A Sixth German Starter Unit

Mein Haus, mein Zimmer 🖤❤️💛 ⇢ My House, My Room 🛏️ 🛋️

Published by Roslyn Green in March 2023

This unit was originally developed for accelerated students and would therefore serve ideally as extension material. A detailed downloadable booklet for students is provided. There is also a range of online quizzes:

  • Two audio quizzes with quite challenging texts to work through
  • Some “pin and label” quizzes to simplify vocabulary learning
  • Two useful quizzes for learning and mastering the prepositions for describing location.

Masculine NounsFeminine NounsNeuter NounsPlural NounsPrepositions


Bildlexikon 1: Mein Zimmer | My Room


  • das Bett → bed
    • Ich mache jeden Tag das Bett. → I make the bed every day.
  • das Zimmer → room | das Schlafzimmer → bedroom
    • Ich habe mein eigenes Zimmer. Ich muss es nicht teilen. → I have my own room. I don’t have to share.

  • der Schreibtisch → desk | der Stuhl → chair
    • Ein Stuhl steht vor dem Schreibtisch → A chair is (standing) in front of the desk.
    • Manchmal lerne ich auf dem Bett, weil das bequemer ist. → Sometimes I study on the bed, because it’s more comfortable.
  • vor → in front of | auf → on
  • stehen – to stand often used to refer to the position of objects

  • der Nachttisch → bedside table | die Vase – vase
    • Der Nachttisch steht neben dem Bett. → The bedside table is beside the bed.
    • Eine Vase steht auf dem Nachttisch. → A vase is on the bedside table.
  • neben → beside, next to

  • die Lampe → lamp | die Kommode → chest of drawers
    • Eine Lampe steht auf der Kommode. → A lamp is on the chest of drawers.

Bildlexikon 2: Prepositions

  • The dative case is required after prepositions denoting position:
    • masculine: der → dem
    • feminine: die → der
    • neuter: das → dem
    • plural: die → den

Image by StockSnap from Pixabay



  • die Tasse→ cup | die Untertasse – saucer
  • der Tisch → table
  • die Frau → woman
  • das Handy → mobile phone
  • das TabletiPad, tablet
    • Die junge Frau sitzt an dem Tisch (oder am Tisch). The young woman is sitting at the table.
    • Sie hat ein Handy in der Hand. She has a mobile in her hand.
    • Die Tasse, die Untertasse und das Tablet sind auf dem Tisch. The cup, saucer and tablet are on the table.

Image by Watercolor Artist from Pixabay


  • das Regal → shelf
  • die Couch → couch
    • Das Regal ist über der Couch. → The shelf is over/above the couch.
    • Die Couch steht unter dem Regal. → The couch is under the shelf.

Image by Luda Kot from Pixabay

  • die Kinder children
  • die Katze cat
    • Die Katze ist zwischen den Kindern. The cat is between the children.

[Note the addition of the dative -n ending to the plural noun: Kindern]


Image by Watercolor Artist from Pixabay

  • das Kinderbett cot or crib
  • der Stuhl chair
    • Der Stuhl steht neben dem Kinderbett. The chair is beside the cot.

Image by StockSnap from Pixabay


  • die Couch couch
  • der Couchtisch coffee table
  • das Fensterbrett windowsill
    • Der Couchtisch steht vor der Couch. The coffee table is in front of the couch.
    • Die Katze sitzt hinter der Couch auf dem Fensterbrett.

Online Activities

Quizizz: German Prepositions

This introductory quiz checks and reinforces learners’ memory of the meaning of prepositions. There are also questions and photos that prompt learners to choose the correct preposition from four options.

Learners can play the “preview” or “flashcard” version of the game without creating an account.


Quiz: Describing Positions with Prepositions

In this quiz about the key prepositions for describing the position of people and objects, learners can select the correct preposition to match a range of pictures containing people, furniture and teddy bears.


Quiz: Über Katzen und Präpositionen | About Cats and Prepositions

This quiz also has deer, dogs and a man doing magical things with a soccer ball in it. To describe each scene correctly, choose the right preposition.


Quizizz: Bei mir zu Hause: Eine Wortliste

Learners encounter 20 nouns for inside the house and the surroundings.


A Pin and Label Matching Quiz: Mein Zimmer | My Room

Sixteen colour-coded nouns for the bedroom: masculinefeminineneuter. Learners can click on the💡on the top left of the quiz to read through the vocabulary list.


A Pin and Label Matching Quiz: Mein Haus | My House

Twenty-four colour-coded nouns for the whole house: masculinefeminineneuter. Learners can click on the💡on the top left of the quiz to read through the vocabulary list.


A spontaneous presentation by Laura Bühler

Mein Zimmer in Deutschland | My Room in Germany → Audio and Quiz

Laura describes her small room in a student hostel in Germany to a class of year seven students in Melbourne.

Audio Quiz with Full Text: Lauras Zimmer in Deutschland


Recorded by Carolina Seez

Mein Zimmer | My Room → Audio and Quick Quiz

A teenager describes her room, which is also her refuge. Click on the picture to see the full text.

Quick Quiz: Mein Zimmer → Match 16 pictures of objects in a bedroom with their German names.

Worksheet: Mein Zimmer → Vocabulary explanations and exercises based on the text

Die Wechselpräpositionen

Published by Roslyn Green in January 2023

The Case of the “Changing” Prepositions

The prepositions in the middle of this diagram are the trickiest ones in German, since they are followed by either the accusative case or the dative case, depending on the context of the situation.

Sentence Examples

1 Wo ist mein Handy?

  • Movement: Du hast es in deine Schultasche gesteckt. You put it into your schoolbag. (accusative ending after in)
  • Position: Es ist in deiner Schultasche. It’s in your schoolbag. (dative ending after in)

2 Wo ist die Katze?

  • Movement: Sie ist unter das Haus gegangen. She went under the house. (accusative article after unter)
  • Position: Sie ist unter dem Haus. She is under the house. (dative article after unter)

3 Es gibt in dieser Stadt einen Weihnachtsmarkt!

  • Movement: Wir möchten auf den Weihnachtsmarkt fahren. We’d like to go/drive to the Christmas market. (accusative article after auf)
  • Position: Wir kaufen immer Geschenke auf dem Weihnachtsmarkt. We always buy presents at the Christmas market. (dative article after auf)

The Accusative and Dative Articles

Examples with Possessive Pronouns:
MASCULINE:
Accusative: Sie hat ihre Gartengeräte in meinen Garten gebracht.
Dative: Ihre Gartengeräte sind in meinem Garten.
FEMININE:
Accusative: Er hat sein Fahrrad in meine Garage gestellt.
Dative: Sein Fahrrad ist in meiner Garage.
NEUTER:
Accusative: Er geht in sein Zimmer, um sich zu entspannen.
Dative: Er entspannt sich in seinem Zimmer.

When the context refers to movement into a particular area, the preposition is followed by the accusative case.

When the context refers to remaining, existing or being within an area, however, the preposition must be followed by the dative case.

These rules also apply to the endings on possessive pronouns.

Meaning Check

Online Activities and Materials


Quiz: Verbs That Trigger the Accusative Case in German

This quiz identifies and clarifies the meaning of key movement verbs in German and provides practice with using the accusative articles in sentences.

This quiz as a printable PDF


Kahoot: More Practice with the Changing Prepositions

This is a fairly challenging Kahoot for students who feel confident about using the “changing prepositions”.


Handout | Arbeitsblatt

This double-sided handout provides a summary of the information on this page, along with exercises similar to those in the online quizzes.