Classroom Objects

Welcome to German: Classroom Objects!#

Have you ever looked around your classroom and wondered what all the things around you are called in another language? Today we are going to learn the German names for the objects you use every single day at school. This is a very exciting first step in learning German!

German is spoken by more than 100 million people around the world. It is the official language of Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. When you learn German words, you are joining millions of children across Europe who use these same words every day.

The Pencil — Der Stift#

The very first word we will learn is der Stift (say it like: dare shtift). "Stift" means pencil or pen. You use a Stift to write and draw. In German, every noun (every thing-word) has a special helper word in front of it. "Der" is used for masculine words. So when you say "der Stift", you are saying "the pencil" in a masculine way.

The Book — Das Buch#

Next we have das Buch (say it like: dahs bookh). "Buch" means book. "Das" is the helper word for neutral words. Books are so important for learning! In German, you might say "Ich lese das Buch" which means "I am reading the book".

The Blackboard — Die Tafel#

Look at the front of the classroom! That big board is called die Tafel (say it like: dee tah-fel). "Tafel" means blackboard or board. "Die" is the helper word for feminine words. Your teacher writes on the Tafel every day.

Why Do German Nouns Have Different Helper Words?#

In English, we always say "the" for everything. But in German, there are three types of "the" — der (masculine), die (feminine), and das (neutral). It might seem tricky at first, but with practice it becomes easy and even fun! The best way to learn is to always say the helper word together with the noun, just like learning them as a pair.

More Classroom Words#

Here are a few more important classroom words to start learning:

• der Tisch (dare tish) — the table or desk
• der Stuhl (dare shtool) — the chair
• das Heft (dahs heft) — the notebook
• die Schere (dee sheh-reh) — the scissors

Now you know the names of many things in your classroom in German. Look around your room and try to point to each object and say its German name out loud. Practice makes perfect!