Small Healthy Daily Changes | Learn German in English

German lesson set in a contemporary Berlin everyday setting: At home, two adults discuss small daily health changes, including drinking more water and taking a short walk..

EN → DE / Level: A2

About This Lesson

Use Small Healthy Daily Changes to practice German conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.

Dialogue

A

Ich möchte eine gesündere tägliche Routine.

ikh MURH-tuh EYE-nuh guh-ZUEN-duh-ruh TAYG-lih-huh roo-TEE-nuh. I want a healthier daily routine.
B

Beginne mit kleinen Veränderungen, die du beibehalten kannst.

buh-GIN-uh mit KLY-nun fehr-EN-duh-roong-un dee doo BYE-buh-HAL-tun kahnst. Start with small changes you can stick with.
A

Ich kann bei der Arbeit mehr Wasser trinken.

ikh kahn bye dair AR-bite mair VAH-suh TRINK-un. I can drink more water while I'm at work.
B

Das kann dir am Nachmittag mehr Energie geben.

dahs kahn deer ahm NAHKH-mi-tahk mair en-er-GHEE GAY-bun. That may help your energy in the afternoon.
A

Soll ich nach dem Abendessen auch Sport machen?

zohl ikh nahkh daym AH-bn-ESS-n owkh SHPORT MAKH-n? Should I also exercise after dinner?
B

Ein kurzer Spaziergang wäre ein Anfang, den du gut schaffen kannst.

EYE-n KOORT-suh shpa-TSEER-gahng VAIR-uh EYE-n AHN-fahng dayn doo goot SHAHF-n kahnst. A short walk would be a manageable start.
A

Ich kann meine Schuhe an die Tür stellen, damit ich daran denke, loszugehen.

ikh kahn MY-nuh SHOO-uh ahn dee TEWR SHTEL-un duh-MIT ikh duh-RAHN DENK-uh LOHS-gay-un. I can put my shoes by the door so I remember to go.
B

Das klingt realistisch und leicht durchzuhalten.

dahs klinkt ray-ah-LIS-tish unt LYEHT DOORKH-tsoo-HAL-tun. That sounds realistic and easy to keep up.

