German in 30 Days 3 Sections8 Lessons50 Weeks
Day 3 My Family: Talking About Family Members
Day 3 — My Family: Talking About Family Members
Learn Conversational German in 30 Days
Today’s Goal
By the end of this lesson, you should be able to:
- talk about your family,
- name common family members,
- say whether you have brothers, sisters, or children,
- ask someone about their family,
- describe simple family relationships,
- and have a short conversation about family.
Today we continue building your conversational German. You already know how to introduce yourself, say where you are from, and say where you live. Now you will learn how to talk about the people who are important in your life.
1. Review from Day 2
Say these sentences aloud before beginning:
Ich heiße David.
My name is David.
Ich komme aus Indien.
I am from India.
Ich wohne in Wien.
I live in Vienna.
Woher kommst du?
Where are you from?
Wo wohnst du?
Where do you live?
Try to say them without reading the English translation.
2. Important Family Words
Here are some useful family words:
| German | English |
|---|---|
| die Familie | family |
| der Vater | father |
| die Mutter | mother |
| die Eltern | parents |
| der Bruder | brother |
| die Schwester | sister |
| der Sohn | son |
| die Tochter | daughter |
| die Kinder | children |
| der Mann | husband / man |
| die Frau | wife / woman |
| der Großvater | grandfather |
| die Großmutter | grandmother |
You do not need to memorise all of these today. Start with the words that are most useful for your own family.
3. Talking About Your Family
Ich habe eine Familie.
I have a family.
The verb haben means to have.
For ich, we say:
ich habe
I have
Ich habe zwei Kinder.
I have two children.
Ich habe einen Bruder.
I have one brother.
Ich habe eine Schwester.
I have one sister.
4. Saying How Many Brothers or Sisters You Have
Ich habe einen Bruder.
I have one brother.
Ich habe zwei Brüder.
I have two brothers.
Ich habe eine Schwester.
I have one sister.
Ich habe zwei Schwestern.
I have two sisters.
Ich habe keinen Bruder.
I do not have a brother.
Ich habe keine Schwester.
I do not have a sister.
For now, do not worry too much about the grammar of einen, keinen, or keine. Learn the expressions as useful phrases.
5. Asking About Brothers and Sisters
Hast du Geschwister?
Do you have brothers or sisters?
The word Geschwister means siblings.
You can answer:
Ja, ich habe einen Bruder.
Yes, I have one brother.
Ja, ich habe zwei Schwestern.
Yes, I have two sisters.
Nein, ich habe keine Geschwister.
No, I do not have any siblings.
6. Asking About Children
Hast du Kinder?
Do you have children?
Possible answers:
Ja, ich habe zwei Kinder.
Yes, I have two children.
Ja, ich habe eine Tochter.
Yes, I have one daughter.
Ja, ich habe einen Sohn.
Yes, I have one son.
Nein, ich habe keine Kinder.
No, I do not have any children.
7. Your Day 3 Conversation
Read this conversation aloud.
David: Hast du Geschwister?
Emily: Ja, ich habe einen Bruder und eine Schwester. Und du?
David: Ich habe zwei Schwestern.
Emily: Hast du Kinder?
David: Ja, ich habe zwei Kinder.
Emily: Zwei Töchter oder zwei Söhne?
David: Zwei Töchter.
Emily: Schön!
English Translation
David: Do you have brothers or sisters?
Emily: Yes, I have one brother and one sister. And you?
David: I have two sisters.
Emily: Do you have children?
David: Yes, I have two children.
Emily: Two daughters or two sons?
David: Two daughters.
Emily: Nice!
8. Useful Words: und, oder
und
and
Ich habe einen Bruder und eine Schwester.
I have one brother and one sister.
oder
or
Zwei Töchter oder zwei Söhne?
Two daughters or two sons?
These two words are extremely useful in everyday conversation.
9. Talking About Your Parents
Meine Eltern wohnen in Indien.
My parents live in India.
Meine Mutter wohnt in Wien.
My mother lives in Vienna.
Mein Vater wohnt in Graz.
My father lives in Graz.
Notice:
mein = my
meine = my
mein Vater = my father
meine Mutter = my mother
meine Eltern = my parents
Do not try to learn every possessive rule today. Just become familiar with these common phrases.
10. Talking About Your Husband or Wife
Mein Mann heißt Thomas.
My husband’s name is Thomas.
Meine Frau heißt Anna.
My wife’s name is Anna.
Mein Mann kommt aus Österreich.
My husband is from Austria.
Meine Frau arbeitet in Wien.
My wife works in Vienna.
11. Talking About Your Children
Meine Tochter heißt Anna.
My daughter’s name is Anna.
Mein Sohn heißt Daniel.
My son’s name is Daniel.
Meine Kinder wohnen in Wien.
My children live in Vienna.
Meine Tochter ist siebzehn Jahre alt.
My daughter is seventeen years old.
We will learn age in more detail in a later lesson, but this is a useful expression to recognise.
12. Asking About Someone’s Family
Useful questions include:
Hast du Geschwister?
