German · CEFR Band 1 (A1) · Chapter 7
Ich habe eine SchwesterI have a sister
The verb haben (to have): ich habe, du hast, er/sie hat, wir haben. With haben we talk about possession and family: Ich habe eine Schwester. Important: haben needs the ACCUSATIVE. With feminine and neuter nouns the article looks the same (eine Schwester, ein Kind), but with MASCULINE, ein → einen: Ich habe einen Bruder (a preview — the full accusative is Book 2). New vocabulary: brother, sister, son, daughter, grandfather, grandmother, parents, baby.
Dialogue
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Ich habe einen Bruder— I Have a Brother
- LukasHast du einen Bruder? Ich habe einen Bruder und eine Schwester.Do you have a brother? I have a brother and a sister.
- MikeJa, ich habe ein Bruder.Yes, I have a brother. (slip: ein, with haben the masculine is einen)
- LukasMit haben sagt man „einen Bruder" — Akkusativ. Ich habe auch einen Bruder.With haben we say "einen Bruder" — accusative. I have a brother too.
- MikeAh! Ich habe einen Bruder. Und ich habe noch eine Schwester.Ah! I have a brother. And I have another sister too.
Dialogue
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Meine Großeltern— My Grandparents
- LenaIch habe einen Großvater und eine Großmutter. Sie haben eine Tochter: meine Mutter.I have a grandfather and a grandmother. They have a daughter: my mother.
- MikeIst dein Großvater eine Frau?Is your grandfather a woman? (slip: mixed up Großvater / Großmutter)
- LenaNein! Der Großvater ist der Mann, die Großmutter ist die Frau.No! The grandfather is the man, the grandmother is the woman.
- MikeOkay. Dein Großvater und deine Großmutter haben eine Tochter. Deine Familie ist groß!Okay. Your grandfather and grandmother have a daughter. Your family is big!
Vocabulary
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- haben
verbto have
- habe
verb(I) have
- der Bruder
n.m.brother (m)
- die Schwester
n.f.sister (f)
- der Sohn
n.m.son (m)
- die Tochter
n.f.daughter (f)
- der Großvater
n.m.grandfather (m)
- die Großmutter
n.f.grandmother (f)
- die Eltern
n.pl.parents (pl)
- das Baby
n.n.baby (n)
- noch
adverbstill, another
Grammar
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The verb haben (+ accusative)
Explanation
Haben means "to have": ich habe, du hast, er/sie hat, wir haben, sie haben. We use it for family and possession: "Ich habe eine Schwester." One quirk: haben needs the ACCUSATIVE. With feminine (eine Schwester) and neuter (ein Kind) nouns nothing visibly changes. But with a MASCULINE noun, ein → einen: "Ich habe einen Bruder." This is just a preview here — you learn the full accusative in Book 2. For now, remember the one form: einen Bruder.
Examples
- Ich habe eine Schwester.I have a sister. (feminine — no visible change)
- Ich habe einen Bruder.I have a brother. (masculine — ein → einen)
- Wir haben ein Baby.We have a baby. (neuter — no change)
- Meine Eltern haben noch einen Sohn.My parents have another son. (noch = another; einen, masc.)
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