Choosing a seat in class | Learn German in English

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Use Choosing a seat in class to practice German conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.

Dialogue

Sitzt du immer hier?

ZITST doo IM-er HEER? Do you always sit here?

Ich sitze gern vorne.

ikh ZIT-suh gairn FOR-nuh. I like sitting at the front.

Ich kann den Lehrer gut hören.

ikh kahn den LAY-rer goot HUR-en. I can hear the teacher well.

Hier kann man leicht Fragen stellen.

HEER kahn mahn LYKHT FRAH-gen SHTEL-len. It is easy to ask questions here.

Setzen wir uns nächstes Mal zusammen.

ZET-sen veer oons NEKH-stes MAHL tsoo-ZAH-men. Let's sit together next time.

Das würde ich gern.

dahs VUR-duh ikh gairn. I would like that.

Vorne zu sitzen hilft mir, mich zu konzentrieren.

FOR-nuh tsoo ZIT-sen HILFT meer, mikh tsoo kon-tsen-TREE-ren. Sitting at the front helps me focus.

Word by Word

Sitzt “Sitzt” means “sit” in the question “Sitzt du immer hier?” It is the verb form used with “du” when asking whether someone sits in this place regularly. Use “Sitzt du …?” to ask a person about where or how they sit.

du “du” means “you” when speaking to one person directly. Here it is the person being asked about sitting in this place. Use “du” with someone you address informally, as in “Sitzt du hier?”.

immer “immer” means “always” and shows that the action happens regularly or every time. In “Sitzt du immer hier?”, it describes the frequency of sitting here. It can be placed before the place word in this question: “immer hier”.

hier “hier” means “here”, referring to the place where the speakers are sitting. In “Sitzt du immer hier?”, it identifies the current seat or area. Use “hier” to point to the place where you or another person is present.

Ich “Ich” means “I” and identifies the speaker in “Ich sitze gern vorne.” It is the person who likes sitting at the front. Use “Ich” at the beginning when describing your own action or preference.

sitze “sitze” means “sit” in “Ich sitze gern vorne.” It describes the speaker’s position at the front. With “Ich”, use the pattern “Ich sitze …” to say where you are sitting.

gern “gern” shows that the speaker likes or is happy to do the action: “Ich sitze gern vorne” means that the speaker likes sitting at the front. It follows the verb “sitze” here. Use “gern” after an action to express that you like doing it.

vorne “vorne” means “at the front” in “Ich sitze gern vorne.” It gives the location of the speaker’s seat. In “Vorne zu sitzen”, the same word describes sitting at the front as something that helps the speaker focus.

kann “kann” means “can” and expresses ability in “Ich kann den Lehrer gut hören.” It is used with the infinitive “hören”, which comes later in the sentence. Use “kann” with an action to say that someone is able to do it.

den “den” is the definite article in the phrase “den Lehrer”, meaning “the” specific teacher being heard. It belongs with “Lehrer” and marks that noun as the object of “hören”. Keep the article together with the noun in “den Lehrer”.

Lehrer “Lehrer” means “teacher” in “den Lehrer”. Here it refers to the teacher whose voice the speaker can hear well. Use “Lehrer” for the teacher in a classroom context, as in the phrase “den Lehrer hören”.

gut “gut” means “well” in “den Lehrer gut hören”. It describes how clearly or successfully the speaker can hear the teacher. It is placed before “hören” in this sentence after “kann”.

hören “hören” means “hear” in “Ich kann den Lehrer gut hören.” It is the action that the speaker is able to perform. After “kann”, use the infinitive “hören” at the end of the sentence.

man “man” means “one” or “people in general” in “Hier kann man leicht Fragen stellen.” It describes what a person can do without naming a particular person. Use “man kann …” to describe a general possibility or benefit.

leicht “leicht” means “easily” in “leicht Fragen stellen”. It says that asking questions is not difficult in this place. It comes before the expression “Fragen stellen” and describes how the action can be done.

Fragen “Fragen” means “questions” in “Fragen stellen”. It is the thing that people can ask in the classroom. Use it with “stellen” in the classroom expression “Fragen stellen”.

stellen In “Fragen stellen”, “stellen” is the verb used with “Fragen” to express asking questions. The full expression means “ask questions”, while this exact form is the verb in that expression. Use “Fragen stellen” when talking about asking questions in class.

