Introduce Yourself

Imagine this: you’ve been invited to lunch. When you arrive, you’re seated next to someone you’ve never met. It’s the famous German philosopher, Friedrich Nietzsche. He smiles and says, “Hallo.”

Hallo! Ich bin Friedrich.

Why not say hello back in German?

The simplest way to say hello in German is just Hallo. However, there are plenty of other ways to greet someone. Here are a few examples:

Next, Nietzsche asks you for your name:

Wie heisst du?

Now it’s time to introduce yourself. Just like with greetings, there are different ways to say your name in German. Let’s see how the other guests at lunch would respond:

Mein Name ist Nadar.

Ich heiße Layla.

Ich bin Tom.

Here are the translations:

So far, we've said hello in German and introduced ourselves by name. Let’s keep the conversation going! Why not ask Nietzsche how he's doing?

In response, he may reply something like:

Or, simply:

Let’s listen to a conversation between you and Nietzsche, using the phrases we just learned:

Wie geht's dir?

How are you?

Gut! Und dir?

I'm fine. And you?

Auch gut. Wie war dein Tag?

I'm fine too. How was your day?

Sehr gut, danke!

Very good, thanks.

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Wonderful! 🎉

You've now started a conversation with Friedrich Nietzsche, and guess what? He seems to like you! In fact, he'd like to know more about you. What can you say about yourself in German?

First, let’s cover a couple of common questions: Where do you live? Where are you from?

Wo wohnst du?

Where do you live?

Ich wohne in Berlin. Und du?

I live in Berlin. And you?

Ich wohne in Basel.

I live in Basel.

Very good! Let's continue.

To share more about ourselves, we need to learn an important German verb: sein, which means 'to be.' It’s one of the most versatile verbs in German, and you’ll use it all the time! Take a look at this conjugation table for sein:

Now we can use sein to talk about our age:

We can also talk about what we do for work:

Here are a few example job titles in German.

Ich bin Ärztin.

I am a doctor.

Ich bin Lehrerin.

I am a teacher.

Ich bin Student.

I am a student.

Ich arbeite nicht mehr.

I don't work anymore.

Finally, here are a few other Ich bin ... sentences that can be useful when introducing yourself!

Well done! 🎉

You’ve learned some key German phrases! You now know how to greet someone, introduce yourself, and share a bit about who you are.

Now it’s time to test your knowledge with this listening comprehension exercise. We have some audio clips that include phrases from this lesson. Listen closely. Can you follow the conversations? Do you understand what’s being said?

Hallo

Hello

Guten Tag

Good day!

Ich bin Alex. Wie heißt du?

I am Alex. What's your name?

Ich heiße Friedrich.

My name is Friedrich.

Schön dich kennenzulernen.

Nice to meet you.

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Wie war dein Tag, Friedrich?

How was your day, Friedrich?

Mein Tag war gut, danke. Wie war dein Tag?

My day was good, thanks. How was your day?

Auch ganz gut, Dankeschön

It was also good, thank you.

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Was bist du von Beruf?

What do you do for work?

Ich bin noch Studentin. Und du?

I am still a student. And you?

Ich bin Professor.

I am a professor.

Hier in Berlin?

Here in Berlin?

Nein, ich bin Professor in Basel.

No, I am a professor in Basel.

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Were you able to follow the conversations in German? If so, great job! 🎉 You’re ready for the next lesson: German pronunciation.