In the Classroom: German for Your First Day and for Group Work
Your first day in a German course, and the group-work conversation that follows. The phrases to introduce yourself, ask about homework, and agree on when to meet.
The first day of a German course is strange. You are in a room full of people who are also nervous, and everyone is pretending not to be. The teacher says "Stellen Sie sich bitte vor" — please introduce yourself — and suddenly your German disappears.
Here is the good news: you do not need perfect German for this. You need about six sentences. And one of the most useful sentences you can learn is the one that admits you are nervous. Saying it in German is already proof that your German works.
Later in the course something else happens: group work. Your teacher puts you with two other people and says "prepare a presentation together". Now you have to negotiate a time with strangers — and that is exactly the kind of everyday conversation the FIDE examiner wants to hear.
Key phrases to know
- Ich bin etwas nervös. – I'm a bit nervous.
- Mein Deutsch ist nicht so gut. – My German isn't so good.
- Keine Sorge. – Don't worry.
- Gibt es viele Hausaufgaben? – Is there a lot of homework?