A1-4 · Spell names and ask yes/no questions
The alphabet
Spell a name or email address and turn a simple statement into a yes/no question.
About 5 minutes to read · 12 quiz questions
01
Spell your name
Use buchstabieren when you want someone to say the letters of a word. Letters are spoken with their German names. Listen to the short exchanges.
Wie schreibt man Anna?
How do you spell Anna?
A, N, N, A.
A, N, N, A.
Bitte buchstabieren Sie.
Please spell it.
M, E, Y, E, R.
M, E, Y, E, R.
German has the letters A to Z plus ä, ö, ü and ß. The letter ß is called Eszett or scharfes S. Do not confuse a letter name with the sound it makes inside a word.
02
Put the verb first
A yes/no question starts with the conjugated verb. The person follows it. Compare the statement and question: only their order changes.
Sie heißen Anna.
Your name is Anna.
Heißen Sie Anna?
Is your name Anna?
Du lernst Deutsch.
You are learning German.
Lernst du Deutsch?
Are you learning German?
Statements put the verb second: Du lernst Deutsch. Yes/no questions put it first: Lernst du Deutsch? Keep the verb ending that matches the person.
03
Check an email address
When spelling an email address, say at for @ and Punkt for a dot. This fictional address is only for practice. Ask a yes/no question to check what you heard.
anna at example Punkt org
anna at example dot org
Ist das richtig?
Is that correct?
Ja, das ist richtig.
Yes, that is correct.
Nein, ich heiße Anne.
No, my name is Anne.
Ja confirms and nein disagrees. A correction after nein is a normal statement: ich heiße Anne. The written practice address is anna@example.org.
Ready to try it?
Check what you remember with 12 short questions.
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