Numbers from 1 to 1000

Numbers are used all the time in daily life: when telling your age, giving your phone number, talking about prices, dates, or times.

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Basic numbers (1–20):

1 = eins
2 = zwei
3 = drei
4 = vier
5 = fünf
6 = sechs
7 = sieben
8 = acht
9 = neun
10 = zehn
11 = elf
12 = zwölf
13 = dreizehn
14 = vierzehn
15 = fünfzehn
16 = sechzehn
17 = siebzehn
18 = achtzehn
19 = neunzehn
20 = zwanzig

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Tens:

30 = dreißig, 40 = vierzig, 50 = fünfzig, 60 = sechzig, 70 = siebzig, 80 = achtzig, 90 = neunzig, 100 = hundert

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There are a few spelling exceptions to remember:

• eins becomes ein in compound numbers: einundzwanzig (not einsundzwanzig)

• sieben loses the 'en': siebzehn, siebzig

• sechs drops the 's': sechzehn, sechzig

• dreißig uses 'ß' instead of 'z' → dreißig (30), not dreizig

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Tip: In German, numbers above 20 are reversed:

• 21 = einundzwanzig ("one and twenty")

• 34 = vierunddreißig ("four and thirty")

 

Hundreds and more:

• 101 = hundertundeins

• 200 = zweihundert

• 999 = neunhundertneunundneunzig

• 1000 = tausend

Examples:

• Ich bin dreiundzwanzig Jahre alt. (I am 23 years old.)

• Mein Zimmer kostet vierhundert Euro. (My room costs 400 euros.)

The polite form: Sie

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In German, we use two ways to say "you": the informal du and the formal Sie.

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Use Sie:

• With people you don’t know well

• In professional or formal situations

• When speaking to someone older or in a respectful setting

Sie is always capitalised and uses the same verb form as "sie" (they).

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Examples:

• Wo wohnen Sie? (Where do you live?)

• Haben Sie einen Moment? (Do you have a moment?)

 

Compare:

• Kommst du aus Berlin? (informal)

• Kommen Sie aus Berlin? (formal)

 

Tip: It’s safer to use Sie with strangers - you can always switch to du later if invited.

Giving simple commands – the du-Form (Imperative)

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The imperative is used to tell someone what to do. In A1, we start with commands in the du-form.

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How to form it:

• Take the verb stem (remove -en)

• Usually no pronoun is used

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Examples:

• Komm! (Come!)

• Lern Deutsch! (Learn German!)

• Mach das Fenster auf! (Open the window!)

• Sei ruhig! (Be quiet!) → irregular from "sein"

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Tip: Sometimes, people add "bitte" to make it more polite:

• Komm bitte! (Please come!)

• Warte kurz, bitte! (Wait a moment, please!)

 

Not to confuse:

• "du kommst" = you come

• "komm!" = come! (command)

Negation with "nicht" and "kein"

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Saying “not” or “no” in German depends on whether you’re negating a verb, a noun, or a sentence.

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Use nicht to negate verbs, adjectives, and general statements:

• Ich gehe nicht. (I’m not going.)

• Das ist nicht gut. (That’s not good.)

• Ich komme heute nicht. (I’m not coming today.)

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Use kein to negate nouns with an article:

• Ich habe kein Buch. (I don’t have a book.)

• Wir haben keine Zeit. (We have no time.)

• Er hat keinen Hund. (He doesn’t have a dog.)

 

Tips:

• “kein” acts like an article and changes with case and gender.

• “nicht” usually comes after the verb or subject, and before the part being negated.

Yes–No Questions (Ja/Nein Fragen)

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In German, yes–no questions are simple: put the verb first, then the subject.

Structure: Verb – Subject – Rest

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Examples:

• Kommst du aus Irland? (Are you from Ireland?)

• Hast du einen Hund? (Do you have a dog?)

• Spricht er Englisch? (Does he speak English?)

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To answer:

• Ja, ich komme aus Irland.

