German - Identity

Lesson 48 of 158

Learners introducing themselves in German: name, origin, age and job.

Goal: Say your name, where you're from, age, job and more

Free German lessons with guided practice, audio, and speaking support.

Welcome! In this short lesson you'll practice simple German sentences to introduce yourself. Say each line aloud, listen, and repeat — quick and friendly. Ready for a little Yak Yack? Let's meet people in German!

Level A1: This lesson focuses on everyday identity phrases: saying your name, where you come from and live, your age, job, languages, and last name. You'll hear short phrases, practice with a mini conversation, and do quick quizzes to lock in the basics. (CEFR-aligned.)

After this lesson you'll be able to:

  • Use basic A1 phrases to introduce yourself: name, origin, age, job, language, and last name.
  • Ask and answer simple questions like 'Woher kommst du?' and 'Wie alt bist du?'.
  • Practice speaking these short lines out loud to build confidence.
Two people meet and use simple German phrases to say where they are from and what they do.

Ready? Let's go!

When you tap play on phrases, we track your progress through this lesson.

1. Reading + Listening Practice

Hear core phrases, repeat aloud.

Ich heiße ___.

My name is ___.

Meaning: My name is ___.

When to use: Give your name when someone asks or when you introduce yourself.

Tip: Don’t mix word order; say 'Ich heiße ___.' rather than 'Heiße ich ___.'

Ich heiße Anna.
My name is Anna.
Ich heiße David.
My name is David.

Ich komme aus ___.

I am from ___.

Meaning: I am from ___.

When to use: Say where you come from: a country, city, or region.

Tip: Remember some countries need an article: 'aus der Türkei' (not 'aus Türkei').

Ich komme aus Spanien.
I am from Spain.
Ich komme aus den USA.
I am from the USA.

Woher kommst du?

Where are you from?

Meaning: Where are you from?

When to use: Ask someone informally where they come from (use 'Sie' form for formal situations).

Woher kommst du?
Where are you from?
Woher kommst du? — Ich komme aus Italien.
Where are you from? — I am from Italy.

Ich wohne in ___.

I live in ___.

Meaning: I live in ___.

When to use: Tell someone the city or country where you currently live.

Tip: Use the correct preposition and article: 'in der Schweiz' (not 'in Schweiz').

Ich wohne in Berlin.
I live in Berlin.
Ich wohne in der Schweiz.
I live in Switzerland.

Wo wohnst du?

Where do you live?

Meaning: Where do you live?

When to use: Ask someone informally where they live. Use 'Wo wohnen Sie?' in formal situations.

Wo wohnst du? — Ich wohne in Köln.
Where do you live? — I live in Cologne.
Wo wohnst du? Ich wohne in einer kleinen Stadt.
Where do you live? I live in a small town.

Ich bin ___ Jahre alt.

I am ___ years old.

Meaning: I am ___ years old.

When to use: Tell someone your age in years; for one year say '1 Jahr'.

Tip: For 1 year use singular: '1 Jahr', not '1 Jahre'.

Ich bin 30 Jahre alt.
I am 30 years old.
Ich bin 1 Jahr alt.
I am 1 year old.

Wie alt bist du?

How old are you?

Meaning: How old are you?

When to use: Ask someone's age informally; use 'Wie alt sind Sie?' in formal contexts.

Wie alt bist du? — Ich bin 20 Jahre alt.
How old are you? — I am 20 years old.
Wie alt bist du? Ich bin 27.
How old are you? I'm 27.

Ich bin ___.

I am a ___.

Meaning: I am a ___.

When to use: Say your job or role (often without an article in German).

Tip: In German jobs often drop the article: say 'Ich bin Lehrer.' not 'Ich bin ein Lehrer.'

Ich bin Lehrer.
I am a teacher.
Ich bin Studentin.
I am a (female) student.

Ich spreche ___.

I speak ___.

Meaning: I speak ___.

When to use: Tell someone which language(s) you speak.

Ich spreche Deutsch und Englisch.
I speak German and English.
Ich spreche nur Spanisch.
I only speak Spanish.

Sprichst du ___?

Do you speak ___?

