Meet Ulf, der Wikinger. Oder Schotte. Oder schottischer Wikinger. He’s really a nice guy, but he is seriös about good German vocabulary. Today he is here to help guide A1/A2 German learners through essential Körperteile with fun, interactive exercises and a video starring himself!
Interactive Practice: German Body Parts (Körperteile Übung)
The best part about learning German body parts is that a lot of the words are cognates. Die Hand, der Finger, der Arm and even das Knie don’t even take any studying at all. You see them once and they are yours forever.
Practice these and other essential German body parts by dragging the words to the correct locations on Ulf the schottischer Wikinger. In this activity, you’ll practice der Kopf (head), die Hand (hand), der Finger (finger), der Arm (arm), das Knie (knee), das Bein (leg), and more. Then keep reading for some more vocabulary hints.
(Pro-tip: Don’t be afraid to ‘guess and check’ – it’s a smart learning strategy that works perfectly here! Just observe where the words fit.)
More German cognates to help you learn Körpterteile
Bein, too, is a cognate, though much less obvious. Here is a hint for future vocabulary. Where you see an “ei” in German, you will often find an “o” in English. While this does not work all the time, it works here: bone. But Bein doesn’t mean bone, you say? True, but sometimes meanings shift as well as sounds. The longest bone in your body is your thigh bone, which brings you right back to the Bein. And here’s a fun one: Kopf comes from the Latin cuppa, the same word we get cup from in English.
How is a Kopf like a cup? No one seems very sure. My professor said it was because when the Roman soldiers dipped their helmets into the river for a drink, the Germans saw a Kopf and the English saw a cup. I suppose that is as good an answer as any! Either way, taking a moment to see the connections between the words, however thin they may be, can help you recognize patterns and remember the Vokabeln.
And you don’t think Schwert even belongs on the list? Shhhh. Don’t let Ulf hear you say that!
Practice your new vocabulary with some German listening practice
Got your Körperteile down? Excellent! Now, join Ulf for some fun German listening practice. Our latest YouTube video uses Comprehensible Input – the secret sauce for learning German by simply understanding what’s going on, even if you don’t know every single word. It’s how your brain naturally picks up language! (Psst. It’s also Ulf’s origin story.) Expect many more playful CI videos, so be sure to subscribe to the channel and join our German learning crew!
