Intro · 795753c688ada389812d01b67494fd5b
German Sounds
You’ve already seen letters that we don’t have in English, such as ä and ü. Another one is the Eszett, which looks like ß. Although it looks like a fancy letter B, it sounds exactly like s as in say!
heißen
ich heiße, du heißt, süß
(as in “say”)
It’s a combination of the old German letters S (ess) and z (zett). If an ß is not available on your keyboard, you can write ss instead!
Wie heißt du?
To tell someone your name, we say My name is ... In German, however, you say Ich heiße...
Ich heiße Julia.I am called Julia.
To ask someone’s name in German, you say Wie heißt du?
Wie heißt du?How are you called?
A handshake is very important in the German‑speaking world. Make sure your handshake is firm, brief, and not bouncy!
The verb heißen follows the patterns we saw earlier! Notice that the ‑s of the ending ‑st is dropped, since the ß also makes the same sound.
| heißen to be called |
|
|---|---|
| ich I |
heiße am called |
| du you |
heißt are called |
| er / sie / es he / she / it |
heißt is called |
Don’t do the do!
In English, we often use the word do or does to ask a yes or no question in English. Don’t bother with do or does in German. Just put the verb at the beginning of the sentence to form your question!
| Statement | Question |
|---|---|
| Du kommst aus Deutschland. You come from Germany. |
Kommst du aus Deutschland? Do you come from Germany? |
| Sie trinkt Milch. She drinks milk. |
Trinkt sie Milch? Does she drink milk? |
The German language is very to the point! Notice how English uses two words for the verb where German uses just one:
Heißt er Hans?Is he called Hans?
Ja, er heißt Hans.
Yes, he is called Hans.