strong.) |
🎮 Fun Fact: German kids play “Kopf, Schulter, Knie und Fuß” — that’s “Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes”!
3. Physical Descriptions (Wie sieht er aus?)
Describing how someone looks is like painting a picture with words!
Height and Size
| English | German | Example |
|---|---|---|
| tall | groß | “Mein Vater ist groß.” (My father is tall.) |
| short | klein | “Meine Schwester ist klein.” (My sister is short.) |
| thin | dünn | “Der Hund ist dünn.” (The dog is thin.) |
| fat/chubby | dick | “Die Katze ist dick.” (The cat is chubby.) |
| strong | stark | “Mein Opa ist stark.” (My grandpa is strong.) |
Hair Descriptions
| English | German |
|---|---|
| blond hair | blondes Haar |
| brown hair | braunes Haar |
| black hair | schwarzes Haar |
| red hair | rotes Haar |
| long hair | langes Haar |
| short hair | kurzes Haar |
| curly hair | lockiges Haar |
| straight hair | glattes Haar |
Eye Colors
| English | German |
|---|---|
| blue eyes | blaue Augen |
| green eyes | grüne Augen |
| brown eyes | braune Augen |
| gray eyes | graue Augen |
Example Sentences
“Sie hat langes, blondes Haar und blaue Augen.” = She has long, blond hair and blue eyes.
“Er ist groß und hat kurzes, schwarzes Haar.” = He is tall and has short, black hair.
4. Emotions and Feelings (Gefühle)
Feelings are like weather inside your heart. Sometimes sunny, sometimes rainy!
The Emotion Rainbow
| 😊 Happy | 😢 Sad | 😠 Angry | 😨 Scared |
|---|---|---|---|
| glücklich | traurig | wütend | ängstlich |
| GLÜK-likh | TROW-rig | VÜ-tent | ENGST-likh |
More Feelings
| English | German | Example |
|---|---|---|
| happy | glücklich | “Ich bin glücklich!” (I am happy!) |
| sad | traurig | “Sie ist traurig.” (She is sad.) |
| angry | wütend | “Er ist wütend.” (He is angry.) |
| tired | müde | “Ich bin müde.” (I am tired.) |
| excited | aufgeregt | “Wir sind aufgeregt!” (We are excited!) |
| scared | ängstlich | “Der Hund ist ängstlich.” (The dog is scared.) |
| surprised | überrascht | “Sie ist überrascht.” (She is surprised.) |
| bored | gelangweilt | “Ich bin gelangweilt.” (I am bored.) |
| hungry | hungrig | “Bist du hungrig?” (Are you hungry?) |
| thirsty | durstig | “Ich bin durstig.” (I am thirsty.) |
The Magic Formula
“Ich bin…” + feeling = I am…
“Er/Sie ist…” + feeling = He/She is…
💡 Remember: In German, you say “I AM hungry” not “I HAVE hunger” (well, actually Germans say both, but “ich bin hungrig” is easy to remember!)
5. Personality Descriptions (Wie ist er/sie?)
Personality is what makes each person special inside. It’s their superpower!
Positive Traits (The Good Stuff!)
| English | German | Example |
|---|---|---|
| friendly | freundlich | “Meine Oma ist sehr freundlich.” |
| funny | lustig | “Mein Bruder ist lustig.” |
| smart | klug | “Sie ist sehr klug.” |
| nice/kind | nett | “Er ist nett zu mir.” |
| brave | mutig | “Der Feuerwehrmann ist mutig.” |
| patient | geduldig | “Meine Lehrerin ist geduldig.” |
| helpful | hilfsbereit | “Sie ist immer hilfsbereit.” |
| honest | ehrlich | “Er ist ehrlich.” |
Not-So-Great Traits
| English | German |
|---|---|
| shy | schüchtern |
| lazy | faul |
| stubborn | stur |
| loud | laut |
| quiet | ruhig |
| serious | ernst |
Describing Personality
“Wie ist deine Mutter?” = What is your mother like?
“Meine Mutter ist freundlich und geduldig.” = My mother is friendly and patient.
“Mein Opa ist lustig aber auch ernst.” = My grandpa is funny but also serious.
Quick Reference: Building Sentences
Pattern 1: This is my…
“Das ist mein/meine…”
- Das ist mein Vater. (This is my father.)
- Das ist meine Mutter. (This is my mother.)
Pattern 2: He/She is…
“Er ist…” / “Sie ist…”
- Er ist groß. (He is tall.)
- Sie ist freundlich. (She is friendly.)
Pattern 3: He/She has…
“Er hat…” / “Sie hat…”
- Er hat blaue Augen. (He has blue eyes.)
- Sie hat langes Haar. (She has long hair.)
Pattern 4: I am…
“Ich bin…”
- Ich bin glücklich. (I am happy.)
- Ich bin müde. (I am tired.)
Your First German Conversation!
A: Hallo! Wie heißt du?
B: Ich heiße Anna. Und du?
A: Ich heiße Max. Wer ist das?
B: Das ist meine Schwester. Sie ist klein und lustig.
A: Sie hat schönes Haar!
B: Danke! Sie ist auch sehr freundlich.
Translation:
- A: Hello! What’s your name?
- B: My name is Anna. And you?
- A: My name is Max. Who is that?
- B: That is my sister. She is small and funny.
- A: She has beautiful hair!
- B: Thanks! She is also very friendly.
Remember These Magic Words!
| Word | Meaning | Use It When… |
|---|---|---|
| mein/meine | my | talking about YOUR family |
| sein/seine | his | talking about HIS family |
| ihr/ihre | her | talking about HER family |
| ist | is | describing ONE person |
| sind | are | describing MANY people |
| hat | has | saying what someone HAS |
| haben | have | “we have” or “they have” |
You Did It! 🎉
You just learned:
- ✅ Family members (die Familie)
- ✅ Body parts (der Körper)
- ✅ How to describe looks (Aussehen)
- ✅ Feelings and emotions (Gefühle)
- ✅ Personality words (Persönlichkeit)
Now you can describe anyone in German! Start with your own family. Look in the mirror and describe yourself. That’s the best way to remember!
Viel Spaß beim Lernen! (Have fun learning!)