Setzen “Setzen” begins the suggestion “Setzen wir uns nächstes Mal zusammen”, meaning that the speakers should sit together next time. With “wir uns”, it expresses a joint action. Use “Setzen wir uns …” when suggesting that two or more people sit down together.

wir “wir” means “we” and identifies the people who will sit together in “Setzen wir uns …”. It includes the speaker and the other person. Use “wir” when making a suggestion for a shared action.

uns “uns” refers to the speakers themselves in “Setzen wir uns …”. Together with “Setzen” and “wir”, it expresses that they sit themselves down. Use “wir uns” in this suggestion when the group performs the action together.

nächstes “nächstes” means “next” in the expression “nächstes Mal”. It describes the following occasion, not the current class. Use it before “Mal” to refer to the next time an event happens.

Mal “Mal” means “time” or “occasion” in “nächstes Mal”. Together, “nächstes Mal” means “next time”. Use this expression when referring to a future occasion, such as the next class.

zusammen “zusammen” means “together” in “Setzen wir uns nächstes Mal zusammen.” It shows that the speakers will sit with each other rather than separately. Use “zusammen” to describe a shared action with another person or group.

Das “Das” means “that” in “Das würde ich gern.” It refers back to the suggestion of sitting together next time. Use “Das” to refer to an action or proposal just mentioned.

würde “würde” expresses “would” in the polite response “Das würde ich gern.” It presents the speaker’s positive willingness toward the proposed action. Use “würde ich gern” to respond positively to a suggestion when the action has already been mentioned.

zu “zu” marks the infinitive construction “Vorne zu sitzen”, meaning “to sit at the front”. Here it is not a direction word; it links “sitzen” to the clause “hilft mir”. Use “zu” before an infinitive when that action functions as part of a larger sentence.

sitzen “sitzen” means “sit” in “Vorne zu sitzen”. The whole phrase “Vorne zu sitzen” means “sitting at the front” and is the action that helps the speaker focus. Use “zu sitzen” when referring to the act of sitting as part of another sentence.

hilft “hilft” means “helps” in “Vorne zu sitzen hilft mir”. It says that sitting at the front provides help for the speaker’s concentration. Here it is followed by “mir”, the person who benefits, and the purpose “mich zu konzentrieren”.

mir “mir” means “me” as the person who benefits in “hilft mir”. It identifies who is helped by sitting at the front. Use “hilft mir” to say that something helps you personally.

mich “mich” refers back to the speaker in “mich zu konzentrieren”. It is part of the expression meaning “to focus” or “to concentrate myself”. Use “mich zu konzentrieren” when describing the speaker’s own effort to focus.

konzentrieren “konzentrieren” means “focus” or “concentrate” in “mich zu konzentrieren”. The full phrase “mich zu konzentrieren” says that the speaker focuses personally, and “Vorne zu sitzen hilft mir …” gives the reason. Use “zu konzentrieren” after “hilft mir” to describe the purpose of the help.

Grammar Points

gern + Verb

Ich sitze gern hier.

ikh ZIT-suh gairn HEER.

I like sitting here.

gern comes with a verb to express that you like doing something. It is usually placed after the conjugated verb.

helfen + zu + Infinitiv

Es hilft, mich zu konzentrieren.

es HILFT, mikh tsoo kon-tsen-TREE-ren.

It helps me concentrate.

Use zu + infinitive to say what helps. With a reflexive verb, the pronoun stays with the infinitive: mich zu konzentrieren.

German Vocabulary

Frage noun

FRAH-guh question Fragen

Hier kann man leicht Fragen stellen.

gern adv

gairn gladly; like to

Ich sitze gern vorne.

gut adv

GOOT well

Ich kann den Lehrer gut hören.

hier adv

HEER here

Sitzt du immer hier?

hören verb

HUR-en to hear

Ich kann den Lehrer gut hören.

immer adv

IM-er always

Sitzt du immer hier?

Lehrer noun

LAY-rer teacher den Lehrer

Ich kann den Lehrer gut hören.

leicht adv

LYKHT easily

Hier kann man leicht Fragen stellen.

sitzen verb

ZIT-sen to sit sitzt

Sitzt du immer hier?

stellen verb

SHTEL-len to ask; to put

Hier kann man leicht Fragen stellen.

vorne adv

FOR-nuh at the front

Ich sitze gern vorne.

zusammen adv

tsoo-ZAH-men together

Setzen wir uns nächstes Mal zusammen.

Quiz

Word Order

Arrange the words in the correct order.

Do you always sit here?

Show Answer

Sitzt du immer hier?

I like sitting at the front.

Show Answer

Ich sitze gern vorne.

I can hear the teacher well.

Show Answer

Ich kann den Lehrer gut hören.

Spelling

Tap the letters to spell the word.

easily

Show Answer

leicht

at the front

Show Answer

vorne

gladly; like to

Show Answer

gern

here

Show Answer

hier