Meaning: Do you speak ___?

When to use: Ask informally if someone speaks a language. Use 'Sprechen Sie ___?' formally.

Sprichst du Deutsch?
Do you speak German?
Sprichst du Englisch? — Ja, ein bisschen.
Do you speak English? — Yes, a little.

Du kannst mich ___ nennen.

You can call me ___.

Meaning: You can call me ___.

When to use: Give a preferred name or nickname to someone when introducing yourself.

Tip: Be careful with formal situations: use 'Sie können mich ... nennen' for formal 'you'.

Du kannst mich Tom nennen.
You can call me Tom.
Du kannst mich Lena nennen.
You can call me Lena.

Mein Nachname ist ___.

My last name is ___.

Meaning: My last name is ___.

When to use: Give your family or last name in introductions or on forms.

Mein Nachname ist Müller.
My last name is Müller.
Mein Nachname ist Garcia.
My last name is Garcia.

Wie ist dein Nachname?

What's your last name?

Meaning: What's your last name?

When to use: Ask someone informally for their family or last name. Use formal 'Ihr' in polite contexts.

Wie ist dein Nachname? — Mein Nachname ist Wagner.
What's your last name? — My last name is Wagner.
Wie ist dein Nachname? Ich heiße Schmidt.
What's your last name? I'm called Schmidt.

2. Conversational Listening Practice

Hear phrases in a real mini-conversation.

Anna and David introduce themselves at a language meetup.

Anna and David ask each other 'Woher kommst du?' and 'Wie alt bist du?' in a friendly introduction.

Where does Anna come from?

Portrait of Anna in a German lesson dialogue

Anna

Ich heiße Anna. Du kannst mich Anna nennen.

My name is Anna. You can call me Anna.

Portrait of David in a German lesson dialogue

David

Ich heiße David. Woher kommst du?

My name is David. Where are you from?

Portrait of Anna in a German lesson dialogue

Anna

Ich komme aus Spanien. Wo wohnst du?

I am from Spain. Where do you live?

Portrait of David in a German lesson dialogue

David

Ich wohne in Berlin. Wie alt bist du?

I live in Berlin. How old are you?

Portrait of Anna in a German lesson dialogue

Anna

Ich bin 25 Jahre alt. Und du?

I am 25 years old. And you?

Portrait of David in a German lesson dialogue

David

Ich bin Student. Ich spreche Englisch und etwas Deutsch.

I am a student. I speak English and a little German.

3. Guided Practice

Quizzes and matching to lock in meaning.

How do you say 'I live in Berlin.' in German?

Which German question asks 'Where are you from?'

How do you say 'I am 30 years old.'?

Choose the German for 'You can call me Sam.'

A: Where are you from? B: I am from Canada.

A: ___ B: Ich komme aus Kanada.

My last name is Meier. — What's your last name?

Mein Nachname ist Meier. — Wie ist ___?

I speak French. Do you speak French?

Ich spreche Französisch. ___?

Match the core phrases

Match the extra phrases

4. Speaking Practice

Say phrases yourself (mic/recording).

Recording stays on your device only. Check speech uses your browser's speech tools when available.

Say this phrase out loud:

Ich heiße ___.

My name is ___.

Say this phrase out loud:

Ich komme aus ___.

I am from ___.

Say this phrase out loud:

Woher kommst du?

Where are you from?

Say this phrase out loud:

Ich wohne in ___.

I live in ___.

Say this phrase out loud:

Wo wohnst du?

Where do you live?

Say this phrase out loud:

Ich bin ___ Jahre alt.

I am ___ years old.

Say this phrase out loud:

Wie alt bist du?

How old are you?

Say this phrase out loud:

Ich bin ___.

I am a ___.

Say this phrase out loud:

Ich spreche ___.

I speak ___.

Say this phrase out loud:

Sprichst du ___?

Do you speak ___?

Say this phrase out loud:

Du kannst mich ___ nennen.

You can call me ___.

Say this phrase out loud:

Mein Nachname ist ___.

My last name is ___.

Say this phrase out loud:

Wie ist dein Nachname?

What's your last name?