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Getting started with German 1
Getting started with German 1

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5 Saying where someone comes from

So far, you have been learning about different greetings and the names of the three main German speaking countries: Deutschland, Österreich, die Schweiz. What about introducing yourself and others and saying where people come from?

From the previous activity, you already know the phrase

Ich komme aus I come from …

Now, try to say your name:

Mein Name ist My name is …, or a little less formal Ich bin I am …

If you wanted to introduce another person you could say

Das ist This is …

Er kommt aus He comes from …/ Sie kommt aus She comes from …

Activity 5

Now go back to the famous people in the Activity 4. How would you introduce them? Which country are they from? Write down your answers. You can write on paper or electronically. Then read out your answers and compare them with the model answers below.

Beispiel: Das ist Sigmund Freud. Er kommt aus Österreich.

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Answer

Table 3 Introducing famous people
Bild 1 Das ist Sigmund Freud. Er kommt aus Österreich.
Bild 2 Das ist Angela Merkel. Sie kommt aus Deutschland.
Bild 3 Das ist Roger Federer. Er kommt aus der Schweiz.
Bild 4 Das ist Martin Luther. Er kommt aus Deutschland.
Bild 5 Das ist Conchita Wurst. Er/sie kommt aus Österreich.
Bild 6 Das ist David Alaba. Er kommt aus Österreich.
Bild 7 Das ist Karl Lagerfeld. Er kommt aus Deutschland.

Activity 6

How would you introduce yourself? Where do you come from? Check the expressions at the start of this section and find out the German name of your country in an online dictionary, for example: https://www.collinsdictionary.com/ [Tip: hold Ctrl and click a link to open it in a new tab. (Hide tip)] or https://www.leo.org/ englisch-deutsch/

Note: You might find it useful to open these websites in a new tab or window. To do this, right click on the link and select 'Open in new tab' or 'Open in new window'.

Why not add your favourite greeting to say hello?

Beispiel: Hallo, mein Name ist Fiona. Ich komme aus Schottland.