Introduction
Hallo! In our previous lesson, we practiced pronunciation and flow by reading and shadowing short dialogues with greetings. You learned how to start and end a simple conversation, which is a fantastic first step.
Today, we move on to the core of your first real conversation: introducing yourself. This lesson directly addresses the learning outcome: to introduce yourself in German by stating your name, age, and origin. We will learn the essential phrases to share these three key pieces of information. Mastering this will give you the building blocks for creating a personal introduction, moving you from simple greetings to a genuine exchange of information.
1. Stating Your Name
In German, just like in English, there are a few ways to say what your name is. The three most common are:
- Ich heiße... (I am called...)
- Mein Name ist... (My name is...)
- Ich bin... (I am...)
Ich heiße is very common and standard in German. Mein Name ist is slightly more formal, similar to its English equivalent. Ich bin is often used in more informal, friendly settings.
To hear the correct pronunciation and rhythm, let's watch a short video.
Revised A1 - Lesson 6 | sich vorstellen | introducing yourself in German | Learn German
The 'Learn German' channel provides very clear examples of these three phrases. Pay attention to the pronunciation, especially of 'heiße' (with the 'ß' sound) and 'ich'.
Watch the section from 00:41 to 01:45. The speaker will introduce the three ways to state your name. Repeat each phrase after she says it ('noch einmal' means 'once more').
2. Stating Your Origin
Next, you'll learn to say where you come from. The standard phrase for this is Ich komme aus..., which means "I come from...". You simply add the name of your country or city at the end.
- Ich komme aus Deutschland. (I come from Germany.)
- Ich komme aus London. (I come from London.)
Let's see this in action.
Revised A1 - Lesson 6 | sich vorstellen | introducing yourself in German | Learn German
We'll continue with the same video. This next clip will demonstrate the phrase 'Ich komme aus...'.
Watch the section from 02:21 to 02:47. The speaker uses 'Deutschland' as an example. Listen and repeat, imagining your own country at the end of the phrase.
To give you a little more context, which aligns with your interest in understanding the structure of the language, the phrase Ich komme aus... uses the verb kommen (to come). In German, verbs change their endings based on who is doing the action. For "I" (ich), the verb kommen becomes komme. We will study verb conjugations in detail in a later module, but it's good to start noticing these patterns now.
3. Stating Your Age
To state your age, you use the phrase Ich bin ... Jahre alt ("I am ... years old"). A more casual, common way to say it is to simply drop the Jahre alt and say Ich bin ... ("I am ...").
- Ich bin dreißig Jahre alt. (I am thirty years old.)
- Ich bin dreißig. (I am thirty.)
For this, you'll need numbers, which we'll cover completely in Module 4. For now, here are the numbers from 20-39 so you can practice with your own age. Notice the pattern: for 21-99, Germans say "one-and-twenty" (einundzwanzig), "two-and-twenty" (zweiundzwanzig), etc.
- 20: zwanzig
- 21: einundzwanzig
- 22: zweiundzwanzig
- 23: dreiundzwanzig
- 24: vierundzwanzig
- 25: fünfundzwanzig
- 26: sechsundzwanzig
- 27: siebenundzwanzig
- 28: achtundzwanzig
- 29: neunundzwanzig
- 30: dreißig
- 31: einunddreißig
- ...and so on.
Now, let's hear how to say it.
Revised A1 - Lesson 6 | sich vorstellen | introducing yourself in German | Learn German
This final clip from the 'Learn German' video covers how to state your age.
Watch the section from 03:44 to 04:16. The speaker uses 'dreiundzwanzig' (23) as the example age. Listen for the pronunciation of both the full and short phrases.
4. Putting It All Together
Now you have the three key components for a basic self-introduction. Let's combine them into a short, cohesive paragraph.
Hallo!
Ich heiße [Your Name].
Ich komme aus [Your Country].
Ich bin [Your Age] Jahre alt.
This simple script is your foundation. The infographic below provides a great visual summary of these phrases.
5. Practice Exercises
It's time to put your knowledge into practice.
Exercise 1: Write Your Introduction
Using the template from the previous section, write your own personal introduction in German. Fill in the blanks with your name, origin, and age. Then, read it aloud several times to get comfortable with the flow. This is the most important step to make these phrases your own.
Exercise 2: Online Activities
For more structured practice, please use the following resource. It contains some interactive exercises to test your understanding.
Introduction in german (talking about yourself)
The coLanguage website offers clear examples and interactive exercises. We'll use it to solidify what you've just learned.
First, review the tables under the headings '"What's your name?" in German', 'How to say "How old are you?" in German', and '"Where are you from?" in German'. These provide a concise summary. Then, scroll down to the 'Exercises' section and complete the 'Fill in the Blanks' and 'Multiple Choice Excercise' (sic).
Conclusion
Toll! (Great!) You have now learned the fundamental phrases for a German self-introduction. You can confidently state your name, origin, and age.
Key Takeaways:
- To state your name:
Ich heiße...,Mein Name ist..., orIch bin... - To state your origin:
Ich komme aus... - To state your age:
Ich bin ... Jahre altor simplyIch bin ...
You've built the "answer" part of a conversation. The next logical step is to learn how to ask the questions.
Preview of the Next Lesson:
In our next lesson, we will learn how to ask and answer simple personal questions. You will learn how to say "What is your name?" (Wie heißt du?) and "Where do you come from?" (Woher kommst du?), turning your monologue into a dialogue.