Day 3: Introducing yourself

the six pronouns · regular -en verb endings · heißen / kommen / wohnen · jobs without a · 25 min

Today you meet your first verb table, and the good news is that German verbs are far more regular than French ones. One set of six endings covers the large majority of German verbs, and you learn it once.

By the end of today you can say your name, your country, your city, your job and your age — five sentences that carry you through every introduction for the next 27 days.

1. The six pronouns

⚠️ sie is three things — she, they, and (capitalised) formal you. The verb ending and the capital letter tell them apart, and in speech, context does:

• sie ist — she is (singular verb)
• sie sind — they are (plural verb)
• Sie sind — you are, formal (same as they, but capitalised in writing)

★ ihr is the word English lost. It is plural informal "you" — what the American South does with y'all. Talking to two friends, you use ihr, not du and not Sie.

2. ★ The six endings — the core of the whole language

Take the infinitive, cut off -en, add the ending. That is it.

wohnen (to live) → stem wohn-

★ Only four forms to actually say. wir and sie/Sie are identical to the infinitive; er/sie/es and ihr are identical to each other. Learn -e / -st / -t / -en and you have covered every regular German verb in the language.

Two spelling adjustments

⚠️ These are not exceptions to memorise — say du arbeitst out loud and you will hear why the e has to be there.

3. Your five sentences

① Your name — three ways

Asking back: Wie heißt du? (vee HIGHST doo) · Wie heißen Sie? (vee HIGH-sen zee)

② Where you are from — kommen aus

Ich komme aus Amerika. — ikh KOM-muh owss a-MEH-ree-kah

Do not fight the second row today. Note that it exists, use the first row, and the reason arrives on Day 15.

③ Where you live — wohnen in

Ich wohne in Berlin. — ikh VOH-nuh in ber-LEEN Ich wohne in Seoul, in Korea.

④ ★★ Your job — and German drops the a

Ich bin Lehrer. — ikh bin LAY-ruh — "I am a teacher."

⚠️ This is the mistake English speakers make on Day 3 and are still making on Day 30. German uses no article before a profession or a nationality.

Women add -in:

Other useful ones: Ich bin Rentner/Rentnerin (retired) · Ich bin arbeitslos (unemployed) · Ich studiere noch (I'm still studying).

⑤ Your age — and here German is easier than French

Ich bin 25 Jahre alt. — ikh bin FEWNF-oont-tsvan-tsikh YAH-ruh alt

★ German uses sein ("I am 25"), exactly like English. If you have ever studied French or Spanish, you were taught the opposite there (j'ai 25 ans — "I have 25 years"). German agrees with English here. Do not overthink it.

You can drop the tail: Ich bin 25.

4. ★ One rule of word order, starting now

The conjugated verb is the second element of the sentence. Always.

"Second element" is not second word — it is second chunk.

⚠️ Notice the second row: put something else first and the subject jumps behind the verb. English does not do this — "In Berlin live I" is wrong in English and required in German.

This is called V2, it is the backbone of German word order, and Day 4 is entirely about it. Today, just keep your verb in slot two.

5. Dialogue

Anna: Hallo! Wie heißt du? — vee HIGHST dooAlex: Ich heiße Alex. Und du?Anna: Ich bin Anna. Woher kommst du? — vo-HAIR KOMST doo — Where are you from?Alex: Ich komme aus Amerika. Ich wohne jetzt in Berlin.Anna: Was machst du in Berlin? — vass MAKHST doo — What do you do in Berlin?Alex: Ich bin Student. Ich lerne Deutsch. Und du?Anna: Ich bin Lehrerin. Ich komme aus München.Alex: Wie alt bist du? — vee ALT bist dooAnna: Ich bin 28. Und du?Alex: Ich bin 25 Jahre alt.

★ Read it once, then read it again replacing every answer with your own.That version is your script — you will use it on Day 7, Day 29 and Day 30.

6. Exercises

A. Fill in the ending.

1. Ich komm__ aus Kanada. 2. Du wohn__ in Wien. 3. Er lern__ Deutsch.
2. Wir komm__ aus Korea. 5. Ihr wohn__ in Berlin. 6. Sie lern__ Englisch. (they)

B. Careful — these two need a spelling adjustment.

1. du (heißen) ___ 2. du (arbeiten) ___ 3. er (arbeiten) ___ 4. du (tanzen) ___

C. Fix the error.

1. Ich bin ein Student.
2. Ich habe 25 Jahre.
3. In Berlin ich wohne.
4. Ich heiße bin Alex.

D. Translate.

1. I'm from England. 2. She lives in Munich. 3. We're learning German.
2. What's your name? (formal) 5. I'm a teacher. (said by a woman)

E. Who is sie? Say how you know.

1. Sie ist Lehrerin. 2. Sie sind aus Korea. 3. Sie kommen aus Berlin, Herr Meyer.

7. Today's 10 sentences (flashcards)

1. Wie heißt du? — What's your name? (du) (vee HIGHST doo)
2. Wie heißen Sie? — What's your name? (Sie) (vee HIGH-sen zee)
3. Ich heiße Alex. — My name is Alex (ikh HIGH-suh)
4. Woher kommst du? — Where are you from? (vo-HAIR KOMST doo)
5. Ich komme aus Amerika. — I'm from America (ikh KOM-muh owss a-MEH-ree-kah)
6. Ich wohne in Berlin. — I live in Berlin (ikh VOH-nuh in ber-LEEN)
7. Was machst du? — What do you do? (vass MAKHST doo)
8. Ich bin Student / Studentin. — I'm a student (ikh bin shtoo-DENT / shtoo-DEN-tin)
9. Ich lerne Deutsch. — I'm learning German (ikh LAIR-nuh DOYTCH)
10. Ich bin 25 Jahre alt. — I'm 25 years old (ikh bin … YAH-ruh alt)

8. 📲 Upload to LangNote

Upload section 5 (the dialogue) rewritten with your own answers, plus section 7 → study language German.

★ Keep your rewritten dialogue. Day 7 asks you to speak for one minute about yourself, and this is the skeleton of it.

langNote is a paid subscription and this course recommends it. The 30 lessons are free and complete either way.