Word by Word

Ich Ich means “I” and is the speaker of the first sentence. It is used as the subject before möchte, as in Ich möchte ... when stating a personal wish or intention.
möchte möchte expresses a polite personal wish: here, the speaker would like a healthier routine. A common reuse pattern is Ich möchte ... when asking for or expressing something politely.
eine eine means “a” before Routine in eine gesündere tägliche Routine. It introduces one nonspecific routine, and the same pattern can be used with another singular noun.
gesündere gesündere means “healthier” and describes the desired routine in eine gesündere tägliche Routine. It is used when comparing the desired routine with the current one; a common pattern is ein gesünderer ... or eine gesündere ... depending on the noun.
tägliche tägliche means “daily” and describes how often the routine takes place. It appears directly before Routine, so daily activities can be described with tägliche + a noun.
Routine Routine means “routine,” referring here to the speaker’s everyday pattern of activities. It is useful when discussing habits, as in eine tägliche Routine.
Beginne Beginne means “start” in the advice Beginne mit kleinen Veränderungen. It is a direct instruction to one person; a useful pattern is Beginne mit ... when recommending a first step.
mit mit means “with” and introduces what the person should start with in Beginne mit kleinen Veränderungen. The reusable pattern Beginne mit ... names the first thing to try.
kleinen kleinen means “small” and describes Veränderungen, emphasizing that the suggested changes are limited and manageable. It can be reused before a plural noun when describing small steps or changes.
Veränderungen Veränderungen means “changes,” specifically the small changes that can form a healthier routine. It is useful when discussing adjustments to habits, as in mit kleinen Veränderungen.
die die refers back to kleinen Veränderungen and introduces the clause die du beibehalten kannst. This pattern connects a noun with extra information about it, such as changes that someone can maintain.
du du means “you” and refers to the person receiving the advice. It is the subject in die du beibehalten kannst and is used in informal conversations with one person.
beibehalten beibehalten means “keep” or “maintain” here, referring to changes that the listener can continue. A useful pattern is etwas beibehalten for continuing a habit, plan, or change.
kannst kannst means “can” with du in die du beibehalten kannst. It expresses the listener’s ability to maintain the changes; a common pattern is du kannst ... followed by an infinitive.
kann kann expresses possibility in Das kann dir am Nachmittag mehr Energie geben: the action may give the person more energy. A common pattern is Das kann ... when describing a possible effect or benefit.
bei bei means “at” or “while at” in bei der Arbeit, locating the drinking activity in the work setting. The reusable expression bei der Arbeit is used when talking about something happening during work.
der der is the article in the fixed phrase bei der Arbeit, meaning “at work.” It belongs with Arbeit in this expression, which is useful for describing activities that happen at work.
Arbeit Arbeit means “work” in bei der Arbeit. The full expression is used to say that something happens at the workplace or during working time.
mehr mehr means “more” and describes an increased amount of water in mehr Wasser trinken. It can be placed before a noun to express a larger quantity, such as mehr Zeit or mehr Energie.
Wasser Wasser means “water,” the drink the speaker plans to consume in greater quantity. It appears after mehr in mehr Wasser trinken, a useful pattern for talking about drinking more of something.
trinken trinken means “drink” and is the action the speaker can do in Ich kann bei der Arbeit mehr Wasser trinken. After kann, it appears as the infinitive; mehr Wasser trinken is a reusable expression for increasing water intake.
Das Das means “that” and refers to the suggested action of drinking more water. As the subject of Das kann dir ... geben, it is useful for commenting on a previous idea or action.
dir dir means “to you” or “for you” in Das kann dir am Nachmittag mehr Energie geben. It identifies the person who receives the benefit, as in jemandem etwas geben.
am am means “in the” or “at the” in am Nachmittag; it is the contracted form used in this time expression. The common pattern am + time period locates an event during a part of the day.
Nachmittag Nachmittag means “afternoon” in am Nachmittag. This expression is used to specify that something happens during the afternoon, such as having more energy then.
Energie Energie means “energy,” the benefit that the water may provide in the afternoon. It appears in mehr Energie geben, which is useful when describing giving someone more energy.
geben geben means “give” in mehr Energie geben, where it describes providing energy to the listener. A reusable pattern is jemandem etwas geben, such as giving someone a benefit or object.
Soll Soll means “should” in the question Soll ich nach dem Abendessen auch Sport machen? It asks for advice about what the speaker ought to do; Soll ich ...? is a common way to ask whether an action is recommended.
nach nach means “after” in nach dem Abendessen and places the exercise after dinner. The pattern nach + an event or time is used to describe when something happens.
dem dem is the article used in nach dem Abendessen, meaning “the” in the phrase “after dinner.” It belongs with Abendessen in this time expression.
Abendessen Abendessen means “dinner” in nach dem Abendessen. The full phrase is useful for describing an activity that takes place after the evening meal.
auch auch means “also” and adds exercise as another possible healthy action. It is placed before Sport machen here and can introduce an additional action or idea.
Sport Sport means “exercise” or “sport” in Sport machen. In this dialogue it names the physical activity the speaker is considering; Sport machen is the reusable expression for doing exercise.
machen machen is the verb used with Sport in Sport machen, giving the expression the meaning “to exercise” or “do sport.” The pattern Sport machen is useful when talking about physical activity.
Ein Ein means “a” at the beginning of Ein kurzer Spaziergang. It introduces one short walk as a possible starting point, and the same article can introduce another singular masculine noun.
kurzer kurzer means “short” and describes the Spaziergang in Ein kurzer Spaziergang. It presents the walk as limited in length, which fits the suggestion of a manageable first step.
Spaziergang Spaziergang means “walk,” specifically the short walk suggested after dinner. It is useful for discussing walking as an activity, as in Ein kurzer Spaziergang.
wäre wäre means “would be” in Ein kurzer Spaziergang wäre ein Anfang. It presents the walk as a possible or suggested starting point; a common pattern is ... wäre ein Anfang when proposing a first step.
Anfang Anfang means “start” or “beginning,” referring to the first step in the healthier routine. In wäre ein Anfang, it describes the short walk as a suitable starting point.
den den refers back to Anfang and introduces the clause den du gut schaffen kannst. The clause explains that this proposed start is something the listener can manage.
gut gut means “well” in gut schaffen, saying that the listener can manage the proposed start successfully. The pattern etwas gut schaffen is useful when describing an achievable task.
schaffen schaffen means “manage” in den du gut schaffen kannst, referring to completing or handling the suggested start. A useful pattern is etwas schaffen when saying that a person can manage a task.
meine meine means “my” and identifies the shoes as belonging to the speaker in meine Schuhe. It is placed before the plural noun and can be reused with other things the speaker owns.
Schuhe Schuhe means “shoes,” which the speaker plans to place by the door as a reminder. The phrase Schuhe an die Tür stellen is useful for describing this practical preparation.
an an means “by” or “at” in an die Tür stellen, indicating the place where the shoes will be put. The pattern etwas an die Tür stellen can be used when placing something beside or at the door.
Tür Tür means “door” in an die Tür stellen. It identifies the visible place where the shoes will be placed so the speaker notices them before leaving.
stellen stellen means “put” or “place” in meine Schuhe an die Tür stellen. It describes placing the shoes by the door, and the pattern etwas an die Tür stellen is useful for setting up a reminder.
damit damit means “so that” and introduces the purpose of placing the shoes by the door in damit ich daran denke, loszugehen. A common pattern is damit + a clause when explaining the purpose of an action.
daran daran is the “of it” or “about it” element in daran denken, loszugehen; here it points to the action of setting off. A useful pattern is daran denken, etwas zu tun, meaning to remember to do something.
denke denke means “think” or, in daran denken, “remember,” with ich as the subject. Here it describes remembering to set off, and daran denken, etwas zu tun is a reusable pattern.
loszugehen loszugehen means “to set off” or “to leave,” referring to going out for the walk. It appears after daran denke in daran denke, loszugehen, a useful expression for remembering to leave or start moving.
klingt klingt means “sounds” in Das klingt realistisch. It gives an evaluation of a suggestion, and Das klingt ... is a common pattern for reacting to an idea.
realistisch realistisch means “realistic,” describing the proposed routine as achievable in practice. It is useful when evaluating whether a plan or expectation can work in everyday life.
und und means “and” and links the two positive descriptions realistisch and leicht durchzuhalten. It is used to join related qualities or ideas in one statement.
leicht leicht means “easy” in leicht durchzuhalten, describing the routine as not difficult to continue. A common pattern is leicht zu + infinitive when saying that an action is easy to do.
durchzuhalten durchzuhalten means “to keep up” or “to maintain,” referring to continuing the healthy routine over time. In leicht durchzuhalten, it describes a plan that is easy to sustain; this pattern is useful when evaluating habits or plans.

