Vocabulary

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Lesson Transcript

Let’s take a closer look at the conversation.
Do you remember how Marvin introduces himself?
"I'm Marvin. And you?"
Ich bin Marvin. Und du?
First is ich, "I." Ich. Ich.
Next is bin, "am," as in “I am.” Bin. Bin.
Bin is from the verb sein, meaning "to be.” Sein.
Next is the name, Marvin. "Marvin." Marvin. Marvin.
Together, it’s Ich bin Marvin, "I am Marvin," or “I’m Marvin. Ich bin Marvin.
Note: When introducing himself, Marvin uses only his given name. In Germany, this is considered an offer to use informal language.
Next is Und du? Meaning "And you?
First is und, "And." Und. Und.
Next is du, "you," when using informal German. Du. Du.
Together it's Und du? "And you?" Und du?
All together it's Ich bin Marvin. Und du? "I'm Marvin. And you?"
Ich bin Marvin. Und du?
Now let’s take a closer look at Mark’s response.
Do you remember how Mark says
"My name is Mark."
Ich heiße Mark.
First is Ich, "I." Ich.
Next is heiße, "[am] called," as in “I’m called.” Heiße. Heiße.
Heiße is from the verb heißen, "to be called." Heißen.
Together it's ich heiße, literally meaning "I am called… " but it translates as "my name is… ." Ich heiße.
After this is the name Mark. "Mark." Mark. Mark.
All together it’s Ich heiße Mark. "My name is Mark." Ich heiße Mark.
Note: Mark replies with his given name giving Marvin a signal that he agrees to use informal language.
All together is Ich heiße Mark "My name is Mark."
Ich heiße Mark.
The pattern is
Ich heiße NAME.
My name is NAME.
Ich heiße NAME.
To use this pattern, simply replace the NAME placeholder with your name.
Note: Use this pattern with your given name or your given name and surname.
Imagine you’re Karen Lee. In German, Karen. Karen. Karen.
Say
"My name is Karen."
Ready?
Ich heiße Karen.
"My name is Karen."
Ich heiße Karen.
In German there are both informal and formal ways of speaking. What you use depends on whom you’re speaking with.
Formal language is called siezen, because you use the formal word for “you,” which is Sie. This is usually used with strangers or with people who are more senior than yourself. It’s also common in business settings.
Informal language is called duzen because you use the informal word for “you,” which is du.
According to German etiquette, the older person should be the one to initiate the switch to informal language. In our example, Marvin and Mark are similar in age, so they use informal language to start.
During an exchange of self-introductions, you may hear Freut mich, a short way to say "Nice to meet you."
Freut mich is from the expression Es freut mich, Sie kennenzulernen, literally meaning “It pleases me to become acquainted with you,” but translates as “Nice to meet you.”

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