Do you have siblings?
Hast du Kinder?
Do you have children?
Wie viele Kinder hast du?
How many children do you have?
Wo wohnen deine Eltern?
Where do your parents live?
Wie heißt deine Schwester?
What is your sister’s name?
Wie heißt dein Bruder?
What is your brother’s name?
Do not try to use every question immediately. Choose two or three and practise them well.
13. Conversation 2 — Talking More About Family
Emily: Erzähl mir etwas über deine Familie.
David: Ich habe eine Frau und zwei Töchter.
Emily: Wie heißt deine Frau?
David: Sie heißt Anna.
Emily: Und wie heißen deine Töchter?
David: Sie heißen Maria und Sophia.
Emily: Wohnt ihr alle in Wien?
David: Ja, wir wohnen alle in Wien.
Emily: Das ist schön.
English Translation
Emily: Tell me something about your family.
David: I have a wife and two daughters.
Emily: What is your wife’s name?
David: Her name is Anna.
Emily: And what are your daughters’ names?
David: Their names are Maria and Sophia.
Emily: Do you all live in Vienna?
David: Yes, we all live in Vienna.
Emily: That is nice.
14. Useful Expression: Erzähl mir etwas über …
Erzähl mir etwas über deine Familie.
Tell me something about your family.
Erzähl mir etwas über dich.
Tell me something about yourself.
These are useful expressions to recognise in real conversations.
15. A Simple Grammar Note: haben
haben = to have
ich habe = I have
du hast = you have
Ich habe zwei Kinder.
I have two children.
Hast du Kinder?
Do you have children?
Notice how du hast becomes Hast du …? in a question.
You do not need to study the full verb table yet.
16. Another Useful Verb: heißen
Ich heiße David.
My name is David.
Mein Bruder heißt Daniel.
My brother’s name is Daniel.
Meine Schwester heißt Maria.
My sister’s name is Maria.
Meine Kinder heißen Anna und Paul.
My children’s names are Anna and Paul.
17. Personalise the Lesson
Complete these sentences aloud:
Ich habe __________ Geschwister.
Ich habe __________ Bruder / Brüder.
Ich habe __________ Schwester / Schwestern.
Ich habe __________ Kinder.
Meine Mutter heißt __________.
Mein Vater heißt __________.
Meine Familie wohnt in __________.
Use information that is true for you. Real information is usually easier to remember.
18. Speak Without Reading
Try to say these sentences in German:
- I have two sisters.
- Do you have siblings?
- I have two children.
- Do you have children?
- My mother lives in Vienna.
- My father lives in India.
- My daughter’s name is Anna.
- My family lives in Vienna.
Show Answers
1. Ich habe zwei Schwestern.
2. Hast du Geschwister?
3. Ich habe zwei Kinder.
4. Hast du Kinder?
5. Meine Mutter wohnt in Wien.
6. Mein Vater wohnt in Indien.
7. Meine Tochter heißt Anna.
8. Meine Familie wohnt in Wien.
19. Ask and Answer
Practise these questions with a partner:
Hast du Geschwister?
Hast du Kinder?
Wie viele Kinder hast du?
Wo wohnen deine Eltern?
Wie heißt deine Schwester?
Wie heißt dein Bruder?
Answer with real information if possible. This helps make the vocabulary easier to remember.
20. Mini Vocabulary Review
| German | English |
|---|---|
| die Familie | family |
| der Vater | father |
| die Mutter | mother |
| die Eltern | parents |
| der Bruder | brother |
| die Schwester | sister |
| die Geschwister | siblings |
| der Sohn | son |
| die Tochter | daughter |
| die Kinder | children |
| der Mann | husband / man |
| die Frau | wife / woman |
| haben | to have |
| ich habe | I have |
| du hast | you have |
| Hast du …? | Do you have …? |
| mein | my |
| meine | my |
| und | and |
| oder | or |
21. Day 3 Speaking Challenge
Practise this conversation three times today.
A: Hast du Geschwister?
B: Ja, ich habe einen Bruder und eine Schwester. Und du?
A: Ich habe zwei Schwestern.
B: Hast du Kinder?
A: Ja, ich habe zwei Kinder.
B: Zwei Töchter oder zwei Söhne?
A: Zwei Töchter.
First time: Read the conversation slowly.
Second time: Change the family information.
Third time: Try to have the conversation without reading.
Real-Life Challenge
Today, try to describe your family in German for at least 30 seconds.
You can begin:
Hallo! Ich heiße ____.
Ich komme aus ____.
Ich wohne in ____.
Ich habe eine Familie.
Ich habe ____ Kinder.
Meine Familie wohnt in ____.
Do not worry if you need to stop and think. The goal is to keep speaking.
Remember
You now know how to introduce yourself, say where you are from, say where you live, and talk about your family.
This means your German conversations are already becoming longer and more personal.
Do not try to memorise every word in one day. Focus on the expressions you are most likely to use.
Speak about your real life. Real information is easier to remember, and real practice builds real confidence.
Alphy School
Learning for Life