Grammar Points

gesünder + Adjektivendung: gesündere

Eine gesündere tägliche Routine wäre realistisch.

EYE-nuh guh-ZUEN-duh-ruh TAYG-lih-huh roo-TEE-nuh VAIR-uh ray-ah-LIS-tish.

A healthier daily routine would be realistic.

The comparative gesünder takes an adjective ending before a feminine noun with eine: gesündere Routine.

wäre ..., zu + Infinitiv

Es wäre realistisch, Wasser zu trinken.

ess VAIR-uh ray-ah-LIS-tish, VAH-suh tsoo TRINK-un.

It would be realistic to drink water.

After wäre es realistisch, use zu plus the infinitive to express what would be realistic to do.

German Vocabulary

bei der Arbeit phrase
bye dair AR-bite at work
beibehalten verb
BYE-buh-HAL-tun to stick with; to maintain
Energie noun
en-er-GHEE energy
geben verb
GAY-bun to give
gesund adj
guh-ZOONT healthy gesündere

eine gesündere tägliche Routine

klein adj
KLYNE small kleinen

mit kleinen Veränderungen

möchte verb
MURH-tuh want
Nachmittag noun
NAHKH-mi-tahk afternoon
tägliche Routine phrase
TAYG-lih-huh roo-TEE-nuh daily routine
trinken verb
TRINK-un to drink
Veränderung noun
fehr-EN-duh-roong change Veränderungen
Wasser noun
VAH-suh water

Quiz

Word Order

Arrange the words in the correct order.

I want a healthier daily routine.

Show AnswerIch möchte eine gesündere tägliche Routine.

That sounds realistic and easy to keep up.

Show AnswerDas klingt realistisch und leicht durchzuhalten.

Spelling

Tap the letters to spell the word.

to drink

Show Answertrinken

water

Show AnswerWasser

want

Show Answermöchte

to stick with; to maintain

Show Answerbeibehalten