Colors, everyday objects and Was ist das?
Name the colors and a dozen everyday objects with the right article, ask Was ist das? and Welche Farbe hat ...?, and describe things as big, small, new or old.
People and things · Start from zero · 15 min · 20 exercises · Start from zero, High school
You now know your numbers, the time and your family. This lesson gives you the words for the things around you: the pen on your desk, the door, your phone, your bag. You will learn to ask Was ist das? (What is that?) and Welche Farbe hat ...? (What color is ...?), and to answer with a color and a size. Every German noun comes with its article, so you will learn der Tisch, never just Tisch.
The colors
- rotred
- blaublue
- grüngreenthe ü: say ee with rounded lips
- gelbyellow
- schwarzblackthe z sounds like ts
- weißwhitethe ß is a sharp s sound
- graugray
- braunbrown
- orangeorangesaid almost like the French word
- rosapink
- lilapurple
- buntcolorful, many colors
Inside the platform every word is read aloud by a German voice.
Things in the classroom and at home
- der Tischdie Tischetable, desk
- der Stuhldie Stühlechair
- der Stiftdie Stiftepenany pen or pencil
- der Bleistiftdie Bleistiftepencil
- der Rucksackdie Rucksäckebackpack
- der Schlüsseldie Schlüsselkey
- die Taschedie Taschenbag
- die Türdie Türendoor
- die Lampedie Lampenlamp
- die Flaschedie Flaschenbottle
- das Buchdie Bücherbook
- das Heftdie Heftenotebooka thin exercise book
- das Handydie Handyscell phonesaid HEN-dee; not an English word
- das Fensterdie Fensterwindow
Inside the platform every word is read aloud by a German voice.
In the classroom
Tomás is new in his class in Stuttgart and asks his neighbor Mia about the things on the desk.
Was ist das? Das ist ein / eine ...
To ask about a thing, say Was ist das? The answer is always Das ist + ein or eine + the noun. Pick the little word from the article you learned with the noun: der and das nouns take ein (der Tisch: ein Tisch, das Buch: ein Buch), die nouns take eine (die Tasche: eine Tasche). For several things, say Das sind + the plural: Das sind Stifte.
From der, die, das to ein, eine
| Article | Was ist das? | Welche Farbe hat ...? |
|---|---|---|
| der (Tisch) | Das ist ein Tisch. | Der Tisch ist braun. |
| die (Tasche) | Das ist eine Tasche. | Die Tasche ist schwarz. |
| das (Buch) | Das ist ein Buch. | Das Buch ist rot. |
| plural (die Stifte) | Das sind Stifte. | Die Stifte sind bunt. |
Welche Farbe hat ...? and the four size words
English asks what color something is; German asks what color it has: Welche Farbe hat der Tisch? Answer with the noun and ist + the color: Der Tisch ist braun. Colors and the words groß (big), klein (small), neu (new) and alt (old) never change after ist and are written in lowercase: Das Fenster ist groß. Die Lampe ist neu.
Big, small, new, old
- Der Tisch ist groß.The table is big.
- Das Handy ist neu.The cell phone is new.
- Die Tasche ist klein und schwarz.The bag is small and black.two describing words joined by und
- Der Schlüssel ist alt.The key is old.
- Das Fenster ist groß, die Tür ist klein.The window is big, the door is small.
Colors that mean something in Germany
A few colors work like signs. A yellow box on the street is a Briefkasten of the Deutsche Post, which is yellow everywhere. A big red A marks an Apotheke (pharmacy). Glass bottles without a deposit go into containers sorted by color, Weißglas, Grünglas and Braunglas, so you need these color words on recycling day. And in the eastern part of Berlin the walk signal shows the Ampelmännchen, a little man with a hat who has become a souvenir.
Learn every noun as a package: article, noun, plural. Many learners color-code their notes: blue for der words, red for die words, green for das words. Write der Tisch, die Tasche, das Buch on sticky notes and put them on the real objects at home. In a week you will see the article before you see the thing.
Two traps. First, do not translate „What color is it?“ word for word: German says Welche Farbe hat das Heft?, with hat, not ist. Second, colors are not nouns, so they stay in lowercase: Das Buch ist rot. The nouns, however, always take their capital letter, even in the middle of a sentence: ein Buch, eine Lampe.
The exercises of this lesson
20 corrected exercises in two sessions (discovery, practice), including listening items read aloud by a German voice: multiple choice (4), fill in the gap (5), matching (3), sorting (2), word order (1), translation (3), find the mistake (1), gap text (1). Every answer is corrected immediately, with the rule that applies.