• Nein, ich habe keinen Hund.

• Ja, er spricht Englisch.

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Tip: This rule helps with both speaking and understanding – many German questions simply start with a verb.

Personal pronouns in German

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Personal pronouns replace nouns and help us talk about people without repeating their names.

German personal pronouns:

• ich (I)

• du (you – informal)

• er (he), sie (she), es (it)

• wir (we)

• ihr (you all – informal plural)

• sie (they)

• Sie (you – formal)

 

Examples:

• Ich bin Sarah. (I am Sarah.)

• Du bist mein Freund. (You are my friend.)

• Er kommt aus Berlin. (He comes from Berlin.)

• Wir lernen Deutsch. (We are learning German.)

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Tip: Learn the pronouns together with verb conjugation - they are always used in full sentences in German.

Common question words (W-Fragen)

W-questions are essential for everyday conversations. They start with a question word and help you ask for specific information - not just yes/no answers.

 

In German, the question word comes first, and the verb is in position 2.

Key W-questions:

• wer – who

• was – what

• wo – where

• wann – when

• warum – why

• wie – how

• welcher/welche/welches – which

 

Examples:

• Wer bist du? (Who are you?)

• Wo wohnst du? (Where do you live?)

• Warum lernst du Deutsch? (Why are you learning German?)

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Tip: You’ll use W-questions in every conversation – they’re great for starting small talk or asking polite questions.

Simple conjunctions

Conjunctions help you connect two ideas in one sentence. They’re short but powerful and make your German more fluent and natural. Start with these five:

• und – and

• aber – but

• oder – or

• denn – because (no change in word order)

• weil – because (verb goes to the end!)

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Examples:

• Ich mag Kaffee und Tee. (I like coffee and tea.)

• Ich komme nicht, denn ich bin müde. (I’m not coming because I’m tired.)

• Ich komme nicht, weil ich müde bin. (I’m not coming because I’m tired.)

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Structure tips:

• With und, aber, oder, and denn, word order stays the same as in normal statements: Subject comes after the conjunction.

• With weil, the verb moves to the end of the clause.

Compare:

• Ich komme nicht, denn ich bin müde. → verb = 2nd position

• Ich komme nicht, weil ich müde bin. → verb = at the end

 

Tip: Start with und, aber, and oder – and then slowly try denn and weil with correct word order.

Basic adjective endings

Adjective endings can seem confusing in German, but A1 learners only need a small number of patterns to get started. Adjectives in German change their endings depending on the gender, case, and article of the noun they describe.

 

There are two very common ways adjectives appear at A1:

1. After "sein" (no change):
When using the verb sein (to be), the adjective stays in its base form (no ending).

• Das Wetter ist schön. (The weather is nice.)

• Die Wohnung ist groß. (The apartment is big.)

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2. With articles (der/ein):
Adjectives get an ending when used before a noun with an article. Even at A1, this happens often.

• Ich habe einen guten Lehrer. (I have a good teacher.)

• Das ist ein kleines Auto. (That’s a small car.)

• Wir besuchen die neue Schule. (We’re visiting the new school.)

 

Common endings you need at A1:

• -er, -e, -es for the nominative case

• -en for the accusative case (especially masculine nouns)

 

Examples for masculine words:

• der schöne Tag → nominative

• einen schönen Tag → accusative

 

Tip: Focus first on masculine accusative, because that’s where the ending changes most clearly. With practice, these endings become easier to recognise and use.

Summary:

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• Say numbers, prices, and ages up to 1000

• Use Sie politely in formal situations

• Form yes/no questions and understand the structure

• Use personal pronouns like ich, du, er, wir, etc.

• Ask questions with common W-words (wer, was, wo…)

• Connect ideas using basic conjunctions like und and aber

• Start using adjective endings correctly with articles

What’s next?

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Continue to: Word Order in German
Practise with: A1 Grammar Quiz
Download: A1 Essentials Grammar Summary (PDF)
Book a Beginner Grammar Class at GermanMind