← German from zero to A1
A1
Lesson 4. The week and free time: where from, where, where to, and how much it costs
I can say where I'm from, where I live and work, and where I'm going, name any day of the week and what I do in my free time, and ask how much something costs.
Where from, where, where to — and how much it costs
Where from, where, where to — and how much it costs
Talking about yourself: origin, home, work, travel; also days and prices.
Prepositions with cities, countries, and companies (the name doesn't change):
• aus — where someone is from: Ich komme aus Russland.
• in — where they live and work: Ich wohne in München.
• bei — their employer: Ich arbeite bei Schneider.
• nach — where they're going: Wir fahren nach Österreich.
Countries with an article (die Schweiz), and these prepositions with people, come later.
Days of the week: Montag, Dienstag, Mittwoch, Donnerstag, Freitag, Samstag, Sonntag. All are masculine: der Montag. “On Monday” is the set phrase am Montag, “on the weekend” is am Wochenende. Learn it whole for now.
Free time: Sport machen, Musik hören, Fußball spielen, tanzen. No article.
Prices: Wie viel kostet das? — Das kostet sieben Euro. Euro doesn't change after a number. 3,50 € is said and written drei Euro fünfzig; German uses a comma, not a period. A number is written as one word: einundzwanzig. To rate a price: teuer or billig.
Common mistakes:
• NOT “Ich komme von Polen” — “from” is aus here: aus Polen.
• NOT “Lisa arbeitet in Becker” — at a company: bei Becker.
• NOT “Wir fahren zu Wien” — “to” a city is nach: nach Wien.
• NOT “Ich wohne nach Berlin” — where: in Berlin.
• NOT “An Mittwoch spielt Daniel Fußball” — am Mittwoch.
• NOT “Das kostet sieben Euros” — Euro doesn't change.
aus, in, bei, nach
The name of a city, country, or company doesn't change after these prepositions.
| Preposition | What it's about | Example |
|---|---|---|
| aus | where the person is from | Ich komme aus Russland. |
| in | where they live and work | Ich wohne in München. |
| bei | which company they work for | Ich arbeite bei Schneider. |
| nach | where they're going | Wir fahren nach Österreich. |
Seven days and am
All the days of the week are masculine; “on a given day” is the set phrase am.
| Day | When | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| der Montag | am Montag | on Monday |
| der Dienstag | am Dienstag | on Tuesday |
| der Mittwoch | am Mittwoch | on Wednesday |
| der Donnerstag | am Donnerstag | on Thursday |
| der Freitag | am Freitag | on Friday |
| der Samstag | am Samstag | on Saturday |
| der Sonntag | am Sonntag | on Sunday |
| das Wochenende | am Wochenende | on the weekend |
Lesson notes
Where from, where, where to — and how much it costs
Talking about yourself: origin, home, work, travel; also days and prices.
Prepositions with cities, countries, and companies (the name doesn't change):
• aus — where someone is from: Ich komme aus Russland.
• in — where they live and work: Ich wohne in München.
• bei — their employer: Ich arbeite bei Schneider.
• nach — where they're going: Wir fahren nach Österreich.
Countries with an article (die Schweiz), and these prepositions with people, come later.
Days of the week: Montag, Dienstag, Mittwoch, Donnerstag, Freitag, Samstag, Sonntag. All are masculine: der Montag. “On Monday” is the set phrase am Montag, “on the weekend” is am Wochenende. Learn it whole for now.
Free time: Sport machen, Musik hören, Fußball spielen, tanzen. No article.
Prices: Wie viel kostet das? — Das kostet sieben Euro. Euro doesn't change after a number. 3,50 € is said and written drei Euro fünfzig; German uses a comma, not a period. A number is written as one word: einundzwanzig. To rate a price: teuer or billig.
Common mistakes:
• NOT “Ich komme von Polen” — “from” is aus here: aus Polen.
• NOT “Lisa arbeitet in Becker” — at a company: bei Becker.
• NOT “Wir fahren zu Wien” — “to” a city is nach: nach Wien.
• NOT “Ich wohne nach Berlin” — where: in Berlin.
• NOT “An Mittwoch spielt Daniel Fußball” — am Mittwoch.
• NOT “Das kostet sieben Euros” — Euro doesn't change.