Lesson 2: Berufe, Zahlen und Alter
Professions, Numbers up to a Million, and Age
Every vocabulary word, number, and dialog line in this curriculum supports high-definition interactive pronunciation. Click on the speaker icons next to each element!
💼 1. Professions & Jobs (Berufe)
Learning to ask about professions and jobs is one of the most common questions when having simple conversations with someone you meet for the first time or when introducing yourself. In Germany, work is considered a very important part of personal identity.
When talking about a profession, always remember that German differentiates between masculine and feminine job titles, usually by adding the suffix (-in) at the end of the word for the feminine form (e.g., Lehrer / Lehrerin).
| Question and Response (Listen) | Meaning |
|---|---|
|
Was sind Sie von Beruf?
|
What is your profession? (Formal) |
|
Was machst du beruflich?
|
What do you do for a living? (Informal) |
|
Ich bin Student / Studentin.
|
I am a student (Male / Female). |
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Ich bin Arzt / Ärztin.
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I am a doctor (Male / Female). |
|
Ich arbeite als Programmierer.
|
I work as a programmer. |
💡 Important Note (als vs. bei):
We use als to refer to the job title (e.g., Ich arbeite als Lehrer - I work as a teacher).
We use bei to refer to the company or institution (e.g., Ich arbeite bei Google - I work at Google).
🔢 2. Numbers in German (Die Zahlen)
Numbers are everywhere in our lives: we use them for phone numbers, dates, and addresses. Therefore, mastering German numbers is a vital skill.
The good news is that compound numbers in German are read from right to left, exactly like in Arabic! For example, the number 25 (twenty-five) is read as (fünf-und-zwanzig). All you need is to memorize the base numbers from 0 to 12, then understand the pattern for the rest.
💡 Important Exceptions:
- Number 1 is (eins), but when combined in tens, it loses the "s". So 21 becomes einundzwanzig (not einsundzwanzig).
- Numbers 6 (sechs) and 7 (sieben) lose their endings in 16, 17, 60, and 70. So we say: 16 (sechzehn), 17 (siebzehn), 60 (sechzig), 70 (siebzig).
- Number 30 is the only ten that ends with the letter ßig (dreißig) instead of zig.
- Numbers 11 (elf) and 12 (zwölf) have special forms and don't follow the base 10 addition rule.
🎂 3. Asking About Age (Alter)
Asking about age is often part of casual conversations or when introducing yourself formally. In German, unlike some languages where you say "I have 20 years", you use the verb sein (to be) to say "I am 20 years old."
| Question and Response (Listen) | Meaning |
|---|---|
|
Wie alt sind Sie?
|
How old are you? (Formal) |
|
Wie alt bist du?
|
How old are you? (Informal) |
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Ich bin 25 Jahre alt.
|
I am 25 years old. |
👨👩👧👦 4. Marital Status & Family (Familienstand)
Talking about family and social status is a great way to deepen conversations and get to know others better. In this section, we will learn vocabulary for marital status and answering questions about marriage and children.
| German Structure (Listen) | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Scenario 1: Married with Children | |
|
Bist du verheiratet?
|
- Are you married? |
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Ja, ich bin verheiratet.
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- Yes, I am married. |
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Hast du Kinder?
|
- Do you have children? |
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Ja, ich habe 3 Kinder.
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- Yes, I have 3 children. |
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Wie heißen sie?
|
- What are their names? |
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Sie heißen Ahmed, Sara und Mariam.
|
- Their names are Ahmed, Sara, and Mariam. |
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Ahmed ist 3 Jahre alt, Sara ist 5 Jahre alt und Mariam ist 7 Jahre alt.
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- Ahmed is 3 years old, Sara is 5, and Mariam is 7 years old. |
| Other Social Statuses | |
|
Bist du verheiratet?
Nein, ich bin ledig. |
- Are you married? - No, I am single. |
|
Bist du Single?
Nein, ich bin verlobt. |
- Are you single? - No, I am engaged. |
|
Bist du verheiratet?
Nein, ich bin geschieden. |
- Are you married? - No, I am divorced. |
💬 5. Practical Conversation (Dialog)
To correctly pronounce words in a dialogue that combines asking about age and profession, listen carefully to how numbers are pronounced within a sentence.
Karl & Mona
Hallo Mona! Wie alt bist du?
Hallo Karl! Ich bin 20 Jahre alt. Und du?
Ich bin 22 Jahre alt. Was machst du beruflich?
Ich bin Studentin. Und was bist du von Beruf?
Ich arbeite als Programmierer.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
How do female job mementos differ from male ones in German?
Most female professions add the suffix -in to the masculine root form. For example, der Programmierer becomes die Programmiererin, and der Student becomes die Studentin.
What company identifier is used when declaring workspace environments?
You must parse workspace frameworks using the structural preposition "bei" for enterprise parameters (e.g., Ich arbeite bei HotSped) and "als" for functional roles (e.g., Ich arbeite als Verkäufer).
Why does twenty-one drop the terminal vowel parameter of "eins"?
When building composite units like 21 or 31, eins sheds its sharp suffix to maintain standard morphological pacing, modifying into einundzwanzig instead of einsundzwanzig.
References & Learning Sources
Curriculum Textbooks & Materials
This lesson is structured and verified using the following standard German educational resources:
- Momente A1 Kursbuch - Hueber Verlag
- Momente A1 Arbeitsbuch - Hueber Verlag
- Netzwerk neu A1.1 - Klett Sprachen
- Begegnungen A1+ - Schubert-Verlag
- Grammatik aktiv A1-B1 - Cornelsen Verlag
- Studio [21] A1 - Cornelsen Verlag